KTKG Says: So… this just popped up in my head as an idea and I decided to run with it. Don't worry, I'll still be updating Desperate Times at regular intervals. I just wanted to get this out and see what you guys thought about it. Anyway, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with the characters of Fairy Tail, they belong to Hiro Mashima. I just own the idea for this story.
Chapter One
Mondays were the worst for her.
She always woke up feeling as if she were hung-over, like she had over-indulged in her laziness the night before, and it took her a while to get moving. Two huge cups of coffee loaded with sugar and cream and a donut on the side normally had her up and out the door.
Today was not one of those days.
"Ugh… Mondays suck so hard." Lucy Heartfilia was currently pouring herself her fourth cup of coffee that morning and it was only nine-thirty. Practically dragging herself back to her office, she plopped down in her chair and blinked blearily at her computer screen as she began to check her email. She loved her job, really she did, it just took a toll on her sometimes. After all, weekends were for relaxation, not work. Apparently they failed to tell her in college that owning your own business meant you had no weekends to yourself. Ever.
Taking a healthy gulp of the warm liquid in her cup, Lucy sighed happily as she was finally feeling the caffeine buzz she'd been chasing since she woke up that morning. Ah, coffee, her best friend. Well, her second she supposed. Speaking of which, the first one had just burst through her door.
"Lucy!"
Lucy smiled as she set her mug down, reclining in her seat as her best friend Levy McGarden settled down in one of the chairs on the other side of her desk. "You look like you're still asleep." Lucy giggled along with her friend, stealing another sip of her drink as she replied "I honestly feel like I still am."
Levy, her right-hand woman, had been her best friend for ages. The two met in high school, in the book club of all things, and had been almost attached at the hip ever since. When he decided to start her program, Levy had been there from the beginning with her. Together, they ran a girl's mentoring program for girls in middle school on up through college. They helped with tutoring, high school and college selection, as well as generally helping girls become more confident in themselves. Really, she just wanted to help young women make their academic and occupational dreams come true.
She had first got the idea when her and Levy were still in high school. Without her mother there, she had had a really hard time trying to figure out what she wanted to do. Her father, ever the business man, pushed her to get a business degree to carry on the family company. Lucy decided instead that she wanted to start her own. She would be damned if she would carry on that man's work legacy…
"Lu-chan. Wake up."
Lucy blinked herself back to reality at the sound of the blue-haired woman's voice. Smiling in apology, she surveyed her friend for a moment. Levy was dressed in a form-fitting orange shirt with a relaxed pair of dark blue jeans. In her hands she held a manila envelope.
"What's that?"
Levy looked down at her hands briefly before tossing the whole thing on Lucy's desk. "It's just some applications and some files of girls who are still needing to be paired up with someone." Lucy picked up the folder and flipped through its contents quickly before setting it back down. "Is this the only reason you stopped in?" Levy smiled at her and Lucy paled. She knew what that smile meant.
"I get to pick where we eat today for lunch, right?"
Lucy only sighed in defeat as a response. Levy only ever wanted to go to one place for one reason and one reason only. "Fine, but remember we only have an hour this time. I'm not paying you to ogle men." Levy only laughed as she practically pranced out of her office. "I'll see you in a couple of hours!" Lucy shook her head. Levy could be very special when she wanted to be.
She took a sip of her now lukewarm coffee and began going through the profiles on her desk. She was glad that her business was pretty popular, but she was afraid that it was becoming too popular as she had more mentees than mentors at the moment. She frowned slightly at the thought. She would have to get some more funding to fix that and soon. Downing the rest of her drink she set herself to work dividing the papers in front of her into separate piles.
Application…application…waiting list.
Waiting list…application…application.
Waiting list…waiting list…waiting list. Ugh.
Yeah, she really had to do something about getting more mentors; her pile of girls needing to be assigned was a bit ridiculous.
A frown made its way to her face once again as she stared at the last profile in her hands.
The picture attached to the piece of paper was initially what had made her pause. Shy, brown eyes peered back at her, almost hidden by deep blue bangs. The smile that adorned the petite face was also equally as shy. Lucy couldn't help but smile as she remembered when she sported a similar look herself.
Above the picture there was a neon-pink posted note attached; the second thing that made her pause. Scrawled with permanent marker in block letters across it was the word 'RE-ASSIGN.' Her eyes quickly scanned the page to see who she had been originally assigned to and she sighed when she found it. She should have known that wasn't going to work.
Picking up the phone, she placed the paper flat on her desk as her fingers deftly dialed the needed numbers. The phone rang a couple of times before stopping and a muffled voice greeted her. At least, she hoped it was a greeting. What actually came back over the line at her sounded like a pained groan. "Hey Cana, it's Lucy."
"There better be a good reason for this call Lucy, I was taking a break."
Mentally, Lucy sighed. If Mondays were the worst for her, they were absolutely downright atrocious for her dear friend Cana Alberona. "Did you hang out with Macao and his friend again last night?" Another pained moan reached her ears and Lucy winced. While Lucy always felt like she was hung-over most Mondays, Cana actually was. She could just imagine the poor woman lying face down on her desk at the moment. "Alright, I'll make this quick. What's up with the request for a reassignment?"
There was a pause and Lucy sighed. She couldn't have possibly forgotten already, could she? "Name?" Okay, maybe she had.
"Wendy Dragneel."
There was another sigh, this time from Cana, and some shifting noises in the background. Either she was sitting up or putting her head in a more comfortable position. "Oh yeah, Wendy. Can't do her." Lucy was silent as more shifting noises came through. "You know I'm not good with anyone under seventeen. She needs someone else with more patience. Besides, her guardian was a pain in the ass."
Lucy looked over the picture again and leaned back in her seat, resisting the urge to kick her feet up. "Okay Cana, I'll let you off the hook and find you someone else. Please tell me you were at least nice to the poor girl."
There was a snort then a reply of "of course."
Lucy really hoped she was telling the truth.
They said their good-byes, Lucy making sure Cana was actually able to do some work today, and then hung up. Lucy sat in silence as she contemplated what to do. Cana honestly was better suited for one of the college aged girls in her pile, so that problem was already solved. The problem now was finding someone for little Wendy.
She didn't want to leave the girl without someone, but finding a replacement could take a while and they were short staffed right now. She really didn't want to have her sitting around wondering why she was dumped all of a sudden either as that would leave poor Wendy with a bad experience with her program. There was only really one option left, and Lucy was just going to have to go with it.
She was going to be Wendy's mentor and hopefully give her the best experience possible.
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KTKG Says: Okay, and there you have it. Thanks for reading! Do you like it so far? Are you interested in seeing more for this story? Let me know!