At 7:50 am, Bickslow arrived on Laxus' porch. He knocked on the door with a little more force than needed. It felt strange to knock; in the past, he was able to just walk right in. But that had changed months ago and he now knew it was because Lucy stayed over a lot. Now, if he was to simply walk right in, he might catch Lucy not fully dressed; a shudder went through his body as he imagined how Laxus would react to that. So he waited. He listened as heavy footsteps sounded behind the door, followed by a heavy thud and muffled curses. The door swung open, revealing Laxus rubbing his shin gingerly.

Bickslow said nothing, just stared at the man.

"I tripped over Blondie's shoes and hit the little table. She leaves those god damn things everywhere for me to trip on..." Laxus shrugged. "You're early."

Bickslow shrugged. "We always met up early before a job, I figured Lucy wouldn't be much different. Doesn't her team meet up early?"

Laxus finally stopped massaging his shin and stepped aside, letting his friend cross into the house. "They're supposed to. But Lucy is the only one that ever arrives on time. Irritates her to no end."

The pair walked into the kitchen where Lucy was sitting at the bar, eating scrambled eggs and bacon. She smiled at Bickslow and mumbled around a mouthful of food, "He's right. My team shows up whenever they feel like it. Eventually, I just gave up in giving them a time frame."

Bickslow watched as his babies floated towards Lucy, chanting her name as she gave each one a pat and said hello. He sat next to her at the bar and turned to talk to Laxus while he waited for her to finish eating. Once she was finished and she had hopped off the stool to deposit the plate and fork in the sink, he glanced at the clock; 7:58. He looked at Lucy's face, blinking in surprise to find her already looking at him.

"I'm ready now," she announced, walking towards the foyer where there was a suitcase sitting beside her boots. Before she could even pick it up, golden light flashed in the room leaving Virgo in it's place. The maid spirit quickly snatched up the suitcase, giving Lucy a sad smile, and disappeared in another flash of light.

'So she won't summon them herself, but she doesn't stop them from appearing of their own accord,' Bickslow noticed. He said nothing as he followed Lucy to the foyer, waiting patiently for her to say goodbye to Laxus.

"Did you take your medicine today?" Laxus studied Lucy; she had a tendency to forget to take any medicine.

'Medicine?' Bickslow wondered to himself.

"Yup!" Lucy patted her shoulder bag. "Even packed enough for a week, although I don't think we'll be gone that long.

"Good girl."

"Yeah, yeah." Lucy sighed, feigning exasperation. "Can we please go now, mother?"

Laxus grunted as Lucy stood on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. He watched her turn away and open the door, Bickslow in tow. He lowered his voice and spoke to his friend. "Watch her; she has a habit of attracting trouble."

Bickslow at the blonde standing on the porch, talking quietly to his babies. He turned back to Laxus' serious expression, "Don't worry, she's got five little body guards to watch over her. She won't be able to get into any trouble with them around."

"That's what they all say," Laxus grumbled, nodding at Bickslow. He watched as the pair left, heading to the strain station.

Lucy shoved her satchel in the overhead bin of their cabin and flopped onto the seat across from her companion. 'Three hours on a train with Bickslow... This should be interesting to say the least.' Once she was settled comfortably, Lucy began to miss the weight of Natsu's head on her lap; it was soothing for her to run her fingers through his pink locks. To be honest, she missed her whole team; Erza's armor clanking softly as the train rattled, Gray's constant bards at Natsu's expense. The silence of the cabin wasn't uncomfortable, but Lucy was bothered by it. Summoning Plue, she settled the little snowman on her lap.

She could feel Bickslow staring at her. She explained, "My lap felt empty. I'm used to having Natsu's head on it."

"Well, shit. If you needed a head in your lap, I'd would gladly volunteer mine," he laughed. He removed his helmet – he was strangely comfortable without around Lucy – and ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't help the cheeky grin on his face as he saw a light blush on Lucy's cheeks.

Lucy turned away and huffed, "Unless you're sick, your head will never sit on my lap."

"What if I said I was homesick?" His cheeky grin only widened when Lucy sent him a glare. He threw up his hands in retreat. "I'll behave, promise."

"I don't think you know the meaning of that word or have the will to not misbehave," Lucy muttered. She looked down at Plue and fiddled with his little paws. One by one, the totems drifted towards Lucy, hovering in front of the spirit. They did somersaults as Plue tried frantically to grab them out of the air. Plue wiggled until Lucy sat him down on the seat beside her, smiling as he played his catching game with the totems.

Bickslow watched them, surprised that his babies were so comfortable with the spirit. He wondered if it was because he was one of Lucy's spirits. "So... How does the whole dragon sibling thing work?"

Lucy leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over he chest loosely. She thought about the simplest way to explain it. "I guess it's similar to mating."

"Mating..."

"In a way. When Dragon Slayer mate, they bite their partner and essentially transfer some of their magic into them," she told him, nodding. "Kinship is a lighter version of the same thing, just without the biting. That would be so weird. Instead, the two people entering a kinship cut their hands and channel some magic into their blood. Then they touch hands. The scar left forms into a symbol that represent the others magic. Laxus has a star on his palm." Lucy lifted her hand, palm out, to show him the lighting shaped scar running across it.

"That's basically a cult ritual, Cosplayer."

"True, but I'm not finished." Setting her hand in her lap, she continued, "The transfer of magic isn't the only similarity to mating. When mated, the non-Dragon Slayer develops their mates dragon-like senses, almost on par with the actual Dragon Slayer. It's different with kinship; the two can only sense the other's emotions. Such as pain, irritation, happiness... That sort of thing. Laxus is worried right now."

'Probably because you're with me...' Bickslow ignored his thoughts. "Is there a reason why you don't use your dominant hand? I figured it would allow magic transfer easier."

"Nope," Lucy shook her head. "It's all very mushy and heartfelt; you use the hand closest to your heart. It's honestly a very awkward experience. Poor Laxus could barely look at me when we did it."

"I heard Natsu say you smelled like Laxus. Is that only because you're around him so often?"

"No, another thing about kinship is that you have a faint scent of your kin – though it's not nearly as strong as mates." Lucy shrugged. "It's a wonder that Natsu didn't notice sooner. Wendy and Gajeel figured it out right away."

"Because Flame Brain is as dense as they come," Bickslow scoffed. "Last question: is arousal included in that sense thing?"

Lucy almost died choking on air. She glared at Bickslow "No it isn't, you disgusting pervert of a mage. Who the fuck wants to feel that from their sibling? That's so gross."

Bickslow grinned mischievously. "It was a valid question. I don't know everything that goes on with your whole sibling thing."

Lucy opted to ignore her companion, sparing him from her lecture. She watched Plue playing with the totems; he was rolling them off the seat, and wiggling excitedly when the totem flew up at the last second. She stood up and retrieved a lollipop from her bag and handed it to Plue, giggling when the spirit tried to share it with the totems. Sitting back in her seat, she looked curiously at Bickslow. "How does your magic work that you can implant souls into objects?"

Bickslow looked at Lucy, surprised by her question. People didn't usually ask about his magic; it frightened them too much. When he saw the interested look in Lucy's eyes, he answered. "There's a process behind it, but it only works if you find a soul that wants to stick around."

"And? What's the process?" Lucy looked at him expectantly.

"It would take to long to explain," he lied. "Longer then the hour and a half before we reach Clove Town."

He expected Lucy to argue, given the way she bristled and opened her mouth to press him. He was genuinely surprised when she backed off.

"Fine, but I'm not gonna let this go. I want to know," she said honestly. She stared at the landscape passing by from the window, not feeling like reading a book and jotting down ideas for her own novel. A solid ten minutes went by and Lucy finally decided there was nothing to do but sleep. Honestly, staring out the window was actually making her tired. She folded her legs beneath her and leaned against the window, but her legs only lasted a few minutes before they began to tingle uncomfortably. She couldn't really try to stretch her legs on the seat. Not only was the bench too short her legs, she didn't want to move Plue and the babies off. Frustrated, she stared at her partner, an idea popping into her head.

Bickslow had closed his eyes, chin tucked into his chest, but he didn't sleep. He listened to Lucy huff indignantly when she couldn't find a comfortable position. When it became quiet, he assumed that she had finally fallen asleep. But, he was confused when he heard her stand up. He figured he was going to the bathroom and didn't move. His confusion only escalated when Lucy plopped into his seat beside him and twisted to the side, throwing her legs across his lap. His eyes flew open, he stared down at her legs.

"Um, what?" Dumbfounded, he simply watched as the blonde kicked off her boots and wiggled until her bottom was pressed against his thigh and she could lay horizontal on the seat.

"What does it look like? I'm taking a nap, Blue Boy," she mumbled, closing her eyes and ignoring his stare, satisfied with her position.

"Yeah, I see that," Bickslow huffed. "But why are your legs over me?"

"Because I wanted to lay down, but I didn't want to disturb Plue and the totems. I sure as hell wasn't going to lay on the floor," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Laxus lets me do it all the time. What's the harm in doing it with you?"

"Laxus spoils you," he grumbled. But he didn't try to move her legs off him, he rather enjoyed the feeling of them.

"Mhm," she hummed in response, already half asleep with her arms rest on her middle.

Bickslow poked her cheek, but she didn't move; it seemed that she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. Propping his head on his chin, he rested his other arm across her legs. He didn't want her to roll off the bench. Unable to sleep with her so close to him, he stared out the window aimlessly. He had to admit, he didn't really mind Lucy using him as furniture.

Upon entering the guild, Laxus was confronted with two of Lucy's teammates; Erza and Gray. The two mages planted their feet and glared at Laxus, their arms crossed over their chests. Laxus raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"We would like to talk to you about your relationship with Lucy," Erza announced. Beside her, Gray nodded.

"Oh?" Laxus looked around the room, already bored with the conversation. "The Flame Bastard isn't here to put in his two cents?"

Gray snorted and shook his head. "That idiot took a job with Happy and Lisanna. Said something about not wanting to die."

"Amazing," Laxus feigned shock. "Natsu did something smart for once? Good for him."

"He told us not to get involved, assuring us that Lucy is perfectly fine," Erza explained. "However, we do not fully understand the situation, so we are here."

"What makes you think she's not fine?" Laxus suppressed a growl. Even though the pair didn't know about their kinship, Laxus could feel his anger rising. How dare they assume that he would let anything happen to Lucy? "I thought you trusted Blondie's judgment."

Erza watched the Dragon Slayer warily; she could sense the angry atmosphere around him. "Of course, we have always trusted Lucy's judgment! However, one does wonder..."

"Wonder what?" Laxus spat.

"Why she's so comfortable around a man that was willing to let her die," Gray finished blandly.

Laxus' nostrils flared in anger, his fist clenched at his sides with sparks of lightning appearing. He didn't hear the gasps from the rest of the guild; he was too busy glaring at Erza and Gray furiously. In the back of his mind, he could feel Lucy trying to calm him. It worked only slightly.

Erza and Gray took a step back in utter shock. The look in Laxus' eyes was filled with so much rage. They had never seen him so angry. It was expected that Laxus would get mad when they alluded to the Fantasia incident, but they never thought it would be this severe. The two looked towards the master, their eyes pleading with him to do something. Makarov jumped from the banister he was perched on and almost ran to the trio, calling Laxus' name. He barely made it halfway before he was stopped in his tracks by a large metal pole.

The entire guild, save Laxus and Wendy, followed the length of the pole until it connected with Gajeel's arm. He offered no explanation; firmly shaking his head, warning flashing in his eyes. The guild watched, with no small amount of fear, as Laxus took a predatory step towards Lucy's teammates. He almost grinned evilly when they took a step back in fear. Laxus was about to take another step forward when a small blur of blue and green lunged itself at him.

Laxus looked down as something soft collided with his side. He blinked when he realized that Wendy had jumped in front of him, throwing her arms out to stop him from advancing. The look in her eyes and the way she had so boldly got in his way cause the sparks of lightning around his fists to cease.

"Wendy?" Erza and Gray yelped simultaneously. They couldn't believe she had done that. Being the first to recover from the shock, Erza placed an armored hand on Wendy's small shoulder. She tried to turn the little Dragon Slayer towards her. "You shouldn't have done that! What if you had gotten hurt?!"

"You shouldn't be here, Wendy!" Gray finally found his bearings to glare at the girl.

"Neither should you!" Wendy practically yelled. She spun around so fast, her hair whipped against Laxus' chest. She glowered at the two mages, defiance blazing in her brown eyes. "You should have listened to Natsu when he told you to leave it alone!"

"But Lucy-"

"Is perfectly safe because Laxus would never hurt his kin," Wendy growled. She stomped her foot in exasperation. Couldn't they tell what was happening? They didn't need Dragon Slayer senses to pick up on the way the two blonds acting around each other.

Laxus blinked and looked down at the little slayer. "You knew?"

"So did Gajeel," Wendy answered, a soft smile playing on her lips. She turned around to face Laxus as the giant man glanced at Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer merely shrugged and went back to his metal scraps. "We weren't going to say anything until you told us."

Gray sputtered before he gave it one last try. "Brothers and sisters hurt each other all the time! What's stopping him from taking it too far?"

Laxus growled again, ready to step forward, only to be stopped by the little slayer. She smiled up at Laxus, patting his scarred hand softly. "Because, Gray, the only thing that would hurt Lucy in this relationship would be Laxus being severely injured or, God forbid, dies."

"Dies?" Erza and Gray echoed.

Wendy lifted Laxus' hand, palm out, showing the whole guild the star shaped scar in the center of his hand. "When Lucy became his kin, she became the most important thing to him, second only to his mate. Laxus will do everything in his power to protect Lucy and vice versa. Why do you think Lucy got so mad when you accused Laxus of controlling her?"

Erza and Gray stared at Wendy, open-mouthed. They just couldn't full grasp the explanation given to them. They stood, along with the rest of the guild, frozen. It was eerily silent in the hall until Makarov clapped his hands together, catching everyone's attention.

"Well then, I think that's enough guild drama for today, brats," he called. "Why don't we all go back to whatever we were doing before this little spat?"

It wasn't a suggestion; Makarov's eyes light up in warning. Though unwilling, the guild returned their attention to their drinks and/or fights. Erza and Gray sent Laxus one last look before they scurried away to their table.

Relieved that the tension had ceased, Wendy beamed up at Laxus. She threw her arms around his middle, squeezing tightly. "Thank you for protecting Lucy! I'm so happy for you both!"

Laxus looked away, embarrassed. He didn't know how to react to the girl's actions, so he settled for patting her head awkwardly. "Thanks, squirt."

Sitting down at an empty table in a corner of the hall, headphones placed firmly over his ears, Laxus contemplated the situation. It wasn't that there was a problem with the guild knowing about their kinship, but he wanted to have Lucy there with him when they told the guild. The siblings had discussed the matter multiple times, both trying to find the best time to announce it. It really didn't matter when they announced it, they both knew that it would garner mixed reactions among the guild. Of course, Lucy's team would be furious and his would be shocked. He wanted Lucy to be there with him for it all.

Ignoring the stares he received from the guild – especially his grandfather's – Laxus wondered if he should give Lucy a heads up that the guild knew. He weighed the pros and cons of telling her versus waiting until she returned. But it didn't matter; the guild was going to have a very interesting day when she returned.

Stepping off the train, Lucy stretched her arms over her head, making a noise of relief. Sure, she had been more comfortable in her nap, but sleeping on a train bench never failed to make her back hurt at least a little. She turned to her partner, giggling as the totems filed out one by one behind Bickslow. Once he reached Lucy, the totems began to hover around them excitedly.

She shook her head with a small smile before pulling out the job flier to double check the details. It's not like she ever actually forgot details of the jobs she went on, she just liked to be absolutely sure. Nodding, she tucked the flier into her pocket and addressed her partner.

"We need to find the foreman," Lucy told him. They began walking in a random direction.

"How are we gonna find him without wasting time or knowing his address?" Bickslow just wanted the job to be over. It wasn't that he didn't like being alone with Lucy, but he was sure that he would have a world of pain awaiting him back home if he was alone with her for too long.

"Silly, Blue Boy," Lucy chuckled. She looked around the town as they walked through the streets. Stopping suddenly, she pointed a finger towards a wooden post with signs nailed to it. "We'll follow the signs, of course."

Bickslow look at the post she pointed at, feeling only a little dumb. He read the words "Elemental Mines" that was etched onto a piece of wood pointing west. "Okay... But what if he lives in town?"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she grabbed his wrist and pulled him in the direction of the sign. "Foremans usually live close to the mines. It helps them keep an eye on those going in and out easily."

"Huh, I didn't know that." Bickslow allowed himself to be pulled through the town; he enjoyed the warmth of her fingers around his wrist, as weird as that seemed. "Kind of an unoriginal name for a mine, don't ya think? Don't all mines have some element in them? Like rock."

Lucy shrugged. She didn't really give much thought to the name of the mine, it didn't seem important. "Maybe there's a story behind it."

When the pair finally reached the mine, Bickslow spotted a small house about 500 feet away from the entrance of the mine. Lucy noticed it as well. She turned towards him with a bright smile.

"Told you!" Lucy turned around and stepped up to the door, rapping her knuckles on the wood politely.

The door opened to reveal a man in his mid-forties, covered from hair to boots in mineral dust. His eyes wandered from Bickslow down to the small woman in front of him. "The mages requested for the job, I presume?"

"Yes, sir," Lucy nodded her head. She raised her right hand, showing him the pink guild mark. The man's sudden apprehension didn't faze her; everybody knew about Fairy Tail's penchant for destruction. Instead, she gestured towards her companion. "This is my partner, Bickslow."

The foreman slowly nodded, accepting their introductions and ushering the mages into his home. He waved them towards some chairs surrounding a round table. "My name is Francis. I've been the foreman of these mines for over twenty years."

"So, you requested for someone to remove the thieves from the mines?" Lucy settled herself on a chair, noticing that Bickslow remained standing behind her. The babies settled on the table close to Lucy.

"Well," Francis mumbled, scrubbing a hand down his face, smudging the dirt even more. "They aren't exactly thieves, as far as I can tell. Nothing has gone missing from the worksites."

"If they're not thieves, what are they doing in the mines?" Lucy raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"They're digging around, it seems. And messing up the work my men have done for the past three months." The foreman shrugged, exasperated. "Strange thing is, they're not taking any of the iron we mine."

Lucy whistled. "Iron is worth a decent amount of money these days. I wonder why they're not taking it?"

Francis shook his head. "I have no clue. But, it's almost like they're searching for something. Every time I check it out after they've left, there's always a new chunk of rock blasted off the wall."

"Any idea what they're looking for?" Bickslow decided to speak up.

"Not a damned clue," Francis murmured, sighing. "Whoever they are, they wear this armband apparently. Found that on the ground in one of the larger caverns the other day."

Lucy's eyes widened marginally as she studied the piece of fabric held in front of them. She took in the deep red cloth with a white crest in the center; the alchemical symbol for sulfur. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she looked at the foreman.

"That's the symbol of a mage guild called Hell's Brimstone," she explained. Bickslow and Francis stared at her. "They all specialize in some sort of elemental magic."

"That makes sense," Francis thought aloud. "I've never seen any new equipment in the mines."

"How do you know that, Cosplayer?"

Lucy glanced at Bickslow before quickly returning her gaze to the foreman. "I've had run-ins with them before while on solo jobs."

Ignoring Bickslow's questioning gaze, she reassured the foreman, "Don't worry, sir. We'll take care of them for you immediately. Do you know if there are some in the mines right now?"

Francis shook his head. "I don't. It also seems like they have their own secret entrance into the caverns."

"Well, then," Lucy clicked her tongue, standing from the chair and moving towards the door. "Suppose we'll just have to find out the hard way. Do you have a map of the mines? Maybe marked which caverns they occupy the most?"

Francis heaved himself out of his seat and pulled a yellowed map from a stack of papers sitting on a desk. He opened it and gestured to all the red Xs. "Know these mines like the back of my hand. I've been keeping tabs on their favorite caverns."

"Thank you!" Lucy chirped happily. She took the map from the older man, carefully tucking it into her pocket. "This will be a great help in there!"

Bickslow followed the blonde when she motioned for him to leave the house. Once they were a good distance away from the house, Bickslow spoke.

"I can sense ten souls all in the same cavern," he told her. "Let me see the map."

Lucy pulled out the map and unfolded it for him, watching as his eyes scanned the drawn caverns. Finally he pointed to one that appeared almost directly in the center of the tunnels. Lucy nodded for him to lead the way, tucking the map into her pocket once more.

Lucy studied the looming entrance of the mine with apprehension. Ten people was nothing they couldn't handle; they were most likely weaker grunts of the guild anyway. But there was a nagging thought in the back of her head. She knew dark guilds, with their ridiculous dreams of ultimate power and world domination; but that's not what gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had intimate knowledge of this guild. And she wasn't sure how this confrontation was going to play out if the grunts figured out who she was.

Bickslow silently crept his way closer to the entrance of the mines, keeping Lucy behind him. It worried him that all ten souls seemed to reside in the same cavern, seemingly without a lookout posted at the entrance. He paused, focusing on a shadow moving within the entrance.

Lucy felt his hesitation and followed his gaze, noticing the shadow. She slowly un-clipped her whip from her belt, uncoiling it for easy use. The keys on her hip warmed, begging to be called out to help her, but Lucy ignored them. She still couldn't find it in her to feel worthy of summoning them again. Part of her could feel the irritation felt by Loke.

He looked back at Lucy, noticing her whip at the ready and her fingers softly brushing against her keys. He wondered if she would summon her spirits in the cavern, without them popping out on their own. Nodding, he turned back to the entrance and took a step forward, pausing again when a sudden voice sounded from somewhere within the entrance.

"Oh? Are these the two little mages that annoying pest of a foreman sent to deal with us?" The voice chuckled darkly. Slowly, the shadow on the ground grew in size, the silhouette of a man materializing from it.

"So there is a lookout," Bickslow scoffed, completely unperturbed by the man's entrance. He'd seen a lot worse than some guy appearing from a shadow. Hell, he saw Rogue do it all the time.

"Indeed, there is," The man acknowledged. "And might I ask who you are?"

Bickslow shrugged. He began taking large steps towards the man until he was less than a foot away. His eyes began to glow a bright green and he felt a primitive surge of satisfaction when the man's eyes widened in fear, unable to move a muscle. Bickslow reared his arm back and shot forward, his fist plowing into the man's face. He released the man from his paralyzed state and watched as the man flew with the force of his punch, his head hitting the hard rock of the entrance. He slumped onto the ground in an unconscious heap. Bickslow flexed his hand, loosening the muscles, as he turned to look at Lucy. She nodded.

The pair wove their way through the tunnels, twisting and turning until they came upon the cavern they were looking for. They didn't even wait for the occupants of the cave to notice them, immediately going for the closest ones. Bickslow channeled his magic into his babies and sent them flying towards a wind mage, puncturing the mage's body with holes the size of the totems. Lucy turned as bolts of fire flew towards her; she twisted her body to dodge some of the bolts, hissing when the remaining ones sliced into her skin. Widening her stance her arm shot forward with the largest amount of force she could muster. The hard leather wrapped around the mage's neck and Lucy jerked her arm to the side, throwing the mage into the one Bickslow had just defeated.

By the time she had taken down four of the ten mages, Lucy was covered in cuts and bruises. There was a large gash on her right leg and another on her back, left by a rear attack from an ice mage that Lucy hadn't been able to intercept. She grit her teeth against the pain as she went after a water mage, wrapping the woman's ankle in her whip and pulling it forward, tripping her.

Bickslow paused after he dropped the fifth mage he defeated, glancing across the cave to see how Lucy was doing. He was honestly surprised to see her holding her own very well against the mages; her whip moved as an extension of her arm, snapping against the skin of their enemies. She was breathing heavily and he could see the blood dripping from the wounds on her leg and back. Still, she continued to attack the mages. He shot forward as he saw Lucy falter just slightly before a large slice of water was shot towards her. But he didn't make it very far when the ground beneath Lucy's feet suddenly broke apart and opened, swallowing her. Seconds later, Lucy reappeared from the earth behind the water mage and wrapped her arm around the woman's throat. Lucy constricted her muscles, squeezing down on the woman's throat until she began to go lax in Lucy's arms. When the mage was close to collapsing from lack of oxygen, Lucy released her and sent her flying into the wall with a strong kick to the woman's side.

Bickslow blinked, taken aback by Lucy's actions. He always thought that the Celestial mage didn't know how to fight in close combat. 'Maybe Laxus taught her how to fight,' he wondered distractedly. His eyes were focused on the blonde as her chest heaved up and down, drawing in large breaths. He moved forward once again when Lucy's legs crumpled and she began to fall to her knees. A bright flash lit up the room and a pink haired spirit appeared beside the blonde. The spirit began to clean and wrap Lucy's wounds, speaking quietly with her master.

Leaving Lucy in the care of her spirit, Bickslow turned and tried to question the mages they had just taken down. There were a few that were fighting to remain conscious, but they refused to give any information no matter how Bickslow tried to persuade them. Huffing in defeat, Bickslow simply dragged the mages out of the mines, his babies helping. He returned to the cavern just as Lucy was rising to her feet with the spirit's help.

"Princess, you must summon us to help you fight..." Virgo looked at her master, a soft expression on her otherwise emotionless face. "You cannot sustain such injuries each time you fight."

Lucy bit her lip, unable to meet her spirit's eyes. She truly did feel bad about refusing to summon her spirits, but she just wasn't ready yet. "I'm sorry, Virgo."

Suddenly, Lucy felt a presence looming behind her, sending shivers down her spine. She looked behind her but saw nothing aside from rock walls. Her shivers increased when a voice sounded in her head.

"Lucy Heartfilia..." The voice was ethereal, almost soothing. It whispered in Lucy's mind. "You are the one..."

Lucy swiveled her head, trying to locate the source of the voice. She trembled as a strange feeling of desperation swept over her.

"Princess?" Virgo's voice brought her back to the real world.

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, her eyes once more focusing on the spirit. Virgo looked worried. "Sorry Virgo, I must have spaced out. I'm fine, really."

Virgo's eyes scanned her master's face carefully. She sighed when Lucy offered no other explanation. In a rare display of affection, Virgo wrapped her arms lightly around her master, giving her a quick squeeze. She whispered into her master's ear, "Be careful, Princess. It would do more than devastate us if something were to happen to you. Especially big brother."

Lucy smiled softly as she imagine Loke forcing his way through his gate to protect his beloved master. His key warmed and she brushed her fingers over it lightly. "Tell Loke I'll call him soon."

Virgo nodded and bowed at the waist, giving her master one last look before disappearing in another flash of light. Lucy sighed when her spirit disappeared, wincing as the pain from her wounds settled in.

Bickslow moved to stand next to the blonde. He looked down at her pained face. "Something wrong?"

Lucy slowly raised her eyes to her partner. "No. Ready to go?"

Bickslow didn't like the stoney look in her normally warm eyes. But he let it go, she would talk to him if she wanted to. He reached down and lifted Lucy into her arms, one arm holding her legs while the other carefully supported her back.

"What are you doing?" Lucy bit down a hiss of pain as her wounds were jostled slightly when she was lifted into his arms.

He shrugged. "Figured you would be too sore and tired to walk on your own without pain. This way is easier."

"Now then," he announced, walking towards the exit of the cave, "Let's go get our reward and find a place to sleep. We can go home tomorrow after you've rested.

Lucy fell silent. She had to admit that she was beyond exhausted and her body tensed against the pain. Her eyes drifted closed as she let herself be carried from the mine, her head resting on his chest. It was comfortable, despite the twinges of pain.

Bickslow heard her breathing slow and looked down to find her fast asleep in his arms. It was a strange feeling for him, to have someone so comfortable around him. But he couldn't deny the warmth he felt in his chest at the thought of Lucy being that comfortable. He buried his nose in her blonde hair and breathed in her sweet scent, ignoring the coppery smell of her blood. Having her so close just felt so right. He found himself thanking Laxus for having them go on this job together, despite the way the Dragon Slayer would maim him when they showed up at the guild, her being wrapped up in bandages.

What Bickslow didn't notice was the dark form of another person lurking in the shadows of the mine. The man had witnessed the clash between his guild members and the two Fairies, but he did not participate. If all it took was two mages – never mind the fact that one of them didn't even use her magic – then he really didn't care about them; they were useless. The entire time that the fight lasted, his eyes were zeroed in on the blonde magic wielding a whip. His dark eyes took in the keys attached to her waist. He counted the number of golden keys on her ring and knew; she was the one they needed.

The Hell's Brimstone member fished in his cloak, pulling out a small communications lacrima. He extended some magical energy into it and waited a few minutes before a connection was made. His master's face filled the small screen projected in front of him.

"I assume you have news, Graham?" The master's voice was hard, not leaving any room for contradiction. His pawns knew better than to bother him with inconsequential information.

"Yes, Master." Graham described, in detail, the two mages that had wiped out the grunts of the guild. It wasn't worth noting that the two mages were from Fairy Tail; the only one that mattered was the blonde Celestial mage. "She is the most powerful Celestial mage I have ever encountered, including her mother. She holds ten of the zodiac keys and harbors an intense amount of dormant magical power."

"Hm," The master hummed thoughtfully. "Keep watch over her; she very well might be the key to our purpose. If she finds the key, return at once and we will formulate our next move."

"As you wish, Master Eckhart." Graham bowed his head deeply, raising it only when the lacrima darkened. He stuffed it into his pocket and looked in the direction the two mages had disappeared in.

"Lucy Heartfilia... Hopefully she will be less disappointing than her mother," he mused.

Lucy had wakened as Bickslow collected their reward from the mayor, offering the man a small smile as he thanked them profusely. He had insisted that the pair stay for dinner, but Bickslow politely declined. Lucy was in no shape to attend a dinner with anybody; she needed to rest.

The pair wandered the streets of Clover Town until they found a decent inn to spend the night. The innkeeper glanced at Lucy still curled in Bickslow arms with a raised eyebrow, but asked no questions. He simply handed over two keys and directed them up the stairs. 'Thank God he gave us two rooms...' Bickslow cringed at the thought of Laxus' fury if he found out they had slept in the same room.

Maneuvering Lucy gently enough so as not to hurt her, Bickslow opened the door to her room and walked in. He noticed her suitcase resting on the bed, knowing that her maid spirit had most likely placed it there. Gently, Bickslow placed Lucy on her feet, making sure she could stand on her own.

"I'm fine," Lucy muttered, waving him off. "I can stand long enough to take a shower."

"Okay..." Bickslow wasn't convinced that she had that much energy, but left the room nonetheless. He actually wanted a shower himself, even though he wasn't sure what happened to his own suitcase. Upon entering his own room, he was shocked to see his very own suitcase sitting on the bed. Lucy's spirits were just full of surprises apparently. He removed his helmet and went about his own shower.

Lucy slowly made her way over to her suitcase, limping ever so slightly at the pain in her leg. She opened the suitcase and fished around for some underwear and pajamas. A sigh of relief left her mouth when she studied the pajamas the spirit had packed for her. Instead of the racy scraps of fabric Virgo usually packed for her – especially when she was around men – the spirit had packed her a large flannel button-down and boy shorts.

With clothes in hand, Lucy grabbed her toiletries and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the shower, letting it warm up, before placing the clean clothes on the counter and went about removing her dirty ones. She let out a hiss as the fabric clung to her skin in the parts where the blood had dried; the same happened when she wrapped the bandages Virgo had given her. The small bathroom was completely filled with steam by the time she got her bloody clothes off and stepped into the shower. If she didn't have so many cuts and the two gashes on her body, the scalding water would be heavenly. Instead of basking in the heat like she normally did, she quickly washed her hair and gently cleaned the dirt and blood from her body. She didn't even bother drying herself off when she stepped out; she didn't relish in the idea of rough inn towels coming into contact with her wounds. Like a savior she was, Virgo appeared with a towel made of Aries' wool and wiped the water from Lucy's body, deftly avoiding the wounds.

Lucy was almost asleep on her feet as Virgo spread a healing ointment onto her wounds before wrapping them with bandages once more. The spirit dressed her master in the pajamas and slowly guided her to the bed, where she had already turned down the sheets and comforter. Lucy was fast asleep the second her head hit the pillow as Virgo carefully put her to bed before returning to the Spirit World.

Regardless of how fast asleep she was, Lucy suffered a fitful sleep. Hands twisted in the sheets, Lucy's head thrashed on the pillow. Not even the pain in her back and leg roused her from sleep. Her brow furrowed as the same voice from the cave flitted across her dreams.

"It is time, Lucy Heartfilia," it whispered. "You will be the one to hold our keys."

"What are you talking about?!" Lucy's head turned in every direction, her eyes searching for the source of the voice. She couldn't find it.

Suddenly, her vision was flooded with images. Images of destruction and blood, whole towns wiped from the face of the earth; utter chaos. All around her, people were screaming and crying. That same voice still sounding in her head. "You must find us, Lucy Heartfilia!"

Lucy awoke violently, her upper body shot up from the bed causing a sharp jolt of pain to shoot through her back. She ignored it as she gasped for breath, the images from her dream still vividly present. The screams shaken her to the core; they had sounded so intensely real. And the images of destruction she had seen merely added to her terror. She had recognized the remains of her guild hall, recognized the faces of the bodies scattered within the destruction; her family.

Her eyes frantically looked around the room, landing on the small clock next to the bed; 2 a.m. Shakily she kicked the bedclothes off of her and swung her legs over the side, running a small hand over her eyes. Hissing as a jolt of pain shot up her leg, she hobbled slightly towards the bathroom; she looked in the mirror. Her warm brown eyes were wide, the pupils dilated in the fear caused by her dream. The bruises on her face were even darker against her ghostly pale skin. Her eyes screwed shut; it took everything within her power not to break down, to cry. She didn't see the bright light that flooded the room, didn't feel that familiar presence of her spirits, until a warm hand laid gently on her shoulder.

Lucy's breath hitched, her body tensing in fear. She opened her eyes and looked into the mirror, relaxing when she saw Capricorn standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder. Keeping their eyes locked together through the mirror, Lucy whispered, "What was that?"

Capricorn shook his head slightly. "I don't know exactly. But something tells me that you may find the answer within those caves."

"Within the caves..." Lucy closed her eyes again, breathing deeply. She didn't want to go back into the mine, the cramped places closed in around her to the point she could barely breathe. But, logically, she knew that Capricorn was right; the answer very well might be within those tunnels. Slowly, she turned around and faced her spirit, her brown eyes opening with a newfound determination. "I'll go."

Capricorn nodded and removed his hand from her shoulder. He bowed low from the waist and disappeared back into the Spirit World, but not before Lucy heard him say, "Good luck, Princess."

Leaving the bathroom, Lucy didn't bother changing. It would be too hard given her wounds and she didn't want to delay the inevitable trip to the mine in the middle of the night. She grabbed her whip from the bedside table, catching sight of her keys glowing in the moonlight beside it. Softly, she ran her fingers over the cool metal, wishing with all her heart that she was ready to use them again. But she wasn't. With a dejected sigh, Lucy left her room and made her way down the hall as quietly as possible. She didn't want to wake Bickslow. What she didn't realize as she left the inn, was that five little totems were floating a good distance away, following her.

Bickslow's eyes flew open and he looked around, confused; he had been enjoying a dreamless sleep until something had woken him up. As he looked about the room, he began to worry. His babies were nowhere to be seen; something wasn't right. Throwing the sheets off, he scrambled out of the bed and towards the open window. He stuck his head out and just barely caught the sight of his babies disappearing down the street. Wasting no time, Bickslow threw on his clothes, shoved his feet into his boots and shouldered his way out of the room. Just as he was about to stalk down the stairs and out of the inn, he remembered that Lucy was asleep in a room right down the hall from him. Turning, he padded to her door and knocked quietly. There was no rustling of fabric or soft footsteps that he expected; just silence. He twisted the knob experimentally, surprised yet apprehensive when it turned easily in his grasp. The door swung open to reveal an empty room, completely devoid of its small blonde inhabitant. 'She definitely didn't leave too long ago,' he though as he gazed down at the rumpled bedclothes. Moonlight reflecting off metal caught his eye and he turned to the bedside table. Something definitely wasn't right; Lucy never went anywhere without her keys, regardless of whether she used them or not.

Snatching up the ring, Bickslow ran out of the room and down the stairs, not caring how much noise he made on the way. He wrenched the front door of the inn open and sprinted down the street in the direction he had seen his babies floating. His magic zeroed in on their little souls along with the much brighter one they were following. He'd recognize that pink and gold soul anywhere; Lucy. 'What the hell is she doing?' Finally he turned the corner of a building on the edge of town and caught sight of the woman's blonde hair. Forcing his legs to run faster, he caught up to her, grabbing her wrist to pull her back towards him.

Lucy almost screamed when something grabbed her wrist and pulled her backwards. She lost her footing and stumbled back, landing against something strangely hard yet soft. Her eyes widened when she looked up and saw Bickslow glaring down at her, his red eyes bright with angry – and worry, she noticed. 'Oh, he's mad.'

"What the hell are you doing?" Bickslow ground his teeth together so he wouldn't yell at the blonde. He just couldn't believe she would run off in the middle of the night without any warning. For God's sake, she was in her pajamas.

"Um..." Lucy bit her lip as she looked at anything but him. "Going for a walk?"

"A walk? In your pajamas and without shoes?" Bickslow snorted. She wasn't a very good liar. Releasing her wrist he spun her around to face him, dangling her keys in front of her face. "Thought you didn't go anywhere without these?"

Lucy couldn't help but wince when he confronted her with her keys. She lowered her head and kept her eyes focused on the ground. "I was... Goingbacktothemine."

"I didn't understand a word of that beyond 'I was'."

Taking a deep breath, Lucy raised her head and look him in the eye. "I was going back to the mine."

"You were what?" Bickslow prayed he had heard her wrong. But, if that serious look in her eyes was anything to go by, he hadn't. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Why were you going back to the mine?"

"There's something I need to find," Lucy mumbled. She hoped that he wouldn't ask her what; mostly because she didn't even know herself. She just knew that she needed to do this. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "How did you know I'd left?"

"I didn't," he admitted. "But something woke me up and when I couldn't find the babies I looked out the window. Saw them following something down the street, which turned out to be you."

As if on cue, the five little totems seemingly appeared out of thin air around Lucy's head, chanting happily, "Follow Lucy!"

Lucy wanted to be mad at the little things, really, but they just looked so adorable doing little somersaults around her head that she just couldn't muster the emotion. She squeaked when she felt herself being lifted from the ground. Her hands clutched the fabric of Bickslow's shirt to regain her bearings.

"I can see your leg shaking," he explained, shrugging. Waiting until she was settled in his arms, acutely aware of the wound on her back, he finally took a step forward. "Laxus would kill me if I let you go back there alone. More so than he will when he sees your injuries."

Lucy nibbled her lower lip, she couldn't deny that her leg was aching; but she wasn't expecting for him to go with her back to the mine. 'He must think I'm crazy...' she thought. 'But he's still willing to go with me. I always knew he was a sweet guy.' Relaxing, Lucy rested her head on his shoulder, her face tucked in the crook of his neck, as she whispered, "Thanks, Bix."

Bickslow grunted as he walked out of the town, his babies hovering after him. He wouldn't tell her that it had scared the ever-loving shit out of him when he saw that she was gone. Or that the most intense wave of relief he had ever felt washed over him when he finally caught sight of her beautiful blonde head. Nope, he couldn't tell her that. As much as he wanted to stop her from going, he could see the determined look in her eyes. So he resolved to using a cowardly, yet valid, reason for going with her.

It was peaceful walking through a heavily wooded area in the middle of the night, with the mood providing only the smallest glimpse of light. Sure, he was still on high alert for danger – this was a dark forest filled with who knew what, after all – but it didn't discount his enjoyment of the almost serene atmosphere. After forty-five minutes of carefully picking his way through the trees and bushes, the pair finally arrived at the mine. Bickslow lowered Lucy to her feet, knowing he wouldn't be able to carry her through those cramped tunnels.

Lucy immediately starting leading him through the tunnels the second she was set on her feet. Ignoring the pain in her feet whenever she stepped on a sharp rock, she weaved her way through the mine. She wasn't sure why she knew exactly where to go, but something in her mind was pulling her in certain directions. Take a left at this junction, right at the next, ignore this cavern and the next. Lucy picked up speed slightly, suddenly anxious to find whatever was in the mine.

Bickslow silently followed her, confused. Sure, he'd seen Lucy determined before – usually while she was beating up Natsu for breaking into her apartment and eating all her food – but something was different now. She almost seemed jittery, her steps quickening as she navigated the tunnels as if she knew exactly where to go. He could see that she was favoring her wounded leg, barely putting any weight on it. He couldn't help but curse the tunnels for being too damn small for him to carry her. So he silently followed behind her until she stopped just inside a large cavern. It was much larger than the one they had fought in earlier in the day.

"It's here... This is it," Lucy breathed, her words barely audible. Her eyes scanned the cavern, every wall and crack. She didn't feel that tug in the back of her mind telling her where to go anymore. 'It wants me to search for it...' Lucy began to slowly make her way around the cavern, trailing her hand along the wall and releasing a small amount of magic. If there was anything magical hidden in the cavern, she would find it. Finally, she came upon a strange magic pulse emanating from the wall. She paused, her hand over a small crack, channeling a bit more magic into that spot. The crack suddenly widened substantially.

Bickslow watched her prowl around the cavern with her hand grazing the walls, he felt the magic she was projecting. His eyebrow raised as she stopped in one place and strengthened her magic into the wall. When a large crack appeared on the wall and only continued to grow, he realized what was about to happen. He raced across the cavern and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to the ground, just before the wall practically exploded. Large chunks of rock flew from the wall, one actually hitting Bickslow's back. The dust was suffocating.

Lucy blinked. One moment she was touching the wall, on the brink of finding something, then she was suddenly on the ground with Bickslow above her. If it were any other situation she would have blushed at having him on top of her, but she saw the chunks of rock around them and the dust in the air. She recalled the growing crack on the wall before she was taken to the ground and realized that it had exploded. Suddenly her mind was filled with a strange melody. There were no words, just sounds. It almost sounded like an entire orchestra, but with trumpets. Her eyes locked onto the wall as Bickslow rolled away from her and slowly brought them both to their feet.

A large section of the wall now lie in pieces around them, leaving a strange glow behind it. The soft green light illuminated the cavern, beckoning her towards it. Ignoring her aching back, Lucy ran to the wall and peered at the object lodged into the rock; it was a key. But it was unlike any other key Lucy had ever seen. Instead of gold or silver, it looked as though it was made of granite. The bit was jagged, complimenting the material the whole key was made of. The bow of the key had a pair of hands etched onto it, a miniature version of the Earth cradled within the palms. She couldn't take her eyes off the key. "Bix, look!"

Bickslow looked over her shoulder, his face crinkling in confusion. "A key?"

Reaching a hand up to touch the key softly, Lucy gasped. "It can't be... Those are supposed to be a legend."

"What?"

Lucy ignored the question. She brought both hands to the key and tried to pry it from the rock. It took several minutes of vehemently pulling and declining Bickslow's offer to help – along with Virgo's – before the key finally came loose from the rock. She ignored that her fingers stung in places where she had scraped them on the rock of the wall. Cradling the key in her palms, she stared in utter disbelief. "It's... A Titan key..."

"A what?" Bickslow sidled up to stand next to her, looking down at the key. It really was unlike any he'd ever seen either.

"A Titan key... IT'S A TITAN KEY!" With and exultant shout, Lucy turned to Bickslow and jumped to throw her arms around his neck, her feet dangling a few inches from the ground. She laughed as she hugged him, practically giddy with her discovery.

He made a noise of surprised when she leapt up, throwing her arms around his neck. It was so confusing – it was just a key, right? - but he nonetheless wrapped his arms around her waist loosely. He patted her back lightly, studiously ignoring her lack of a bra and his own mind for pointing that out. A few seconds went by before Bickslow unwrapped his arms and set Lucy on her feet carefully. He watched as she practically jumped with joy.

"Should I summon it? Can I even do that?" Lucy was so excited. She had always believed these keys were just a legend. That they didn't even exist. But here she was, a Titan key in her hand. It was a miracle. "Oh, fuck it! I have to summon it!"

Lucy turned toward the center of the cavern, holding the key arms length away from her body. She channeled her magic into the key, her knees buckling at the tremendous drop in magical power. She felt Bickslow's arm wrap around her waist to hold her up and threw him a grateful smile.

A bright light – even brighter than when she summoned her Zodiac spirits – flashed from the key, filling the entire cavern. It left both mages temporarily blinded, both blinking furiously as the light disappeared. Left in its wake was an extremely tall woman with olive skin and bright green eyes. She was slender, her gentle curves swathed in cream colored robes. Her dark brown hair was twisted up in braids, small white flowers sprinkled throughout. Adorning her head was a circlet made of the same granite of the key.

"Lucy Heartfilia," the woman greeted, bowing her head. Lucy recognized her voice as the one from her dream. Soft and melodic, but still firm. Her small was serene as she regarded the mages in front of her. "I have waited quite some time to be summoned. I am Gaia, mother to the Earth."

Bickslow and Lucy gaped at the beautiful woman, but Lucy was the first to recover. Taking a deep breath, she bowed her head. "It is a honor to meet you, Gaia."

"I know you have many questions, but I am afraid that we do not have the time to discuss them," Gaia said, watching as Lucy leaned into the man at her side, her hands clutching his shirt to keep her upright. "Your body is at its limit for tonight."

Lucy tried to wipe the sweat from her brow, but her arms just wouldn't cooperate with her. Her body felt so heavy and weak. If not for Bickslow holding her up, she was sure that she would have fallen in a heap on the ground. She leaned heavily into Bickslow's side, giving the Titaness an apologetic smile.

"Do not worry, the first summoning of a Titan is extremely taxing. It will be easier with time and practice," she assured the blonde. "But for now, we must part. We will meet again soon and I shall explain everything to you."

Lucy barely managed a nod as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She was just so exhausted and her wounds were beginning to hurt. Watching as Gaia's body turned to stone and then shattered, the pieces disappearing into thin air, Lucy couldn't help the sigh that left her lips. Even with Bickslow holding her up, Lucy swore she was slipping from his grasp.

"What the hell just happened?" Bickslow finally found his voice, looking down at Lucy. His mouth pulled into a frown at how she seemed to just wilt into his side. Slowly he bent and wrapped an arm around her calves before carefully lifting her into his arms. Her head rested heavily on his shoulder.

"Explain... later..." Lucy was barely able to form the words. Her eyes closed and she succumbed to darkness.

Bickslow glanced at her leg, cursing when he saw red bleeding through the bandage. He tucked her closer to his chest and looked around. How were they supposed to get out of the cave with him carrying her. He'd almost given up and transferred Lucy to his back, despite how that might make her hurt, when Virgo suddenly appeared beside him.

"Don't worry, I'm not using her magic," Virgo explained before he could even ask. "I will take you back to the inn."

Before he could even thank the spirit, the ground below his feet disappeared and swallowed them whole. He didn't know what happened after that, but when he opened his eyes again they were back in his room at the inn. Lucy's things were stacked in the chair in the corner of the room.

He carefully settled Lucy in the bed before quickly going into the bathroom, returning with a damp cloth. After placing the cloth on her forehead he pulled the sheets up to her chin. He couldn't stop himself from softly touching her cheek. Sighing, Bickslow moved away from the bed and sat down by the small desk. There was no way he was going to get any sleep tonight. Not because he wouldn't share the bed – he definitely wouldn't mind sleeping next to Lucy – but because he didn't really want to die. He wasn't taking any chances at Laxus finding out he slept in bed with her, even if all they did was sleep.

Lucy rustled in her sleep, becoming aware of a pressure on her chest. It wasn't an alarming amount of pressure nor did it seem aggressive, so she wasn't too worried. She cracked one eye open, wincing as a bright ray of sunlight hit her eye. Closing her eye to the harsh light, she took a deep breath and steadied herself to open them both. When she did, she was greeted with the source of the pressure on her chest; two of the little totems had settled on her chest, sounding as though they were purring. Turning her head on the pillow, she noticed that the other three were situated around her head, the grumpy looking one burrowed into her hair. She brought her arm from under the covers and softly touched the totems on her chest. When they moved off of her, Lucy sat up and rubbed her eyes. The totems all floated around her, chanting her name happily.

Taking a deep breath, she caught a whiff of an odd smell; wood polish. She heard a faint scratching noise and looked over to see Bickslow hunched over a small desk, completely absorbed in whatever he was doing. He didn't seem to notice her wake up, either.

"Bickslow...?" Her voice was scratchy from lack of use and thirst. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Bickslow?"

Bickslow's head perked up, brought from his concentration. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder. His stomach promptly dropped when he saw her. Sure, he'd been watching over her for the last three days she'd been asleep, but she'd been asleep. Now he stared as she stretched her arms above her head, a small strip of her stomach being revealed as the shirt rode up. The sheets were bunched at her waist and her beautiful golden hair was mussy. And her eyes. Bickslow didn't think her eyes could look even more beautiful than they usually were, but seeing them softened and slowly gaining clarity from sleep, they were breathtaking. It took him a second to realize she had asked him a question. "Sorry, what?"

"I thought we were leaving early today?..." Lucy glanced at the little clock beside the bed: 3 p.m. "It's so late in the day?"

"You've been asleep for three days, Princess," he told her. He watched as her face went from tired to surprised. "Yeah."

Lucy shook her head to clear the fog of sleep. The last thing she remembered was talking to Gaia before it all went black. 'So I passed out after that... That took way more power than I thought it would,' Lucy thought. Her eyes bored into Bickslow's back as he returned to whatever he was doing.

"We can still leave today," he offered, speaking over his shoulder. "Though, you might want to change before then. I'd hate to see Laxus' reaction if you walked in like that."

"Like what?" Lucy's brow furrowed. Wasn't she still wearing the pajamas Virgo had packed for her? Looking down, blood rushed to her cheeks. Gone was the flannel night shirt she had been wearing before, in its place was a large black t-shirt too big to possibly be hers. Her eyes snapped up to Bickslow. "How-"

"Don't worry, that kinky maid spirit of yours changed you after she bathed you and redressed your wounds," he assured her. He blew a puff of air on the object in his hand before continuing. "Although, I'm not sure how she got one of my shirts or why she put you in it."

Red-faced, Lucy threw her legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up. Making her way to her suitcase, she dug around until she found clean clothes to change into. Bickslow's shirt was comfortable – and she wouldn't have a problem keeping it on – but he had made a valid point. There was no way she could walk into the guild in his shirt, Laxus would probably have a heart attack. Taking her clothes with her, she made her way over to the bathroom, pausing when she remembered the smell of wood polish from earlier.

She tip-toed over to Bickslow's side and peered over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of what he was doing. "Are you carving?"

Bickslow nodded, not taking his eyes from the object in his hands. But he opened his hand a held it up, allowing Lucy to look at it.

"What are you carving?" Lucy tipped her head to the side, trying to figure out the shape of the wood. Her eyes widened when she realized it was a bracelet. "A bracelet?"

"Yeah..." Bickslow knew he sounded nervous. He was beginning to regret his spur of the moment decision to carve a bracelet for Lucy. Still, there was nothing he could do about it now. Silently, he lifted his hand higher for her to take it from him. "It's for you."

"Me?" Lucy gently lifted the bracelet from his hand, bringing to her eyes to study it. The wood was beautiful, a deep cherry color that was polished so well that it was almost shiny. Little charms hung between perfectly rounded beads, all strung together by an elastic chord. Lucy focused on the little charms, letting out a small gasp. Each charm was the symbol for each of her keys, including Gaia. The little charms were so small and intricate that she almost had a hard time believing Bickslow had carved them by hand.

"Thank you, Bix," she whispered, carefully pulling the bracelet over her left hand and adjusting it comfortably on her wrist. Her eyes misted over as she gazed down at the bracelet. "It's beautiful."

"Well... I had nothing to do while you played Sleeping Beauty, so I figured-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Lucy leaned even closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, her face moving closer to his. She had only intended to kiss his cheek, but just as she was closing in he turned his head towards her. Instead of landing on his cheek, her lips landed on his. They both froze, eyes wide and staring into the other's. Bickslow was the first to pull back, turning his face away from her. Lucy remained frozen, trying to process what just happened, until a totem popped up beside them.

"Kiss!" It did little somersaults in the air as it chanted. "Lucy kiss!"

Lucy squeaked and hastily backed away from Bickslow, almost stumbling over her own feet. Clutching her clothes to her chest, she turned and sprinted into the bathroom, the door slamming behind her. She rested her forehead on the wood and fought to control her breathing and the growing heat in her face. 'Get a grip, Lucy... It was just a kiss and it was accidental!' But she couldn't seem to get the feeling of his lips on hers out of her head. His lips were surprisingly soft and gentle, although it's not like he had really kissed her back. Either way, Lucy was almost mortified that it happened, she just wanted to kiss his cheek.

Bickslow barely registered the bathroom door slamming behind the blonde, he just stared into space, utterly dumbfounded. He was eternally grateful that Laxus couldn't feel arousal through he and Lucy's connection, and that the giant man wasn't anywhere near him. Knowing his luck, Laxus would somehow know what happened and he'd be dead a hundred times over, no matter that Bickslow hadn't even made a move on his little sister. He groaned and put his head in his hands, dreading the train ride back to Magnolia.

Fortunately for Bickslow, the train ride wasn't nearly as awkward as he thought it would be. Although it was made in almost total silence, there wasn't an oppressive atmosphere around them. Every now and then, he could feel Lucy's eyes on him but he made sure to keep his gaze on the window. Whenever she would turn back to her book, he would let his gaze wander to her.

By the time they arrived back in Magnolia it was early evening. Lucy didn't really want to go home to her apartment – she knew that if she didn't go see Laxus, he would be angry – but she began to grow more and more anxious as they neared the guild. Bickslow noticed her wringing her hands together in front of her.

"What's up, Princess?"

Lucy briefly glanced up at him before turning her eyes back to the road, biting her bottom lip. The guild came into view and her pulse picked up slightly. "Well... It's just that I didn't exactly leave on good terms with my team, you know? I'm not sure what to expect when I walk in..."

Bickslow couldn't help the laugh that spilled from his lips. "I'm sure Laxus took care of them. You've got nothing to worry about, Princess."

"That worries me even more," she sighed. At the confused look Bickslow gave her, she explained, "On the way to Clover Town, I could feel Laxus get very angry. Not as extreme as what happened before we left, but angry all the same. What if... What if they said the same thing to him as they said to you?"

"What, about us trying to kill you?" Lucy nodded glumly. Bickslow placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Chill out, Princess. I know that there's a whole other level to him caring about you, but he wouldn't fly off the handle and hurt them severely. He knows how much that would hurt you, yeah?"

"I guess you're right..." Still, Lucy couldn't help but be anxious. She continued to nibble her bottom lip as they reached the guild doors. She didn't want there to be tension within the guild just because of her.

Bickslow waited for her, watching as the gears in her head turned. He would wait for her to open the doors, since she seemed more anxious about her team than he was about Laxus. Sure, he had been preparing for the Dragon Slayer's wrath once they entered, but seeing Lucy so worried actually calmed him a bit.

Lucy took a deep breath, steeling herself, and quickly pushed the doors open. Her "I'm back!" was drowned out by the sound of her name being yelled from right in front of her. She blinked and looked at Erza and Gray standing before her, looking very guilty and ashamed. She smiled warmly, giving them a hug. "Hey guys, I'm back."

When she pulled back from the hug, she watched as her teammate's faces melted into relief. She couldn't help but giggle when Erza bowed deeply, red-faced.

"We would like to apologize for our actions the day before you left!" Erza's voice was laced with guilt.

Gray grunted his agreement. "Just about got out asses handed to us the next day. For once, Flame Brain was right when he told us to leave it alone."

Lucy smiled sweetly and pulled the two in for another hug. No matter how angry they had made her, she still loved them with all her heart and was more than willing to forgive them. Glancing around the hall, she realized that she couldn't spot her pink-haired best friend anywhere. "Where is Natsu anyway?"

"He went on a mission with Lisanna and Happy," Erza informed. "They should be back tomorrow, if not tonight."

Lucy nodded and turned to Gray as he asked, "How was your job?"

Before Lucy could answer, she felt a looming presence behind her. She could feel the low growl rumbling from Laxus' chest and slowly turned to look up at him. His nostrils were flared, no doubt he could smell the faint trace of blood left from her wounds.

"You're hurt." Laxus didn't phrase it as a question, he could smell a coppery tint to her regular strawberries and vanilla scent.

"Laxus-" Lucy was about to explain everything, but never got the chance. She sighed as Laxus' eyes narrowed and he turned toward the Seith mage standing to the side. Quickly, she moved in front of Laxus, keeping him from closing in on poor Bickslow.

"Oh no you don't!" Lucy put her hands on his chest and heaved, pushing him back slightly. She scowled up at her brother. "You are not going to flip your shit over this. It wasn't his fault I got injured, my reaction timing was slow."

"But-" Laxus grunted as Lucy pushed him again.

"But nothing," Lucy growled. "Stop glaring at your best friend in blood lust and planning his murder, you overgrown light bulb."

Surprising the entire guild, Laxus backed down, but continued to glare at Bickslow. This was a strange sight for the guild, especially for Makarov. Sure, Laxus had mellowed immensely since he was exiled, but he still had a short fuse at time. One of those times was whenever somebody called him an asinine nickname like "overgrown light bulb." They released a collective sigh when Laxus wrapped his arms around the small blonde and hugged her tightly.

Bickslow was especially grateful for Lucy in that moment. If he had walked into the guild alone, he was certain that he would already be dead. Just the fact that they were gone longer than they were supposed to be would be enough of a death sentence from his best friend.

"By the way, Blondie," Laxus murmured as he released her, "the guild knows."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat. Her immediate assumption was that the guild had found out about Aquarius and the events of Tartaros. Her eyes darted around the guild, looking for any sign of pity directed towards her. She relaxed marginally when she found none; everyone would have been treating her like glass if they knew about that. There was also no way that they could have found out about how depressed she was. Only two people in the whole guild knew, Laxus and Bickslow. The latter of which was with her for the last week, so she knew he couldn't have said anything. And Laxus definitely wouldn't have said anything. The only secret left was the kinship. "Oh? And how did they come to know about that?"

Laxus glanced towards Erza and Gray before turning his attention back to her and shrugged. "Those two decided to take it up with me about out relationship after you left. One thing lead to another and Wendy had to jump in and save them."

"Hm." Lucy glanced around the guild, noting that they didn't seem to care overly much about it. Her eyes landed on Wendy, who was perched on a bench oddly close to Gajeel. Lucy smiled softly at the little Slayer and mouthed a silent "thank you." Wendy's face lit up, happy that she had helped, and she began to chatter excitedly at Gajeel who simply listened and munched on his metal.

Before she could say anything else, the guild doors slammed open behind her and a blur of blue flew in. Lucy laughed as Happy collided with her chest, burying his face in her breasts.

"Lushyyyy," Happy cried happily. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Happy," Lucy cooed, gently rubbing the exceed's ears. She looked up and smiled at Natsu and Lisanna as they walked in. "Welcome back, guys."

"Luce!" Natsu grinned widely and rushed towards Lucy, throwing his arms around her. He was so excited that she was back he couldn't contain it.

"Hi, Natsu," Lucy greeted, patting his back lightly. "How was your job?"

"It was great! We kicked ass!" Natsu pumped his fist in the air. Lisanna giggled beside him.

"He was careful not to destroy anything," Lisanna laughed, smiling at Lucy. "He said that he wanted to get back as soon as possible to beg your forgiveness."

Lucy stared at Natsu, surprised. He really thought that she wouldn't forgive him? Natsu scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. He moved to stand beside Lisanna, winding an arm around her shoulders. Lucy didn't miss the closeness between her two friends, or the way that Lisanna looked at Natsu. She grinned knowingly. "Don't worry about it, Natsu. I'm not mad anymore. How you didn't know is beyond me, but you were just looking out for my. I appreciate that, really."

Natsu grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Besides," Lucy continued smoothly, leaning in close to them. "It looks like you got something better than my forgiveness while on that job..."

Lucy couldn't contain the smirk growing on her face as the pair flushed a deep red. Under Lisanna's collar, Lucy could see a small piece of a red tattoo-like mark on her pale skin. She pulled her two friends in a tight hug, giving each one a chaste kiss on the cheek. She whispered, "I'm so happy for you two."

"Hey, Lushy, since when do you wear a necklace?" Happy floated at Lucy's side, tugging on the exposed section of a gold chain.

Lucy's stomach dropped when Happy succeeded in pulling the chain just enough so that Aquarius' key popped out of her shirt for all the guild to see. She gaped down at Happy, her face losing every ounce of color. Her knees wobbled.

Laxus and Bickslow shot forward to keep her from falling over. They kept their gazes trained on Lucy, worried.

Lucy stared up at the two, her eyes filled with horror. She silently begged for help, anything. Part of her wished Laxus would just snatch her up and take her away from the guild. But before anyone could react, a small voice sounded from the bar.

"It's the mermaid lady's key!" Asuka shouted, running on her little legs towards Lucy. She would recognize her favorite spirit's key anywhere.

Everyone in the guild looked from Asuka to Lucy, confused. They stared at the chain now revealed from her shirt, a shiny golden key hanging from it, broken.

Makarov jumped down from the second floor and strode up to Lucy. His face was set in a serious expression, his eyes narrowed and pinched. He touched her hand softly, causing her to jump. When she turned her horrified eyes on him, he whispered, "Child, why is that key broken?"

Deep in a secluded forest, Graham reached a large boulder nestled at the base of a hill. Placing his palm upon the boulder, he channeled magic into it until a large opening appeared. He stepped into the entrance of his guild, turning to reset the illusion. Once the entrance was closed, Graham immediately sought out his master.

He found his master sitting in a decently sized cavern that the man used as an office/throne room. He kneeled in front of his master's desk, bowing with an arm across his chest. "Master Eckhart."

A large man sat behind the desk, his face covered in a long beard with whiskers peppered with silver. His eyes were a cold gunmetal gray, with no trace of emotion to be found. Eckhart steepled his hands on his desk and leaned forward. He grumbled, "Graham. I assume you have more news?"

"Indeed, Master." Graham wasted no time in launching into a descriptive account of all that happened in the mines after he had initially informed the master of Lucy's presence.

"So she has found a key," Eckhart mused.

"She now holds the first of the twelve Titan keys, the Mother of the Earth."

"We must ensure that she finds the remaining eleven, then." Eckhart rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He looked at Graham as he gave his orders. "Follow her progress closely. We cannot have a repeat of the incident with her mother."

"As you wish, Master." Bowing low once more, Graham stood and left the room. Quickly he made his way towards the library located in a large cavern where he searched for any and every book on Celestial magic he could find. Stuffing about four large tomes into his bag, Graham retreated into his quarters to study the books. If he was going to hunt a celestial fairy, he was going to be prepared.

This chapter took a lot longer to rewrite than the others! I could only work on it one section at a time between shifts at work and studying for the GRE. But! Now that I've gotten the test out of the way, I can focus more of my free time on writing!

Just a reminder, I still have no idea where I'm going with this story, but this time I swear I'll finish it. No promises on frequency of updates, life's a bitch like that. The next chapter will probably be longer to be added, I've got another small project in the works. Call it expanding my horizons with romantic Lucy ships.

Also, do you know how hard it is not to have Bickslow say things like "deadass" and "it be like that sometimes"? I spend a lot of time around teenage boys and have picked up their speech patterns and phrases so now I use them myself. But I am valiantly restraining myself of writing those phrases here. Although... those do sound like things Bickslow would say.

Anyway! Hope you liked this rewrite! Feel free to tell me what you think, I greatly appreciate feedback.

Warm regards,

TGTW