. Shattered Boundaries .

Warning: I do not recommend reading unless you've read either Shattered Dreams or Shattered Reality!

If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his key had never before been in the hands of a celestial mage like Lucy Heartfilia. Usually, his key belonged to someone who could care less for him and the other Spirits that the person controlled. Most of the time, he questioned why he even made contracts with anyone.

Not with Lucy.

Sure, he'd avoided her in the beginning. When he'd learned that she was a celestial mage, he'd taken to keeping away from her at every twist and turn. Yet here he was now, content. He'd never before told a celestial mage that they were free to summon him at any time. But he'd told Lucy she could.

And he didn't think he'd ever regret it. The blonde cared just as much for them as she did for her friends that lived in her own realm. She cared for them - the Spirits she controlled - more than she did for herself.

It was a first. Never had this happened to them before. They were all content with who held their keys at this point. Even Libra and Pisces, were more than willing to fight for Yukino, who'd grown to care for them as much as Lucy cared for her own Spirits.

Even the Spirit King was content, and that was saying something. Usually, he disapproved of at least one of their mages, but even he liked Lucy and Yukino, who were more than likely the only celestial mages in existence at the moment.

So the day everything went to hell for their master, the Celestial Realm went into an uproar. There was nothing any of them had been able to do, and everyone had been distressed and angry over what had happened. Taurus had blamed himself, claiming he should have been stronger.

Loke had blamed himself, too, but had been forced to take charge.

There wasn't much any of them could do at the moment. None of them could force their gates open - not even him, and he was usually able to do so with ease. It made the situation even worse. They couldn't even feel whether or not Lucy was safe or not, and they couldn't ask Libra and Pisces to see what they could find out because it wasn't their mage that was being affected. Loke had cursed the contracts they made over that. So, with nothing else to do…

The waiting began.

The first one to be summoned was Virgo.

Loke had never seen her so relieved to be summoned. He'd never felt so anxious over one of the Spirits being summoned. He made sure to take care of what business she'd left behind in the process - the Spirits had thrown a party, not that he and the rest of the Zodiac had taken part like they usually would have - just as he always had when someone other than him had been summoned.

But he'd felt so much fear - so much concern and terror - for Lucy, that he'd been distracted, unable to relax. He'd paced after he was finished, and within only minutes, Virgo was back, her gaze sharpened with anger. It was rare she showed such emotion, and he knew immediately that there was something wrong. "Speak!" he had ordered, his heart tightening at the thought that something had happened to their Lucy. He still felt the tug, the connection that all Spirits had with their master, but that was it. He couldn't tell if she was in danger or not.

Virgo had clasped her hands in front of her, looking down as she thought over what had happened for a few moments before speaking. "Brother...she's not in her own Realm. Well, she is, but...we weren't."

"What?" Loke's eyes had narrowed behind the shades he wore. "What do you mean? Is Lucy okay?"

"For now," Virgo had said, shaking her head. "But there was strange magic about her. Something isn't right." The Spirit had tilted her head, her eyes shining with suspicion. "I believe we should speak with the Spirit King about this, Brother. This is more than just a normal thing." Her lips parted as she moved to speak, and when she did, her voice was surprisingly mournful. "My key broke, Leo. But at the same time...it didn't."

"I'll speak with him," the lion had mumbled, troubled by this information. "Thanks, Virgo." She'd given him a curt nod, and then left. Usually, time passed so slowly for them...it had been only a few days for the Spirits when it had been seven years that those on Tenrou Island had passed. Never before had time seemed to crawl along like this, though.

Loke had pressed a hand to his forehead, gritting his teeth. "Don't worry, Lucy," he'd murmured aloud, glancing over his shoulder, to where Virgo was repeating her news to those that had approached. Mostly Lucy's spirits, even the lesser ones like Plue. They were all concerned about their mage, and even Aquarius, who could have cared less about whether or not she was summoned, had looked frustrated.

Loke had taken the time to try and force his way through his own gate, but nothing. He had known Lucy was aware of him trying to break through, she always did, but it took only seconds for him to realize.

She had been blocking their gates. She wasn't allowing them out, and if she was doing her hardest to hold them back, it truly meant something was wrong. Loke hadn't meant to, but at the time, he'd fallen into the habit of blaming Natsu. Surely if the dragon slayer had been able to properly protect her, they wouldn't have been in this situation!

And it had driven him crazy! He had always and would always trust Natsu Dragneel with the task of guarding his master. So why shouldn't he have been able to the dragon slayer?! Natsu would never willingly let her get hurt...so why did Loke feel as if he was the one to blame?!

Cursing the fact that he hadn't been able to force his way through his gate as easily as he usually could, Loke had set to work. He would figure out what had happened.

Even if it killed him.

The next few hours had been like hell for Loke. He'd ticked off the days and weeks in the mortal realm in his head, yet something told him he didn't need to. The Spirit King had only confirmed it: time was passing at the same rate in the Celestial World as it was in Earthland. And nobody was happy about it.

Something like this happening...it meant that something bad - truly bad - was happening. The boundaries between their world and the others had been melding, even shattering in some places, and over the next few days, Loke and the other Celestial Spirits had worked their hardest to build them back up. There was no fun and games anymore.

Occasionally, when they had sensed their master's need for comfort, they had provided it to the best of their abilities.

And then, they had all sensed the simple danger. The link between them and their master had been stronger that day, not they could figure out why it lessened or grew. Some days, they had barely been able to tell that she was alive, and others, they were nearly able to break through.

And then it had happened.

Aries had taken on a surprisingly fierce expression and had simply disappeared before their eyes.

The ram had broken through.

Aquarius had been furious; she wanted to chew Lucy out supposedly, but they all knew she was worried. All of them had fretted and worried until Aries had come back, her gaze soft with sorrow. Aries had shifted back and forth on her feet before saying quietly, "I was able to tell her that Virgo is alright...I think she'll realize that we're all okay. It's just...it's strange. Sorry."

Loke had pressed his lips together, gritting his teeth furiously. "Damn," he'd managed to mumble before storming off in a rage. What was going on?! He'd heard what Virgo had gone up against...and later, when he learned what Aries had seen, he'd been even more worried. What the hell was going on with their master?

All hell had nearly broken loose when they'd all felt their bond with Lucy falter. But it had come back, stronger than ever, and they'd all been relieved. Lucy was alive...for now.

Horologium had been the next to go alongside Lyra. The two had been upset, but after seeing Virgo and Aries, who were stronger than them, go through the same thing, they'd known better than to think it was in some way their fault. The other silver keys simply felt the change in their bond with Lucy one day, describing it to the others. Lyra had confirmed it.

It was up to the Zodiac now...up to them to make sure Lucy survived whatever was happening.

It was more than just a little concerning that the boundaries of the Celestial Realm and Earthland had become so thin. And if he hadn't been so concerned about Lucy needing him, Loke would have pushed through his own gate at one of the weaker moments to figure out just what was going on.

Even then, he had somehow sensed that Lucy wouldn't use his key at all. He would have to push through when it came down to it. Loke had sensed Lucy's mourning one night and had done his best to reassure her, using the bond that all Spirits shared with a mage they had a contract with to do so.

Never had Loke worried so much for anyone. Not even when he and Aries had been in Karen's grasp.

And then, Lucy had summoned three Spirits at once. Aquarius, Scorpio, and Gemini had all been called upon, summoned to whatever world their mage was in. What should have been an impossible task for Lucy at the time - not because she wasn't strong enough, just because she hadn't trained for such a thing just yet - had been done, and they all felt the tug on their bond.

Terrified, Loke had nearly lost his temper "That damn woman!" he'd snarled when he'd learned of what was going on. "Damn it! I she trying to get herself killed?!"

"Princess is strong," Virgo had reassured, her gaze following him as he stormed around, his anger enough to make light flicker along his form. He had tried as hard as he could to force his way through the gate, to try and get to Lucy's aid.

She had somehow kept him back, refusing him.

He'd wanted to throttle her for the first time since meeting her. He couldn't blame Aquarius for her attitude towards the young blonde...he had a bit of an attitude towards her as well after that.

Not that he'd ever let Lucy know that.

She was just too pretty not to flirt with.

Capricorn had left next. There had been a flash of terror that raced through them all and even Aquarius - who had been surprisingly quiet as she kept near Scorpio - had wanted to help again despite an interruption in a date.

Capricorn had left in a flash of white, determined to help the daughter of his previous master.

And he'd been back almost as quickly, Cancer and Taurus replacing him forcefully within minutes.

Yet Loke still hadn't been able to break through himself. It had frustrated him beyond belief. Why hadn't he been able to get through? He was hers to use as she wanted, yet here he was, stuck within the realm he'd once would have given everything to get back to.

When Cancer and Taurus had come back, the bull had looked ridiculously grieved and guilty. Loke had demanded to know what had happened, and when Taurus reported that he had been forced to cut Rogue Cheney in half with his axe because the shadow dragon slayer had attacked their mage, Loke had realized it.

Something was incredibly wrong here.

Yes, he'd known this for a while. They all had, from the moment they had been unable to force their way through their gates. From the moment Virgo's key had half-vanished, as they'd later put it.

It was at that point, when Loke had realized that he and Sagittarius were the last ones, that once they were gone, nobody would be left to try and protect Lucy. So, he'd gone off to think, making his way around the place he called home. It was beautiful, he supposed - but if he was perfectly honest, he would have preferred to be with the guild that had taken him at the lowest point of his life. Aries and Virgo had accompanied him, both silent, thinking over the same thing he was.

It was Aries who'd first come up with the thing that would bring them to the truth.

"Perhaps she's in another realm?" the ram had suggested, then blushed and added hastily, "Sorry!" As if worried, she'd interrupted their trains of thoughts, she'd continued. "I was just thinking aloud."

"No," Loke had breathed, turning on his heel to grin brilliantly at his close friend - and, quite honestly, the one he may have felt a little something for. "That's perfect, Aries. It must be something similar to that, or even that exactly. When Fairy Tail was dragged to Edolas, we could still be summoned by Lucy. It was just a little different. The bonds we felt stretched because they weren't as strong in a realm that we hadn't made a contract in before. It was a world that lacked magic."

"But it's not Edolas," Virgo had supplied. "Princess isn't in another realm...she was in her own. It was Earthland, Brother."

"I know," Loke had replied. He'd gone back to pacing in front of them, contemplating just what they were dealing with. His mind had searched new ideas at this point, as if he'd be able to come up with a solution now, an explanation that not even the Spirit King could come up with.

And then it had hit him, as if one of Natsu's flaming punches had managed to catch him across the face.

"That's it!" the lion had shouted in triumph, whirling to face them again. His eyes had gleamed from behind the shades perched upon his nose. "The reason she's in Earthland, but isn't at the same time...we've dealt with it before!"

"We have?" Aries had asked hesitantly, bewildered.

"Not you," he had clarified, shooting her an apologetic look. "I have, at least. Lucy, being the incredibly powerful and beautiful woman she is-"

Virgo had cleared her throat. "I do not believe a certain companion of Princess' would appreciate such words coming from your mouth, Brother."

Loke had flinched at the thought of Natsu's anger. Despite the dragon slayer's supposed stupidity, he was, in reality, quite smart and clever, and knew exactly what he'd meant when he'd questioned if the fire mage had some feelings for their celestial mage. Not that any of them had approved of him being with Lucy.

"Anyways," Loke had said, forcing himself to move on. "It's not that she's in another realm. She's still in Earthland, just like we said. She's dreaming. This is all her dream. To her, it's reality, which is why we're brought there when we're summoned. Lucy is strong...she's done it to me before. I've been summoned in one of her dreams, even if it wasn't with the key she actually possesses."

The two other Celestial Spirits had nodded. It made sense. As if such a thing would truly happen to their master. Not even the dragons would permit such a thing to happen. Well, most of them wouldn't. Acnologia might.

"What do we do?" Aries had asked.

He'd grinned, winking at her when she'd murmured an apology. "Easy. We have to wake her up."

"No offense, Brother," Virgo had stated in her emotionless voice, though it had held a bit of worry for Lucy. "But how do you suggest we do such a thing? We disappear before we are able to tell her."

"Yes, but there's still Sagittarius and I," Loke had pointed out. "I will get through to her." Loke's eyes had darkened, his gaze serious. "I know we can't get through to her now, and we can't get through to Earthland at all, but I will not let Lucy die."

When Loke had managed to break through, he hadn't expected it. He'd been working for hours with the Spirit King on figuring out what had happened. They'd pieced it together fairly well, considering that not even the king of their realm had been able to see Earthland throughout the time Lucy had been unconscious. While Loke hadn't entirely been sure on what had happened, they'd decided that some outside force had caused this to happen, resulting in the shifting of...well, everything.

He had been in the middle of a conversation when he'd felt it. And just like that, he'd ordered Sagittarius and himself through the gates to their celestial mage's side.

Loke had never been so happy to see Lucy. She'd sobbed his name just seconds after he'd appeared, taking the situation in momentarily before yanking her and Wendy out of the way. He'd processed what was happening quickly.

Gajeel was, for whatever reason, trying to kill them. Levy's body had been sprawled out on the ground and Natsu had been scrambling to avoid Gajeel's attacks while shooting flames at him.

Or, at least, the dream versions of them had.

Sensing her terror, Loke had given her a faint smile, winking at her before speaking. "Natsu!" he'd shouted as Sagittarius had appeared, "I've got them! Focus on Gajeel! Sagittarius will help you!"

He'd turned his attention back onto the two girls in his arms immediately afterwards, gently patting Wendy on the head in reassurance as he'd set her down. "Wendy," he'd ordered, glancing at Lucy when she'd cringed in pain, letting out a strangled sound. "Protect Lucy, okay?"

Wendy's eyes had been wide with fear and alarm. "Yes," she'd whispered, nodding.

Loke had affectionately ruffled her hair. Even in a nightmare, Wendy was a good kid that he enjoyed speaking to. Sensing that he didn't have much time left, Loke had whirled on Lucy, meeting her gaze. "Lucy," he'd said, his voice warm. "I need you to listen to me and remember this, because I won't be able to tell you again, alright? Nightmares are terrifying, but remember, Lucy. You can always choose to wake up."

Lucy had sputtered, confused, and he'd wanted to hug her, tell her everything would be alright, but he'd leaped into action before she could, falling into step beside Sagittarius. Together, they'd combined their attacks.

"Get out of the way," Loke had warned Natsu, shouting over the noise.

There had been light that could challenge the brightness of the stars that made up their constellations just seconds before they'd been returned to the Celestial Realm. Loke had felt the loss the others had felt, but had been certain.

Lucy would be okay. She'd realize it before it was too late.

He hoped.

The months that had passed had been agonizing.

Loke had felt the loss the others had. He'd still had the bond, of course, so he knew their mage was alive for the time being, but it had hurt him that he hadn't been there to help Lucy. He couldn't break through to Earthland, nor could he get back to the strange nightmare she'd been forced into. He'd wanted to so badly to explain everything they knew, but...it had been impossible.

Until, for only a few seconds, the bond had vanished.

Panic had erupted and just like that, the realms were set straight again. He hadn't hesitated to force his gate open, and he'd been beyond grateful to the Spirit King for allowing him the freedom to appear where he wanted. He'd known instinctively that he was in Earthland - there was no mistaking the realness of the building around him.

Loke had found himself in an empty room of the guildhall. Well, not completely empty. A hospital bed had been set up, with an unconscious blonde resting in it, her face pale.

It had taken seconds to realize she wasn't breathing, that there was no heart pumping in her chest. Loke had jumped into action, shaking her slightly. "Lucy!" he'd snarled, panicked. "Shit...Lucy, can you hear me? Wake up! Open your eyes! Don't give up now, please! You're so...you're so close!" His voice had cracked in his fear. He hadn't wanted to lose her, hadn't wanted to seek out another mage that would be so kind to him along with the rest of her Celestial Spirits.

And she was his friend. How could she not be after everything she'd done for them?

A tug on the bond brought hope back to him. Grateful that time had righted itself, that the Spirit King was filing information he needed into his head, the lion had pleaded, "Lucy, don't do this to us. Come on, you can do it, just hang in there a little longer...Wendy will be coming back in a few days, okay?"

She and the rest of Team Natsu had gone on a mission if what the Spirit King was relaying was right. Why did they have to choose this time?!
The bond had returned at full strength out of nowhere. Her heart had begun to pound in her chest, and she'd murmured something, turning her head. "Can you hear me?" he'd urged, not daring to hope that she was waking up just yet. "You can wake up now...please...open your eyes."

Loke had never hoped so hard for anything in his life when she mumbled again, shifting, murmuring something about warmth. He'd chuckled, unable to help it as he'd pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Open your eyes, Lucy," he'd whispered. "You can have it if you open your eyes."

Her eyes had snapped open.

After that, Loke had forced his gate open more often than ever before. He'd made sure she was alright several times a day, worried for her even after he'd left her in the care of the guild so he could report to the rest of her Spirits. He'd taken Aries to see her before Porlyusica came, he'd made sure Natsu knew what he had to do to get her to calm down, and he'd even convinced the Spirit King to let the Zodiac make a short appearance at the party that had been thrown for her.

In the weeks that followed, he had continued to do it, too. He had made it a point to see her at least once a day - well, a day for her, anyways. For them, it was like every few minutes. And he had known he was annoying the hell out of Aquarius with it.

Eventually, Lucy had ordered him to stop. "I'm safe now," she'd told him, "Just like you told me. So go and relax, okay? Natsu's here, and I promise I'll summon you before anyone else if something happens."

He'd been reluctant, but had agreed. She'd reassured him with a hug despite the harsh look both received from Natsu, who had made sure Loke didn't get too close to her for weeks afterwards.

Sometimes, Loke still hugged her just to piss the dragon slayer off.

Now, the leader of the Zodiac found himself with a giggling three year old in his lap. The young child had hair the color of spun gold, and his onyx eyes danced with mischief and joy as he tried to escape Loke's grip. Loke rolled his eyes, amused with the boy as he scolded, "Stop that, Haru, your mother wouldn't appreciate - ouch!"

Haru scampered away as Loke gaped at the bite mark he'd left. While they'd all gotten lucky with Haru inheriting his mother's magic rather than his father's, it didn't look like they'd escaped the wildness.

Scowling, Loke reached over to pluck Haru back into his lap. "Damn it, kid."

"Having problems?"

Loke glanced up, a smirk already curving across his face as he recognized the voice. "No," he retorted, "Just...playing."

Her eyes sparkled with laughter as she teased, "Uh-huh. And Natsu's suddenly stopped burning buildings down on accident. Give him here." Lucy held her arms out for her son, who squealed happily and cried, "Mama!"

"He bit me," Loke told her with a huff as he stood, brushing himself off.

"Yeah, he's gotten into the habit of doing that lately." Lucy rolled her eyes, tapping Haru's nose. The toddler giggled. "I blame his father...thanks for watching him while I was out. I didn't mean to take so long. Levy brought Alexus along, and we wanted to find some cute little clothes for her."

"No worries," Loke reassured. The Spirit King wouldn't be mad. He never was when the situation involved Lucy or Haru. Especially both of them. "Natsu coming home today?"

Lucy pressed her lips into a hard line. "I don't know," she said honestly, kissing Haru's forehead. "I hope so...I miss him, and Haru does, too. I know he took Erza, Gray, Juvia, and Wendy, but it makes it all the more concerning…"

"I can see if I can check in on them if you want." The lion rubbed the back of his head. "He'll want to know how you're doing, too."

"No, don't do that," Lucy giggled. "The last time you did, you got in trouble. We'll be okay to wait, won't we?" She cooed at Haru, who snuggled his face into her throat, seeking comfort in the scaled material that rested there.

"Then if my services are no longer needed, I shall take my leave." Loke bowed playfully to her, and Lucy bid him farewell with an amused look before he disappeared in a flash of light, returning to his original realm.

For now, his key was safe in Lucy's hands. And so long as nothing happened, it would eventually be passed down to her son, who Loke had a feeling would grow up to be as kind as his mother and as wild as his father.

Loke couldn't be happier.

So...some people expressed interest in knowing what happened with the Celestial Spirits. Here's your answer! :D Hope you enjoyed!