Note: This story is based off of Skip Beat. I love that anime, it's so cute! I'm sorry if characters seem OOC. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Fairy Beats

…

Stage One: How it Began

"Will you come with me, Lucy? To Crocus?"

The blonde stared up at her beloved friend, brown eyes wide with joy. She gave him a bright smile, and a nod.

"Of course!"

She still had thirty minutes left before her second job. The more she glanced around, however, the more she worried that the girl she took the shift over for wasn't going to arrive. Lucy let out a sigh as she made her way towards her customer's table, carrying their lunch platter. Her hair was pulled into low twin ponytails that were tied by red ribbons. Her uniform consisted of a white blouse tucked into an orange high waist skirt with black flats. It was an uncomfortable uniform to move around in, but this was one of the jobs Lucy was lucky to find that had good pay. She wasn't going to plain, however. After all, if she didn't pay her apartment's rent, then she wouldn't be able to meet him one on one. Yes, he was always busy. A rock star like was going in and out of cities, jumping concerts—there wasn't much Lucy could do about it.

Thinking about him made Lucy smile as she approached the two customers. When she approached the table, she brought herself back to reality.

"Here are your two meals," she said as she set down the platters on the table. Lucy gave them a small bow and added, "Please enjoy your meal."

The blonde made a turn, and headed back to the kitchen. She heard the sound of a girl panting run inside.

"Lucy! I'm so sorry!"

She quickly turned around and smiled at the girl she was waiting for. "No problem! Keep an eye out on tables 13, 5, 2, 7, and 10."

Lucy bowed her head and sped off to the changing room.

"T-That many?!" she had heard the girl whine back in the kitchen.

Lucy chuckled. She gazed over at the lock once she was inside the changing room, and almost cried out. If she didn't hurry to her other job, she was going to be late. Being late again was something she couldn't afford. Especially when the manager relied on her so much. Quickly, she began to change into her casual outfit. And by casual, it was a pale blue t-shirt with a star printed on the center, and plain jeans. As she pulled on her sneakers, the other waitresses started talking behind her.

"Did you hear? Sting's new album came out today!" one squealed.

"I know!" another said, "I already bought two!"

Lucy's ear twitched. Sting's album is already out? She had been waiting months for it! How could it be? She had always been updated on Sting's new releases.

"There were only a few left when I went to the store!"

Lucy's eyes widened as she let out a shriek, "WHAT?!"

Her co-workers stared at her with puzzlement. They watched the blonde girl quickly snatch up her things, and rush out of the room. If this had been a cartoon, she would have definitely left a cloud of dust behind her.

"I-I guess Lucy is a Sting fan?"

"I-It seems so…She's always appeared to be reserve, and not interested in that stuff…"

"Well, I guess appearances aren't to be judged."

The women looked at each other, and let out a giggle.

Lucy was already making her way down the streets, riding her bike full speed. She pulled her legs forward, making her bike go as fast as it could. She sped through pedestrians, not planning on catching her breath for one second. The wind made her hair look disheveled. The long pony tail she had neatly made had become loose with some blonde strands falling over her face. She was sort of glad she didn't have bangs, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to see where she was going if they were to get sticky against her face with all the sweat she was developing.

The music store soon came into view. Lucy gasped when she saw Sting's cardboard figure being put back inside. That was a sign that they sold out, but Lucy wasn't going to give up.

If there was one thing Lucy had been taught by her mother that was going to define who she is, it was to not behave with impatience. A young girl like herself must hold patience through tough times.

At this moment, Lucy had no patience.

Right after the employee had entered the store, Lucy sped inside still on her bike. She zoomed pass the young employee, and pressed on to the breaks before hitting the counter. She was breathing heavily, eyes staring directly, and incidentally, into the store manager. The guy in the back stared at her with a puzzled expression. Other customers were just as confused as he was. Lucy hopped off her bike, and then pressed her hands against the table.

"Please tell me," she took in a deep breath, and then exhaled, "You have Sting's new album available still?"

….

"Miss Lucy," a girl with fluffy, pink hair kneeled next to her inside the locker room, "Are you sure you're okay? Y-You seem to be exhausted…I can take over your shift if you'd like."

Lucy was huffing down on the tile floor, trying to pull on her black blouse. The sweat made it hard for the tight material to slide down. She gazed over at her fellow co-worker with a small smile.

"No, it's okay, Aries," Lucy said with a weak smile, "I can't afford missing today."

The café Lucy worked at is called the Star's Melody. It was a small, but popular café. Each employee went under the name of a Zodiac, with the exception of Lucy. The manager liked her name—it meaning light—and decided it was a good fit. The blonde got along with all of the employees. Everyone treated her as if she was his or her sister. There were days the café also held karaoke nights. Karaoke nights were Lucy's favorite; of course, the Poetry Slams was her favorite as well. She would have a broken arm, and would never miss a day here. It was the only place she felt she belonged.

"B-But…"

Lucy giggled and said, "But, Miss Lucy, you don't have to live in such an expensive apartment by yourself, and have two jobs just to pay the rent for it. Right?"

Aries gave her a small smile. She had quoted her right on.

"G-Geez…" the pinkette sighed. "Well, at least put on your shirt right."

Lucy had eventually gotten fully dressed. Transformation number two involved a black blouse with sleeves that fell to her elbows, black sacks, and black flats; it was a much more comfortable uniform. Normally, Lucy would be wearing a skirt, but there were days she had fallen and scraped her knees. And she knew it was mostly because overworking. Yet she reminded herself, it's for Sting. The thought of him made Lucy smile and let out a dreamy sigh. Once she had her hair pulled into a braid, she made her way out to continue being a waitress.

"Lucy!" a dark haired man with slicked black hair walked up to her and said, "You still have that plain braid? Your hair is gorgeous, you have to let me style it one day!"

Another co-worker that went by the Zodiac name, Cancer. He was obsessed with cutting, and doing hair. Oddly enough, despite his great talent, he still chose to stay in the café.

"Maybe one day," Lucy said, "But right now we have work to do."

"Miss!" a customer called out to her. "Can I get a slice of cheesecake?"

Lucy quickly nodded at her, "Of course!"

She couldn't deny that her legs were screaming. And she couldn't deny that her head was throbbing. After finishing up several orders, Lucy had decided to take over the cashier's spot. When she heard the bell ring, the sign that someone entered, her droopy eyes quickly lit up as she welcomed them. She looked over at the clock, noticing she had six hours left. This was a normal day for Lucy. A regular routine. And she would constantly remind herself, this is for Sting. He was a busy rock star; he needed someone to care for him. He needed his biggest fan by his side. The sound of the bell rang again.

"Welcome!" Lucy greeted with her practiced smile. A group of teenage girls walked inside. They were wearing their school uniform. The blonde eyed them as they chatted. They were most likely her age, 17. Lucy had never gone to high school. Ever since Sting had brought her to Crocus, she only worked. In short, she never had a typical high school life. Deep inside her, she felt envious. She's always wanted to talk to girls her age. Sure she had Aries, Virgo, and Michelle…but they were all older than her. And Michelle? She was a Heartfilia. Michelle was busy in the luxurious life.

But she remembered that she was also a Heartfilia. Too bad it was a name she couldn't stand having. The luxurious life: make-up, parties, dresses, concerts, banquets. Things all princess like—she could have had it. But when she had to choose between Sting and her father, the answer was obvious.

Would mother have wanted that for her?

"—My, my is someone spacing out in the middle of work?" a male's voice interjected her thoughts.

Lucy quickly looked over at the manager, Leo. His hair was an orange mess, but apparently it was in style. She gave him a slight smile.

"A girl daydreams," she replies coolly.

"It looked like you were about to start snoring," he chuckled, but then his voice changed into a soft tone. "Say, you seem tired. How about I take you home?"

"I can't…"

"Right, right. Just worrying for my employees. Okay, not home, but what about my home?" he said with a wiggle of his eyebrow. Lucy let out a laugh and gave him a slight shove.

"You know, if you put on some make-up and got some bangs, you'd look a lot more like your mother," Leo pointed out. Lucy's smile soon faded. How could someone as plain as her look like Fiore's best supermodel? He was only being nice, surely.

"…I can't afford it," Lucy answered with a nervous chuckle.

"I understand you don't want to use your last name, but you're going to have to take advantage of it one day."

Lucy stared at him, blinking. She gave out another nervous chuckle, understanding what he had meant. There was going to be a day when something bad was going to happen, and she would have to talk to her father. No, she didn't know what would happen, but that was how destiny played with her strings. She would never admit, but she was still running. Aquarius, one of the main employees, had scolded her about it.

"One day you're going to break your damn legs, and cry like a little bitch. And that day, you're going to need Jude."

"Yeah…" she mumbled, only a breath of the word escaping her lips.

"Be careful, Lucy. I don't know what I would do without you," Leo gave her a pat on the shoulder. "I gotta go for the night. Lock up, kay?"

Lucy nodded and waved goodbye.

Just a few more hours…

When it was finally closing time, Lucy groaned from both joy and pain. She was the last one in the café, so she was the one to lock up like Leo had told her to do. Above the café were two apartments, Leo's and Virgo's. Leo would go work somewhere else during the night, and Virgo only has a morning shift, so in the afternoon she would be out until late night.

The blonde finally began to make her way back home. Reaching the apartment was going to take thirty minutes on bike. Lucy had struggle getting on it. Her butt fell numb as if she had been sitting on concrete all day. And she couldn't even begin to describe the jellyness of her legs. Even so, she pedaled on.

She soon reached the apartment building, her gaze fell up towards her window with a hope that Sting was going to be there.

Much to her joy, the light of her apartment was on.

She quickly went inside before leaving her bike locked against the bike rack. It was as if all of her soreness vanished as she ran inside the building. Quickly, she got inside the elevator, impatiently waiting for it to get to her floor. She hadn't even given the elevator the chance to fully open when she had sped out.

Sting, Sting…

Lucy swung the door to her apartment open and squealed when she saw Sting plopped on to her couch. "Sting, you're here!"

His deep blue eyes looked over at her. "Don't be so friggin' loud…"

He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, and sweatpants. His hair a spiky mess like always. Sting still looked amazing to Lucy. She wouldn't mind if—even though he was dressed like that—he were prince charming.

"R-Right," she nodded, shutting the door behind her. Lucy set down her backpack, and walked over to the coffee table, setting herself down on to the carpeted floor, legs under her thighs. She couldn't believe he was actually here. It had been months since he had last visited.

"Do you want something to eat?" she asked, breaking the silence.

Sting snorted, "It's midnight. I already ate."

Midnight? Lucy glanced over at the clock, noticing he was right; of course, who would have dinner at this time anyway?

"I-I'll go prepare some tea then…" she began to stand up.

Sting didn't reply, but continued going through the channels on the television. Another thing Lucy paid for him.

"And here we have, Natsu Dragneel!"

Lucy's eye twitched. She wasn't even fully standing when she had heard the voice of the announcer. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead as she slowly looked over at Sting. "W-Why don't you change the channel?"

His expression was poker faced, but Lucy knew what he was thinking. Sting hated Natsu Dragneel. He would always say he was his rival, and that one day he was going to be a better star than him. From what Lucy knew, Dragneel is 21 years old, and is a famous actor; she had never seen any of his dramas or films because she felt like she would be betraying Sting. With careful footsteps, Lucy walked over to Sting. She reached for the remote, but his arm flew to the other side.

"C-Come on! I don't want to hear about that geezer! I mean who cares about him?"

"Quiet." His response made her eyes widen, but she did so anyway.

"Now, Natsu Dragneel, your fans want to know: What type of woman are you into?" the interviewer asked.

"Type of woman, eh?" Natsu let out an amused chuckle. He ran his hands through his pink spikes of hair. "Let's see…Definitely adventurous! Smart, quick witted. Oh! She has to love cats!"

"Wow! You hearing this, ladies?"

Lucy cringed at the squeals of the girls in the background. She huffed, not seeing what was great about Dragneel anyway. He was a total weirdo. Especially with that hair of his. Pink? It for sure has to be faked. She quickly looked over at Sting, who had the expression that sent chills down her spine.

"Uh…Sting?"

"I'm leaving," he said while standing up.

"Already?!" the blonde exclaimed.

"I only came here to get some clothes," he said, already heading towards the doorway. He put on his shoes, and pulled his backpack over his shoulders. "See ya whenever."

And he was already gone.

Lucy bit her lower lip. She only got to see him for a few minutes. A few minutes wasn't enough. Lucy sat down on the couch, and stared at the closed door. He just left. Not even a hug, or proper goodbye.

"My hair? I thought I told you guys! It's salmon not pink!"

Natsu's voice made Lucy's eye twitch several times. She snatched the remote from the coffee table and turned off the television.

"I hate him!" she cried out.

….

She hated the wrong person.

Lucy stared at herself in the mirror, pushing side her bangs to reveal her eye. Her hair that used to reach her lower back was now shoulder length. Her decision of changing her look came from a rather heart breaking situation.

It was the day after Sting was in her apartment where she had learn the truth.

"Excuse me?" Lucy squeezed through a crowd of fangirls to walk up to security. "I have a breakfast combo from the Star's Melody to Sting Eucliffe." It was a lie, but she really wanted to see him.

"Give me a second to—" the security guard was immediately cut off by the shrieking of the girls. "Shit, go in! Hurry!"

Lucy nodded and quickly went inside the building. She felt suffocated behind the girls. She quickly made her way to the front counter of the hotel, saying she had a delivery for Eucliffe. The receptionist gave her his room number, and so she began to make her way to his room. Lucy approached the door, a happy smile on her face. She had made the vanilla cake herself, and was hoping Sting would enjoyed it.

Right as she was about to knock, his voice talking to another woman made her hand stop midair before she could knock.

"How long are you going to be using that girl?" inquired a female.

"Until I'm international, duh," came Sting's response.

What?

Lucy pressed her ear against the door, wanting to hear more.

"She's nothing but a dumb, airheaded, blonde—she'd do anything for me. Lucy's my property really."

A gasp escaped her lips. God, was she hoping her ears were betraying her.

"Besides, Minerva…you're more my type…"

Minerva's voice came out annoyed, "Just because I'm your manager doesn't mean you can also use me like that trash of a girl."

Trash?

"Vicious," Sting chuckled, "I like it. So glad I'm with you and not that plain, stiff, lacking in sex appeal blonde."

She couldn't hear anymore. She was ready to runaway, but before she had the chance to do so, the door flung open. Her brown eyes locked with Sting's blue ones. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks. Behind him was Minerva. She was tall, had dark hair—appeared to be part Asian. If Lucy said her resting bitch face wasn't scary, she'd be lying.

"What are you doing here?" Sting questioned.

"I…" the blonde's lip trembled. The hand that was holding her coffee trembled. Every word he had said tore her apart. It was as if he somehow managed to pierce right through her sharp arrows. The feeling she felt…it was heart break. Yet, an anger swirled inside of her.

"To…" she mumbled.

Sting let out a sigh, "Come on. Speak up."

"Sting," Minerva spoke up, "She overheard us—"

"—to…GIVE YOU THIS!" the blonde let out a yell as she through the coffee at him. Sting let out a cry when he felt the hot liquid go through his shirt. Lucy dropped the bag that held the cake, and ran off.

"GO TO HELL!" she glanced back and cried out.

Both Sting and Minerva were speechless.

"Who knew…" Sting said with a slight grin, "She had another side to her."

And that was why Lucy left her apartment, moved in with Virgo, cut her hair, and bought new wardrobe. She had given herself two options to deal with Sting. One was to be a depressed mess in her room, or to, well, get payback. Lucy is easy to forgive, truly. She had been told many times she was way too nice. And it was true. She needed to accept anger and loudness. To talk back, and defend herself. She couldn't believe herself, and how she let him play with her like that. She was infuriated. Her life was taken by him, and so was her heart. And he had thrown both into the bottomless trash bin.

She placed her hand on the mirror she faced, "Just you watch Sting…I'll show you that I can also reach the top better than you…"

Behind her was a smiling Virgo. "I'm glad you've finally moved on from him. I approve of your new look."

A smile curved her glossy lips. "Cancer did a great job, huh?"

When she had decided to "remake" herself, her co-workers greatly encouraged it. Cancer, of course, took care of her hair. Virgo took her out shopping with Aries. Something she had never done until today. She was wearing an outfit that appealed to her; it felt fresh—new. She felt her age with her white, skater skirt and crop top. And the feeling of new flats made her feet feel alive. She would have never considered buying an expensive cardigan in the past either, but she felt good. Her new clothes made her want to walk out into the city with her chin raised. She was given confidence in herself that didn't involve dealing with work, surprisingly.

"Yes…I do have a question, however, how do you plan to get payback specifically?"

"Simple, I finally begin an acting career," Lucy turned around, beaming.

Virgo questioned her with a tilt of her head, "As Lucy Heartfilia?"

"No. Just as Lucy."

She didn't hate Natsu Dragneel. She hated herself for never realizing how she had lived. And now, her goal was to get into Vermillion Zero, a famous agency.