Lucy had stopped screaming hours ago. She had fainted once, and the boy was careful not to take any extremes since. She still had no answers why they were doing this, other than to "teach Zeref a lesson," which she figured was a chunk of horseshit. Not to be narcissistic, but she knew they were torturing her because of who she was.

Ever since she stopped reacting to the boy, he and the girl had stood back, ominously quiet as they waited for her to regain her bearings. Every so often the boy would slit her arm just to see if she was responsive, but the pain had been numbed at this point, and all she gave them was a slight flutter of her eyelids. It wasn't enough for the girl, so she ordered the boy back.

After the last attempt, Lucy felt a soft tickle against her cheek. She was going to throw it away as a lasting effect of the boy slicing her arms and legs, but a cold air brushed her cheek afterward, accompanied by her name.

"Lucy, " the girl whispered. Lucy had closed her eyes some minutes ago, but hearing her name caused them to open. She still couldn't see her sides, but the girl stood tall so they could look at each other. "Don't tell me you've reached your breaking point. It hasn't been three hours yet." She ended her comment with a giggle. "Kyo wasn't able to bring out his full potential. I admit you disappoint me. A few knicks here and there and you already threw in the towel." She emphasized her statement by gently running her fingers over a few of the more deep cuts on her arm.

Lucy refused to react, refused to let the girl know she was as affected as the girl believes. It hurt, but she didn't want the torture to continue. Unfortunately, it didn't work as Lucy hoped, and the girl picked a particularly deep cut and dug her long manicured nails into the gash. Lucy squealed and tried to flinch away, but the girl laughed and kept her nails inside.

"Hey, " the boy cut in, interrupting the girl's laughter, making her stop abruptly. She turned to him, but he stood by the foot of the gurney, his head turned toward the door. "Did you feel that?"

The girl withdrew her hand and moved to the door. "This room is protected by an anti-magic shield. You shouldn't have felt anything."

"It wasn't magic…" He followed her to the door, out of Lucy's field of vision. The door opened and closed, leaving her optimistic that she was finally alone.

She waited for a moment to see if she really was alone. She opened her mouth to try to call out, but as soon as she did, she felt what the boy had. It was slight, but because she was laying still she was able to feel it. A rumble moved through the room, shaking the metal tools on the stand next to her bed, creating soft clinking noises. It was over in an instant, but it was enough to fill her with hope. All her life, she had never heard of an instance when Fairy Tail made a quiet entrance, and her eyes filled with tears as her mind dared to convince her that they had come for her.

If only she could let them know where she was...she couldn't move, could barely speak after the workout her throat went through earlier. She couldn't reach out with her magic, assuming she could touch them with her magic in the first place.

Minutes pass with no other indication of what was happening, and she was beginning to suspect that what she felt and heard was all in her head. Closing her eyes again, she tried to relax her body, giving herself any rest she could take before her captors returned.

It felt like mere seconds pass when she hears a familiar voice above her. A humph that sounded very confident and amused. Her eyes shot open, and a trickle of fear traveled through her body at the sight of the new addition to her room.

Brandy leaned over her, her hands on her hips and a sneer marring her otherwise soft features.

Great, Lucy thought. If there's anyone who wants to rip me to pieces, it's this woman.

The vampire woman tilted her head as she inspected the injuries.

"A day or two ago, this would have been the most beautiful sight I had ever laid eyes on, " she murmured quietly. "Even now I admit that seeing you like this, brought down so low, gives me a little pleasure. However, I made a promise to our mutual friend that I would help save you." Without further ado, she laid her hands on the latch holding Lucy's wrist, and almost immediately the pressure lifted and the human was able to pull her arm against her chest.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her body warm up almost instantly, and she could feel the familiar power that she associated with Zeref, and she let out a cry of relief knowing that he was near.

Brandy moved around the bed, freeing each limb from the constraints, and finally her forehead. Lucy sat up as soon as her head was free, and she watched as her power healed her, each cut stitching itself together as quickly as it had been done in the first place. She looked to where Brandy now stood, a hand on her hip as she kept watch out the door, a frown on her lips.

Lucy hopped off the bed, so glad to have her power and energy back. She moved up to the other woman, rubbing her arm.

"Thank you, Brandish."

The vampire glanced down at her for a second before looking back out in the hallway.

"Don't thank me, " she replied. "I didn't do any of this for you."

"Thank you, anyway, " Lucy grumbled as she moved to step out of the room. "Even if you are obliged because of Zeref."

"I didn't do it for him either, " the vampire muttered as she followed her into the hallway.

Lucy wanted to roll her eyes, but as soon as she had the thought to do so, two bodies flew into the wall a few yards away, causing her to jump. She didn't know what she was looking at until one of the figures burst into a cloud of dust, and the remaining body stood. He laughed as he flexed his hands, turning towards the two women.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this strength - " he said, but cut off immediately as he laid eyes on his partner.

Lucy didn't have time to assess Natsu's appearance before he was suddenly in front of her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

"You are definitely the real one this time, " he said as he buried his nose in her neck, breathing deeply. Lucy, likewise, had her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his familiar pink mop; she was almost ashamed to admit that she was more excited to see her partner than her surrogate brother, Laxus.

She opened her eyes and pulled back a little, just enough to see his face. He was pale, his eyes were shut tight, but his mouth was open enough for her to see his teeth. He felt different as she held him, but at first she figured it was because she hadn't seen him in so long - their last interaction was a stupid argument. She placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed his cheek. He breathed out a laugh as she moved her lips about his face, kissing his cheeks, his forehead, his nose.

So many thoughts were running through her mind suddenly that she had to pull back fully. He almost didn't let her go, but when he saw her face, he let her have her space. The corner of his lips lifted, knowing part of what she was thinking as she stared at him.

Having becoming part of Zeref meant she didn't need any physical evidence, but she grabbed his arm and studied his wrist. His skin was paler than she had ever seen it, the feel of it was rough, like she was caressing stone, and no blood flowed through his veins.

"You're a vampire," she muttered, looking back up at him, her eyes wide. He laughed a little anxiously, rubbing his neck with his other hand. "What happened?"

"Ah, it was a stupid fight," he replied, shrugging. "I wasn't good enough."

"You almost died?" She rubbed her hands on his chest and shoulders, not quite sure why other than just to touch him.

" It's not so bad, " he tried to reassure her, grabbing her hands and holding them still. "At first I thought I would hate it, all things considered, but when I realized I would've died without seeing you again, I'm glad this happened. I still hate vampires, but at least we can be together again."

"That you can thank me for, " Brandy cut in. "Now can we please find His Highness? I don't like knowing he's around here alone."

"Hang on," the human demanded, grabbing Natsu's arm to stop him from following Brandy. He blinked down at her. "What did you mean that I'm the real one?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but the other female interrupted. "That we can discuss later." She stared Natsu down, silently commanding that he keep his big mouth shut. After witnessing how Natsu reacted to the destruction of Fairy Tail and Magnolia, she wasn't sure how Lucy was going to take it. She didn't think they could afford wasting any more time. " Let's find our king and get out of here. We can catch up after we're far away from this place."

Lucy didn't waste any more time. She threw out her magic, and instantly felt Zeref. Her eyes mapped out the warmth, seeing a trail of golden light leading down the hall. Tightening her hold on Natsu's arm, she pulled him in the direction her magic told her to go.

~.~

The sudden reopening of their connection hit him like a ton of bricks, had he been human, causing him to stumble. His audience stopped talking, each member of the council shocked by his sudden movement.

Zeref had been standing perfectly still ever since he found his way to the middle of the council chamber. He could tell his presence made the humans anxious, and he used that to his advantage. The vampires sat as still as only the dead could, but even the king could tell they were wary. Each one of them knew why he had come, but none of them wanted to be the one to speak it aloud.

Arkade, the leader, took that difficult task upon himself as soon as he joined them. Zeref narrowed his eyes in the direction of the other vampire, recognizing, immediately, the scent of blood on him. Arkade hadn't smelt of blood when he met Zeref and Makarov at the front door, and the king didn't need a flashing signal to tell him that the little human was no longer living. The only sympathy he felt in that moment was for Lucy, knowing how much she cherished her relationships with her guild members, and now, only her pink-haired partner remained.

He tried not to let the foreign emotion of jealousy intrude in his stoic expression, thus, he targeted his feelings towards the council members before him.

Arkade began by welcoming him, both to their home and back from his sleep. He lost interest in what the other vampire was saying early on, and soon the speech became an endless drone. He thought about killing each of them then and there, but not before they assured him that his angel was safe. Ever since he first stepped into this building he felt her, though just barely, as if she had been there but had since left, and what he was feeling was just a remnant of what was left behind.

"Where is Lucy?" His voice was low but loud, and he could see the humans shudder in their seats. Arkade had been saying something, but he stopped when Zeref spoke. The other vampire was irritated at the interruption, but he kept smiling like nothing was wrong.

"I was just about to get to that, your Highness, " he responded quietly. Zeref's eyes had long since turned red, his anger at being delayed and preached to bleeding out from him like a physical force. He knew they were affected by him - only the humans showed any reaction, but he knew. They were all terrified.

"Again, we are most grateful to have you back among us, " Arkade continued, acting as if Zeref wasn't close to murderous intent. "However, we feel like you and your...servant...have caused too much chaos among the humans and vampires that we have become concerned for the peace we have strived for so long to keep."

"Peace? When I woke up it was because a few vampires believed their lives were anything but peaceful." Zeref narrowed his eyes and glared at each member of the council. "I have no plans to go anywhere any time soon. My followers are coming out of hiding, and we are punishing those who have, in a sense, betrayed me and the laws I set."

Arkade stood from his seat and began talking again, and this is when Zeref stumbled. A few minutes passed in heavy silence, the council members unsure what happened and how to handle it, and Zeref regaining his bearings. It seemed like it had been so long that they had been cut off from each other that Zeref had to get used to the feeling of having her inside him again, so to speak. His body absorbed her magic as she reached for him, taking it in so fast and greedily that he was becoming light-headed. He sent a short burst of his own essence to her, letting her know that he felt her.

He stood, again holding his head high, angrily glaring at the beings before him. Arkade swallowed and sat, his eyes wide. He had also felt the pair's magic, and it frightened him. No more words were spoken as Zeref lifted his hand, fingers outstretched and stiff. Each member of the council gasped, some clawing at their throats as if a fist had tightly closed around their necks.

He had absolutely no intention of letting anyone live.

A smaller hand gently rested atop his, causing him to glance at the interruption. A woman he had seen a few times accompanying Lucy stood at his side. He didn't remember her name, not did he ever care to. She was one of Lucy's summons, but apart from helping her learn the spell to conjure them, he had no other interaction with them. He glared at her, wondering why she would dare stand in his way, until her presence finally clicked in his mind. He lowered his hand, his victims gasping for much-needed breath. Arkade, once again, stood, his eyes narrowed at the pair before him, but they ignored him.

"Is she harmed?" Zeref asked, Lucy's well being the first and foremost important thing in his mind at that moment.

The spirit clasped her hands in front of her and stepped back from him."Princess is healing, " she replied. "She is on her way to you now and requested I stall you from harming anyone until she found you."

He narrowed his eyes at the spirit before him, then his eyes moved toward Arkade. "Was she injured badly?" he asked, his question still directed to the woman beside him.

She didn't get a chance to respond for as soon as she opened her mouth, a loud shot rang through the room and she vanished in a cloud of glitter. Zeref flinched as a small something hit his side. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to shock him when he realized that he had been hit. He broke his stare with Arkade as he glanced down at his side, a hole the size of a small marble was visible in his shirt.

His vision immediately blurred and he swayed a bit as he became light-headed. His anger soared when the realization came to him that they shot him. He lifted his hand again, but he fell to his knees as he lashed out with his magic. A scream echoed in the room - he couldn't tell if it was a man or woman, human or vampire, but he didn't care - and his vision was dominated by the color red, accompanied by the sweet smell of fresh blood. He grinned as madly as he could muster as he fell to the ground unconscious.

~.~

AN: Hey! Back with another chapter! Story is almost finished, like I mentioned in the previous chapter, though not as close as I originally thought. I don't know what's going on, I type things down and other things happen that I haven't exactly planned for, and it ends up changing my whole plotline. Ah well, I kinda like this better, so I'm sticking with it. Also...new chapter for the rewrite on AO3 is going up as well, a not-before seen chapter.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to fave if you haven't already. Loves!