Lucy woke late the next morning cocooned in a pleasant warmth. Absently, she snuggled back against whatever was so cozy in her bed. Jackal murmured something in his sleep and tightened his arm around her waist, nuzzling his nose into her hair. Lucy froze for a moment, as reality sank in. Her eyes snapped open, fixating on the other bed and fully expecting to find a smirking Ghost. Oddly enough, the older woman's bed was empty. Now fully awake, Lucy gently pried herself out of Jackal's embrace and sat up, scanning the room for the charcoal haired woman. A note on the bedside table and a few jewel caught her eye and she read it over curiously.

Morning, Starlight. I headed back early this morning; had some things to take care of. Didn't have the heart to wake you and your demon (Yes, I saw that, yes it was adorable, and yes, I still ship it). The jewel I left will cover your train fare, so take as much time as you like. I'll see you back in Crocus.

-Ghost

Lucy groaned quietly, of course Ghost would tease her about her cuddly demon. It wouldn't surprise her if the older woman had snapped a few photos before she left. She sighed, shaking her head and pulling out a new set of clothes. The more she thought about it though, the less it bothered her. She'd felt a comfortable safety with Jackal, despite the irony of it all, and wasn't nearly as embarrassed as she would have been with anyone else. The blonde glanced at the still sleeping demon and smiled fondly before slipping out of the room in search of some breakfast. She'd noticed a crepe shop down the street the previous day, and headed in that direction.

As she'd expected, Jackal had approved of her choice of breakfast. The two had spent the rest of the morning poking around the town before boarding the train for Crocus. It was an uneventful ride, but Lucy was still relieved when they stepped into the house that evening. For one reason or another, the closer they came to Crocus, the more uneasy she became.

"You're thinkin' too much, blondie," Jackal observed over his hand of cards, "Three of spades?"

"Go fish," Lucy shook her head, "I just keep thinking about that guy from before. Something didn't seem right about him."

"Yeah, I know what you mean on that one. Guy smelled weird as fuck. Almost familiar, but I'm sure I've never seen him before… Pisses me off."

"I hope Ghost will be okay," Lucy murmured as they packed up their game. (Plue had won, naturally, as the Canis Minor spirit had an indomitable poker face and a knack for Go Fish.)

"She seemed to know what she was doing where he was concerned. And if he steps out of line, we can just blow him up."

"Ah, and the true motive comes to light," Lucy teased, "Well, I'm gonna head to bed. I have work again tomorrow. Good night, Jackal."

Jackal stood and walked with her to her room, nuzzling her neck before bidding her good night as well.

The jingle of the bell pulled the blond from her musings early the next morning. The coffee shop didn't tend to get many customers until later in the morning. Lucy looked up and found herself pinned down by amber eyes as a familiar sense of unease prickled over her skin.

"Good morning," Falcon Tearsa greeted neutrally, "Is Ghost in?"

"She's in the back," Lucy answered slowly, "I'll go get her."

"Oh, there's no need for that, I can wait. In the meantime, I'll have a coffee; house blend, please."

"Of course," Lucy prepared the drink and watched as the man sat casually at a nearby table.

"You were with her on this last mission."

Lucy startled at the sudden conversation, but wasn't surprised. She had been standing behind Ghost while she'd been arguing with him, so of course he saw her. She nodded, "That's right."

"Thank you for backing her. I truly wasn't aware their numbers had swelled so drastically, or I would have accompanied her myself. My information is usually much more accurate. I hope you weren't hurt?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Lucy replied warily, hoping Ghost would show up soon. Despite the innocent nature of the conversation, Lucy knew well enough when someone was digging for information.

"You must be quite the capable mage if Ghost asked for your aid. She can be quite choosy about her partners. May I ask what magic you use?"

"Celestial spirit magic," Lucy answered, "I'm Ex-Fairy Tail."

"Ahh, Fairy Tail. That was my next question. Then you must be Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy merely nodded in response.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Falcon Tearsa, I work as an intelligence officer for the provisional council."

"Nice to meet you," Lucy managed a smile, silently thankful for her training as a debutante.

"Lucy? Is someone there- Oh. It's you," Ghost emerged from the back room bearing a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

"Ooh, I'll take one of those," Falcon grinned.

"That'll be three hundred jewel, please," Ghost deadpanned, setting one roll on a plate and artfully depositing the rest in the display case.

Falcon payed for the roll, then produced two envelops from his coat pocket, "Your payment for this last job," He explained as he handed one of them to Ghost, "Payment for you as well, Miss Heartfilia," He slid the other envelope over the counter towards Lucy.

"Right. Thanks," Ghost muttered, "Enjoy your coffee."

"Dismissive as ever. You cut me to the quick, my pet," Falcon sighed, "Although there is one more matter I must discuss with you."

"You said you had another job for me?"

"Correct. Don't worry. I will be accompanying you this time. I won't risk your life over inaccurate information a second time."

"Oh, goody," Ghost muttered sarcastically, "I assume you want to work out the details more privately?"

"Please."

Ghost rolled her eyes, "Right. The back room should work. Lucy, can you handle the shop?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't worry."

Lucy frowned as Falcon followed Ghost a little too closely into the back room. She spent the next hour tending to the slow trickle of patrons and fidgeting nervously while she glanced back at the currently closed door. Nothing about this was sitting right with her, and the longer she had time to think about it, the more she wanted to barge into the backroom and demand that she go with Ghost instead. She might not be as powerful as Falcon, but at Lucy knew she would have the older girl's back. After what Ghost had told her and Jackal about her previous interaction with Falcon, the blond did not trust him to have her friend's safety in mind.

Finally, the door opened and the two mages emerged. Falcon looked fairly pleased with himself while Ghost's expression was neutral.

"I'll meet you at the train station tomorrow morning. Don't be late," Falcon teased, bending once again to peck the woman on the forehead before striding out of the shop. Ghost took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly through her nose before shaking her head and joining Lucy at the counter. The blond raised an eyebrow, "Does he always do that?"

"The kiss on the forehead? Yeah. Every time."

"Why?"

"Because he knows it pisses me off."

"So were you two-?"

Ghost cut her off with a look, then beckoned the next customer to the register, pointedly ignoring Lucy's question.

"I'll probably be out for the week, do you want me to close the shop?" Ghost asked as she locked up for the evening.

Lucy shook her head, "No, no I can handle it. What about you? Will you be alright?"

"I should be fine. Don't worry about me, kiddo."

"Hard not to; that guy gives me the creeps!"

Ghost chuckled, "He does have that effect on people, doesn't he? I'll see you in about a week."

"Alright… Be careful," Lucy watched the other woman go for a moment before heading for the trolley station that would get her home.

"I'm home, Lucy called as she closed the door behind her.

"Yo! Jackal greeted, before growling roughly. He stood stiffly, crossing the room in long strides and caging her against the wall.

"Something wrong?"

"You smell like that asshole," Jackal snarled, pressing closer to her.

"Yeah, he came by the shop to pay Ghost. She leaves on a job tomorrow morning, and he's going with her."

"That doesn't seem good," Jackal observed as he rubbed against her, trying to mask the offending scent with his own. Absently, his clawed hands had moved to her waist and were now tugging rather insistently at her shirt.

"Uh, Jackal?"

He shook his head, "Sorry, Lucy, but you've gotta get that guy's scent off of you or something is going to explode."

She would have teased him for his sudden possessiveness, but the serious look in his eyes and the way his jaw was clenched told her he was not kidding about an imminent explosion. And she'd rather not have to repair the damages.

"Alright, alright. Here, I'll go grab a quick shower and a fresh set of clothes. I needed to wash these anyway."

Jackal pulled away reluctantly, but planted himself firmly on the couch while Lucy disappeared into her bedroom to shower as promised. She emerged twenty minutes later, dressed in a tank top and a pair of shorts. Jackal buried his nose against her neck as soon as she was within reach, sighing in approval at her clean scent.

"Better?"

"Much."

Lucy leaned against him, content to snuggle a bit on the couch. She'd gotten used to his scent marking ages ago, so the closeness didn't bother her in the slightest. He groaned softly, wrapping his arms tighter around her as he brushed his nose repeatedly against her neck and shoulder. A small squeak of surprise escaped her as he suddenly hauled her into his lap, running his tongue along her collar bone. She shivered, squirming slightly in his lap and earning a much louder groan in response. A sharp gasp escaped her as she felt a pinching sensation at her shoulder, but was soothed quickly by the lapping of his tongue.

"Jackal?"

He lifted his head to look her in the eyes, fixing her with a hungrier look than she'd ever seen prior. His tongue darted along his lips, sweeping away the last traces of her blood with a pleased growl. He blinked suddenly, confusion pulling his brows together. Lucy watched his golden eyes travel down her neck to the small wound he'd inflicted on her, then snap back up to meet her own chocolate gaze.

"... What?"

"Isn't that my line?" Lucy asked, more perplexed than frightened.

"I don't… What just happened?"

"To put it frankly, you bit me."

Jackal frowned, "Well, that's new… Sorry, are you hurt?"

"I'm alright. Here, let me up and I'll start on dinner. We can talk about this after."

"Okay," Lucy left the demon on the couch, where he was surely pondering the recent events. Once they'd finished dinner, he admitted that he didn't know what had come over him, just that the thought of specifically Tearsa's scent on her had made him uneasy and had acted as a catalyst in his own territorial instincts.

The week passed in a fairly routine blur. Lucy got up and made breakfast, went to work, came home, made dinner and went to bed. There had been no other incidents with Jackal, and the dynamic between the two of them was as normal. The blond was locking the shop Friday evening when she noticed a familiar presence behind her. She turned and once again found herself in the aura of unease that one Falcon Tearsa seemed to exude at all times.

"Good evening, Miss Heartfilia."

"Hello," Lucy replied slowly.

"Good that you've been looking after the shop for Ghost. She won't be in for a few days more."

Lucy's eyes narrowed, "Is she alright?"

Falcon shrugged, "More or less. She needs to rest. Don't you worry about her though; I'll take good care of her. Well then, have a good night."

"Wait!" Lucy reached out and stopped the man with a hand around his wrist, "Where is she?"

"I'm looking after her at my home. There's no need for such concern, she merely used too much magic on our job," Falcon smiled reassuringly, but Lucy knew instinctively that he was lying.

"Is that so? Well, thank you for looking after her," Lucy bowed formally before heading to her stop.

"You have that asshole's scent on you again," Jackal muttered as soon as she stepped in the door.

"Yeah, I know. I did that on purpose. I need you to track him."

Jackal raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

"He has Ghost."

"Oh. Ohh, that's probably not good," Jackal grabbed her hand and pressed his nose against her palm inhaling deeply, "I really hate this guy's scent," He whined, "But I can track him. Let's go."

Jackal's keen nose lead them into a residential district just outside the main city. It was a fairly high-income area, Lucy guessed, if the size and grandeur of the buildings was any indication. Jackal paused, sniffing at the air for a few moments before nodding and heading further down the street. He stopped at a stonework mansion that stood imposingly behind a wrought-iron gate, "This is the place."

"Alright, can you give me a boost?"

"I could just blow it up," Jackal suggested with a grin.

"We can let him know we're here, you can blow something up later."

"Promise?"

Lucy groaned, "Yes. We'll go to a quarry or something tomorrow. Right now we need to rescue Ghost."

"Yeah, yeah. C'mere," Jackal tossed her easily over the gate before climbing over himself.

"The door's… Unlocked?" Lucy frowned slightly at the now open door.

"Well, that's not suspicious at all," Jackal quipped, "I'll go first. I should be able to sniff him out pretty- Ah, shit."

"What? Jackal, what's-"

"You don't waste any time, do you, Miss Heartfilia?"

"You were expecting us," Lucy found the silhouette of Falcon leaning against a far doorway.

"That would explained the unlocked door," Jackal muttered.

"Of course. Now then, I assume you're here for Ghost? I'll let you see her, but she's to stay here with me for now."

"Shouldn't she be the one to decide that?" Jackal challenged.

"Her condition prevents her from deciding much of anything," Falcon replied dryly, "Come along."

He lead them down a hallway and into a bedroom. Ghost was laid on the bed, frightfully pale and covered in cuts and-

"Are those… Bite marks?" Lucy asked, staring at the puncture wounds.

"Yes."

"You did this to her?"

"Yes."

Lucy shook her head, "Why?"

"Because she is mine," Falcon snarled, "You could not possibly understand."

"Well, you've got that much right," Lucy snapped, "She's a person, not an object. Open, Gate of the… What?"

"I'm afraid using your magic is not possible right now."

"Then how about a curse," Jackal laughed, sweeping his hand toward the ceiling with the intention of bringing it down on his opponent. Nothing happened.

"I told you, that's not going to work."

"But my curse power is different from magic, I-"

Falcon laughed, "Do you think I'm so weak that my power won't work on one of my own?"

"Your own? You're a demon?" Lucy stared at him.

"Correct, though not one of Zeref's making. And that's why a human like you could never understand the feelings I have for this woman."

Jackal shook his head, "We don't have feelings. It's not possible. We operate on a higher level than-"

"Don't be so naive. We demons are not so different from humans. We breathe. We bleed. We love. We hate."

"Then, Ghost…"

"That's right. I love her. And I hate her for it."

"What the fuck?" Jackal snapped, "How can it be both?"

Falcon smirked, "You really are new to this, aren't you? I was free. I could do whatever the hell I wanted. Then this perfect creature came into my life and I was nothing before her. How dare she conquer me so easily? I was hers with nothing more than a smile! I resented that she could control my heart so simply. I tried to kill her for it, poisoning her as I've done now. But the thought of her eyes closing forever was too much. I couldn't go through with it. I want her. I love her. But I-"

"You are seriously fucked up," Jackal muttered.

"I saved her from my poison, but she pushed me away after that. I deserved it, of course I did… But knowing that my very existence needed her, and knowing that she would never allow it… It drove me mad."

"Yeah, hard pass on the feelings. They make you batshit fucking insane."

"They can," Falcon agreed, "But the way I feel the few times I've been able to hold her have made even this madness worth it. This heart, and these feelings. I resent them and I revel in them. They cannot be considered wholly good or wholly bad, because sometimes they're both, and sometimes they're neither… As Ghost herself once told you," He nodded at Lucy.

"You knew about that?!"

"I was never far from her. How do you think she knew the 'friend' you were referring to was a demon if not for having dealt with one herself?"

Lucy shook her head vigorously, "Ah, whatever. If you really love her, why would you try to kill her?"

"I'm not trying to kill her. Only hurt her."

"How is that any better?!" Jackal snapped.

"You should know. I see your mark on her," Falcon smiled slowly, "You know what its like to be overcome with a bloodlust. A need to taste the object of your obsession's very essence. I could not control it."

"Okay, guilty, but isn't this a little overkill?"

Falcon scoffed, "Don't dare to talk to me about overkill, Jackal. You once obliterated whatever and whomever you wanted for your own amusement. Imagine, for a moment, that you were not allowed to touch Miss Heartfilia here save for rare encounters. You could not simply breathe her scent to remind yourself of her presence. Tell me then, how you would control the instinct to mark her and make her unable to leave your side when the opportunity presented itself."

"I- Fuck."

"I thought as much. She won't die. I won't allow it to go that far. But I cannot allow her to leave, either."

"Remove the poison."

Falcon raised an eyebrow at Lucy, "And who are you to be giving orders?"

"I'm someone that cares about her. And if you care even half as much as you claim to, you'll remove the poison. It's not necessary."

"If I do, will you leave us?"

Lucy ground her teeth a moment before nodding, "Yes."

Falcon nodded back before leaning over Ghost and murmuring something, brushing noses with her. Immediately, some color returned to her, and her breathing became less shallow. Her eyebrows pulled together, but she forced her eyes open anyway.

"Ghost!"

"Lucy?" The older woman's voice was a little hoarse.

"We had a deal," Falcon reminded the blond, "Leave. Now."

"You… You poisoned me again."

"Ghost, I-" Falcon squeezed his eyes shut, "I'm sorry. I am. I just… Please, stay here for a little while. Let me explain myself. Please, don't run away again."

Jackal sighed, "Actually, that might be good. Hear him out, at least… If he tries anything, I'll definitely blow him up!"

"You know I can just block your curse power again, right?"

"Sh-shut up!"

Lucy looked to Ghost, "I did give my word, but will you be okay?"

Ghost tried to sit up, but her body refused and she flopped back onto the bed uselessly, "Not like I have much choice right now anyway," She huffed, "Fine. I'll at least listen to what you have to say. Lucy, Jackal, thanks for coming after me."

"Okay… See you soon?" Lucy wasn't especially keen about leaving Ghost in Falcon's questionable care, but her promises were absolute. She and Jackal exited the mansion and headed for home in silence.

"So this whole time, I actually was feeling things," Jackal muttered from his place on the couch.

"I'd figured it was something like that," Lucy admitted, "Though bringing it up was another matter altogether."

Jackal sighed, "I kind of get where he was coming from. If I couldn't reassure myself that you were safe and that I was part of your life… I don't know how I'd deal with that. I mean, shit, I bit you because I smelled another demon on you, how the fuck would I react if I had to stay away from you more times than not…"

"Is that why he went overboard, do you think?"

"Yeah. I mean, we demons are really territorial by nature. That side of him probably wanted to make damn sure that she was his… And that she knew it."

Lucy frowned, "And… Do you feel that way about me?"

Jackal swallowed hard, "Y-yeah. I'm fucking crazy about you. I want to hold you, I want to mark you, and yeah, there's a part of me that wants to hurt you too… Not that much, though! Just enough to make you whimper and beg me to make it better… Great, now I sound fucked up."

Lucy giggled, "Well, you are a demon… Hey, Jackal? Can I try something?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure, I guess. What are you trying?"

Lucy simply smiled sweetly in response, situating herself in his lap once more and resting her forehead against his.

"Uh, what are you doing? Is this what you wanted to t-"

Lucy pressed her lips against his, silencing him. He froze for a few moments, not entirely sure how to respond. Finally though, he kissed her back, tilting his head experimentally to deepen the exchange. They broke apart for a second before he crashed his lips back against hers with a deep growl. Lucy mewled softly as his tongue pushed into her mouth and brushed against her own. When the need for air became too great to ignore, Jackal let her pull away, though his hands were still locked on her hips, keeping her in place, "Holy shit. That needs to be a thing we do more often."

Lucy nodded, having been robbed of words and the breath required to speak them. Instead, she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

"I want you with me tonight," Jackal murmured quietly as he lifted her into his arms and made for his bedroom. He placed the girl gently on the bed, leaning in for another kiss before slipping beneath the covers beside her and pulling her close. Lucy smiled and relaxed against him, "Goodnight, Jackal."

"Night, Lucy."

For as much that had just changed between the two, it was encouraging that not everything had.

Hey, look! Progress! Still hoping for some more trial readers for my book, but that aside, please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter!

I've been asked about my uploading schedule, and unfortunately, there isn't one. I do work two jobs, so sometimes I don't have the time or energy to write much. That said, the last two chapters of this story are planned, so they should come pretty quickly. Cheers!