The Dieners in Jude's hospital wore blackish-grey scrubs and caps, their heels could be heard clicking around the basement moving steadily and precisely. Three of them arrived to claim Crawford's body, and then they moved his gurney into the elevator and Lucy watched the doors close. Perhaps the last time she would see his horrifying face.

It was strange to her, the fact that this hospital that accepted his corpse was the same one built on the dreams of her happy mother. Lucy stood up from the bench where she rested for a long while. Her cheeks were flushed but all her tears had dried long ago, along with her harrowing grief.

The hallway was filled with many strangers and a few colleagues. ''I saw the news report, I feel so bad about everything you went through.'' an elderly man offered. ''Oh?! I didn't see it.'' Lucy grinned. 'I won't look pitiful because I have been relieved of a burden.' ''Don't spoil it for me,'' she said. ''You looked super cool!'' a little girl of about twelve yelled. ''Hey, aren't you too young to be watching that broadcast?'' Lucy worriedly questioned but the little girl was collected by her mother before she could answer for herself, she still stood by her loud statement. ''You're so cool.''

Many strangers talked to Lucy about understanding her pain and about moving on. She stood their stiffly until the last person patted her shoulder and stepped away.

Lucy originally hated the sight of dieners especially in this hospital because of the dull and bleak colors they wore, however, this time they were a wave of relief. They were tasked with examining and preparing Crawford's body before his scheduled burial in the afternoon. He had no one to mourn him nor anyone to attend his funeral, the public was aggressively crying out and if he was not buried quickly someone was bound to do something insane.

She revised the thought that she once held of killing Crawford herself but now that he was gone, she was glad that she wasn't anything similar to Kyoka. 'I must save, I want to save.' with this spirit Lucy left the great building. ''Ms. Heartfilia?'' ''I am an escort back to the courthouse sent by Aquarius,'' a young lady said giving her evidence of affiliation to Lucy.

I gave my letters to you yesteryear, I know that, to you, I am just a simple old and uninteresting stone but I declare that I can be much more.

You made me who I am today after you tarnished the old letters I was yesterday, I solely request that you make me a beautiful ruby before crushing me.

Jude stood for 30 minutes outside of the courthouse waiting for the escort car carrying his daughter to arrive and finally, it did with a loud screech. He turned his head in the direction of the shrieking wind which blew his blonde locks to the sky. In his full hands, he held two foil-wrapped sandwiches they would have for lunch and two cans of ginger-green tea to his chest.

Lucy got out of a car behind him and called out. Jude quickly ran to meet his exhausted daughter and placing their lunch on the car seat took her in his warm arms ''I feel like they will say I murdered him in retaliation for his sin,'' she confessed when she saw her father. 'That I had no intention of saving him and gladly took his life.'' ''Sweetheart,'' he said patting her back and rocking her from side to side rhythmically, the way he used to do when she was a young child. ''You did all that you could, no one can deny that,'' ''Anyone could see that you tried to save him, if not you could have left him to bleed out.''

Lucy's nose and ears were still reddish. ''I don't know why I was crying when he's the one who caused so much pain?!'' I don't know.'' Jude couldn't give her an answer to the unknown. ''Because he died in front of me?'' Lucy figured by herself.

''You did something highly commendable,'' Jude told her. ''I could never try to help him, I'm afraid. I would've left him to die if I was in that position.'' he nodded his head. ''He took so much from me simply because he found a thrill in killing his feeble soul.''

Lucy sat quietly listening to her father's words. ''He wasn't satisfied and stole seven years from me and for what?'' Jude stood up overcome with emotion, he moved his daughter to her car and left their food there.

Then he made his way to a vending machine on the side of the courthouse and there he was met and mobbed by reporters. They wanted to know about the critical occurrences that happened two hours ago.

''What are you comments about the sentencing of Kyoka an hour ago?'' ''No comment,'' he replied busying himself in getting water bottles. ''Do you think she should get a bigger sentence?'' ''When you are evil what is worse than death?'' Jude asked one rhetorical question and attempted to walk away. ''Do you think that your daughter tried her-'' ''She tried her best and anyone could tell!'' he caught a small man off and walked away.

Lucy sat just breathing heavily until she was dizzy. ''I won't lose my mind, I am in control.'' she recounted herself still in the courtroom trying to save Crawford, the 'monsters' her mind created surrounded his body hissing and clawing at her.

''I was in control.'' she walked through the monsters and their bites did not hurt her like she always imagined they would. They were dispelled when she was kneeling by his body. Lucy picked up her phone and went online to search for the news concerning today. The warm afternoon sun made her squint her eyes and change her angle to see better.

She saw a video of Kyoka standing before Aquarius in court again, someone was cleaning the floor almost out of frame. ''...Before we move on I just want to know the reason, why'd you do it?'' Aquarius asked the cruel older woman and she presented a response that was expected of her.

''Because there is an utter pleasure in it when you are someone like me.'' Lucy scoffed and turned her head away from her phone to gaze at the beautiful red and orange dianthus flowers growing around the courthouse, they flourished in multitudes as if they ate the immoralities of visitors. 'Disgusting!' she thought in unison with thousands of spectators.

''Numerous atrocious crimes were committed by the defendants and they admit to their crimes...'' Aquarius spoke as if she was still punishing Crawford.

Lucy skipped through the video and began gazing around outside at the beauty that was not hidden in the outside world if you put away all your faults and sadness. She could see it perfectly because she had no more faults and her sadness was melting away.

The magnolia trees that guarded the joyful squirrel nests swayed gently under the heavens as the angels tossed the wind around.

''We will now pass our sentence for the 56 lives brutally destroyed over 25 years for the young, old, sick, and healthy who were taken away.'' Lucy imagined her mother's beautiful smile that seemingly dripped honey whenever she laughed with all her heart.

''You two acted as if and though you were grim reapers who had the right to claim lives-'' Aquarius continued shakily feeling her throat closing. ''Dusty Miller...'' Aquarius said her father's name before clearing her throat.''Do you remember him?'' Kyoka coldly shrugged her shoulders.

''Why should I? I have no attachment to the dead.'' Lucy covered her lips in shock, she could've sworn even from the distance of the camera she saw a fat tear roll down Aquarius's cheek.

Lucy skipped 13 seconds forward unable to watch any longer. ''...The court prescribes you to be put to death in the manner mandated by the Albright-Magnolia law.'' Aquarius placed papers in front of herself. ''Lethal injection, you must taste of what you forced upon others.'' She slammed her mallet making the sentencing official. ''I'll gladly taste release, it's all that I have left to earn,'' Kyoka replied standing up.

Officers grabbed her by each arm and led her away from the flashing camera lights. ''You didn't know the value of life,'' Aquarius bid her farewell with heavy parting words. ''If you kill anyone in cold blood it is hurdling back to you in a most painful way.''

Lucy turned her phone off, closed her eyes and laid to rest her back on the comfortable car seat. It was finally all over, for the most part, the pain had left just as it came through the fleeting air.

Perhaps pain was simply a wave of thick smoke, she had inhaled it and hurt herself but after running into an open space, her lungs were refined and she could breathe anew.

''Look who is here,'' Jude said opening the car door. Lucy looked up and saw Juvia smiling shyly. ''I can ride with you right?'' ''Of course,'' Lucy replied taking her friend into a secure hug.

''You know you are my hero today onward,'' Lucy said handing her would-be brunch to her younger friend. ''Eat up and we'll drop you off back home.'' Juvia climbed in beside Lucy and accepted the sandwich and tea, Jude handed Lucy a bottle of the water smiling at her. ''You saved my life twice and for that, I will forever be grateful to you,'' Lucy said. ''What are friends for? I'd do it all over again,'' Juvia said remembering when she was stabbed in Lucy's place. ''Fate is something that could never change,'' she said taking a bite out of her delicious sandwich. ''Thank you Juvia, I love you so much.'' Lucy embraced her tightly the whole ride.

Juvia received a text from Evergreen asking about the wellbeing of everyone indirectly involved.

As long as you hold my heart which is forever, I will contently follow you wherever you want me to, Whenever you want me near, turn to the side I'm standing here.

Earlier in the afternoon-

Evergreen rushed out of the courthouse after the corrupt police officer. He was gradually making his way to his vehicle which was parked right beside hers by weaving between other cars. ''Stop right there I'll shoot!'' she shouted freaking out random people who began to run for refuge. ''Clear out!'' she yelled to curious bystanders.

The officer didn't yield and so Evergreen stopped in her tracks and raised her gun from its place beside her thigh, she took a calculated shot and watched him fall to the asphalt beside her squad car. Evergreen felt insanely wrong despite being correct in her actions because he was the first person she had ever shot down, but then, seeing that he wasn't dead she pacified herself and cuffed his wrists.

She opened her car door and hoisted him inside before explaining her situation over the radio. ''I need back up, I have one of them, the other is probably on his way to Magnolia International,'' Evergreen looked back at her captive. ''I also need an ambulance for this rat ASAP,'' she took his badge away because she believed he didn't deserve it and then checked his name ''I have an officer...Kain Hikaru, we are outside of the Grand Magnolia courthouse.'' ''Good work.'' a female officer radioed over. ''Backup is nearby,''

The police blocked all escape alternatives for the other officer who was seen earlier in the court, he was taken into custody for violations against the judiciary and the city for being dubious.

Elfman arrived shortly and helped Evergreen to lift Officer Kain out of her car onto the gurney, which was then taken away into the ambulance by the spirited EMT. ''Frog, you did a good job!'' he patted her head and handed her a rag to clean her bloodied hands.

Evergreen didn't reply immediately, she squatted down suddenly gaining Elfman's care. ''What's wrong?! Did he hurt you?'' Evergreen wiped the blood from her shaking hands. ''I shot him,'' she said keeping her head down. Elfman noticed someone's lunch in the bushes and frowned. ''Did you throw up?'' she nodded without a word. He knew something was wrong when he arrived because she looked as if she would vomit any second but he didn't think she had done that already. Normally, she would have said something snarky upon his arrival like ''How's it goin' old man?'' a poke at his extremely white hair, even though he was her superior, she maintained a friendly disposition solely with him.

Elfman dropped beside her and took her into a firm hug. ''We only do what we have to, nothing more partner.'' he rocked her back and forth holding her head against his own as if to transfer his thoughts over to her. ''Maybe I could've stopped him without firing?'' she asked meekly.

''I'm sure he will survive, besides he had no problem endangering people,'' Elfman replied. ''You did what you needed to and that's all that matters at the end of the day.''

Elfman picked her up and placed her back on her feet. ''Never give into weakness junior,'' he smiled a genuine smile the first she had ever seen from him. ''We need you here,''

Evergreen felt her heart grasped and strengthened by his words. She climbed into the back of her car and took her frog phone out of her pocket, the very same one that gave her the nickname 'frog and sometimes tadpole'. ''Are you all right?'' she smiled as she got a text back immediately from Juvia.

Elfman looked back at Evergreen a couple of times enough to raise her eyebrows. ''What?'' he decided he'd inform her later that they were transferred to the violent crimes division. ''Nothing, just good job.'' He started the car and took off toward the station. ''We have a lot of work to sort out today Ever.'' she raised her head quickly and then looked down shyly at her phone beginning a series of fake texts, a habit she had with him. ''Can we get dinner together later?'' she asked suddenly. ''Sure, we have to work late anyway,'' he could be a little thick-skulled sometimes.

There are more than seven billion ways to love someone with all your being and yet, you've found a unique way to love me perfectly.

Juvia hopped out of the car and ran at full speed toward Gray who had been waiting for a long while. ''What happened?'' he asked taking her hands and checking them for any unusualnesses.

She looked back at Lucy who waved happily. ''It's nice to see you Gray!'' she walked over and gave him a hearty Natsu-approved slap on the shoulder. ''I'm still very busy but tell the family that I will call, and tell Wendy that I haven't forgotten her birthday.''

''Whoa, whoa slow down.'' Gray laughed nervously. ''Where are you going? I saw the news,'' he said getting serious. After a moment of silence, she checked her surroundings and after confirming that no neighbors were watching. ''Crawford tried to kill me but Juvia helped save my life,'' Gray looked at Juvia who finished her can of tea. ''Reporters are looking for me, so I have to go'' Gray's eyes widened. ''Juvia, you're so cool!'' Lucy smiled and then laughed out loud.

''She is a real heroine,'' Lucy slapped his shoulder again. ''I'll call you guys later!'' she retreated to the car, Jude waved to Gray and quickly climbed back in.

''Nice to see your smile so soon bear,'' Lucy patted her father's shoulder in response and picked her phone up again to arrange a quick interview with Aries. ''I need to go home and change my clothes first.'' ''M'kay,'' Jude said checking behind him.

''And then where we going?'' she asked as he started the car, she knew he had a place on his mind because his eyebrows knitted when he had something heavy to say. ''To visit our Layla's grave.''

''Okay,'' she said buckling up, she was shocked but she wouldn't mention it to him for fear she would hurt his feelings by saying that he never went to visit her mother's grave before.

A little body thrown and crashing against the walls of destiny builds strength to fight off the falling thunder and sudden storms.

Aries nodded her head, ''Go,'' she mouthed and Lucy began to talk about what happened in the court. ''One of the factors that lead to his death is that I lacked the proper equipment to properly save him,'' ''And another one was that Kyoka removed her blade from the deep wound, this I believe, she did this purposely.''

Lucy sat up higher, fixed her baby blue dress, and stared straight into the camera. ''I know well enough that Crawford Seam was a repulsive man,'' ''A problem that I faced was transporting Mr. Seam to a nearby hospital. Motorists were seemingly refusing to move over.'' ''The ambulance was late and then we struggled to get through cars again.''

She declared addressing prospective watchers. ''Someday you could be lying in the ambulance dealing with drivers who don't care.'' Lucy's interview about the prior events progressed until golden sun rays began to cascade like water down the brown walls of the little room.

''I have a question of my own if you don't mind,'' Lucy said after awhile. ''Hurl away,'' Aries prompted. ''Does the public know how Crawford killed his victims?'' ''No, there hasn't been a single publication about it yet.''

''I don't want them to know,'' Lucy said quickly. ''I don't want any lunatics trying to recreate or repeat Crawford's actions, whether it be for fame, name, out of admiration, etc.'' Aries nodded her head. ''We will edit your inquiry out of this interview so that no one will feel the need to question,''

Loki spoke up from behind the camera. ''Do you want us to say that he committed malpractice and leave it at that?'' ''Yes, people will have questions but I want them to remain unanswered for the greater good.''

The interview passed in a common fashion hitting points that the public would already have knowledge of but mixing in new information and viewpoints. Then, Aries began to ask bigger questions.

''What do you think about Crawford?'' Aries moved her microphone closer. ''Can I compare him to a plant?'' Lucy asked cautiously. ''Of course, you can,'' Aries assured her and looked at her lines. It should be completely fine as long as they didn't go over the 40-minute mark.

After a minute Lucy spoke. ''He was like false Hellebore foliage, If you didn't know him you would think he was an astounding doctor, I know many people admired him. I did myself.''

''Why do you compare him to false hellebore?'' Aries had never heard the flower's name before and was positively intrigued. ''False Hellebore is a beautiful flower to look at, even the leaves look unique but everything about the plant is deadly.'' ''So I compare him to something that appeared pretty but was nothing but a fatal weed.''

''He saved many lives but tarnished that by deciding he could confiscate whomever he liked.'' ''He took his own mother's life?'' Aries asked. ''Yes, his first victim and then he was killed by his longtime lover,'' Lucy confirmed. ''And his lover, she worked with you right?'' ''Yes. she did and I fired her before I found out her secrets.''

''And, why did you fire her?'' ''Kyoka deliberately sent my friend to the wrong floor in the hospital.'' Lucy recounted. ''She was about to deliver her first child, I couldn't let something like that slide so I fired her.''

Before the interview wrapped Lucy made sure to mention her brave friends who to her were now heroes, young Juvia Lockser who noticed the suspicious activity and alerted rookie officer Evergreen and the court bailiff Ren Akatsuki who did not hesitate, Judge Aquarius Miller who bravely passed a deserving sentence.

''And your very own sister Virgo!'' Aries beamed at the mention of her sister. ''I also want to thank Gildarts Clive again for helping to save my life,'' ''Who is that?'' Aries was surprised. ''If you wanna know you have to buy my upcoming book, there I have showcases of all my heroes related and vice versa.'' Lucy smiled mischievously standing to bow and like that the interview wrapped.

Lucy and Jude stepped around gravestones and made their way toward Layla. Deep in the mind of one of Layla's visitors arose a dialogue that was clasping at the spirit and maybe a little lyrical.

I know you said goodbye to me but I didn't reply for fear that our parting would be true.

I'm sorry I left you hanging like that if I knew what was waiting I would've stayed and never gone away.

I'd travel the vast world many times over if I could just see your smile in again in person. It beautifully haunts my days and darkest nights, yearning for you to come home to me.

I try to block the pain but the pain has found a way around my walls. And I guess all I can do is stay afloat and try not to drown till the day I see you again. The day you come home to me, that hope, that love perhaps is what keeps me alive. No matter how long I wait, it will be worth it when you smile my way again.

Jude placed a bouquet completely made of 'Love in a mist' flowers in front of Layla's headstone. He sat on the grass by it and his daughter joined him for a minute of pure mourning silence except for the voices of few creatures that did not know the beauty of the woman inside the cradling Earth.

Lucy tapped Jude's arm and gestured to the small shrub she had planted earlier so he wouldn't crush it accidentally. ''It's lovely,'' he said pouring some water over its roots. ''Do you want me to hire someone to plant it professionally and care for it?'' he asked. ''Yep, I'll do that.'' he decided right after asking the question.

Lucy looked at the other graves and realized for the first time that her mother's grave was the only kept one. It had no grass or weeds growing over it and the headstone was perfectly clean.

''You've been taking care of mama's grave?'' she asked softly. ''Not myself but I've asked the groundskeeper to care for it even after old age makes me forget it.'' Lucy's eyes filled with tears for the second time in the day, she had filled her mind with resentful thoughts whilst growing up.

Uninformed of the sacrifices her father had given. She had thought that he got up and left her after her mother died. That he didn't care anymore and went to peacefully live somewhere else.

''Igneel and Grandine have been here before us,'' Jude informed breaking her thoughts. ''How do you know?'' Lucy asked surprised as she looked for something different that stood out. ''Look,'' Jude pointed at tiny green flowers growing on either side of the stone. The ground had evidence of previous cultivation and there was potting soil peeking out around the plant. ''They always plant bells of Ireland around loved one's graves.''

The two sat in a tearful silence until they heard screaming and crying floating from afar then it was time to go, perhaps great sorrow had moved in nearby. Sitting in the bouncing car Lucy saw the source of the earlier ruckus as a car unloaded a coffin, a massive crowd of people was there angrily screaming and crying as the body went into the ground.

Lucy was about to question the situation until she noticed that it was beside the grave she had visited earlier, the grave of Mrs. Seam. Crawford was being buried with no one to mourn him and a mob was there watching. 'You have found your grievous deeds around your throat.' those words belonged to Lucy's victim's statement, she had not been able to read out earlier in court.

''We have to celebrate your birthday before the day ends,'' Jude said taking her attention from the scene. ''Yeah! I want a strawberry cream doughnut.'' she was excited because Jude used to make that for her every birthday when she was little.

''We'll go to Porlyusica's restaurant,'' ''How come we aren't going to eat it homemade?'' ''Cause right after I woke up I called pest control and a few maintenance workers.'' Lucy sat back against her seat contentedly she was gonna be delighted to see Porlyusica and to avoid the fire ants around the house.

''Natsu's aunt says she has a meal already prepped for us,'' Jude informed. '' his aunt?!'' Lucy sat up in shock. ''Yeah? Porlyusica is Igneel's elder sister.'' Lucy held her chin and fell into thought. ''He never told me that,'' she said after a while. ''Well doesn't he sometimes call her auntie?'' Jude asked stopping at a light. ''Yeah, but he calls all elderly ladies auntie, so I never questioned it.''

She didn't know everything about him and she felt excited to learn more from him to feed the heart that beat in his direction, wherever he may be in the vast world.

Green trees faded black as they seemingly clasped the cherry-orange sky above them, they shivered slightly as the rain began to fall upon a tiny white car.

Chapter end-

I am struggling to operate on Hughesnet living out south. My father was tricked into moving us all into a tiny ramshackle house in a little podunk town.

I take forever to upload and it looks like it won't get better so nobody wait up for me, please. I'm sorry and I will try my best for this content.

I am doing well. Thank you.

-Peace