Hi I got overwhelming positive feedback on this. I'm back from the dead who knows for how long.

I'll be posting lots of prompts which might lead to stories. My sleep pattern is back at destination fucked so I might as well write.

CHAPTER ONE:

7 YEARS LATER

Natsu's POV

"Have you heard that Levy and Jellal are taking on a new paramedic next week?" Gray gossiped as he dealt the cards out.

"Yeah well they have been moaning about how they wanted extra help but too picky to employee," I murmed while I slotted all my cards out in number order. Ooo 2 sevens.

"Got any sevens…?" Cheating bastard... I sighed as I threw two sevens across the small kitchenette table to the navy mop head.

"You're no fun at this game," I sulked as I slammed my cards on the table swinging back on my chair.

"Oi flamebrain don't be a spoil sport!" Gray stuck his tongue out at me before laying his head on the table. I dragged my eyes over to the clock on the wall. Ughhhh we still had two hours left on our shifttttt. That train of thought was cut of by the blaring of the alarm which shook me and Gray into action.

I rushed over to my locker and started strapping on harness after harness before finishing off with the classic fireproof jacket, grabbing my helmet in my left. Shoving my feet in my boots barely doing them up before sprinting towards the pole, shoving Gray out the way for good measure. Jumping into the fire truck making it roar into action with Cana, Macao and Wakaba piling into the back. I saw Gray shove the rest of the hose into the truck before sprinting into the cabin with me, clicking a button so the garage door would open automatically.

"So where we going?" I swerved out of the hangar sirens blaring all we knew it was south side of town by which alarm went off.

"Strawberry Street yanno how all the others who were on duty went down there they need back up it's gotten worse." Gray rummaged around on the controls to find the phone keypad and rang the other fire engine. Erza's strong voice picked up.

"Hello get here as soon as you can we've managed to get 2 out of the house but we think there is one still inside." And then an electronic thud told us that she'd hung up.

It irritated me how much people driving to wherever they are going found the sirens an inconvenience, like Oh I have to move aside now. No, we are saving lives and that one life is more important than you turning up late. Everything just seemed more dire one person was stuck inside of the building we needed to get there and extract them.

The smoke was billowing out of grande house, I mean it was Strawberry Street all the high end people come from here. We turned off the sirens and piled out unravelling the hose, I left them to start hosing the house while I got the details from Erza.

As I walked over I could see Gajeel holding … Levy? Why was Levy here she's off duty? And a small figure lying down paramedics seems it was Jellals team around a girl with a blonde halo of hair. I recognised her though… Shaking that thought from my mind I ran over to Levy who looked a little shaken up but no life threatening injuries.

"What happened? Where is the other person? What room?" I raved on at her before Gajeel shot me down with his eyes. "Sorry Lev I just need to get answers,"

"No, No Natsu it's fine, we were in the upstairs in master bedroom when we it started to get really warm and smelt like gas… She's still in there!" Levy suddenly started to sob.

I turned on the ball of foot and stomped towards our truck, suspected gas leak from what I guessed. I put a gas mask on along with my helmet I remember Gray blabbing about the floor plan on the way here but I wish I had paid better attention to it.

I turned towards the building about to go in when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder pinning me in place.

"Natsu you are not going in there and that's an order." Erza cool voice came from behind me, "It's too dangerous even for us hopefully your team will sort the flames out but it's just too much to handle."

"I'm not just going to leave them in there!" I snarled as I tried to shake her hand off.

"Are you disobeying an order? That could lead to suspension-" Erza was cut off by a scream by the girl that was lying on the grass.

"MICHELLE?" The blonde girl pushed passed Elfman, staggered closer to the building.

"Lucy you've inhaled too much smoke come away from there, we'll get her out soon trust us" Elfman started as he went to grab her arm and pulled her into a hug.

"LUCY!" A scream resounded from the inferno, we all whipped our heads round to the blonde - I'm guessing that's Lucy. She looked in horror across the lawn to where the voice had come from and whispered ever so quietly.

"Michelle?" She looked frozen in terror tears streaming down her face. That when it hit me like a freight train it's Luce. White walls threaten to take over my memory as I remembered a spilt coffee and an argument it suddenly felt to stuffy in my gear I just wanted to rip them off and go hug her.

But then… My promise. I promised her never to leave anyone behind.

My feet started running before my mind caught up, there was no way I was letting her lose anyone else. I made a promise to never leave anyone behind and I haven't so far so why should I start now.

"Natsu!" I heard Erza's sharp voice ring through the chaos, shit, I'll deal with her later.

Luckily one of the lower floor windows was open making it easy to vault into the room, the smoke was like a wave of darkness. I strained my ears to hear for anything. A small sob came from upstairs and a strangled call.

"Lucy, please." Followed with more sputtering.

"Michelle?" I attempted to call through my ventilator, her voice seemed to be coming from upstairs, feeling around trying to manoeuvre myself to her voice and the doorway stumbling over couches and cabinets. I just felt my way through the doorway into the hallway I could see my feet now, I saw the foot of the stairs to the left of me.

"Lucy please come back," I heard Michelle's soft voice from where I assumed the top of the stairs. "Don't leave me to."

"Stay where you are!" I attempted again, anything to comfort her. Fuck carefulness. I burst into a run taking the stairs two at a time. Like a bull running into the mist of ebony.

I found Michelle sitting on the far side of the corridor, soot covered her face, nasty burns crawled up her arms but yet she still cradled a doll and a book to her chest. Her voice had turned scratchy as she was murmuring about Lucy over and over again tears pouring down her face. Her consciousness seemed to drip slowly from her as her head began to roll. Shit she's losing it. I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME. I turned the communicator on the side of my helmet.

"Erza we need some oxygen she's unconscious-" I was interrupted by a crashing sound in the foyer, "Shit Erza and we need some ladders or something the stairs just collapsed. I'm just moving her to the master bedroom window."

"FLAMEBRAIN OUT HERE!" I can barely see anything from the thick smog covering the area, all rushing out of the newly opened space. I saw a gloved hand reach blindly through the gap and then shortly after was Gray's telltale helmet.

Michelle's lips started to turn blue, I reached for the clasp on my mask and fixed it to her face while turning the oxygen levels up, while checking her pulse. The room was getting thicker and thicker I could barely see Gray's form climb through the window, especially with how my eyes were stinging from the exposure.

"Nastu keep it together. We need to pass her down Cana. Fuck why did you come in without a plan," He grabbed Michelles body delicately over his shoulder before hurrying her to the window to where Cana's open arms were.

Shit my eyes. My eyes started to swim and dance around like I was on a merry-go-round, time seemed to go round in slow motion. My limbs felt groggy and unresponsive as I was still pushing myself off the ground after Gray wobbling towards the window. How long have I been here?

Lucy's POV

"LET ME GO! ELFMAN! OR Mavis so help me!" I was fighting him like a corned animal trying to get out of Elfmans arms. "Please, Please, please…"

I pushed, and punched at his chest, but he wasn't budging not one bit. "She's so scared in there," I'm begging at him, he tried to avoid my eyes but I held them firm as I could with my breath catching in my throat and my eyes drowning in tears, "Elfman please! I'm so scared, I can't lose her please,"

He just hugged me tighter. But I didn't need this! I'm not the one need help! She's in there. Alone. She needs me. I couldn't calm my thoughts or my breathing. I just sank to my knees. I'm not prepared to lose someone else. I felt Elfman bring me onto his lap as we sat in the grass. All sound around me muffled, the sounds of shouts, of burning, so much burning. The heat was singeing my hair, I just couldn't stop staring at the burning house of my home I had shared with Michelle. No there's no past tense! She'll have to make it, it's our house.

Just in time to see two figures arguing, one was the leader, she looked strong and in control. This situation was far from in control. SHES IN THERE. She was arguing with one of her teammates they had a different uniform on, but that figure didn't look happy he had an expastred body language with his arms moving from crossed to up in the air before closing his mask and storming away from her starting to pick up speed towards the front doors. Leaving his superior shouting behind him and another member of his team dropping the hose and rushing up behind him trying to grab his uniform. The first figure disappeared into the fire shoving the door in the second man's face. As soon as the second opened the door smoke billowed out assaulting the Navy haired man.

"FUCK! My stupid fucking helmets next to the hose and that PRICK has gone in without back up again!" He sprinted back over to the hose to pick up the offending helmet. Not before the lady had gone up and but a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Shove off, he's not going in there without anyone,"

"Just stand bye and listen that's an order Officer Fullbuster. I will not have two members of my squad disobey me. You will wait and support him, as you could see if you were using your brain is that the structure is completely under strain ever since Dragneel went into there."

By the way Officer Fullbuster had gripped his helmet and slammed it on his head, he was not happy. Angrily grabbing the hose and started walking it closer to the house. Levy's boyfriend walked up to him and pointed to the top right of the building. I'm assuming Levy must have told him where Michelle was.

I flinched at a crash which resounded around the lawn, causing more fire to spill out of the house as the hallway of the house started to collapse in on itself. My heart felt like it had hit my teeth, my eyes agape again as I heard Elfman try to make soft soothing sounds and stroked my hair, attempting to try to turn my body away from the burning home. I can't stop shaking. All I could remember was the same feeling when I saw my parents officer building on fire from my school. But this was more real. I could feel the flames, I could walk into them. Not just rub my eyes from a distance hoping that it was a mistake. For this one there was no hope. There was no mistake.

"Officer Dragneel, can you hear me? REPORT NOW!" The Lieutenant started shouting down the intercom, while pointed some hand signals at her team, before pausing as if she was listening hard to an answer. "Officer Alberona, ladder to the second floor window that Fullbuster is at, get him to go up the ladder,"

They worked like together like a nest of ants all fully trusting each other to get that part done easy peasy. Fullbuster had walked up the ladder before stepping into the black abyss without faltering. After the longest few seconds of my life Fullbuster had come out of the window passing a Michelle limply down to Officer Alberona, Fullbuster glanced hastily behind him calling out a name I couldn't catch. Before rushing back up the ladder and grabbing a pink haired boy out of the flames by the end of his uniform. That must have been the first figure!

I managed to shake Elfman off as I wearily walked towards where Michelle was being loaded into the ambulance. All safe. watching the team I was meant to join next week work like clockwork. Before my eyes were drawn to a pink haired boy unconscious on a stretcher, a dog tag was now on show from his unzipped uniform. Even before reading the dog tag I knew from the pink locks who this was. Not completely the broken boy from 7 years ago, but my hero…

Natsu Dragneel.

Hope you all liked it. I found half the chapter in my google drive...

I really hope I'll be back writing for a while.

Every read counts

Best Wishes,

Insominac Shipper