Hello readers! First, I'd like to apologise for the unintentional hiatus. Honestly, the final months of the previous year was an awful experience that left me crippled with anxiety and depression. It's a year I'd like to forget. Whereas I usually turn to writing to relieve my stress- I ended up with a massive mind fog that only fuelled my irritation and forced me to feel discouraged. So, I let the story go without notice.

After months went by and life's nuisances lessened, I began feeling better. Two months into 2019 and I feel much more motivated to write. Thus, I am back to continue my beloved story. Especially after seeing the support it got (even though it's a not so popular crack ship with only two chapters). So, I'd like to thank you all for following, favouriting, reviewing, and even just for clicking with the intention to see what the story is all about. It honestly means a lot.

So, I'll be attempting to produce longer chapters as thanks~
I hope you enjoy chapter 3 and I'll see you in future chapters.

Lucy trudged along a vacant and eerily dull path, where the only thing keeping her company were the deep breaths she took along with the sound of her own heartbeat, thumping through her ears. She couldn't recognise her current whereabouts, or why she was here in the first place. Why was she so exhausted?

Lucy halted her tracks when the vision around her started to rapidly blur. Her hands swiftly connected with her head, almost as if they were about to be the pillars that kept her upright.

Still feeling fatigued and lightheaded, she weakly glanced ahead. It was when she was almost about to collapse, that she spotted a figure a few feet away from her. She wasn't too sure if it was as a result of the exhaustion or her blurred vision; but there was something familiar about the person's features. Through her limited sight, she could make out the figure's muscular build and average height, his body covered by a dark vest and pants, hair consisting of random pink spikes that messily framed his head.

She was sure it was him.

A burst of energy travelled through her body and, despite feeling unwell, she dashed towards him with undeniable delight. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, that ran down the sides of her face as she sprinted. To say that her emotions were in disarray would be an understatement. She felt huge waves of nostalgia as memories of friendship flooded her thoughts; She recalled the misery she underwent when he left, the isolation she experienced when spending all those years alone; the joy she felt when she was with him that she's currently reliving as of right now.

She felt it all.

Finally, after all these years, she was about to be with Natsu once more. Her partner, her best friend, her Nastu.

Yet, no matter how much force she put into her sprint, the world around her seemed to move in slow motion that affected her movement. She approached her partner little by little; her eyesight improving with each step she took. She was elated to Natsu's reaction to her presence. His arms were wide open, ready for a bone-crushing hug. His smile couldn't get wider as it stretched from ear to ear, giving her that signature toothy grin of his.

This sight alone brought her feelings of great comfort and happiness.

He was waiting for her.

Why was it taking her so long to get into his arms?

Just as she inched closer and closer to Natsu, there was a shift in the cheerful atmosphere. Natsu's smile lessened to a frown, and the rest of his features also contorted into a worrisome look. He dropped his elevated arms to his sides, and his calloused hands formed into fists.

The more she analysed him, the more she noticed how he too had changed over the years. He seemed to have aged as lines formed around his mouth and forehead; his once pudgy baby face now seemed to be only a distant memory as his jaw protruded further, and face slimmed down- resulting in a manlier look.

It's been well over eight years; why was she so surprised? Perhaps it was the intimidating look he was suddenly giving her.

Without warning, someone forcefully seized her right arm, and she crashed into someone's body. She tried to push them away, but to no avail. Whoever the person was, kept her locked tightly into their grip, where she was not even able to raise her head to look above his torso. It was at this time she understood, Natsu was giving that frightening look to this stranger, not her.

"How about you be a good wife that does not mingle with problematic firebrands."
Her eyes widened in fear at the sinister voice. He was no stranger- unfortunately, she knew him too well. And she also knew that low, hushed voice he used whenever he threatened her. It always meant she was in trouble once he got his hands on her.

But why here? Why now?

She managed to thrash around her husband's grip enough for her to turn her head back to catch a glimpse of Natsu, who only stood staring at the pair, features displaying concern, anger and…pity?

She stared at him in disbelief. He never pitied her- not even when she fought the strongest of opponents. Not even when she lost miserably. He always believed in her and it used to show.

What's so different now?

She turned her head back to face her husband's torso in shame. She despised him so much- but she hated Natsu's look even more. And so, she stayed in her abuser's arms, just like the shameful, weak being she was.

She felt her spouse's hands creep up to her head, stroking her messy blond strands. She didn't feel comforted as she knew it wouldn't this act wouldn't last long. "He was never here for you, but I was. When he left you stranded, I was the one who took you in and saved you and your family," he insisted in a hushed tone. She couldn't get her voice to work to respond to his empty lies, and she was too tired to even try. What was the point? There is nothing left for her.

She must stop waiting for Natsu to save her, because he won't.

He can't.

"Leave!"
Once again, she forced her head to turn into an awkward angle, so she could see why Natsu was suddenly shouting. "LEAVE!" He yelled once more, becoming increasingly angrier and more aggressive. His fists started lighting up as they were engulfed in flames. The expression on his face surprised Lucy. The rage he displayed was something she wasn't sure she ever witnessed before. The field filled with enough smoke that it started affecting her airways. She kept hearing the same statement over and over as she struggled for air: "Leave. Leave. LEAVE."

She woke up startled from the events that occurred in her dream. Lucy inhaled as much air as her lungs could withstand as she remembered how difficult it was to breathe. Her hand moved to her chest as she felt her heart flutter. She closed her eyes and slumped back onto the bed, hand still glued to her torso. It had been such a long time since she dreamt of Natsu. Not even in a dream could she get a hold of him.

She turned sideways, ready to go back to her deep slumber when she felt someone watching her. The hairs on her back stood as she internally panicked. She slowly opened her eyes, ready to jump at whoever was stalking her. A pair of comical eyes stared right back at her.

"What the!" She shrieked as she brought her right leg up towards the thing. Her Lucy kick seemed to work, as it went flying back against the opposing wall. She rolled off the bed in a hurry and tried not to lose balance herself as she stood in a defensive pose.
It was then when she analysed the situation fully.

The room she was in wasn't the one she booked; and that 'thing' in question was a red exceed. Her eyes fluttered in confusion as her mouth gaped open. That exceed looked way too familiar; and anyway, the average person doesn't even own one. So what had she done yesterday? She left the house in a hurry, checked into a motel, took a bath, went to grab a bottle of water…

As she was trying to recollect her thoughts, the door creaked open. Her eyes darted to the blond man wearing normal clothes and holding onto a paper bag. Sting.

Her eyes went back to the exceed, who had just started to come to his senses. She covered her gaping mouth in realisation.

"So I leave for an hour and I come back to see you had woken up and maltreated Lector," Sting stated in an annoyed tone. Lucy ran to the exceed stricken with panic. She was about to gently pick up the red cat, but before she could, Lector swiftly stood up and pushed her away.

"Get away from me!" He yelled in fear as he flew behind Sting.

Lucy just stood there appalled at how this morning's events unfolded. "I-I-sorry," she muttered, surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded.

"Now now Lector, I'm sure it wasn't on purpose," Sting reassured the exceed, who seemed to calm down at his partner's words. "Here's a tuna sandwich as a thanks for watching over the fairy whilst I was away," Sting stated as he handed the paper bag to Lector; who beamed at the small gift.

"I did my best Guild Master!" Lector announced assertively, as he stood upright, with his right hand angled to his forehead. Lucy suppressed a laugh at how determined the small exceed was to make Sting proud. The dragon slayer snickered and ruffled Lector's head.

Lucy smiled softly at the sweet interaction.

As Lector grabbed the bag and began devouring the sandwich, Sting turned to the celestial mage. "Would you like to continue yesterday's conversation?"

"Uh- sure. Yeah," Lucy stated uncomfortably. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her uneasiness. Sensing this, Sting went to the room's cabinet and threw her the medical kit. The box's outer shell was so damaged that its contents just flew out as a result of the throw, landing randomly on the floor and on the bed.

Sting sat on a chair and positioned it to face Lucy, who had already started applying the gauzes and ointments on her arms and legs. Sting realised how many scars, burn marks and bruises were etched onto the girl's pale skin.

"What happened yesterday?"

Lucy briefly stopped applying the cold ointment on her right arm as she looked up at him. This was it. The question of the century.

"I was attacked…" She admitted, the words slowly forming, emphasising each word. Sting nodded, expecting her to continue without any prompts from him.

"By a man," she continued, "who gave me these wounds."

"Do you know him?" Sting asked, concern etched onto his face. He was worried about the injured celestial mage; Not to mention the fact that there probably was a crazed guy attacking females who don't usually travel out of their usual environment on their own.

"No."
Lucy mentally face palmed herself. Did she just lie to Sting's face? And for what?

Despite this, something inside her wouldn't let her speak the truth. She wasn't sure if it was the undeniable shame for letting herself become a victim of abuse, the fear of her husband finding out she had spoken to a guild master about it, or if it was because she wanted to maintain the meagre dignity she had left.

Who was she kidding? This was Sting, the dragon slayer who couldn't contain a petty taunt when the occasion arises. He'll never let her live it down.

"No, I don't know who it was," she blurted once more, hoping not to be such an obvious liar.

"You couldn't catch a glimpse of him?" Sting insisted.

"It was dark, and it happened so suddenly that I was too shocked to even care about such details," she explained, surprised by how easy the words seemed to come out when they didn't consist of the truth. Sting nodded at her response, seemingly deep in thought.

"Don't you summon spirits like Yukino?" Lector commented mid-bite, "Didn't you fight him off?"

Both exceed and slayer stared at Lucy for a response, whilst she felt an awful feeling of regret flood her whole being. She felt her eyes sting and tears dared to emerge.
"He stole them from me," Was all she managed to say. Her mouth felt dry.

Truth was, she hadn't seen her spirits for years; and she let them be taken away by her awful spouse. When Lector mentioned Yukino, the guilt that bubbled up within her was so intense that she had to excuse herself to the restroom just after she answered.

She slammed the door behind her and stared at the wall.

She never thought about sending her keys away to a better handler. Yukino would have been the perfect candidate. She's a kind, sweet lady who is as capable as Lucy when it came to magic, if not better. Not only that, but she had a stable environment for them to come and go as they pleased. She also went on jobs regularly which could have kept them busy whilst Lucy was away.

Between the years of being a journalist and becoming someone's wife- Lucy barely summoned them to this world. Lucy balled her fist and hit herself in the chest as punishment when she realised how selfish she was. She could have given her spirits a better life if she didn't hold onto their keys for dear life. She was so full of misery, loneliness and sentiment; that she didn't think twice about their well-being. And now look what happened.

A knock on the bathroom door brought her back to reality.

"You alright?" She heard Sting's muffled voice ask from the other side of the door.

She opened the door with her head hanging so low it almost passed her own shoulders. She nodded weakly and moved back to the bed, back to focusing her attention on treating her wounds with the medical supplies.

Sting sat back down on the chair and said nothing.

"Where did you get the rest of those scars?" Sting inquired as he eyed her arms.

The question startled Lucy enough for her to grab the sleeves of her jacket and pull them down, hiding them away from the dragon slayer's prying eyes. "They don't look as recent or fresh as your other wounds," he added.

Lucy was so used to them that she had become immune to their existence. It's been such a long time that she had a proper raw conversation with anyone; that she seemed to forget that her injuries weren't normal.

"I-uh," she stammered, "I went on a few solo j-jobs that left me with a few marks on my body. I had to earn a living some way or another." Sting seemed to accept her response and she felt relieved.

She felt awful for lying to him after he was so kind to her and concerned for her wellbeing. She never noticed how genuine this person was until now. This part of him doesn't show as much as his boastful side. Now that she analysed him better, she noticed how he too has changed over the years. He got rid of that awful fur boa and hid the rest of his body with a black tee. His guild mark was as prominent as ever on his arm, and she stared longingly at it, hoping hers would magically show up so she too can proudly display it.

His features seemed to have aged, making him look more intimidating whenever he frowned or put on a serious front.

Lucy reassured herself that lying to him was for her own good. She only needs Sting to get her to a safe place where she can re-start her life, earn enough crystals to get by and train quietly. Once she's physically readier and more confident, she'll go back to face her husband. Meanwhile, she'll keep an eye out for any celestial keys she may come across and try to find out the whereabouts of her sick father.

In retrospect, it was a perfect plan, but realistically speaking- it's going to take up a lot of time; time she couldn't afford to waste.

"Where were you headed off to?" Sting wondered, grabbing another bottled water and began to drink.

"I'm not too sure…" Lucy mumbled in response.

Sting sighed. He needed to get to the guild by tomorrow and he certainly wasn't about to catch the train. He calculated that if he and lector left by noon, they'd manage to get to the guild in the early hours of the morning by foot.

But he wasn't about to leave the celestial mage alone. He felt too responsible for her well-being, especially after finding out that her partner was gone and her spirits were missing. "Listen, since you don't have specific whereabouts about where you need to go, how about you come with us to Sabertooth? We'll figure things out from there and you'll also get to meet Yukino again," Sting advised the female. He only added to the last part so the blonde wouldn't be so uncomfortable with travelling with a male she wasn't too familiar with.

Sting was sure that this was the first time since their reunion that the female in front of him displayed excitement. Her dull eyes immediately shined with glee, and her gloomy demeanor seemed to vanish as she gave him the biggest genuine smile she could muster. It was an expression he couldn't forget.

Lucy felt her whole world light up at his suggestion of travelling together to back to his guild. It was a step in the right direction for her, and suddenly, the future seemed much brighter than it was yesterday.

She opened her arms wide enough to wrap them around Sting's muscular build, and both him and Lector were taken aback at the sudden affection the celestial mage displayed.

"Thank you…Master Sting".