The guild went semi silent as the soft sound of sleeping breaths filled their ears. Their attention turned to the pretty blond who showed up not too long ago. She was sleeping in her arms, dreaming away. They were thrown off by the blond girl, she was a mystery even to the strongest wizards. The dragon slayers were also taken back by the girl, she was not normal in any way.

There was something hiding behind the tough exterior she presented herself with. The powers she possessed were more than she was letting on, but the cold cut silence of her powers was sealed behind her lips. She had even forbidden her celestial spirits from speaking a word more, meaning there was something that she did not want to share. Many members of the guild were baffled by her simple existence, they were unsure what to make of her.

Natsu on the other hand had seemed to take a liking to the girl, his eyes showing a deeper emotion they did not think he had in him. Was the ever-oblivious dragon slayer finally falling in love? They knew though that the betting pool would start soon enough with others trying to bet how long until he made his heart known to her. Natsu was unbothered by their attention as he walked over to the sleeping blond, they watched as he brushed aside the hair in her face. The smile on his face spoke a thousand words to the other guild members and they all looked at each other. Natsu gently picked the girl up into his arms, holding her like a bride. The pretty blond snuggled into his chest as he walked toward the infirmary.

Natsu could feel the other guild members eyes on him as he carried the sleeping girl. He couldn't understand what he was feeling, since the moment he had seen her, he wanted to talk to her. He wanted her to look at him and smile, not fear him. When she trembled before him, something was telling him that she knew something he didn't. There was something she was hiding, but he didn't want to push her. As he walked into the empty infirmary, he shut the door behind him. Placing her on one of the beds, he leaned back and looked at her sleeping face. Most of the time she was serious, with her brows crinkled in worry. It was obvious by the men who came looking for her that she was worried of their return and he knew she was going to do something soon.

With a long sigh, he traced the shape of her face with his thumb and smiled. "I hope you trust us to help you, now that you've stumbled into FairyTail, we're not gonna let anyone hurt you." He whispered into the quiet, gazing down at the sleeping girl.

She felt numb as she stared up at the ceiling of her cell. The same dirty grey ceiling she's been looking at since she could remember was almost like a comfort. Just like any other day, she had just come back from one of the many experiments they do daily. Everyday they inject her with something new, poke and probe her until they get bored and move on to the next person. She could feel whatever she was injected with pump through her veins, the sound echoed in her ears like drum.

The more she looked at this ceiling, the more her hope dwindled. Everyday is a continuous cycle of needles and sick pleasure, it was all so lackluster now that she had finally stopped caring. Eventually she stopped fighting the binds and crying, her tears seemed to have dried out completely. Since the deaths of her only friends Rose and George, she has been more alone than ever. Sure, there were other people with the same mixed DNA as her, but like this place, they only lived to survive. There were no friends in the Cave, friends become your weakness and eventually your end. Lucy had learned that the hard way, finally telling herself to stop trying.

She felt an incoming headache and winced when the sharp pain began to spread quickly. The pain made her head pound against her skull, making it hard to ignore. She lifted a hand to rub her head but had stopped when she looked at her fingers. Claws began to elongate themselves and patches of fur started growing on the back of her hand and down her arm. She blinked in shock as she stared at her hand. She is a freak now, her mind screamed at her. 'No little one, not a freak, but a warrior. Freedom is almost there, just wait a little longer.' A soft voice whispered in her mind, making the headache pound harder.

Her eyelids were heavy as the need to close her eyes and fall deep into sleep filled her with a deep breath, she let her body relax and her mind float away.

Lucy's eyes snapped open and blinked as she stared at a white ceiling. She sat up to find herself in the infirmary where she woke up the other day. She looked out one of the windows, finding the sun high in the sky. She must have passed out early yesterday, the new day was shining down upon Earthland. She noticed she wore the same dress from yesterday, she began to wonder how she got into bed. Getting up, she moved to the bathroom and washed her face and checked her reflection before leaving the infirmary.

Stepping out, she was met with the sound of the guild members chatting amongst themselves. With slow steps, she descended the stairs, gazing out at the members. She recognized some of the ones Natsu described to her such as Gajeel and Wendy. Wendy was a younger girl with two long dark ponytails. She wore a bright smile on her lips as she spoke to the more stoic dragon slayer, she smelled of clouds and wind on a warm sunny day. Her brown eyes turned about the rest of the room, spotting the red hair warrior Erza and the ice mage Gray. Gray had his arm wrapped around the shoulders of Juvia who was beaming up at him. His cheeks were flushed slightly as she snuggled into his side. Lucy smiled at the sight and continued to look around. She spotted a white and blue talking cat with wings spouting from their backs. The blue cat was trying to pass a fish to the pretty white cat who blushed and denied his advances. It was one of the sweetest things she'd seen.

She made her way to the bar where Mira was cleaning some glasses. As the blond approached, the white-haired beauty looked up and smiled. "Good morning Lucy, did you sleep well?" She asked.

Lucy smiled and nodded, "I did, thank you for asking." She felt her heart beat fast as she nibbled her lip, she was almost hesitant to bring this up to the nice girl. "Um Mira?" Mira smiled at the blond kindly, Lucy couldn't look at her in fear that she could start crying her eyes out of nowhere. "I've been thinking, and I don't think it's safe for me to stay. I don't want to put any of you in danger, so I've decided to leave. I would like to pay you all back eventually, but I cannot risk anyone's safety here. I will leave later tonight to get a head start in the morning." Lucy finished her small speech with a small intake of breath.

She looked up at the barista who opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by someone else. "You can't leave Lucy." Her head spun around, and her eyes widened when she saw Natsu standing there. His eyebrows were scrunched up as he stepped closer to her. "FairyTail is a lot stronger than you think. We won't let those guys hurt you Luce, I know you think you have to leave, but we don't want you to leave." The pang in her chest made her breath short and shaky. His words felt so raw and sincere, she wanted to believe him, but the fear still lingered.

"He's right Lucy, we're a lot stronger than we look, and we take care of our family." This time it was another voice, she looked to see Erza stepping forward. "There's need to be alone anymore, we'll help take care of you." She smiled and held out a hand.

Lucy felt tears prickling at the corner of her eyes, the urge to break down was strong. She tried desperately to blink them away, but they remained. "Why? They could bring an army, and everyone could get hurt. I don't want that to happen to anyone." Her voice shook with so much emotion that it was hard to get the words out.

"So, what if they got an army? We got each other and we fight until the very end, that means we got your back." This time it was Wendy who joined in the conversation. Her earnest eyes made Lucy's heart pound painfully.

"My dear." The master's voice reached her ears and she turned to look at the small man. He sat on a table nearby where most of the guild's attention was now focused on. "Life is a great mystery that we as wizards are still trying to figure out. Living a life on the run is not good for anyone, always looking behind your shoulder is not the way to live. If their army comes knocking at our door, then we'll send them back to where they came from. No one here has the perfect past; your past does not define who you are. You define who you are, so stand tall child. You have more potential than you give yourself credit for, stop trying to fix the past and live for the future." The master's words were like a balm to an old burn, it soothed some of her anxiety and panic.

"Say you'll stay Luce, become a part of our family." Natsu's voice filtered into her ears and she turned to the pink haired boy. She nibbled her lip in thought, perhaps they're right. Maybe she can live a peaceful life with such amazing people without the fear of always looking behind her.

With a small smile on her lips, she nodded. "I'll stay. I'll become a part of FairyTail." Her words sent the guild into an uproar of cheers and whoops. She laughed when a large man with white hair picked her and sat her on his shoulder. He yelled something about being manly and Lucy felt her heart start to swell in happiness. They came up to her and welcomed her in their own ways, the joy she felt at that moment she knew she would remember the rest of her days.

They showed her their marks, all placed on different spots, all of them different colors. Each was a symbol to their personality. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she belonged somewhere. Elfman, who she figured was one of the Strauss siblings, set her down next to the bar where Mira was waiting with the stamp. Lucy smiled at the kind woman as she asked her where she wanted her. Lucy thought about it and looked down at the back of her hand and smiled. She lifted her hand up, "where I can always look at it." The smile that Mira sent her made her feel even more confident about her decision. She watched in wonder as the stamp touched the back of her hand, Mira then asked her what color she wanted. Her mind flashed to warm brown eyes and a smile touched her face. "Pink please." The stamp was removed and there was the light pink mark.

"Let's party!" Someone cried, and it was followed by a cheer of agreement. Lucy watched as everyone began to relax and drink. Merriment filled the guild the hall and the sight filled her with warmth.

Natsu's grinning face came into her view and she couldn't stop the smile on her face. "Thank you." She said loud enough for him to hear. He smiled and placed a warm hand on the top of her head.

"We're family now Lucy, don't worry about." His hand slid to her cheek as he brushed some hair from her face. The sudden jump in her pulse was an indicator that this dragon slayer made her feel deeper things. She felt her cheeks turn warm and looked away from alluring eyes.

"Family." She mumbled to herself, feeling the big smile spread across her face. She felt her keys warm up at her side, their happiness for their mistress was palpable even in the heavens. Somehow the ground seemed hotter, as if the stars sparkled brighter for her.

As she was pulled into the flurry of their guild party, she knew this was where she wanted to be. As the day grew into night, they continued to drink and tire themselves out. By the end of the night only a few remain upright and aware, including a slightly tipsy Lucy. Although she wanted to drink until she was also passed out, but her constant wariness for her past demons kept her sober enough to hop into action if need be.

One of the others still sober, which was a surprise to Lucy, was Natsu. The obvious tint of red on his cheeks indicated he was feeling the effects of the alcohol as well. He wobbled slightly to Lucy, plopping himself down onto the bench next to her with a grunt. "How'd you like our FairyTail welcome?" Maybe it was the alcohol, but the urge to reach out and pull him close was strong. She held herself back though, smiling at him instead.

"It's great, I got to say though, you guys can sure drink." She laughed, thinking back to the barrels of the bitter drink being guzzled down by Cana, the card mage. She had shown Lucy her cards, reading her future, telling her that she was faced with difficult decisions yet to happen. This had thrown Lucy off, but Cana had reassured her and told her it was probably something like her love life it was referring to, this had made her blush profusely.

"You're right, sometimes I like to drink that much, but the headaches aren't the best in the morning." The lopsided smile he sent her had her heart fluttering.

"I bet. This is really the first time I'm drinking, so I'm not trying to go too far." She leaned her head on the palm of her hand and looked at him. His hair was ruffled from the flurry of activity that was going on earlier, his tanned skin glistened in the light. The guild's light defined his muscles, the sight of his dark green eyes pulled her in, she wanted to get lost in them all night. She blinked at herself in surprise and looked away before she could embarrass herself.

"I understand," he grinned. His grin fell and a shy look crossed his features. "Um, Lucy?" He cleared his throat. She nodded and smiled at him, telling him to continue. "I know that you don't have a place of your own, and I ain't got much, but I have extra space if you need a place to stay for a while." His offer was tempting, meaning she'd be around the man who made her feel strange things a lot more, but she wasn't sure how much her heart could take. On the other hand, it would give her the chance to have a place to stay until she could get one for herself. She looked at the pink haired man who still was blushing, he fidgeted in his spot.

Smiling, she nodded. "I would like that, thank you so much." The relief on his face almost made her giggle.

"It's no problem Lucy. Happy went to Wendy's tonight, so it'll be just me and you, if that's cool." He added quickly, the pink on his cheeks turned darker.

This time Lucy giggled out loud and nodded. "That's okay. Actually, I'm pretty tired now that I think about it." She felt a yawn bubble up on cue, her hand covered her mouth.

"Let's head to my house then." He stood up and held a hand for her, her eyes looked at it before him, a sort of déjà vu washed over her. Placing hers in his, he guided her around the sleeping bodies on the floor. They waved goodnight to the other members still awake. As they left the guild hall, they settled on a peaceful silence. Although they could fill this moment with chatter, they both remained quiet to take in the beauty of the night. Her eyes moved up to the sky, seeing the stars twinkle upon them.

The night critters chirped and sung, filling the night with a sort of tranquility. They walked through the sleeping town; their hands still unknowingly twined together. They were both in their own thoughts as they walked. After a few minute-long journeys through town, they came across a house at the top of a hill. Lucy was taken back by the size of the house. It had what looked to be two floors, but the size proved that it must be bigger than she can see. "This is where you live?" She looked at the dragon slayer.

The grin on his face made her heart flutter. "Sure is! It used to be a smaller house with only a few rooms, but me and Happy rebuilt it." The tone of his voice told her that he was proud of their work. "Come on I'll show inside." He tugged on her hand and pulled her towards the door. She waited for him to open the door and was stunned by the inside of the house.

Dark brown wooden walls gave the house a rustic feel. The first room they entered was a den area. It had a TV along with a large fiver person couch. "When did you guys do this?" She asked curiously.

He hummed to himself as he reminisced on the time. "Probably a year ago now. It hasn't been that long." His dark green held hers as she listened to him.

"This is impressive. How many rooms did you guys build?" The more she listened to him, the more curious she was.

"There is a total of four bedrooms, three bathrooms, the den, an extra room, the kitchen, and a game room." He listed each room off with his fingers. Her eyes widened as she tallied the rooms to come to a total of 11 rooms.

"Wow! What made you guys build so many?" She walked around the house, drifting through each room, with Natsu close by.

"It sounds a bit weird but being a dragon slayer gives you some personality traits from real dragons. Because of that, I have the urge to make my 'nest' bigger for my future life partner." His cheeks turned a dusty pink as his eyes widened. "I hadn't met anyone at the time; I just got the urge to do it out of nowhere." He added quickly, making his cheeks turn even darker.

Lucy absorbed the information and tapped her chin. "So, you have some traits similar to a real dragon and that was the reason you rebuilt your entire house." She confirmed to herself out loud, he nodded at her quickly. "That's pretty incredible!" Lucy grinned at the pink head. Relief crossed his features before a smile took over her face.

"Thanks Luce." He walked up to her side, placing a warm hand on the small of her back. He guided her up a flight of steps she had not noticed before until now. "I'll show you to your room." They proceeded up the stairs and onto the second floor. On this floor, she counted the four bedrooms, two bathroom and the extra room Natsu mentioned earlier. He showed her room for the time being, and she honestly blown away by it. There was a large bed with dark blue sheets and a mountain of pillows. There was a desk on the opposite end, with two different doors on both sides. She made her way to the one of the right and found a deep closet. Behind the other was a bathroom.

Her eyes widened and she swung her head around to Natsu who was putting her bags on the bed. "I thought you said there were only three bathrooms. There's one attached to this room." She was almost in awe at the sight of the claw footed bathtub and large sink. The mirror almost stretched across the whole wall.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about this one. It's the only bedroom with an attached bathroom, so you're lucky." He grinned at the girl who was still in disbelief.

She blinked out of her disbelief and smiled at him. "Thank you so much Natsu, this is more than I could ask for." The burn of tears in the back of her eyes reminded her the alcohol made her more prone to her sappier emotions. Shaking the tears away, she held the dragon slayer's gaze.

"It's nothing Luce really. We are family now; we need to watch each other's backs. If it were the other way around, you'd do the same for me or someone else." Natsu's words made her heart hurt, knowing that he was right, but she does not want what happened to her to happen to someone else in Fairytail. "I'll let you get ready for bed now. Goodnight Lucy, sweet dreams." He smiled and patted the top of her head.

She bid him goodnight and watched him leave the room. As soon as the door shut, she exhaled the breath she was holding. His presence somehow unnerved her but intrigued her at the same time. Shaking those thoughts away, she felt the urge to bathe before heading to sleep. Searching through her bags, she found a pair of short shorts and a tank top to wear. She made her way to the bathroom, cracking the door open.

Filling the tub with scalding hot water, she pulled the dress off over her head. When she was completely naked, she slowly slid into the burning water and sighed in content as the warmth seeped into her skin. Lucy was unsure of how long she was in the tub, but she stayed in until it started to lose its heat. After that, she rose and wrapped a fluffy thick towel around her body. Drying herself off, she dressed slowly, feeling the day and alcohol finally catching up to her.

Back in her new room, she moved everything to the side, turned off the lights and plopped herself onto the large mattress. It swallowed her comfortably, the softness starting to lull her to sleep. Before she fell asleep, she pulled the warm comforter over her, feeling snuggly and safe. Not long after, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep, where no one haunted her or taunted her.

They were both in their own thoughts as they walked. After a few minute-long journeys through town, they came across a house at the top of a hill. Lucy was taken back by the size of the house. It had what looked to be two floors, but the size proved that it must be bigger than she can see. "This is where you live?" She looked at the dragon slayer.

The grin on his face made her heart flutter. "Sure is! It used to be a smaller house with only a few rooms, but me and Happy rebuilt it." The tone of his voice told her that he was proud of their work. "Come on I'll show inside." He tugged on her hand and pulled her towards the door. She waited for him to open the door and was stunned by the inside of the house.

Dark brown wooden walls gave the house a rustic feel. The first room they entered was a den area. It had a TV along with a large fiver person couch. "When did you guys do this?" She asked curiously.

He hummed to himself as he reminisced on the time. "Probably a year ago now. It hasn't been that long." His dark green held hers as she listened to him.

"This is impressive. How many rooms did you guys build?" The more she listened to him, the more curious she was.

"There is a total of four bedrooms, three bathrooms, the den, an extra room, the kitchen, and a game room." He listed each room off with his fingers. Her eyes widened as she tallied the rooms to come to a total of 11 rooms.

"Wow! What made you guys build so many?" She walked around the house, drifting through each room, with Natsu close by.

"It sounds a bit weird but being a dragon slayer gives you some personality traits from real dragons. Because of that, I have the urge to make my 'nest' bigger for my future life partner." His cheeks turned a dusty pink as his eyes widened. "I hadn't met anyone at the time; I just got the urge to do it out of nowhere." He added quickly, making his cheeks turn even darker.

Lucy absorbed the information and tapped her chin. "So, you have some traits similar to a real dragon and that was the reason you rebuilt your entire house." She confirmed to herself out loud, he nodded at her quickly. "That's pretty incredible!" Lucy grinned at the pink head. Relief crossed his features before a smile took over her face.

"Thanks Luce." He walked up to her side, placing a warm hand on the small of her back. He guided her up a flight of steps she had not noticed before until now. "I'll show you to your room." They proceeded up the stairs and onto the second floor. On this floor, she counted the four bedrooms, two bathroom and the extra room Natsu mentioned earlier. He showed her room for the time being, and she honestly blown away by it. There was a large bed with dark blue sheets and a mountain of pillows. There was a desk on the opposite end, with two different doors on both sides. She made her way to the one of the right and found a deep closet. Behind the other was a bathroom.

Her eyes widened and she swung her head around to Natsu who was putting her bags on the bed. "I thought you said there were only three bathrooms. There's one attached to this room." She was almost in awe at the sight of the claw footed bathtub and large sink. The mirror almost stretched across the whole wall.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about this one. It's the only bedroom with an attached bathroom, so you're lucky." He grinned at the girl who was still in disbelief.

She blinked out of her disbelief and smiled at him. "Thank you so much Natsu, this is more than I could ask for." The burn of tears in the back of her eyes reminded her the alcohol made her more prone to her sappier emotions. Shaking the tears away, she held the dragon slayer's gaze.

"It's nothing Luce really. We are family now; we need to watch each other's backs. If it were the other way around, you'd do the same for me or someone else." Natsu's words made her heart hurt, knowing that he was right, but she does not want what happened to her to happen to someone else in Fairytail. "I'll let you get ready for bed now. Goodnight Lucy, sweet dreams." He smiled and patted the top of her head.

She bid him goodnight and watched him leave the room. As soon as the door shut, she exhaled the breath she was holding. His presence somehow unnerved her but intrigued her at the same time. Shaking those thoughts away, she felt the urge to bathe before heading to sleep. Searching through her bags, she found a pair of short shorts and a tank top to wear. She made her way to the bathroom, cracking the door open.

Filling the tub with scalding hot water, she pulled the dress off over her head. When she was completely naked, she slowly slid into the burning water and sighed in content as the warmth seeped into her skin. Lucy was unsure of how long she was in the tub, but she stayed in until it started to lose its heat. After that, she rose and wrapped a fluffy thick towel around her body. Drying herself off, she dressed slowly, feeling the day and alcohol finally catching up to her.

Back in her new room, she moved everything to the side, turned off the lights and plopped herself onto the large mattress. It swallowed her comfortably, the softness starting to lull her to sleep. Before she fell asleep, she pulled the warm comforter over her, feeling snuggly and safe. Not long after, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep, where no one haunted her or taunted her.