Chapter 14: The Real Thing

Lucy opened her eyes with a quick gasp for breath. The last thing she remembered was resolving things with Natsu before everything went black. Everything was still black pitch, except for a single spotlight shining above the bed she was in now. It was a large bed with a sea of white sheets. She was lying naked underneath the sheets. Next to her on his side was Sting.

Another dream? Lucy thought as she noted that she was having that same experience of seeing and experiencing what was going on without being able to actively control herself. However, she is much more aware about this being a dream and of Tilus' involvement in it. This dream does not feel as real as the other ones. Everything was hazy. She knew it was Sting who was with her, but his features were blurred out. This set up felt like a thin façade compared to the other dreams.

Sting was watching her as she lay in bed. One hand idly twirled a finger through her hair. He shuffled around from underneath the sheets so he could hold himself on top of her. He leaned down to kiss her.

This is a setup, Lucy thought to herself. We need to break out of it! Lucy consciously tried to get her body to move, but it didn't work. Her body felt heavy and was moving of its own accord. She decided to try to verbally get Sting's attention. It didn't work. While she couldn't move her body because it felt heavy, she had a hard time speaking because it was physically painful. It felt like all of the nerves involved in speaking were wrapped in thorns and trying to talk was like grabbing onto them.

Lucy could deal with pain, though. She willed herself to power through it.

"S-ss-..ting" Lucy said, her face contorting with pain. It was physically difficult for Lucy to speak the words she consciously wanted to say, but at least she knows it's possible.

At first Sting didn't seem to notice. He pulled the sheets up off of her, trailing kisses across her body. His voice was whispering something to her. She couldn't tell what, but she could tell the tone was supposed to be romantic… It was kind of nice, Lucy had to admit. If she let the dream go on, then… Lucy mentally, shook her head. Now is not the time.

"Wake… u-... u… up," Lucy said forcing out her words.

There was a long, protracted pause. Not just a pause for silence, but an actual pause. The world just froze. Sting's features became a little more defined. She could see clarity come through in his eyes.

"T-this... i-isn't… real…" Sting said as he struggled to speak his own words, disappointment ringing clearly from his voice. "This… re-ship isn't… real..."
The last sentence was barely audible. "Maybe not," Lucy answered.
"Then let's keep dreaming..." Sting whispered.

Lucy eyes widened at Sting's last comment... For a brief second she saw into Sting's emotions. There was regret and a little bit of sadness. Lucy wanted to reach out to him with her own hand, with a deliberate touch. The weight of her body was immense, but the desire to touch Sting was strong. Her hand began to move.

Suddenly, the scenery around them began to crack into pieces, which all fell to the ground. Behind the façade of the dream was the rocky terrain of Tilus' realm. Lucy looked around, feeling disoriented. These dream-like scenarios seem to be one of Tilus' main powers. However, as soon as Lucy began to realize that it wasn't real, she could feel the heavy hand of Tilus' physical hold on her lift. Even within the dream, she felt like she still had control.

Lucy looked towards Tilus who stood ten feet away from her. Sting was behind Tilus, trapped in a mess of webs that was cutting into his skin. Lucy gasped at the sight of Sting so greatly weakened. His body was bruised and bloody. Lucy wasn't sure if he was even conscious.

"You are surprisingly resilient against our charms…" Tilus said, both faces raising an eyebrow. "Is this really the man you choose?"
Lucy looked at Tilus suspiciously, already expecting some kind of trick coming her way. "He is," Lucy replied.
"Are you sure?"

As the last word of Tilus' question came out, the being sent a flurry of visions into Lucy's mind. There were flashes of their past: the day they met, the day he was there to catch her as she jumped from Phantom Lord's headquarters, Natsu's attempt to comfort her the day her father died, the day Natsu first kissed her. The images carried the weight of their friendship, of their bond. She could feel it. Then she saw images of her and Natsu living together happily. Their home was hot mess from Natsu's living habits, but at the same time it was very warm and comfortable. Despite the many crazy and frustrating things Natsu does, Lucy could feel warmth and love with him.

"Are you sure?" Tilus asked again.

Tilus showed her what she was giving up. That happy home with Natsu was a potential future. A beautiful future.

The implication is that Lucy can back out with Sting. She could leave Sting here and be with Nastu. Lucy couldn't deny that she didn't entirely want to let go of Natsu. She was giving up a lot in choosing Sting. A history, a deep bond. All for a guy who she doesn't know well and who is absolutely nothing like Natsu.

It's very possible that she made a mistake.

The warmth and the love of those visions still lingered in her chest. She could almost smell the scent of burning embers.

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

No… She wasn't going to get tricked by Tilus who was probably going to target even the slightest bit of doubt in her. Lucy made her choice and she's going to stick with it, right choice or no.

Then Lucy realized something. Those visions of Natsu were just images. They weren't like the dreams where her body was actually experiencing it through all senses. Sure, she felt a rush of emotions, but the images were static. She could clearly tell that what she saw wasn't real.

Earlier, Tilus tried to tantalize Lucy into a dream with Sting. The dream with Sting, while less real than previous dreams, was certainly more visceral than these images of Natsu. Sting was still here with Tilus… Could this mean Natsu returned to the real world? And more importantly, that he was safe?

"Where is Natsu?" Lucy asked.

Tilus' silence indicated to Lucy that her suspicions are true. Tilus looked at Lucy with that same unnerving gaze, but it was different. The expression on Tilus' face wasn't different, but, somehow, Lucy didn't feel vulnerable. She didn't feel like Tilus could see into her past or tell how she's feeling... In fact it almost seemed like Tilus was deliberating, trying to figure out what to do next.

Suddenly, Tilus lashed out at Lucy with its arms extended towards her. Reactively, Lucy ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack. Lucy quickly shuffled to the side, watching Tilus retract its arms. She was ready for another attack. She noticed that her movements in general weren't as heavy as they have been in this world.

What was Tilus really capable of? If Tilus was really all powerful in this world, then what's stopping the deity from just taking her prisoner right now? Tilus feeds on strong emotions and has been targeting all of the guilt and desire circulating between Lucy, Sting, and Natsu. All of the dreams and visions they've been having manipulates and toys with these emotions, which in turn physically weakens the people who gives in.

Lucy was sure that Natsu was safe because they resolved things between them. Sting is in a weakened state right now because as far as he's concerned, things are unresolved. Lucy didn't even know what was going on in his mind, but if the look on his face earlier was any indication, she knew she had to save him.

Lucy's heart was set and her mind clear. Her only focus now was on saving Sting. She's smart and is emotionally mature. The blonde mage gained some confidence in those thoughts. Then something interesting happened. Lucy's whip materialized in Lucy's hand. She looked over to Tilus, who saw that Lucy was now armed. The expression on Tilus' faces didn't change.

"Will you fight?" Tilus asked. "Your two friends were powerless against us."
"I need to do something," Lucy said with clear resolve. "I need to save Sting."

Lucy felt her confidence and strength swell as she stood there challenging Tilus directly. More and more, she felt like she could take Tilus on. She isn't as physically strong as Sting or Natsu, nor can she even use her magic, but the rules of this world are different. And really, all she could think of now was saving Sting.

She dashed forward, full speed. "Lucy kick!" she yelled thrusting her right foot into the female portion of Tilus' face. There was a strong possibility that the kick wasn't going to land because Lucy wasn't particularly talented with physical combat. Yet, surprisingly, the kick landed and knocked Tilus back a few inches. Tilus reached out at Lucy with its arms again, this time Lucy dodged it easily. She jumped back and lashed her whip towards Tilus, hitting away Tilus' arms as its tried to attack her while landing a few hits to Tilus' body.

The spider webs that had caused so much trouble before were noticeably missing. Tilus' powers were clearly weakening and waning as Lucy became more confident. It was clear that Tilus was losing its hold on Lucy, in fact Tilus has no hold on her at all. She was free of the things that was holding her back and weighing her down.

After more exchanges that were mostly in Lucy's favor, the stellar spirit mage could see the deity visibly wearing down. She caught Tilus' necks in the grip of her whip. Holding the whip tight, she roughly pulled Tilus towards her and gave the hardest punch she could into the center of the being's chest area. There was a rumble in the distance. The blow caused Tilus' two upper bodies to split. In between them was an object embedded in a nest of spider webs and blood. Lucy squinted to get a good look. The object was oddly familiar.

"Speculation on the History of Fiore..." Lucy read out loud.

Lucy thought back to the last time she saw that object. She brought it with her to read while she was on that uncomfortable mission with Sting and Natsu. She could hardly get herself to look at the book with all the tension that was going on then... Tilus must have gotten a hold of it while they were traveling back to Magnolia.

"Why do you have that? Was there something special about this book?" Lucy asked in as threatening a voice as she could manage.
"No," Tilus answered. "It's just an object that had personal significance to you. We bound ourselves to that object and it became the physical link to your heart and those connected to your heart."
"So if I take the book back, this link, the hold you have over me and Sting will be destroyed?"

Tilus didn't answer. It only looked at her. Lucy decided to test her theory by reaching in and pulling the book out. The book was connected to the insides of Tilus' body. As Lucy tugged, she could see the deity contort its faces in pain. Lucy didn't care if she was hurting Tilus, she just wanted to save Sting and leave. Just as she pulled a majority of the book away, she noticed Tilus give a vague smile. Lucy stopped.

"This world," Tilus breathed out. "This is my world... I created it. Even I do not know what happens to this world without me..."

Lucy thought about the implications of what Tilus just stated. If she destroys Tilus, or at least the link Tilus has to her, she may end up destroying the only known way out of the world. Or it could be a bluff.

"I've got the upperhand," Lucy warned. "Either let me and Sting go or die or… whatever it is deities do."

Tilus laughed out loud. It was a crazed, uncontrolled laugh. "I will not give him up..."

Without lingering on the possibilities any longer, she yanked the book out of Tilus' chest. The deity screeched in pain. Lucy watched as Tilus' body turned into dust, which dispersed into the howling wind.

Natsu's eyes opened slowly. Through his blurred vision he could recognize the ceiling as being the spare room in Fairy Tail's main building. He sat himself up. His body felt tired and sore. Ahead of him were Gray and Erza who were watching him anxiously.

"Natsu," Erza said. "Are you okay?"

Natsu looked around him, slowly piecing together what had just happened. The last thing he recalled was speaking to Lucy about who she wanted to be with. He looked to Lucy who lay beside him and then to Sting who lay beside her. They were still asleep.

"Yeah," Natsu said. "I think I'll be okay..."

Natsu looked back to Lucy and Sting, wondering why they hadn't woken up yet and if they were going to be alright. His eyes widened when he noticed their bodies begin to flicker. Scrambling from out of his bed, Natsu tried to grab hold of Lucy, but it was too late. Her body faded away, Sting followed after her.

From the distance Lucy could hear a low rumbling across the land.

"Lucy," said a voice behind her.

She turned to find Sting sitting up from the ground a few feet away from her. He was in as bad a shape as she was, possibly worse. Looking down at him, Lucy wondered exactly what she should do next. Isn't this where they have their tearful reunion?

Instead, for some reason, she let out a long, annoyed-sounding sigh.

"It's nice to see you too," Sting said.

This is what a relationship with Sting is like, Lucy reminded herself. She smiled.

"I think I owe you an apology," Lucy said. "All this time, I've been using the word 'mistake' when talking about you... And... You're not entirely a mistake for me… I just wanted you to know that I like you. As a person. "
"You did all that just to tell me you like me?" Sting laughed sarcastically.
"Don't be stupid. I'm saying that I don't think of you as a booty call or as a Natsu-substitute... I just... I like you, alright?"

A sly smile slid across Sting's face. Lucy liked that look, she admitted to herself.

"I'm glad," Sting said, looking at her. "I'll accept your apology if you ask me out on a date."
"Oh, come on Sting, stop kidding around," Lucy said. "We don't even know how we're going to get out of here."
"I'm serious. There's nothing more important than this, right now. I'm not going to put my heart out there by asking you out when I'm not even sure you're completely over Natsu," Sting insisted. "Ask me."
"How do I know you're not just messing with me?"
"Why would I mess with you?"
"Because you love messing with me."
"Oh, right…" Sting said smiling sheepishly.
Lucy rolled her eyes. She sighed again, though Sting could clearly see that she was smiling. "Dinner, just you and me. Somewhere nice," Lucy put her hands on her hips. "I'm not paying."
"You drive a hard bargain, Lucy Heartfilia," Sting said shaking his head. "I accept."

There was something in the expression his face made as he said that. There was no sarcasm in his words and that sly smile was replaced with a genuine smile.

Lucy let down her guard. There was no guilt involved, there was no Natsu lingering in the back of her head. She was free to have Sting. Tears finally welled up in her eyes as she rushed down to him, kissing him as she tackled him. Sting fell onto his back from the rushed embrace. He wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her back. They kissed each other desperately. Blood, sweat, and dust mixed into their mouths, but somehow they didn't care. At this moment, both of them, were at the height of happiness. They felt light and free.

Without the two noticing, the world around them began to rumble. Everything became enveloped in a white light before collapsing into pieces. The familiar sound of the Fairy Tail guild hall filtered slowly into her ears.

Sting sat alone in a dimly lit, classy looking restaurant. He sat at a large, circular booth hidden towards the back. He wore a dark grey dress vest over a white button up shirt with grey pants to match. A black tie and pocket square accented the outfit. He couldn't quite make out the faces of the staff or other patrons. They were all quiet blurs and shadows hanging in the periphery of his vision. But he didn't really care about the other people, he was only waiting for one person. As that one person entered te restaurant, she stood clearly in his eyes: Lucy.

Lucy wore a black dress. It was a long, halter top dress that exposes her back and high riding slit over her right leg. Her hair was curled and pulled up into a messy bun. A string of pearls adorned her neck. She was sexy, she was elegant.

Sting had been waiting for her. Lucy smiled at him as she sat down next to him. He put his arm over her shoulder possessively and gave her a kiss on the lips. It was a slightly more passionate kiss than was appropriate for a public space, but he didn't care.

Lucy's body was turned towards Sting, her right leg crossing over her left. As their waiter approached, Sting let his hand drop to her exposed thigh. He had the slightest sly smile as he watched her face light up with surprise, briefly. There was the tiniest playful suggestion in his touch and Lucy picked up on it loud and clear. Sting didn't move his hand as the waiter stood there to take their order. The waiter couldn't see Sting's hand or Lucy's leg from beneath the tablecloth. Sting let his hand slide up her thigh, just a little. Lucy blushed, but continued to give her order in as casual a manner as possible. Sting would laugh about this later, she knew.

They ordered food. Delicious food with delicious wine. They leaned into each other, whispered things to each other. Sexy things, sweet things. Lucy looked at Sting. She looked into his eyes, she smiled genuinely. He could tell she wanted to be there. He wanted her to be there. They chatted. He told her she looked gorgeous.

After dinner, Sting stepped out of the booth and held out his hand for Lucy to take. As she stood next to him, he lightly pressed the tips of his fingers against her on her upper back, gesturing towards where their ride was waiting for them. As they walked outside, his hand slid down the length of her spine before resting at her spine's base. In general terms, it was nothing. He just had his hand on her back as a way of guiding her towards the chauffeur. They were fully clothed and they weren't doing anything overtly sexual. But Lucy knew exactly the kind of games Sting liked to play. That touch, that electrifying touch, going down her exposed was his way of teasing her for wearing revealing clothing. Sting liked it, though, and he often took advantage of Lucy's skimpy clothing in small ways. He was sure she dressed like this on purpose.

As they sat in the back of the ride, Sting draped his arm over Lucy's bare shoulders. He held her close to him.

"Having a good time?" he asked.
"I'm having a great time," Lucy said.

Lucy turned so she could wrap her arms around his body, nuzzling her face in his body heat. Sting isn't perfect, but right now she was happy. Truly happy.

It was like a dream.

The End

I'm not going to excuse how long it took me to write this chapter because I had a really hard time figuring out the ending. I want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story. It's been a fun ride!