So...I'm sure most of you had given up on me. I can understand. I really can. I didn't even realize how long it had been since I'd updated this story until the other day, and I know it's not much, but I'm sorry. This past year has been...a lot to handle. My family was hit with some really hard things, over and over again, and it was difficult to climb out of the dark place I found myself in. There's things I can't talk about - things concerning my daughter - things I still don't have words for. But I'll leave it at this - it was the most difficult thing I've ever faced. Then, on top of that, my husband was in a horrific car accident. He was hit by a drunk driver, one without insurance or legal status in the US. And my husband was hurt really badly. He had multiple surgeries to repair the damage, and it took a long time for him to heal. He was unable to return to his job, and for a while we were barely surviving. We're better now, but it's been a hard year.

I never meant to leave my stories unfinished, especially not for this long. But my head was in a bad place for a long time. It took some really wonderful people to help me sort through it all. They were there for me when I was beyond lost, and I can safely say I would not have survived this year without them. , nerdfightersunshine, and LittlePrincessNana, thank you for being the incredible people you are. Thank you for loving me and supporting me through this difficult time. I don't know what I would have done without you all. I love each of you to the ends of the earth and back again.

And now that the sappy shit is out of the way, here's the chapter you've waited over a year for. (Again, sorry about that.)

Previously:

"Sting...does Minerva have a mage with the ability to erase scents?"

Sting's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Lucy and Gray have disappeared without a trace. No scents or anything. They were right upstairs, and we never heard or saw a thing."

Stricken, Sting shook his head. "Son of a bitch! She's got 'em all!"

I watched as he began running, his arm tightening around the two Exceeds in his hold. "I'm on my way! Wait for me! I'll be there in five minutes!"

.........................

"Just give yourself to Tatankan, and it'll all be over. No more waiting for the ax to fall. No more hiding. No more fighting to keep yourself safe. And Rogue gets to live. Everybody wins. Well..." Minerva paused with a dark chuckle. "...almost everybody."

Swallowing down a bitter response, I lifted my eyes to meet hers and nodded. "Okay. I'll do it...on two conditions."

She arched a brow at me, silently prodding me on.

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. "You never lay a finger on him again," I said tearfully, " And I get to tell him goodbye."

CHAPTER 46 : BEGINNING OF THE END

I followed Minerva in silence, no longer scanning my surroundings or looking for a way out of this mess. There was no point. Now that I knew she had Rogue, I would do nothing to jeopardize his safety. And she knew that. Even now, she walked ahead of me without a care in the world - no worry that I might surprise her with an attack or try to run. She knew she had me - lock, stock, and barrel. She had claimed my obedience in a way no one else ever had, and as long as she had Rogue in her clutches, it would stay that way.

I would risk nothing. And if that meant today would be my last day, I would accept it.

Rogue wouldn't. I already knew that. He would be angry, hurt. He'd fought so hard to protect me, to drag me back from the edge of darkness, and he would never understand why I was doing this, why I was willingly going back into my greatest nightmare. But that was okay. I would happily accept his anger if he got to go free.

Still, the guilt was almost staggering. I was leaving them all behind. I was doing exactly what I'd promised Rogue and all my friends I wouldn't do again. But what other choice did I have?

Logically, I knew Fairy Tail would come. They'd never turn their backs on me, on us. But the problem was time. There was no way to know how much time had passed since I'd been taken or when Fairy Tail would even realize we were gone. And that meant waiting was no longer an option. I'd delay as much as I could, but not at the expense of Rogue's safety.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder why Minerva had wanted me to hand myself over to Tatankan. She'd already defeated me. She'd already separated me from my friends, from my protection. Why then didn't she simply tie me up and give me to him?

I stopped as the question took root and found myself calling out to her without even really thinking about it. "Why would you give me options?"

She spun with an expression of annoyance. "What?"

"You could take me down in a instant. Why not just knock me out and hand me over? Why go through this whole elaborate thing to force me to give myself to him?" I asked.

Face filling with sick amusement, she grinned. "Now, where would the fun be in that?"

Considering who I was talking to, it should have been perfectly obvious. Minerva had never been all there. From our very first interaction, I'd known there was something inherently wrong with her, and now, I felt stupid for even bothering with 'why'. For people like her, it always boiled down to power. And while I was sure there was a certain amount of enjoyment for her in simply hurting me, I knew it was more about overpowering me, about winning. She had to be the one in charge, the one calling the shots, and I'd brought that into question by tempting Rogue to defy her.

Now, she was doing everything she could to re-establish that dominance again, and that meant exerting control over me. She believed I'd crossed her, and I guess in a way, I had. I hadn't really intended it, hadn't set out to do so, but I'd definitely harbored thoughts of Rogue making the move to Fairy Tail. I'd wanted him to leave her and the rest of Sabertooth behind. Him and Sting both. To Minerva's delusional mind, that would be stealing, because she fully believed she owned them. So she'd found a way to punish me, to put me back in my place. Forcing me to give myself over to a man that terrified me was her way of proving she was stronger than me, that she'd won. That was the real purpose of taking me - taking back her power.

Of course, if she got to force me to choose pain for myself to spare someone I loved...well, then that was just a bonus.

The moment the thought passed through my mind, I froze. Had I really thought that? Love?

It took a moment for the thought to really sink in, and when it did, I found myself struggling to breathe.

Love…

The word echoed in my mind, pulsing with a realization that I'd never stopped to consider. I'd questioned why Rogue was doing what he was doing, why he wanted to help me. I'd wondered why he hadn't abandoned me when he'd had the chance. I'd poked and prodded at every one of his reasons for being there for me, but not even once had I stopped to consider why I wanted him with me so much.

And there it was, just waiting for me to see. It should have been easy. Looking back, I could see all the signs. They'd been there all along, but I'd been too hurt and too scared to acknowledge it. But now...now, there wasn't a single doubt. Somewhere along the line, he'd stolen my heart.

And I'd let him.

For the first time in my life, I knew what it meant to be in love. Real love. Not what I'd had with Natsu. Not to say there hadn't been love between us; there was. At one point, I'd been positive it was the real thing. I'd wholeheartedly believed he was the 'One', but now, after all this time with Rogue, I knew I'd only been fooling myself.

We never would have made it, and there wasn't a thing anyone could have done to change that. Something inside of Natsu had known it, and that was why Lisanna had been able to turn his heart. Because it had never belonged to me in the first place. Just as mine hadn't belonged to him.

"Why the fuck do you keep stopping?!" Minerva's voice cut through the silence, breaking the hold shock had on me just as Baden shoved a heavy boot into my back.

I pitched forward, a sharp cry bursting from my mouth as I dropped hard on my knees. And just like that, reality came crashing back in, and with it, a fresh bout of tears.

The cosmos had finally seen fit to send me a man I could love, a man I desperately wanted to love for the rest of my days, and now, before any of it could begin, I had to tell him goodbye. It wasn't fair. None of it had been fair. To me or him. I wished I'd had more time with him, that I'd taken even a moment to really see what he meant to me. I'd wasted so much time believing him to be simply a friend, a protector. It hadn't even occurred to me to see him as just a man. Maybe if I had…

I shook my head as I climbed back to my feet. It was pointless to focus on the past. There was no going back to change it. Life didn't come with a rewind button. We could only move forward, and I didn't want to waste even one more moment worrying about things I couldn't change.

Instead, I'd focus on making sure he knew how I felt before time ran out.

I was tired. So damn tired. I couldn't be sure just now, but it felt like I'd cracked a rib or two when they'd taken me down. Or maybe that had happened after I'd woken back up in these chains. Akito had taken special care to kick me in the exact same place under my left arm, a place he knew would cause the most pain. With my arms strung up between two poles and magic cuffs cancelling out my shadows, he'd known the area would be unprotected. He'd always been a sadistic bastard, but now, I was seeing firsthand exactly what that meant.

I drew in a tentative breath, expanding my lungs slowly to test my ribs, and was grateful to find that whatever he'd done hadn't actually affected my lungs. It was a small favor, but I'd take it. Right now, I needed every favor I could get.

My only consolation was knowing Lucy was safe back at Fairy Tail and far away from all this. I pictured her face and cracked a smile, grateful she'd live to see many more years of her life. I hoped she wouldn't take this too hard, that she'd lean on Gray and Cana and the rest of Fairy Tail. That she'd move on. She deserved it.

Hell, she deserved that and so much more.

No sooner did the thought enter my mind that I smelled it.

Her.

I stilled, drawing in a slower, deeper breath. It couldn't be. It couldn't. I shook my head, denying even the possibility that she was anywhere other than safe with her guildmates. It was just another illusion. Just Akito screwing with my mind, working another angle to hurt me.

That was it.

Still, I couldn't rid myself of the fear that I was wrong. Terror pulsed within my chest, tightening it with every passing second.

Closing my eyes, I let my chin drop and tried to forced my breathing to slow. Calm...I needed calm to think of a way out of this, and falling for Akito's tricks would only make it that much more difficult. Of course, that was probably the point considering who pulled the man's strings.

In Minerva's mind, I'd betrayed her by associating with Fairy Tail. She was crazy of course, but knowing that gave me no advantage. Right now, she held all the cards. She had me dead to rights, and no one even knew I was gone. Who knew when Sting would check in at Fairy Tail or when Lucy would begin to worry and call for a search.

I was alone here, at the mercy of a woman who didn't even know the meaning of the word. It seemed hopeless, pointless even to fight back, but it wasn't in me to simply accept my fate. More than that though was the thought of never seeing Lucy again, of leaving her to face her demons alone. She had Fairy Tail, an entire guild full of people that loved and supported her. But they weren't me.

Why that made such a difference, I didn't know. It just did, and I couldn't let her down. So I refused to let Minerva win. I'd do whatever I had to, say whatever I had to, and I'd hold on until help arrived.

That all changed when she walked around the corner. I'd so convinced myself that the scent of her was all in my head that seeing her nearly brought me to my knees. And that was nothing compared to the fear that hit me in the next instant. She was there, really there, and as I looked from her face to Minerva's, I could no longer delude myself. She'd gotten Lucy too.

"No..." I shook my head violently.

Lucy's head shot up at my voice, her eyes going wide. "Rogue!" she shouted as she shot forward, only to be forcefully jerked back by Baden.

"What is she doing here?" I demanded, fury lighting me up from the inside and forcing me forward against my restraints. "What the fuck is she doing here?!"

Minerva laughed, the evil sound twisting my stomach as she reached back and yanked Lucy into her side. Her hand shot up and closed around the blonde's chin, giving her cheeks a rough squeeze. "What's the matter, Rogue? I'd have thought you'd be happy see her considering all the time you spent together at Fairy Tail," she cooed.

Gritting my teeth at Lucy's wince, I pushed forward again. "Let her go, Minerva..."

"Well now, isn't that just the way?" she hummed, turning to Lucy with mock sympathy. "You come all this way, and he doesn't even want you here."

I watched as Lucy glared at the other woman and snapped, "Leave him alone!"

Minerva's expression changed instantly, and before I knew what was happening, she'd backhanded the defiant girl. "Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?!"

"Don't fucking touch her!" The words shot from my mouth of their own accord, white hot fury leaving no room for thought of the repercussions of defying her. Seeing Lucy's lip split, her blood trickling down her face had me about to lose my mind.

My sadistic guild master turned on me immediately, eyes gone cold. "I'd watch that mouth if I were you. Unless watching me snap your girlfriend's neck is your idea of a good time."

The air in my lungs stalled at her threat, my mind providing me with a perfect visual of what that would look like, and I shook my head, instantly contrite. I'd have to do better, control myself if I had any hope of getting Lucy out of there. "Forgive me," I bit out, strangling on the words. "Please don't hurt her."

"That's better," she smirked, obviously pleased at having gained my submission once more. Turning to Lucy, she gave her a shove in my direction. "You've got two minutes."

Lucy paused, her eyes on me, and then she spun to face Minerva again. "I changed my mind."

The dark-haired woman barked out a laugh. "You want me to kill him then?"

"NO!" The Celestial mage shouted, lifting her hand as if to ward away the possibility. "No, I just...I want one more thing."

"Lucy, no!"

Minerva sauntered the two steps between them, pulling up close. "Aren't you the greedy one? And what makes you think I won't just gut you and call it a day?"

"You want me to suffer. You want to watch me play sacrifice. You get off on watching people lose everything they love, so if you want me to show you how I really feel, then you'll give me this."

The taller woman considered her for a moment, then her lip curled. "Fine, let's hear it."

"Let Rogue go," she began only for Minerva to interrupt her.

"I already agreed to that," she growled, rolling her eyes.

She'd already agreed? What did that even mean? Had they made some kind of deal? And what of the terms? What had Lucy agreed to? She couldn't have. She wouldn't, not with Minerva. No matter what the vile woman promised, she wouldn't honor it. Lucy had to know that. I shook my head. "Lucy, you can't!"

Lucy shot me a gentle look, then pulled herself up tall and faced my vicious guild master. "No, I mean let him go free, and then let him leave Sabertooth. Him and Sting both. No threats, no payback. You let them and their Exceeds go...forever."

My heart throbbed in my chest. She was doing this for me, for us. But it would do no good. "Lucy, please! It's fine! I'm fine!"

Throwing her head back, Minerva cackled. "You think I want them? Those pathetic Fairies can have them!" she sneered.

The blonde's jaw tightened at the insult, but she nodded shortly as Minerva smirked and shoved her toward me. "Let's get this over with, princess. You've got a date with the devil."

I drew in a quick breath at her reminder, my heart hammering in my chest. The same old fear was climbing inside me, but I couldn't let it take over. There were things I needed to say, and this would be my last chance.

I made my way over to Rogue, my eyes misting as I closed the distance. From here, I could see what they'd done to him. Every cut, every bruise, and my fingers ached to touch them, to heal them. I'd have given anything at that moment to possess even a tenth of Wendy's magic.

"Lucy…" He arched toward me as I approached, his expression pained. "Lucy, what did you do? Tell me you didn't make a deal with her."

I smiled softly at him, my eyes tracing his face for what might be the last time. "I had to."

"No," he argued, his voice becoming frantic. "What did you promise her? What is she making you do?"

Shaking my head, I stepped closer. "It doesn't matter." I was running out of time, and I didn't want our last minutes to be spent arguing over something that could no longer be changed.

"What are you talking about?! It doesn't matter? You're doing this to save me; of course, it matters!"

Tears sprang to my eyes as he jerked against his chains, fighting to get to me. The metal dug into his flesh, and I was horrified to see blood welling to the surface. "Rogue, don't!" I cried, reaching out and grabbing hold of his arms. "You're hurting yourself! Please!"

His voice turned pleading, and my heart broke as his eyes began to fill. "Lucy, you can't do this. Please! Whatever it is she wants from you, don't give it to her. I'll be fine. Just leave."

"Oh Rogue...it's too late for that." I shook my head as I lifted a hand to his face. "Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't. She'd never let me go. But even if she would, I wouldn't go. I could never leave you like that."

"Lucy, you don't know what she'll do to you! You don't understand!"

There was real fear there in his voice, fear for me, but I didn't need it anymore. My fate was sealed. It had been since the very beginning. At least this way, I could do some good by saving Rogue and his friends. Stepping into his body, I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed him in, savoring the comforting aroma for what would likely be the very last time. "Yes, I do...and it's okay."

I could feel his head shake even as his voice cracked. "No, you don't. She's evil, Lucy. She'll...she'll find what means the most to you, and she'll destroy it."

"I know," I agreed, giving him a gentle squeeze before letting him go. "And I'm doing what I have to do to stop her."

He paused at that his head tipping up until our eyes met. "What? What are you saying?"

I smiled, feeling peace steal through me at my decision. He would survive this, and that made whatever was waiting for me worth it. "I'm saying, I want you to live. I'm saying, thank you for saving me. I'm saying...forgive me for what I have to do."

He was already shaking his head again. "Lucy, no! Don't you do this for me!"

"I have to."

"Why?!"

I lifted a hand to his cheek and brushed away a tear. "Because you saved me, and now it's my turn to save you." I smiled as he fought to deny my words. It was nothing short of what I expected, but my mind was made up. There was nothing he could say to change my decision. He would always matter more to me than me. "And because...I love you."

The words fell softly between us like a bomb going off. I didn't know what to say, how to respond, but anything I would have said was gone in the blink of an eye as a new scent hit me. A scent I wouldn't forget as long as I lived.

My eyes went wide as terror went zipping up my spine. "No…" My head spun in Minerva's direction, and I watched as her lips curled in satisfaction. Bile clogging my throat, I whipped back around to Lucy and shouted, "Lucy, run!"

Her expression shut down at my warning, her eyes dropping even as she shook her head. "I can't."

"Lucy, he's here! Tatankan's here! You have to run!"

She met my eyes once again, and what I saw there turned my veins to ice. She knew. Somehow, she already knew he was coming. And that could only mean one thing. "Lucy no...tell me you didn't."

Her eyes filled, and she bit her lip as she tried to smile. "I had to."

"No! NO! NO!" I charged forward, straining against my restraints with every ounce of strength I possessed, but even as the skin on my wrists ripped and began pouring blood, I knew it would do no good. The chains were too strong, and I was too fucking weak!

Bitter tears poured from my eyes as I faced the woman who'd come to mean the world to me, and I begged. I didn't know what else to do. "Lucy, please don't do this. Don't go back to him...not for me!"

Lucy's lips trembled as she fought to give me one last smile. "It'll be alright. It'll be over soon, and you'll be safe."

God, did she think I cared? That I'd want to live after this? After losing her? "Lucy…" I tried again, forcing my brain past the panic to reason with her. "Lucy, it won't work. She won't let me go. You know that!" As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they were true. It didn't matter what either of us did now. We weren't leaving this place alive.

A sob broke free from my mouth, and my head dropped. Lucy was going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it. Our time together flashed through my mind, every smile, every touch. Too little too late, I realized how much it meant to me. How much she meant to me. And now, it was over.

I lifted my head, blinking through the wetness in my eyes to see her. She stepped forward, her expression ravaged, and my mind returned to her softly uttered words from before. She loved me. And now that we stood at the end of it all, I knew the truth. I'd loved her all along.

My heart thudded heavy in my chest, hopelessly in love with her with no hope of ever doing anything about it. All I had now were my words.

It would never be enough.

My vision broke again as they made their way past my lips. "I love you, Lucy, and I'm sorry...I'm so fucking sorry…"

"Oh Rogue…" She shot forward with a heart-wrenching sob, her hands coming up to cradle my face. She lifted my head, her lips curling slightly. "Don't do that. You did...everything. You saved me."

A sharp laugh cut through our moment. "Saved you?" Minerva clapped her hands together gleefully as she made her way back toward us. "Aren't you the cutest goddamn thing?" I watched bitterly as she turned and looked over her shoulder. "Have you ever seen something so fucking precious? They love each other!"

Raucous laughter went up throughout the camp, though not from Tatankan. He looked upon the entire spectacle in silence, but even with my ruined vision, I could see the way his jaw tightened. And I realized something in that moment, something I should have seen coming. Something that sent terror streaking through my veins.

I gasped as the first stirrings of a panic attack set in. Lucy instantly shot back around to face me. Her complexion had washed out, her cheeks gone white with fear, and I knew in that moment she should be afraid. Because that bastard had claimed her - carved his name into her flesh. And I'd proclaimed my love for her, and she had done the same. There was no way he'd let that pass. He'd see it as a challenge, one he'd take out on Lucy.

She couldn't leave with him. He'd nearly destroyed her last time. What would he do this time, when I'd so blatantly placed a claim on her myself?

"Rogue..." Lucy called, her voice struggling to remain calm the longer I went without responding. "Rogue, you have to breathe. Come on, take a breath for me…"

I tried. I really did, but the thought of what I had resigned her to had completely erased my ability to do even the most simple of tasks.

Her hands gripped my cheeks, and she gave me a little shake. "Look at me, Rogue." She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against mine, and still, I couldn't seem to focus enough to meet her gaze. "Come on, right here. Look at my eyes."

I blinked once, fighting like hell to do as she asked, but it was like I was moving through quicksand. There wasn't enough time. Until she kissed me. Just a single, soft brush of her lips on mine, and like a switch, it sent me hurtling back into the moment. I gasped again as my watery eyes found hers. "Lucy…"

"Rogue…"

I watched as tears streamed from her eyes, and I felt that agonizing hole in my chest rip open further. There was so much to say. I love you. I'm sorry. Forgive me. But I never got the chance.

Before the words could even form, she was gone.

She was airborne in an instant, her body slamming into the ground only a handful of feet away from me. A horrific crunching sound broke the silence, followed by her cry of pain, and I lost my mind.

"LUCY!"