Lucy

Present day, two years after the Alvarez War:

I enter the guild, my left arm around Natsus waist. Happy is carrying Gray using his tail that is wrapped around Gray's waist as he flies in the guild, and Wendy supports one side of Erza while Carla is flying beside Wendy supporting Erzas other side. Natsu, Happy, Erza, Wendy, Carla, and I just got back from a very dangerous S-Class mission -one we can go on because Erza is an S-Class wizard- fighting some wyverns that were being controlled by a dark wizard guild out on Mt. Hakabae. Like normal, Gray, Erza, and Natsu were the first to jump into the battle. Also like normal they were the ones badly injured. According to Wendy, Natsu has three broken ribs and a broken collarbone, Erza has four broken ribs, and Gray has two broken ribs and both his left and right collarbones are broken. To make matters worse, Happy thought it was funny because all three of them have four broken bones each. Not that he finds it funny that their bones are broken, he just thinks the coincidence of four each is funny. When he pointed it out, the rest of Team Natsu thought so too. Well everyone besides me. I just found it weird. But I didn't dwell on it due to the fact that I myself have a few broken bones. All of the bones in my right hand were shattered from punching a dark wizard in the face. I had transformed into my Star Dress Leo Form and used Regulus Impact on him, but he had used some kind of spell that turned his skin into diamonds, so though my punch hurt him, it also hurt me too. If it wasn't for Wendy's healing magic I would be wearing a cast right now. Now the only bones in my hand that are broken are my pinky and ring finger knuckles. Wendy said those two were shattered the worst and therefore they would have taken the longest to heal. The guild looks at us with concern as Gajeel runs over taking Natsu from me, Elfman takes Erza from Wendy and Carla, and Nab takes Gray from Happy. Mira motions for Wendy and I to follow her to the infirmary, but I shake my head no and  Wendy says she'll be fine. We both have some injuries but we're not as bad as the others. Wendy, Happy, Carla, and I fought just as much as Erza, Natsu, and Gray, but because they jumped into the fray without waiting for a plan, and they told us to stay back while they handled it. Even though we didn't listen to their request and jumped into the battle as well, those three were constantly getting in the way of our attacks trying to protect us. Which I understand protecting Wendy, she's never been in an S-Class quest before, but she is a Dragon Slayer, and without her using her magic to amplify the rest of the Dragon Slayers then they wouldn't have defeated Acnologia. I on the other hand have been on an S-Class quest, so I already knew the dangers. I go into the infirmary and walk up to Erza and place my hands on my hips.

    "So why were you trying to keep me and Wendy safe? You said nothing to the Exceeds."

    "Well Romeo asked me to protect Wendy, he wanted her safe because when she got back he was gonna ask her out. He couldn't do that if she was in the infirmary. Cana wouldn't let him, she views Wendy as a little sister and wouldn't let him within ten feet of Wendy while she healed.  I honestly think she's considering asking Gildarts to adopt her. Not that she needs to because Fairy Tail always raises their own. Romeo grew up with several moms and dads watching out for him, not just Makao. But Cana still wants to give her a family to call her own. Something most of us didn't have growing up. Even you Lucy, who grew up in a mansion with your father didn't have a true family. Yes the guild is a family and we love and treat each other like so, but we still missed having a mom or a dad to go to at the end of the day. As for why we protected you, well I had someone here in the guild ask me to make sure you didn't get hurt. Not that I'm going to say names because he asked me not to, but I can say that you have an secret admirer! "

At this I blush a bright red.

    "Well it's our health not theirs, and now I'm gonna go back into the guildhall." I smile and run back into the guildhall, sitting at the bar. Looking up at Mira I smile.

    "Strawberry milkshake?"

    "Not today Mira, how about a strawberry mixed drink? Vodka or tequila, and make it strong enough for Cana to not laugh if she was to take a drink. "

    "Don't know about that one Lu-Lu! Most drinks aren't strong enough for me! I like my drinks strong! I don't like drinking all day, I like some free time so I drink them strong to get a good buzz going for the day!" Cana laughs and goes back to drinking from a barrel of beer, the strings on her blue and white bikini top coming loose.

I turn back to Mira and I'm pulling out some jewels to pay for my drink when a hand is placed on the bar by my elbow.

    "Hold off on Cheerleaders drink will ya? Me and my team are wanting to talk to her. Ask her somethin' something she can't pass on. "

I look up to see Bixslow, his tongue hanging out of his mouth showing off his black guild mark.

    "I'll be right back, have my drink ready for me, yeah?"

Mira nods and heads to the back in the kitchen likely to go get the strawberries for my drink. I get up from the stool and follow Bixslow upstairs to where The Thunder Legion normally sits. I get up there and Evergreen hands me a flyer. I look at the flyer and read it

Flyer:

Help us rid our town of 2 Wyverns, 3 Vulcans, and defeat some dark wizard bandits! Reward 50,000,000J and one Gold Zodiac Key. Requirements are there must be a celestial wizard amongst the ranks of who answers this request, unless he or she decides to come alone. Note: this job is located in Clover near the old Guild Masters Meeting Hall.

I look at Bixslow and smile.

    "Thank you for showing this to me! Now I can get Aquarius's key back! "

Bixslow puts his arm over my shoulder, Evergreen smiles, Freed nods and Laxus looks at me smug.

    "Well Blondie, the cash reward is also 50,000,00J. There is four members to my team, and with you that makes five, meaning it could be split evenly 10,000,000J each and you get a key. Which means you'll have enough rent and food money for a long time Blondie. Won't have to worry about Natsu eating you out of house and home. Not for a while. So when do you wanna leave? Hmm Blondie?"

    "Whenever you guys are ready, just knock on my door and I'll be ready. "

I go back downstairs and go to the bar grabbing the drink Mira made for me. I drink it down quick and put down 200J.

    "Put the rest towards Canas tab, okay Mira."

I walk out of the guild, hand in the air waving and run home to pack.

***Time skip to in the morning***

                           Bixslow

I knock on Lucy's door and wait for her to answer. After five minutes and still no answer, I turn to Freed and Evergreen. Evergreen shrugs and Freed puts one hand in the air, palm up, the other resting on his sword. Laxus then appears in a shock of lightning behind the two.

    "Just go in, Pinky does it all the time, she should be used to people barging in all the time."

   "Don't have ta tell me twice!"

I then turn back around and open her door, going in and walking upstairs to her apartment. I immediately go to her room, not seeing her, I look for her bathroom. I suddenly hear running water and follow the sound. Coming to a door not far from her bedroom, I see steam coming out from under the door. Knowing that is where she's at, I open the door without thinking. She slowly turns to see who opened the door and her eyes go wide when she sees me.

    "GET OUT!" She screams while stepping out and grabbing a towel.

    "Well considering you did say come at anytime that you'll be ready, we decided to come on in since you didn't answer the door when we knocked. I only came in here to tell you we're here, so when you came to your living you wouldn't be shocked." Finishing my speech and reaching around her to cut her water off. In doing so I accidentally press up against her, her breast pressing to my chest.

    "Oops, uhm I didn't mean to do that." I say quickly backing up. She nods, blushing and with the hand she's not using to hold up her towel she points to the door. I nod and head into the her bedroom to wait her out. Looking around I see Freed reading the manuscript to her next book, Evergreen going through her drawers, and Laxus lifting weights that must be Natsus because the guild knows that despite the fact that he has his own home, he practically lives here with Lucy. I decide to call my minions -or as I prefer to call them my babies- and have them to do a scan of the apartment to make sure no nosey Dragon Slayers, Requip Wizards, Ice Makers, or Exceeds come popping in. Before they finish their scan, Lucy comes out of the bathroom wearing her backless blue and white outfit. I look at Lucy and smile.

    "Ready to go Cheerleader?"

She grabs a pink Heart Cruz portable suitcase, the kind that has wheels and a handle.

    "All packed and ready to go!"

    "Is all that necessary? We're not going very far and we're only going for a couple of days, a week at most. You only need a bag."

    "Well, it seems that my clothes always seem to get ripped off my body during battles, and I know it's normal for clothes to get ripped during battle but mine get ripped clean off, exposing my body. Also, if I'm low on magic energy I can't transform into Star Dress, so I pack me some clothes so I don't have to have Virgo bring me celestial garments from the celestial world for when my clothes do get ripped off of my body. Those celestial garments are really pretty and it's a shame to ruin them in a fight so I normally have Virgo hold on to my clothes, where she can store them in the celestial world. It's a win win, I don't go without clothes, and I don't ruin celestial garments in the process. I honestly need Erza to teach me how to requip my outfits, if I could use the magic form called The Knight for clothes like Erza does armor then I wouldn't have to worry about my clothes getting ripped off my body and I also wouldn't need Virgo to hold my clothes in the celestial world. But it's highly unlikely that she will, besides my body has difficult time changing Star Dress multiple times, all the while calling my friends from beyond the gates. To add requips in the middle of a fight would be over doing it. Interchanging requips doesn't take a lot of magic energy, but if I was to do so while calling forth my spirits and using star dress off and on, that's to much. So I pack a lot of clothes to avoid all of those issues." As she finishes her speech, Virgo comes through the gate, ties a celestial ribbon to the handle of the suitcase and then disappeared in a shower of golden light back into the celestial world along with said suitcase.

    "Well Cheerleader, you seem ta have it all figured out don't cha?" I say as I drape my arm over her shoulders. Evergreen laughs and Freed shakes his head while Laxus continues to lift weights, effectively ignoring us all. Laxus puts down the weights, standing, he crosses his arms, the thin cloth of his black muscle shirt stretching across his chest causing Freed to look away. I snicker at Freeds actions, which causes him to glare at me and give a pointed look to my arm still over Lucy's shoulders. Evergreen giggles and I point my finger at her and one of my babies hit her in the stomach causing her to fly backwards. She gives an outraged scream and jumps up, she goes to remove her glasses and I begin to remove my helmet. Seeing our actions Freed draws his sword and Laxus surrounds his fist with lightening. Before any of us can do anything Lucy steps between me and Evergreen.

    "I will Lucy Kick any of you who uses magic in my house! I will not have you tearing up my house with petty interteam fighting! You are a team! Act like it! I swear I don't know why I agreed to go on a job with you people! You're no better than Natsu, Gray, and Erza! Gray and Natsu are constantly fighting and Erza is always stepping in to stop them, which never works and she ends up joining the fight or making it worse. I will not tolerate it anymore! The next person who starts a fight around me is gonna really wish they didn't! And I will make the same speech to Erza, Natsu, and Gray!" She places her hands on her wide hips and glares at all four of us.  Laxus steps forward his arm relaxing and going under his black jacket that is lined in white fur.

    "Blondie is right, besides we need to go, it's almost time to catch the train if we wanna get there before tomorrow. We'll have to get a hotel room. Speaking of, how much money do we all have? "

Lucy frowns and pulls out some jewels from a small bag she carries on her back but keeps it in her hands.

    "I have enough to buy tickets, but barely. Most of the reward money we got from that S-Class quest went to fixing the damages our team did, well mostly Erza, Gray, Natsu, and well Taurus did some but I sent him back before he did to much."

Evergreen shook her head indicating that she's broke, Freed handed Laxus all of his money, but from the looks of it, it isn't much. I empty my pockets and find that I have little money as well. I hand what little I have to Laxus and he counts it all.

    "It seems we only have enough for one hotel room, it's enough to get a suite so we don't have to share rooms exactly, just share bathrooms, but we don't have enough to rent two rooms with separate bathrooms. If we get a suite then the girls can take one room and us boys take another. We'll just have to deal with sharing a bathroom. Or we could go cheap, get one room and share one bed, unless we're lucky and they give us small individual beds. It's up to you Blondie, Bixslow picked this quest out for you. " I blush as he turns to Lucy. She blushes and quickly looks at me before looking away and towards Laxus to answer his question.

    "The suite, that way we can get an in room kitchen so eating would be free. I can have Virgo bring some food from the celestial world and I could cook for you all. Leaves us all broke, but it's better than piling into one bed. All of the hotels in Fiore have suites with two bedrooms, one bathroom complete with tub, shower and toilet, and one kitchen / livingroom area. It's like a temporary apartment but not as costly. It cost more than one hotel room with one bed, but cost less than renting two hotel rooms." Laxus nods and heads towards the door.

   "Well then let's go!"

We all nod and leave Lucy's apartment.