~*****~

We ended up outside of Lucy's place— although, I was drunker than a skunk, so technically, I got dragged to Lucy's place. I hummed out a sloppy tune as I laid against the stairs, my head slumped against the step above me. "All clear on your end, Sergeant Happy! Sergeant Aria! Private Ballad!" Natsu exclaimed as Lucy trailed towards us, head hung low.

"Aye aye, Captain Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Yes, sir!" Ballad cheered.

I let out a slurred string of syllables. I swing my lazy gaze upwards and peer up at Lucy. "You okay?" I drawl out, my head rocking. "Welcome home~"

"We're happy to report that no suspicious individuals have been detected!" Happy exclaimed.

"Thanks, you guys." Lucy hummed delicately, her eyes downcast. I stand up-- clumsily-- and peer at her closely.

"Captain! It appears that Buck Private is a party pooper, sir!" Happy shouts.

"How did I end up being a private?" Lucy asks.

"Well, you are still a newbie." Natsu laughs.

"So is Aria..." Lucy trailed off.

Ballad hummed as she landed on Lucy's head. "Yeah, but Miss Aria beat the snot outta an S-Class Wizard so that promoted her in the rank!" Ballad explained.

"Is something wrong?" I drawl out again. "You look a lil--" I rub at my face. "Like you're suckin' on a lemon or somethin'." My eyes snap away from her and over her shoulder. Someone was standing behind a little shack.

"Is that him?" Lucy gasps as she turns her head immediately.

"Captain, Sir! We've got a creeper over here!" Happy shouts as a hand sticks out, trying to shoo Happy away.

"I'll take care of him!" Natsu shouts.

"Don't hog all the fun!" I bellow. We both leap over the house, and crash into the very naked Gray.

"What's your problem?" Gray whines.

"Man, what the heck are you doing here?" Natsu asked as I began to laugh noisily.

"It was Gray?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Man, I pegged you as a perv," I slur. "But I never thought stalkin' was your kink!"

"Wait, you've got it all wrong!" Lucy complained.

"Calm down." Gray snaps. "I overheard her say that she felt like someone was watching her, so I followed her to make sure she got home safe." Gray explained. "Jeez, I was just lookin' out for a friend."

Happy and I exchange glances before I leap onto Gray and start smooshing his cheeks. "You looove her~" Happy and I coo loudly.

"I'LL PUNCH YOUR FACES!" Gray shouts at us.

"You know, I've never really liked you that much, but now I've lost all respect for you." Natsu comments.

"What you mean by that?" Gray asks as he leaps up. I remain on the ground, my hand on my belly.

"I've always suspected you might be a pervert, cause you walk around half-naked, but now that you're stalking cute girls, I'm absolutely positive--" Happy gets cut off by a savage slug from Gray.

"I WASN'T STALKING HER!" Gray shouts. "I was lookin' out for her!"

"Well, it sounds like someone's in denial." Natsu comments.

"All right, that's it. You want a piece of me, you fire eatin' mouth breather?!" Gray taunted.

"You're just mad that you've been caught red-handed, you pervy popsicle." Natsu exclaimed.

I vomit over the edge of the canal. I hear Lucy sigh as I groan and dangle my arms over the edge before I'm being lifted up. "C'mon, let's get inside while those two morons duke it out."

"You're an angel~" I coo as I dangle from her grip, practically being dragged. "Remind me never to drink so much again--"

"You tell me that every time, and every time, I end up dragging you inside to vomit for an hour before you pass out on my bed." Lucy sighs.

"Angel~" I coo.

~*****~

"Hey, Aria! It's time for us to go to work!" Natsu bellows once I make it to the guild hall with Lucy. I grimace and press my fingers against my temples, my sunglasses shifting just a bit.

"C'mon, let's go!" Happy cried.

"Too loud..." I whine as I lean against Erza's large luggage cart. "So, what kinda job did you end up picking?" I ask, my voice muffled in the suitcase I'm against.

Natsu hummed. "I dunno."

"How about this one?" Gray asks as he shoves a poster out. I peer at it and lift the sunglasses, wince and slip them back on. "It's catching an escaped convict named Velveno." Gray explained.

"Hey, I've heard of him before," I mention, snapping my fingers. "He's the Guild Hunter. Who let that monster on the loose?" I snort. "Someone's gonna get fired~"

Natsu laughed in excitement. "Rumor has it his magic is way awesome! I am fired up!"

"Hence the someone getting fired," I mention to Lucy. She just giggles.

"The reward splits up to four hundred thousand jewel each." Erza explains. "That should take care of your rent for a while."

Lucy nods. "Like the next six months. You can count me in!"

"Hey, did you hear about what happened in Acalypha?" Macao asked Wakaba over in the bar area.

"Well, I heard someone saying that their merchant guild was taken over by a gang of thugs." Wakaba responded. "Talk about scary."

"Acalypha?" Lucy murmurs.

"Yeah, but evidently, it's not just any old gang of thugs." Macao continues. My ear twitches and I stand up straight. "It's a Dark Guild called Naked Mummy." I hum in response. I move towards the doors and step out.

"Miss, where are we going?" Ballad asked curiously, her little paws pressing against my shoulder.

I glance at her and smile. "Just takin' some trash out."

"You're going after that Dark Guild, aren't you?" Ballad stammered.

I smile wider. "I won't let them get away with torturing innocent people." I explain briefly. I break into a run, until I hear someone behind me.

"Wait for me!" Lucy shouts. "I'm going with you!"

I raise a brow. "How'd you know where I was goin'?" I ask curiously.

"Because you hate Dark Guilds with a passion. I knew you'd go after them. And my father happens to be there." Lucy explains as she falls into step besides me.

I smile and hum. "Your dad, huh? What's he doin' in a merchant guild?"

Lucy sighs. "It's... a long story... I'll tell you on the train." She explains.

I nod and pat her back. "Then we'll take 'em on together, okay?"

Lucy smiles affectionately and nods.

~*****~

There's a crowd surrounding Love and Lucky Merchant guild, all demanding that the army do something. "Try to remain calm, everyone. We've contacted a nearby magical guild and asked for their assistance." The solider explains. "It's too dangerous for you to stay here. Please vacate the area!"

"Father..." Lucy murmured. We push through the crowd and slip past the guards, only for Lucy to be tugged back.

"Hold it! Civilians aren't allowed past this point!" The guard snaps at us.

"My dad's in there!" Lucy snapped back. "Well, I'm not sure, but I think he is."

"What did I say?!"

"We're wizards, you jerk. Don't grab Ballad like that!" I snap at him as one grabs my arm and forcibly tugs me away from the doors. We try again only to be met with more resistance. "You sure I can't force my way in?" I complain.

"No way, they're the army!" Lucy explained. "Now hold on..." She hummed delicately and gazed around until she gasps. "That's it!" She exclaims and produces Virgo's key. "Now Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

Virgo appears in her usual bow. "Princess, do you wish to punish me?" Virgo asks in all seriousness.

"Damn, she's as kinky as ever," I laugh.

"What's with you!" Lucy cries. "Now, we need your help with something." Lucy explains as we peer around the wall and at the merchant guild. Virgo tunnels through the ground.

"Princess..." Virgo calls. I glance down and snort.

"Like I said, kinky." I comment as she presses her hands on Lucy's thighs.

"I should have no problem drilling a passageway leading into the building." Virgo hums.

"I knew I could count on you!" Lucy gasps.

"Are you going to punish me now?" Virgo asks hopefully.

"You're starting to creep me out." Lucy complains.

"Maybe Virgo's starting to have urges, like Cana." Ballad mentioned.

"What about all the wizards inside?" Virgo asks. "There appears to be quite a few. Are you sure you can handle them all on your own?"

"She's not alone," I remind her. "I'm not here to see Lucy jump into the fun by herself." I comment. "Besides, she tagged along with me, there's a difference in who's gonna be wreckin' the place."

"Right," Lucy nods. "Aria will be there to help as well. We're a team."

And it appears we've arrived just in time. "Ice Dragon Roar!" I bellow, my magic blast destroying the projectiles one of the wizards fires towards the hostages.

"What the heck--" One-man gasps.

"Man, she's hot--"

"But what's she doin' here?"

"And how'd she get inside the building?"

I slam my fists together, ice swirling around me. "Fun's over boys!" Lucy shouts.

"What the--"

"Another one?!"

"A wizard from an official guild?"

"Aria, light 'em up!" Lucy shouted. "Cancer!"

"You got it!" I chant and barrel forward with Cancer. "Ice Dragon Lance: Pinwheel!" I suck in a breath and fire out short, sharp needles of ice, pinning wizards to the walls and ground.

"Ice Make: Giant Fish!" Ballad shouts.

I tackle what looks like the leader, grasp his face and leer down at him. "You picked the wrong day, buddy." I sneer, ice creeping over his face until he's completely covered.

My tongue swipes over my lips as I stare down at my handy work, my boot pressing into the ice capsule the man is thrashing in, sobbing wildly. "We did it~" I hear Lucy cheer as she grasps my overcoat.

"Yeah, we rocked it!" Ballad chants.

"Shouldn't you look for daddy?" I ask carefully, my gaze swinging to her. "The militia will take these jerks out, so I'd look for him now before we have to leave."

Lucy flinches. "O-Oh, yeah. Right!"

~*****~

I hum delicately as I watch Lucy gazes around outside, until a man approaches her from behind once she shouts for her dad. "Lucy?" The man hums.

"No. Don't tell me that you..." Lucy trails off while I amble towards her, my gaze swinging up and down the man's figure. "Just made it into town. There's no way!"

"Yes, it took me a while to get here." Lucy's dad shrugged off his cape. "I didn't have any money, so I had to walk. What brings you to Acalypha, my dear?"

"I was worried! I knew you were headed to this merchant guild, and I heard it had been attacked!" Lucy explains.

Her dad gazes at the guild hall in confusion. "You came all this way, because you were worried about me?"

Lucy sighs. "It doesn't matter. Well, see you."

"It does matter." Her dad says as Lucy drags me along. "Thank you, Lucy."

She stops walking and I peer at her curiously. "Let's get one thing straight. Just cause I was worried about you, doesn't mean that I've forgiven you, okay?"

"Right. I know that." Her dad nods. "Can't say I blame you. The walk here from Magnolia was definitely a long one. I found myself with plenty of time to think about my actions. I'm sorry about the way I acted yesterday. I wasn't in my right mind. I wish I could take back everything I said. I really do! I promise you I'm going to change! I managed to make it here without using any money at all. I'm learning... to live my life without it. This merchant guild holds a great deal of memories for me. Actually, this is the place where I met your mother." That stops Lucy. "After we married and she was pregnant with you, I decided that I was ready to try and start my own business. We left the guild, so I could pursue my entrepreneurial dreams. When we were leaving, we noticed the Guild's sign had lost its K. The word Lucky had become Lucy. We thought it was the funniest thing. At that moment, we decided that if we had a baby girl, we would name her Lucy."

I hum delicately, tugging on Lucy's arm for a moment as her eyes glaze over. She snaps to and huffs. "Give me a break. What kinda parents name their kid after a broken sign?"

Her dad hums. "Well, I suppose not the best parents. You know, I'm so glad you came here. I finally got to meet the 'Plain Old Lucy' you've told me about. I must say, she's a much stronger woman than Lucky Lucy Heartfilia could ever hope to be. I'm proud of you."

I feel a sniffle coming on. "Thank you, Dad." Lucy hums.

My body lurches in its spot when I hear what sounds like an army coming. "There you guys are!" Natsu shouts. "Are you guys okay?!"

"YOU HAD US WORRIED SICK!" Gray shouts.

"Lucy! Aria! Ballad!" Happy cries.

"You were able to diffuse this situation by yourselves?" Erza asked.

"Jeez, you act like we're incompetent or somethin'," I mention. "We totally kicked butt and you're just jealous you didn't get any of the fun!"

"It's not that," Erza stammers.

I wave my hand. "Lucy got us in, she was the brains. Plus, her spirits, Ballad, and I didn't have any problems." I explain.

"Thanks, but..." Lucy trails off, glancing over her shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Dad!"

I giggle as we start walking back when Natsu pinches my cheek. "You wanna explain why you ditched us like that?" Natsu asked irritably.

"C'mon, it was a dark guild, it's no fun when you hog all the glory! Besides it was no big deal!" I exclaim.

"Yeah, right! No big deal, my butt!" Gray snaps at me.

"I hope you know we had to cancel our job 'cause of you three!" Happy cried.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Lucy chuckles.

"We'll make it up to you~" I try to plead.