~Jessie's P.O.V.~

"And that's it," I heaved a sigh, finally finishing the story of how Sting and I met. Erza's, Lucy's, and Wendy's jaw had dropped open and their eyes were as wide as plates.

"Wait wait wait," Lucy rubbed her head to try and process what I had just said, "that doesn't explain why you ran off like that." I shook my head and shrugged.

"Well, that's all I'm going to tell you," I cover my eyes with my hands when I realized that my voice sounded harsher than I meant for it to be. "I really..I'm sorry but I.."

"No, we understand," Erza placed a hand on my shoulder. "We will not force you to say anything you don't want to." 

"Thanks onee-san," I mumbled that last part, a smile twitching on my lips. Erza's eyes widened, but she gave a smile and patted me on the back. I tilted my head up to see Lucy and Wendy nodding and giving me sad smiles. 

"If you ever need someone to talk to, we'll be here okay Jessie-san?" Wendy reminded me with a warm smile. I nodded and rested my back on the wall of my room.

"Alright, I guess it's been a long day for you hasn't it?" Lexi flew over to me and sat down on the top of my head. I weakly smile and give a nod. Wendy comes towards me and holds my hand.

"If you want to talk about it, we're always here for you, don't forget that okay?" she reminded me with purely innocent grin. I can't help but return the smile and nodded again. I felt like a bobblehead for having to nod so many times. 

They then all gave their goodbyes, with Erza reminded me about how she'd kicked anyone's ass if I needed that to be done, and left my room. As soon as I heard the door softly shut, I laid back down on my bed. Lexi crawled her way towards me and squirmed her way into my arm.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. Her voice had worry etched all over it.

"I'm fine," I sighed and rubbed my eyes with my free hand.

"Well that was one heck of a birthday," she joked, trying to cheer me up.

"No kidding," I replied bluntly. A halfhearted laugh escaped from her lips and she gently escaped from my grasp. She then took the edge of the blanket on the bed and placed it over me.

"Get some sleep then, Jessie," she murmured.  "You'll need it." I was too tired to argue, so I tilt my head up and down as a response and rest my head on my fluffy pillow. I then reached for the back of my neck and unclipped my golden locket. 

"Maybe I shouldn't have worn this today.." I muttered to myself as I put it on the nightstand next to my bed. Lexi frowns, but doesn't say anything. Instead, she just snuggles right on top of my body, her furry body curling up into a ball.  My eyes soon become heavy and I snuggled into my blanket. I wonder if Sting regrets what he's done.. I thought as I slowly closed my eyes. Maybe he did, or maybe not? I wish I knew..

~❧Timeskip - 6 hours later❧~

~Lexi's P.O.V.~

"Clink. Clink."  I fidget as I heard a sound coming from the window. My eyelids drowsily flutter open, despite my yearn to go back to sleep. Seeing as there was no harm in checking, I lifted my head ever-so-slightly to take a peek at Jessie. Her eyes were still a little puffy, but she was sound asleep. I thought that it was just a bird or something, so I closed my eyes to continue my fish dream. 

"Clink. CLINK."  The sound was getting louder, and more annoying. I mumbled a small groan and opened my eyes again. I feared that the sound was going to wake up Jessie from her needed sleep, I sluggishly dragged my feet to the window. I used my wings to fly up to the windowsill, where I then opened it and surveyed the surroundings. All I saw a the dark blue sky filled with shining stars. "Psst! Lexi!" Oh. Oh. 

I look downwards to see Sting and Lector on the ground. My eyes grew wide, and I could feel anger boiling inside of me. How dare they come near Jessie, especially when it was the middle of the night?!

"What the heck are you doing here?!" I loudly whispered. Lector gestured for me to come down, but then Sting turned to him and said something I couldn't quite hear. I wasn't able to hear Lector's response either, but after he responded, he turned back to me.

"Get down here!" yelled Lector. I covered my ears at the sudden ear-shattering shout and quickly shushed him.

"Are you insane?! Jessie's sleeping!" I hissed. "But fine, I'll get down, just to shut you two up!" I silently shut the window and crept across the room towards the door. Before I left, I checked to make sure Jessie was still sleeping. When I was sure she was, I flew down the stairs and to the door. When I met up with them, I crossed my arms. "What do you want?"

"I-I w-we.." Sting stammered like an idiot. I cocked my eyebrows in annoyance, but then, I noticed that there were bags under his eyes. Has he been awake all night trying to come up with something to say all this time?

"W-what Sting's trying to ask is....how's Jessie?" Lector finished for him. My eyes widened. Does he actually feel regret for what he did?

"Sh-she's coping," I answered, but then narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Why?" Sting looked down to the ground and rubbed his arm.

"I just wanted to know...if she forgave me," he mumbled that last part, but those words were loud and clear to me.

"Well, I wonder--!" I started to say, rage taking over for a second, but I quickly catch my mistake and cough. "I, uh..can't answer that, because she doesn't like talking about what happened to even me. If you want to know, you're just going to have to ask her yourself," I sighed, shaking my head, "but from the looks of it.." He nodded, understanding what I was going to say next.

"Thanks for meeting us," Sting muttered. He turned around to leave..

"Wait." ..but I stopped him. "You know, I've always thought that you didn't have any remorse for what you did, but that's not true right?"

He stops walking and just seemed to stand in place. But then, he glanced at me, his dark blue eyes unwaveringly staring into mine, and said, "I'll never forgive myself for what I did, nor do I expect Jessie to forgive me. To know she's fine is all I need." He avoided my gaze for and paused. "It's..all I need, yeah." He then turned back around and slowly walked back. Lector looked between me and Sting, but eventually followed behind him. I really feel bad for him... I thought to myself as I watched him become a speck in the distance. But I can't just ask Jessie to forgive him. I'm just going to hope that she does...

~Jessie's P.O.V.~

I couldn't sleep. Even though my eyes were closed and my body ached with fatigue, my mind refused to turn off and was firmly fixed on Sting. 'If you ever want to join Sabertooth again, get stronger!' A strongly familiar voice echoed in my head. The last thing he ever said to me still sounded as if it happened today...

~❧Flashback - 6 years ago❧~

"Sting! Where are you??" I yelled across the guild hall. I had just returned from a mission, only for the guild to be hauntingly quiet. Sure, there were some tidbits of chatter here and there, but it was usually roaring with laughter and conversation. Every time I glanced over to one of the guild members, they immediately looked away from me and pretended to not acknowledge me. It was weird, and I didn't like this sudden change in mood.

"I don't see him," Lexi mumbled as she looked left and right for him right beside me. We both walked around in circles around the guild, looking for that blond. 

I was going to check Father's room, seeing as that was the last room that we had to check, but an elderly man who was quite muscular suddenly emerged from his room. Both Lexi and I were taken aback by his abrupt appearance, but it was me who reacted first. 

"Hey, what are you doing in Father's room!?" I yelled at him, quite angry that he went into Father's room, especially now that he..was gone. It was a month after Father died, and I could not believe that someone dared go into his room. "Show some respect!" I snarled, but the old man didn't seem to be fazed at all. Instead, all he did was glance at me with a menacing glare.

"And who are you?" he asked in a rather intimidating tone, but that only made my anger grow.

"I'm Jessie, the daughter of the Master!" I spat back.

"You must be lying, because I am the Master," he replied in an authoritative voice. I growled and could feel my magic power coursing through me.

"We haven't decided on a new master yet, and it certainly wouldn't be a stranger like you!" I yelled ready to fight him, but someone stopped me by hitting me right in the chest. I doubled over from the impact and flew to the wall by the powerful punch. I let out a cough and tilt my head up to see who had done it. My eyes then grow as wide as plates as I suddenly realize who it was.

"You can't talk to the Master like that!" the person who had punched me sneered, his canine-like teeth showing off as his lips were curled into a toothy smirk.

"S-Sting...?" I muttered, suddenly breathless. I didn't know what to say, how to react.

"Got that right!" his smug grin widened.

"W-why..?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. I stared into his eyes, wondering what the hell was going on.They weren't bright and full of cheer like they always were. Instead, I saw dragon slits and darkness.  I glanced over to Lector, but his head was bowed down and he refused to look up. What is happening?? 

I slowly got up, wincing at the pain I felt on my chest from the hit."Why're you doing this? Who is this man?" I demanded to know.

"The name is Jiemma, and I shall be the new Master of Sabertooth," the elderly man replied, "but, if you can beat young Sting here, then perhaps I won't kick you out of this guild for talking to me like that." I already didn't like this guy, and his scent didn't smell too nice. I could smell hints of darkness, and that definitely wasn't a good sign.

"I won't fight Sting! He's my best friend!" I replied, clenching my fists so hard to the point where my nails dug into my skin. "Right, Sting?" Instead of agreeing with me like he always did, he ran straight for me.

"White Dragon's Punch!" His hands glowed a blinding white and he tried to hit me, but I was able to react just quick enough to dodge it.

"W-what are you doing Sting?" I stammered, shocked that we're actually doing this.

"Proving that you don't deserve to be in Sabertooth!" he smirked as his hands glowed again. "Holy Ray!" Multiple white rays flew towards me. I dodged some of them, but most of it got me. I screamed out in pain as each white bolt struck my body, and I collapsed to the floor. My body hurt, but not as much as my heart... What are all the other guild members doing anyways? 

I tried to get up, but failed. Sting looked down on me with a smirk. He then pounded his foot on my stomach, making me cough blood."P-please, stop.." I pleaded as tears rolled down my face, but instead of stopping, he did it again, laughing as he did so.

"Stop it!!" I heard Lexi screech. "She's badly hurt!!"

"Hmph, so this is the power of the famous multi-magic Mage? Pathetic," Sting sneered. I just kept crying on the floor. I felt something warm dripping down my arm, and it honestly scared me. "Stop crying you crybaby!" he laughed again and slammed his foot onto my head, making everything ring and the world blur, and the tears only grew in quantity and size. They streamed down my cheeks and down my chin even more as Jiemma walked towards me and Sting.

"Guess you're just all talk," Jiemma grunted. He was wrong, I knew he was wrong. I was actually very strong, but the shock of Sting's betrayal was too painful for me, and I didn't even bother to conjure up any magic. Instead, I laid there limply and pathetically while my head was spun around around. I was still coughing up blood, but I had enough vision to see Rogue and Frosch looking away from me, not doing anything to help me. Does no one but Lexi care about me..? 

When Sting was done, he just stepped back, his smirk still on his face. Lexi finally broke through the crowd surrounding me."Jessie! JESSIE!!" she screamed in horror when she saw me sprawled on the floor with blood all around me. My vision was deteriorating, so I could barely make out my surroundings, but I could find Sting's spiky blond hair and blue eyes.

"W-why..." I whimpered. "H-how could y-you..." Instead of answering, he just walked up to me and looked at me right in my teary face.

"If you ever want to join Sabertooth again, get stronger!" was all I heard him say before blacking out.