***********************************************************************************************************************

Hey, Readers! So, I'm tired. I'm really stuck on LOFK, so I'm just gonna go to here. I'm also REALLY CRAVING CHINESE FOOD! cuz ya know, that's the best thing in the whole entire universe. Just Saying. Anyhoo, here's Chapter 26, ENJOY!!!!! =^.^=

***********************************************************************************************************************

Lucy P.O.V

"You want me to do what?" Len exclaimed, his jaw dropping.

I sighed. "I want you to go live with Aunt Mira. I'm not too comfortable with you staying at the apartment alone with me being hospitalized. "

"But I don't wanna live with Lisanna and Aunt Mira! Too many girls!" He grimaced. "I'm fine being in the apartment alone."

"I bet you can, but it still makes me uneasy thinking you're sleeping there alone. Anything could happen and I wouldn't be there to protect you." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Can you please do this, Len. For me?"

My little brother looked at me with sad eyes. He sighed and began to pout. "You know, if you weren't sick, I wouldn't be doing this."

I smiled. I pressed my lips against his forehead and whispered, "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he muttered. He soon had to leave since it was getting late. For the first time in a while, I hadn't seen Natsu all day. Usually he would at least show up during lunch or breakfast to at least eat with me. It didn't really surprise me. He probably had a lot to think about, with me having cancer and all. It was kind of a burden. There was a sudden knock on the door, and it was Erza and Levy standing by the door. They carried bags of what looked like chips, sandwiches, sweets, and juice. I smiled and waved at first, but then I realized that they still didn't know yet. They still didn't that I had cancer. I could feel my infected heart getting heavier and heavier. "Hey Lucy!"

"Yo," Erza said.

"H-Hi guys," I said, putting on my best fake smile. "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, we thought that you could use some company!" Levy said. They surrounded  me around the bedside and placed the bags of food on my bed. Erza looked at me and suddenly touched my chin and cheeks. "Are they even feeding you there? You've lost some weight."

"O-Of course they are!" I exclaimed, laughing awkwardly. "Three full meals a day!" They didn't looked convinced for a minute, but shrugged it off and began to open the bags of potato and barbecue chips. They began to talk among  themselves, making me feel guiltier and guiltier. I should tell them...It's what friends do, right? I shouldn't be lying to them about something so important. I cleared my voice, trying to get their attention. "There's something...I have to tell you guys."

Erza, with a mouth full of marshmallows, looked up. She swallowed and asked, "About what?"

"About...About my health." Their faced turned serious. They put their foods down and wiped the corners of their mouths to show a little respect. They were ready to listen. I was ready to speak.  "Well...a few days ago, I had a little accidet-"

"An accident!" Levy gasped. 

"Are you alright?" Erza asked. 

I sighed sadly. "Kind of...Not really. After my accident, they ran some tests on me and...well, I tested positive for cancer." They all froze. Levy looked at at me and asked, "Y-You're joking with us, right?"

"Y-Yeah? You're obviously kidding?" I shook my head. I placed my hand over my chest and sighed. "A tumor is right on my heart. "It's been slowly growing for the past six years and it wasn't noticed until Christmas day they found it."

"Oh, Lucy," Levy breathed, grabbing my hands. A tear trickled down Levy's, and surprisingly Erza's face as well. Erza quickly wiped away her tear and said, "Why am I crying? It's obviously that you're going to be okay." My eyes widened. Erza face showed seriousness, but her body was shaking like a leaf. "Why would one of my very first friends just suddenly die on me. You wouldn't do that to me, right?" I smiled sadly. I grabbed Erza's hand and said with strength, "I'm a tougher girl than I appear to be. I'm not going away that easy."

The girls looked at each other and nodded. "We'll be with you each and ever step of the way, Lucy."

"We're not going anywhere."  I looked at them and smiled. I squeezed their hands one more time and went straight for the food. I didn't like talking about depressing things with my friends, so we just put it aside and talked about something else. As I stuffed my face into a veggie sub, I began to notice that Erza was eating slower than usual. I swallowed down mixture of potato chips and sandwich and asked, "Are you alright?" She looked up and sighed. I was praying she wasn't still thinking about my cancer. I was already a big burden to Natsu, and I especially didn't want  Erza to feel the same. "I've also been hiding something from you guys."

Levy and I stopped eating. I put my food down, as did she. We looked at Erza, who was acting all fidgety and her face blushed in red. "What's going on Erza?"

She began to play with a long strand of her long scarlet hair. "Well...there's this guy...," she whispered.

"A guy!" Levy cheered. She leaned back on her chair with a bag of mini strawberry marshmallows on her chest. "This I've got to hear."

I laughed at Levy's love of gossip. I leaned in forward and asked, "Who is he? Does he go to our school?"

"Well...Kind of...," Erza said, fiddling with her thumbs.

"Well, who is he! What's his name, what year is he! Gimme the juice!" Levy exclaimed. 

"His name is...Jellal...and he's twenty-three I think."

"Oh, an older boy," Levy winked.

"Wait, I don't know anyone in our school named Jellal. Or a student who's twenty-three for the matter," I said. 

"That's because he goes by a different name...Mr. Fernandez." I gasped. Levy chocked on the marshmallow in her mouth. She fell back on the floor, but quickly recovered and yelled, "You're dating a teacher?!"

"I didn't even know he has a first name!" I gasped as well. This was most definitely a huge surprise. I had no idea that Erza was even interested in boys. She had always seemed like the lone wolf; not needing anyone to depend on. But for a teacher of all guys to be her boyfriend. So scandalous! She could've gotten in trouble with the school and the law. "Erza...Do you know what you're doing? This is a grown adult we're dealing with. And your teacher to add!"

"Ssh!" Erza hissed. "Do you want the whole hospital to know?"

"Maybe!" Levy cried. "Is he using you? Like, 'ya know, taking advantage of your body?"

"No, of course not!" Erza yelled. "Jellal would never do that. He has morals too!"

"Calm down, the both of you!" I cried. They both calmed down. Erza looked embarrassed, squeezinng the loose ends of her grey sweatshirt. "Erza, when did all began?"

She gulped. "Around a month ago, when he first came to FA. All the girls were in love with him, but I just considered him a normal teacher. But after a number of events, he was becoming more than a teacher to me. He...supported me in everything I wanted to do when others didn't. He saw me more than a tomboy with no friends. He...he actually considered me a girl." I could tell by Erza's face that she was truly in love with Mr. Fernandez. I smiled. She was beginning to act more feminine than she usually was. It actually made her a little cute. "Erza...If you really love Mr. Fernandez, and he loves you too....then I guess I can accept this relationship."

Her face brightened up. "Really?"

Levy sighed. "I guess if she accepts it, then I will too." Erza smiled. She clapped her hands together and said, "You guys are the greatest."

"But hey, if he ever does something you don't want to do, just call us and we'll have our boyfriends attack him senseless!" Erza embraced us with a hug. We hugged her  back tight. "I'm so glad I have friends like you two."

"We are great, aren't we Lucy." 

"Yeah," I laughed, "we are pretty great."

After a whole heartwarming afternoon, I ended up hanging out with Acasia  by watching Disney musicals. We ate the leftovers Erza and Levy had leftovers. We were watching the movie Frozen, just at the scene where Ana unfroze through Elsa's love. Acasia was already bawling, using up a whole box of tissues. "All...she needed...was the love...from her sister," she sobbed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Idina Menzel is amazing," she commented. "It's a wonder how she's an alto."

"Technically, she's a mezzo-soprano," I corrected.  As I was explaining the concept between a chest voice and a head voice, I suddenly heard a buzzing noise that wasn't coming from my cell phone. I looked over to see Acasia looking over a bright screen shining from her bed. She smiled. She hoped out of bed, pulling her IV with her. She came over to my bed and said, "Come on, lets go."

"Lets go? Where? It's almost midnight," I laughed. She took her hand out, insisting on me to take it and followed her. I couldn't say no to the adorable brace-face, so I took her hand and allowed her to guide me to who-knows-where. 

We walked through the dark hospital in silence. I was getting more and more curious on what the hell was going on. Suddenly, I found a glimmer of light from a distance. I squinted and saw that they were red scented candles. "W-What is this?" I gasped.

"Just hush," Acasia snickered. The hallway glimmered with little flames on each side of the hall. Rose pedals were spread across the floors; like some kind of romantic path to a love hotel. I could hear slow rhythmic music playing from afar. We reached the doors that led to the lobby, which were strangely tied by a red ribbon. I looked at Acasia and pleaded, "Really, come on Acasia! What's going on here?"

She simply smiled and stepped to the side. She gestured her way towards the door and said, "Why don't you find out." I looked at her, and then the door. I walked closer and closer to the door. I pressed my hand against the cold metal door and gave it a push. When the doors flew open, I stared in astonishment.

Through the door was Natsu standing behind a large table covered in white cloth with six slices of different types of cake. He looked a little nervous, but tried to hide it in a pleasant smile. He wasn't dressed all that fancy. All he wore was a blue flamed t-shirt and black jeans with a silver chain hanging from the side of his pants. He waved his hands and simply said, "Hey."

I was too shocked to even speak. When words could come out, I stuttered, "W-What is all this?"

"Well, it's a table with slices of cake, candles being our only source of light, and-"

"But why?"

Natsu chuckled. "You obviously don't know what day it is, do you?"

"Huh?" He looked down at his watch and smiled. "It's now December 31st. Happy Birthday, Princess." My eyes widened. I had completely forgotten about my-our-birthday. My mind had been just so hectic lately with everything that had been going on in my life. I covered my mouth in surprise. "Oh God...I'm so sorry Natsu, I totally forgot!"

Natsu chuckled, walking towards me. "It's alright, Luce. Believe me, I've had enough with birthdays for me. This is your special night."

"But...But why tonight? Why not just do it tomorrow morning?" His face softened. He placed his hands on my shoulders and said, "Have you forgotten? You start chemotherapy tomorrow." 

My mind went in for a blank. Chemotherapy-the treatment of disease by the use of chemical substances, esp. the treatment of cancer by cytotoxic and other drugs. The thing that would keep the tumor inside of me from getting worse. My doctor had told me about it and how it would keep me from doing many physical things. I suddenly found myself touching my long blond hair. "O-Oh yeah...I forgot about that." 

Natsu smiled sadly and also began to touch the ends of my hair. He pressed it against his soft-looking lips. "Just forget about it. It's your night."

"And yours," I pointed out. 

"Whatever." He gently grabbed my hand and guided me to the table. I never new why, but whenever I saw the back of Natsu's head, I felt more secure than ever. My face burned seeing of Natsu holding my hand. 

He took me to the cakes, each had a lit candle. "Why six cakes?" He walked behind the table looked at me with dead-serious eyes. He placed his hand over mine and said, "It's for every year you were in that coma; every year I lost you." My eyes widened. He really had put a lot of thought into this. I touched Natsu's cheek and smiled. "Thank you. This was really thoughtful of you." I sucked in a lot of breath and blew out each and every candle. 

He smiled. He handed me a silver fork and told me to eat up. I took a piece from the slice of the first mysterious cake and took a bite. Immediately, my mouth was filled with deliciousness. "Coffee cake, am I right?"

He smiled. "Correct." I went to the next cake and took a piece of it. When it entered my mouth, my mouth made me want to regurgitate. "What is this, rocks?"

Natsu laughed. "Fruit cake from last year. I had to have a little fun." I stuck my tongue out at him. I handed him the fork. "Why don't you try a piece of cake?"

"I will!" He swiped the fork from my hand and quickly took a bite from the next cake. In less than a second, he grimaced and forced himself to swallow. "Lemon cake....Gross." I laughed and walked over to his side of the table. "You hate anything sour."

"Then why don't you give me something that's sweet." I chuckled and wrapped my hands around his neck. He pressed his lips against mine. I quickly kissed him back, loving his kiss more and more. After a long time of slow kissing, we slowly pulled away, begging for breath. His hot breath against my lips was making my head spin. And by the look of his face, he was getting woozy too.

Then, things got wild.

Natsu pressed his lips even harder against mine, using more force. I kissed him back, beginning to lose feeling in my legs. He noticed and guided me towards the wall. To my surprise, he stuck his warm tongue into my mouth. A moan slipped out of my mouth. I could feel his hand slowly sliding down my arm and up  my sleep shirt.  I didn't know how to feel about all this. I was so excited that I didn't realize what could happen. Was Natsu really willing to go...all the way with me? And we didn't even have protection! I wasn't ready for that, not yet.

But was Natsu? 

Then, Natsu stopped, pushing himself away. He was probably shaking more than I was at the moment. When I looked into his eyes, they were completely foreign to me. They weren't happy, sad, angry, or passionate.

They were filled with lust.

"I'm...I'm not ready...You're not ready....I'm not going to force you to do something you're not ready to do," he whispered. I could tell he was emotionally flustered. He too was a virgin, which for some reason filled me with a little joy inside. He and Eloise never...did anything then...I simply held Natsu's arms and wrapped them around me. His heart was beating as fast as light itself. A smile broke upon my face. "Thank you, Natsu. For a very special birthday."

Natsu P.O.V

When I woke up the next morning, my mind went back to last night. Idiot, idiot! You almost lost complete control! And I was right. Last night, if I hadn't stopped myself, the inner man in me would've taken charge and let whatever happened happen.

I didn't want that to happen to Lucy.

I headed downstairs and found my mother placing all my favorite foods on the table. When she saw me, her face beamed with happiness. "There's my now legal son!" She squealed, hugging me very tightly

"Geez Mom, don't need to scream it to the world," I laughed. I began to notice that she was beginning to cry. She quickly wiped it away with her sleeve and said, "My little boy...is an adult."

"Aw Mom, please don't start," I begged, hating to see her cry.

"I'm sorry...It's just...Ugh, why am I getting so old!" I laughed  and wrapped my hand around my mom. She chuckled and rested her head on my shoulder. I heard Wendy coming down the stairs with a tired expression on her face. "What's going on," she yawned.

"It's your big brother's birthday, Darling."

Her eyes widened. "Which means your eighteen, right?"

"Um, yeah?" I answered.

"Which means you can move out! And I can have your room!"

"Is that all you really care about?" I asked. She snickered and ran up to me, jumping into my arms. I swung her around just to hear the sweet sound of her joyous giggling. She began singing "Happy Birthday" and handed me a home-made birthday card. We all sat at the breakfast, eating my birthday breakfast. Suddenly, my mom slammed her fist on the table and cursed to herself. Wendy and I stopped eating and stared at our mother. "A-Are you alright, Mom?" I asked.

"I left your present in my desk at school. I knew I was forgetting something on the last day," she goraned, rubbing her slightly wrinkled forehead. I took a sip of hot chocolate and said, "I could pick it up if you like."

Her face lit up. "R-Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's really fine. I was gonna go to Gray's house anyways and its on the way." She smiled and nodded with thanks. She scrummaged through her suit pockets and took out the keys to her office at school. Before I could grab it, she quickly swiped it away before I could even touch it. "It's just right by my chair in party bag. Don't go snooping around anywhere else. There are many important files in there that are for my eyes only, got it?"

I gulped and nodded. "Yeah, I got it. Now, the keys please?" She sighed and dropped the keys into my palm. I ran upstairs and changed into jeans and a sweater. I walked outside into the snow, got into my car, and drove off to school.

As I drove down between fifth and third street, my cell phone began to ring. Using one of the cool features of my new car, I touched a few buttons on the touch screen and answered the phone via blue-tooth. "Hello?"

"Yo, it's Gajeel," a low voice called out. 

I smiled and laughed. "Gajeel, my man! Big shocker that you're calling me first."

"S-Shut up!" He growled. "I-I just wanted to know if you could meet me at school. I left one of my textbooks in my locker but the doors are locked."

"You're in luck, my friend," I snickered. "I just so happen to be driving to school right now to get one of my birthday presents my mom left me in her office. I've got the keys."

"I-I-It's your birthday!" Gajeel gasped. "Happy Birthday." I laughed. It was hilarious hearing Gajeel act so embarrassed. It was as if he was a little kid or something. "Thanks! I'll be at the school in ten. Meet me by the gates."

When I parked outside the gates, I found Gajeel leaning on his motorcycle by the gates, looking snug in his leather jacket and scarf. I got out of my car and waved to get his attention. "Yo, Gajeel!"

He gave me a tired smile and waved back. By the look of the bags under his eyes, it looked as if he hadn't slept in days. He was even wearing a bandana over his head to cover most of the bed hair he still had. "Whoa, somebody didn't catch their Zs last night," I commented.

He yawned. "I was up until midnight last night comforting Levy. She broke down the minute she got home after hearing about Lucy."

"So Lucy told the two of them," I sighed. I didn't think Lucy would tell them so soon. Either way, I somehow knew they would react this way. "How bad was it?"

"When I got home, I found her crying on the couch surrounded by used tissues. She was such an emotional wreck. I ended up laying next to her on the couch trying to calm her down, which took forever." My eyes widened. I forgot that Levy was staying with Gajeel for the next few weeks until his parents returned. I could feel my face burning up just thinking about what the two of them could be doing. Alone. With just each other. Apparently it was noticeable, because Gajeel soon complained, "It's not like that!"

"But have you guys...ya know...?"

"No! God, of course not!" Gajeel cried.

"Just making sure! The kids of our youth is doing crazy things these days!" I laughed. He just muttered to himself, covering his mouth with his scarf. I unlocked the door that led to the lockers and my mom's office. While Gajeel went off to his locker, I went out to my mom's office. Just when I was about to insert the key, I heard something from the other side of the door. I froze. At first I thought it was just my imagination, but then I heard another sound of clutter from the other side of the door. An intruder, I thought to myself. "Psst, Gajeel," I whispered. He looked at my direction and almost spoke, but I quickly made the signal not to. There was more noise again, and this time Gajeel heard it too. He tip-toed his way over to my side and mouthed, "How did they get in there?"

I shrugged. I decided to just risk it. No one goes into my mom's office and gets away with it. I took a deep breath, inserted the key, and quickly opened the door. When I opened it, there stood a girl standing in the middle of the office in shock, holding a certain file.

A file with Lucy's name on it.

"S-Shit," she muttered. Before she could run out, Gajeel blocked the doorway, grabbing her tightly. She began to squirt around, trying to be free from Gajeel's clutches. "Let me go! I said let me go!"

"Not until you answer a few questions. Now sit!" I yelled. Startled, she obeyed, knowing that there was  no way past Gajeel. I swiped the file from her hand and looked to see what it was. "This...This is Lucy's medical files! Why on earth would you need that?"

She didn't answer. She looked down to avoid eye contact. She looked really familiar to me, which bugged the hell out of me. Her short black hair especially. It was as if I had seen it in a past life or something.

And then, it hit me.

"You...You were at the hospital on Christmas day. You helped me pick up the present I dropped...," I muttered. She flinched, which meant that I was spot on. So it was her! Why would she be going through Lucy's file? "You could get expelled for doing this."

No answer.

"My mom is the principal! I could easily just text her what you did."

No answer. This girl was making me more and more angry. Did she want to hurt Lucy? Embarrass her? She couldn't have just walked in here willy nilly without having a motive. I noticed her FA basketball wristband, and again, another thing hit me. "You're the centre for the girls' varsity basketball team." The same team as Eloise, I thought to myself. Still, that didn't give her enough motive to grab Lucy's file. I looked through it to see what could've spiked her to do this. It not only contained the effects of the accident, but everything since she's been submitted as a citizen of Fiore. From allergies to sicknesses to checkups, this one file had it all. So why...

"On Christmas day...did you go into this girl's room and leave a present?" No answer. I was getting furious. I grabbed her by the collar, which made her squeak with fear. "No answer is no long an option. This is about my girlfriend! You will answer!"

"Natsu, calm down a lit-"

"Imagine if this was Levy, Gajeel! You would probably be doing the same thing," I hissed. His eyes flickered, and he let me proceed. I brought my face closer to hers and hissed, "Answer me!"

"It," she began to speak, "it wasn't my idea! I was forced into doing this! I swear!"

"Forced?" I asked, loosening my grip on her collar. Tears began to swell from her eyes. I could feel her body shaking. "This person...got a hold of pictures of me taking drugs to enhance my performance on the basketball team."

I gasped. "Those could get you expelled."

She nodded. "I didn't know who this Lucy was. The person put some kind of music box in my locker and told me to put it in Lucy's. I assumed it was some kind of admirer, so I did."

"So you didn't know about the magnet inside of the box?" Gajeel asked.

The girl shook her head. "I didn't even know Lucy had a pacemaker! If I had known, I wouldn't have done it, I swear!

"I tried to ignore the constant messages from her, but she then put up a picture of me with the drugs in the locker. She told me to deliver the present on Christmas day, so I did...I never wanted to hurt Lucy...I would never hurt a fly." She began to cry hysterically. I sighed with frustration. I released her from my clutches. She wasn't my guy. She was just a messenger of the real attacker. But I had to admit, it was better than nothing. "What did this person tell you to do that made you break into my mom's office?"

She wiped away her tears and said, "T-The person wanted me to make copies of Lucy's file and leave them outside the auditorium."

"Do you know why?" She shook her head. I groaned. "How is this person contacting you?"

"Via text."

"Give me your phone," I ordered. She slowly took out her phone and presented it forward. I took it from her hand and began to reprogram it. After a while, I handed it back to her. "There. Now every text you receive from that person will automatically will be forwarded to me undetected."

"Whoa, you can do that?" Gajeel asked.

"Yeah. One of the greatest things my dad taught me." I handed it back to her and said, "You can continue your little...deliveries for now. You'll be my bait."

"B-Bait?" She gulped.

"Of course. I'll lure that bastard from the shadows and strangle him with my own bare hands," I growled. I  moved over to the side and said, "Go."

She looked up at me with shock. "But...But what about my...my drugs?"

"You're secret is safe with me. For now. Now go," I said a little louder. She quickly got up with Lucy's file and ran out the door, leaving just Gajeel and me. He looked at me and whistled. "This is getting more sketchy."

"Hell yeah it is," I muttered. I looked around and noticed a decorative box at the corner of Mom's desk. I picked it up and opened it. It was a glamorous gold ring with flamed ingravings on it. Thanks Mom. To bad it was the wrong moment at the wrong time. I put on the ring on my pointer finger and showed it to Gajeel. He whistled. "Pretty ring."

"Yup." I said. "Now, about what just happened...Don't tell Levy."

He nodded. "Alright. You going to tell Lucy?"

I shook my head. "She's gonna be a little fragile until that stupid surgeon comes. She starts chemotherapy today, and the hospital still hasn't decided whether or not to move Lucy up the transplant list or not...This is all a big mess."

Gajeel nodded. "I know. I still don't understand why anyone would do this to Lucy. She's only been at this school for a few months. Has she done anything to, I don't know, upset anyone?"

I shook my head. "Before Lucy and I reconciled, she only hung out with her cousin and the drama department." My stomach suddenly began to growl with hunger. Gajeel gave me a sly smile and said, "Let's go to Po's; my treat Birthday Boy. We'll talk more then."

I nodded, suddenly imaging the great tasting ramen they served over there. "Will you get me anything?"

"Don't get any ideas, Metal Boy," I jeered, referring to his hundreds of piercings. He snickered and together, we walked out of Fairy Tail Academy for a celebration on one side of our mind, and the determination to find out who this freak is on the other side.