Lucy slept without a thought until the moment she saw her attacker in her mind.
He was coming for her. He grabbed her by the throat and started to choke her.

"Bitch, I told you I will kill you!" He shouted. She grasped at his hands trying to loosen the grin, but she wasn't strong enough. She struggled to get free. Trying to scratch eyes that weren't there, kicking, doing anything she could but nothing worked.

She screamed as loud as she could sitting straight up in the bed. She was so afraid right now. She didn't know what else to do but curl herself into a ball as the tears started to run down her cheeks.

That's when the bedroom door opened revealing Natsu and Gray in the door way.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled. A look of shock and rage in his eyes. She blinked in confusion. It was at that moment she looked around and realized she wasn't in her room. Who's house am I in? She worried. She sat there still in tears and a state of shock as Natsu snatched Gray by the shirt and slammed him into the wall. "What the hell is she doing here in your house?! In your bed?! Wearing your clothes?!" He screamed.

She had never seen him this mad before, but then again it had been years since she had last seen either of them, and It was obvious to her how much he had changed since then.

His eyes had turned the darkest shade of black instead of the beautiful onyx color that she loved so much. His free hand was balled in a tight fist. He lifted it and swung, punching a hole in the wall next to Gray's head. "If you weren't like a fuckin brother to me that would have been your face," Natsu growled, "I suggest you start talking before I change my mind."

"This was why I have been calling you and texting you all night asshole!" Gray yelled back. "If you would have bothered to answer you would have known she was here!"

"That still doesn't answer my fuckin questions!" Natsu yelled as he let Gray go and took a step back running his hands through his hair trying to process what the hell was going on.

Gray spoke calmer this time, trying to calm Natsu down in the process. "Man listen, it's not at all what you think. Someone attacked Lucy last night. She was running screaming when I saw her. She didn't know what to do. She was scared shitless by the time she ran into me, and then she passed out. I didn't know where she lived or who to ask about her, so I brought her back here. That's it. There's nothing more to it."

"Bullshit you bastard," Natsu looked at Gray like he was literally fixing to obliterate him. Lucy didn't understand what all of the fuss was over. After all there was nothing between any of them anymore, right?

Gray look Natsu dead in the eyes as he approached him, looking like he was ready for whatever was fixing to go down. "Are you that fuckin dense Natsu? Seriosuly, we have all three known each other our entire lives. Hell we were like a family until she left. I would never try anything with her! She was like my little pesky ass sister back then and I'll treat her the same until she dies. The only reason I put her in my bed is so she'd be comfortable, and my girl Juvia changed her clothes because she was covered in dirt and her clothes were torn. I slept in the guest room with Juvia. You can check if you don't believe me, she's still in there." Gray stared at Natsu giving him time to think.

Lucy looked up from behind her bangs and stared into Natsu's eyes. They were still dark but this time instead of just anger she saw pain too. "N-natsu," she cried wiping her eyes. "Please, don't be mad at Gray. He was only doing what he always did in the past. Taking care of me like a brother does. It was all my fault anyways."

"How could it have been your fault?" Natsu asked genuinely confused about the whole situation. He didn't really know how to feel right now. Part of him wanted to kill Gray for not doing whatever it took to find him, part of them him wanted to grab Lucy and tell her he would never let her leave his side ever again, then there was the new him that was saying screw him, screw her, screw them both, that's why you dont love anymore. As bad as he wanted to go with the third option when he looked over at those big brown eyes crying he realized he couldn't leave her.

"I decided to walk home by myself from the races." Lucy whispered hugging her knees to her chest. She couldn't bring herself to look into Natu's eyes. She knew he was going to be pissed off again.

"What?! Why the hell would you try to walk home alone! Lucy you're too smart to do something like that. I'm supposed to be the dumb one." Natsu said walking towards her. Gray took this opportunity to excuse himself from the room. He knew Lucy and Natsu needed this time. Time to find each other again. Deep down inside though, he just prayed that the results would turn out different then they had all those years ago.

"I-i didn't think I would get lost, and it wasn't that far away.. and then... then... " she trailed off trying to keep back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Natsu sat on the bed and looked at Lucy with sadness in his eyes. Don't look at me like that. Lucy thought. It wasn't okay. It just made her hurt even more knowing in her mind that she couldn't have him. That he would never be there like he promised when they were children. He was the biggest reason that she came back. He was what helped her get through all those years of torment and abuse. Even if he didn't know he did it.

Lucy buried her hands in her face to try and hide the tears in them. " I know.. I just wasn't in my right mind, I guess. I didn't want to burden anyone since everyone seemed to be having so much fun."

This enraged Natsu as he gripped his hands together so tight his knuckles turned white. "That's a bullshit excuse, Luce.. and you know it..you could have asked anyone. Hell I knew you were there. I saw you the moment you realized it was me after the race. You could have come and found me! I would have taken you anywhere you wanted to go!"

Lucy looked in his eyes. Oh how she loved those eyes. She'd seen them a million times in her dreams, the ones were he came to rescue her. "You were...." she trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she was jealous and hurt by seeing him with that other girl.

"I was what, Luce?" Natsu asked looking at her waiting for an answer.

"Nothing Natsu.. honestly it doesn't matter." She said avoiding looking in his eyes.

He looked at her confused. Trying to figure out what she felt was so hard that she couldn't say it to him. "Lucy," he leaned in towards her cupping her cheek in his hand and wiping her tears away with his thumb, " please don't shut me out. I lost you seven years ago, but you're here again.... With me... I don't know how it happened, but please.... let me take care of you."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand feeling the warmth of him sinking into her. I dont know what to say right now. She thought. She moved closer to him and leaned into his chest. He quickly wrapped his strong arms around her pulling her as close to him as he could get her. "Maybe, we could just stay like this for a while..." she stated looking up starring into his eyes.

"It's a start," he responded burying his nose into the top of her head taking in her intoxicating scent of vanilla and strawberry. I don't know what has happened to you Lucy, over these past years, but I promise one thing. I will find a way to make you love me again, no matter what it takes.