All week once we got home Lucy would be teaching me how to dance. I tried to get out of it but she said she wouldn't let me go to the ball if I didn't know how to ballroom dance. Once I found out that Natsu wasn't even going to the ball, my spirits faded and I was wishing I didn't have to go to the ball. My thinking this made feel weird, put of me knew it was because I did love him but the majority of my brain was in denial and not admitting what I knew deep down to be true. I was also waiting for Jace to come back because I wanted to find out for myself what Freed had meant. I of course couldn't even ask them because they left for another job the day after that and I didn't even see them leave. What could he possibly be hiding?

I was in the guild hall talking to Lucy when I saw him come in. He didn't seem to see me and walked straight pass me to go and sit on his own in the corner of the guild hall. I got up and went over to him.
"What was that?" I said angrily.
"What was what?"
"You leave for a job and don't even say goodbye."
"You were going on holiday."
"What has that got to do with anything?" He sighed.
"Alright I am sorry I should have told you I was leaving."
"Good." I said staring at him. "So what job did you go on?" I asked calming down a bit.
"The usual killing monsters, returning this stolen book to this rich old man and then came home."
"That took you a week?"
"Well, it did take longer to locate the book than I thought it would." I sat down next to him. He tensed when I came near him.
"Hey, calm down I am not mad anymore." I said gently placing a hand on his arm. He flinched and grimaced in pain. He was hurt.
"Take off the jacket." I said firmly,
"What?"
"You know full well what I said now take it off and let me look." He began to take it off reluctantly.
"It isn't a big deal, you know."
"You flinched in pain and I barely touched you, it doesn't sound like nothing to me." When he finished I gasped at what I saw. He had a huge bruise that went from his shoulder to his elbow. It was purple and orange with a large gash coming down the middle.
"What happened?"
"This monster caught me with his claw and then slammed me against a wall." He's lying, I screamed in my head. I am not stupid I know there is more to that story. He really is hiding something. I bet he didn't even go on a job at all.
"Well, okay. Come to the infirmary and let me clean you up." I said playing along with his story, I had to find out what he was hiding.
"Sure, thanks Kat." He said smiling at me. It was hard for me to be distant with him because I still thought of him as a friend, but I had to take Freed warning seriously and be careful around him.

After I cleaned up Jace, Lucy and I went back to the apartment.
"You know that we still have 5 hours before the ball?" I said as I sat in the bed watching Lucy rush around like a headless chicken.
"Yes, and that is barely enough time to get ready. You get in the bath now. You need to smell good for when you dance with Grey."
"I am not dancing with him."
"Yes you are. You are meant to be his date so you will dance with him."
"What ever you say."
"Now go get ready, I need Cancer to come and do our hair. "

Eventually I was ready and then I heard a knock at the door. Lucy was still in the bathroom.
"I'll get it." I yelled to her. Then I went downstairs to open the door. I saw Grey dressed in a trousers with only a bow tie on his neck and beside him was Loke dressed in the same thing he was the first time I met him.
"Alright Grey, I know you have a stripping problem and you don't know you are going it but please put some clothes on for the ball." He looked down at himself.
"Damn it." He said when he saw himself. He put his shirt back on. "May I say that you look lovely, Kat."
"Thank you, you do too, that is when your wearing your outfit." He smiled and I heard Lucy's footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Are you ready to go Lucy?"
"Yes." She said then we walked to the guild hall together talking about what the evening might contain though my mind kelt wondering to Natsu and I thought I caught his scent in the wind once but when I looked around there was of course no one there.