To Protect You

Chapter One: Dust and Dohickeys

Hello~! So I decided to begin another Fairy Tail story that will have more frequent updates. (Can I English?). Anyway, this one will (hopefully) be updated every Friday so weekly. So many Nalu/ Fairy Tail fanfictions require Lucy to be the damsel in distress so I decided to twist things around and make Natsu and the others the damsels. I dedicate chapter one to you guys for giving this story a chance! I hope you all enjoy!!

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Dust blew up into Lucy's face, making the blonde sputter and cough as she quickly waved a hand in front of her face, features twisted in disgust as she dropped the white sheet, peering at the items beneath. Placing her hands on her hips, Lucy absentmindedly tucked a lose strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear as she admired the dusty portrait. She crouched down onto her haunches, pursing her lips as she softly ran her fingers over the round chin of the child's face, staring into the dead looking brown eyes as she pursed her lips. Her father had this portrait made of her when she was born, her fair blonde hair sparse on her pale skull as her translucent eyebrows furrowed into a frown that would be forever remembered with this painting.

Lucy chuckled, shaking her head as she stood, turning to leave the attic in desperate need of fresh air.

The Heartfilia mansion was large, most of the house had begun to be claimed back by nature, the old kitchen having fallen victim to large vines that snaked around the tiled floor. It made her sad to see her childhood home being taken over by the greens but in the same retrospect, she was happy to see the place that had brought her so much pain disappear. Her father had gotten his fortune back before he passed in the seven years Lucy and the others had been frozen on Tenrou island, at least that's what she had heard. He at least had enough money to die in this home, to move Layla's grave back to where it belonged and to be buried next to her, a custom made headstone marking his grave. The portraits of her family still resided on the walls and as she walked slowly around the house, she began to remember moments from her childhood, most of them the happy ones before her mothers passing.

Lucy paused, looking up at the large portrait that resided on one of the walls in the living room above the fire place. Lucy's child self sat in a chair, a wide gleeful smile splitting her chubby features and her hands grasping the handles of the lion foot chair. Jude and Layla stood behind it, Jude's hand on the chair and Layla's on her daughters shoulder. Lucy's heart twinged as she remembered that day, how she had been so upset that she had to sit in that uncomfortable chair. How her mother had promised that, if Lucy sat still and smiled widely, she would get a treat later.

Lucy loved her home and it killed her to know that she had to destroy it.

The dusty chimes of the doorbell drew Lucy's attention away from the family portrait, curiosity taking over the blondes body as her bare feet padded over the tiled floors, glove covered hands reaching the door handle to open wooden doors. She blinked, once, twice, three times before she finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Levy-chan? Gray?" Came the question as the small girl smiled widely, the ice Mage raising a hand in greeting, offering a laid back "yo!" to the startled blonde. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to help you!" Levy said happily, placing her hands on her hips, drawing Lucy's attention to the girls attire. A pair of orange shorts rested low on her hips and a light pink tank top clung tightly to Levy's small figure, her blue hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Black ankle boots decorated her feet and a pair of gloves stuck out of her back pocket, their fingers extended up. "We thought that since you're place was so big, Lu-chan, that you could use some extra help."

"Well, Levy said you needed extra hands. I came because the flame idiot wanted me to." Gray said, pushing his hands nonchalantly into his pants pockets.