Fairytales with Fairy Tail (part 2) Completed

Chapter 5

Lucy slowly opened her eyes. For the second time this week she found herself being pulled into a tight embrace; his warmth once again inviting her to stay and return to blissful slumber.

Lucy sighed and tried to remove his arm from her waist. It didn't budge. She tried a second time. It still didn't budge. Lucy huffed and turned to her captor.

"Natsu. Wake up, I have to get to work." Lucy huffed and pulled on his arm again, making it tighten its grip. He only decided to crack an eye open when her stomach let out a very loud growl.

"Eh? Luce? Did you eat?" Natsu sat up slowly, removing his arm in the process. Lucy blushed under his gaze.

"Of course I did," she lied.

"Luce?" She looked away sheepishly. Lucy had planned on sneaking food after dinner was served that night but before she could, Karen locked it all away in the pantry. She even took the time to count all the produce individually, making certain that Lucy did not have a single bite after breakfast. Luckily, Lucy did manage to sneak portions of food out to Natsu, even if she didn't dare eat it herself.

"I can't tell him that I gave him my all of my allotted food yesterday. He'd be pissed!"

"I'm alright, Natsu. I'll just go make some breakfast, okay?" Lucy smiled and started to straighten her wrinkled clothes.

"If you say so."

Lucy quickly left the small hut to start her day. She made a simple breakfast for her stepfamily and made certain to place some aside for Natsu. While her family was busy eating and gossiping, Lucy took the food out to the dragon, snagging an apple for herself so that he would see her eat something at least.

After breakfast she started on her chores. From the kitchen to the attic, she scrubbed floors, swept rugs, cleaned chimneys, dusted furniture, washed windows and walls, and did anything her stepfamily wanted. Today, like most days, Lucy ran herself ragged trying to please her stepmother and sisters, but this time it did not go entirely unnoticed.

~~~<•>~~~

Just after lunch on Natsu's third day of healing, he decided to try to find Lucy. He was bored and Lucy refused to tell him what kept her so busy all day. So he snuck out of the old chicken coupe, taking great care not to be seen, and walked up to the back door of the house. For hours he flew from window to window, watching Lucy work and clean. Right after she finished the study, he noticed that as soon as Lucy left, a tall green haired lady came in and trashed it again. He flew around and checked every room that Lucy had worked so diligently on. They were all in disarray.

"The hell? She just spent the last four hours cleaning and it's already undone! Do they not care at all?"

Natsu had had enough. He landed and walked up to the back porch. Just as he was about to enter he heard shouts and something crash.

"You stupid girl! I told you not to touch that and now it's broken!"

Natsu looked around for the source of the yelling. There on the second floor was an open window. With a single flap of his wings he reached the window ledge and cautiously peaked inside. Lucy was laying on the floor, small white pearls littered the floor around her. A tall, red headed woman with extremely long hair stood in front of her. Even from Natsu's position at the window, he could see her sadistic grin and fiery eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Flare. But these were my mother's favorit pearls. I have a right to-"

SLAP

Natsu flinched at the sound. It took every ounce of his self control not to burst in and beat her to a pulp. He could see the tears rolling down Lucy's bruised face. Flare started to kick her.

"Stupid Blondie! You're not understanding. You belong to us now. Everything you once had is ours." Flare kicked her again. And again. And again.

Lucy never made a sound.

"I want you to scream, Blondie! Why won't you scream?"

After a full minute of Lucy's silent sobs, Flare became bored and left. "Make sure you clean this up, Blondie. Those beads were ugly anyway."

Natsu jumped into the room as soon as the door slammed. "Lucy? Luce? Are you ok?" He lifted her into his lap. "Lucy?"

"She must have passed out. Gods. Why didn't I see this before?"

"Natsu?" Lucy opened her eyes slowly, not quite comprehending their situation. Then realization dawned. She sat up and pushed him away. "What the hell are you doing in here? You're still healing, you need to-" Lucy doubled over in a coughing fit. She covered her mouth when she felt bile start to rise.

"Lucy? Come on, we need to get you out of here. It's not safe!" Natsu lifted the short girl to her feet and started towards the window. "No. No! Natsu!" Lucy yanked herself back out of his grip. "I can't leave yet!"

Natsu looked at her in confusion. "What the hell do you mean, of course you can leave. Let's go!" Natsu held out his hand, determined to get Lucy out of that house. Lucy hesitated before slowly raising her hand.

"What the hell is going on up there? Lucy Heartfilia!"

Lucy jumped pulling her hand away. "Natsu, you have to get out of here. I don't know what they'll do to you if they find you here."

"Not without you, Luce." Lucy looked up at him, startled.

"He looks so determined. Could I really... go with him? Where would we go? I can't just... Mother's photos and... I really do want to go."

Lucy sighed and smiled. "Okay, Natsu."

Natsu's face broke into the biggest grin. "Then let's go!"

"Lucy? I'm coming up there. If that room is not clean by the time I get there, you can kiss that little trinket good bye."

Lucy gasped. "Wait! I can't leave yet! I have to get my mother's key!"

"Her what?"

"It's really important. Please, I'll get it and we can leave tonight." Lucy moved to place a hand on Natsu's cheek. "Tonight."

Natsu sighed and looked at her skeptically. "Okay, Luce." He leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her forehead before leaping off the windowsill.

The door slammed open but Lucy didn't hear it. Her heart beat in her ears and a smile threatened to spill from her face.

~~~<•>~~~

"It took all day but I finally managed to snag Mom's key from Karen's room."

Lucy slouched in her seat, taking a well deserved break. After a few seconds of silence, Lucy stood and carefully made her way to the old hen house.

"I'm so exhausted. They really let me have it today. I don't know how far I'll get without sleep."

Lucy opened the rickety old door to find her savior passed out on a pile of blankets. "Oh, Natsu." His horns, wings, and tail had faded sometime before dinner that evening, just like he said they would; leaving a pink haired man in oversized clothes sleeping peacefully on a bed of old blankets in an old chicken coupe. He just looked like any average guy she'd pass in the market. With pink hair.

The sight almost made Lucy laugh.

"We can leave tomorrow morning, before anyone else wakes up. For now, he needs sleep."

So Lucy curled up next to her sleeping dragon, dreaming of tomorrow when he would take her away from her nightmare.