Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.

CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

I never thought my life would turn out this way. If you had warned me this would happen, even two days ago, I never would have believed you. I guess that's a cliche, but there it is. My life has changed so much in the space of a single day, and it will never be the same again. I will never be the same.

Two Days Ago

The sun slowly dipped in the sky, scattering pinks and reds as far as the eye could see. It was in a word, beautiful. The sight was not lost on a lone female figure balancing on the slight wall beside the river. Her arms were flung out to her sides and she was talking as if to herself. However, looks can be deceiving, as she is actually conversing with a tiny being wobbling beside her. Occasionally you could hear a sound from the little white thing "Punnnn-punnn". The blonde reached down and grasped the little guy. "Oh Plue, you are sooo cute!" Lucy exclaimed. She didn't know why she found such comfort in having him around; maybe it was because he was so quiet and calm. He never got loud or argued. He was there anytime she just needed a little cuddle. Could there be anything more comforting? Nope, definitely not. She smiled to herself.

She unlocked the door to her apartment, and went inside. It was getting late and she had promised Natsu a home cooked dinner. Bring on the enormous grocery bill, she snickered. He was going to eat her out of house and home if he didn't slow down. Oh well, she loved him, and that meant accepting all those incredibly trying habits of his.

Lucy's POV

I started thinking back to all the times Natsu and I have shared since I joined Fairy Tail. We've been through so much - good, bad, ...crazy. It's a little hard to believe that so much has happened in just a year. It was even more unbelievable when Natsu asked me out. I had loved him even before that, but I'd never believed he thought of me in that way. I was so happy and I've been that way ever since. If things could be any better in my life, I really don't know how.

I looked around and realized that time was getting away from me again. Plue was staring at me like he was wondering if I had finally lost it. Oops, I guess I better get busy. I closed Plue's gate after giving him one last squeeze. Oh he's just so cute! I turned the radio on and started pulling out everything I needed for our dinner. It wouldn't be long before Natsu arrived and I still wanted to get a shower and change. I danced around the kitchen, singing along with the music. I just felt so good. My rent was paid up for a couple months and I still had a little bit of money saved up for a rainy day. Or a nice new pair of shoes - whichever came first. I smiled, finishing up dinner and heading into my bathroom for a quick shower.

I finished quickly and dried my hair. I threw my clothes on and twirled my way back to the kitchen to set the table. As I was placing the last fork, I saw Natsu climbing through the window. Annoying habit? Check.

"Natsu, there is a door." I deadpanned.

"I know, but this is more fun!"

He was such a kid. I just rolled my eyes and crossed the room for a hug. I buried my face in his chest and sighed. He laughed when I continued to snuggle my head closer to him. I couldn't help it; I just loved to cuddle. What girl doesn't? As I breathed him in, I caught a whiff of something I didn't recognize. It smelled like perfume, but nothing I could recall ever smelling. I scrunched my nose at it. What did it mean? Why would he smell like perfume? He wouldn't...no what am I thinking? This is Natsu we're talking about. I decided to just ignore it - I'm sure it was just someone from the guild. No need to worry.

He pulled back and looked down at me, "So Luce, what's for dinner?"

"Hmm...oh, chicken marsala with mashed potatoes and green beans." I said, a bit distracted. It wasn't quite as easy to let go of that smell as I had thought it would be. We sat down and ate together; I smiled watching him devour his food. I swear, you would think he hadn't eaten all day. We spent the rest of the evening talking and I was finally able to relax. It wasn't long before I started yawning and Natsu kissed my head with a quick "goodnight" before climbing back through the window. I changed my clothes and climbed into bed. As tired as I was, I felt pretty sure I'd drift off quickly. Boy, was I wrong. I laid there tossing and turning, going over and over that scent on Natsu's clothes. There had to be a perfectly good explanation, but my mind was having noe of that. It went straight to Crazy Land. As if Natsu would really have another woman on the side, I scoffed. Really - I think I'm losing it here. I laid there for about thirty minutes arguing with myself, before deciding that I would just ask him tomorrow. Maybe when he laughed at my silliness, I could let it go. Now having a plan of action to confront this nagging thought, I drifted off to sleep.

The Next Day

I awoke to the sounds of birds chirping away. Ahhh... what a way to wake up. But no time for that now. I am a woman on a mission. Well, many missions actually. I had some errands to run before heading out to the guild. Not to mention, I wanted to write my mom a quick letter. I felt quilty that it had been so long since my last one. I sat down at the desk with my pen and paper...

Done! Now to dress and hit the road. I glanced at the clock as I opened the door to leave. Oh shoot, I guess I slept later than I thought. I'll have to hurry. I walked to town and rushed through my errands and grocery shopping. By the time I had reached home and put everything away, it was already getting close to 5. Dang it, where'd the day go? Oh well, time to find Natsu. Since it was already getting late, I decided to skip the guild and head over to his house. I walked thinking of how to ask him about the perfume. As I came around the corner, I glanced up at his house and saw a couple standing on the steps. They seemed to be in a deep conversation, and as I got closer I could hear their words.

"I know I have to tell her; I just don't know how. I don't want to hurt her." It was Natsu, but who was he talking to? Tell who, what? The woman had her back turned and I almost didn't catch what she said. "I don't want to hurt her either, but I can't live like this. It's not like we planned for this to happen."

I was starting to get nervous. I could feel my heart pounding and I felt sure that they could too.

He looked down at the girl and sighed, " I'll tell her today. I can't lose you again Lisanna. I love you." God no - this can't be happening. "I love you too Natsu," she said as she reached up and kissed him.

My eyes blurred and I was almost thankful that I could no longer see them. My heart was so broken. It hurts so much. Oh God, I can't breathe. I didn't think - I just ran. I didn't care where I was going; I just knew I had to get as far away as possible . I couldn't see anyone right now. I didn't want to be around anyone. I just wanted to scream and cry. Alone. I was alone.

A/N: Please bear with me on the next chapter guys. I will tell you that it's going to be rough, and please trust me that I love Lucy to pieces. She is my favorite character. And I promise, one day, she will be happy again. Just take this walk with me with an open mind and I'll try not to disappoint you.