A/N 1: So here I am throwing the first chapter of what I wrote for my new Fairy Tail fanfiction (after finishing Fat Donum)...I actually had this chapter completed, but I fine tuned it today, and I finished chapter 2, although I might not update that until next Wednesday.

Please let me know what you think via reviews and private messages. They'd be greatly appreciated.

A/N 2: This takes place in the wild west. I hope it is descriptive enough for you and all of that. There is NaLu, Jerza, Gajevy, and Gruvia mainly/eventually, but for right now it's just the set up.

A/N 3: I loosely based this on Carrie Underwood's song, Renegade Runaway, from her Storyteller album. You can listen to the track here with the lyric video. (If link doesn't work, search for it on YouTube).

A/N 4: This is not going to be a long story - maybe 10 chapters the max so don't be shocked when it ends sooner than you want it to. I *might* make a sequel, but it depends on the reception it gets.

Chapter One: Tumble Weeds

In the western town of Magnolia City, population two hundred, Sheriff Makarov Dreyar was gathering his men in the large conference room of the station to talk business. And what he lacks in height, he definitely makes up for in his personality and semi-strict governing of the town.

"Everyone, settle down! There is a lot to discuss is today's meeting." He called out frustrated at the boisterous group before him. "Dragneel! Fullbuster! That means you two are to STOP fighting!"

The two officers that were singled out by their commanding officer stopped and immediately sat down in their chairs.

"What is going on Sheriff?" Another officer inquired to get the meeting started.

Sheriff Dreyar took a sip of his coffee before answering the blue haired officer's question.

"Well, Fernandes, the trio otherwise known as the Renegade Runaways are making their way towards us, so it seems and has been reported. They left Oshibana about a day ago, but might make a stop in Onibus before coming our way."

Gasps took over the room, and some snickering.

No one knew who these Renegades were, or much about them. The only thing that was known was the fact that they are women. It appalled most men, and women, of the country of Ishgar.

"We can take 'em!" Dragneel said proudly. "No 'Runaway' will be able to get away from me!"

"Shut up Salamander!" A tall, black-haired man scolded. "You're getting ahead of yourself!"

"You want a piece of me Metalhead?" The pink haired officer exclaimed as he balled up his fists.

"I could take you anytime and anywhere. I just don't have the energy to do so."

"ENOUGH!" Sheriff Dreyar yelled.

He then continued on with the meeting regarding where he was going to post his officers and the new shifts that came with it. He also handed out copies of the wanted posters.

"What's with the last box?" Fullbuster asked.

"No one knows what the third one looks like." Assistant-Deputy Laxus Dreyar answered. "But they are certain a third person is involved."

He was a tall young man, with blonde hair and a scar on his face. Most people were afraid of him because of his temper, but unbeknownst to him, he had stolen the heart of one long, white-haired barmaid in town. Laxus Dreyar also happened to be Sheriff Dreyar's grandson, which did not go over too well in town when he was appointed assistant deputy.

"Everyone is to be at the ready, whether you are on duty or not. We will need you assistance in capturing these criminals."

Sheriff Dreyar then continued, again, with the rest of the agenda before dismissing them. Everyone stood up, but Fernandes stayed in his seat staring at the wanted poster.

"You okay, Fernandes? You look like you've seen a ghost." Dragneel commented noticing his comrade's lack of movement.

"I-I'm fine." He answered nervously as he stood up. "Nothing to be concerned about."

"Ha! I think someone just fell in love with a wanted criminal." Fullbuster teased. "So which one is it?"

Fernandes looked up and glared at his fellow officer before waving him on and walking in the other direction.

"I have a fiancé." He said as he left the room.

"Sure you do!" Dragneel responded as he rolled his eyes.

~In Onibus, The Previous Day~

A short, blue haired woman was walking into a tavern and about to ask for a drink at the bar when two men approached her.

"Hey there, little lady." One greeted.

The woman was utterly disgusted, and the two men couldn't read her body language or facial expression.

"How are you doing today?" The other asked.

She groaned before speaking.

"If you think you are getting anything from me, you have been seriously mistaken." She said and then turned to the first one. "And what was that? A crack at my height?" She inquired, plainly pissed off. "I may be small, but I can sure as hell kick your ass into next week should you continue to piss me off!"

Sure she was short, but she had a beauty to her that only the greatest man would be able to see. And these two men who were bothering here were in no way the greatest in her opinion.

All she wanted to do was to sit down, read and people watch as she had her drink.

She got her drink from the bartender and then headed over to an empty seat in a corner. It was then that one of the town's officers came in to hang up some new wanted flyers. After quickly finishing her drink, she got up and walked over to where the officer was standing and applying the posters.

"'The Renegade Runaways'." She read out loud as she looked at each picture carefully.

"Hello, there miss. Yes, the Renegade Runaways have been on the run for months now. They just left Oshibana yesterday. They are rumored to be on their way here and we are upping our patrols."

"Good to know." She replied nodding her head as she processed his last statement. "May I have one of those flyers? I may have a place myself to hang it up."

"Sure thing, miss." The officer agreed as he handed her one.

She accepted it with a smile and then made excused herself and left the tavern. The woman made her way through the town to the inn on the outskirts. She barged into the room surprising the other two women inside.

"LEVY!" A red-haired woman screamed worried. "What is it?"

"I don't think we should attack this town, Erza." She cried as she held up the wanted poster. "They are increasing their patrol and it would be really convenient for them if we attacked.

The other woman approached and looked at the sign.

"Well, they have me down to perfection." Erza replied looking at her portrait. "And you as well."

"Figures! The only one safe is Levy since no one sees her – like ever." Juvia replied.

"Calm down Juvia. Eventually she will be added in the poster." Erza said trying to calm her comrade down. "I just hope it's not for a long time. We need our little 'bookworm' to help us in secret with formulating plans."

"I know."

"Anyway, if they are increasing patrol here, they might be elsewhere. We may just want to lie low for the time being."

"I agree. Either we stay here, or just hop on the train like normal citizens and take it to the next stop in Magnolia, or we raise suspicion and take the horses."

"Horses? What horses?" Levy asked confused. "We don't have any horses." She continued and then looked at their fearless leader and put her mouth in an 'oh'. "I got it. You were going to steal some." She finished in a whisper.

"Exactly."

~Meanwhile~

Lucy Heartfilia, heiress to the Heartfilia fortune, was sitting through another boring lunch with her father and a new potential husband, much to her dismay. She shifted in the uncomfortable corset she was wearing that pushed her chest to practically her chin.

"Sit still." Jude Heartfilia scolded.

"Yes, father." She said softly, but aggravated.

She wanted her mother here, but years ago she was killed in a train heist by some vandals. Lucy, at the tender age of six, witnessed her mother being dragged off the train while her father did nothing. Lucy heard her mother's screams and begs for mercy as the vandals searched and found anything of value on her. Lucy screamed after she heard the gunshot, but still to this day does not remember what happened after that. For all she knows, she cried herself to sleep sitting on the train until they reached their destination. Then everything was a blur.

For the next nine years, she followed her strict father's every request and rule without showing a shred of anger towards him. However, Lucy Heartfilia became outraged when her father told her that he would be making the arrangements for her to get married for the sake of the business.

After turning away, and sometimes scaring away, potential matches for six months straight, her father had had enough. He yelled at her, and during the heated argument slapped Lucy across her face. She curled her lower lip under the upper lip, started to tear up, and ran out of his office to her room.

Three days later, the same thing happened, but this time she was able to dodge it. She would not be his victim. She was his daughter, but for the past nine and a half years was treated like a prize.

So, in a secret form of retaliation, Lucy did some research in the death of her mother and found out who was responsible for her death. She vowed to one day leave the safety and comfort of her home to seek out the criminals to get her revenge for leaving her with such a rotten excuse for a father.

At this dinner she was going to make sure she said every outrageous thing possible. Just so she could scare away this new prospective fiancé and aggravate her father. Not that it mattered. That evening Lucy was planning on running away whether he liked it or not.

Her plan worked. She pissed off her father so much he sent her out of the room up to hers while he tried to repair the mess she caused with the suitor and his father. Lucy, on the other hand, was taking off the new corset Jude bought her, which was extremely uncomfortable, and changed into a new one as well as adding a few layers so she wouldn't have to carry a luggage trunk with her. What good is being a runaway if you pack a large case?

Once she had a few layers, she put some money she had been collecting for the past few years in her bodice as well as inside some of the other dress pockets. She also put her mother's pearls in a small pouch and stuffed them in another hidden pocket. Vandals would really have to search her for everything, but she knew exactly how to make it look like she just had on what she was wearing.

So, that night, after Lucy knew her father had turned in for the evening, the Heartfilia blonde bombshell quietly snuck out of her room and house and made her way to the train tracks and followed them north. Sure, she could have gone south first, but as far as anyone knew, Jude Heartfilia had no dealings in the town of Onibus.

The only thing she kept on her, and inside her dress, was the necklace that showed she was indeed the Heartfilia heir, should she decide she needed to use her "trump card."

~In Onibus~

The town was bustling like crazy the next morning. The rumors were everywhere that the 'Renegade Runaways' were either on their way to the town, or actually already in the town. Levy was walking through the town and stopped short at the sight before her eyes entering the town. A young woman was struggling to walk.

Against her better ideas, she snuck over to her to help her.

"Hello! Are you all right?" Levy asked concerned for the woman's welfare.

"It's too hot." she said as she fanned herself to try and cool down.

"It is a bit warm today." Levy agreed. "My name's Levy. What's yours?"

"Lucy." The girl answered. "Lucy Heartfilia."

"Heart…fil…ia? The Heartfilia?"

"Yes." she replied and then went wide-eyed. "Crap!"

Levy smiled.

"Don't worry. You don't have to be afraid. Let's walk to the tavern and get you something to drink." Levy replied. "And if anyone asks, you can use 'McGarden' as your last name."

"McGarden?"

"Yeah." Levy said sheepishly. "It's actually my last name, but no one here knows it. I only arrived in town yesterday myself."

Levy walked with Lucy and they headed into the tavern. Levy paid for a drink for the blonde and sat with her.

"So, did you run away or something?" Levy eventually asked.

"Uh, yeah. I may have made a mistake on that one." she started as she continued to fan herself. "I have on like three dresses, so that's why I am hot."

"I can understand that. I ran away from my home as well."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Levy said with a sigh. "But I'd rather not divulge why right now."

"I completely understand." Lucy said with a smile.

The two girls continued to talk until Levy decided it was time for her to go. She started to stand and hesitated when a different officer came in.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?"

"I was thinking of that inn that we passed."

"Oh, okay." Levy said sadly as more officers came in. She blanched before speaking again. "You know what? Don't stay there. Come with me. I want you to meet my friends."

"Friends?" Lucy questioned. "Is that a good idea?"

"Sure. You'll love them once you get to know them. And it's only for a night."

Lucy hesitantly followed Levy through the town to the inn she was staying at, which was hidden and on the outskirts of town. She quietly followed Levy through the halls and up the back set of stairs.

"Is this a brothel?" Lucy asked scared. She heard stories from her mom about places that she never wanted to see her daughter in, and a brothel was one of them.

"What?" Levy asked with a laugh. "No! I mean, it may have been at one time, but the town banned them. The sheriff ordered this to be made into another inn."

"Oh." Lucy said embarrassed. "I am sorry."

"Don't be." she said with a pause. "I thought the same thing when we booked here and the guy at the front desk informed me of the story." She replied with a shrug as they came up to a door and opened it. "I'm back! And I brought a guest."

"A guest?" A stern voice asked. "You know how I feel about strangers, Levy."

Lucy looked over to where the voice was coming from and shuddered. Levy gulped.

"Who are you?" the woman asked her.

"My name's Lucy H-"

"She's a runaway too, Erza." Levy replied cutting her off after getting her voice again. "I helped her in town before. She needs to reduce her layers, if that's not a problem for you."

"Fine. Juvia's in the bathroom right now, so give her a few minutes."

"Thank you."

"So, this is Erza Scarlet." Levy introduced. "And this is Lucy Heartfilia."

"Heartfilia?"

Lucy bowed her head in shame.

"Yes, as in that family. I ran away from that hell hole."

Erza smiled.

"That's fine. Your secret is safe with me, and us."

The door to the bathroom creaked open and Juvia came out.

"Oh, Juvia thought she heard you Levy." another blue-haired girl commented at the sight of Levy. "And we have a guest." She finished slightly in shock as she looked at Lucy.

"This is Lucy. Lucy, this is Juvia." Erza introduced. "Are you finished in there, Juvia?"

"Yes. That felt refreshing!"

Erza nodded and then looked over at a very grateful Lucy. Lucy then made her way inside and quickly pulled off her suffocating layers down to her last dress. She eventually made it out of the bathroom and the surprised faces of her new acquaintances greeted her.

"Wow. That is such a pretty color on you." Levy stated noting the deep pink colored gown.

"Thanks." Lucy replied embarrassed. "Is there a place I can set my things?"

"Sure. Use the closet to hang the dresses. There should be some room in there."

Lucy did as she was told and carefully hung everything up and put the rest away.

"So tell us about your story. We all have reasons to runaway." Erza inquired.

Lucy was hesitant to answer, but she eventually relented.

"Not much to tell, actually. My mother was killed in front of me when I was six so I was then raised by a father who didn't know how to handle me. He was strict and annoying. Over the past year, he has been trying to force me to marry for the sake of the business, but all of the men were creeps and only after my money." Lucy blurted out and then took a deep breath before continuing. "I am not just a prize." she added aggravated. "I also have had this urge to find out who the men were that killed my mother while my father watched and did nothing."

"Did you find out who killed your mom?" Juvia questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yes." she said sadly. "Some bandits called Tartaros, or something. I found they are originally from Alvarez, but have been in hiding here in Ishgar."

"I have heard of them. They are merciless creatures." Erza said disgusted. "Their leader is the worst."

"Mard Geer." Levy said quietly before looking over at Erza who gave her a nod. "So, Lucy, we were talking while you were in the restroom, and we wanted to know if you wanted to join our little group?"

"Group? What group?"

"Well," Erza trailed, "We are what the lawmen are referring to the 'Renegade Runaways'."

"Renegade Runaways? As in the women who have been wreaking havoc in Fiore?"

"Yes." Juvia answered.

"You want me to join your – "

"If not for anything, join for seeking revenge out for your mother." Juvia said cutting her off. "And we don't do anything that shouldn't be done. There are a lot of devious people in towns that are mean to the lower class. All we do is help them by stealing and causing them trouble."

Lucy was quiet as she listened to Juvia explain what they did.

"Modern day 'Robin Hoods', then?" Lucy questioned, hoping one of them would get the reference.

"YES!" Levy screamed. "Oh, how I am so happy I met you!" she added as she tackled Lucy in a hug.

"But then why not just -"

"The law is not on our side, nor do they see it." Erza quickly explained. "So, we do what we must to help the less fortunate. Sure, we keep some stuff for ourselves, but we change the minds of the towns for the most part. And we don't like to stay in one town for too long, so we're like tumbleweeds."

Lucy sat quiet for a moment before giving them a definite answer.

"But you use guns, right? I don't know how to shoot. Or fight."

"We can help you!" Juvia said with a smile.

Lucy bit her lip as she rubbed her palms together.

"Okay. I'll join."

"YES! We now have a fourth!" Levy screamed. "This is going to be great!"

"Now that that's settled, we need to get some horses and reduce what we are bringing with us."

"Well, can't we leave our stuff here, Erza? I mean, we'll only be gone for a few days."

"True. I'll talk with the man downstairs. I'll be right back."

Erza left the room and convinced the man at the front desk to allow the girls to keep their stuff there since they were planning on coming back. Once she was back in the room, the girls got a small bag packed for each of them and headed out to acquire some steeds for their use and trip to Magnolia.

A/N: Well, there you have it. My first chapter for my newest project. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, and it will help me consider whether or not I want to continue this story. (I do have the next chapter written and the rest of this short story planned out, but I am not sure how the reception will be).