Well, it feels like forever since I posted something, doesn't it? I know it's been a long time, and I cannot apologize enough for it. I've been going through a lot in regards to my writing. It's been difficult lately for me to do any writing at all. It seemed like I'd just lost my inspiration to write, and I didn't know why. Thanks in part to some of my favorite people (, Nicole4211, GemNika, ErzaDLaw, nerdfightersunshine, and LittlePrincessNana), I feel like I've finally figured it out. I was putting way too much pressure on myself, and it turned my love for writing into a job. And I was failing at it. These incredible women helped me realize that I needed to take it easy on myself and go back to enjoying the thrill of putting together a story. And finally, I was able to finish this. Hopefully, I'll be able to apply this same excitement to my ongoing stories soon.

Thank you guys for being so incredible and supportive. I hope you'll continue sending me warm wishes and encouragement as I ease my way back into writing! Now, enough of my yammering! lol On to the story!

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

The Stuff of Fantasies

Why the hell am I friends with these imbeciles?

It was a question Freed asked himself on a nearly daily basis. Sadly though, he had yet to come up with an answer. No matter what the barbarians he called his friends did, he couldn't seem to completely cut them off.

But this time, he just might manage to grow a little steel in his backbone.

The resident Science teacher at the local high school, Freed was known the county over for his intelligence. The multiple degrees he held didn't hurt to extol his virtues either, but this trip out to the beach with his fellows instructors was proving that maybe he wasn't quite as bright as he'd always considered himself.

See, Freed had a bit of a problem with the ocean or more precisely what was in the ocean. Namely germs.

He simply despised the stuff, which was why he was even now questioning his sanity in agreeing to come out there in the first place. He knew his friends well enough to know that they would take advantage of any weakness, and considering that they had known him since middle school, they knew every last one.

Which was how he came to be in the water rather than on dry land.

It was a shame really that the school's weightlifting teacher, and his unfortunate best friend, was so much larger than him. And stronger. Because it left him with very little recourse when the brute decided to hoist him up into the air and fling him, ass first, into a wave. Now, he stood waist deep in the water, completely soaked and looking every bit like a wet rat.

How he hated his friends.

Shooting the men a glare, he struggled out of the water, his shirt plastered to his back and weighing him down. "You're all assholes," he declared stiffly.

"Aw don't be like that," Laxus jeered, a cocky grin stretching across his face. "It'll dry."

Gajeel, gym teacher and football coach extraordinaire, laughed. "Yeah you looked like you needed some cooling off, buddy."

"What I need is better friends," Freed fired back immediately as he shrugged out of his shirt and flung it down onto the sand at his feet.

He wasn't sure he'd ever been so angry. Actually, that wasn't really all that true. He was fairly certain he got just as angry at that bunch of heathens at least once a week. Or a day depending on how busy they were.

"C'mon Freed," Bickslow called, tossing him a wide smile. "Don't be so sensitive. It's just water."

"Just water? Just water?!" he snapped, sweeping his hands through his hair and flinging the wetnes aside. "Do you have any idea how much contamination a-and bacteria exists in that water?!"

The trio laughed, and Laxus rolled his eyes. "No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell us."

Scowling, Freed turned aside. They didn't get, and as far as he was concerned, they'd added insult to injury by minimizing his anger over what they'd done. Frankly, he just wanted to be away from them.

Taking a right, he stomped away, ignoring the way the sand burned at his feet. He'd lost his shoes in the water too, he realized, and that only served to make him more furious.

"Hey, it was just a joke, man," Laxus called out behind him, joined immediately after by Bickslow. "Yeah, don't take it so seriously!"

He could hear them behind him, their feet eating up the distance, but he had no interest in talking to any of them right now. Or of hearing their usual excuses. He didn't care that it was a joke or that they hadn't meant to upset him. He knew it was because they didn't think it through, as always, but at this point, he didn't give two shits about that.

Spinning around, he leveled them with a fierce glare. "Leave me alone."

"Freed...man, c'mon don't be like that," Gajeel added, taking a step forward.

"Don't..." Freed replied coldly, "And don't follow me."

He waited for them to halt, waited to be sure they understood his wishes and complied before he turned back around. It was rare he got angry at one of their pranks, and he'd participated in a few of them himself. But never at the expense of someone else and never ignoring something they felt so strongly about.

They really didn't mean any harm. He knew that. Even with anger burning so hot in his chest, he knew that. But sometimes, it just got to be too much dealing with them all.

A bunch of children, the lot of them.

Perhaps later, he would feel differently. Frowning, he knew he would. He'd probably feel guilty for snapping at them, for overreacting, but for now, he needed some space. A man could only deal with immaturity for so long.

It was nearly an hour later and at least a half mile away from his friends when Freed decided to head back. He'd found a quiet little bay, and he finally felt as if he'd been gone long enough to cool off, maybe not enough to laugh off what his friends had done, but at least to forgive them. But as he rose to his feet to return the way he'd come, something in the water caught his eye. He decided instantly it was probably a fish of some sort, but when it surfaced once more, just a little closer to the land, he couldn't help but pause.

There was something odd about it.

Without conscious thought, he moved back toward the water, his eyes straining to find it when suddenly, it broke from the water again, only about a few yards from the shore. Curious, Freed walked out further, his mind completely ignoring the fact that he was in fact striding through the very same water that normally would repel him. But he couldn't seem to help himself. A mystery writer in his free time, he had never been able to resist the pull off solving a puzzle.

Slowly, he edged out until the water was skirting around his waist and waited. And waited. What seemed like ages passed, and still, he saw nothing. The round object that he'd seen come up in a distinct, rhythmic pattern was nowhere to be found. Scanning the area once more, he sighed.

Whatever it was he'd observed was gone.

And now, here he was waist deep in this gigantic cesspool of filth for absolutely no reason.

Feeling put out, he huffed, "What a waste of a perfectly good day."

Shoulders slumping, he made his way back to the shore, but before he'd gone even two feet, something shot up from the water right in front of him. Startled, he fell back, dropping beneath the water's surface and scrambling to gain his feet again. He burst out of the thigh deep water with a shout and whipped around.

Something was out there, and for some reason, he felt like it was watching him, stalking him.

Nervously, he shoved the hair from his face and began to walk backwards, keeping his eyes on the expanse before him. If something was going to jump out at him again, he wanted to be ready.

He made it another few feet when it happened again. Only this time, he saw it coming, and it was moving a whole lot slower. It cut through the water with a purpose, circling him, but the water simply wasn't clear enough to reveal what it was he was seeing. And that damn near freaked him out.

A shark wouldn't toy with him this way, and he was fairly certain it was too shallow to warrant a dolphin. Besides, in either of those cases, shouldn't he have seen a dorsal fin? Still, he wasn't taking any chances.

Waiting for it to move back out, he continued to back up to the shore, keeping his pace slow and steady lest he disturb whatever was out there even more than he already had. But it didn't seem to make any difference because it was coming back.

Whatever the hell it was, he had apparently piqued its interest just as much as it had piqued his.

He watched it swim toward him under the frothy surface and held his breath, hoping like hell it wasn't something with a penchant for Science teachers. He'd never been so anxious in his life, watching it come closer. He was certain he was only moments away from a heart attack.

And then it disappeared.

Well, his mind argued logically, it didn't actually disappear. He just couldn't see it anymore, and that was nerve wracking.

Suddenly, the surface of the water broke just in front of him, and he stumbled back with a squawk that sounded far more undignified than he'd ever admit was possible. He pressed a hand to his racing heart and opened his eyes only to freeze in place.

Was he dreaming?

Had the germ-infested water finally gotten to him?

Had he finally succumbed to delirium?

He had to have because what he was seeing before him wasn't possible. It simply wasn't.

He blinked once, then twice more, trying to force his eyes to see reality and not this...unbelievable myth.

And yet, no matter how much he tried to dispel the image, it remained.

A woman stared back at him. Long blonde hair framed her pale face and floated in a halo around her. Soft chestnut eyes peered up at him with open curiosity, and he had the sudden sensation that she was studying him. But what really struck him was the long sleek tail that swished through the water behind her.

Only that was insane.

With an abrupt shake of his head, he stepped back. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't, because there was no such thing as mermaids. Not in the ocean, and most definitely not in the small bay he was currently occupying. Mermaids would surely need deeper water to survive, right?

Maybe he was just losing his mind. That was more likely than this creature actually being real. Because that was a fantasy. An incredible fantasy, but a fantasy nonetheless.

Just then, amidst his musings, she smiled, and Freed felt his heart stop in his chest. It had to be the loveliest smile he'd ever seen, her pretty pink lips parting to reveal a mouthful of shiny white teeth. And just that fast, he knew she wasn't a figment of his imagination, because while he had created some wonderful characters before, there wasn't a chance in hell his mind could conjure up something so...flawless.

Drawing in a shaky breath, he took another step back and was flabbergasted when she followed him. She kept her distance, not closing the gap between them but following him just the same. But it wasn't until he'd reached knee deep water that he realized she fully intended to keep coming all the way up onto the beach.

...Well, that and she wasn't wearing anything to cover her chest.

He wasn't quite sure what he'd expected - shells, cloth - but clearly, he hadn't been prepared for...this.

Not for a real, live mermaid. A rather beautiful one, at that. Or a pair of the most perfectly formed breasts he'd ever seen.

Each was slightly larger than a handful. Well, his hands at least. Laxus' hands though might find them just the right fit. He paused at that, wondering why he'd even considered another man's hands in relation to this female's delectable body. He felt an odd flash of jealousy at the thought of this woman's breasts fitting more perfectly in his friends' hands than his own.

Unable to stop himself, he let his eyes linger, drawn to the sight of her pert, rose-colored nipples, and suddenly found it difficult to swallow. She was...stunning. And sexy.

Which was something he'd never imagined himself thinking of a mermaid.

Mostly because he hadn't actually believed they were real.

And yet, there she was, naked and glistening like a shiny new diamond...and oddly enough, giggling.

His head shot up instantly, embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he realized how long he'd stared at her nude form. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered, taking another step back as he fought to avert his eyes.

The only problem with that was even on his best days, he was a little on the awkward side. Today was most certainly not one of those...especially not with a hot mermaid coming for him. Unsurprisingly, he tripped and fell back into water, landing on his back in the soft sand beneath. Thankfully, it was shallow, the water not even covering his chest.

At least something was going for him today.

The mermaid stayed where she was, tail flicking lazily in the water and her head tipping to the side as if she was puzzling over something. Freed couldn't help wondering what it was. What was it about him that she seemed to find so fascinating? Was he perhaps the first human she'd ever seen?

She smiled again, inching further up the shore, and in doing so, exposed her breasts again. Before Freed could stop himself, his eyes dropped, transfixed. Damn, but she was beautiful. If only she didn't have a tail.

His mind raced with thoughts of her, imagining her with a pair of long, slender legs. He pictured her as a human - that same enticing smile, those same bountiful breasts - but bottom half that catered to all his greatest desires. He could almost imagine her climbing from the water on human legs, shapely ass swaying with every step until she reached him. He could almost feel her pale legs spread around him.

He'd never wanted anyone more or so quickly. Usually, it took time for him to become attracted to a woman. He always appreciated a woman who took her time getting to know him, and him getting to know her before moving on to the physical stuff.

But just now, there was nothing but carnality in his mind. Just everything he longed to do with her, and to her. And if that wasn't messed up, he didn't know what was.

She had a tail for Pete's sake!

A soft, tinkling laugh broke him from the naughty images dancing through his head, and his eyes shot up to her face only to find it taken over by a curious expression. She locked gazes with him immediately, that same intent stare taking over, and then he could hear her in his head.

I can do that.

Her voice was soft, touched with the slightest lilt of an accent. It was musical almost and beautiful. And still, all he could think of was hearing that sweet voice cry out his name in the throes of passion.

Shaking his head at the errant thought, he asked, "Do what?"

She laughed lightly.

Whatever you want.

Surely she couldn't mean what he so desperately wanted her to mean.

Her smile grew as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. And maybe she could. If she could speak directly into his mind, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to believe she could see into it as well.

Nodding briefly, she bit her lip, then closed her eyes. Seconds ticked by, and Freed was beginning to wonder what she was doing when her eyes flew open and she blinked. Slowly, she sat up, her breasts jostling just a bit as she began moving toward him. Closer and closer she came, sliding up next to his body.

But how...

The answer came to him before he could even complete the question in his mind.

This is what you wished for?

His eyes dropped to her breasts, then lower, where somehow the tail she'd once possessed was now an incredible set of legs. Beautiful, shapely legs, just like he'd pictured in his mind. And there, at the junction of those newly formed thighs was a perfectly groomed thatch of blonde curls.

All exactly as he'd imagined.

He wondered again, if only briefly, if perhaps he was dreaming. If he had somehow, completely lost all control of his faculties. Because this simply could not be real. She could not be real.

But even as he thought this, even as he ridiculed himself for believing in such a fantasy, his need for her grew. She was like no one he'd ever known, and as he stared at her, his fingers began to twitch, begging for a chance to reach out and touch her. Her breasts, her hips, her legs, and further to see if she was as humanly female as she now appeared to be.

The thought had barely formed when she reached out and grasped his hand, pulling him gently toward her.

I am as real as you want me to be. She pressed his hand to her chest, sliding it down over the swell of one breast and closing her eyes as she whispered in his mind again. Touch me. Feel me.

Freed could not believe this was happening, that any of this was real, but he was no longer certain he cared. Real or not, she felt that way, right down to her silken skin and the undeniable heat she had ignited inside of him.

How could he resist such an invitation?

Scooting forward in the wet sand that no longer bothered him, he reached out a second hand and cupped her other breast. She gave a low hum of approval as she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

Yes...like that.

Emboldened, he brushed his thumbs across her nipples, giving each a roll until they were both drawn into tight little peaks. And still he didn't stop. He couldn't, not when she uttered the softest of moans at his ministrations. He wasn't sure any sound had ever turned him on more.

His hardened cock lay trapped beneath his shorts, the very same shorts that had been loose not even 10 minutes ago, and all he could think about was finding a way inside of her.

But was that even possible?

Did her new body also include that sweet cavern he so longed to slip into?

She answered almost immediately, tugging a hand away from her breast and pressing it to the inside of one of her thighs. I am everything you imagined.

Following her direction, he swept a slow path up her leg. He paused, taking a moment to glance up at her face. He wanted to be sure this was okay, but she apparently had no qualms about what he was doing because she took hold of his hand and eased it between her legs.

Touch me.

She was slick, her sex already swollen as if she'd been waiting hours for his attention. He groaned quietly, thrusting a finger inside and imagining all of that heat surrounding him, squeezing him for all he was worth. His mind went wild, picturing her climbing atop him, sliding down over his cock and riding him for hours.

For days on end.

Over and over again.

Fast and slow. Deep and shallow.

He was so damn hot for her. He was damn near shaking with the need to be inside of her, and...hell, he didn't even know her name.

The mermaid sighed lightly. Lucy...you may call me Lucy...

"Lucy..." he whispered, shifting closer for a better angle when she suddenly rose up on her knees, drawing his hand from her sex. "Wait-"

The words died on his tongue when the woman shuffled forward and threw a leg over Freed's hips, settling in over his arousal and forcing a hiss from his mouth. "Holy shit. What...what are you-"

I am giving what you desire, she whispered into his mind as leaned back to reach down and tug him out of his shorts.

"What I..."

The words never made it out of his throat. He found he couldn't speak as she swept her hand down the length of his arousal, then back up.

Freed hissed as she made another pass along his shaft, her fingers tightening just a bit on the way up... just the way he liked it, just the way he'd imagined it.

"H-Holy shit..."

Lucy grinned down at him, stroking along his thick length once more.

You like this...But it is not everything you wish for.

Raising up, she eased forward until her dewy sex hovered right above him, and then, without a word of warning, she sank down onto his cock.

His body went rigid as her tight sheath pulled him in deep. No matter what she'd said, he hadn't actually believed she'd have sex with him. Well, to be fair, he hadn't actually anticipated any of this. Certainly not with a mermaid, and certainly not with his ass cheeks sinking into the wet sand of the beach.

But that didn't matter in the next instant because she was moving, shifting her body back and forth, up and down, and he couldn't find it in himself to give a damn about anything else.

With a breathy groan, he reached for her hips and rocked up, finding and matching her rhythm in only moments. Damn she felt so good. Tight. Wet. And oh so warm.

Perfect.

Not perfect. Just so so horny...

And hell if he couldn't relate.

Faster and faster, she moved over him, her body arching and falling hard over his staff until he was sure he would see stars. He was already so close, his shaft throbbing and his balls tightening with the need for release.

It had been too long since he'd had a woman, too long since he'd felt the velvet touch of a woman's body. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out, and he felt a spike of worry that he was not making it as good for her as she was for him.

This is good...so good.

Her voice in his head was soft, breathy and to his satisfaction, she sounded close to orgasm.

Hands gripping her ass tight, he renewed his efforts, driving up between her trembling thighs with every ounce of energy he possessed. Deeper and deeper, he thrust, pushing his member up and over that spongy bit of flesh just above her entrance, and finally, he felt it.

That first sweet flutter inside of her, the beginning of her end.

She gasped as she rode him desperately, hurling her body into the climax he'd predicted. And then her head flew back, and the first words he'd heard her speak can flowing from her mouth.

Only they weren't in any language he could understand.

There was only that beautiful voice he'd heard in his head and the feel of her sex pulling his own release from his body.

Her name shot from his lips as he came, and he clutched at her as a wave of water shot forward around them.

He looked up as the water receded, his mind sluggish, but awake enough to realize the water shouldn't have come that far. He'd been at the edge, sitting in the sand. Had they moved somehow? He glanced behind her, noticing that nothing had changed, and couldn't help wondering how the water had all but surrounded them only a moment ago and was now gone.

But then Lucy giggled, amusement etched onto her face as she stroked a single finger down his cheek. I am of the water.

Freed laughed. "And?"

And it is time to go.

His smile going small, he eased a hand up her back. "Already?"

Yes. She bit her lip around a grin. But perhaps, you'd like to come back sometime.

"When?" Freed asked instantly, then flushed at his eagerness. "I mean-"

Anytime you wish.

Did she mean that literally? Did that mean she wanted him to return soon? And how would she know he was here?

She didn't bother to wait for him to voice his questions. I will feel you here, and I will come to you. Anytime. Every time.

Her words had him beaming with male pride. "Tomorrow," he decided.

Tomorrow, she agreed.

And with that, she threw her body back toward the ocean, and he watched in amazement as her form shifted midair and she slid into the water a mermaid once more. Her head popped up moments later deeper into the water, and he grinned as she spoke her last words.

Until tomorrow, Freed. Think of me.

"I will."

An instant later, she disappeared and voices called to him from a little ways down the beach. "Yo Freed! Where the hell are you?"

His face split into a wide grin as he grabbed for his shorts and hastily pulled them on. Standing to his feet, he looked out at the water and knew she was still there watching him, and he couldn't resist lifting his hand in a quick wave. He didn't expect her to wave back. He simply wanted to say goodbye, but there, in the distant, he found her with her head barely peeking above the water and her lips quirked in a smile. She glanced down the beach toward his friends and then waved.

"There you are!"

"Look man, we're sorry," Laxus said, coming close and dropping a heavy hand on his shoulder.

Bickslow nodded. "Yeah, we shouldn't have gone so far."

Freed turned to his three friends, their faces each showing concern and a fair amount of regret. But he couldn't find it in himself to care about their earlier fight, not after finding Lucy. Grin fighting its way back on his face, he looked back out to sea and found that Lucy had disappeared from sight.

"What're looking at?" Gajeel asked, lifting a hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he glanced in the direction Freed had turned.

"Nothing," he answered brightly. "It's just so beautiful here, don't you think?"

Laxus eyed him suspiciously. "You...like it here now?"

Freed laughed lightly as he began walking back in the direction they'd come and nodded. "Yes, I believe I do. In fact, I think I'll come back tomorrow."