Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! This will be beta'd one day and reposted. Probably.

Last chapter :) Wooohooo

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Disclaimer: I clearly do not own this.

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Chapter 8: The highlights and lowlights

"Rogue, we can't." A demanding kiss cut off her words. Hungry lips moved down her chest where her dress had once been. "No, we're –in –in," a soft gasp escaped her lips and he smirked against the fevered flesh of her breast. Oh she felt so immoral right now… This was all his fault. The closing ceremony had just finished and her mate had trapped her in a darker corner off the entrance hall. It certainly wasn't as secluded as she would have liked it to be. Her Demon continued to torment her nipples, biting and sucking beyond her silence point. His lips once again muffled her yelps as his hands tore off her panties. He reached to unbuckle his pants to note they were already around his ankles. Lucy practically leered at him. She was learning fast to keep up with his pace. He loved that about her. Yes, he finally liked something to a degree that he found he couldn't live without – otherwise known as love. Rogue loved her ability to understand himself better than he did. The dragon slayer pressed his mate to the wall as she locked her strong legs around his hips. It didn't take long for the two to get lost in their activities.

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"Hey Rogue? I'm home. Where are you?" Lucy called through her apartment, barely managing to close the door behind her and set the pile of groceries down on the kitchen counter. There was no response. Her patience with him lately was on shaky grounds and his indifference towards her was not helping his case. The only time he would talk to her was with the promise of sex. It was always about sex. TOO much sex. She gripped the package of his favourite beer tightly, regaining control of her temper.

"Cana and Evergreen are coming over with Rufus and Elfman tomorrow night. I bought a lot of stuff. Can you help me for a few minutes?" She called out again in hopes of tempting him to respond at the mention of his guildmate. Nothing. She could sense a mild annoyance from him somewhere in her flat. He's annoyed? How dare he! Ignoring the groceries, she stalked off to find her mate. Lucy found him lazily sprawled out on her bed, reading some instruction manual on a two-piece cat scratch post. It's a bloody cat scratch post! How hard can it be to set up?! She looked at the foot of their bed to see that Fro's fishing gear was gone –meaning their Exceed was likely playing with Happy.

"So will Fro be home for dinner tonight?" She asked. No response –not even the bat of an eye.

"Rufus proposed to Cana. We're asked to be in their wedding party." Still nothing. Fine, she thought, ire rising.

"How about we fuck?" She managed to say sweetly in spite of the seething rage coursing through her veins. How had he not sensed her anger by now? Did he not care?

"Hn," was his confirmatory response as he started stripping. She turned on her heel, calmly as ever, and left her apartment with only the spirit keys and purse in hand. She reached Gajeel's apartment minutes later and opened the door, knowing it was just Levy home. Gajeel had gone with Laxus on a two-day mission involving dragons eggs or something equally as boring.

"Levy? We're going on a road trip!" Lucy called out. "We have to hurry though. Rogue will be here any minute …" She added with a grumble. Levy skidded around the entry way corner wearing a blinding smile.

"Let's do it!" The blue haired mage said excitedly. This girl was an adrenaline junkie breathing peril, Lucy would swear. The two left Gajeel's home with the bare minimums and escaped to the train station. By the time Rogue realized that she wasn't coming back, the two girls had boarded the first train leaving the city. She'd left him yet again without a word or a clue as to where she had gone.

Rogue relived that horrible feeling of rejection, only this time it felt a hundred times worse. Something wet leaked from his eye and he couldn't put his finger on what to call the many turbulent emotions he was currently experiencing. It felt horrible though –it physically hurt him. Lucy would know how to fix it, he was sure. The stabbing pain came again at the thought of her and the single wet stream replenished itself. Oh God he needed to find her. Something was terribly wrong with him. This longing feeling was out of control. The dark mage pulled his clothing back on and tracked down her scent.

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Lucy admired her amethyst diamond flower pin in her curled hair. Rogue knew how to give one hell of a sorry present. He claimed that this way, the flower wouldn't wither and she could always admire its beauty. She knew he did it for practical reasons but she'd like to think there was some thoughtfulness behind it. Her shimmery dress stood out next to his black robes as they engaged in the traditional bridesmaid-groomsmen dance at the wedding reception.

"This is nice," Lucy breathed, resting her head gently on her man's chest. "I like dancing with you." The blonde was rather impressed with his affinity towards complicated and coordinated foot movements. It can't be said all dragon mages have this ability; watching Natsu dance was like watching a flaming train derail. Rogue looked down at his Fairy in his arms. From their last fight, he had quickly confirmed it took more than sex and food to keep a mate around. It took a lot of begg- apologizing to get her back home. The dark mage wondered if he should tell her that he was tearing up when she had left. Honesty helped them move past their first fight so he'd try it again.

"You made me very sad when you left," Rogue spoke lowly, trying not to relive those soul-killing days again. Lucy looked up at him curiously with an odd glimmer behind her lashes. "I shed wet things from my eyes," came a tight-lipped admission with an awkward after blush. Seriously? 'Wet things'? Lucy thought, rolling her eyes.

"Did you? Was it grape juice? You have that checked out," Lucy mused dryly. He was rather cross when he spun her quickly, snapping her back to his chest. She didn't look affected; in fact her eyes were sparkling with mirth now.

"No. They were tears. Happy?"

"Yes, very. I made you cry," Lucy gloated. Rogue looked at her stonily. "It means that you care." She explained softly, planting a chaste kiss on his lips. Rogue mulled this statement over. To care implies warm fuzzy feelings of weakness towards another person. Then yes, he supposed he did care about Lucy. A lot. They bowed the end of the dance and moved towards the window.

"I do care about you," he openly admitted, feeling no shame. "So you can't leave again. Promise me." A large hand ran through her silky hair and she smiled. He loved her smile; it made her glow every single time.

"I can promise you that if you promise me something in return." Honey eyes met red ones. He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"Don't ignore me. Speak to me honestly when I talk to you. It's lonely living at home when you're no better company than a brick wall."

"Ah, but a brick wall can't screw you six ways from Sunday now can it?" he quipped, taking her demands in stride. The blonde burst out laughing and hugged her mate closely.

"Yes, exactly like that. I like to know what's on your mind," she giggled, accepting a doting kiss on her cheek.

"Alright, speaking of which, it's almost ten." He gave her a meaningful look.

She returned it with a scoff. "Oh come on, we're at a wedding! Rufus and Cana would be disappointed to see us go so soon… They'd be furious if they found out we left just to go shag." She hissed, not wanting the oddly sniffing Sting, currently terrorizing some females a few chairs away, to hear their conversation. Rogue kissed her earlobe and she bit back another comment.

"We won't be gone too long. You'll enjoy it, I promise," he coaxed in that velvety voice she always lost her pants over. She felt that hot blush ignite through every pore on her body and decided Cana and Rufus could do without them for a few minutes.

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"Rogue, it's too dangerous. Please don't go. You'll get hurt!" The blonde cried, thinking his latest mission was absurd. She couldn't understand why the Sabertooth Guild took so many borderline illegal jobs.

"I'll be back before you know it. Five days, tops," he assured her, catching his hysterical fiancé in another hug.

"Fro is going too, Lucy! Fro will look after Rogue and give him fish!" Lucy swallowed their Exceed in the three-way hug and prayed to any and all Gods to protect her boys. Rogue left his celestial maiden standing in their entryway with tears streaming down her face and panic rocking her system. Something was just not right about this mission.

Cana, the only other Sabertooths' woman left behind, swung by the blonde's flat a day later. Lucy had a doctor's appointment to get to about odd symptoms she had been feeling; her health had been completely out of whack these past few weeks. One anxiety ridden appointment later found the celestial mage crying at home once again with Cana and Levy as her cheer-up company. They were doing a rather shit job if Lucy did say so herself.

"How did it happen? I always take it every time, on time!" Lucy bellowed, rifling through her packs of medication.

"Who knows. Maybe you got distracted by something…" Cana replied calmly, flipping through a baby catalogue. Cana herself was 8 months along. Her and Rufus did not take long to start a family, much to Guildart's dismay. The aging man was still holding out for a divorce. "Do you want a white or black pram? I'm getting the white one…" The unlikely, expectant mother decided.

"Lucy, why don't you wait until Rogue gets home to decide what you will do together." Levy piped in, wise as ever despite her wild-child tendencies.

"He's not due home for another three days. I know exactly what he'll say too. He'll say 'good –it's going to be a boy' and then want to shag." She practically yelled, crushing her small calendar between two hands.

"It's not so bad Luce. You've been together for four years now! He's no stranger. At least he didn't demand kids right away like Natsu did with Lisanna," Cana snorted. Lucy flushed at the thought of her triplet nephews. They were all fire-breathing hyper terrors like their father –Lisanna's had a few melt downs since having kids but those two managed to keep it together. Lucy imagined what the fetus in her womb would be like if he turned out like Rogue; moody, spoiled and arrogant with a hint of sadism –Lucy frowned. That will not do. She'd have to wait out three days until Rogue's return. That was the only thing she could do.

But Rogue never did return home on the third day. Lucy picked up a faint painful feeling through her bond and began to panic. Something was very wrong. She wasn't dying, which was a good sign, but she couldn't feel Rogue like she usually did. She summoned her long-time friend Loke and the two set out to find the missing dragon slayer. The first place they travelled to was the small village the Sabertooth elite were sent to investigate. What they assumed were once buildings and houses were smoldering, charred piles on the ground. What happened here?! Lucy frantically followed the faint traces of pain from the bond until she picked up on the direction they were strongest from. It led her and her spirit friend straight down a road to a second small village. People were mulling about the sandy paths in bandages and casts.

"Loke, do you see any Sabertooth around here? I can't tell," she whispered, straining her eyes under the setting sun. She couldn't even make distinctions between man and woman, there were so many ruddy bandages.

"There's one over there," Loke eventually pointed out, pulling the blonde with him to meet the glare of Minerva. Oh hurrah. My favourite person on this entire planet. Lucy glanced over the bandaged girl sitting on a rickety chair before deciding to take a sweet approach; you catch more flies with honey than vinegar after all. Loke scurried off, likely to check for more of the Sabertooth elite in village. He knew how desperate Lucy was right now to find her mate.

"Minerva, are you ok? The last village looked like a war zone." Lucy spoke carefully, checking over the bloody bandages of the raven-haired witch. The usually hostile mage allowed Lucy to rewrap a loosening bandage on her arm. It occurred to Lucy that the girl was likely as spoiled as Rogue was. Perhaps Sabertooth mages inherently enjoyed being doted on. The glare decreased in intensity and Minerva shifted slightly in her seat.

"I'll live. It was a mage from a dark guild that was experimenting in the last town. He blew up the place when we arrived…" She didn't seem to want to elaborate and Lucy had a sinking feeling.

"Where are they others? Are they hurt?" A hint of worry laced her voice and Minerva noticed.

"They are alive, Orga just barely. They are resting in the mayor's house down the road." Lucy wrung her hands and considered her options.

"Would you like to come with me to visit them? I'm sure they'd like to see you." Lucy offered, unsure of why she felt to need to be kind to this woman. The raven haired witch eyed the blonde coolly before accepting the offer. The healthy mage helped the wounded one up out of her chair and steadied her on her feet. That's when Lucy saw the real extent of the damage. The pretty witch had a large section of muscle missing from one of her legs –Lucy could visibly see the difference in size from one wrapped calf to the other. She didn't want to imagine the pain of the burned flesh she was smelling.

"Loke! I need some help!" Lucy called out. Her spirit landed beside the two mages and picked up the wincing Minerva. "We're heading to that house down there. It's where the rest are," Lucy spoke nervously. If this was the state Minerva was in, she didn't dare think of what shape Rogue was in. The three made their way to the makeshift hospital that was the mayor's house and meandered up to the second floor. The master bedroom had makeshift cots, sitting a grumpy Sting, a sullen Rufus and a sleeping Rogue.

Rogue. Lucy rushed towards his prone form and hugged his warm body.

"You're a bloody jerk you know that? I told you not to go and look what happened. You left me so worried!" She moaned into his muscular shoulder. She inspected his groggy body to find deep cuts crusted over here and there. A poorly bandaged head was the last thing she encountered. The blonde shakily removed the head bandage to see a nasty gash across his brow and eye lid. Oh god, did he lose one of his beautiful eyes? The celestial mage couldn't tell from the swelling but knew he was in immense pain. She carefully retightened the bandage and left his drowsy body to do the healing. She wondered when the last time he ate was. And where was their Exceed? She summoned Virgo to ask Wendy to the village as fast as possible. The maid left and Lucy swivelled to face the other members of the Sabertooth elite.

"Is Cana mad at me?" Rufus interjected, cringing slightly at her shrug of confirmation.

"She's more worried than mad but I'd count on a broken lamp or two when you get home." Lucy sighed. "How's Erza's sparring partner doing over there?" Lucy indicated to the large lump on the king sized bed.

"He hasn't moved since yesterday." Rufus responded, not particularly worried. "There's a healer coming again tonight to force him out of his coma. Orga has to eat and drink something to sustain his condition."

"Hmm. Wendy will be here soon. She'll help I'm sure," Lucy whispered quietly, running her fingers through the small tuft of hair poking out of Rogue's head bandage. "Where's Fro? I haven't seen him." Sting, who had been quietly talking to Minerva, pointed to the black fuzzy ball beside Rogue. Lucy had thought that was a pillow when she first walked in! His frog suit was gone, she noted sadly.

"Fro sweety, Lucy is here," The blonde fairy soothed. The furry black ball didn't uncurl and Lucy gently picked up her adorable kitten. Hugging their Exceed, Lucy hummed, "you're going to have a new member of the family to protect soon. Probably in six months or so. What do you think?"

"Hrrm mph mph phhl." Was his response. Lucy sighed. She knew what was bothering him.

"No one could have protected your idiot partner Rogue. Don't feel bad Frosch," Lucy commanded, glad to see Frosch unfurl himself. He sniffled and nodded. Lucy couldn't tell if black was the actual colour of his fur or if his fur was singed. He didn't seem to be in pain so she gently put him down with a ruffle behind his ears.

"Lucy," came a rather sharp voice. Oh crap. He was awake? How much did he hear? She turned back smiling to her mate, trying to cover up her blunder. It seems the rest of his team was staring at her too.

"How do you feel? You have some pretty nasty cuts and burns. Wendy should be able to-"

"Lucy," he repeated again, this time a growl. "A baby? In six months?! How could you not TELL me until now?" He was inwardly ecstatic and livid at the same time.

"I just found out! The doctor confirmed it while you were here blowing yourself up. What did you expect me to do? Send a messenger pigeon?!" She exclaimed. This was not how it was supposed to have gone down. The news was still a shock to her too; she didn't need one his tantrums to add to her list of woes.

"I would have come home!" He protested. His teammates looked wide eyed between the arguing couple. Did Rogue just whine? The three feared for an onslaught of another dragon instinct episode. He hadn't acted this weirdly in front of them since four years ago and he was not above friendly fire then.

"Riiight tough guy. Can you even move right now?" Lucy challenged, poking him back down to the cot. "Simmer down and be happy I didn't kick your butt to the curb when you left for such a stupid mission. We're both lucky to be alive right now after this little stunt you pulled." Rogue could feel frustration radiating from her. She was right, as usual. Lucy had more reason to be angry than he did.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, wanting to rid her of her apprehension.

"Mhhm"

"Really, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you."

"I heard you…" She said stiffly, looking in the other direction. The other three Sabertooths looked away quickly when her eyes landed on their astonished faces. They couldn't help but stare. This was like watching a poodle take a bear for a walk. On a leash.

"Please look at me Lucy," he asked, painfully reaching for her hand. Not wanting him to injure himself further, the blonde reluctantly scooted herself back by his side and held his hand.

"Don't try to open your other eye. Wait until Wendy gets here..." She grumbled, pecking his temple with a displeased pout. He smiled at her doting actions and wanted to prod her further. The dark mage found his fairy adorable when she was like this.

"But I want to look at you with both eyes," he began, using his other hand to tug at the bandage covering his swollen and split eye lid. She snatched his fingers away in one fluid movement and gave him a reprimanding glare.

"Don't you touch that. It'll hurt more…"

"So you care that I'm in pain?" he drawled, enjoying her no-nonsense grip on both of his hands. Slender fingers weaved through his in response.

"Of course I care, you twit! Why do you think I came so fast? Do you not remember that I proposed to you?" She huffed but continued to hold his hands. Rogue could be an absolute goob sometimes.

"Why did you propose anyways?" He goaded, holding back a gleeful snort.

"Because I love you," she responded assuredly in a slight pout. How could I not? The blonde thought upon seeing his faint pink blush creep up his poorly wrapped neck. "Why'd you say yes?" She shot back. HAH! I win, not even knowing what argument she was winning anymore.

"Because I love you too," he replied nonchalantly. It took her a moment to understand his words and her hands flew to cover her mouth. Did he just say the L word? Yes, he did. It took four years to get there but he finally said it in his own ridiculous Roguish way. She hugged him tightly in her excitement and showered him with kisses, forgetting he had open wounds. He didn't mind, in spite of the pain. Her kisses made everything better anyways.

Well, flowers too he supposed but let that thought drift away under his Fairy's warm display of affection.

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The end.

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I hope you had a laugh or two with/at the fic. I know I did :) I'm by no means a writer but had to get this mad idea on paper (or e text or whatever other space-aged name you have for it). I'd love to give ideas to anyone looking to write RoLu M-rated fics. They are a blast to plot out and I encourage writers out there to take a go at it! We need some good ones :). - 2012. At a quick glance, I'd say RoLu has done quite well! - 2014

Cheers and thanks for reading this silly drabble!