In the midst of being tackled to the ground, I had an adrenaline rush, even though I wasn't doing the tackling. I quickly glance over my shoulder, back at the person who attacked us. They shot their deadly beam of light. The size was colossal, it wouldn't just miss us. 

Before I could think to feel any kind of fear or doubts of avoiding serious injury, Midnight --yes, Midnight-- stepped in front of Cobra and I. I wanted to yell at him, to get him to somehow scat, but even if I were able to, it wouldn't do much good.

As quickly as the beam soared at us through the air.

"Tch. What a nuisance." Midnight grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

What...?

As if the light were hitting a sheet of glass, or maybe thinking of water spilling on a glass sheet instead will help confuse less. The light bounced and clawed at Midnight's invisible reflecting shield. He protected us. I'll be sure to give this good deed to the Council.

"Dammit, Sting, I said it wasn't him!" A yell brought us back to reality, well, when the beam dispersed. 

"What do you mean?! Of course, it's him! If it wasn't him, why he is over there---" 

The two men looked over at us in bewilderment. Sting and Rogue? And I thought this day couldn't get any better. I could tell by their facial expressions that they were terribly confused, but it was cut short after they turned toward each other again to argue some more.

Cobra helped me to my feet, "You okay, Blondie?"

I sigh, patting the dirt off my clothes, "Ugh, that was rough...I will be after a nice warm bath." I grumble, "I forgot you had reflecting magic, Midnight." I chuckle as said man turned around.

"I almost did, too, " He said, glaring off at the dragon slayers, "Do we know them?"

Before I could answer, the blonde man rushed toward us, "Where is he?! Tell me where he is and no one gets hurt!" 

"Sting, don't threaten random people!" Rogue was hot on his friend's tail.

"Who is 'he'?" I take a challenging step forward, glaring at the dragon slayer with spite.

"Seriously? You and I both know I'm talking about." Sting frowned, still-faced and completely determined to leak any information from me.

"I really don't--" I do know. It suddenly came to me. My blood curled just by thinking it. You know that feeling when something happened to you and you flush out of any and every color, and then feel like that something is about to slap you big time? I've been doing so good, and now...now not so much. I fold my arms, each hand gripping my biceps with trembling fingers. "I'm sorry, I can't help you." Yes. That's the best way of getting them to go away. "Come on, guys, let's get back." I don't really want to be stuck in this repeating explanation of my situation. I feel my hands slither over my belly in protection.

I go to turn around, but Sting stops me while grabbing my shoulder.

"From that reaction, I'm betting something bad happened?"

"It's none of your business, so if you don't mind, " I slap his hand from my body, "We really ought to be off." 

"His scent is mixed with yours." Sting suddenly said as I rejoined Cobra and Midnight.

"You know, smelling girls don't really attract them to you." I resist the urge to sneer rudely, but it was inevitable. I really wanted to get home now, before Nancy Drew pops out and does her investigation.

"Sting, you can shut up now," Rogue said. Obviously, he's the one with the brain in their friendship.

My anxiety was skyrocketing and I really didn't want to break down in the middle of the street. I don't think anyone would appreciate a sobbing pregnant lady ruining their evenings.

"Did you have a relationship together?" Not anymore. "Were you friends with benefits?" Ewe. No. Why was he prying!? "Did he hurt you?" Yes. More than I'd like to admit.

Even from down the street, I spin around, "Would you just shut your air hole?! I said it's none of your damned business!!" 

"Want me to shut him up for you? He's getting really damn annoying." Cobra cracked his knuckles menacingly while an insane grin split his lips open.

"No. We're already causing a scene." I notice a few heads poking from doors and peeking through seconds story windows. Quite the nosy bunch, aren't they? "We should scat before they decide to make a bigger one." 

.

Sting frowned deeply as he and Rogue watched the trio disappear into the night. What was Blondie's deal? It's not like he did anything bad to her, so why did she act that way?

"You're an idiot, Sting." Rogue bluntly deadpanned.

"What, why?"

"Invading a woman's space after attacking her isn't really a way to attract her attention." The dark-haired man crossed his arms over his chest, a disappointed frown painting his lips.

"I thought she was Natsu! Sue me!" Sting glared at him with the sarcastic comment.

"I ought to. She was overwhelmed and completely uncomfortable with your questions. You never think, do you?" 

Sting jammed his hands into his pockets.

"Frosch thinks so, too!" The little green kitty clad in a pink frog suit smiled, waving a paw in the air.

"Whose side are you on?" Lector defensively said, standing by his dragon slayer's feet.

Frosch didn't answer, but Rogue sure did. "You shouldn't just burst the seams and interrogate a woman like this--"

"There was something different about her scent." Sting interrupted Rogue suddenly, "Not only was hers mixed with Natsu's, but it had something different."

Annoyed that he cut him off, "Oh really? Like what?"

"I don't know, okay!" Sting snapped, "It was like soap or something...like that really foamy smell." He kicked a pebble away with his foot.

"The Fairy was right, " Rogue began, "You really won't attract girls by smelling them."

Irked, Sting nearly exploded, "Well, excuse me! I thought she was Natsu. Are you done nagging at me now?"

"How did you say she smelled, again?" Rogue said, glancing back at the empty street, inhaling the old and new scents in the air.

"Like strawberries and foam?" Sting settled down, saying it as if it were a question.

"Natsu's scent was mixed with hers, and she smells of foam?" Rogue listed in a murmur.

"What're you thinking, Rogue?" Not that he cared about Lucy or anything, he was just curious as to why his rival's scent was mixed with hers. He had multiple scenarios in his head, like how they spend so much time together and she's always near him, and then there's the possibility of them being in an intimate relationship or friends with benefits or secretly married...and then there's --nope. It's really not possible, well, it's completely possible, but Sting couldn't see the woman as expecting a kid.

"I think she's pregnant."

"What? How?" The blonde man snapped his attention to Rogue and with all seriousness, he was considering the suggestion. There was no way he could've figured that out so fast!

"Like every person with a freaking uterus does! What are you, a boy going through puberty?" Rogue said rather harshly, then cleared his throat, "I mean, it's reasonable, considering you thought she was him. She smells like him, and she got defensive with your obnoxious questioning. And if you didn't notice it, but every color in her body faded with the questions. It wasn't just coincidence. Something happened, and she doesn't want to talk about it, " Rogue explained his theory, "But don't go following any scent trails, you don't want her to become any upset than she actually is."

"Keh, what she gonna do if I do?" Sting curled his lip.

"Well, she has her spirits, and she can fight."

"But, she lost all her battles during the Games."

"First time, she got cheated. The second time, she was up against a force greater than she was, and it was an underwater battle, so it's understandable." Rogue pointed out.

"She still lost!"

"I don't care, don't go messing with her, " Rogue turned away, ominously sinking into the shadows, "If you do, I'll sick Yukino on you."

"Wha-?!! Hey, no! Don't do that! Rogue, please come back!" 

The shadow dragon slayer disappeared with his Exceed, leaving Sting and Lector in the empty street. 

"Dammit." Sting gruntled with an angry pout.