There were exactly four days in Jude's life that he did not want to occur. Four entire days that he was not ready to have happen. Four days that, no matter how much planning he had, he would always be unprepared for. These four days put his stomach in knots, made him start to sweat. They were inevitable, something he would have to come to terms with. These were the four days any single father awaited unhappily.

The first day Jude did not want to occur was his little girl's wedding day. Sure, Lucy was only six right now, but kids grew up fast. Just the idea of his beautiful little Lucy growing up and getting married made his hands shake. Emotionally, he would never be ready. He'd never be able to let go of his baby. Never. He didn't even want to think of it.

The second day Jude did not want to come was the day Lucy got her period. Of course, as a single father, he knew he'd be forced to take the lead on this one. But my god, he didn't want to. Talking to his sweet little angel about her menstruation? Not something he was excited for. Of course, this was also years away—but he'd already gotten a stock pile of pads and tampons in the bottom drawer of the bathroom vanity. Just in case.

The third day Jude never wanted to experience was the day Lucy got her first boyfriend. It was on the list for reasons similar to the first day; he didn't want another man to be in her life, take over his place. He wouldn't ever be ready to let go of her. He wouldn't be prepared to see her grow up. But he mostly feared this day because Layla wouldn't be around for when things went south. That first inevitable heartbreak, the crying, the tears…It would break his heart, too. He wouldn't know what to do. Layla was always good at these sorts of things, not him. He wouldn't be ready.

And, finally. The fourth day that Jude was dreading. The day that Lucy found out about soulmates.

They were a common thing in their world, something given to you right when you were born. The second you breathed your first breath, the universe picked a person specifically meant for you. And, of course, there was only one way to communicate with your soulmate until you met face to face.

By drawing on yourself.

That's how soulmates communicated, right until they met. They could interact right from the get go. You drew a line on your cheek, and your soulmate would have that same exact line show up on their cheek. It wasn't unusual to see people's arms littered with special little drawings their soulmate had given them. It was sweet, really.

Except he knew that Lucy, upon learning of this intimate bond with a stranger, would be absolutely obsessed with it. She loved romance movies, love songs, the works. This—having her perfect person be simply a drawing away—would capture all of her attention. She would never shut up about the drawings her soulmate gave to her, or what she drew them each day. He loved his daughter with entire heart, but he could see this become very, very annoying.

But, he waited on baited breath, in the hopes that maybe the education system would fail his daughter on this specific topic. Maybe she'd miss the day they taught all of the children about soulmates. Maybe they would just stop teaching about it. Maybe, if he was super lucky, the idea wouldn't interest Lucy in the slightest.

But despite Jude's nightly prayers, the day did arrive. And he knew instantly.

He'd driven to the school as he always did, prepared to pick up his little one from first grade. He watched as her and her little pack of pals walked out of the front of the elementary school, all whispering and chatting to each other. This was not unusual; the girls were always blabbering on to each other about something. But this time, they were all looking down at little Erza's arm, giggling excitedly.

"Oh no," He'd grumbled under his breath as he came to the realization. "Not already."

Lucy had said goodbye to her friends and then jogged over to Jude's car, little hands holding on tightly to her backpack straps. She opened the car door, slid into the passenger seat, and closed the door behind her.

There was a split second of silence, and Jude hoped he'd just misinterpreted what her and her friends were doing.

"Daddy, was Mommy your soulmate?"

Jude's shoulders sagged. He let out a breath, admitting defeat. The first day he was dreading had officially arrived. Knowing the only option he had was to accept defeat, Jude responded honestly. He flicked on his turning signal, pulling away from the school loading zone, headed towards their home. "Yes, she was."

"What was the first drawing she ever sent you?"

He thought back for a moment, and then glanced down at his little girl. "A flower."

"How old were you?"

He shrugged. "I was…ten? Nine, maybe?"

Lucy frowned slightly. "Why so old?"

"Back in my day, they didn't teach kids about soulmates until grade five." He paused for a few seconds before mumbling under his breath, "Looks like they teach it earlier, now. Too early, if you ask me."

The little blonde blinked. "Oh. Makes sense." She cast her eyes out of the window, over the passing city. "What was the first thing you drew her?"

Jude kept his eyes on the road, cheeks getting hot. He couldn't help but blush at the topic of conversation—after all, it was incredibly intimate. Discussing soulmates, especially specific details such as the specific drawings you gave and received…it wasn't common. Because having a soulmate was such an intimate feeling, such an intimate bond, it was common knowledge that you didn't really pry into other people's business. Of course, it was different when you had a child—they weren't prying, just trying to understand. But still, it was hard for him to talk about. It was so…private.

"I drew her…" Jude trailed off, thinking back to his younger days, "A flower back."

"What kind of flower?"

Jude smiled at his daughter's interest. Another personal question—one that if she weren't his daughter, he wouldn't have answered. "A daisy. I went to the library and took out a big book about flowers. Took me two days to flip through that thing and find a flower I thought was the prettiest. And then I practiced on a sheet of paper for another day and a half so it wouldn't look terrible. Then, I drew it for her."

"Where'd you draw it?"

He swallowed; his throat was getting a little thick thinking about his lovely wife. "The palm of my hand."

"How did it turn out?" Lucy inquired, turning her gaze back to her father now.

Jude turned his signal on, pulling off of the main road and into their neighborhood now. "Terrible. Looked like it was wilted. Just about the worst drawing of a flower anyone has ever seen."

Lucy giggled at that. "Did Mommy like it?"

He peered down at his daughter. "She responded with a smiley face—so, I think so."

That made Lucy smile; her chubby little cheeks were flushed with happiness. It seemed to take her a few long moments to digest all of the information her father had given her. Two minutes later, as they pulled into their driveway and Jude put the car in park, Lucy asked one more question.

"When Mommy died, did you stop getting drawings?"

Jude looked down at the little girl, a sad smile slowly working its way onto his lips. "Yeah. Except for one."

Lucy frowned. "How come?"

Jude stuck out his arm, hiking his shirt sleeve up, folding it so his inner forearm was showing. On it, a small image of a rose lay across his skin. "When your mom got her diagnosis, she planned this. One last drawing. She got a tattoo…so it's with me forever."

Lucy looked down at the little rose, then back up to her father. "And you were in love? You and Mommy?"

Jude couldn't help but smile. She looked just like Layla, like a miniature version of her. Even the little sparkle in her eyes, the ferocity in her grin…it was just like her mother. "Completely."

"Hm." Lucy seemed pleased with that response. She grabbed her backpack and opened the car door, hopping out of it and closing it behind her. Jude did the same, locking the car as the pair made their way up to the house. "So, when you met, what was it like?"

Jude grabbed the house key, sticking it in the keyhole and opening the door to their home. He watched as little Lucy walked in and sat on the little bench in the foyer, taking her sandals off. "Like magic."

"How'd you know that she was the one you'd been drawing all along?"

Jude shrugged. "There's no real way to explain it. It's just…you see her, and you know. The bond is that strong. She was just the one. That's it."

She shrugged her backpack off. "Was it the same for her?"

"Yup—well, I think so. She just walked up to me and kissed me." He paused, smiling back on the memory. "She was a firecracker."

"So, what's the point of it, then?" Lucy inquired, big brown eyes looking up at her dad.

"The point?" He repeated. "Of soulmates?"

"What's the point of the drawings? Why not just have soulmates be together right away?"

"Well," Jude said, leaning against the wall, shutting the front door behind them. He crossed his arms. "Because not everyone is ready for their soulmate right away. You have to do some growing first. You've got to become a person worthy of your soulmate. I met your mother when I was 22—trust me when I say I wasn't ready to meet her before then. She wouldn't have liked me."

"Then, what's the point in letting soulmates draw to each other?"

"Because," Jude murmured softly, "There are times in your life when things are going to be hard. Really hard. And you'll be alone." He paused. "When those times come…you've got someone there for you. You might not be ready to meet them, but you're bond is so strong that you can't just be without them. So, you can draw to each other. And when you're ready to meet them, you will—and they'll blow you away."

Lucy smiled at his last comment. "That's so dreamy," She murmured, her voice going into that dreamlike state she'd go into after she'd seen a romantic movie. "I can't wait. What should I draw him? A cat? Maybe he won't like cats, maybe he's a dog person. Maybe he hates animals. No, no. There's no way he hates animals. My soulmate wouldn't hate animals, would he? Because I don't think I could love someone who hates animals. And he's supposed to blow me away—so you say—and all. So, no. He has to love them. But would he love a cat or a dog? Dad, what do you think?"

Jude sighed. He was right—she'd never shut up about it. "I don't know, Lucy. You're the one who's got a bond with him."

Lucy frowned. "Right." She stood, letting out a sigh. "Well, I'll be in my room. I've got a lot of drawing to do."

Jude sighed again, shaking his head as his daughter stomped off determinedly to her room. "Try not to harass him, sweetie."

"No promises!" She called back, adding in, "He's gonna love it!"

Jude looked down at the little rose, permanently etched into his arm. A symbol of eternal love from his beautiful wife. God, he'd miss her forever. "Oh Layla," He muttered, realizing just how much of a handful Lucy would be now, "You would've loved to see this."

A/N: Hey readers! It's a new story! Hope you aren't sick of a good ol' soulmate trope. Anyways, I'm hoping for this story to be pretty short and sweet, I'm currently thinking maybe 4 chapters, just a little mini story? I know I've said this before (*ahem* remember when Life In Technicolor was going to be 5 chapters? And ultimately ended up being 29?) but I really think this one can only go for a short amount of chapters. Anyways, let me know what you think! I love your support, I love reading the reviews you guys leave me. Thank you so much for everything!