As Lucy scribbled down the outline for her next book she looked up at the clock. It was a few minutes after 8pm. Lucy let out a sigh and finished her sentence then stood to walk to the bathroom. Before she even placed her hand on the door she imagined what it would look like. From the way it sounded on her side of the door a small battle was being waged in there. Splashing, shouting orders, and more splashing. She opened the door to check on the child squealing while her dragon toy dived into the murky bubbles. Lucy looked around it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. There was a Barbie in the sink that she swore was in the tub when her daughter had entered the tub. Another Barbie was in the dirty clothes basket. It's hair still very wet. The child let out a laugh as the dragon reappeared this time upside down. Lucy laughed as well watching her daughter have the time of her life in the water.

"Hey baby girl it's 8pm. Time to get ready for bed." The little girl let out a whine. "Why is there a Barbie in the sink and dirty clothes?" The questions no one ever thinks they would ask until they become parents.

"They are learning flying magic. So they flew over there." The child made it sound as if should have been obvious.

"Well, you have school tomorrow. Time to get out" Lucy patted the door. Another whine came from the child.

"But why do I have to go to school? I want to stay with you all day!" Lucy loved that idea. While Lucy loved having her daughter with her where ever she went; she like her child going to school and getting the most out of her education.

"Nope, not this time. Besides you would not get to see all your friends. Come on now and I will read you a story after you get dressed." That seemed to win her over. Books and being read to was one of her daughter's favorite things.

Lucy closed the door and went to straighten up her papers to be put away. Working as both a mage and an author there was very little her time. On top of it all her daughter wanted to be attached to her hip at all times. Although, recently she had been exploring her independence, like running her bath water and making simple meals for herself like a bowl of cereal.

It has been almost 8 years since the battle with Zeref and that last night with Natsu. What had started as a simple card game became more; and with the prospect of losing their life the next day, they both shared their feelings and their bodies. Lucy could still feel his breath at the nape of her neck. The heat of his tongue as it blazed a trail across her body. The way his thick calloused fingers felt was they made their way down her sides. He made her feel more alive in that night than she had felt before. Lucy remembered how she could feel his heart beat has his raged breath begged for his release. The heights that he had taken her to in a single moment. How after everything his lips felt against her own. Her own prayer that, that night would not end and she could feel that way forever.

But her prayers weren't answered. In the middle of the night shortly after they had finished the alarms went off meaning that the battle was starting. He had pulled her aside after they had left her apartment and told her that there was something that he wanted to tell her. It was a long hard battle. They had lost many people including the master. She had made it out but Natsu in order to kill Zeref killed himself. She didn't get to him in time. Lucy never heard what Natsu wanted to tell her. Not too long after that she found out that she was pregnant. Even though he was gone, he had left a part of himself with her. A gift of that night and of the love that they had shared if only for a brief moment in time. Lucy cried that entire night. Not out of sadness but thanking whoever above would listen that she still had a piece of him. That while he might be gone a part of him would remain with her. It was not surprising that the guild banded together around her. she knew she was not alone.

The door slamming open as the little girl dressed in an old t-shirt came running in and dive bombed in Lucy's arms. Natsu's pink hair and her brown eyes, the little girl was the perfect mixture of both of them.

"Mama, I wanna hear 'bout princesses. Yeah, because you know I love princesses." A big toothy smile spanned across the child's face.

"Oh?" Lucy smirked, "You do? Wait when did you like princesses I thought you liked scary things?" The sarcasm dripped from Lucy's voice. This went over her daughter's head.

"Mommy!" She giggled, "I've always loved princesses! I don't like being scared!"

This was true, the child's room was a shade of neon pink with princess and castle cutouts all over. She was every meaning of the word of girly.

"No, No… I'm sure you like zombies." Lucy laughed as the little girl puffed her cheeks. Lucy walked over to the bookcase and pulled out a book on fairy tales and was led into the little girl's room.

Lucy read to her daughter until her eyes were closed. The little one sleeping was the reason Lucy had made it this far. Also, why her house was a mess and the reason she found a gray hair this morning. Lucy bent down and kissed the little one's head. Brushing stray strains from her face. She was perfect in every sense of the word. Placing the blankets over her and tucking her in with her favorite doll Lucy walked out and returned to her work.

While most of her income still came from being a Fairy Tail mage, Lucy had to cut back on the more dangerous ones, she also had published a few books a lived off the little money that brought in. This next one was a request from Erza. The history of Fairy Tail from the start up until after the war with Zeref. This was the easiest and hardest books she had written thus far. She was given free range of the archives, and Lucy was thankful that all the guild masters kept detailed journals and notes about the daily life, who took what mission, child births, and deaths.

Flipping through the pages of one of Master Makarov. She should be taking notes. She should be paying attention to her task at hand. This was not the case. This journal was from when slightly before she joined. Natsu's name kept popping up more than the one previous. How he had gone on some rampage and destroyed a city block. Lucy stifled a laugh as tear prickled the corners of her eyes. Carefully, she closed the book. Her heart wasn't in it at this moment.

Lucy stood and rolled her wrist to stretch it out. Making her way back to her daughter's door she peered in and saw that in fact her child was still there and was safe in bed. Her little body sprawled across the twin sized mattress. The blanket somewhere on the floor. This made Lucy chuckle as she went back into the room and covered again.

The child did ask about her dad once but never again. Lucy had not cried when talking about him. She had asked some of her friend at the guild if she was asking any questions but no one said that she was. It was not a secret by any stretch of the imagination. Lucy had given her daughter Natsu's last name and with the pink hair there was no denying her parentage. The little girl was a happy little one, she loved to laugh and play with her friends. Unlike Natsu, the girl was timid, which Lucy had to say was all her doing.

After Lucy had found out that she was pregnant, she did all that she could to protect the child in her body. While this is normal among mothers to be, Lucy took it to the extreme. Living her life as if she was made of glass. Shortly after she found out that her daughter was on the way she began to spot. Lucy was inconsolable nervous wreck. Even Bisca, who had given birth, could barely convince her that it didn't mean that she was going to lose the baby. After the birth of her daughter, Lucy took to being a hover parent. It was a long time before she would let even Levy hold her. She had to admit that she had gotten better throughout the years. She crowning achievement was that she only cried for an hour after the took her daughter to the first day of school. Even her daughter having her own room was a new thing. Up until the start of this school year she had slept in Lucy's room.

Lucy yawned and looked at the clock again, it was shortly after 10pm. For her it was still kind of early, but she knew she had a lot of work to do tomorrow. So she went into her own room and changed into some night clothes. Lucy looked at the small bookshelf at the foot of her bed. A lone book sat on top of it. Leather cover with gold lettering E.N.D. Lucy ran her finger down the spine of the book. It was warm as if alive with an unseen fire.

"Hey, Natsu, I wish you could see how much she has grown." A sad smile crossed her face. "Goodnight."

****** Authors Note********

It had been forever since I wrote a fanfic. This one was a quick write after a talk with my sister about what we think might happen. This was my idea and to put it nicely my sister didn't like it, it made her sad. But I liked it so I wrote it down. I don't know if I am going to continue the story. It depends on what you guys think. It might remain a oneshot. I'm sorry if it sucked like I said it has been a while. Also, I couldn't decide on a name for Lucy's daughter. I know the default seem to be Nashi but since was something quick to get my mind off my term papers I didn't feel right figuring out a name or even naming her.