"Wow! This is where you live, Lucy?"

The blond mage chuckled, as two of her old companions stared in awe at her flat. She slipped off her shoes and placed them neatly under the coat rack, running her fingers along a pair of smaller ones as she did so. She smiled to herself, but fought back tears in the process. He didn't notice, did he? The toys strewn around the carpet, yet to be put back in their box, the small, girlish clothes that were hanging from the rack still drying, the sweet smell of baby powder and milk, that lingered in the air. He probably didn't remember. Lucy sighed and shot a sad look at Natsu, who was already sinking deep into her plush sofa, resting his feet on the coffee table. She shook her head and went over to him.

"Lucy? Is that you?" A female voice sounded from the other room, and the blond immediately stopped in her tracks. Instead of chewing Natsu out, she walked over to a dark haired, pale woman, who was standing in the entrance of Lucy's bedroom. The fire mage and his cat wondered, who on Earth could she be. And what was she doing in Lucy's house?

"Ivory! How was she?" 'She'? Was Lucy short on money, so she got a roommate to split the rent with? Natsu didn't think so, considering the appearance of the blond mage's flat.

"Oh, she was great. Sleeping like and angel. Although I don't understand, why couldn't you leave her with one of your Celestial Spirits?"

"Believe me, you're the only person I actually trust to be left alone with her."

The brunette shot Lucy a warm smile, then quickly said her goodbyes. She left the flat with a click of her snowy white high heels and frost covered the places where her feet touched the floor. Natsu figured, that she must've been and ice mage, but that wasn't important now. He was dying to know, who was the "she" Lucy and the other woman were talking about.

The Celestial mage sat down cautiously beside Natsu and the pink haired man started staring at her, as if he was trying to read her mind.

"What the hell're you looking at? Do I have something on my face?"

"Who was she?"

"Who? Oh, Ivory. She's my colleague, apparently she's an old friend of Gray's."

"Not her. I mean the girl you were talking about. The one sleeping like an angel and the one you wouldn't trust with your Celestial Spirits. What, did you get a roommate with sleeping problems? Come on, you can tell me."

Lucy hestitated for a moment, considering telling Natsu everything there was to know. But then... No. She decided, it would be only her responsibility. Natsu didn't have to have anything to do with it. He'd forgotten, anyways. "I can't."

"You're hiding something, Lucy. Something far bigger than I can imagine. Scared to drop the bomb, are you? Do you not trust me anymore?"

"Sheesh, Natsu, don't push! Everything's fine, Happy knows it."

"Aye?"

But Lucy knew Natsu was right. And deep down inside her heart, that truth was twisting into her sense of guilt, hurting more than ever. Never has she felt so hopeless. Has she found the missing pieces of the desired puzzle she wished to make, only to discover that she can't quite put them back together?

Lucy Heartfilia didn't know. Was she forced to choose? Between the one that stole her heart long ago and the one that captured it from the first moment?


"Will you kindly stop raiding my fridge?" Shouted the blond mage for the tenth time that evening. She smacked herself in the middle of the forehead and threw the cards she was holding onto the table before her. She would win anyway, Natsu was utter and complete crap at poker.

"But you have so much cool stuff, Lucy! Hey... Is that yogurt? And dragon fruit flavored too! Boy, is this my lucky day! But wait, I thought you hated yogurt, Lucy!"

"Because I do."

"Why is it in your fridge then? Can I eat it, since you won't do it?"

"No! Gosh, Natsu, all those questions! Just put the yogurt back and let's keep playing."

This was getting out of hand. Lucy was getting more and anxious with the passing minutes. She stopped counting all the times either Natsu or Happy found something related to her big secret, and the times she covered up her goofs with bad excuses. It was seriously getting scary. What if either the cat or the mage decided to prank her by disobeying her order of staying out of her bedroom? That would be the worst. In that case, there would be no escape.

To drag Happy and Natsu from rummaging through her belongings and prevent them from finding more clues, she invited the pink-haired man to play cards games and sat the cat down on the couch with an old photo album, one that she knew was full of old photos from Fairy Tail. Maybe she would be embarassed by the photographies once or twice, but that would still be better than anyone finding out what she was hiding.

Lucy shot a worried look towards her bedroom door, as no sounds were heard from there since Ivory left. She figured that her secret must still be sleeping or simply having a good time.

Please, the blonde mage pleaded silently, praying in her mind. Stay calm until I've finished with these two idiots. Wait until I can get back to you, it won't be long, I promise.

Those last two words left a sense of strange dryness in her mouth, although she didn't say them out loud, not even whispered them. Then, a twinge of nostalgic pain stabbed her heart and she knew. The memories linked to those words were really... sad. Just thinking about that day made her want to cry. All those promises they never fulfilled, a love that was just a flower starting to bloom and died before it got the chance to sway in the spring wind. Everything went to hell.

"Hey, Lucy!" Happy's high pitched voice sounded in the room and Lucy was pulled out of her train of thought. She looked at the cat and as soon as she noticed the shiny frame in his paw, she froze.

"I told you not to barge through my drawers!" She shouted, getting up and running up to Happy and trying to snatch the frame out of his paw. Then the cat giggled slyly and flew up to celing, getting out of Lucy's reach.

"Why? It's just a picture of you and Natsu!" Lucy's eyes widened in fear. Natsu and I? No... It can't possibly be that one... I'm sure that was safe and sound in my room... "Hey! Lucy, you look so big in this picture! No, not just that. You are big in that picture. It almost looks like you were preg-"

"Shut up, you dumb cat!" The blonde mage finally grasped the frame and yanked it out of Happy's paws. She immediately smashed it face down on the table, sending cards flying, so no one could see the photo inside the frame. Glass shattered from underneath it and Lucy blinked hard, tears pricking her eyes. She couldn't cry. Not now, not in front of them.

She suddenly felt Natsu strong hand on her shoulder. In that moment, something inside her broke. Maybe, she thought, we still have a chance? This... this could be love again. We could try and maybe, just maybe, it could work. I wouldn't have to be alone...

"I think it's time to go to sleep," said Lucy, wiping at her eyes agressively, and for once, no one argued.


"Oye, Natsu! I have the markers ready, now let's go scribble on Lucy's face!" excaimed Happy, nudging the pink-haired man's shoulder. The latter didn't need telling twice. And, above all, that would mean he would get to sneak into Lucy's bedroom and see her secret. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than the guild being disbanded, right?

Wrong. When Natsu reached for the door handle, he hesitated just a tiny bit. Looking back, he should've thought more. But this was Natsu Dragneel, and he did not think except for when it was absolutely necessary. Without further ado, he opened the door and stepped inside. The first thing he noticed weren't the photos covering the walls, the comfortable looking bed, or even Lucy, who seemed to be sleeping topless. No, the thing that Natsu first saw, was a crib.

A crib, just like for a baby. Plain, honey-colored wood with a cherry-pink veil covering the top. That sight brought back Natsu's memories like a wave, overflowing his being. He was such an idiot! Why the hell did he forget? How was that even possible? Screw-up of the century, that's for sure. He wondered for a second, if Lucy hated him now. But that was only for a second, since Natsu, not minding his shaking legs and beating heart, walked over to the crib and with a trembling hand, he lifted up the pinky veil to see the person lying beneath it.

She was bigger, than he'd expected. Right, she must be nearly one now. Over one, even. To miss an entire year of he life... The first one, most important one too. Natsu felt seriously guilty. He studied the baby girl's face carefully, looking at who she resembled most. The shape of her face definitely originated from Lucy, but her hair... Unruly locks, reaching a little behind her shoulders, in a beautiful, cherry-pink shade. A little lighter than Natsu's, but still basically the same color. That brought tears to the Dragon Slayers eyes. He didn't even try to fight them, but instead let them flow in rivers down his cheeks, pouring out all of his emotions.

Some of these tears fell even on the baby's face and Natsu reached down to wipe them away. As soon as his rough, scarred finger brushed his daughter's perfect, tender cheek, he wanted to hug her tight and never, ever let go. She seemed so delicate, so fragile, but yet this immediate love he felt for this small being was overwhelming.

"Nashi."

In that moment, she lifted her eyelids and looked Natsu straight in the eyes and it was right then, that the Dragon Slayer truly felt, that he had become a father.