"Maaama!"

Mrs. Heartfilia looked up at her daughter from her copy of the Daily Sorcerer. Spotting the red book clenched tightly in the pinkette's hands, her eyes arched up. "What's that you've go there, Nashi?"

Nashi lifted the book up to show her mother, and Mrs. Heartfilia's eyes widened, and she quickly snatched the book away. "Nashi, have you been nosing around in my office?" She sighed, looking at the little girl accusingly. Nashi chuckled nervously, her brown eyes darting away. "Uh…"

Mrs. Heartfilia sighed and placed the book onto the coffee table in their living room. "It's bedtime already, too, so go to your room now." She got up with a grunt and turned off the television lacrima, which was blaring loudly.

"But Mama," Nashi protested, face changing into one of her "kicked puppy" looks. "That can be my bedtime story! I want to read something written by my own mother!"

Mrs. Heartfilia almost declined - but she found herself slowly reaching over to the table for the red book. Clutching it tightly to her chest, she breathed in deeply and amidst the smell of the old book, she thought that she could just catch the faintest scent of smoke. Smiling sadly, she nodded at her daughter, who let out a squeal of excitement and bounced over to her on the sofa.

Mrs. Heartfilia opened the book. Past the beautifully tanned leather were pages, so fine and clear and crisp that it was obvious that the book had not been touched much before. Clearing her throat, she began to read.

"There was once a time when a Princess ran away from her castle…"

"I will not marry that man!"

"You will!" Jude slammed his hand down on the desk of the table. "This way, the Heartfilia Konvern can expand!"

"Do you not care about how I feel about this at all?" Tears sprung up in her eyes. "Must you be a horrible father?"

At this, the man looked up, venom dripping from his cold smile and eyes. "You may leave to your room now."

That single sentence stung like it never had before. Lucy had always hated that he ordered her around like a servant, not his daughter, but this time it was the last straw. She would not have any more of this.

Practically ripping the ridiculously frilly dress from herself, she ran out of the mansion, past the surprised housekeepers and servants, and onto the road. She ran away, away into the night, where she wanted to disappear forever.

"...and she came across a handsome Prince."

"Aw, Ma, is this going to be another one of those clichéd Prince and Princess stories again?"

"Shush."

"The Prince was very kind, and the Princess found her heart beating faster…"

"Salamander? The mage who can use fire magic like no other is in town?" Lucy's eyes lit up as she saw swarms of girls rushing to the center of the street. "Speak of the devil and the devil will appear," Lucy thought smugly as she trotted over to get a look.

But when she saw him, her heartbeat accelerated to an unnaturally fast pace - clenching her hands together, she scrunched her face up, mind a little dizzy and confused.

Salamander turned to her, eyes sparkling, and Lucy fell for him right then and there, reaching out to take his arm, pushing past the other girls…

Except-

"A mighty dragon suddenly stormed into the clearing. He sensed evil from the Prince, and he chased him away just by giving him a scary look."

On the page, a drawing painted by Reedus was snorting and puffing, enchanted to life. Nashi's eyes light up and she eagerly reached her hand out to touch the drawing. Mrs. Heartfilia smiled a bit, then continued reading.

"Then he turned to leave, but the Princess stopped him…"

"Who the hell are you?"

The statement shocked the older man into silence, before he righted himself and cleared his throat. "I am, as you may have heard, the mighty Salamander…"

Lucy glared at him. He had just used Charm on her and so many other girls. "How dirty of him!" she thought, disgusted, as crowds of girls kicked the boy away.

As the boy and his...blue cat? - sat on the ground, grumbling, Lucy approached them quietly.

"Thanks for helping me!" She smiled cheerfully at the two, who stared back at her with confused expressions. "How about I treat you to a meal?"

"And, for reward for helping her, the Princess led the Dragon to a land of food, where he ate his meal…"

"Yur a nize burson!"

"Ahahha...there's plenty of time to eat, so please slow down...or else food will splash everywhere…"

"And the Dragon and the Princess became friends after that, traveling and going on adventures."

A lonely tear slithered down Lucy's face as she remembered. It felt like the ghost of his hand was caressing her cheek, and she tried to snuggle into the air, but felt nothing. Nashi was down on the floor, pink hair splayed as she stared at the book page. Mrs. Heartfilia's hands shook as she turned the page.

"Why'd you knock him out?"

"If he goes back empty-handed, Erza'll be the one to come next! We have to take him with us!"

"Hiieeek! You're right! Let's take him with us!"

"And one day, the Dragon became a boy...he was a Prince of good put under a spell. He offered to marry the Princess, who was very quick to accept."

"Lucy."

The night was beautiful - glowing, colorful lanterns swung over their heads in the warm summer breeze as Lucy leaned against Natsu's chest on the swing they gently swung on. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet scent of sakura blossoms, shifting her arms. "Hm?"

The swing suddenly stopped, and Lucy almost fell off. Natsu caught her just in time, smiling sheepishly as a very surprised Lucy ranted on about how he should be more careful when swinging. She didn't mean any of it, of course, because she loved him.

He got down on one knee, and Lucy knew what was going to happen before it did.

"Lucy, will you marry me?"

"And the Dragon and the Princess continued to have amazing adventures and lived happily ever after."

Mrs. Heartfilia wished that it was true. She really did. Because in her fairy tale, everyone lived happily ever after. Except for her, of course, because she was the one doomed to suffer.

"She's beautiful!"

"Natsu, don't poke the baby! You'll hurt her!"

"Aw, Luce, c'mon! It's not like I'll set fire to her!"

Lucy sighed and leaned back in her hospital bed. "With you, Natsu, I can never be sure." She chuckled weakly when Natsu pouted, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh!" He stood up straight suddenly and began rummaging in his bag. "I forgot!"

Lucy tried to look to see what he was doing, but he'd blocked the view. "What're you doing?"

"This!" Natsu suddenly pulled out a small, whirring device. Lucy raised her eyebrows as he directed it at the sleeping baby girl.

"Wait, what're you -"

Click. Lucy shouted out in terror, trying to cover the baby from whatever just happened. Natsu frowned as the device began to smoke.

"Ah...it didn't work." he said sadly, hand dropping to his side. Lucy sputtered angrily. "What did you just try to do? Our baby could've gotten hurt!"

"I got a camera," Natsu continued sadly. "But I dropped it, and I tried to fix it, but it didn't work…"

Lucy looked at the disfigured device, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, Natsu!"

Maybe she never should've chosen that mission - but, as she'd thought, they were both S-class by then, so why not take a harder job with good pay?

She wished she hadn't.

His hand was turning cold, and his tanned skin a deathly pale, the light in his eyes flickering.

And she cried, weeping and sobbing as she clutched him to her chest, screaming his name because she didn't want him to leave her alone in this world. She wanted - no, needed - him to stay, because her life would be meaningless without him.

But he was staring at her with an oddly serene face, and his mouth formed one last word before he went limp.

Before Lucy's mind felt like it had shattered.

Natsu Dragneel was dead, dead, dead, dead.

Don't.

It wasn't until when Mrs. Heartfilia, tears streaming silently down her cheeks, hugged her daughter close to her chest when she'd thought about something.

"Don't."

Don't hang on to the past.

The sentence seemed to emerge suddenly in her head, in the haze of all her sadness.

Don't blame yourself.

She did, even though the voice told her not to.

Don't hold yourself back.

From what? Moving on? She could never forget.

But as she looked down at her daughter again, she broke down into tears, but she was smiling, too, because there would always be someone in her life that she would care for.

I love you.

I have almost no idea what I just wrote. -_-"

This sort of just came into my head and when things come into my head, they HAVE to be written down.

It isn't that good and I didn't try that much for my usual angst and tragedy because I'm more in the mood for drawing right now. Heh.

Thanks for reading, and a cookie to those who get what I'm trying to convey here.