Hey so this is a series of oneshots that take place after the fight against Tartaros. There's going to be Nalu of course and maybe some other ships. Since it's summer I'm hoping to have more time to write. I hope you guys enjoy! Your comments give me life.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Lucy asked as Natsu, Evelyn, Erza, Gray, Gajeel, and Wendy were in a van traveling up to a forest to the north of Magnolia. "We just defeated Tartaros, shouldn't we still be in the city making sure no one else attacks?"

"Even if that does happen the others have it under control. A major player won't make a move for a while; they're all too busy regrouping and trying to reestablish themselves since Tartaros was annihilated," Gray explained and Lucy nodded.

It had been a week since Tartaros was defeated and everyone had, more or less, recovered. Several people were still bandaged but Porlyusica declared herself on vacation and she had said if they hurt themselves then she couldn't be held accountable nor would she heal them if the re-opening of their injuries were through their own actions. Now the group of seven were driving up to one of the mansions Makarov owned in the same mountain range as Mount Hakobe. The old man had contacted Natsu several days prior and congratulated them on their victory and told them that the house was at their disposal. There had been a very clear threat that any damage was going to be paid for out of pocket, accidental or not. Natsu had recoiled and sworn repeatedly that they would be careful lest they play what everyone referred to as 'the punishment game'. Lucy didn't know what the game actually was but based off of everyone's reactions it was more entertaining for Makarov than for anyone who actually had to participate.

Lucy cast a look around the car that was driving to the mountain. Wendy was talking excitedly to Evelyn and Erza about something. Evelyn was giggling and Erza was smiling as she leaned her head on the headrest behind her. Gajeel was changing the car music while sneaking not-so-subtle glares at Natsu every time his cousin would change the music back. Surprisingly Erza hadn't yelled at them for it yet, but Lucy could tell it was getting under her skin. Lucy's head was resting on the window as she listened to Natsu talking about his experiences camping with Igneel. Lily, Happy, and Charle were all sitting at one end of the car talking to each other. Happy was fantasizing about fishing in the stream that was near the house.

"Most of the time when I was younger we would just set up a tent in the backyard and we pretended we were in a forest." Natsu smiled fondly at the memories. "Sometimes he would pretend that he was a monster and I had to fight him off." Lucy's eyebrow quirked and Natsu laughed. "It wasn't anything threatening. Well, most of the time." He added the last part for dramatic effect and Lucy shook her head, a laugh bubbling out of her throat. "Did you do anything fun with your parents?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth he tensed and prepared to apologize. Lucy waved his apologies away.

"Before my mom died we would set out blankets in the gardens and we would roast marshmallows while we stargazed." Lucy's eyes lit up. "Can we stargaze on this trip? I haven't in a while." Natsu grinned at her enthusiasm and nodded.

"Whatever you want Luce. This is your first time camping so I have to make it amazing for you." Gajeel snickered and Natsu shot him a glare. "Say something, I dare you!" Gajeel just smirked and changed the music back to smooth jazz. Natsu reached for the controls but that was when Erza snapped.

"The next person who changes the music gets to ride on the roof."

"That doesn't sound terrible," Natsu said. "I wouldn't mind." As if to test Erza's patience he reached for the controls.

"That's it. Get on the roof!" Natsu roared with laughter and strapped himself into a seat belt. Natsu had said that the cars were controlled so safely that they practically weren't needed anymore but Erza was a stickler for things like that. The fact that Natsu had not put it on before was evidence that he planned to get under her skin somehow. Natsu laughed again when Erza sat back down with a huff. "If you hadn't been wearing a seat belt you'd be dead." Almost everyone else in the car was smothering their laughter.

"When will we be there?" Evelyn asked and Natsu glanced at the console at the front of the car.

"In an hour or so." This time he actually did change the music. It was Lucy who finally intervened. She put on pop music and sat back with a smirk.

"Don't touch the music anymore. If I hear one more jazz or metal song I will actually go crazy."

"Sorry Luce." Natsu put his head on her shoulder. Lucy rolled her eyes and relatively ignored him but a small smile was on her lips.

"Praise God!" Natsu yelled when the car finally arrived at the house. He fell to the ground and made a big show of pretending to kiss it.

"You had your motion sickness medicine with you!" Charle pointed out as she hovered next to him.

"Don't matter, I hate vehicles." Lucy smiled at the antics and looked at the house in front of her. Like all of the other Fairy Tail houses that she had seen, it was gorgeous. Steel and glass rose in front of them, allowing her to see the sleek and modern furniture inside.

"We all have to scan our eyes to get in," Erza said as she gestured toward the gate that guarded the staircase leading up to the front door. Gray heaved a sigh and looked jealously at the Exceeds who floated over and Happy gave Gray a smug grin.

"Wipe that expression off your face, fleabug," he snarled. Natsu punched him.

"Don't talk to him like that."

"If we go inside any point today that would be great," Gajeel interrupted and Natsu let the laser scan his eyes. They all proceeded to follow suit and Evelyn grinned when she stepped inside.

"I never thought I would be here again," she murmured and Lucy laid a hand on her shoulder. Natsu's little sister looked up at her, the joy in her eyes obvious. The walls inside were painted a cool gray, the dark wood floors contrasting nicely. Lucy eyed the axe that was resting near the fireplace suspiciously. If the axe hadn't been there, Lucy thought that the room was amazing. The two couches that were separated by two small wood tables and the stools had white cushions. The wall the fireplace was inlaid in was a dark charcoal gray. A simple wood table was to the right of the stools and couches with 10 white chairs surrounding it. White curtains were pulled to the side, allowing sunlight to stream through the window. A balcony had another table and more plush, white chairs. The snowcapped peak of Mount Hakobe was visible in the distance while a stream twined its way through the property. That must have been the stream that Happy had been gushing about in the car.

"Could anybody tell me why there's an axe?" Lucy asked.

"Technically the fire is electric but we prefer chopping wood and bringing it back. The scent is nicer when the wood is real," Wendy explained and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"Do the boys," she gestured to Natsu, Gajeel, and Gray were already glaring at each other, "go and chop the wood?"

"Normally I accompany them so they don't end up dead," Erza answered as the door shut with a click behind her. She turned on the three who looked about ready to rip each other's throats out. "If there is any misbehaving from any of you for any reason, you're dead." They gulped and nodded their heads so fast Lucy was concerned their necks would break off. Natsu immediately kicked his shoes off and left them by the door. The other boys followed suit, leaving them scattered over the hall. As Lucy walked into the sitting room in front of them she noticed that the kitchen was in the same area.

"Think there are enough chairs and tables?" she asked.

"We can have Sting and Rogue up here for a day or two. Gramps, likes to use this house for entertaining although he never really leaves his own house anymore," Natsu said. "Come on, the rest of the house is just as beautiful. And we need to get firewood so we can have a fire and roast marshmallows and stuff later tonight." His enthusiasm was contagious. It had been somewhat warm on the drive up but Lucy assumed that it got cooler at night like it tended to do in the mountains. Natsu grabbed her hand. "You have to see the backyard!" He dragged her through the house. When he threw the door open Lucy took everything in. Several wide stone tiered stairs led down to a dark blue pool. The stairs ended at a stone platform that was over the pool that had a grill. A breeze whispered through the grass and trees. Lucy tilted her head back, letting the sun warm her skin while wind caused her hair to flutter.

"Do you like it?" Natsu asked. He was grinning and Lucy replied with one.

"It's beautiful. Do you guys come here often?"

"Sometimes we come in the winter but we have another house on another mountain with a ski resort. Gramps owns it so people are almost always there but we get the largest chateau. We tend to come here in the spring and summer for the hiking and rivers." Just as quickly, Natsu grabbed her hand again and dragged her back inside. "We need to pick out bedrooms." As they went up the stairs, Natsu stuck his head into what Lucy assumed was the largest bedroom and groaned. "Erza's already claimed it," he whined. Lucy poked her head in as well, seeing that their redhead friend had her large suitcase opened on the floor. The wall opposite the door was entirely glass, the wall to the right made of a light wood with a small fireplace at the bottom and a flatscreen TV above it. White sheets covered the bed, a white leather headboard pressed against the left wall. Two dark wood night tables flanked the bed, white marble lamps shining softly on them. Natsu must have heard something because he grabbed Lucy's hand again and dragged her away.

"She almost caught us looking," he hissed. "I don't want to die young." Lucy sighed and they made their way through the different bedrooms. Gray had claimed one as well, laughing as Natsu scowled at him. Evelyn had already draped herself over a white leather chair in one bedroom leafing through a book. She grinned as Natsu whined. The next one they came to thankfully was empty. Golden stars were on the wall above the bed, arranged in the shape of the big dipper. A plush leather chair was in the corner next to the large window and next to the gas fireplace that was set close to the floor with a flatscreen TV above it. All of the blankets were white, and they looked like fancy hotel blankets. Two grayish wood night tables were on either side of the bed and gold lamps with white shades were on them. Lucy strolled in and sat down on the bed.

"This is my room."

"Lucy," Natsu whined. Lucy reclined on the bed as Natsu wandered out sullenly and padded down the hallway. "Fuck you Gajeel! You took the bedroom I liked!" Lucy chuckled as Natsu's yell echoed down the hallway.

"Shut up Natsu!" Evelyn shouted and Gray laughed.

"If you two don't stop yelling, you're sleeping outside." Erza said. Lucy laughed.

"We're going to sleep outside anyway because Luce has to properly camp at least once before we go back," Natsu replied.

The next couple of hours had passed quietly. Lucy had curled up on the bed and started reading a book that she had brought with her. Lucy didn't hear anyone so she assumed that everyone was sleeping or doing their own thing. Pulled out of her thoughts by nothing in particular, she stared out the window. The sky was still blue and the green that surrounded them was beautiful. If she listened enough she could hear the stream that ran next to the mansion. Birds were chirping in trees that were beginning to grow leaves. She smiled at the sight. Lucy tapped the night table and a holographic display popped up with the time. It was a little past five when she heard Evelyn speak through the intercom that apparently existed.

"What are we doing for dinner? I'm hungry." Lucy stifled a laugh. Despite everything she had been through, Evelyn still managed to sound so innocent and child-like. The whine in her voice was obvious and Lucy found it endearing.

"I can cook something," Wendy suggested but Natsu piped up.

"Let's roast marshmallows and have s'mores for dinner!"

"What are you, an idiot? You can't have s'mores for dinner." Gray argued back but Erza interrupted, surprisingly taking Natsu's side.

"S'mores sounds like an excellent idea Natsu!"

"Really?" The same child-like attitude was evident in his voice as it had been in Evelyn's. "I can set up the fire." She heard Natsu open the door and he leaned against the wall. "Come with me outside and I can show you how to light fires like a pro."

"Don't use the torches again, Natsu," Gray called as they passed his room. Lucy shot him a questioning glance.

"Torches?"

"You know, the wooden things you put in the ground and light up?"

"I know that, what did you do?"

"Oh," Natsu's face lit up, "I set the entire thing on fire and used it for firewood. Erza wasn't too happy and I had to replace it. I also singed the grass and almost caught a tree on fire." Lucy laughed as she and Natsu made their way to the amazing backyard, making a stop to pick up the axe that was by the fireplace. A firepit was elevated in the center of the platform that extended over part of the pool. Wooden benches with comfortable-looking orange and white cushions softened them. The platform was covered by umbrellas of the same color. Lucy sat down on one of the benches, Happy nestled in her lap. She watched with amusement and slight concern equally as she watched Natsu chop branches off of trees After he had a large amount, he cut all of them in half and dumped them in the firepit.

"I forgot the gasoline!" Lucy raised an eyebrow as he raced back up the stairs to go inside.

"This is how he normally sets up fires," Happy sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes he uses his blowtorch. One time he used a Molotov cocktail. Gramps wasn't happy."

"I can imagine," Lucy replied drily as Natsu came back with a red, plastic container. He unscrewed the lid and dumped an excessive amount on the firewood. "Natsu is that much really necessary?"

He looked offended at her question. "Luce, I've been making fires since I was a child. I know what I'm doing." That wasn't reassuring to her but she kept silent. He brought a box of matches out of his pocket and threw one in the fire. Heat rolled away from the fire in waves, the flames dancing and crackling in a threatening way. Natsu appeared to be transfixed, a giddy grin on his face. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Lucy supposed in a way it was. The blues, oranges, reds, and golds were intertwining together and the heat grew less intense and more comforting. Smoke curled into the air, carrying with it the comforting aroma of a warm fire on a winter's night. It did lessen the cool air and slight breeze. "Yeah, it is."

"I'm going to get the others. See you soon!" And just like that he was off again.

"I have a bad feeling," Happy muttered and watched the backdoor expectantly. "Natsu's going to do something stupid. I can feel it." Lucy laughed and scratched behind his ears, laughing when he started purring. As they waited, Happy started regaling Lucy with tales of when he had gone fishing with the others. He was drooling over talking about how eating salmon raw was better than eating it cooked when he was interrupted with a large whoop.

All they saw was a flash of pink hair leaping down the stone stairs before running off of the second tier of stairs from the bottom. He landed in the water, but he barely missed hitting his head on the wall. Evelyn grinned and followed suit, crashing into her older brother as he resurfaced. His pink hair had darkened due to the water but his smile was radiant. "Evie I told you not to do that, it's dangerous."

"You did it, and you're less cautious than I am," was her retort. Gajeel, Gray, Erza and Wendy walked down the stairs like normal people. Lucy saw Wendy held a large bag of marshmallows and Erza carried the sticks.

"If the three of you get in a fight with these again," she began casting an annoyed glance at Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu, "you will get thrown into the pool from the stairs with no regard if you get a concussion or not. Do I make myself clear?" The boys gulped and nodded quickly with many reassurances that that would not happen again.

"It was two summers ago," Gray told Lucy as the bag of marshmallows got passed around. "Natsu had said that he was going to roast his marshmallows first since he made the fire, so he should get to use it first."

"I should have," Natsu grumbled.

"So we figured the only way to settle it was to fight it out. The person who landed five hits on another person won. Gajeel won and Natsu got to go second."

"The redhead wasn't happy when she found out what we did," Gajeel said.

"I don't blame her. You should have acted more your age," Charle chastised and Wendy patted her Exceed's head.

"When did they ever act their age?" she giggled and Charle sighed with resignation.

"You're right but it's embarrassing." It was peaceful as everyone started roasting the marshmallows they had.

"Lucy have you made s'mores before?" Erza asked and when Lucy shook her head Erza looked horrified. "Lily go get the graham crackers and Gajeel can get the chocolate. We have to make her eat s'mores."

"Why do we have to go?" Lily asked and was met with an icy stare from Erza.

"Is there a problem with that?" The black Exceed shook his head rapidly as he and Gajeel trudged up the stairs.

"Hurry it up Metalhead!" Natsu yelled and Gajeel flipped him off. "So s'mores are simple. You have two pieces of graham cracker with a piece of chocolate and a marshmallow in between them. You'll love them."

And she did. The group spent hours eating s'mores until their stomachs hurt, laughing and telling stories. The hilarity mounted when Natsu 'accidentally' pushed Lucy into the pool. He stopped laughing when Gray pushed him in too.

"You're fucking dead Fullbuster!"

The stars were shining above them when most of the group decided to go back in. Lucy had laid down in the grass, looking up at the stars and tracing constellations with her finger. Natsu was sitting next to her, picking at grass. Not for the first time, he enjoyed just sitting next to her and watching her eyes gleam with happiness. When tears formed in her eyes, he got concerned.

"Everything ok Lucy?" Lucy nodded and pushed herself up. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly.

"Thank you. For everything." Natsu just smiled and leaned his head against her.

"You're welcome."

So yeah, I'm having fun writing this so far and I can't wait to see where the story goes because I don't have most of it planned.