A/N: Good day, my readers. Thank you for your time. I am beginning this story at the end of the current run of Fairy Tail anime episodes (end of Tartaros arc).

***IMPORTANT*** - If you have not read or watched up to this point, there may be many spoilers for you in the coming chapters. Additionally, I may accidentally add spoilers from the current position of the manga. It is up to you to use your own discretion when reading this fan fiction.

Naturally, I do not own Fairy Tail. If Hiro Mashima ever decides to write fan fiction for us, please let me know. I will devour it in an instant.

Chapter One:

One year gone. The guild hall destroyed, Fairy Tail disbanded, and everyone moved on to their new separate lives. No word, no letters... Just silence.

Lucy Heartfilia sat in a small cafe that boasted a grand view of Mercurius, the palace of Crocus. Spring flowers were in full bloom and loose petals drifted with the breeze.

What a beautiful city, she thought wistfully.

"COOOOOL!" her boss Jason, editor of Sorcerer Magazine, shouted suddenly.

They had gone for a relaxing lunch during a rare moment of downtime but when she followed his gaze she could see what had gotten him worked up again. Members of the guild Phoenix Grave had entered the city and were sightseeing along that street. Lucy recognized Mace Orlando from a fan article a few years back when he was in the top ranking for "The Wizard I Want to Be My Boyfriend" articles.

Before Tenrou. Lucy recalled the events of the last few years. So much has happened since we returned and the others...

Lucy felt a stab of longing when she thought of her friends. Despite doing her best to keep tabs on their movements throughout Fiore, things were nowhere near the same. She missed the guild.

Natsu... Happy... The Dragon Slayer and Exceed had been the catalyst that brought her to Fairy Tail. Before them, guild life was a dream bred from magazine clippings and centerfolds. After them, her life was back to the lonely shell she had hoped to escape. She rubbed her fingers absentmindedly across the guild symbol still etched onto her right hand. The guild may be disbanded but I still do not have the strength to remove it.

"I wonder if Phoenix Grave is going to participate in the Grand Magic Games this year," Lucy mused aloud.

"That would be cooool!" Jason exclaimed. "Let's go get a fresh scoop on 'em so we have a smokin' article to start off Games Week with!"

Lucy shoved the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth and grabbed her purse before the exuberant reporter ran off without her. As they ran through the crowd, Lucy glimpsed a shade of scarlet at a nearby vendor. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Erza?" She took a half step towards the stall and tripped over a loose stone.

Her gaze darted around, looking for the person she hoped beyond reason that she had seen. All that was there was a young red-headed man with short hair in a shade far too light to really be mistaken for scarlet.

It's not Erza. Titania. The Fairy Queen and champion of Fairy Tail. Lucy's heart ached. She missed them all. A passerby helped Lucy to her feet. She bowed, thanking him politely, and hurried after her boss. Her keys thumped against her hip, gently reminding her of the friends who remained by her side. Back to reality.

The night before the Grand Magic Games were to begin, Lucy could not help but reminisce about the last year of her life. Tartaros, Acnologia, Natsu's letter, her deep depression... Finding her job at Sorcerer Magazine was her final lifeline after all of that.

But...

Lucy rested her hand on Plue's quivering head. Her Nikora spirit was a constant companion these days.

"We would go back in an instant, wouldn't we Plue? Lucy smiled.

"Puuun!" Plue raised his little hand high.

"Yeah." Lucy extended her index finger and her thumb and raised them above her head in the Fairy Tail salute. Glancing at her wall of sparsely collected information on her guild mates, she murmured, "no matter how far away you go, I am always watching over you."

The days passed as the Games began and each event quickly came to an end. Lucy heard the crowd as the spectators cheered and booed for their favorite teams. She took notes of particularly extravagant uses of magical power or creative strategies in preparation for the Sorcerer Magazine Special Edition that would be released when the event was over. She and Jason would spend each evening visiting with the participating guilds to collect first hand comments on the spectacular things the people of Fiore were witnessing.

Lucy felt the energy from the participants as they fought to earn their place as Fiore's number one guild. While the atmosphere was exciting, she could not help but note that the games lacked much of their former luster without the top guilds from last year participating. Even with Fairy Tail's disbanding, Lucy had expected Sabertooth or Lamia Scale to attempt to conquer the top spot. Without them, each day ended with Lucy feeling underwhelmed by the displays of magical power.

When an invitation came for Lucy from the palace, Jason insisted that she go. She had hoped to decline the Princess' personal request for an audience but as the Games were nearing their end it was a good opportunity to get the Royal insider's opinions on this year's events.

Never mind that the King is their own special mascot, at least they are not siphoning magical power this time, Lucy reflected on the chaos of the previous year's Games as she made her way up the palace steps.

She was to meet Princess Hisui in the Crocus Gardens for late afternoon tea. After their fierce battle with the Eclipse Spirits, Hisui and Lucy had begun to exchange an occasional friendly correspondence which had developed into meetings once she moved to Crocus. As two celestial wizards, they had much to discuss and Lucy found the Princess' intellect to be refreshing in her loneliness. These weeks, however, Lucy had not felt much like socializing; even with royalty.

As she approached the garden, she saw the princess waiting patiently at a small wrought iron table shaded by an elegant white umbrella. To Lucy, it was the perfect image of grace. One that the princess carried with her everywhere.

Their visit passed by pleasantly. They spoke of the celestial spirits, rumors in the kingdom, and the Hisui's various new projects.

"Nothing too big, I promise!" Hisui's laugh tinkled out like a bell at Lucy's concerned expression. "I learned my lessons."

"As long as there are no more dragons rampaging through the city, I'm OK." Lucy returned with a laugh of her own. "If you need any help, my spirits and I would gladly be of service."

"I am glad of your friendship and grateful for your continued support, Lucy." Hisui's kindness and charm radiated from every word. "I would like to speak with your spirits some time. Perhaps the next time we meet. I have so many questions about the spirit world now that I've seen it."

When their talk turned to the Games, Lucy reached for the notebook in her purse and found Natsu's letter in its place. Her heart lurched. Hisui did not miss Lucy's pause or the tears that welled in her eyes.

"Still no word then?" the Princess asked gently.

Lucy shook her head and brushed the mist from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to-."

"Your Highness!" Arcadios, Hisui's white knight came walking briskly up the path. "The King has asked for you m'lady."

"Please forgive me, Lucy." The Princess of Fiore rose gracefully from her seat and took Lucy by the hand. "Be strong, Fairy Tail mage. I'm sure you will see them all again soon. May the stars watch over you."

"And you, Your Highness." Lucy's grip tightened for a moment in gratitude. As their hands parted and the Princess took her leave, Lucy reached for the pendant at her neck. The handle of Aquarius' broken key hung from a long leather strap, a makeshift necklace Lucy had crafted to wear it close to her heart. It was for moments like these when she needed comfort that she was grateful to still have a small part of her oldest friend with her. It was also to remind herself of the sacrifices her friends had made to save the world. It was a painful memory but a loss that felt too disrespectful to regret.

Lucy walked through the endless sea of flowers and eventually made her way out of the Garden. The sun was setting and the magical lacrima lights flickered to life all around her. She walked along the quiet street until she heard footsteps walking beside her. She knew he would appear tonight; he always came when she cried.

"You have not called us out much lately, Lucy," he said softly.

"I'm sorry, Loke," she took the hand he offered and continued towards home. "I have not felt much like training this week."

"You can still call on me even if it's only to talk. I won't even flirt with you." He placed his free hand over his heart to symbolize his sincerity.

"Loke... I miss our friends and-" Lucy choked back a sob. "Even when I call you to train with me... I couldn't face you. Any of you... Not after what I did to her."

"She offered herself to save you, Lucy." Her leonine guardian shone in a golden light as he spoke this powerful truth. "She loved you enough - trusted you - to save everyone. And you did."

Loke stopped and placed a long finger under her chin. He tilted her face up until she met his eyes. "Everyone is so proud of you. Even her. Especially her. None of us would have seen you again if Tartaros had won. Magic would have been erased from the world. I would not have seen you or anyone from Fairy Tail ever again. So let her choice be your joy. You know she hated it when you cried."

Lucy's eyes brimmed with fresh tears and she cried freely. Loke brushed them away gently and brought the hand he held to graze lightly across his lips. "Be brave, princess. Friends are not so easily forgotten. Otherwise, what use would it be to keep them so close to our hearts?"

The golden light receded but Lucy felt Loke's words linger like flickering candlelight that found a fresh span of wick to burn.

"It's not like I'll die," she had said. Lucy smiled and felt the warmth of the key around her neck. Her spirits needed her too. She reassured herself, gathered her strength and marched back into the city towards her home. Everything will come together in the end.

It was the final day of the Grand Magic Games. In a glorious twist of events that Lucy vaguely regretted not betting money on, the week-long event came to an end. The victors had been named, the crowds cheered, and the Damus Flau was on fire.

This power.

That magical aura. That fire. That maniacal laughter. There was a burning in Lucy's stomach as she watched the hooded figure throw back his cloak.

Natsu.

Lucy's throat went dry. She was the only one who did not flee the stadium; the only one who could not run even as she urged the others to go. The stadium was melting from the heat - her clothes were falling apart.

Lucy covered herself with her hands, pulling what scraps were left of her clothing back together. She did not want to believe what she saw. Just a dream.

She rubbed her eyes but the vision remained. Taller, older... still handso-.

"Lucy!" said a voice by her ear, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Happy?"

The blue winged cat flew up to hover at her shoulder. "Natsu wanted to fight the winners so we got here just in time."

Natsu's laughter died down as he looked around and saw no one left to fight.

His hair has grown longer, she noted.

"Hi Lucy!" He had seen her on her observation platform. She could not help but smile as he grinned and waved at her like he did not have a care in the world.

"Hey Natsu!" her voice was far more calm than the thumping in her chest thought it would be.

She ran. Down the steps, through the halls, into the arena and -

*punch!*

Her fist connected with his face in a wild swing. Stunned, Natsu stumbled and fell onto his back. He started to laugh again and fire bellowed from his lungs into the air.

"You have not changed a bit!" he crowed. "Feisty as ever."

"Neither have you, you barbarian!" she shouted back. "You have destroyed the entire arena!"

"There he is!" Castle guards began pouring into the stadium. "That girl took him out?"

Natsu did not resist as the guards charged him. He gave Lucy a wide effortless smile as they clipped magic binding handcuffs on his wrists. "I'll be back in a bit."

Lucy followed behind the armed procession, her thoughts wild and uncontrollable.

Where have they been? Has Natsu really gotten that much stronger? His magical presence is incredible. Her own training with Capricorn and the other spirits was paying off but Natsu's raw magic was palpable. Even Happy looked stronger. What have they been doing all this time?

She followed the guards until they reached the throne room.

"The King is waiting inside," said one of the guards, leading Happy and Natsu inside.

Another reached a hand to Lucy. "Stay here, please."

Oh no. What's happening.

"Is he going to be arrested?" she asked simply. He was young, she noted. His sandy brown hair brushed the tips of his ears but did not hide the pale blue eyes that drank in her image.

The guard shrugged, looking away quickly. "With any luck or all of Crocus will go up in flames next time."

"Why can't I go in?"

"It would be inappropriate for you to present yourself before the King dressed as you are, Miss." The guard blushed and returned to his post.

Looking down, Lucy remembered that her clothes had been destroyed by the heat and fire from the stadium. In her rush to confront Natsu she had completely forgotten her state of undress. Cheeks reddening, she apologized to the equally embarrassed guards and ran to find some privacy. Summoning Virgo, she was dressed again within moments and returned to face the door and wait.

Natsu. Happy.

Time continued to move but Lucy waited patiently. There were magical enchantments that prevented eavesdropping so Lucy fretted, wanting to know what was happening inside. She paced and huffed but still the doors remained closed.

Finally, as she was thinking about grabbing dinner, the doors opened and Natsu strolled out, wrists free of their bindings. He looked pleased with himself as did Happy who followed closely behind.

Thank you! Lucy called out mentally to anyone who was listening.

"Try to see that they stay out of any more trouble, Miss," the guard who had spoken to her before begged. "Crocus has finally begun to recover from the events of last year."

"I'll do my best," she replied, mentally crossing her fingers. No one can control these two, I'm afraid.

Lucy led her two friends out of the castle without an escort. If they wondered how she knew her way they did not mention it and she did not think to tell them. As they exited the front gates and began to wander through the vendor stalls, the smells of roasted meats and vegetables cooked in a variety of spices rose to greet them.

Her eyebrow quivered with irritation as her stomach growled in response to the smells. "I'm going to go get dinner. I don't suppose you boys had anything to eat while the King was chewing you out?"

She turned to face them and to no surprise saw Natsu and Happy drooling over a nearby stand. She walked over and tugged lightly on Natsu's hand. "Let's go get some food, okay?"

Lucy took them to a restaurant closer to the cafe she frequented that boasted quality food for not a lot of money. She ate there frequently to save a few extra jewels. As they ate, Natsu and Happy regaled Lucy with stories of their adventures. From running out of money quickly into their journey and being forced to get jobs to leveling mountains in the quest for fish, they were now ready to come home and head back to the guild.

Lucy languished over having to tell them that the guild had disbanded in their absence. She saw the surprise and despair cross Natsu's face as he absorbed the news. After losing Igneel, Fairy Tail took Natsu in. Happy was born there. Now, after losing Igneel again...

"I'm so sorry, Natsu. Happy." Lucy's tears fell freely. They had returned to Lucy's apartment after their meal. Lucy offered them a place to stay until they decided what to do. She was seated on a couch with Happy resting beside her while Natsu sat cross legged on the floor in front of them.

Happy rested his head on her leg. "What about Carla?"

"Everyone separated but I'm sure she's just fine. She and Wendy are as inseparable as you and Natsu." Lucy tried to be reassuring but her last news of Wendy and Carla was dated over six months back. "They are probably off training somewhere mountains are not being destroyed."

"Aw I wanted to challenge Erza when we got back!" Natsu complained, falling onto his back. "I'm sure I could beat her now! This is stupid."

"Erza went off the radar, as far as I can tell. She popped up around Hargeon early on after the disbanding. After that, every record I have seen her name in has almost always been synonymous with Crime Sorcerie, so I imagine that she is probably working to uncover more dark guilds."

Having Natsu and Happy here in Crocus with her, in her home, felt more natural than anything Lucy had experienced in a long time. Their lives had taken different paths for a while but she was starting to believe that hers was finally getting back on course.

"Argh! This is so unfair! Why did they go and disband without telling us?" Natsu crossed his arms over his eyes in frustration, falling back onto the floor.

"You didn't exactly leave a calling card when you left, Natsu." Lucy tried to keep the grief from her voice. "It was the Master's decision and we had to follow his orders."

"I promised Igneel I would get stronger, so I went and got stronger. I have to defeat Acnologia if its the last thing I ever do."

Lucy scratched Happy's head gently as she thought on Natsu's words. The young Exceed purred and slept contentedly.

"I know you will, Natsu," she said softly. "I believe you will defeat him."

Lucy eased Happy's head off of her lap and replaced it with a pillow cushion. She grabbed some spare blankets from her closet and set them aside for Natsu to use when he was ready. The couch would be a tight fit, but after sleeping outdoors for months, to Natsu and Happy it was better than anything.

Prepared to turn in, she headed for her bedroom. She passed through her curtained doorway and pulled back her sheets. She began to lift her shirt over her head but stopped when she heard her makeshift doorway being pushed aside.

"Hey Lucy?" Natsu called quietly. He did not enter her room but merely moved the cloth so he could see her.

"Yeah Natsu?"

She saw his brow furrow in concentration. His features relaxed and he closed his eyes in resignation. "Never mind. Goodnight."

"O-ok. Goodnight, Natsu."

Confused but too exhausted to worry about it, Lucy undressed, extinguished the lights, and crawled into bed.

Natsu could not sleep. It was dark and he was tired but sleep would not come.

"Happy?" he whispered into the darkness.

"Aye?" his Exceed companion replied sleepily.

Again, Natsu was at a loss for words. When Happy's soft snores reached his ears again, he gave up on trying to speak.

Natsu stood up and padded softly through the house. He looked at Lucy's books, her writing desk, her kitchen.

No food, he thought glumly, shutting the pantry he had been snooping through.

He stopped before the cloth curtain that separated him from Lucy's room for the second time that evening. He brushed the curtain back gently so the cloth did not make a sound and stepped into her room.

Moonlight flooded the bedroom with a blue hued glow. The brightest beam fell to the bed where Lucy lay fast asleep. Natsu knelt by her face and looked at her intently, trying to summon the words he had lost before.

It was then that he saw the wall. Pictures and minuscule handwritten accounts of dates and events spread across the open surface of her bedroom wall, each one connected together with bits of colored strings.

It's the guild. Natsu realized. She's trying to find everyone. Anyone.

Natsu looked back at her sleeping form and thought of how fragile she looked. Fragile was the wrong word, he corrected himself. He knew better than to think his teammate was weak. Vulnerable. In her sleep she lost much of the deep sadness that lived behind the smile he had seen today. Her walls were gone, the creases of her worry relaxed. Here with the moonlight like a blanket over her bare -.

Natsu flushed unexpectedly and averted his gaze. She was naked in her bed and Natsu was in her room. His stomach churned and he felt uncomfortably hot.

I never get too hot. Natsu retreated quickly and opened the living room window. He let the cool night's breeze wash over him. The fire in his belly flared to life and he was filled with a new conviction.

"Fairy Tail is not gone," Natsu whispered into the night. "We will rise again. You'll see."

"Aye, sir!" Happy called sleepily from the couch.

Poor Natsu. Lucy watched her friend grip his stomach in agony as their train lurched along its tracks.

They had run from Crocus in the early morning after Natsu had spread his fire across the palace walls, signaling Fairy Tail's return. She, Natsu, and Happy were headed back on the first train towards Magnolia to begin tracing their guild member's tracks. Lucy barely had any time to grab her belongings as Natsu breathlessly told her his plan to revive the guild before the palace guards were pounding at her apartment door.

"He's even more destructive," she mused quietly, thinking on how he had launched himself from her window with her in his arms. "But his motion sickness is as bad as ever, I guess."

Happy rubbed the back of his head with his paw and gave Lucy a sheepish grin. "If anything it has gotten worse, Lucy. He's hopeless."

"I guess even a year of training can't solve everything."

Natsu groaned irritably in response. He did not like that he could be defeated so easily by something so trivial and listening to others talk about it made him feel worse.

Lucy thought back to her first train ride with Natsu, Erza and Gray. She recalled Erza knocking Natsu unconscious to help ease his suffering. Fully aware that she had neither the willpower or physical strength to cause him harm, she dismissed that as an option to help him. Instead, almost purely out of instince, she moved to sit beside him on his bench and guided him down to rest his head on her lap.

Too weak to protest, Natsu accepted the gesture.

Her new seat put her next to the window so she gazed out at the quickly moving landscape. The shifting colors lulled her into a quiet meditative state.

Natsu's eyes opened when he felt Lucy's fingers slip gently into his hair. He did not move at first but his mind focused as her fingertips brushed lightly against his scalp. He tried to breath calmly through his nose, but this sensation was new to him, different from the rough fluffing he received from others in the past.

Natsu noticed that the twisting and roiling in his stomach quieted so he chanced a look up at his savior.

Lucy's eyes were half lidded as she stared out the window. Her lips curved up gently as she paid no attention to him or her hands.

She has no clue what she's doing right now. Natsu realized and her fingers continued their gentle ministrations through his hair. Do I even want her to stop?

He decided on "No" when the next run of her fingers tugged at his pink logs, sending a wave crashing through his nerves, distracting him entirely from his stomach pains.

"Nng-," came a guttural noise from the back of Natsu's throat, completely unbidden. Natsu shut his eyes quickly as Lucy's fingers froze.

Where did that come from? he thought, panicked.

A few, breathless seconds passed and Lucy resumed her movements.

Is it just me or is she a little more focused now? Natsu fought the blush that threatened to creep across his cheeks. He felt Lucy brush his hair away from his face and his mouth twitched upwards into a small smile.

The train lurched across an uneven part of track, sending Natsu's stomach rolling once again. He clutched his sides with a groan. "Lucy, I think I'm dying."

"You're not dying, Natsu." He felt her ruffle his hair and pull her hand away. Natsu reached up to grab her retreating hand and led it back to his head.

"Helps," he croaked. He cracked an eye open to look up at her. "Please."

Lucy smiled at her ailed companion and began to run her fingers through his hair once again. She had started it without thinking but if it helped him, she did not mind. It kept her preoccupied in the silent car.

After a while, she noticed that Natsu's breathing had stabilized and he was no longer panting in pain. She glanced down and saw that his eyes were closed and by the way he was draped like putty across the seats she assumed he was fast asleep. She brushed his hair away from his face again to keep it from tickling his nose.

I should have Cancer trim this when we get home, she thought. Although if I'm honest it doesn't look half bad.

She pulled a strand of his hair down until the tips met his jawline. Nope, too long. It'll get in the way if we have to fight.

Lucy let the strand of hair go and traced her finger along his jawline absentmindedly. Her eyes wandered as she took in the rest of the changes that had occurred in her absence. She noticed a few new scars along his abdomen that were fading as they healed, barely noticeable. She blushed when she wondered if there were others she could not see.

She returned her gaze out the window but the blush lingered. Stupid Lucy. What was that for? He's really no different than before...

She decided her sudden nerves were due to not having seen Natsu in such a long time that now it was almost like getting to know her teammate all over again. A quiet laugh brought her attention back to the car. Happy had woken up and was watching her with delighted eyes.

"Hehe," Happy laughed behind a paw. "What are you doing, Lucy?"

Lucy scowled as he slurred her name. "Mind your own business, stupid cat."

"You're all red in the face, Lucy. Do you have a fever?"

"Maybe. Go back to sleep."

"Sure." Happy sat there with his suspicious grin and Lucy promptly ignored him, turning to face out the window. She did not notice that her fingers had tightened in Natsu's hair again or that his eyes had opened and watched with cautious curiosity.

06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo