Ah, Fairy Tail. You and all your wonderful characters belong to the amazing Hiro Mashima. I don't own you, but I wish I did.

All children grow up. Lucy Heartfilia had always known this somehow, even though her mother often spun her around in the garden, exclaiming, 'You're going to be my tiny star forever!', while she giggled excitedly, her long golden pigtails streaming in an arc behind her.

To Lucy, her Mama Layla was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. Her brown eyes always seemed to sparkle with supressed laughter, and her long blonde hair, which was usually tied up in a messy bun to keep it out of her way, would shine in the sunlight. True, Lucy didn't see that many people to compare her to. They stayed at home mostly; well, Mama and her did, and her father was always at work. Her mother, an artist, worked in her studio, painting giant landscapes of starry skies. Her father, Jude, worked at the stock exchange, and while he mostly spoke of stocks, shares, dollars and cents, he always had a smile for Lucy when she ran to greet him at the door if he arrived home before her bedtime. He saved his best smiles for her Mama though. Lucy privately thought that her Papa considered her Mama to be the most beautiful person in the world too.

Now that she was older, Lucy herself spent her days at lessons. Tutors would come to their home, which was on a large property out of town, and she would learn the skills a lady apparently needed, such as sewing, deportment and dancing. These lessons were not particularly exciting to a ten year old girl, but she tolerated them, because her father was pleased when she did well. He was rather a stern father, and earning his pride was important to Lucy. He valued hard work and dedication, so even though Lucy didn't see the reason behind knowing which fork to eat her salad with, or how to dance a waltz, she did the lessons for him. It was her other lessons which really excited her – literature, art and astronomy. When her lessons finished for the day, she would run to her mother's studio in the garden so they could spend time together before dinner. Spending time with her Mama was the best part of her day.

Lucy loved looking at the stars before bedtime. With no other children around, only her Mama and Papa, and the tutors, she often felt a little lonely for company her own age. But when she looked at the stars, she didn't feel as alone. She almost felt they were winking at her. Sometimes her mother would join her, pointing out the planets and constellations. She had a small telescope in her bedroom on the top floor, tucked into the gable of the roof, overlooking the tall pine trees in the back garden. Her little room's walls were filled with paintings and sketches, some by her mother, and others painted by herself.

One evening, after tucking Lucy in for the night, her mother noticed a new drawing pinned to Lucy's notice board over her little desk. She picked it up and examined it with a puzzled expression. It was a coloured pencil sketch of a young boy around Lucy's age, wearing loose white pants and a black open vest. He was relaxing against a tree, his back pressed up against the thick trunk, grinning in such a way that his eyes were almost closed, his toothy smile taking up much of his face. His hair looked wild and windswept, its dusty pink colour contrasting with his tanned skin. A white patterned scarf was draped around his neck carelessy.

'Who is this a drawing of Lucy?', her mother asked, smiling while her hand traced over the pencil marks on the paper. 'I think this is one of your best drawings yet. He looks so cheeky!'

'Well, yes, he is rather cheeky', Lucy admitted with a smile. 'He just can't help it, even though I've tried to teach him better manners. He just doesn't see the point of them.'

'Where did you meet him. Have you met this boy at the park when you go out with Capricorn for natural history lessons?'

'No, not exactly' said Lucy, hugging her knees under her pale pink quilt. 'I've never seen him in the daytime. He visits me when I'm dreaming'.

'Dreaming?' her mother questioned, turning her attention away from the drawing in her hands and back to Lucy.

'Yes, we go on adventures!', Lucy exclaimed excitedly. 'Sometimes we go to the mermaid lagoon, and see Aquarius and Juvia. Other times we fight with Erza at Fairytail in the village so she can test out her new swords. And of course, I have to write down stories with Levy, so she can read them to the Lost Boys when I'm not there to tell them myself'.

Layla smiled, loving the imagination of her young daughter. She looked back at the drawing, noticing how detailed it was. 'Does he have a name, this adventurous friend of yours?'

'He is Natsu, of course', Lucy said with a smile. Then she sighed, and rested her head on her knees, slipping her arms down her legs. 'I just wish he was a real boy, and not an imaginary one. He just feels so real to me.'

Layla carefully pinned the pencil sketch back to the notice board where she had found it, and leaned in to give her only daughter one last bedtime hug. 'I wish sometimes that I had been able to give you some brothers and sisters to keep you company Lucy. I worry sometimes that your existence is far too lonely to be happy.'

Lucy squeezed her Mama back extra tight. 'I could never be lonely when I have you Mama. And Papa too, of course', she added as an afterthought.

Layla smiled as she stroked her daughter's cheek lovingly, before giving her a goodnight kiss. 'Alright. Sweet dreams my tiny star. And if you see Natsu, don't forget to give him a hug from me'.

'Of course Mama', Lucy replied. 'He doesn't have a Mama of his own, so he would probably love to know that you're thinking about him. He lives with his dad, Igneel – he's a fire dragon!'

'A dragon for a father, how exciting!' exclaimed Layla, giving her daughter a last 'boop' on the nose before standing to leave the small room. 'I bet you can't wait to get to sleep to go on more adventures. I'm glad you have a friend like Natsu in your dreams'.

'Best friend', yawned Lucy tiredly, tucking her hands under her chin as her eyes began to drift closed. 'Natsu is my best friend.'