Good Mor- wait it's afternoon already? *Shrugs* Eh, time flies when you're lost in a universe. Anyway I know my returning readers are expecting Life Behind Bars but ya gotta give me a break. I'm stuck in between a rock and a hard place so I took my only escape and turned to writing this. Which, seeing as this story is only like ten chapters won't take long.

Anyway, just something I want to point out to y'all before you get started. While yes, this will end up as a Lugratsu it's not starting that way. At this point in time the trio are simply friends that learn to become something more as they raise Silver. Their relationship will evolve with time but until them it revolves around each of their interactions with the little Vampire and what they are to him in their strange family. That will become more clear as you read. Speaking of which, go and I'll see y'all later.


Chapter 2

Snack Time

Da thump.

"Good morning!"

Da thump.

"Good morning! How's the Mrs.?"

Da thump

His mouth waters. He can feel his pointy teeth poking at his tongue. And the call of food is right there. Mere feet away from the shade of the alley.

Sapphire eyes spin crimson with want, his small legs lead him on. Every step he takes brings him closer to the sweet smell of food.

Da thump.

It beats in his ears, whispering a melodious song to guide him. Only a few more steps now. Just a few more steps and the honey-sweet drink enticing him will be his.

The end of the alley. The end of the shade. The beginning of the beautiful sunshine he's forbidden to step into. It's just a step away.

Da thump.

His mouth hangs open, drool dripping from his lips. One more step and he'll have his first hunt.

A hand reaches out from behind him, snagging him by the back of his ragged shirt and lifting his short legs high above the ground.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Where do you think you're going Little-bit?"

He groans, midnight-blue hair falling into his eyes as he turns to the face the pinkette holding him. "Daddy I was hunting!"

At the end of the alley, the man carrying the basket of fish moves on, unaware of the danger hiding in the shadows.

Silver huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "See what you did? I lost my meal."

The pinkette chuckles, setting Silver on his shoulders. "Hey now, Silver. I thought Mama Lucy told you-you couldn't go hunting yet?"

"It's not fair, I'm already fitty." Silver growls, his tiny fists grabbing Natsu's hair to not fall from the older vampire's shoulders.

Natsu grins, walking through the alleys out of town into the surrounding forest. "You might be fifty in human years," The pinkette corrects the child calmly. "But to our kind, you're only a toddler that's a little too big for his pantaloons."

That draws a giggle from the little one. Silver bends down, his legs wrapping around Natsu's neck to keep him from falling, and looks into Natsu's jade eyes.

"You're the only one who calls them pantaloons anymore, Daddy Natsu. Even Mama Lucy calls them trousers or britches."

The pinkette arches an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Silver nods, his expression serious. "Well, then I guess I'll just have to update my language and say that you, Little bit, are still too big for your britches if you think you're old enough to hunt."

Not having expected the argument he was sure he was gonna win turn against him Silver hunts for an answer. When one doesn't become immediately apparent he resorts to childishly sticking out his tongue at his father figure.

Natsu chuckles and turns his attention to the path they're on. He sticks to the shade, preferring passing under trees or awnings to walking in the open. A thought crosses his mind and he frowns, glancing at the horizon, in the direction of the late afternoon sun.

"Hey, Silver?" The boy hums, twisting Natsu's hair this way and that.

"Yeah, Daddy?"

The pinkette pauses under a stand of trees overlooking the town and sets Silver down, turning to kneel in front of him. Looking the boy in the eye he can't help but wonder when he became mature enough to be a father, and to a kid that isn't his no less.

"Tell me something and tell me the truth. Mama Lucy and Daddy Gray told you not to go out in the sunlight right?"

Silver frowns but nods. "Yes, Daddy Natsu. They both said I couldn't leave the shade because I would be burned really really badly."

He furrows his brows in thought, watching the boy's body language. "So then how did you end up all the way in the village?"

The confusion and fear the boy is feeling disappears and he grins, pointing at the stream passing by a few trees away. "The water protected me."

Natsu arches an eyebrow. Silver steps away from him, approaching the stream. The elder vampire watches quietly as the boy steps into the stream, walking out into the middle where the sunlight breaks through the branches.

He's on his feet in seconds, rushing toward Silver until an incredible sight stops him.

The water rises up, covering Silver similarly to a cloak and then it freezes. A thin sheet of foggy ice covering the child from head to toe.

Silver giggles, turning to Natsu and holding up a hand. "See Daddy? The water protects me when I step into the sunlight."

Realizing his mouth is open, Natsu closes it, stepping out of the shade after the boy. He knows Gray has ice magic but to see the boy controlling both his mother and father's magic is disconcerting. More so since Silver is so young.

It bothers him, on a deeper level because the magic is the opposite of his own but he pushes the nudge away, more than familiar with it from his friend. He clears his throat, stepping into the stream after Silver.

"Come on, Little-bit. The water might be able to protect you but it's still a rule. You're not supposed to be in the sun."

As Silver pouts the ice melts, the water returning to the stream without leaving so much as a wet spot on his clothing. Still, Natsu picks him up and returning him to his perch on his shoulders, retreats to the shade.

After a little longer traveling the path a break appears in the trees. Approaching the break stone walls covered in vines with large tree roots reaching for the floor are the first thing the boy sees. Coming to a stop at the top of a wall overlooking a lake shows the walls run the entire length of the cover, allowing no easy escape from the natural formation.

Across from the lake, an old, worn down cabin comes into view. The wooden cabin doesn't look like much. More a stack of rotten trees stacked to look like a cabin against a rocky wall then an actual home. Though the clothes hung out to dry on a line strung between two large trees and the smoke trickling from the stone chimney lends a hint to someone being home.

Natsu looks down at the clear water and grins. "You ready for a dive Silver?" The boy giggles, tightly grabbing fistfuls of pink hair.

"Aye, Daddy!"

Natsu takes one large step off the cliff, relying on his inhuman abilities to keep his balance. "3...2...1…"

"Dive!" At Silver's command, he takes the leap, falling into the water below. Both scream in excitement, the exhilaration of the plunge adding to rush.

When they hit the water he waits until they stop descending before kicking upwards. Even though they can hold their breath longer than humans he doesn't want something to happen to Silver for being under too long.

The boy raps his knuckles against his head and Natsu speeds up, breaching the surface in nearly the same amount of time it took for them to dive. They gasp for breath, Silver giggling as they do.

Natsu shakes his head, swimming for the bank where he can see Lucy sitting in nothing more than a pair of shorts and a tank top. He arches an eyebrow, walking up to stand by her feet.

"Luce, not that I don't love your choice of clothing but where did you find that? Anyone in the village would throw a hissy fit if they saw you in it."

Silver descends Natsu's body in a matter of seconds. "Mama Lucy, you missed it. I had a lot of fun in the village." Shaking himself like a dog he runs up to Lucy and hugs her.

She smiles, patting his back. "While I'm glad to hear it, you don't realize how bad you scared us when we couldn't find you. And that's ignoring the fact that you're not supposed to be in the sunlight anyway."

The boy pouts, looking back at Natsu. "Daddy Natsu, you saw it. Tell her I didn't get hurt because the water protected me."

The blonde arches an eyebrow and Natsu sets a hand against Silver's head to gently push him in the direction of the cabin. "I'll tell her, Little-bit, you just head into the cabin before you really do get hurt by the light."

Lucy grins, leaning toward the boy. "And besides, Daddy Gray brought back a snack for you."

"A snack?" She nods. His eyes grow bright, swirling crimson in excitement and he licks his lips. "Do you think Daddy Gray will let me play with it tonight?"

The blonde shrugs. "I don't know, sweetheart. It depends on how soon you go apologize to him for disappearing without telling anyone where you were going."

That's all it takes. The five-year-old toddler races across the clearing on stubby legs, bursting through the door of the cabin and calling out for his father.

Lucy sighs, looking at Natsu as he settles beside her. "It's hard to believe it's already been fifty years since we agreed to help raise him."

He arches an eyebrow. "Does the Daddy and Mama titles still throw you too?"

She looks to the sky, her brows furrowing in thought. More than used to her thinking silences he takes to throwing stones into the pond while he waits.

After a while, she smiles softly. "Ya know, the first few years it shocked me but now I like it. I mean," She looks at him, her chocolate eyes full of hope and wanting. "I've always wanted children. Watching them grow and being able to show them the world we've watched change has always been a dream of mine. Raising Silver is sort of like the same thing."

Natsu grins, sitting back to lean against her. "Even if he isn't actually ours?"

She nods. "Honestly, I think the longer we do raise him the less we'll think of him as someone else's and more as ours."

The pinkette pulls away to look at her, a sliver of fear in his jade eyes. "Luce, you're not gonna leave me for Gray are ya?"

She falls quiet for a minute and snorts. "Natsu, you're an idiot." Seeing his hurt expression she wraps a hand around the back of his head, leaning closer to him. "But you're my idiot and I will never leave you."

"Never?" His eyes sparkle in amusement, his lips dancing dangerously close to hers.

She grins. "Never." With that, she kisses him. Her hands comb through his hair, her sharp nails lightly scratching his scalp. He growls, rolling over so she's settled in his lap.

Around them the sky grows dark, the sun setting beyond the horizon and the world comes to life. One by one the crickets wake up, lending their soft chirp to the night air. Across the clearing, a light blinks. It's only there for a second, flashing once then disappearing.

The flash repeats, this time coming from beside the pond and Lucy leans back, looking across the cove in time to see the lightning bugs begin their dance. She giggles, looking down at Natsu.

"Natsu, it would take death for me to leave you." She leans closer nuzzling his neck affectionately. "You are the one I want to be with. You're the one I want to spend my eternity with."

He sighs, turning his head to her. "You're right, Luce. I don't know what I was thinking."

They sit in silence, enjoying each other's presence until a squeak alerts them to the cabin door opening. As one they look up, their eyes immediately zeroing in on the brunette poorly attempting to slip away without notice.

"It would appear Gray let Silver have his snack after all." Natsu grunts in agreement, watching in intrigue as the woman stumbles away.

A small black shadow leaves the cabin not five minutes after her, keeping low to the ground and Natsu casts a glance at Lucy. "We've really gotta teach Little-bit how to hunt correctly."

She scowls, cuffing his head. "Idiot, he's only a toddler."

Natsu shakes his head, shaking off the hit and starts to get to his feet. Lucy slides off of him, standing up as well.

They know the brunette can't escape. The walls completely enclose the cove and are too high to climb. But to the pinkette, it's a gut feeling to ensure the small vampire doesn't get hurt while playing.

The woman looks back, catching sight of Silver's crimson eyes and she screams in fear. She pumps her feet, running to get away from the child.

Silver grins and runs after her, easily overtaking the woman. As she attempts to change direction, he leaps, landing on her shoulders. The woman stumbles, his slight but sudden weight sending her to the ground.

Natsu grins, looking at Lucy. "He's gonna be a natural."

The blonde rolls her eyes, pointing at the struggling woman. "Yeah, if he learns not to take too long."

They hear a yelp, looking to find the woman has rolled over and flattened Silver to the ground. As the woman rolls to her feet Natsu goes to run after her. Lucy grabs his arm, her grip like steel, and he turns to her, hissing a warning.

Unperturbed she holds a finger to her lips. Wait, she tells him. Then she points at Silver. Natsu looks back, his eyebrows rising in shock when he sees the boy getting up. The young vampire shakes himself like a dog, easily shaking off the blow and resumes running after the woman.

"Geez Flame Brain." Both vampires barely cast a glance at their friend, having scented his approach. "You'd think I didn't warn Silver about his snack putting up a fight."

Lucy hums. "I thought you weren't gonna let him have it tonight?"

The raven-haired vampire shrugs though the duo doesn't see it.

"He told me what happened and apologized so I really can't be mad. Though, Lucy, I would like you to help me start training him in his magic."

She's stuck between a rock and a hard place. A twenty-foot tall rock wall is in front of her. A bloodthirsty toddler hiding in the copse of trees behind her. The brunette is too scared to even realize Silver is playing with her, practicing what he's seen and been told by his family.

Natsu holds up a hand, drawing their attention. All three vampires are intrigued, watching the boy ascend one of the trees around the terrified woman.

"That's an interesting way to do it." The pinkette murmurs, a frown pulling at his lips.

His friend follows his gaze, frowning in concern. "You're right. What is he thinking?"

Instead of being concerned Lucy grins, chocolate brown eyes turning on the men before her. "That's easy you two. It's something I told him."

"What?!" The exclamation catches the woman's attention. She looks at them, only now noticing the three adults. She stills, naively praying to her god they haven't noticed her.

Above, in the tree branches, Silver ignores the three talking. He knows they're there, he's known since Daddy Gray let his snack out. He's heard everything they've said but he ignores it, only listening to the siren's call the terrified woman's rapidly beating heart sings to him.

He takes a deep breath, his eyes locking onto the point he wants to land on, and he lets go. Though slight, his body slams down on his snack hard enough to send her crumbling to the ground. He yowls in success, bending down to sink his miniature white fangs into her neck.

Finally. After being taunted all day he gets to sate his hunger. With each gulp, the call quiets and as the woman beneath him passes out he lets go, looking up to find his parental figures slowly approaching.

The small vampire grins, crimson blood clear against his pale moonlit skin. "Did you see? I did it!"

Natsu chuckles, ruffling Silver's midnight blue locks. "Yeah, we did Little-bit. You keep practicing like that and one day you'll be a better hunter than me or Daddy Gray."

Silver beams at the praise, his toddler self excited to make his guardians proud. Lucy rolls her eyes, pulling a cloth from her back pocket as she kneels beside him.

"You did a very good job, sweetheart but you have to remember that technique isn't going to help you every time." She wipes his chin to clean off the blood despite his whines of protest.

When she puts the cloth away he looks to her, grinning again. "I know, Mama. I'm gonna learn more so I'll be able to catch my prey every way."

She smiles, patting his head gently and Gray moves to the unconscious woman, frowning when he hears how slow her heartbeat is.

"Silver?" The boy turns, still smiling.

"Yes, Daddy Gray?"

Gray nods at the woman, nudging her with a boot. "Do you want to keep her for another snack or do you want to finish her off?" When his son doesn't answer Gray arches an eyebrow. "Silver, you have to think carefully about this. If you keep this one you'll be able to have a snack every week but if you finish her off you'll only be able to feed when we do. We can't keep bringing them back here or we run the risk of being found."

Silver swallows, the feeling of feeding still tickling his throat. This is the first time he's been asked about what happens to his snacks. He's not used to having to think about it.

He's gone without them before, eating when the adults do every full moon, but that's left him with his stomach hurting by the time the next feed comes. The boy considers it carefully, comparing the hunger of going without to having the treat.

After a minute he makes a decision and looks at his father as seriously as a toddler can. "Can we keep it Daddy Gray?" As an afterthought of Lucy's lessons in manners he adds, "please?"

Gray nods. "Very well, but hear me now. She is your responsibility to take care of. If we find out you're not then she goes."

His son grins, racing forward to hug his legs. "Thank you, Daddy. I love you!"

Looking down at his grinning son, Gray smiles softly. Natsu and Lucy share a look, a silent conversation passing between them in the time it takes for the widowed father to reply softly, "I love you too, son."


Right, so I guess I should start with what I'm trying to do here is show how each of the three adults react with Silver. If you noticed it was more Natsu this chapter. Next it'll be Lucy and then Gray and you get the idea. In the meantime I'm rather enjoying writing how Silver sees things. Even if it's from a toddler's perspective this chapter.

Next up, Review replies. My favorite part of the A/N.

Shana, thanks, it's definitely a lot of fun to write. Especially when it comes to the trouble this group is getting into.

Guest, Uh this story is rated T. If you wanted lemons and smexy times I'm afraid you've picked the wrong story. But if you want family and comfort and just a sprinkle of angst to make the story bittersweet then you've come to the write place.

Stele! So so so so happy to you back 'round here. Glad to see you loved the chapter. I think you're really gonna get a kick of how our trio turns out. *Grins evilly*

WhatAnimeHasTaughtMe, nice name btw. Thank you. This is actually the first time I've written Lugratsu. I'm so used to brotherly Gratsu and of course the lovely NaLu that it's definitely new ground for me. I hope you enjoy where it goes.

Kjacket, Like I said earlier. It's not a full blown Lugratsu as of yet. It will evolve over time. Of that I'm sure. As for it being completed. I always make sure to complete my stories. It's a petpeeve of mine that awesome stories are abandoned or forgotten but I also understand that irl drama gets in the way. I've had more then enough to deal with myself as of late.

Mushi0131, Thank you for the compliments. I'm happy to see you're enjoying it.

Right, before I sign off there's one more thing. My returning readers know this already but for the new readers. Whenever I get more then five reviews on a chapter I post a sneak peek for next week. Hope y'all enjoy it.

He shakes his head to get rid of the already building snow then looks up the wall at the remaining thirty feet they have to climb. "Where are we going that we can't use the tunnels?"

The little vampire enjoys playing in the tunnels, wandering into their depths and exploring or playing hide and seek with Daddy Natsu and Gray when he's not allowed outside during the day. But they also travel for a good distance, coming out near towns where good hunting resides.

His parents share a look, a glare he recognizes well as Mama Lucy's 'you made the mess now clean it up' glare causing his father to shudder under him.

Gray sighs, reaching for the next handhold. "Because, Silver, Daddy Natsu and I got into a fight near the last town we hunted in and we have to go in a different direction while the humans cool off."

*Grins*

Grizzly out for the night.