Hello again! I know I'm way behind, but I work doubles Sun-Tues, so I will be catching this story up for Wednesday. But for now, enjoy Day two!

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own them. Not a one.

Day Two: Reunion

One Year Later

The tapping of computer keys in Lucy's bedroom was drowned out by her low music, the lights dimmed so only her computer screen glowed. The corner of her computer desk was filled with blue fur, Happy dozing quietly by her side. She knew she should follow the cat's lead; from the corner of her eye she could see the sun rising over the horizon. It was a sight that had become common as of late, though Lucy tried her best to avoid working all night. In truth today wasn't a big deal, as she didn't have to go back to work for a few days. If she wanted to sleep in through the morning, she could. Still, Lucy knew better than to let this type of sleep pattern become a habit.

Her eyes scanned back over what she was writing, lower lip snagged between lips in frustration. Why couldn't she get this part of her book right? Her fingers twitched over her keys, yet they didn't attempt to formulate the next sentence. She didn't want to give up when her creativity was flowing, but the words seemed to elude her sleep-deprived mind. The mood she had created was so right, so perfect, that giving up on it now-

The screech of her phone made Lucy jump, easily losing her balance on her chair and slamming into the ground. The loud noise startled the sleeping cat, Happy scurrying off the desk and hiding under the bed. Lucy groaned as she rolled onto her stomach, pushing up to grab her phone. Who the hell would want to talk to Lucy at this time? She could barely think of two people who would be up this early, nevermind try to call her. Annoyed, Lucy glanced down at her phone to see which lunatic was on the other line. The number was registered under 'unknown', only adding to Lucy's displeasure. She could ignore it; it was their fault for calling her when the sun was barely up. Her finger hovered over the red dot, but her curiosity was piqued too much to really ignore the person. Finally clicking the green answer button, Lucy raised the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked quietly, her forehead dropping to the soft rug under her. Now that she was away from her computer, the desire to sleep was tugging at the back of her mind.

"Yo!" The voice was deep, a little muffled, and caught her off guard with how much energy it held within on word. Still, Lucy's eyes shot open, freezing her world for a few seconds. Her heartbeat accelerated instantly and Lucy sat up to try and help her shaky breathing. It didn't, and Lucy could hear her voice waver as she finally answered.

"N-Natsu?"

"Yup, in the flesh! Well, not really, but you get the point." His laugh sounded light, as if the two had just spoken the other day. Her hands trembled as both grasped the phone, swallowing several times to try and erase the dryness she had. Not seeming to notice her struggle, Natsu spoke again. "Damn, this phone really sucks. I didn't hear what you just said."

"Oh, I…" Her mind drawing a blank, Lucy's eyes travelled across her room in desperation to come up with an answer. Eyes falling on the swishing tail from her bed, Lucy rushed to respond. "Happy says hello."

"Happy! How is my cat doing? I've missed him, even when he constantly would meow because he didn't like the food I got him. Does he give you that problem?"

"He did, but I just adapted what I bought him to his preference. He's pretty easy going about his food, now."

"Why the hell didn't I think of that?!" Despite the riot of emotions warring in her heart, Lucy felt herself smile while Natsu berated himself over the phone. Letting the boy talk to himself, Lucy slowly pushed herself to rest her back against the side of her bed, head dropping back to stare up at the ceiling. The glowing stars that covered the surface was another painful reminder of the man on the other side of the phone. They had been a sixteenth birthday present, and Natsu had spent hours making her favorite constellations to surprise her. Later on she learned that he had gotten Levy (who acted as the decoy by taking Lucy out to dinner) and Gray (who drew out the constellations on her ceiling for Natsu to follow) in on the present, all for the sake of making her smile.

And just like every other memory of Natsu, a bittersweet pain swelled in her chest. Closing her eyes while pressing her hand to her heart, Lucy waited for Natsu to catch a breath to speak.

"Why did you call?"

Why haven't you called?

Where have you been?

Why did you leave me behind?

All of these questions were just at the tip of her tongue, but Lucy knew that she was too much of a coward to ask. She went with the safest of her questions, and even then there was a slight pause on his side of the phone.

"I'm coming home." The small answer made every feeling from before double, each sprinkled with anxiety.

"When?" She was sure that saying anything more than that would had made her shaky tone noticeable.

"Not too sure, since Gildarts has the tickets and is too busy flirting with the security officer to pull his pants back up, nevermind tell me when the plane leaves." What was she supposed to do with that statement?! From what she could remember, was always a little on the flirty side. He had tried to make a few passes at her, but had stopped once Natsu made his opinion known about that. Still, Lucy wasn't blind. The older man was very attractive, and thinking about him without pants on wasn't the worst thing she could spend her morning doing. Blushing as she smacked her forehead Lucy wondered if he could hear it from the other side of the phonecall. "But I think the plane will be back in town for tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?!"

"Well, today technically. It's a different time zone here so…" The line trailed off and for a moment, neither spoke. Lucy glanced over to the picture on her nightstand, staring at the bright smile of her best friend. Would he smile like that when seeing her again? What had the past year done to their friendship? Though she was happy he called her, doubt entered her thoughts. How many people had he told about his return before her? Was it even his decision to tell her, or did one of their friends order him to? Eyes lowering to the rug, the blonde felt her volume drop in her voice.

"Natsu, I-"

"Shit, the plane's boarding. I've got to give Gildarts his phone back now. I'll talk to you soon, Luce!" And as quickly as the phone call started, Natsu ended it. She didn't move the phone from her ear, as if hoping the voice would return. Maybe if it did, it would come back with answers she had been waiting on for a year. An explanation, an apology, or something substantial to prove that Lucy's friendship meant more than a random phone call in the middle of the night. But when nothing happened, Lucy let the phone drop to her bed, using her hand to cover her eyes.

In the silence a ray of sunlight shimmered through the window, reflecting the tear sliding across Lucy's cheek.

"Fuck...planes…" Natsu's queasy stomach couldn't settle, even as the plane landed on solid ground. He nearly puked again when a strong hand clapped him on the back, a masculine laugh coming from his left.

"Boy, how can you swim in the ocean with sharks and not be able to handle a plane ride?"

"Two different monsters completely," Natsu replied weakly, trying to breath through his nausea. It was slightly better now that the plane was no longer moving, but he was more than ready to get out of the tin can. People had been staring at him throughout the entire plane ride, even after Gildarts announced his motion sickness. The stewardess had been kind enough to give Natsu a trash barrel so that he didn't occupy the bathroom throughout the six hour flight. Gildarts had also made sure to get seats in the back of the plane, assuring nobody else would be sitting next to the two.

They had learned that mistake on the way to the Bahamas one year ago.

"And you've got more monsters to face once you're back in town." Gildarts stood to get their bags, Natsu still uneasy on her feet. He was able to lift his head enough to look at his mentor, his eyebrow arched.

"Like what?"

"How about the fact that you didn't let any of your friends know about leaving? From what I remember, Erza never took well to your spontaneous behavior." Suddenly, the plane ride didn't seem so bad. Face paling from something other than illness, Natsu tried to ignore his slight fear with a laugh and a wave of his hand.

"Erza will be a walk in the park! I'm not scared of her." Gildarts made sure that his disbelieving look was seen as he tossed Natsu his carry-on, the two making their way off the plane. Both made sure to thank the stewardess crew for putting up with Natsu's 'condition'.

"I guess she'll be a little easier to deal with in comparison." Natsu followed Gildarts off the plane, shivering at the slight nip in the air. The Bahamas were hot, and even California's weather seemed a little chilly. He ignored it as the two moved through the airport and toward the baggage claim.

"Is this one of those things I should automatically know?" Natsu had always had a tendency to miss the elephant in the room until it was blatantly pointed out to him. It got him in more trouble than he wanted to admit.

"Lucy." Natsu tensed at the name, Gildarts shaking his head as he grabbed his suitcases. "I still don't understand why you didn't call little blondie until last night."

"I had my reasons."

"Were any of them smart? You seem to lack smart ideas." Natsu scoffed and grabbed his bag, refusing to answer Gildarts's question. The shark expert watched his pupil from the corner of his eye, catching onto the way Natsu clenched the strap of his backpack. Smiling faintly, Gildarts patted Natsu's head and let out a loud laugh. "If you've learned anything from this trip, it should be what means the most to you."

"Says the pervert." True to Natsu's insult, Gildarts's eyes were already following a pretty redhead at the airport bar. In response Gildarts only smirked, his eyes sparking with mischievousness.

"You've got a ride home, right?"

"Sadly." Both men turned to the new voice, Natsu's face brightening when seeing a familiar figure leaning against the wall with a smirk. "Though maybe making him walk back to town would be a good punishment for his Houdini act."

"Fuck you too, Gray." Despite his cool demeanor, Natsu could see a hint of excitement from his long time friend as the two exchanged hellos. Gray yanked one of Natsu's bags over his shoulder as the traveller turned back to Gildarts, unsure of what to say. For the older man it took no time to crack a smile and yank Natsu under his arm for a side hug.

"We'll go over our research tomorrow, after you fix things with blondie." They separated after Natsu gave an uncomfortable nod, Gildarts quick to make his departure. Gray and Natsu watched as he sauntered toward the earlier spotted woman, Natsu only rolling his eyes and turning toward the exit.

"With his sex drive, he should've researched the Bonobo chimpanzees."

"Hey, he's your mentor," Gray supplied, the two making their way toward Gray's car.

"Yeah, yeah...so what have I missed?" The banter between the two was light, as if no time had passed between them. It made it easier to relax, even as the motion of the car tested Natsu's stomach again. Gray didn't hesitate to tease Natsu, which resulted in a slew of insults between the two. After that a comfortable silence fell between them, and Natsu was sure he would have fallen asleep if not for how unsettled his stomach and heart had become. His eyes flickered over each exit they passed, knowing it was one step closer to home. Though he was excited to see everyone, he knew there was one person he wasn't sure how to deal with yet.

"I probably shouldn't tell you," Gray started, catching Natsu's attention as they pulled onto Gray's street. "-but Erza has a party set up at my house for you."

"Seriously?!"

"It wasn't my idea; she just kind of stormed into my house with Lucy this morning and said 'we're throwing a party here'. I didn't have much of a say." Natsu was glad that some things never changed. No matter where he was in the world, Natsu knew that Erza's word was law. If she had jumped into the ocean and seen a Great White, he was sure she would find a way to tame it. A human shouldn't have that much power, and yet Erza Scarlet was not a myth.

"How many people?"

"Maybe twenty? I didn't really get to count before they were rushing me out the door." Natsu sunk a little lower in his seat as he saw Gray pulling into his driveway, his hands clenching on his lap.

"Why do I feel like this is a trap?"

"Wouldn't surprise me. You were kind of a dick when you left." At Gray's nonchalant answer Natsu glared, shoving his door open before kicking it as hard as he could shut. He heard Gray's shout of complaint, but the traveller didn't care as he glanced up at the house. He didn't live far away; if he wanted to, he could turn around and leave without anyone knowing better. Well, there was Gray, but he could shove the bastard into his own trunk. Instead of committing a second disappearing act, Natsu shoved his hands into his jeans and followed Gray to his porch. Gray then shook his keys awkwardly, muttering something about 'bossy women' before loudly declaring he "dropped" his keys. It took Natsu a second to realize that Gray had been instructed to say this sentence, probably as a sign for the people inside to hide. Though some people may have been bothered with Gray ruining the surprise, Natsu was thankful. But he would never say that outloud to Gray. Instead, he followed Gray into the house and steeled himself when Gray flicked on the lights.

Even with the warning, Natsu felt a rush of excitement when seeing so many of his friends jump out from their hiding spots, a chorus of 'welcome back!' bombarding his ears. He laughed, unable to fully process the waves of emotions now flooding him. It was good to finally be home. Erza was the first to greet him, smacking him across the head before yanking him into a bone-crushing hug. Lisanna and Mira were more understanding, offering him some food to snack on while they scolded him. Gajeel refused to admit he even noticed Natsu was gone, though Levy later told him that Gajeel had been depressed to lose his sparring partner. Always emotional, Juvia made sure to hug Natsu a few times throughout the party, and did the least amount of guilt-tripping. Each member from their group took the time to talk to the party boy, but Natsu's attention was pulled away as soon as his eyes caught a pair of pretty brown eyes watching him from afar. Natsu didn't hesitate to excuse himself from Elfman's story, his smile refusing to relent as he quickly rushed across the living room. He was sure he bumped into a few people because his eyes refused to watch where he was going, only watching Lucy's eyes widen when he didn't slow down in front of her.

"Natsu-" Lucy barely got his name out before she was swept up in a hug that lifted her clear off the ground. She squeaked when he twirled her, his excitement clear from the way he held her so close to his body. He finally put her back on her own feet, but his hands rested on her hips as he stared down at her.

"Hey." There were a hundred other things he could have said, but his mouth failed to support him.

"Hi, Natsu." He watched her smile, but instantly he recognized the way only half of her mouth lifted. His brows furrowed, wanting to question the look he couldn't remember ever seeing on his best friend's face. It wasn't anger, nor happiness. There was something about it that was...off.

"Natsu, come over here!" Both turned their heads at Wendy's happy call, the young girl waving their way. Natsu nodded to show he heard her, planning to see Wendy after questioning Lucy.

"We should probably go see what Wendy needs." But before he could, Lucy was out of his grasp and walking toward Wendy and the others. His hands fell limp at his side, his eyes refusing to leave Lucy's retreating form. He knew that people were going to yell at him. He was still waiting for a couple punches or pinches from his 'friends'. That stuff he could handle.

But seeing Lucy look at him with such uncertainty killed him. And by the end of the night, he planned to fix that.

And the two are reunited! The two will deff get more time together next chapter, and we'll start to hear about exactly what it was that Natsu left to do. Why did Lucy look at Natsu like that? Will the two be able to address their feelings from a year ago? Will both of them still feel the same way? And who thinks being a stewardess with Natsu on a plane would be a pretty sucky job? I know I would! Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and see you very soon!