Natsu rolled over and felt blindly for Lucy's warm skin, but all he could feel was faint warmth on the sheets where she had recently been. He stretched a little farther and his fingers ran along the edge of the bed. With a low groan he sat up and quietly called, "Lu, did you fall out?" He received no answer so he turned on the lamp that rested on the wooden side table. Lying across the bed on his stomach, he peeked over the edge and looked for any trace of her on the dark floor. With a frown he called again, "Lucy?" His voice held more concern than it had previously. His long fingers roughly ran through his pink hair while he tried to think of where she could have possibly gone.

A muffled sound caught his attention; it sounded like someone gargling while being strangled. He leapt to his feet, his nose working overtime to locate Lucy. It only took a second for Natsu to track her scent: she was inside the bathroom. A silly smile tickled his lips and he hesitated a moment before tapping lightly on the door. "Lucy? Are you in there?"

Her voice floated back to him very faintly. "Na—Natsu? I—", her words were interrupted by the sound Natsu had heard before.

"I'm coming in," he announced before slowly pushing open the door. The first thing he noticed was the smell: reminiscent of Lucy but mostly vomit. The blonde woman sat on the tiled floor next to the toilet. She was wearing a plain pair of underwear and one of Natsu's button-up shirts, a light blue one. Her back was resting against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest. Her pale face rested on top of those knees, long wavy hair flowing downward. Sweat glistened along her forehead. Natsu knelt in front of her and pushed back the strands of hair that were clinging to the moisture. "Oh, Lucy," he crooned.

Lucy's eyelids lazily lifted and exhausted joy filled her eyes as she looked at him. "Oh, hey," she mumbled as she smiled calmly.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You feeling okay? Did you catch a stomach bug?"

Still smiling, she muttered, "Ahh, no, it's the baby. It's normal. . ." Slowly she raised her head and licked her lips. "Ugh, I feel disgusting. I'm so tired. . .this has been happening all week."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She gave a sloppy shrug and said, "No reason to alarm you over something normal."

Natsu smiled and shook his head. "Okay, well I want to know everything, normal or not. Now let's get you cleaned up." He stood and moved to the bathtub, filling it with warm water. He returned to Lucy's side, where he took her hands and carefully helped her stand. He made sure she was steady then began to unbutton the shirt she was wearing. He allowed her to remove it as he gently slid her underwear down her long legs. Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder to maintain her balance as she stepped out of the undergarment. Once the clothes hit the floor, Natsu swept her up in his arms, cradling her. For a moment he simply stood there smiling down at her. He then gently set her down in the tub, sitting back to allow her some time to soak in the hot water.

The dragon slayer retrieved a wash cloth from Lucy's towel shelf and dunked it into the bath water. He started with her face, wiping away the shiny signs of the episode, and when he finished he planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. He proceeded to move the cloth over her shoulders, moving to her back which he spent extra time on because she hummed contently as he did so. Once he had washed all of the necessary areas, he squirted a dab of purple shampoo on top of her head and began to laugh at the sight.

Lucy, who had been thoroughly enjoying this pampering, opened one eye and mumbled "Whatso funny?"

Natsu merely grinned before splatting the shampoo with the palm of his hand. He lathered all of her long hair, scrubbing gently against her scalp with his fingernails. The look of pure enjoyment on Lucy's face filled Natsu with peace and he wished that he could do this for eternity. Eventually the water did become chilly and he regretfully drained the tub. Towel at the ready, he helped Lucy stand up and step out of the slippery tub, then patted the wettest parts of her with the towel. Natsu noticed her hair dripping water profusely, and said, "Do you want to wrap the towel around your hair? I don't think I can do that part very well." He chuckled as he handed her the towel.

As soon as the towel was securely wound around her locks, he picked her up once again and began to carry her back to the bed. Lucy sighed playfully and said, "Natsu, I think I can walk across the room!"

He smiled down at her as he said, "I bet you can, but I like to carry you." Sensing that she was feeling much better, he plopped her down on the bed and laughed as she bounced back up slightly. Once he had her settled in the bed and covered up, he sat next to her and said, "I don't feel like sleeping, do you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, I'm pretty awake now. What do you want to do?"

Natsu reached out his hand to hold hers. "I want to talk." Over the next few hours they talked about all kinds of things: the baby, the guild, mission, rumors, gossip. . .

"Oh, hey, guess what Gray told me this morning," Natsu exclaimed. Lucy shot him a curious look and he launched into the story. "Well, he was acting super weird, being really touchy about stuff that never bugs him. So I kept asking him what was going on and finally he cracked. He's got a thing for Mira! And he's gonna make a move soon!"

The two of them discussed this huge event for a while. Gray was rarely open enough to even contemplate a romantic relationship, so this was a big deal. Lucy expressed great concern for Juvia, but Natsu insisted that Juvia was a "big girl who can handle it." Then the conversation moved on to past romantic relationships, and current ones. . .

"Natsu, what did you first like about me?"

To answer this, Natsu had to grab her chin and turn her face towards him. He stared into her eyes for a long time before saying, "Your eyes. You've been through a lot, like any of us, but you never let it get to you. Your eyes hold all the hope that our guild needs. Your eyes show all of your love, compassion, and beauty."