Hi everyone! I am not dead! Hurrah! I just wanted to apologize for keeping you guys waiting. I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. If I did it would be a Nalu fangirl's paradise... Huh oh sorry just visioning it. Now without further adu *drums play in the background* Chapter 3!

Lucy's P.O.V

After escaping the wild accusations of Levy I decided to take a walk to clear my head.

"Levy is absolutely crazy!" I mumbled to myself, as if trying to convince myself.

"This is Natsu were talking about! The hotheaded, dense, reckless, idiotic, dragon slayer that has always caused me trouble! There's no way I'd like someone like him, no way!" I ranted, still glowing bright red.

I suddenly noticed that people were staring at me strangely. An old lady steered a young boy away from me, as if to protect the child from my craziness.

'Oops, I'm talking to myself again aren't I?' I mused, turning a deeper shade of red from embarrassment.

'How can Levy even think that! I might not have ever had a boyfriend but I still have standards!' I thought as a scowl formed on my face.

'Natsu is always getting into pointless fights or doing something stupid.'

I couldn't help but think back to the time when he decided to do the "Plue dance". The memory of that idiot, acting like a complete moron made my sweat drop.

(On Episode 50 for anyone who is curious)

"Ya I'm totally interested in that, Levy," I grumbled while rolling my eyes.

'Plus he is impossibly stupid and incredibly dense. How could I ever have a crush on that moron.'

' He always knows how to make a bad situation worse with his bad temper, love of fighting, rude attitude, and complete lack of self control.'

I recalled all the blunt and rude remarks he makes for everyone from our request employers to the enemy's we engage in battle.

It's always good to have Erza around. Seems the only way to stop him from offending everyone is to knock him unconscious.

I couldn't suppress my sudden wave of giggles; the memories of Erza sending a wide-eyed Natsu flying after his comically blunts remarks were priceless. He never fails to make me laugh. No one manages to crack me up as much as he does, probably because no one is as idiotic as him.

'But he is so cute when he's being stupid'

My eyes went wide and I frowned, 'Where did that come from? Get that out of your head girl, before it's too late!'

But my warning came a little too late, because in that moment my mind started to betray me. I suddenly thought of Natsu dumb expression when he's confused, and his irresistibly cute grin…

"Woo girl, get a hold of yourself!" I exclaimed loudly while knocking my head with my fists repeatedly to get the thought out of my mind.

"Don't think of his smile, instead think about all the bad things… that should help." I muttered flustered.

'Ok for one, he is always invading my privacy and crashing my apartment, he eats like a pig, his motion sickness is pathetic, and his destructive nature makes it near impossible for me to earn enough jewel on jobs to pay for my rent…'

I was walking down the canal to my home when suddenly stopped in my tracks, sat down on the ledge with my feet dangling, and looked up at the crystal clear sky. My face knit together in confusion.

"Ok I know that I'm a little upset right now but why am I taking it all out on Natsu?" I spoke puzzled.

"I didn't know I could be so cruel."

"Sure he can be an annoying idiot but there is more to him than that."

I thought back to the time when we first met. He rescued me from the fake salamander's slave ship even though he had motion sicknesses. I barely knew him then but he still came to save me without a second thought. After that he made my greatest dream come true by getting me into Fairy Tail, the guild of my dreams. I thought I would die of happiness. That day, not only did I get into Fairy Tail, I also met my first real friend.

Smiling at the memory of the best day of my life while swinging my feet.

"Ya thanks to him I met all of my friends. For the first time in what seemed to be forever I felt like I had a loving family." I stated cheerfully.

'But he didn't stop there now did he…' a voice in my head prompted.

Another voice shouted, 'Nooo, Lucy, noo! Go back to hating him!'

I ignored the latter voice.

He invited me to form a team with him, even though he's much stronger than I am. I was confused why he would want someone like me on his team. He brushed me off when I asked him and simply stated, "You're my friend now. Why wouldn't I want you? Plus I have a feeling that you are stronger than you look."

With that we became partners and later formed Team Natsu, the strongest team.

He stuck by me and we got a chance to get to know each other.

We quickly became best friends and could always be found together. He jokes with me and always makes me laugh. He can be sweet at times but he tries not to show it that often. He once uprooted the Rainbow Sakura tree and tied it to a boat so I would get to see it when I was sick.

'I still cant believe he did that. He kept on denying it, but I knew it was him.'

We somehow kept getting into dangerous situations but I always knew I could rely on him to save the day. He is incredibly strong and his strong will and determination is remarkable. He refuses to lose any battle whether against friend or foe.

Whenever we are in real danger, I am amazed at how quickly he can transform that cheerful, carefree boy to a fearsome dragon whose sole purpose is to protect his friends from harm in a matter of seconds. He is incredibly loyal to his friends and destroys anyone who threatens us. No matter how dark the situation may seem, I always have faith and know that he will be there to protect me. It's reassuring knowing that I have someone like him in my life.

Smiling at the sky, I thought of my best friend and let out a sigh.

"I better head home now, the sun is setting." I said to myself.

By the time I reached my apartment my head was a jumbled mess. I've never been more confused in my life. So I did what I always do when I need to think…I took a bath.

Soaking in the hot water my mind wandered to the one person I've been thinking of the entire day.

I found myself visualizing his adorable, heart-melting smile that always seems to be directed to me and for the first time today, I did not whisk the image away, but held onto it.

He always is there for me and lends me a shoulder to cry on when needed. I love how protective he can get because it shows that through all his teasing he truly cares.

I love how he does everything to protect his friends from harm. He is incredibly selfless and always in harms way. He also is impossibly brave. It borders on the line of reckless. Who am I kidding it crosses that line with miles to spare.

He has saved my life countless times and saved me when I was kidnapped by Phantom Lord.

I also love the way he picks me up when I'm feeling down and gives me hope when it seems that all is lost.

I love his smile and the way he says my name.

I love the way he always makes me laugh.

I love the way he makes me feel like I'm special.

I love all of that but I certainty do not like him. Nope, not possible, no way, not happening.

I suddenly heard a voice in the back of my mind.

' Come on my dear Lucy, you deserve to be honest with yourself, now tell me sweetie, how do you honestly feel about him.'

The color drained out of my face. The voice in my mind was not mine that's for sure.

That… was the beautiful voice of my mother.

'Theirs no way I can lie to the memory of my deceased mother.'

I took a deep breath and released the walls around my heart. Looking deep into my very soul I finally asked myself a question that I have been living in fear of.

'How do I feel about Natsu?'

Searching deep in my heart I found an answer that has been hiding in its depths for months.

"Seems like Levy was wrong for the first time, I really don't like Natsu." I said while sinking deeper into the water to hide the fiery blush taking over my face.

'I don't like Natsu…'

'I love him.'