Hey y'all, I'm so glad you're liking this TOTALLY CANON adaptation of our star crossed lovers. ;) I have adapted and re-written a few chapters and think you'll enjoy what I've done with this one! Do enjoy. Don't forget to review!

Chapter 4: Embers Ignite

Lucy lay quietly on the ground, exhausted from the day. They had been on the move, fleeing the Royal Army all day. However, in spite of this she couldn't sleep. Just knowing that Natsu and Happy had returned made her too excited to sleep. And after what happened in Crocus, well, the adventure of the re-establishment of Fairy Tail? She trembled with delight at the thought. Through the roar of the fire she could hear Natsu on the other side, snoring away. His face looked so peaceful, so rugged, so... handsome. A side smile crept along her cheek and she closed her eyes and before too long, drifted off to sleep.

Some time later Natsu awoke with a start. Looking around his stiffness melted away. He stood and saw that everything was quiet and still. His eyes immediately darted to Lucy. Her safety was always at the forefront of his mind.

Even in that year he was gone.

It was almost dawn now and in the glow of the dying embers of their campfire Natsu saw that Lucy was shivering. He stooped to one knee and reignited the fire, but he could see that this wouldn't bring her instant relief, so without hesitation he laid down beside her. Her skin was cold to the touch, and he could tell she had been this way for some time;

"Dammit" he thought to himself, "I should have paid more attention".

In that moment, Lucy exhaled a sigh of relief capped with a tiny moan. She nuzzled back into Natsu's chest and into the 'little spoon' position. As their exposed skin pressed up against one another she reached back for his hand, and clasped it tightly in her own, pressing it closely to her heart. Natsu was surprised at first but then beamed the biggest smile and leaned in, bringing his lips to the flowing golden locks of the Celestial Mage, taking in her scent that he had dreamt of for all those days gone by. As he kissed her she awoke.

Thinking that he had crossed a line Natsu began to panic and brace for a new and improved Lucy slap to the face, or worse, a Lucy kick to the...
But before he could even continue the thought, she simply turned and rolled over resting her shoulder in the crook of his arm. And her cheek, flush against his chest.

"Good morning" she chimed.

"Uh.. good morning... Luce" came his shaky reply.

Astonishment at her lack of anger and seeming advance in the nature of their relationship left Natsu with a look of utter confusion on his face.

Lucy took notice of this and pulled back, realizing what she'd done.

"I... Uhhh... Ummm... Oh..." Was all she could manage. When she turned to Natsu she couldn't speak. Her words were like peanut butter in her mouth and couldn't escape her lips.

He asked with a look of genuine concern on his face

"Lucy, is everything ok"

He reached out a hand to grab hers. His gentle caress gave her the strength to say what she never could before.

"I.. Just missed you so much." Tears now welling up in her eyes

"Lucy, please... don't cry", Natsu blurted out, voice breaking. "I can't stand to see ya cry, especially knowing that I'm the one that caused it"

"Don't be so hard on yourself", she replied "you did what you had to do, and I don't hold it against you." She stood and turned away, "But you did leave me, Natsu. Alone and scared, with nothing but that stupid note."

Natsu hung his head in shame, now feeling the gravity of the situation. Tears burst forth from Lucy's eyes while she wept silently in the cool morning air.

"I was so lonely!" She whimpered, almost in a whisper.

She realized now that Natsu never let go of her hand, and tried to pull it back. It was now that she noticed that she couldn't. Natsu held it too tightly. She felt his other warm hand cup her chin and lift her gaze to align with his own. His eyes were glassed over, trying to choke back obvious mist of pain. He was Crying? Natsu?

"I will never be able to undo what I did." He said morosely, "But ya hafta know that the only reason I left that note was because... I knew if I saw you, that I wouldn't be able to leave you. And I did have to go... But now that I'm back..."

Lucy began to turn her head away and Natsu shifted to never break eye contact,

"Now that I'm back," his glare intensified, "I will NEVER leave you again."

Lucy, cheeks aflame with sadness and anger, pulled away, not knowing what to say. Her cheeks blushed red and she thought about all the pain of the last year. She stood tugging her hand to free herself from the dragon slayer, to no avail.

Natsu, not knowing what to do, was moved by her cries. Before he'd let go. She had to know. He leaned in to plant a small kiss on Lucy's cheek. But before he could she turned to catch his kiss and, after all this time, their lips finally met. Natsu's eyes grew wide and then softened as he scooped Lucy into his arm, leaning into the kiss tenderly. Lucy's body swooned into his. Her left hand still intertwined with his, while her other flowed through his silky pink locks and came to rest on his cheek. Their hands parted and Lucy gripped the back of his head as the kiss grew deeper. She felt her knees weaken as his strong, and hot to the touch, hands rested on the small dimples of her lower back. Natsu's tongue brushed her bottom lip, begging entrance to comingle with hers. Lucy granted at they pulled back, breathlessly gasping, they rested their foreheads against one another and smiled. Lucy let out a small coo as she looked up into his eyes.

"I thought of you every day" Natsu declared. "And I promised I would come find you, and tell you what I couldn't before"

"I know Natsu." She reached for the note she found in his cottage, the one she always carried close to her heart, "And you just need to know..."

But that sentence was interrupted by a loud shouts in the distance. Natsu pushed Lucy to the ground as a large spear whirred between them, just barely missing his chest.

Happy, who had been sleeping peacefully this whole time, woke up at this and shouted "Natsu, what's happening?"

"We're in trouble, time to go!"

And all at once Happy grabbed their things and Natsu grabbed Lucy, and they ran. Fleeing the ominous unknown enemy that was after them.