Hello again everyone! It's Monday so we know what that means! New chapter! Yay! I struggled with this one, not sure why but I had a major block and wrote most of this yesterday and early this morning. I hope it still lives up to your expectations and I didn't ruin it TOO much. As always please read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Natsu or Lucy or anyone else. It's not fair.


"Natsuuuu!"

Lucy screamed his name as the rock dragon came barreling down on her. The baby was still shrieking and slamming its tail on the ground as it ran, dust flying in all directions as it got closer. She was frozen to the spot, just waiting for Natsu to save her from the obviously dangerous dragon. When he didn't appear and the baby got bigger and bigger she screamed and covered her face with her arms. She felt a few small rocks hit her face and dust filled her lungs, the sounds emitted were loud enough to deafen her but when she expected pain... None came. Slowly, very slowly, she lowered her arms. Had Natsu saved her? Pushed the large body away? No, she could still hear small noises coming from it every once in a while. When Lucy finally lowered her arms all the way and looked the huge dragon in the face it made a happy sounding little shriek, causing her to cover her ears, and then dropped down to the ground. The entire area around him shook and broke apart, which seemed to be exactly what he wanted. He dug his nose into the ground and found a large piece of rubble, rolling it towards Lucy and letting out another little shriek. She didn't really know what it wanted, the thing was the same size as her. The baby did it again, with a smaller piece this time. Lucy reached for it and when she picked it up he rose and flapped his wings, coming up on his back legs. It... Wanted to play? She threw the rock as far as she could and he snapped his jaw after it. Once he had defeated the offending rock he turned back to her, sat down and waited. This was entirely bizarre. She looked around for Natsu and saw him about a hundred feet away, bent over at the middle and laughing. She suddenly realized he knew exactly what would happen on this job and it made her fume. She picked up a rock and threw it in his direction, it was small enough to go a long distance, but large enough that the dragon took off after it. Large feet shaking the ground as it ran. Natsu saw the baby coming and let out a little yelp as he ran too. Lucy cut him off and was in front of him before he recovered from nearly being trampled by the baby and she yelled,

"That's why everyone was saying this was a good first job?! They knew the baby would just want to play?! Why didn't you tell me?! I've been worried sick that I'd get crushed or something!" Her face was red and her chest was heaving, he was only grinning back at her.

"I couldn't spoil the surprise, it wouldn't be fair! You never know when a job might turn deadly so being worried is a good thing. Usually when babies wander away they get curious about nearby towns and go exploring. This time it just happened to be a destruction loving rock dragon who was looking for someone to play with, since all his clutch mates are back in the nest. More a nuisance than anything to be worried about. The town will rebuild and I'm sure any injuries are minor anyway, now the job becomes getting it back home. This part will be difficult." He looked thoughtful, his hand coming up to stroke his chin.

Lucy was still fuming and for good measure she gave him a hard shove, making him fall on his ass. She turned and came face to face with the dragon, his eye right beside her. She let out a little shriek of surprise and the baby let one out right back at her. Rocks came tumbling from it's mouth, carefully chosen pieces for her to throw. All of them were covered in saliva though and she didn't really want to touch them. How on earth was she supposed to get the baby back to it's nest? Where was the nest anyway? She looked all around and in the distance she saw a jumbled mess of rocky terrain.

"Looks like he came from over there." She pointed towards it as Natsu came up beside her, arms folded and smiling.

"So how do we get him back home?" He looked over at her with a raised brow.

"I don't know! Don't you?"

"Course I do, but it's your job isn't it?" She gave him a dirty look and then idly threw a rock in the direction they needed to go. The baby chased after it with a happy little noise, but came back almost as soon as it turned away, her arm just couldn't throw as far as it needed to chase. An idea suddenly struck her and she cried out in triumph.

"I've got it!" Natsu turned to look at her and she had pulled out one of her keys, pointing it in front of her she yelled, "Open! Gate of the Maiden! VIRGO!"

A bright flash of light temporarily blinded them and when it receded the celestial spirit stood in front of her. She was clad in her everyday maid attire with two shackles adorning each wrist. Little hat sat on her fuchsia topped head.

"Princess, is it time for punishment?" The spirit asked, bringing out a scary looking black whip.

"AHH! NO! Why do you even have that?!" Lucy shrieked at her, grabbing the whip and throwing it to the side. Natsu slunk away and picked it up, dangling the end in front of Happy to get him to play with it. The cat obliged, pouncing and batting at it.

"I'm sorry princess, what is it you need?"

"The baby dragon over there," She pointed to where the rock dragon was currently slamming his tail onto the ground and then rolling in the rubble. "We need to get him back home but I can't exactly carry him and it seems the only thing he likes to do is make a mess and play fetch. Since you can bore tunnels into the ground I figured you can create some huge pieces of rock and toss it in the direction of those little mountains over there. You'll be able to throw them a lot farther than I could."

Virgo placed one hand over her heart and bowed halfway down, "Of course, princess. It would be my pleasure, and if I don't do it right you can always punish me."

Lucy felt exasperation and sighed, "That won't be necessary, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Virgo turned and disappeared into the ground. She appeared again on the other side of the rock dragon with a rock easily 3 times the size of her, but she tossed it about 500 feet away and the baby dragon let out a happy shriek and took off after it.

"Come on, Natsu!" Lucy called and started running after the baby and Virgo. Natsu had gotten the whip wrapped around his legs and was flailing to get untangled before he started chasing after the three of them. Every few hundred yards the baby would catch up with the rubble Virgo threw and either smash or chomp on it, then immediately roll on it. Virgo usually had to whistle or call out to get him to notice that she was holding another piece for him to play with.

About halfway there Lucy got tired, she had a stitch in her side and she was panting. The place they needed to go was a long way from the town and they were only about halfway there. She didn't think she'd make it the rest of the way. Lucy watched as Virgo threw another rock and dropped to her knees on a groan. Natsu caught up to her then and stopped, he was breathing heavily but there was a sparkle in his eyes.

"Come on Luce, you can't give up now."

"Can't... Run... Anymore..." She panted out, holding her side.

Natsu grinned and leaned down, grabbing her around the waist he slung her over his shoulder and started running again. At first Lucy was too shocked to react but the bouncing eventually had her yelling, "Put me down! I'm not a sack of potatoes!"

Laughter was his answer and she started smacking his back and wiggling her feet. He ignored her and didn't stop until they were at the rocky terrain that was much larger now that they were upon it. They stopped at the bottom and only then did Natsu place her firmly on the ground. She gave him a little shove and a death glare for good measure which only made him grin wider.

"We are here princess, if there is nothing else?" Lucy shook her head and Virgo bowed again, disappearing in a little poof. She turned to look at the tall crumbling mountains and wondered where on earth the nest was. The only thing to do was to start climbing to the top and then search that way. It took another half hour to make it to the top.

The baby knew he was close to home now and started to fly up along with them, when they reached the top he thankfully let out a shriek and started moving to the right. As they got closer to the nest they could hear more shrieks and calls, growls and crashes. The sight they came upon was one of hilarity. Four other rock baby dragons were smashing everything in sight and rolling around, eating the rocks and getting mad at their siblings when they got too close to one anothers pile. The one they had rescued let out a deafening cry and his clutch mates turned to see him, their wings flapping as they let out the same noise. Lucy was covering her ears and didn't see the rock flung in their direction as a greeting to the missing sibling. Natsu dove for her and she screamed as they rolled a few feet away. His arms had protected her head and when they stopped he looked down at her, concerned.

"Did it hit you?"

All she could think was, Gold eyes, he really has gold eyes. It took her a minute before she could shake her head and respond. "No it didn't hit me, thank you."

A smile spread across his face and he released her, popping to his feet and holding out a hand to help her up. She took it and he yanked, apparently the only way he knew to help someone up, and she fell against his chest. Eyes wide she looked up at him and he raised a brow,

"Clutz ain'tcha?"

Wrinkling her nose she pushed away from him. "Maybe if you didn't try to pull my arm out of the socket I wouldn't be falling again."

"I was only helping you up! Geez you can't even say thank you?" He grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest.

She sighed, he was right, she hadn't thanked him for pulling her out of the way of the rock.

"Thank you Natsu, for not letting the big rock hit me and helping me up."

He smiled then and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the playing babies. "Come on, we need to make sure the mother knows he's back and see that he doesn't wander off again before she does." He lead her a round about way to avoid more flying debris. They checked inside the cave first, Natsu yelling out "Helloooooo" and only getting an echo in return.

"Looks like she's out." Lucy commented.

"Probably looking for her baby, he did wander pretty far. Guess we'll just have to wait for her to get back." Still clutching her hand he started moving back over to a flat bit of rock and only released it when she sat down. He stood there for a moment watching the dragons play and then sat down beside her, it was a tight fit and they were pressed together at arms and legs. Lucy felt a slight blush creep up her cheeks but she ignored it and asked him,

"So you grew up with a dragon right? That's how you got your abilities?"

Natsu grinned and she knew he was remembering. "Yeah, I did. His name is Igneel. I don't remember my birth parents at all, I just remember being really young, wandering around with no people in sight when I heard a cry and I looked up to see him circling. I was terrified when he landed, crying and unable to move. He watched me for a while before he asked me a question. He asked me if I was alone. His voice rumbled the ground, but it was kind, and when I nodded he came forward and said. "I can teach you to take care of yourself, and you'll never be alone."

Lucy smiled, "He sounds wonderful, do you still see him often?"

The smile fading, his head shook slightly. "I haven't seen him in a while, he just disappeared. I don't know why or when he'll come back, I miss him like crazy but I know there's a reason he left. Just wish I knew what it was."

Her head shifted slightly to lean on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. She had already known all this, but hearing him tell the story with such affection and also sorrow, made her glad he'd had someone to take care of him, to raise him; and also sad because that person was gone from his life. "I'm sure he'll come back one day, and you'll be a family again. Don't worry, you can't ever forget the people you love."

He looked down at her with a warm smile, "Thanks, sometimes I wonder if I'll ever see him again. It's nice to hear someone say I will."

They sat like that for a while, just watching the babies play. Lucy told herself she should sit up straight, not use him as a pillow, but he was warm and comfortable. After all that running she was exhausted, her eyes grew heavy and before she realized it, she had fallen asleep. How much time passed she didn't know, but she was woken by a bone jarring shriek. Popping up from where she leaned against Natsu, her eyes blinked rapidly and she looking around.

"Mom's back" He said from beside her, lifting himself from the rock he walked to where the massive dragon landed. It was an interesting sight to see, Lucy would have been terrified to get that close to a dragon. Natsu was a slayer though, one of the best, for him this was just another day. She watched in awe as he got closer to the mother, his hands raised just slightly to show he meant no harm. He spoke a little louder, but it was still kind. "We found your baby in Oshibana, he'd wandered away from here and was destroying the town. He's unharmed and over there, playing with his clutch mates." He gestured to where the group of them were winding down in their games, getting ready for a nap.

The mother shifted to look at her children and then turned back to him. Her voice was loud and clear, "Thank you, slayer." Her gaze shifted to Lucy and for a moment she said nothing, simply stared, but then her voice rang out again, "You as well, traveller." Lucy blinked at the name given to her, watching as the dragon moved over to her clutch, the little ones jumping all over her as she laid down until they simply passed out.

Natsu came back to where she still sat on the rock and held out his hand, "Shall we go? We should try and make it back to Oshibana before dark so we can find whoever is paying you and get a room. If the inn hasn't been destroyed that is." He was grinning now and she couldn't help but smile back. She took his hand and he once again yanked her up. This time though she was prepared and balanced herself out before she fell. The walk back was nice, they talked more about Igneel and what kinds of things he had taught Natsu, how he taught them. It fascinated Lucy to hear about the first time he had breathed fire, shot flames from his fists. She couldn't imagine being able to do something like that. Her own magic was using an object to summon someone else to do magic. His was by far better.

They reached the town just as night was falling, where there had been no people before now held dozens who were helping to clear the rubble from the streets. Pretty soon they were noticed, fingers pointed and some even called out their thanks. A tall, thin man with a fairly large moustache approached them before they made it to the center of the town.

"Welcome back, slayers, and a very large thank you for getting rid of our little problem. I have your payment here," He handed Lucy a rather heavy envelope before continuing, "As well as a room in our inn and a meal free of charge. It's the least we can do for you. I'm afraid I must stay and help with the clean up for at least a little while longer, however you will find The Boar's Wing straight ahead. Tell Mellyora I sent you and she'll see you situated. Thank you both again, it is greatly appreciated." The man gave a slight bow and then moved to help a man struggling with a piece of rubble.

Lucy watched him walk some distance away before she opened the envelope and peered inside. It was brimming with jewels. She felt such accomplishment and pride well up in her chest. Natsu's pink head appeared beside her as he peered in too. "Feels good doesn't it? To help people?" She nodded, smiling.

Making their way to the inn they were greeted by a plump older woman, who came around the counter and gave them both hugs and kisses to the cheek when she heard who they were. "Bless you both, I was afraid that baby would destroy our whole town before someone came to take him home. I have your room all ready and dinner is still hot, I'll bring up a tray shortly." She handed Lucy a key. "Go up the stairs, first on the left. Let me know if you need anything else." She bustled away then and the two of them headed for the room.

It was nice, spacious but not overly large. There was a bathroom to the left of the door as well as a few chairs to sit in and a table. The biggest problem though, was one bed. Had they thought the two of them were a couple? Lucy's cheeks warmed and she glanced over at Natsu who seemed more interested in checking out the view from the large windows than worrying over sleeping arrangements.

"He destroyed more than I thought he had, looks like a good half of the town is gone." He was frowning, but when he turned back to her it faded. "Good thing we got here before it was all turned into a rocky playground."

Lucy nodded, settling down in one of the chair she blurted out, "So how are we going to do this? There's only one bed." Natsu looked over at the offending piece of furniture as if he hadn't noticed it yet. "Oh, well you can take it, I'll sleep in one of the chairs. I've slept worse places." He dropped down into the other chair and wiggled a bit, "Ah, comfy." She couldn't stop the giggle that rose in her throat and he grinned at her. Mellyora knocked on the door then and brought in a large tray laden with food. The two of them stood up and went to the table to see what the older woman had brought. Two huge bowls of stew, some buttered bread, some sort of juice and slices of strawberry shortcake for desert. Lucy felt a smile tug at her lips because she thought of how much Erza would like this meal. Turning back to Mellyora she thanked her, handing her one of the smaller jewels from her reward. The woman's face lit up and she curtsied before bustling out of the room.

By the time she had finished speaking to the other woman and turned back to where Natsu sat at the table, she saw he'd already finished, and was eyeing her bowl. Rolling her eyes she smacked his hand away when he tried to subtly sneak her piece of bread. Rubbing his hand he made a face at her. She ignored him and settled in to eat. Everything was amazing, she ate half the stew and all of the bread and cake. She offered the rest of her stew to Natsu, whose eyes lit up and he downed it in seconds.

She was a bit nervous, now that they'd finished eating and the time to sleep had come. How was she supposed to undress with him in the room? It would be weird to sleep in her clothes. He didn't seem to have any issues. Whipping off his vest he tossed it at the other chair, then pulled off his scarf to use as a makeshift pillow. He looked over at her with a half smile, "Night Luce." She had to stop staring, that vest really covered a lot of skin, damn he was built well. She tore her eyes away, embarrassed at the direction of her thoughts. "Night Natsu."

Lucy crawled into the bed and removed her clothes there, down to her underwear. All the while she kept checking to see if he was watching, of course he wasn't. He was snoring away, with Happy in his lap. That cat had a knack for disappearing and reappearing without anyone noticing. For a while she was too on edge to sleep, but eventually the events of the day caught up with her and she drifted off. When she woke up in the morning she sat up, forgetting for a moment where she was and who she shared the room with. As the fog of sleep cleared she remembered and pulled the blanket up to cover her chest, but a look to the chair he had slept in showed her he wasn't there. Getting up Lucy quickly put her clothes back on, not knowing when he'd return. He entered the room about ten minutes later and carried their breakfast. Both ate quickly so they could start the journey home.

As soon as he realized how she planned to get home he started complaining, "Aw Luce, not the train! I get motion sickness!"

Lucy couldn't help but grin, "So I've heard, but it's the fastest way back. We'll be there by this afternoon rather than tomorrow. You can make it for a few hours."

He still grumbled and Happy flew along beside them as they boarded the train. Once seated she asked, "So how did I do for my first job?" He was looking out the window, just waiting for the train to start moving, but he turned back to answer her.

"Not bad, you could have been a bit more brave in the face of danger, but that will come with experience." The train lurched forward then and his face turned instantly green. "I don't... Feel so good..." She could hear the rumble in his stomach and she was trying not to laugh at the same time she felt sorry for him.

"Here, lay down." She patted her lap and when he obliged by placing his head there she started playing with his hair, threading her fingers through the spiky pink locks. He was still green for the duration of the trip, but he seemed to handle it better when he was lying down. She'd have to remember that for the next time they took the train.

They got home by late afternoon, but when the train stopped Natsu still didn't move. "We're home." She told him, but he just groaned.

"Give me a minute."

She waited, continuing to play with his hair. They stayed so long an attendant came by and told them if they wanted off they'd have to go now, as the train was about to leave again. Reluctantly Natsu sat back up, his face was a more normal shade now and by the time they were both on the station's platform he looked much better.

"I hate trains" Was the only thing he said. They walked slowly back through town on the way to the guild. They didn't say much but the silence was comfortable. Happy had disappeared again, but that wasn't at all surprising. Once they reached the canal she convinced him to walk along the edge with her and just like every other time, the men riding in boats called out for them not to fall.

When they reached the guild they could hear people shouting from where they stood outside. Glancing at each other, Natsu pushed open the door. Not one voice was discernable as everyone yelled, once more Lucy looked at Natsu before she raised her voice and asked,

"What's going on?"

The entire place quieted as they turned to the returning guild members. A voice that was full of authority, yet gentle, came from the area of the bar.

"We received word of a dragon causing quite a bit of trouble to the north. He's destroyed three remote towns so far and left no one alive. It was only discovered recently what had been done. I've sent Elfman and Evergreen to put an end to the dragon, but some here question my choice." The voice belonged to Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail.

"If he's that dangerous, why didn't you send Gajeel or Wendy? Why didn't you wait for me to get back?" Natsu asked, fire in his eyes at the news of this dragon wreaking havoc.

"This dragon is dangerous yes, but we don't know for certain that ridding the lands of this problem requires someone with the skills the three of you possess. The towns are so remote they wouldn't have had a chance to ask for help, if Elfman and Evergreen are unsuccessful in killing him, then I will consider sending one of you."

Natsu didn't look to pleased with the masters choice, but he said nothing. He respected the master and any decisions he made, regardless of his own feelings on the matter. Everyone else seemed to be in the same boat, wishing they had been the ones to go. The mood was tense and everyone was silent, but then suddenly one of the guilds younger members, Romeo, stepped forward and presented a large dragon egg to Natsu.

"My dad and I found this today. There was no mother and no place it could have come from. I think someone tried to steal it but then maybe changed their minds." He told Natsu, handing him the egg. "I thought maybe you could take this to Lisanna, since she helps hatch them and all."

Natsu smiled at the younger man, "Thanks, Romeo. Sounds like a good idea to me." His eyes found Lucy and he asked, "What do you say? Up for a trip to the dragon nursery?"

Lucy was thrilled. She had wanted to see the place where Lisanna worked, to see all the different types of dragons in one place. Not to mention it was the perfect opportunity to further her plans of getting the two of them together. So with a big grin she said, "Definitely"

Natsu's smile broadened, "It's settled then, We're going to the Capital."


So there it is, again I hope I didn't disappoint too much. I promise the darkness is coming, I just wanted to establish even more of a relationship between Natsu and Lucy before it gets tested. What will happen when they get to the capital? Will Lucy succeed in pushing Lisanna and Natsu together? Will the oddities in Natsu's behaviour get worse? Tune in next week to find out!

Lilith Mey

Thank you to all who reviewed! You make writing so much better!

Crimsonlink310: Yes he was just a background character for the rest of the books. A few things she developed with him but in his book she was planning to delve deeper, instead she's now learning he has a whole personality she didn't write. Of course he helped them with their missions and with getting them together, he wouldn't be Natsu otherwise! I love cliffhangers and this mission just sort of popped into being while I was talking about ideas with my sister. I'm really grateful she's around to help me edit and proofread. I'me excited for it to get darker too, just hope it doesn't turn some people off.

Johnny Spectre: I award you bonus points for being so very very close to the mark on what was happening.

ashinksy: You should be worried for Natsu! It's going to get worse! I do love the character of Lisanna and I was extremely happy that she wasn't actually dead. She's the perfect friend for both Natsu and Lucy, but it's going to be fun seeing Lucy try and shove them together. Can't wait to write it. I'm glad you like the slow build of their relationship. One of the reasons I started writing my own fic was because I felt so many of them went too fast in putting them together. It feels rushed and a bit forced. I only hope others enjoy it as much as we do! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so much and I hope you love it all the way until the end!

The Vampire Queen Lori: Didja like it? Are you on pins and needles for the next chapter?

Kurohime: I update once a week! I cannot promise more than this! I must give all readers a chance to see it before I publish more goodness! What's your theory on the goings on with Natsu? I'd love to hear what you're thinking about what's happening. I hope you don't find Lucy lacking for long. Because she's come from a different world she's not as used to using magic as in the manga. She'll get there! I'm glad you like it and I hope I don't disappoint!

Guest: Yay I updated! lol

Chattrekisses: Haha well thank you, I always did think I was quite the genius. It's a concept I've loved for so many books I've read and I thought with Lucy being a writer this was the perfect setting to place it in! I can't wait to see where it goes either! I've got the main ideas all planned out but stuff in between, well that's always a big ol ball of up in the air lol. I don't plan on abandoning it either so you don't have to worry there!

BruceWolf: Love you baby, glad you like it. (For anyone else reading this, tis my husband lol)

Sarara1.8: Thanks! Hope it stays that way!

DantespardallV: Thank you so much!

Caslspirit15: NaLu is indeed the best! But what fun would it be without a bit of angst and humour? Also I decree there shall be more cliffhangers!