"This can't possibly be the right house, can it?" Lucy asks with a tremble in her voice, looking up at the huge mansion.

"It's the right address..." Gina mumbles, staring at the crumpled piece of paper instead.

"Well, let's go then," Natsu says impatiently, pressing the intercom button on the big gate.

"Yes?" A crackly voice comes through the intercom. "Who are you?"

"We're the wizards you requested, from the Fairy Tail guild," Gina replies. "And we've brought the fire breather that was requested as well."

"Oh, excellent!" the voice booms. "Please come in!"

Gina, Happy, Natsu and Lucy all walk through the gate and up the incredibly long walkway in front of the house. As Gina reaches for the knocker on the massive front door, it swings open, and an incredibly tall butler stands behind it with a polite smile.

"This way please..." his deep bass voice beckons. "I wasn't aware our flyer included the theme for the party, but one of you seems well prepared."

"What, you mean the princess getup?" Natsu says in a disbelieving tone, glancing at Gina's dress.

Gina winks at him, and replies to the man's statement with, "Well, the flyer didn't actually say sir, but with the note about the fire breather I wondered if a story with a dragon and a princess might be in order."

"Well, at least you're clever," the butler laughs. "That should keep the children entertained. It turns out that you're precisely right. Now, if you'll please step right through here."

"Holy...!" Natsu begins, but Lucy covers his mouth as her own eyes open wide.

They've entered a massive garden with a small castle, about the size of a cottage, built in the center. There appears to be a small stage at the base of it, with a smaller stage built higher upon one of its towers. But the most amazing sight... is the 50 or more children running around in front of it waving toy swords and stick-horses. It seems to be a fairly even split of little boys and girls.

"This is a convention, not a birthday party," Lucy squeaks. "I've never seen this many kids in one place in my entire life!"

"That is so cool!" Natsu shouts, looking at Happy and pointing at the castle. "These kids have their own castle!"

Gina hides a smile at his glee. "When would you like us to begin?" she asks the butler.

"The show is scheduled to start in about an hour," the man replies. "I will show you where you can prepare."

"How the heck am I supposed to put this thing on?!" Natsu shouts in frustration, tumbling over disoriented in the big costume.

"You're supposed to wear the costume, Natsu," he hears Gina laugh before her face appears through the mass of fabric, "not engage in battle with it."

She's so pretty... he thinks, distracted briefly. Then he remembers waking up on the train in her arms and he begins to blush. "How am I supposed to know how it fits?" he quips. "It doesn't even look like a real dragon."

"How would you know?" Gina laughs, pulling his arms through some sort of weird sleeves.

"I was raised by one, that's how!" he replies angrily. "Igneel looked nothing like this! He was huge and powerful. Not bubbly and... clumsy."

"Igneel..." Gina mumbles, and she drops his sleeves for a moment. "Are you honestly saying you were raised by the fire dragon? I thought you were raised at Fairy Tail."

"Wait, do you know him?" Natsu says, gripping her shoulders as best he could through the rags, and feeling his magic spark again. Why does it keep doing that? he wonders.

"Uh... Of course I don't know him," Gina says, glancing away at the floor and pulling away again as if afraid. God he hates that! "How would I know him? But who hasn't heard of Igneel the dragon?"

"Oh," Natsu says, disappointed. "I've been at Fairy Tail since I was pretty young, but Igneel is the one who raised me. He's also the one who taught me my dragon slayer magic. Not everyone can learn this stuff you know."

"I believe you," she says with wide eyes, then clears her throat. "But these children don't know what a real dragon is like, so you'll just have to do your best to show them, despite the costume."

"But Natsu..." Lucy chimes in from the sidelines. "Please don't scare them."

"Oh come on," he gripes at her lack of faith. "How mean do you think I am?"

"Wow, that was fast," Gina says with surprise. "I didn't even think you brought a costume, Lucy."

Natsu turns to see what Gina is talking about, and notices that Lucy is now wearing a pretty blue and white pants suit.

"Oh, I didn't," Lucy grins, "I just had Virgo bring me this amazing outfit from the celestial world. I'll send it back when the party's over."

Gina stands on the edge of the big mansion's inner balcony, watching Natsu play with the children. He has two children dangling off each arm, and two off of each leg. He is tromping around roaring and blowing fire while they squeal with delight. Meanwhile, Lucy and Happy are being chased around by some of the kids with wooden swords.

Their play completed a couple of hours ago. Gina had been the princess, Lucy had been the narrator and occasional prince, and Natsu – as the mighty dragon – had completely derailed the entire plot. He insisted with a fury that a dragon would never imprison a princess, but would defend her instead. In the end, Lucy had called on Taurus to serve as some kind of Minotaur monster threatening the princess, and Natsu the Dragon had saved the day.

Oh, my God... I'm way too hot, Gina frets while rubbing at her arms. She'd spent hours next to Natsu, and nearly an hour holding him on the train before that, and her fire magic insisted on sparking every time he touched her. The spark was her fire magic reacting to his own in a desperate attempt to flare itself back to life. It shouldn't be this sensitive... I must be much weaker than I thought! And Gray isn't here... I can't use him to cool down. What am I going to do? Bursting into flames will definitely frighten the kids.

"Gina...?" a grizzled old voice calls from behind her.

"Yes?" she asks, turning around.

The couple who hired them for this party, and who owns the sprawling house, stand behind her and are pushing along an elderly man in a wheelchair.

"Do you know this girl, Dad?" The man from the couple asks.

"Why, yes, I think I do..." the elderly man lets out with a crackly laugh. "Gina, it's me... Gavin."

Gina freezes. Gavin? Her mind feels stuck in denial, but the longer she looks at his features the less she can deny it. Gavin Hardbrook sits withered and ancient before her, but his smile is as spirited as the last time she'd seen it; nearly 70 years ago.

"Gavin... Hardbrook," she mumbles.

"David," Gavin says, patting the man's hand on his shoulder. "I haven't seen this young lady in quite some time, but I would like the chance to catch up. Would you give us a moment please?"

"Of course," the woman by David's side responds instead. "Come along dear."

As they leave the hallway, Gina feels tears flood her eyes. She crosses over to him and kneels down in front of his wheelchair. She runs her hands along the wrinkled skin of his face, and fights the urge to burst into tears. How can you have changed so much?

Gavin had been her first lover. She had been a mere 21 years old, and had just left her family home months before. He wasn't even a wizard, but he had been handsome and charming. He'd had long, black hair and devilishly green eyes; both now faded with time. He'd been tall and lean; and more spirited than anyone she'd ever known. He had been 25 years old then, which meant he must be more than 95 now. It was amazing he was still alive.

"Tell me, beautiful girl," Gavin's aged voice whispers. "I know as I look at you that you are the same young woman I tangled with all those years ago, but my head tells me I must truly be going senile. Have I already died, and simply failed to notice?"

"No," she replies with her voice tight. "I am Aegina Asterope; the woman you remember, and you are not dead."

"But..." he whispers, lifting her face to look him in the eye. "How is that possible? The woman I knew would be more than 90 years old. You... you haven't aged a day. Is it an illusion?"

"It is no illusion," she says, wiping her eyes, "and I have not aged. I'm sorry, Gavin, but I was never completely honest with you about who I was. I cannot be now either."

"But now is all I have Gina," he says with a laugh. "I'll be gone any day now. I can feel it in these old bones, and my children can too."

"Is David your son?" she asks.

"Yes," he says with a smile. "He's done me proud. This whole place belongs to him. It's his grandson's fifth birthday today."

"Grandson..." Gina mumbles. "Congratulations."

"What about you?" Gavin asks. "You were so angry about your family pressuring you for children. I must admit, I had hoped to turn you to their way of thinking back then, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be. Did you ever give them the children they wanted so badly?"

"No," Gina says, trying to rub the heat from her arms. "I never have."

"Well, that is a shame," he mutters. "You would have had beautiful children. Have you found love at least?"

She can feel the old familiar love and affection radiate from him and begin seeping into her bones, and she steps back quickly. He is so old. She could steal all the strength he has left.

"Wait!" he calls out. "Please, don't go. I'm sorry. I should not have asked you."

"No," she stutters. "It's not that. I have found love from time to time, but as you can see I am not the normal girl you once believed me to be. It has never lasted, and it is never likely to. I'm sorry, but soon I will have to leave with my friends. Will you... expose me?"

"And tell them what," he laughs until he nearly cries. "That my lover from more than 60 years ago has reappeared unchanged, and I want her to stay? Come now, darling. They would sedate me for fear of madness. But please, I beg of you one last favor?"

"What?" Gina asks.

"I am old, as you can see," he says with his radiant grin. "I will die any time now. I would... like you to be there, when the time comes. Would you deny me that, after all we shared together?"

Gina feels her heart splinter, but she places a kind smile on her face. "When the time comes, send word for me. I will come."

"Gina?" Natsu asks.

Gina has been so quiet since they left the big mansion. She's been distant all through dinner, and barely touched her food. Natsu was used to her ignoring him, but she was usually nice to Lucy. Now Lucy and Happy have gone off to buy their tickets for the night train, and Gina is staring off into space again. Natsu is worried about her.

"Hmmm?" she asks, turning towards him with unfocused eyes.

"You okay?" he asks, touching his hand to her forehead. She doesn't seem to have a fever to him, but Lucy says he can't really tell. He always sees people do this when someone is sick though. He feels his magic spark again, and stares at her in confusion.

"I'm fine," she says, pushing his hand away. "I'm just tired."

Ming skitters out from inside her skirts and drapes himself around her neck. It makes Natsu queasy, so he scoots further away.

"You were amazing with the kids today, Gina," he says, trying to get her to really talk to him. "Do you get to be around kids a lot?"

"No," she says. "Not for a long time now. I come from a very large family though."

"Really?" he asks, delighted that she's actually talking. "Growing up, it was just me and Igneel. I never really had a family outside of Fairy Tail. It must have been really nice."

"Sometimes," she says with a slight smile. "It can be suffocating too though. It's a lot of expectations to live up to."

"Really? Like what?"

She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, as if unsure of whether she should answer. Finally she sighs and says, "They wanted me to be a mother, actually. Carry on the family name and all of that. They trained me for it for a long time, but I think they've probably given up now."

"That's stupid," he laughs. "Your barely as old as I am. You could..."

Natsu shuts his mouth with a grimace, and looks at her carefully again. The Old Man said she was sick... he remembers. She's not dying is she?! "Wait, Gina are you..."

"Hey guys!" Lucy shouts, running their way. "Hurry up! We have to get our bags on board!"

Gina stands up and walks towards Lucy, as if he'd never even spoken.

"Awww man..." Natsu mumbles with dread sitting down on the bench. "I really hate these things."

"Go on, Ming," Gina whispers to the little rat thing, and it skitters off into the overhead compartment. Then Gina flips a coin and slaps it down on her wrist. "I'm sorry if I smell, Natsu. Come here." She waves her hands towards herself.

"What?!" he shouts in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you want to spend the entire train ride home miserable?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no... but I... what are you...?" he stutters.

Gina rolls her eyes, and grabs the end of his scarf, yanking him across and into her lap like he had been when he'd woken up before. Natsu feels his magic spark, yet again, and then he gets this terrible fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey!" he shouts, fighting a blush with everything in him.

"Natsu's like a little ba-by," Happy's voice sing-songs from above him.

"Why you little..." he jumps up, about ready to strangle Happy, but Gina catches him by the scarf again and yanks him back down. Even worse, he catches sight of Lucy coming back their direction and she's laughing.

"Shhh..." Gina whispers, "Hold still."

He folds his arms across his chest in defiance, but then her fingers touch his temple and his body begins to feel heavy. He drifts off to sleep just as the train begins moving.