Chapter 9 up and here! Who~ Thank you insomnia (good for something). - Sorry 'bout that last part, kinda stressed but oh well. As stated, here is chapter nine, hope you enjoy and I thank you all for your reviews. I believe there might only be one more chapter left, two max. Hope you enjoy and please review if you are able I do enjoy hearing from you :)


Cold and Hot

Chapter 9

Gray shifted as the image of Magnolia's train station came into view, swallowing hard at the thought of seeing Lucy again after being gone for a month. He knew that she wouldn't be too thrilled at them up and ditching her like they had done, and could only hope that Elizabeth had covered all the details that she could in the few days she had been with Lucy. He knew that they should have returned soon, however they had taken a couple more days to create their gift for Lucy, and he had been amazed at some of Natsu's ideas. Speaking of the flame-brain.

Looking over, he winced as Natsu moaned lowly, but somehow managed to control his motion sickness for once. He was still green, but didn't look like he was going to empty the contents of his stomach any time soon. He knew that Natsu was probably more stressed and anxious than he was, since not only did he have to face Lucy after what he had done, but also had to face the guild. He had come to accept that his life was going to be different, but if Lucy wanted Natsu apart of it, he wasn't going to go against her. He knew that Natsu felt the same way, but he also couldn't shake the feeling that there was more things to come in all of their relationship. Natsu had just been too...docile lately. And a docile Natsu wasn't something that ended good.

"You two know when you're going to give her the gift?" Matlock asked, breaking through Gray's thoughts and gave a small smile along with Natsu.

"We're going to make sure she is completely alright with a relationship between the three of us." He stated, and watched out of the corner of his eye as Natsu straightened as best as he could.

"Then, we're going to ask her if she wants to make it official. Most likely that's when we'll present it to her." He muttered, looking out the window and Gray frowned slightly when the fire dragon slayer paled slightly at seeing how close they were to Magnolia. He knew he would have to figure out what was going on with him before they saw Lucy, he wanted things to go smoothly as they could from here on out. They had all been through enough as it was, and any more stress on Lucy could be hazardous to her health, along with the health of their unborn children.

"That would seem the most appropriate time. You worked hard enough on it, do you believe that she will like it?" Rowan asked, causing Gray to smile and give a nod before looking at the only dragon slayer who didn't seem phased by the rocking train.

"I'm sure that she will love it. It is just so her, and I think she'll appreciate it since it's from the both of us." He stated, thinking about what he and Natsu had created with Gajeel's and Laxus's help. He knew that she would like it, and it would hopefully be the first step in making sure that they had the most normal life they could have together.

A sudden jerk caused him to look up, and he blinked as he realized that the train was slowing down as it started to pull into the station. Inhaling, he stood and grabbed his suitcase from the rack above them, and then stood patiently as the others got theirs as well before the train finally came to a stop. He watched as Matlock opened the door to their compartment and stepped out, followed by Rowan, Gajeel and then Laxus. He hung back long enough until he was walking slowly beside Natsu, who seemed to be dragging his feet and not looking where he was going. Giving a sigh, he jerked to the side enough, to hit him with his shoulder and cause him stumble sideways slightly.

"What the hell is with you? You're acting like someone who is heading to the noose." He muttered, watching from the corner of his eye as Natsu swallowed before stopping all together, and he stopped with him.

"Gray. I don't deserve any of this. After what I done, everyone, including you and Lucy, should be chasing me out of here. Not allowing me to come back and having a supposed 'happy ending' with you and Lucy. I know that she is forgiving, and I know that you are willing to tolerate this, but neither of you should be doing those things!" He growled, his head hanging down low, his pink bangs hiding his eyes, but Gray blinked when he saw a tear drip down from his face. He gave a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, honestly, this guy was...so damn annoying!

"Then leave. No one is stopping you." He muttered, glaring over at the dragon slayer when he tensed and glanced up in shock. He also noticed that the others had frozen with shocked looks as well.

"W-what?" Natsu muttered, and Gray gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Like I said, no one is stopping you from leaving and never returning." He stated, watching as Natsu looked down and squeezed his eyes closed. Gray closed his eyes as well, and inhaled slightly before preparing what he was going to say next.

"However, before you make that decision. Think of Lucy. You were the one who said that you were going to start thinking things through, thinking about others, before making a decision. So tell me, what would she think? What would she feel? If she ever found out that you thought that she shouldn't forgive you for what you did?" He asked, watching closely as he blinked before clenching his teeth.

"She would feel...terrible, most likely." He muttered, and Gray gave a laugh.

"Terrible? Try devastated! Here we all were, working our asses off trying to make everything work out between us, and then you go and chicken out at the last minute before we meet her again. She'll feel like she failed you in some way, and then half of her would be broken." He stated, watching as Natsu flinched and looked up at him.

"But you could..."

"What? Heal her?! How much of an idiot are you? She is the only woman with a big enough heart to love us both like she does! Do you really think she could just handle being with one of us?! She needs us both Natsu. Now, are you going to man up and help me protect her, care for her, and make sure that she never experiences a dark day again? Or, are you going to turn tail and run like a coward?" He hissed, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and jerking him forward.

"And let me add this. If you choose to be a coward, I'll kick your ass so hard you'd wish it had been Erza who punished you." He growled, watching as something sparked in his eye before he closed them. They stayed like that a moment, everyone holding their breath as they waited for Natsu's response.

"As if you could kick my ass." He suddenly muttered, slamming his knee into Gray's stomach and causing him to double over. Gray grunted in surprise, and barely avoided a flaming fist to the face as he smirked and spaced himself from Natsu.

"Also, who the hell are you calling a coward 'ice princess'?" Natsu growled, and Gray had to smirk inwardly at the job well done as they started a small brawl there on the road. He knew that Lucy wouldn't be happy without the both of them, and he would have even been willing to backtrack and drag the idiot back if he had decided to run away. As much as he didn't like it, he had already made up his mind he would deal with a relationship between all three of them. At least this way, there was a guarantee that at least one of them would be with Lucy at all times, that way she would never have to be alone. Like she had been this month. Sure, she had the other guild members, but they weren't like them, they didn't know her deepest secrets, her greatest fears, like they did. He might not like the situation he was in, but he was thankful for at least one thing. He was glad that it was Natsu who was their other member, at least it was someone he knew he could count on to help him protect her. Admittedly, he wished it could have started out differently, but it had happened, and there was nothing that could change it now.

"Alright you two. Enough with the brawl, we want to get back to our mates just as much as you two." Laxus suddenly growled, although they both could see the slight smirk that pulled at his lips. Giving a huff, they broke apart and grabbed their bags again before following the older males. Gray blinked when Natsu stepped closer and gave a sigh.

"Thanks Gray." He whispered softly enough that not even the other Dragon Slayer's could hear him. Gray smiled slightly.

"Anytime." He muttered back, walking alongside Natsu.

XxxXxxX

Natsu swallowed as Fairy Tail finally came into view. His nerves were causing him to tremble, at least on the inside since he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to show how nervous he was. Still, the thought about seeing Lucy, even being near her, after what he had done to her. He knew that he was forgiven, but he also knew that he shouldn't be and that he still deserved some form of punishment for it. Gray no longer fought him because of it, and instead had adapted to their future together. Rowan had told him to live his life but never forget, which he did intend to do, but he still needed punishment. He was getting off way to easy in his mind.

"Well, how are you two going to do this?" Laxus suddenly asked, causing him to jerk slightly. He couldn't do this, there was no way he could go and claim Lucy alongside Gray. It wasn't meant to be, regardless of what they said. Even his dragon instincts were telling him he didn't deserve it!

"Not sure. Something tells me we wont get the most welcoming reception by just walking in." Gray muttered, scratching the back of his head. Natsu swallowed when they looked at him, he glanced at each one, and then to the large symbol that represented the guild. At that moment, his mind went blank for a moment as his nerves finally snapped. Giving a growl, he spun and took off as fast as he could away from the guild. He couldn't do it. Regardless of what Gray had just said to him before, he still needed more time. He needed to find some way to redeem himself before he could face Lucy. He wasn't going to leave her, but he would avoid her for the time being.

"Natsu, what the hell!?" Gray shouted at him, and he swallowed as he put on another burst of speed, preparing to round a corner but went wide eyed as two people walked around it first. He dug his heels into the ground, skidding to a sharp stop before he could plow into the two people. Once he had finally came to a stop at their feet, he looked up, prepared to apologize, but found his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as he noticed who stood before him. Lucy and Elizabeth.

"N-Natsu?" His name coming from her lips, filled with both happiness, surprise, and confusion, caused his body to relax and drop onto the ground. He took her in as her head rose, and watched as she blinked those beautiful eyes.

"G-Gray? You're back. You're both back?!" She whispered, although excitement filled her voice now, and he blinked when her hand moved to her slightly bulged stomach and everything around him seemed to freeze for a moment. A small twitch of his nose, and he felt his body go slack as everything hit him with a rush. He had mated with Lucy, and nothing would change that, not even him running away. She was also Grays, once again nothing was going to change that. She was carrying both of their children, the intermingled scents that he smelled from her confirmed that. He and Gray were going to be fathers, and the mother to their children was going to be Lucy. Once again, no change.

It hit them then, regardless of his punishment, or whatever kind of punishment he was looking for, it wouldn't change anything. There was nothing that could be changed, and...he was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he didn't want it to change.

"I think he finally realized." Rowan muttered, and he tensed when a sharp slap landed on his back.

"Oi, you just gonna sit there and stare at you mate and my girl?" Gray growled beside him, causing him to look over into annoyed eyes before looking up at the woman before him. She had covered her mouth with both hands, and happy tears were pouring from her eyes. Squeezing his eyes shut, he lurched to his feet and wrapped her in a tight hug, his body finally starting to tremble as he felt Gray's arms wrap around her as well.

"I'm sorry we took so long, Lucy. We're finally back." Gray whispered, and Natsu nodded as he clung to the one person he knew could keep him on leveled ground.

"We're back, and we wont be leaving like that again." He added, brushing his nose against the mark that he had left on her, and trembled as calmness swamped over him as he sensed their bond and link was still there. He felt relief swamp through him, and he realized he hadn't been looking for a punishment. He had been looking for this feeling, the feeling that he truly belonged, and just her returning his hug, being there to hold him and Gray, told him all he needed. He nuzzled her again, feeling Gray copy the movement, before she gave a soft giggle and tightened her hold on both of them.

"Welcome home." She whispered, and both of them finally broke down for once, and allowed tears of relief fall. Those two words took all of their burdens, all of their negative thoughts from the last month, and vanquished them all. They were finally back where they belonged.


There is chapter nine~~ Hope you enjoyed, and remember only one chapter, possible two, more to go. I thank you for all the reviews, and can't wait to hear any final thoughts once I figure out the true ending to this. Thanks again! Also! I am a little stuck on baby names so if you would like to leave four names (two boys and two girls cause I am unsure of genders yet) I would like your help for the babies names. Thank you!