Hey guys! Back with another chapter. A quick announcement for you all, I have finished adjusting the plot for this fic since it got away from me the first time around. I'm really enjoying the way that this has turned out and am looking forward to seeing how the rest of it plays out. I don't know how many more chapters this will be but I do have a clear ending, but I digress. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I really appreciate reading what you guys think as that's what really drives me to get these updates out for you guys! See ya next update!

~Mistye

The following morning, Lucy and Natsu were standing in front of the request board looking for a job that was close by but interesting at the same time. Nab pointed out some that had seemed interesting but just weren't for him. Lucy pulled one down that called for the extermination of a some beasts that were causing destruction in a nearby forest close to the town of Acalypha.

"Oh Natsu!" She grabbed his arm pulling him away from the board to show him the flyer. "Can we do this one? It's not far and seems pretty simple. For an extermination, the reward is pretty nice too."

"Sure Luce," he agreed without hesitation. "The train ride won't be very long at all. We can even be back by tonight."

"Actually..." she started when Natsu raised an eyebrow at her. "I was thinking we could walk there and stay the night."

Natsu watched her gaze at the ground and wiggle her lip between her teeth. "Talk to me Luce," whispered while reaching for her hand.

Lucy sighed, unable to resist the gentle tone Natsu spoke with. "Honestly, I immediately thought of my parents when I saw the job was in Acalypha. Would it be a problem if I took a little time to visit them?"

Natsu smiled softly at her. He took the flyer from the celestial mage and and walked over to the bar to clear everything with Mira. Lucy just stood there and watched him until he came back with his usual smile plastered on his face. "What are you waiting for? You're mom and dad are waiting, aren't they?" The blonde nodded happily and let herself be dragged away by the fire slayer.

A certain barmaid shook her head as she watched the two mages rush from the guild to be on their way. Mira had been watching the two since they'd walked in together noting that it had been quite some time since she'd seen them together like that. It was quite obvious to her how Natsu felt about Lucy and she felt sorry for him that the celestial mage didn't share those feelings but she didn't allow herself to worry too much or meddle into his affairs, as Natsu was always one to pull through and figure things out for himself. Instead she just smiled to herself and got lost in the daily chores of tending to her guildmates.

Come midday, the trio was halfway to their destination and Lucy thought about just how long it had been since just the three of them had taken a job. Not since before everything that had happened with Tartaros. She let her head fall back and looked up at the blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. It was a beautiful day and she was grateful that they had decided to walk, not only for Natsu's sake but it would waste more time and she'd be away from the guild for a whole day. Maybe two if they decided to walk back.

"This is nice," Natsu said. Lucy looked over to him and smiled at him and Happy, who was flying at eye level beside him.

"It is, isn't it?" Lucy chimed, "We haven't done anything just the three of us, have we?" Natsu and Happy looked back at the blonde. She skipped up to them and locked arms with Natsu.

"Not in too long," Natsu answered, enjoying the unexpected closeness between them.

"Cause Lushy is always working solo, now."

"Not always," she pouted, " though I can't say that I don't enjoy it." She felt a little bad when Happy looked a bit dispirited but quickly brushed the feeling aside.

"We hardly see you at the guild either," he added.

"Well, I've been working with Laxus when I'm at the guild," she explained. "I like the work and he's pretty good company."

"Lushy, do you liiike, him?"

She smiled and thought for a moment. She liked him, that much was clear but did she feel more for the lightning slayer? Not quite, but if it was bound to happen, she'd let it. "I like him very much, yes."

"Do you miss him?"

Her good mood turned sour at the question and she gabbed for his tail only just missing as he flew out of reach "You damn nosy cats!" she fumed, gritting her teeth. "First Loke and now you. Haven't you heard that curiosity killed the cat?"

"Natsu! Lushy's trying to eat me!"

"Come back here cat!" The exceed flew ahead of the two and Lucy gave chase. Natsu watched them race off and decided to join them. He quickly caught up to them both and hooked both arms around Lucy's waist, lifting her off her feet. "Natsu! Put me down," she shrieked as he effortlessly toss her over his shoulder and continued down the road.

"Not a chance," he chuckled as she tried to squirm out of his grasp.

"Then at least give me a proper piggyback ride," she whined. Knowing squirming would only make this more uncomfortable, the celestial mage stopped kicking and crossed her arms.

"I've seen you naked many times over and you're embarrassed by this?"

"Not embarrassed, you dolt," she huffed. "My stomach hurts like this and my boobs are suffocating me."

"Oh, sorry." Natsu stopped and let Lucy down to her feet, holding her steady to make sure she was alright. The blonde rubbed her sore stomach and took a deep breath. After a minute or so of standing there Natsu let his hands fall to his side and continued walking, with Lucy falling in step beside him.

She immediately noticed a change in his attitude and that he had put some space between them. Sure enough, there was something bothering him but she still didn't know how to ask him. As long as she'd known him, Natsu had never been much for talking things out. He prefered to face everything head on with his fists and because of this, she wasn't quite sure how he handled emotional stress when it wasn't fueled into his magic. Then again, maybe that was his way of coping. It certainly fit his personality.

Lucy was curious though, sometimes too much so for her own good. Still, she'd seen Natsu with the same distant look in his eyes for weeks now and she really wanted to know that he was alright. "Natsu?" she spoke barely above a whisper.

He looked down at her from the corner of his eye. "What's up, Luce?"

"Is there something bothering you?" she asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, turning his head to look into her eyes. Yeah, he had things on his mind but they weren't to be discussed with her. Well, they were but he wasn't sure that he could have a rational conversation about what troubled him. At least not with Lucy since it was about her. So when he looked at her, he made sure that he was wearing his usual smile that made him seem oblivious to all the troubles in the world.

Lucy looked away almost as soon as he looked at her, wondering exactly how he had changed his attitude so fast. "Maybe I'm reading too much into it," she said shaking her head. "For a moment though, you just looked like there was something on your mind." She knew he was hiding from her but also knew better than to force the issue. If he didn't want to talk about it with her, then so be it. She wasn't his keeper and he could take care of himself. Still she was worried about him.

"I'm fine, Luce." He was thankful that for the moment she seemed to believe him

"You'd tell me though, if something were wrong?" She didn't want to believe that he was shutting her out but what was she to expect. For an entire year she had shut just about everyone out and in a way she still was as she'd yet to tell anyone that she no longer held Aquarius' key. She just really missed her best friend and wanted him back, She wanted things to be okay between them and until they were honest with each other, that would never be the case.

"Of course I would," he said smiling at her.

She nodded at him and they traveled in relative silence the rest of the way to Acalypha. When they arrived at sunset, they went to see the mayor before checking in at the hotel. He was a stout man who explained to the mages that the open fields southwest of town were torn up and ravaged by a pair of wurms.

Lucy had read about the beasts before and wondered just why they were so far inland as they prefered the moist climate of the swamps. The mayor said that they had been sighted weeks ago in the forests but payed them no mind as he didn't want to agitate them though now they were getting closer to the town and seemed to be causing more damage than before. He implored that they exterminate the beasts not caring as to why they were here. He just wanted them gone and away from his town.

Knowing the situation, the headed to the hotel they had been provided with, given their reputation, and prepared to investigate the where they'd been causing damage.

Back at the guild, Levy was finally able to translate the last third of the book after a day of reading Freed's notes along with several different language books. She quickly noticed that the last part was vastly different than the rest, listing spells and incantations linked to celestial magic, none of which she would have believed were real had she not seen the an entry for Urano Metria. She'd only seen Lucy attempt this spell once before and knew that her spirit, Gemini, had been the one to teach her. It was also known that Hibiki Lates had a vast amount of knowledge given his archive magic so he probably knew of the spell as well, though it was doubtful that he could cast it.

Other than those two sources, there was no record of this spell actually existing but she'd seen it and felt it's power so she knew that the words before her were the real deal. So she continued to read, confident that whatever Jaice had found in this book was located in these last pages. Levy froze when she came across the most unusual thing that she'd ever read. Even with magic, she didn't want to believe that something like what she was reading could be possible but she did. And since she did, the guildmaster needed to be informed right away.

Makarov had just finished a bit of paperwork and was preparing to go downstairs for a drink when there was an urgent knocking at his door.

"Master?" he heard Levy call, "Do you have a moment? It's important."

"Come in, Levy," he acknowledged the girl as she strode to his desk and placed a book down in front of him.

"I've finished translating the book for Lucy," she began, "and I think I've found what Jaice had been looking for but I'm not sure what to make of it."

The guildmaster looked down at the open pages and flipped through them deliberately, not recognizing any of the invocations written. Save for the one spell that he knew Lucy was able to cast. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say or even be looking for so he continued to look through the pages until he came an entry detailing a ritual to, "Create a star?" he mused incredulously.

The script mage, standing opposite of him, nodded when he looked up at her. "It's the only thing that I believe that he'd be interested in."

The old man sat back away from the book, shaking his head. "Why though?" he questioned. "What does he seek to accomplish by doing something like this? And how would it even be possible?"

Her shoulders slumped at his questions. She didn't know and she didn't know how to find out either. All she knew was that her best friend was in danger still. She really didn't even know much about how stars were born, only a brief summary that she'd read once. "I don't know much about stars or astronomy, master..." she confessed, "but I've read once that the birth of a star of massive phenomenon."

Makarov furrowed his brow at the disheartened mage and sighed. "Levy child, you've done great work in translating the text of this book. So please, have faith in yourself." She looked up to see him smiling at her. It was a sad smile but given the information that she'd just presented to him, it was understandable. Still, she returned it with a bright one of her own and gave him a confident nod. "Do you know anything more about creating stars?"

"A star being born is the result of gravity compressing atoms in interstellar gas. It's something that happens over thousands of years," she explained.

"Then I find it hard to believe that it would be something that could easily be accomplished with magic," he added.

"Precisely," Levy agreed. "But there's nothing else in this book that Jaice might have been looking for. I could be wrong but my gut tells me that this ritual is his goal," she stressed.

"I trust your judgement, Levy," he answered calmly. The information she'd given him only raised more questions but it was no use trying to pry for answers that he would not find. "We need to call, Lucy."

"May I, master?" she sputtered as her attitude quickly changed and that confidence he'd just witnessed from her disappeared. "I don't want her to worry about this while she's on a mission."

She made a valid point. It would be bad if something were to happen because her mind was elsewhere. "Alright, Levy. If you would?"

Levy took the lacrima comm from the guildmaster and channeled her thoughts to Lucy. After a few rings she saw Natsu appear on the other end. "Oh, hey Natsu. Where's Lucy at?"

The fire slayer bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "Natsu! There's a jacuzzi in here! I can't wait to get back," Lucy exclaimed loud enough for her friend and her guildmaster to hear. Natsu directed his attention past the comm to where she assumed Lucy was standing. "Who is it Natsu?"

He motioned her over with a nod. "It's Levy."

A moment later she saw Lucy plop down beside Natsu and look into the comm. "Hey Levy! What's up?"

"Lu, I finished the translation," she said sternly.

Lucy's smile fell as she took the comm from Natsu's hands and pulled it closer to herself. "Did you find whatever it was Jaice was after?"

"I did."

Sensing her friend's uneasiness Lucy's brow furrowed. "What wrong, Levy? What did you find?"

Levy wanted to tell her exactly what she'd found but knew that it would only end up distracting her from her mission. It was also finally sinking in that Lucy was possibly in grave danger and she hadn't the slightest clue on how to keep her out of harm's way. She was cracking.

Makarov saw Levy's resolve falter again and held his hand out for the comm. "Let me speak to them, please Levy." The blue-haired girl handed him the comm and excused herself before the tears could fall.

"Levy?" Lucy whispered.

"She'll be alright, Lucy." he stated. "Both of you listen up." He waited until he could see Natsu beside her. "You are to finish your mission and then return to the guild at once. I'm afraid I cannot allow you to be gone for too long until we know Jaice's exact whereabouts, Lucy."

Natsu thought Lucy would say something about wanting to visit her parents but she remained silent and looked away from the comm she was holding. "Don't worry, gramps. This job will be a breeze for us. We'll be home before ya know it."

"Alright Natsu. Look out for each other."

Natsu cut the connection then looked to Lucy who was still silent. She met his gaze and tried to fake a smile as she stood up and reached for the comm to return it to her bag. Before she could step away from him, he grasped her wrists. "Luce, you should go visit your parents. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

She wanted to genuinely smile at him but just shook her head instead. "I can't let you go alone. We're partners on this mission."

"Luce, we came this way because you wanted to visit them."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I've got Happy with me so I won't be alone," he smiled to her.

Lucy let the comm fall to the carpet as she lunged at Natsu and hugged him. "Thank you," he heard her mumble against his shirt.

"No problem, Luce. We'll meet back here before dark, okay?"

She beamed and nodded excitedly at him thanking her beloved stars that she knew someone as kind and understanding as Natsu.

Thirty minutes after leaving the hotel, Lucy walked through the simple yet pristine cemetery to sit in front of her parents graves. She used to feel sad whenever she visited them but the pain that she felt from losing them had slowly faded until all that was left was a small ache when it was time to say goodbye. She swept away any dirt on the stones and then arranged daisies around them as she spoke to them.

She talked about how conflicted she sometimes felt when Natsu was around. That she sorely missed her best friend sometimes but just couldn't get over the fact that he'd left her so abruptly. Her mother would have been a little disappointed at her holding a grudge and she promised that she would try to sort things out with him. She talked about her new budding relationship with Laxus and how she almost ruined their first date because she missed her mother. She wished the he could have met the two of them, saying that she knew they would have approved and loved him.

After she'd run out of things to talk about she just sat there. Neither sad nor overly happy. Just existing in the moment imagining that her parents were sitting beside her and holding her tight. Whispering 'I love you' and "we're so proud of you'. She let her imagination get away from her and she could have sworn that she heard their voices in the breeze.

Wanting to thank Natsu for pushing her to come and visit them even though they were pressed for time, Lucy stood up and started to head back to town to grab some food so he'd have something to eat when he returned. She had just made it past the gate of the cemetery when her comm rang for a second time that evening. She pulled the device from her bag and answered the call, surprised to see her boyfriend on the other end.

"Hey Blondie." He smirked at her and she giggled at him.

"Hey you!"

"You're outside?"

She nodded still smiling at him. "I was visiting my parents."

His smirk faded and he looked away from the comm running a hand through his hair. "Shit... Look, I can call back when you aren't busy," he offered.

Lucy just laughed at him and moved to sit beneath a nearby tree. "You aren't interrupting. I'm actually happy you called, Laxus."

"Yeah?" he questioned, blushing slightly. He both loved and hated that she was able to turn him into a gushing teenager again.

"Yeah," she assured him. She leaned her head back to look at the the orange sky. "Sparky, are you outside?"

"Mhm. Why?"

She looked down and cocked her head to the side. "Watch the sunset with me?"

"Heh, sure thing Blondie." his gaze softened when she returned her head against the tree so that she was looking up and he followed suit. When he had decided to call her, he wasn't quite sure what to expect but watching the sunset certainly wasn't it. He wouldn't complain though. Even if it was just something like this, he was happy to be spending time with her. "Lucy?"

"Hmm?" he heard her hum and looked at his comm. She was still looking up but now he was able to see how the setting sun made her eyes look like liquid gold instead of her usual chocolate brown. It was breathtaking, sure, but Laxus prefered the darker brown he normally saw.

"Were you just out for the day to visit your parents, or..." She looked down at him through her comm and stifled a giggle. She thought he looked rather... cute when he was blushing. Then she realized why he was blushing and felt her face redden as well.

"Laxus." Lucy waited until he looked back her but still avoided her eyes. "Look at me please?" she asked. He did and she smiled exuberantly at him before being unable to contain her laughter. She tried so hard but he looked too damn cute and thinking of him as being cute was just too funny. "You are terrible at small talk sometimes, you know?" she howled.

"Shut up," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Sparky. I just thought that you looked cute for a moment and then I thought it was fucking hilarious that I thought you looked cute." She was holding her side, trying to catch her breath. "To answer your question, I'm out on a job with Natsu. I needed a break from researching and had promised to go on one with him."

"Oh, how is the research going? Freed asked if I would make sure you two weren't having any trouble," he admitted.

"Levy finished working on it a little while ago," she answered thinking back to the call when she was at the hotel. "She found whatever Jaice was after and informed Master. He ordered Natsu and I to finish our mission and head home immediately." She sounded sad then.

"Hey," he said gently. "What did they tell you?"

"Nothing," she scoffed, shaking her head. "Master only told us that it wasn't safe for me to be away from the guild while Jaice could still possibly be out there."

"Does that mean they think he'll come back for you?" Laxus had to admit that the idea of some rogue mage pursuing Lucy didn't sit well with him. But he'd come to learn that it irked her to no end when others doted over and sheltered her. He also knew that there was the possibility that someone could get hurt trying to protect her and that would spell trouble all around. If that happened, they'd lose her to this madman for sure.

"I don't know," she shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Probably." She knew that staying home was the safest place for her to be. Still, it pissed her off that her family always felt that she had to be protected. More so than most others.

It hurt to see her like this, like she had no control over how to live her life. It was a feeling that he was growing familiar with. He'd known since he was a teenager that he would end up taking his grandfather's place as guildmaster and while he used to like the idea of running things, it terrified him now. But for Lucy, he knew that she had come from a life of no control and even though she had walked away from all that years ago, she still seemed to struggle with that feeling.

"I wish you had come with me," he professed wanting to change the subject but also wanting to let her know how he really felt.

Lucy eyed him for a moment then smirked. "Is that your way of saying you miss me?" she asked suggestively.

"Hmm, at the very least I miss that kiss, Blondie," he leered.

Lucy adjusted herself so that her breasts were pressed together and looked as though they would burst from her shirt at the slightest movement. "You wanna know what I miss?

She bit her lip and he gulped, holding back a groan. "Shoot."

She playfully giggled at him. "I miss my damn mug that you didn't fucking return before you got on the train."

Laxus hung his head and sighed. He knew that she was being a tease but bringing up that damn mug was the last thing he'd been expecting.

"Dammit, woman. I wasn't done with the coffee and didn't want to let it go to waste. Besides, I like having something of yours."

Lucy smiled warmly. She was in a much better mood having been able to visit her parents and spend some time talking with Laxus. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"Whenever you need someone, call me. I'll always come for you, Lucy." she felt her heart skip a beat and was glad that Laxus was far from her because she didn't need him to hear that. She wanted to believe him because he was becoming something quite special to her. But she'd heard that phrase before. "I mean it," he added, "I want to be there for you."

"I don't know..." she began, "Bix is a pretty reliable guy too," she teased.

"You'd really play me like that?"

"Nope. But if for whatever reason you couldn't be there for me, I'd call him next."

"Bix is alright like that. And I trust him so I guess that's okay," he said with a shrug.

"Oh I wasn't asking for permission, Sparky, I was telling you," she asserted. Laxus let out a bark of laughter and Lucy joined in, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes. After a good minute the joke had passed and the two calmed down. "It's gonna be dark soon. I need to get some food and get back to the hotel before Natsu does. I'll talk to you later, Sparky."

"Night, Blondie. Stay safe."

"You too, Sparky."

Lucy cut the connection and returned the comm to her bag before she started jogging down the road back towards town. She had almost made it when she heard someone calling out to her from town. The celestial mage strained to hear and recognized the voice of Happy.

"LUUUSHY!"

"Happy?" She didn't stop running until the exceed crashed into her and even then, continued toward town. "What happened? Where's Natsu?"

"Fighting! The wurms are nocturnal." Lucy let him out of her grasp and he quickly took flight picking her up with ease. She held her bag tightly with one hand and reached for Loke's key with the other as he raced over the town to the opposite side where Natsu was fighting.

"Hang on, Natsu. Backup's on the way."