Welcome to chapter 11, my friends! Thank you for staying with me so long :) And, thank you for leaving me 113 fabulous reviews so far! You guys are amazing!

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Does anyone even read this AN? If not, then I get to have a freak out party with myself! Weee! OMG GUESS WHAT SOMEONE MENTIONED THIS STORY ON TUMBLR. MY LIFE WAS MADE. I literally started to hyperventilate in my kitchen. My family probably thinks I'm crazy now. That's a lie, they already dubbed me insane.

If no one reads this, does that mean I'm talking to myself? Hmmmm...

Disclaimer: I'm still in the process of planning my world domination, so until that plan is executed I sadly do not own Fairy Tail.

Once again, Natsu found himself stuck in a never ending darkness. He couldn't see, hear or smell anything, even with his advanced dragon slayer senses. There was nothing, just like the last time he found himself here. Familiar with this setting, he set off in a random direction and prepared himself for what was to happen at the end of his journey. Lisanna and blood and death and blood and-

That was just a dream. None of it was real. None of this is real.

He continued to wander about for what seemed like ages but was probably only minutes. His anticipation for what was going to happen made time pass by much slower. He reached the maximum of his patience and started running, thinking that he could get to the end sooner. It was a stupid idea, however, because as soon as his feet started gaining speed Natsu ran into a wall. A very hard, nose breakable wall.

What the hell? he thought, still not able to speak. This was a new development. Last time he had this dream there were no walls. But there was one, right in front of him, though he still couldn't see it. If there were walls, maybe there was a door...

Natsu ran his hand along the barrier as he walked in one direction. Sure enough, he felt a corner and then another wall started. He continued to walk, and found himself to be at a metal door. There was something sticky on his hands, and the familiar scent of blood floated around him. So maybe the dream wasn't all that different from the last one. Eager to just get this whole thing over with, Natsu opened the door and walked into a pitch black room. He heard someone crying, and by the sound of it the person was a little girl.

"Hello?" His voice returned, echoing off of the walls. The crying stopped and the sound of something dragging took its place. Was that girl dragging herself towards him? She must be, because the smell of blood was getting stronger.

"Help," her weak voice croaked. She started to cough.

As if a small girl crying for help wasn't horrible enough, the lights finally flashed on. Natsu had prepared himself for this moment. When the figure was revealed to be Lisanna. He was ready for that. Well, he told himself he was ready, but he probably wasn't. He definitely wasn't ready for the little girl to be the smaller version of Lucy. She was covered with dirt and blood and God knows what else, but Natsu could recognize those brown eyes anywhere. She was quivering, trying to cover herself with the remains of her torn dress, and looked up at him like he was a monster.

"Luce?" He tried to reach out to her, but she crawled back a few feet. She had no intentions of getting help from him. So instead he got to watch in terror as the girl started to morph and grow into the Lucy he knew today. She stood up and stared at him with dead eyes. There were wounds all over her, especially on her face and legs.

"Why couldn't you protect me, Natsu?" She asked as she stumbled forward. Even her voice sounded dead, devoid of all hope. Natsu caught her before she could fall and hurt herself further. She whispered something in his ear and then, right there in his arms, stopped breathing.

Natsu woke up, breathing hard, with those words still echoing in his head.

It's all your fault, Natsu.

It's all your fault.

All. Your. Fault.

Ah, it was finally the moment of truth! The other girls were knocked out on Lucy's bedroom floor. It was a long and hard battle to make them all go to sleep; Erza wanted to watch the Weapons of the World marathon on TV, Levy kept on poking through Lucy's letters from work (and laughing at all of the suggestive and stupid ones), Juvia was eating Lucy's ice cream and nutella like there was no tomorrow and, probably worst of all, Mira was trying to play matchmaker with Lucy and guys from a dating website. So, through some very sneaky maneuvers involving milk, soft music and, in Erza's case, tranquilizers, Lucy was able to make them all fall asleep.

Now, it was time for the reveal. Lucy held her breath as she opened the letter. When she saw the familiar handwriting however, she deflated. It was from her father. Again. Lucy made a move to throw the letter into the fire when she realized something. The envelope was different from usual, not decorated with the Heartfilia crest and it didn't feel like high quality paper, so he must have been really desperate to get a hold of her. If she was trying to change herself, maybe he was too. She should give him a chance, right? Lucy retracted her arm and opened the letter again. She took a deep breath and let her eyes flow over the words.

Dear Lucy,

I have been trying to get in contact with you for a while. It seems that my letters haven't been getting to you, or you have just been throwing them away. As much as I like the first option, the second is probably true.

I know it's foolish of me to think that you will read this and forgive me instantly, but I will keep on trying until the day I die. I'm your father, and I want to go out knowing that you at least do not hate me.

So, this is my round about way of saying that I am so sorry for what happened when you were a child. I should have never abandoned you; you just reminded me so much of Layla that I couldn't stand to see you. At least, that is what I've been trying to tell myself all these years.

I can never forgive myself, and it's okay that you can't either. I just want to talk. So please, stop feeding your fire with these letters, and send me a reply. Even if all it says is "I hate you."

I love you, Lucy.

-Papa

Lucy was stunned. He was...apologizing to her? He told her he loved her? A quick glance out the window told her the world wasn't ending and pigs weren't flying around, so how could this letter even exist? It was like her wildest dreams came true, minus it raining bacon outside. Maybe she really can forgi-

RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG! Her annoying cellphone went off once again. Really technology, really? Interrupting an epiphany? How low can you get? Lucy heard Erza groan and start to move, so she jumped on the device to make it shut up.

"Hello?" She whispered, looking warily at the scarlet knight. The girl in question rolled over and began to snore, making Lucy sigh in relief. Her friend was so scary when she just gets up, like a demon raising from Hell to take your soul. That was something Lucy did NOT want to witness at 3 in the morning.

"Lucy? Why are you whispering?" Natsu asked. He sounded out of breath.

"I have four girls in my room that have the capability to destroy the world when they're tired. Why wouldn't I whisper?" She snapped at him.

"Whatever. Come outside right now."

"Why?" Lucy questioned, looking outside her window in disbelief. Standing under the lamppost was the pink haired felon that weaseled his way into her life. He was looking around anxiously and tapping his foot in an irregular pattern. He noticed her looking out the window and started to wave his arms around like an idiot. Well, he was an idiot, so...

"Hurry up!" He yelled. Lucy sighed, realizing that there was nothing she could do to make him go away. In the brief time that she had known him, she never once saw him give up on something he had put his mind on. It was one of the nice and annoying qualities he possessed. So instead of arguing that it was very early in the morning and she did not feel like almost getting arrested again, Lucy shrugged on a sweatshirt and grabbed her keys and the letter. There was no way she was leaving that piece of the past laying around; she loved her friends, but they tended to pry into unwanted territory. And so, with a string of curses and a prayer that her friends won't wake up, Lucy Heartfilia left her apartment to meet a boy.

Little did she know, two demonesses slithered out after her. One had a dark aura surrounding her, red hair floating in an invisible wind. The other white haired demon started chuckling evilly, grabbing a wedding magazine as she walked out.

Their mission Stalk Lucy and her New Friend was a go.

When Natsu saw Lucy walk out he was half expecting her to be bathed in blood. Of course, she walked out wound free, chilling in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. He breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't hold himself back from giving her a hug.

Lucy wasn't the only one that was surprised.

"Natsu, Wha-" She gasped in wonder.

"Shh, just go with it," he interrupted, squeezing the life out of her. Lucy awkwardly patted his back, the only place she could reach since her arms were pinned to her sides. After a couple of minutes of not breathing, Lucy started to turn red which made him finally let go. He tugged her in a direction without a word, ignoring a strange heat on the back of his head. It was almost like someone was pointing a laser at him.

(Meanwhile, in Erza and Mira spy mode)

"I'm going to murder," Erza growled, her eyes practically glowing a crimson red as she glared at the boy who was currently touching her best friend. Lucy was like a baby when it came to romance, and by the look of this scene, her new friend was taking advantage of that. Maybe he was the reason for the clothing change as well...

"What are you talking about? This is great!" Mira whispered, slapping Erza's arm as she freaked out. She knew that Natsu's hormones were basically nonexistent; all he had ever focused on was training, never giving a second glance at any pretty girl who tried to flirt with him. Yet, here he was, hugging a girl. One that he didn't even grow up with. Heck, Mira grew up with him and she never got a hug from him! THIS WAS A SPECIAL MOMENT, DAMMIT!

"Natsu and Lucy," She sung, "Nalu. Oh my God, Erza, I ship them so hard."

All Erza could do was face palm.

(Back to Natsu vision!)

"Do you ever feel like your actions are controlled by some weird girl with a laptop?" Lucy asked randomly as she balanced on the ledge next to the river passing by her apartment.

"...No," he reached out a hand, ready to catch her if necessary. She wobbled a bit but was able to steady herself by grabbing his hand.

"Then what are we doing outside at 3 AM?"

"Um..." He looked around for something to distract her. No, a distraction wasn't enough, she would be upset if it didn't have any meaning behind it. Think, Natsu, think!

And then he saw it. The building that he grew up in. Fairy Tail.

"I wanted to show you the best place ever. Fairy Tail," he pointed to the old building. The guild turned orphanage was holding up after all these years of rowdiness, but not without aging a bit. The green shutters were almost falling off, white paint was fading in every place and ivy was crawling along the walls, slowly consuming the building.

"You were part of Fairy Tail?" She gasped. When she looked at him it seemed like her eyes were sparkling.

"Yup, ever since I was a kid." Natsu smiled widely.

"Wow," Lucy said dreamily, "When I was little I dreamed of getting into that guild."

"You can use magic?" Natsu was surprised. He never sensed any magical power coming from her, nor did he ever see her use magic in any dangerous situation she was caught in. Though guilds were illegal (hence why even mentioning the word was an act said in total privacy), magic wasn't (yet), so it wasn't like she had to hide it.

"Not now," she sighed.

(And now a brief moment of Erza and Mirajane)

"Did you know Lucy used to be able to use magic?" Erza whispered to Mira.

"I guess there are things about Lucy that we still don't know," Mira murmured thoughtfully. The answer left a sick feeling in Erza's stomach. Lucy had always been a bit vague about her past; they all knew that she had a distant father and something bad happened to her, but that's where the story ends. So why was she telling this guy, who was practically a stranger, things that even Erza wasn't aware of?

"Don't blame yourself, Erza," Mira patted her friend's shoulder, "Natsu is really nice and easy to talk to."

"I still don't like it," she got up and started to head back to the apartment.

"You shall convert to Nalu soon enough," Mira giggled evilly under her breath, skipping behind Erza with a creepy glint in her eye.

(Sorry, couldn't help myself. Back to Natsu vision!)

Well, this was awkward. After that vague answer about her magic, Lucy stopped talking. With nothing else to keep them there, Natsu started to lead them back to her apartment in silence. They were a couple blocks away when he heard what sounded to be an argument. He stopped short, making Lucy walk right into him. He covered her mouth before she could complain. Concentrating harder, he was able to hear snippets of the ongoing argument. Lucy wiggled from his grasp and silently crept closer so she could hear it as well.

"We don't follow nobody!" An angry voice yelled. A chorus of approvals echoed behind him.

"Guys, come on," a smooth voice said, "I don't want to hurt you."

"Ha!" the first man chuckled, "I have a 100 guys here, and you think you can hurt us?" An ocean of laughter joined in with the first. Natsu started backing away, pulling Lucy with him. With 100 guys, it was unlikely they would be able to get out unscathed if they were caught.

"So your answer is no?" He heard the second voice ask.

"Of course it's no!" Laughed the first.

When they heard the screams, they started to sprint the last couple of blocks. Natsu was surprised Lucy was able to keep up with him; if he remembered correctly, she said something like 'exercise is for non book readers.' Whatever the reason, they safely made it to her apartment, breathing heavily.

"Why is it always danger with you?" She snapped.

"I like to live on the edge," he smirked. Lucy rolled her eyes and took out her keys.

"Whatever. Next time you have a bad dream, just eat some bacon instead of calling me at 3 in the morning," She opened the door and walked inside.

"What is up with you and bacon?" He wondered.

"If your mom was the daughter of a pig farm owner, you would be obsessed as well," she waved and shut the door in his face. He started to walk away, thinking about what they had just heard. Was that guy the one who got to the other gang? What is going on?

Wait a second, he stopped, realizing Lucy's last words, How did she know I had a nightmare?

Lucy quietly entered her apartment, tiptoeing to her room to check on her friends. They were all in a deep sleep. All of them...wait, where's Erza?

"Hey Lucy," she heard the girl yawn behind her. Slowly Lucy turned around, scared that the woman would suddenly attack her or something.

"Hey, Erza," she gulped.

"I want you to have something," Erza pulled out what seemed to be a whip from behind her back and placed it in her friend's hands. "It's for protection, you know?" She explained, yawning a second time. Lucy nodded and watched her friend crawl back into her sleeping bag, snoring as soon as her head hit the pillow. Walking out to her kitchen, Lucy put the weapon on the table. Then, she headed over to her desk, taking out the letter on the way, and opened the wooden box she kept there. The contents of the box gleamed in the moonlight; silver and gold keys that brought a strong feeling of nostalgia as she gazed at them. She took the keys out and placed the letter underneath.

"Punnnn~," She looked down to see Plue at her feet. She smiled softly and picked him up, showing him the small collection of keys she possessed.

"I used to be a talented celestial mage, you know," she whispered sadly. Plue patted her face and put something on the desk. It was a key, with the constellation of the Canis Minor on it.

Wait a second. That's the consellation of the dog. Plue is a weird looking dog. How did she not realize this before?

"Holy shit, you're a spirit?!" she whisper-yelled. He nodded his head and pushed the key into her hands. Lucy hadn't realized it until now, but he was looking more translucent then before. If he really was a spirit, then Plue was probably reaching his limit for staying in the normal world. Hm, actually, how did he even get into the normal world...

"I can't be your owner, Plue. I can't use my magic anymore," she patted his head, noticing that his feet were starting to disappear. He shook his head and pointed at the key again. The lower half of his body was gone.

"Fine," Lucy sighed. "We can make a contract when you're better."

Plue cheered, the sound hanging in the air even when he fully disappeared. Lucy looked at his key and shrugged, putting it in the box with all of the others. Maybe she couldn't use magic anymore, but she still had an obligation to protect his key. She closed the box, got up, and went back into her room to sleep.

And there you have it. We have her dad groveling for an apology (sorry if that sounded really fake by the way. I'm an emotionless person usually, except for Nalu and fanfiction.), Mira going insane with shipping Lucy with Natsu, Natsu having a terrifying nightmare, and to top it all off a very sketchy scene in the dead of the night.

Plus, we now know why Lucy has an obsession with bacon! Her mom was part of a pig farm and passed the obsession along to her daughter. And you guys thought I was just being insane. Well, I am, but...whatever.

Don't forget to leave me a review! Even if it says the story sucks, I don't care. Well, I do, but then it would give me something to improve upon!

Until next time, my Nalu friends!

~NeverMakesSense