Chapter Eleven: Nightmares

Author's Note: Wow! Sabertooth found a lead on Natsu! YAY! Our dragon slayer might be returning to Lucy and the guild! But, I'm sorry to tell you, you're going to have to wait for the mystery. I'm trying to push it off until as far as possible, so this chapter is taking place right after the last one. No time skip here. Anyway, please leave a review! I love every single one of you guys! And if you ever wanna chat, don't be afraid to PM me. See you later! :)

"They're coming home, Lucy!"

Lucy smiled as she climbed back into bed, remembering the moment Gray told her Natsu and Happy were coming home. She sighed, finally feeling safe for the first time in a month, at the very least.

Natsu is coming home! Lucy thought. I'm finally getting to see him. And with the comforting thought, she fell asleep...

"Natsu! Natsu! Where is he?!" Lucy shouted.

Gray held her back from the infirmary, from Natsu. "Lucy! Calm down!"

"I need to see him! Let me see my husband!" She kicked and screamed, summoning spirits to help her reach her beloved. Each and every one of them sat in the guild, an understanding expression on their faces. They knew if Lucy saw him, she would never forgive herself. And that she'd never get over allowing him to leave.

"Lucy. It's Natsu for God's sake. He'll be fine..." Loke assured, trying to share a weak smile. "He'll be alright." His voice became wavy in the last sentence, showing Lucy and the guild that he's lost hope as well.

The blonde finally understood her comrades and stopped kicking, noticing Wendy and Porlyusica standing in the hallway leading to the infirmary. Wendy's brown eyes became glossy as she tried to choke out words. "Natsu-san is-" She couldn't speak any longer. The sky dragon slayer burst into tears, escaping to the infirmary.

The Fairy Tail guild turned to Porlyusica, an unsure look on her pale face. "I'm afraid to say," She gulped, the guild becoming impatient with her. She cleared her throat, beginning again, "His body strangely refused the medicine, and Wendy's healing magic refused to work on him as well. Natsu is-"

"No!" Lucy screamed, falling to her knees in sudden despair. "He's not dead!" She jumped out of Gray's grip and ran into the infirmary, stopping in the doorway when she noticed Natsu's bloody corpse on the bed.

Wendy stood beside him, tears racing down her face. "Oh, Lucy-san. You weren't supposed to see him."

Gray burst into the room, stopping in the doorway behind Lucy. "C'mon, Lucy. You're not supposed to be in here."

The blonde wanted to fight, wanted to see her husband's body, to kiss him, but she was too shocked to even notice Gray and Loke dragging her away...

"Ah!" Lucy jerked awake, panting hard like she'd been running a marathon. She brought her hand up to her forehead, rubbing away the sweat on it. The blonde lay awake in bed for a few moments before rising from the comforting sheets and entering the dim kitchen.

Rummaging through the cupboards, Lucy tried to push away her nightmare. She just couldn't ruin the exciting news with a nightmare. Natsu was hopefully coming home, and now she was having dreams about his death? Shouldn't she be dreaming about his return?

After filling up a glass of water, Lucy plopped down onto the sofa. She played with Natsu's scarf between her fingers, sipping the water slowly. Although she was tired, Lucy refused to fall asleep. What if Natsu came through the window while she was sleeping? What if she missed a mere second with him? All these questions lulled the celestial wizard into a daydream, and she recalled the day he left:

It was a chilly September night as Natsu rolled out of the couple's bed. "Luce." He shook his wife gently, being as quiet as he possibly could as not to wake Nashi and Ryu. "Luce, I've got to leave."

His wife rolled over to face him, groaning in the sudden light of the lamp that Natsu had just turned on. "Not yet, just wait a little longer? Please?" She grasped for her husband's warm hand, and he took hers.

Natsu shook his head. "I've really got to go. I'm going to miss the train to Oshibana." He tip-toed over to one of Lucy's drawers, shaking Happy awake. "C'mon, bud. We've got to go."

Happy jumped out of the drawer, flying up to his friend's shoulder and bouncing on it like a child on Christmas. "Aye, sir!" He chirped.

Lucy rolled out of bed, not wanting to allow her husband to leave. She followed him into the entry way, and he stopped there. His pause startled the blonde, and a concerned look crossed her sleepy face. "Natsu?"

Natsu avoided her gaze, staring at the floor. "Luce," Now he looked into her chocolate eyes. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled his wife into a hug. "If I don't come back for awhile... just stay where you are. The way you are, okay? Take care of Nashi and Ryu for me, and never lose faith in me. I'll be back whenever I can." He pulled away and walked out the door. Of course, it was raining cats and dogs outside, and Lucy debated if she wanted to run out and kiss him or not.

"Natsu wait!" The blonde ran out into the rainy night, only wearing her purple basketball shorts and a black tank-top. Her feet were bare and scraping along the cobblestone streets of Magnolia, but she continued to run.

At the shout of his name, Natsu turned around. Without having time to think, Lucy jumped into his arms.

"Promise me, Natsu. That you'll make it back alive. That you'll be fine." She said into his shoulder. "Promise me." Now the tears began to fall, and Lucy couldn't quite understand why she was crying.

"I promise I'll make it back home alive." The dragon slayer hugged her tight before carrying her back to their apartment. "Now just stay here with the kids, okay? I'll be back in two weeks tops."

Lucy weakly nodded before Natsu pulled her into their last kiss for the night. They pulled away and Natsu turned back to road, where Happy waited on the sidewalk. With tears falling into Lucy's hands, she whispered to herself, "I'll be right here, waiting for you."

Author's Note: What?! Another chapter so soon? I just couldn't let you guys suffer! I'd feel really bad! Plus, I got two permanent teeth pulled today, so I got a bunch of time to write. Don't be surprised if there's another one tomorrow. :D

I'm sorry it was short, but it revealed the adorable moment when Natsu left Lucy. Plus, I wanted to read the story, too. So I'm doing this for you guys and myself. :) Anyway, please leave a review for this chapter. I love every single one of you! Bye!