Hello my friends! Like I edited into the end of my last chapter, I will reiterate. First off, I would like to apologize for that chapter and to anyone who was hurt by it. It was a gamble putting something so sensitive into the story, and while it was meant no harm, some people were offended. While this is just a fanfiction, written by a fan, I hope you don't hold anything against the characters. I got a few reviews saying that they could never look at Jet the same way, or how they hate how I made him OOC. I truly am sorry and didn't mean anything by that chapter, I was looking at it as a way to explain Levy's deep trauma for not wanting to dance again. There will be no more descriptions of domestic violence in the following chapters, and I do hope you can forgive me for it. I honestly meant no harm to anyone, it was strictly for fanfiction purposes.

I'll talk more at the bottom, but for now! Read on! ~Hana

FIND THE REFERENCES AND GET A COOKIE! (hint hint, more than one)

"We ran into Jet." Levy said. Lucy's heart sank as she heard the words come out of her best friends mouth. Since the day she picked up Levy from that bus stop she hadn't heard the name Jet since. She knew he had traumatized her, she hadn't danced or been the same ever since she moved in with Lucy. Knowing it wasn't her place to push, she never knew the story behind what had happened. Sure Jet changed her, but it wasn't till after they separated that Lucy saw the biggest change in Levy.

Levy quitting dance was a shoc to Lucy, but people grow and change and this was one of those times. Lucy knew it was better not to press the subject or anything. That was until she saw the hurt in Levy's eyes when they had won free tickets to go see The Nutcracker. Looking over to comment on the show, Lucy was stopped when she saw the way Levy looked at the production with pain in her eyes. It was a mix between admiration and regret, as if Levy kicked herself for not doing it.

It didn't help that later that night when Levy thought Lucy went to bed, she could hear light sobbing from down the hall. Lucy knew Levy missed dancing, but something was holding her back.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lucy asked. She was fine if Levy wanted to cry her eyes out into her shoulder, or even if she brushed her off entirely. Levy just needed to know someone was there for her.

"I'm fine, thanks." Levy smiled lightly. "Just a bit tired, you know?"

"Want something to eat?"

"I'm good, thanks Luce."

"No problem."

"Really. Thanks." Levy repeated. "For everything." She wrapped her arms around Lucy's trunk, pulling her in for a hug. Lucy smiled, and rubbed Levy's head lightly. Pulling away, Levy sniffled lightly. "Are you going on your run?" She asked.

"In a minute." Lucy nodded. "Unless you want me to stay." She nudged Levy's knee with her own.

"No, that's alright." Levy smiled.

"Are you sure? We can eat popcorn, and watch Netflix, and you can tell me all about your date." Lucy teased.

"Those first two things sound wonderful." Levy joked. "The date was like, I showed up, overly dressed may I add- that was awkward-, met some of his friends, Gajeel and I went to find our seats, then we say down, he bought snacks, I talked to this nice girl next to me, Gajeel came back, we watched the show, I accidentally fell asleep which was a downer, then I woke up and he suggested that we leave, than he drove me home." Levy took in a deep breath immediately afterwords, the rant causing her oxygen level to deplete sufficiently.

"Did you kiss" Lucy asked.

Levy stared at her friend, a slight blush coming over her. Lucy always wanted to know all the details, like what position, or, what color, or how big? Things Levy didn't want to talk about, and things Lucy didn't need to know. "No." She said quickly. "Oh look at that... time... that it is... right now..." Levy pointed to her alarm clock and smiled awkwardly. "I gotta shower-" she grabbed a pile of clothes on the end of her bed. "-have a nice run!" she yelled before slamming the door.

"See you later!" Lucy rolled her eyes as she grabbed her iPod on the counter, and ran out the door.

She cracked her back, and did some light stretches before jumping in place a few times. Being an experienced runner, Lucy knew exactly how her body warmed up and exactly what to do. Putting her ear buds in, she did a few jumping jacks, before jogging off her porch.

"I stay out too late... got nothing in my brain..." Lucy sang mentally as her feet hit the pavement and her pony tail swayed back and forth to the beat. Her paced slowed as she came to the trail she planned on running. It was a simple trail, it ran along the woods and had a view of the coast line to the right. Plus, not very many people knew about its location. Taking a few breaths, and a sip of her water, she rested for a moment. She paused her music, and sat on a rock to look out on the water. It was a beautiful Saturday morning with a clear sky and a light breeze. Perfect running conditions.

Closing her eyes, she felt the wind blow through her hair. Deciding that was a long enough break, Lucy got up, and started her music again before she started running. "But I keep cruising, Can't stop, won't stop moving, It's like I got this music, In my mind, Saying, "It's gonna be alright.""

Lucy smiled as she sang the words, tempted to sing out loud. No one was on this trail after all, what could go wrong? Opening her mouth to sing, Lucy took a seep breath before belting out "I never miss a beat, I'm lightning on my feet." Laughing at herself, Lucy heard a noise through her headphones. Looking farther up the trail, she saw someone running towards her. They were probably about two hundred feet away, running at a moderate speed. Lucy slowed down, they were going to pass her anyways so no sense in trying to race.

Slowing her run to a jog, then to a walk, she watched the runner as they came closer. Because their size, and build, Lucy guessed it was a male. The guy had pink hair just just... No Lucy, stop thinking about him. She shut her eyes as she shook her head to the side. He has a son,and probably a wife too. Taking a deep breath, she noticed that the guy was now yards away. He was really cute, and Lucy admired him for as long as she could see him until he would pass.

His pink hair tossed lightly as he ran in his black running shoes with black laces. He had on running pants, plain black with a pink stripe up the side. His shirt wasn't really doing any good as it was a loose tank that jostled when he ran. He, like Lucy, had his iPod strapped onto his arm with white headphones in his ear. His lips were pink, but so were everybody elses, but his were soft. At least they looked soft. They closed perfectly on themselves, and tipped up lightly on the edges. But then they moved. Lucy watched them move, and form the words "Hey Lucy!"

Hey Lucy?She thought to herself. Woah that's my name... how does this hottie know my name? She asked herself.

"Wait." She said out loud as the runner stopped in front of her. Her eyes looking over his face. Over Natsu's face.

Of course... Lucy thought to herself. "Hi Natsu." She ripped her ear bud out of her ear a bit rougher than she would have liked.

"I didn't know you ran too?" He asked as his chest heaved, causing his shirt to move to the side, exposing a perfectly round nipple.

"Yep!" She smiled lightly. He was acting completely normal, almost as if he didn't even have a son, or a wife, or anything like that! "I like these trails, they're quiet and pretty vacant."

"So, haven't seen you at the gym in a while?" He said lightly.

"I guess we just haven't ran into each other, huh?" She said as she placed her hand on her hip, awkwardly. She had been to the gym. She just ignored him. And all the hallways he could go down, or the dressing rooms, or even ducking into the bathroom so he wouldn't see her. But that was a normal thing to do, right?

"Say..." He said. "You haven't been ignoring me, have you?" He asked.

"No!" She answered quicker than she would have liked. "Why would you ask that?"

"We just haven't talked really since the Lantern Festival." He rubbed the back of his head with his hand sheepishly. "I was worried I did something wrong..."

"Oh." Lucy said, feeling bad about ignoring him so blatantly.

"So then, would you want to go out again?" He asked.

Okay Lucy, be cool. Do you want to go out with this incredibly hot boy, have an incredibly wonderful time, meet his kid, and deal with it? Or are we going to run away from this incredibly nice offer to a date- after you incredibly rudely ignored this incredibly hot boy- and cry over ice cream because look at his face. And that hair. LUCY. MAKE A DESCIION. As she internally gave herself a pep-talk, Natsu waited patiently.

"I'd love to." Lucy said. Oh so we're okay with the kid? She asked herself. Moreover, a son? They're dirty... But that's okay, right?

"Are you free now?" He asked.

"Right now?" She laughed lightly, looking around. "We're kinda in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah but." He laughed. "If we run that way-" He pointed behind Lucy, in the direction he was running earlier- "We can get out of here in twenty, and go to a coffee shop." He suggested.

"Oh but-"

"What? Got someone waiting at home?" He joked. Although he wasn't that far off. She did have an emotionally distraught friend filling herself with junk food and Netflix instant streaming...

"No, but-"

"Well then whats holding you back?" He smiled. That smile. The smile that melted her heart into a puddle of cardiac mush that make her head spin.

"Nothing..." She said.

"Well then." He put his hand out. "After you." He smiled as he put his ear buds back in. Smiling back, Lucy did the same and ran ahead of him.

"The next episode will begin in 15 seconds..." Levy read. "Just enough time for a bathroom break!" She yelled as she ran to the bathroom as fast as she could. Not caring to shut the door, Levy hurried before flushing and turning on the sink. Hearing the intro, Levy cussed and dried her hands as fast as humanly possible. Leaping onto the couch, she pulled her blanket back up, and snuggled deeper into the couch. Feeling a slight vibration from under her leg, she reached into the mess of blankets and pulled out her phone. Sliding it to the side, she unlocked it to reveal a new message. Clicking on the icon, she looked at the number. It was just a number at that, unknown. Opening the text, she read it.

"How are you feeling? -G"

Who is this? She asked herself. Having a name that started with the letter G wasn't all that common in Levy's group of friends. But then again her group of friends was limited to Lucy, a few workers at a local book shoppe, and tumblr followers. Gray? No, my trainer wouldn't text me that's unprofessional... Wait, what about Gajeel!? No way, how did he get my number. She smiled to herself. He had gotten her number. Maybe from Mira, or Lucy even. Nonetheless, he texted her. He cared. Her generally cared for her. How was she feeling? On cloud over 9000 thanks to him. Her gray skies finally got a few rays of sunshine. Her fingers danced across the key pad before she sent the text.
"Good."

"I can drive." Natsu breathed out as they unplugged their music and caught their breath. The last twenty minutes they ran was like a race, neither wanted the other to pass but Lucy stayed in the front for most of it.

"Really? Are you sure? We could just walk instead." She asked.

"Yeah, I got it." He laughed. "My cars right here anyways." He pointed to the black sports car behind Lucy."

"Wow." Lucy said.

"You like?" He asked. "My buddie is a great engineer and gave me a killer discount. Used to be one of his personal cars but he's selling a few." Natsu's breath continues to come out in short huffs as he popped open the trunk and grabbed a towel. Dabbing his face, he wiped away the sweat that made his skin glow.

"Lucky find." She said lightly, tugging on the bottom of her shorts nervously.

"Ready? The place is just five minutes away." He opened his door as she walked up the the opposing one. She was oddly hesitant. He wouldn't hurt her, or try to come on to her, or even compromise her character. So why was she feeling so offset?

"Yeah.." She said lightly as she shut the car door and slumped into the seat. The interior, like the exterior, was also black. As he turned the key, the dash lit up with red lights, creating an ominous type of setting.

"Its really cool at night, you should see it!" He smiled as he shifted into reverse. " I slide through traffic so stealth like, it makes me feel like a superhero or something. Like batman!" He laughed at his own joke. "I guess this is like the bat-mobile"

"Do you have a sidekick hiding somewhere?" She joked.

"No, I don't think I would be a good batman. I don't think he gets motion-sick from driving too often." He sighed as if his dreams of being Batman were just crushed by a disease, or rather a reaction.

"Well, maybe sometime." She giggled.

"Sometime what?" He asked.

"Maybe I'll see it at night sometime." She tapped on the dashboard, signaling that she was talking about the car.

"Ah." His voice cracked like he was a teenager once again. Clearing his throat, he laughed it off.

"So do you go running outside the gym a lot?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood. Well, her mood. He seemed to be completely in control of the situation, never faltering or stuttering.

"Sometimes." He said. "I don't like to overdue it or anything."

"That's true." She smiled as he started to park the car.

"So um, we're here." He turned the key, shutting the car off.

It was a small shop. Just on the corner of Baker and Water street. On the outside the light green color gave off a faded Starbucks vibe- clearly a hipster hang out. The door jingled when they opened it, signaling the old man inside that they had arrived.

"Ah, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon!" He smiled from behind the counter. Clearly a man in retirement, it brought him joy to serve others his drinks. His face had smile lines, suggesting a happy life in his little shop, not to mention his plump figure. His voice sang thorough the shop sweetly, giving Lucy a relaxing feeling. It felt like home. A home away from home in a coffee shop.

"I'll handle this one, Uncle!" A teenage boy said as he walked towards the blonde and her friend. "Just two?" He asked, looking at them. Aside from the large burn mark covering his left eye, he looked like a normal teenage boy.

"Yep!" Natsu spoke up as Lucy was too busy looking around the establishment. It was simple to say the least. Tea and coffee lined the back wall behind the old man while the seating area was simple Japanese styled low tables with green cushions surrounding them.

"Wow." Lucy breathed out in a whisper.

"Right?" Natsu said, startling Lucy with his hearing.

"This place is amazing." She said as she sat down on her cushion, bouncing lightly.

"I found it one day on a run."

"I should take Levy here sometime, it seems like her kind of place." She looked around, each time her eyes moved they gazed upon something new that she had never seen before. Suddenly there was a green dragon on the ceiling, crawling almost. The statue had red eyes, but they weren't scary or anything like that. They reflected her face back to her, giving her an actually look at herself.

Of course Natsu had to find her after a work out when she was wearing no makeup and was sweaty and gross. Slightly embarrassed, she ripped her pony tail out, and ruffled her hair. Running her fingers though it, she put it into a bun. It was a slight improvement.

"I'll just get the house roast." Natsu said to the teenager. "Want the same?" He asked her.

"Sounds great." Lucy smiled.

"Make that two."

"Of course." The boy bowed slightly.

"So tell me about yourself." Natsu leaned in.

"Whats more to tell?" She asked. Their last outing was filled with talking about one another. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia, I'm in my twenties, my favorite color is pink, my occupation is-"

"No, no!" Natsu waved his hand at her.

"What?" She asked lightly. "You said to tell you about me." She said.

"Yeah but when people say that everyone goes to that scrip in the back of their head that they always say. How many other people have you told about your childhood cat that you rescued but then it died while you were at school. While heartbreaking, its not boundary breaking. I want deepest wants, fears, confessions. The good stuff." He winked.

"Deepest want would be..." she blushed. She couldn't actually tell him that. It was embarrassing.

"Its supposed to be embarrassing." He said.

"Are you reading my mind?"

"No, but I can." He leaned forward. "Kidding!" He flashed a smile.

"Well why do I have to start!" She could feel her face turning red.

"Alright, I'll go first." He said. "Deepest want would be to be a good role model that someone looks up to, and biggest fear would be... oblivion." He grinned.

"Oblivion?" She asked. "Really?"

"Yeah! It could happen, you never know. Now stop stalling! Your turn."

"Alright, but don't laugh!" She said.

"Go on."

"Biggest want would be to... fa-" her voice trailed off as the teenager put down their coffee.

"Thanks." they said in unison as he walked away.

"You were saying?" Natsu said immediately.

"Youre not going to let me go, are you?"

"Never." He grinned.

She shut her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Biggest want is to fall in love." She blurted out. Opening one eye, she watched as he sipped his coffee.

"And fear?" He asked.

"You;re not going to laugh?" She asked.

"At what?" He asked genuinely confused.

"At my want?"

"Why would I?"

"Well usually people do.. when they hear I want to fall in love..."

"I don't see the problem. I think its nice." He said.

"Oh, I, uh-"

"Biggest fear." He looked at her from over his coffee cup.

"I don't know, probably to lose Levy. She's the most important person in my life and the closest thing I have to family."

"That's a good one." He said. "I should change mine..."

"You cant change your fears!" She almost spat her coffee at his childish thinking.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He breathed out. "So closest thing to family?" He asked. "No actual family?"

"My mother passed away when I was little and my father raised me. I got back from a trip to Thailand when I found out that he passed away too. Then I moved in when Levy coincidentally when she also lost a loved one and now we're here."

"No siblings?" He asked.

"None."

"Me neither." He pouted his lips. "But I have Gray who I imagine is the closest thing to a brother. He bothers me, we fight, and argue. Mira yells at us like our mother, but in the end he's always there." He smiled as he looked into his coffee cup.

"What about your family?" She asked. "Aside Gray."

"Well I lost my dad when I was seven." He said.

"Army?" She asked.

"No, he just disappeared."

"Into thin air?"

"No idea."

"You have no idea where he went..."

"Yeah, basically. But that's alright, he'll come back to me one day, I know it."

"That's a really positive attitude." She commented.

"I like to think that way." He said. "As for anyone else I have no one."

"What about your son?" She was hesitant to ask, but she knew she had to get it off her chest.

"Oh, Happy? He's a great kid, really." He smiled.

"The seven year old with blue hair if I remember correctly." She commented.

"That's the one." He laughed. "He's awesome. I go to see him once a month or so." He smiled.

"And who's the mother?" She couldn't help it. She needed to know.

"You could say Lisanna..."

"Could say?"

"Yeah. Oh I forgot to explain. Happy is an orphan."

So he's not married. That makes this feel less awkward. Okay Lucy, now you've got a chance!

"His parents are in another country and send him here for a better life. I was out with Lisanna, my best childhood friend, and we found him and brought him in. He was about five at the time, and we just found him wandering around. We told them we were too young, and not married or living together or anything, but we wanted to help him. So we became his... benefactors? I guess that's the word. We give them money for his things, and go to visit him. So we're basically his parents. I call him my sun because he's the center of my world, and everything I do revolves around him. I really would like to adopt him one day." His eyes shone as he talked. It wasn't his son, but his sun. As in his star, his center, what drove him to be him.

"And that's why you want to be a good role model? For him?" She asked.

"You're a fast learner." He grinned.

"I made it through college." She laughed.

"WOAH, we've got a smarty pants over here." He laughed with her.

"It was a fun time in college, Levy went to the same place, although she's the real smarty." Lucy finished her coffee.

"Out too?" He asked.

"Yeah, and it was really good too."

"Well I have even better coffee back at my place if you're interested?" He asked.

"I'd love to." She smiled.

Can you say NaLu? I stayed home from school today and knew I had to write something and then this happened so yeeeeeeeah. Thanks for reading, Favoriting, Following, and supporting me and all that jazz! I really love my followers or even anyone who stumbles into my little web of fictional tales! All are welcome, especially reviews! So leave your thoughts! And I'll share my mac n' cheese with you! Nom nom nom. Thanks for reading! ~Hana

P.S. IceRaven666 left a review that finally got me going again and I cannot thank you enough. When there are thousands of people against you (Or in this case a handful of angry fans) sometimes all it takes is one person to pick you back up. It was unbelievably great to read your review- especially after being badgered with hate through other reviews. At one point I even debated giving up on this story and writing fanfiction all together.

As dramatic as it is, the negative reviews were really a blow to my confidence. When Young, Innocent, Baby Hana started writing her first fanfiction, the first review I ever got was negative, and I deleted everything which set me back a year. (Extremely radical reaction, but it spooked me good) I was timid and afraid to write again, but I eventually did. Im not saying they were out of place or anything like that, I love when you guys leave comments on your thoughts but some of them were a bit much to handle. I did reach out to a few people who I felt needed it, as they were really offended by my previous chapter, but mostly I just sat in bed and debated deleting my account. Or just rewriting that chapter all together.

I didnt, as you can see. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I really didnt mean anything by that last chapter, it was just a way to explain back story.

While some argued that it was a "stain" on this fanfiction- I stand behind my work. I dont regret putting it in the story, and im sorry if you dont like that. But this is a fanfiction. If it doesnt fit your standards of fluff, and love, and everything grand in the world then may I suggest a different story. (There are millions)

All are welcome to read. All are welcome to leave thoughts. However, no one is welcome to write in CAPS LOCK and scream on how im ruining my story by putting in domestic violence. Maybe I did trash it in your opinion, but I still love it.

And if you are still reading I thank you. And I apologize for the rant but I think it was necessary.

We're all here for the fiction guys. Just remember that. Because "There may be hundreds of miles between us but I will always be looking your way"

~Hana

P.S.S. I love reviews that are in CAPS because fangirls slamming their key board because I left cliff hangers. None this week (well kinda but not really) NIBOUVYCTUVIBKJJBVUYCTUYVIB.

Stay cool.

~Hana