Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome to the penultimate chapter of "The ABCs of Natsu and Erza!" Can you frickin' believe it? Anyway, today's letter is Y for Years!

Honestly, the fact that this story's almost done puts me at a loss for words, so... I guess we'll just get right into it!

I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does. Anything not instantly recognizable is my own creation.

The Fairy Tail Guild was as noisy as it ever was. Chairs were being flung, punches were flying left and right, but through it all, everyone was just having a good time and enjoying being in each other's company.

Erza was listening patiently as Faye told her mother the story of her latest mission. She had worked with a representative from Blue Pegasus on this one, and every sentence seemed to make her more excitable. The Titania couldn't help but smile at her daughter: she had inherited her father's sense of pride, and even at seventeen years old, her eyes still lit up as she talked about beating up bad guys and saving the day like she had only done it for the first time then and there.

Suddenly, the large double doors opened, and the postman appeared at the entrance, driving a large wagon of mail, all of which appeared to be for various Fairy Tail members. "Mail call!" the postman announced.

Suddenly, Faye leapt up. "Out of my way!"she yelled as she barged through the crowd, taking the mail without so much as a care for the protests of the guild members.

"Manny... Nico... Aaron..." Faye rattled off names, flinging their letters here and there until she found what she was looking for. With a girlish squeal, she clutched the letter close to her chest and left the guild at a speed not even Chet could manage.

Erza laughed silently to herself. Ever since Faye had started seeing that nice young man from Blue Pegasus (though when your measuring stick is Ichiya, it's not that hard to seem nice in comparison), she'd had a change in her demeanor. She was still every bit as brash as her father ever was, yet at the same time, she had started acting slightly more girly, such as worrying about her appearance whenever Master Gildartz requested she accompany him to the regular meeting, the knowledge that her boyfriend would be there burning in her mind.

Of course, it also saddened Erza to think that her baby girl was growing up. She wondered if that was how Makarov felt when she and Natsu started dating. She looked at Natsu, then at Tai, and shared a look with her son.

"What's got Faye all excited?" asked Natsu.

"Nothing, Natsu," said Erza serenely. Natsu wasn't convinced, but he didn't press the issue.

Back at the house, Natsu was just cleaning up the dishes from dinnertime. He had put them into the sink for immediate washing (because the sooner it got done, the less Erza nagged at him about it) when he noticed a piece of paper on the countertop. She would have left it alone, except the paper had the emblem on Blue Pegasus on it, and it just so happened to have been addressed to Faye.

"That letter is none of my business," said Natsu to himself.

"But what if it's from a stalker?" the voice inside his head asked.

"Shit!" yelled Natsu, his paternal instincts kicking in as he snatched up the paper and began to read.

"Dearest Faye,

Your performance on our recent joint mission was truly breathtaking. I fear no words may adequately express the sheer beauty of your fire, graceful and deadly all at the same time. It's not often enough that I get to see you dance among the flames. No, for every second I look at you, I want one minute more by your side.

I want to see you again, whenever you are able. I wish for this very moment, but alas, I must accept that you have your own guild to worry about. Still, I will count the days until I hold you in my arms once more.

With love,

Vincent"

With every word he read, Natsu's rage grew. Some Blue Pegasus playboy was romancing his daughter! How long had this been going on? Who knows what they could have done on that mission? He threw the letter down on the ground and left before he took out his fury on the entire house. Only when he was deep in the woods did Natsu let loose the full extent of his rage.

The next morning, Natsu trudged home dead tired. Erza was waiting for him in the foyer. "Natsu... where were you last night?" she asked impatiently.

"Out," mumbled Natsu.

"Out where?"

"Training." He looked around. "Where are the kids?"

"Already at the guild," said Erza.

Natsu sighed. He needed to get this thing off his chest to his wife as soon as possible. "Erza... we need to talk about Faye," he said.

"What about Faye?" she asked cautiously.

"She has a..." Natsu couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Faye has a what?" prompted Erza, more worried than before.

"Faye has a boyfriend, okay?" Natsu yelled. "There, I said it!"

Erza sighed. "I knew this day would come," she said.

Natsu shot his wife an angry look. "Wait a minute! You knew?" he yelled.

"I've known for at least six weeks," replied Erza.

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" asked Natsu.

"That was for Faye to decide."

"Then why didn't she tell me?"

"Probably because you tend to act like an overprotective father," said Erza. "A mode I affectionately like to call 'Daddy Dragon.'"

Natsu looked indignant at the apparently-not-so-new-nickname his wife had bestowed upon him. However, Erza didn't seem to notice.

"Faye's growing up, Natsu," she said. "And so is Tai." And all of a sudden, Natsu felt the full weight of seventeen years on his shoulders.

"I don't want them to grow up, Erza," said Natsu softly. "I just don't see why they have to. Why can't Faye be my little girl forever? Why can't Tai stay my little man?" His eyes started to water. "Damn it, Natsu, you are NOT allowed to cry!"

Erza took in the sight before her. Salamander Natsu could stand up to dark mages, powerful monsters, and unspeakable terrors with all the bravado his element represented. But so much as suggest his children were growing up, and he was instantly reduced to tears.

Erza embraced her husband. "They have to grow up, Natsu," she said. "They're living proof of the love we have for each other, through the good times... and the bad." She remembered her one-night stand with Jellal, thanking any deity that would listen that they were still together after that miserable affair.

"I guess you're right, Erza," said Natsu with a sigh. It would take some getting used to, but the idea of his children growing up was already starting to appeal to him.

Of course, he would have to pay a visit to Blue Pegasus and lay down the law with that Vincent punk before he was fully comfortable with the idea, but for now, he would make Erza feel the love that saw their children through the best years of their lives.

And there you go!

As you can probably tell, I'm making Natsu and Erza quite a bit older than they've ever been. Speaking of, here's a little timeline. Natsu and Erza dated for five years before they got married, and Erza became pregnant with Faye not long after. Baby takes place about three months before Cheat, so if we start Natsu and Erza at 18 and 19 respectively, as of Cheat, they're 25 and 26, and Faye is still a year old. So when this chapter happens, Faye is 17, Natsu is 41, and Erza is 42. Kind of young, I know, but hey, at least they have the guild when they need help! :)

Also, some background on the names I used. Faye's boyfriend's full name is Vincent Stern, otherwise known as Starry Night Vincent. I don't know yet what kind of magic he uses, probably Light magic. His name obviously is a reference to Vincent Van Gogh, particularly the Starry Night. And Chet is Jet's son, who uses the same Speed magic he does. His name is derived from Cheetah, the fastest land mammal. Two of the names are throwaways, though one is a shoutout to a guy I know on TheSpeedGamers forums.

One more chapter to go, guys! Once that's done, I plan to write a proper ending to Lucky Star, since I neglected that for soooooooo long! I still want to use those evil characters I designed, particularly Ruby, so there will be a sequel to that. I do, however, plan to make the next chapter of LS the absolute last so I can put that one to rest. Oh, and there's still Meddling and the Scenes rewrite. Funny story about that, I wanted to wait until Yukino was named to actually continue it, because I wanted to include her in the Sabertooth group, but now the rumor mill is spinning with tales of her being the sacrifice for Arcadios's Eclipse plan. Geez, I hope he went through the Twilight and New Moon plans first. *is shot*

You know what? I have a theory in mind! But for now, until whatever I decide to work on next, peace and love from Nightlingbolt!