AN: Now this is my third finished Nalu story. :') Thank you all for the support! Those that reviewed especially because you guys really motivated me. :') Hope you all enjoy the last chapter!
Epilogue
It was a beautiful day in Acalypha. The sun was shining warm rays while birds chirped melodious tunes. Grass swayed side to side in the gentle breeze the day had to offer. All in all, it was peaceful, unlike how Lucy felt. No, Lucy Heartfilia was anything but peaceful that day as she paced back and forth in her old bedroom, her friends trying their hardest to calm her but to no avail.
"Lu-chan, calm down," Levy persisted, forcing the frantic blonde to take a seat on the king-sized bed.
Lucy covered her face with her hands and cried, "I can't! This isn't going how it's supposed to!"
Juvia frowned and stated, "Lucy, it really isn't that big of a deal…"
At this the girl whipped her head up towards her two blunette friends and scowled.
"Not a big deal?" she repeated, her brows furrowing. "So let me get this straight, Juvia. When your caterer canceled on you last second and you were a sobbing mess, was that not a big deal?"
"No, of course-"
"And you, Levy," Lucy interrupted, turning her attention towards the other blunette. "When Gajeel scared the florist away, was that not a big deal either?"
Levy, the maid of honor, sighed and answered, "Alright, fine. It kinda is a big deal…"
"I KNOW IT IS! How could everything go so wrong on the day that's supposed to be perfect!?"
Lucy whined into her hands, not caring if something were to happen to her perfectly applied makeup. It was her wedding day and absolutely everything was going wrong. The caterer- who lied about her due date- went into labor and had to cancel, her florist was a no-show, Natsu was nowhere to be found, and the band was too high to function. Even her cake order- which was left to the caterer- was messed up as it was only enough to feed ten people. It was a complete disaster.
Tears pricked the blonde's eyes as she questioned, "Where did Natsu go?"
The two other girls shared a look and frowned. They didn't know where Natsu or any of the other boys disappeared to, but damn did they wish Natsu was there to calm Lucy's nerves because they certainly weren't doing a good job at it.
Lucy lifted her head at a sudden realization, temporarily forgetting all about her missing fiancé, and released a wry laugh.
"I have another terrible thing to add to the list," the girl sourly stated. "My veil is missing. That's just freaking great!" Lucy then rose to her feet and began pacing once again, though this time much more hostile. "You know what? I can deal with a missing veil, they're outdated anyways. And I don't need my caterer, we managed things decently enough. And I can even handle a missing florist. Who needs flowers? But what I cannot handle, is a missing fiancé who is supposed to freaking marry me in half an hour! I'm going home!"
The two blunettes' eyes widened as they worriedly chased the furious bride out the door.
"Lucy, wait!" Juvia called out. "I'm sure they're around here somewhere! You know how boys can be!"
"Yeah! They're probably just relieving some stress!" Levy added.
Lucy turned on her heels and faced her friends with an angry look plastered on her face. "What stress is there to relieve!? Natsu hasn't helped me plan this wedding at all and now he's disappeared! It's like… It's like he doesn't even want to marry me!"
At this, the tears that Lucy had been holding back began to spill from her large brown eyes. She clenched her fists while her shoulders shuddered. She knew that weddings never went according to plan but she certainly didn't expect it to completely fly off the rails.
"Lu-chan…" Levy said, pitying her best friend. She vowed to beat up Gajeel and the other boys later for pulling a vanishing act.
Lucy sighed and stated, "I don't need a fancy wedding. I don't care about the material things… But watching all of you go through your weddings and watching them be perfect and hearing you guys talk about how it was the best day of your life… I wanted that too. And it looks like my fiancé changed his mind…"
"Nonsense," a sudden voice rang out. Lucy turned to find it was Erza, followed by Lisanna and Cana.
The blonde frowned and replied, "How is it nonsense when he isn't even here for our wedding day?"
The redheaded beauty, who was adorned in a bridesmaid's blush pink dress that flowed graciously down to her ankles, walked towards the bride and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Have more faith in Natsu," she said, carefully wiping away the blonde's tears so as to not mess up her makeup more than it already was. "It's true that he didn't help plan any of this and he definitely could've left a note saying he would've been leaving today, but I know there is nothing more that he's been looking forward to."
Lisanna nodded and added, "She's right. When we were kids I used to tease him about this sorta stuff and he hated the thought of being married. But you have no idea how excited he was when he was talking about proposing and marrying you."
Cana swung an arm around Lucy and offered her flask. "Here, drink some."
Lucy sighed and replied, "Cana I don't wanna be drunk walking down the aisle."
"Not drunk. Just have a bit to help calm your nerves."
Lucy nodded and accepted the flask, downing a bit of the foul liquid. "Okay, if he wants to marry me, then where is he?"
"He's trying to fix things," Erza answered. "He wants this day to be perfect for you so he's been having the boys and us running around taking care of things."
"What do you mean?"
"I was put on cake duty since your caterer messed up. I got a big enough cake for the guests but it isn't as decorated as you wanted… In fact there are no decorations on it."
Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, feeling her nerves being calmed by the second. She really shouldn't have fretted so much and instead should've trusted Natsu.
"I wanna see him," the blonde announced. "I wanna see Natsu."
"Lu-chan, there's no time!" Levy countered.
"And it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress," Juvia added.
"They're right," Erza said, leading the blonde back into her room. "The wedding is starting soon. I don't know if Natsu and the others sorted everything else out but I know he will be there waiting for you to walk down the aisle."
"I know he will," Lucy replied with a small smile. "I'm sorry for worrying you girls and going crazy… You are seriously the best bridesmaids a bride could ever ask for."
"Don't mention it," Lisanna assured with a bright smile.
"Yeah, you wouldn't have been our first runaway bride," Cana added, jabbing Erza in the ribs only to be punched upside the head.
Lucy laughed and said, "Alright, I'm ready to get married."
The girls smiled back at their friend, glad that she had finally been calmed down. No matter what was missing from their wedding, it didn't matter as long as she had Natsu. After Juvia reapplied Lucy's makeup, it was time for the bridesmaids to line up in order to walk so they left. Lucy stared at herself one last time in the mirror.
The girl looked absolutely stunning. Juvia had only applied a small layer of makeup, giving more of a natural look that Lucy wanted. Her hair was tied into an elegant bun with curled locks framing her face. Her dress was the only thing that hadn't gone wrong and was her favorite. It had a sweetheart neckline, accentuating her already voluptuous curves. Jewels were sewed in random parts of the bodice so as to sparkle from all angles while the skirt poofed above the hips while the border was hemmed in lace. The best part of all was that it had a low back, low enough to showcase her soulmate tattoo.
There was a knock at the door, prompting Lucy to leave. She went to her door and threw it open, smiling gently at her father, who was wearing a simple tuxedo. Of course Jude was against the wedding at first, not wanting to lose his "baby girl" but eventually gave Natsu his blessing after his third attempt.
"Hi, Papa," Lucy greeted.
Jude smiled back at his daughter and awed, wiping away tears that welled in his eyes. "You look stunning, Lucy."
"Thank you, father."
"But I think that this would complete your look," Jude said, bringing Lucy's missing veil from behind his back.
Lucy squealed and accepted the veil, hastily putting it on. "Where did you find this!?"
"I didn't, your fiancé did," Jude answered. "Now, it's time I walk my daughter down the aisle."
Lucy nodded and hooked her left arm with her father's right as they speedily walked to the front door, just barely able to make it in time. The ceremony was being held in their mansion's courtyard. It was spacious and decorated nicely. Lucy turned down more expensive and regal venues so that her mother's grave would be there.
"Your mother would be so happy to see you getting married," Jude said as they stopped before the door.
Lucy wiped away a stray tear and replied, "She is watching. I know she is."
And with that, the two walked out of the grand doors and onto the makeshift walkway where guests were seated and the bridesmaids and groomsmen were lined up. Lucy's breath hitched in her throat and her heart soared at the sight of Natsu standing at the end of the aisle. He was wearing a simple tux that Lucy's dad paid for and his signature scarf. His pink locks were a mess as always, but Lucy wouldn't have wanted it any other way. This was her Natsu.
Meanwhile, Natsu gasped at the sight of Lucy. She looked absolutely stunning and the way she looked at him made his heart stop in his chest. The dress, the hair, all of it made her look like the sheer perfection that she was. Tears pricked his eyes as she continued to walk towards him but he didn't bother wiping them away. He was too entranced by his fiancé to care.
When Lucy parted ways with her father, she walked towards Natsu and stood in front of him, smiling through her happy tears with a blush spread across her cheeks. She could see that he was crying too as he looked her up and down. It felt too good to be true.
Makarov, who had been their boss years ago, began to facilitate the wedding while the couple refused to pry their eyes away from each other. They were in their own world, not hearing or seeing anything but each other.
"Natsu!" Makarov shouted, jolting the pinkette out of his thoughts. "I said it's time for the vows!"
Natsu smiled sheepishly while Lucy giggled behind her hand. The audience laughed while Gray and Gajeel groaned.
Natsu then cleared his throat to begin his vows. "Y-You look breathtaking, Lucy."
"Thank you, Natsu," Lucy breathed out. "But it's time for the vows."
The groom chuckled and replied, "I know, I know. I didn't write any."
"You what!?"
"Figured I would speak from the heart," Natsu answered with his signature grin. "Lucy, we've known each other for a long time now and you've made me a better person. You're winey, bratty sometimes, kinda annoying-"
"Hey!" Lucy pouted, slapping her fiance's arm.
Natsu chuckled and continued, "I'm making a vow, Luce. Gotta be honest! Anyways, you're also the nicest person I know and one of the strongest. You're brave and beautiful and for that, I promise to protect you with the rest of my life. I'll try to be less annoying and I'll try to start using the front door instead of the window, but I promise to take care of you forever because I love you."
Lucy wiped away her tears, resulting in her mascara smearing.
Natsu cackled and shouted, "Luce, you look like you have a black eye!"
A vein ticked in the blonde's forehead as she punched Natsu upside the head. The audience sweat dropped while their friends only sighed at their childishness. Even on their own wedding day they couldn't stop annoying each other. But that's what made them, them.
"Idiot," Lucy muttered under her breath, only to smile seeing Natsu's bright grin. Then her mind blanked completely as she realized it was her turn to speak. "I-I wrote a long vow but I forgot."
Natsu smiled reassuringly at his soon-to-be wife and urged, "Just make one right now."
The blonde nodded and went on, "Natsu, I'm only strong because you give me strength. I'm only brave because you give me courage. You've given me a life of freedom and happiness that I've been craving my entire life. You make me smile and laugh and even on my worst days you're like a ray of sun shining on me, bringing me eternal happiness. For this, I promise to stand by your side, even when you steal my food or pull stupid pranks on me. I promise to love you with all that I can for the rest of my life."
The couple stared at each other with happy hearts and misty eyes. Though things were a disaster a mere half hour ago, things were complete now. Well, almost.
Makarov sniffled and announced, "Sheesh, forget all of these stupid speeches! I pronounce you brats as husband and wife. Now kiss the bride already!"
Natsu grinned as he gently grabbed Lucy by the wrist and pulled her in. He had been dying for this moment all day. Sliding an arm around her lower back, he pushed her closer and planted his lips among hers in a passionate kiss. Lucy's arms snaked around her neck and both smiled against each other's lips. The audience cheered and wiped away their happy tears, including Gray and Gajeel. When they pulled away, the smiled brightly at each other with flushed cheeks.
"Time to party!" Natsu announced, intertwining his hand with Lucy's and leading her back into the mansion for the reception.
Years ago they were having a pretend wedding with their friends eavesdropping from the door. Now, they were finally married with the same friends as their court. If that wasn't a perfect wedding, they didn't know what was.
During the reception, Lucy managed to sneak out of the mansion and visit her mother's grave in the courtyard. She placed a pink rose- courtesy of Jellal since he was apparently on flower duty- onto the grave and smiled.
"I miss you, Mama," the blonde said with a wistful smile. "The day has been perfect. You always read me stories of a knight saving the princess. Well, looks like I married the dragon instead. I love him, Mama. And I know that you would've too. I wish you were here."
"She's watching over us," a sudden voice rang out. Lucy turned around and found Natsu standing there with a bright grin on his face. "I don't know much about your mom, but from all of your stories it's obvious she was a great mother."
"She was," Lucy replied.
"That's how I know she's watching us," Natsu continued, taking his wife's hand. "No mother would miss her daughter's wedding!"
"You're right," the blonde said. She tenderly kissed her husband and laid her head on his shoulder.
They stood like that in a peaceful silence. Well, not silence considering they could hear the loud music and cheering from the mansion. There was ruffling coming from behind them as footsteps approached. Lucy lifted her head and found a man with red hair staring at them with teary wide eyes. Natsu then pulled away from the hug and turned around to face the intruder. His breath hitched in his throat and his jaw hung on its hinges as he took in the man's appearance. It had been over a decade since he last saw the man but he would never forget him.
"Dad…" Natsu breathed out, tears quickly spilling from his eyes again that day.
Lucy's eyes widened as she gasped and switched her gaze between the two. "D-Dad? You mean this is…"
The man nodded and smiled, "I'm Igneel, Natsu's father."
A flash of pink dashed by Lucy as Natsu practically tackled his father. Both men sobbed and held each other for dear life. Lucy found herself crying as well at the happy scene in front of her.
"D-Dad, w-why are you… Where have you been?" Natsu asked.
Igneel sighed and answered, "I'll tell you later. For now, let's focus on your wedding, alright? I heard that you were getting married and I just had to come."
"Who told you?"
"Jude Heartfilia did."
"Papa!?" Lucy cried out in astonishment. "You know my dad!?"
Igneel grinned and answered, "Yep. Knew your mom too. We were all great friends. Unfortunately, we grew apart just before you kids were born. But the other day, Jude called me and informed me his daughter was getting married and that he would love it if I came. I asked about the lucky fellow and he told started complaining that his little girl was marrying some runt named Natsu with pink hair. I was shocked to find my son was marrying my friends' daughter, but fate works like that, I suppose."
"It sure does," Lucy agreed with a happy smile.
"Oi! Lucy, Natsu! It's time for cake!" Gray shouted from the doorway. "And even though it's your wedding day, I'm sure Erza will kill both of you if you keep her away from cake any longer!"
Igneel chuckled and pried his son off of him. "This Erza sounds like a scary girl."
"She is!" Natsu informed him, paling at the thought of being killed on his wedding day.
"You two go in," Lucy told the two. They stared at her with puzzled expressions. "I'll be right there in a moment. I just wanna talk to my mom a bit more."
Igneel nodded and left the now married couple alone. Natsu stared at his wife with worry, but Lucy only smiled at him.
"I'm fine, I promise," she assured him, pecking him on the cheek.
Natsu smiled, walking to the door and replied, "Alright, I'll leave you alone now. But you won't be fine for long if you make Erza wait too long!"
Lucy giggled and turned to face her mother's grave again.
"Mama," she said, "I made a good choice, didn't I? He's loud and annoying but I love him, Mama. And I know that you will too."
Lucy ran her hand across her mother's grave and smiled to herself. The girl then began to walk back to the mansion to join her husband. She didn't know what laid ahead of her but she could always count on Natsu to give her happiness and love. After all, the flaming keys on their backs would forever guide them to each other.
AN: I think the reviews aren't working again but I'm not 100% sure yet so I'm sorry if I missed your review! Anyways... Now it's officially over. :') I hope you guys all enjoyed that epilogue. Natsu got a reunion with Igneel. :') THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE THAT SUPPORTED THIS STORY! I LOVE YOU ALL.
As always, now that I finished a Nalu story I'm posting another one! :D This one is something that I've never done before and I'm pretty excited about it! It's going to be in first person perspective and also will have other couples! Nalu is the main pairing though of course. It will have Nalu, Gruvia, Jerza, and Gale! Here's the crappy summary: "AU. Battling for the location of the class fieldtrip, the two popular groups at Fairy Tail Academy go head to head in matches with the opposite sex. Lucy is determined to win, but going against Natsu Dragneel sure wasn't going to be easy. NALU GRUVIA JERZA GALE."
XxTentenxX179: Hopefully the epilogue made up for it. :') Thanks for sticking with this story! :D
Alexa60765: Thank you so much! Your support on all of my stories means so much! :'D
Lunahartz: Sounds nice I say go for it! :D Be openly flirty haha! :D
FireShifter: Thank you so much! :D
SingingAngel327: I'm glad you liked my story I hope you liked the epilogue too! :) Thanks for reviewing! :D
MirrorFlame: That is very true! It's not productive!
Soul Eater Maka: THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU'RE GREAT.
PineappleText: HAHAHA THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSTANT ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEWS THEY'RE AMAZING AND YOU'RE AMAZING.
Nalulove: Wow you actually managed to finish my two other stories, catch up to Family and this one before I finished it. You're a fast reader lol. Thanks for all of the reviews you left me I loved them all. :')
Katiekat2001: I'm sorry I don't have a sequel. :'( I've been asked to do this story again but in Levy's perspective but definitely no sequel. :( I do have other Nalu stories though if you're in need of more Nalu!
Daige: That's okay! :D We all have our own favorite pairings and sometimes they differ. :) At least we both like Nalu! :D
Avhaskake: AHHH Levy's perspective of this story would've been great. Sadly, I do not trust my abilities writing a solely Gale story lol. Maybe I'll do a oneshot of it. :)
CelestialLunaPanda-Senpai: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALWAYS REVIEWING! I only continued this story because of all of your guys' reviews so it means a lot that you reviewed all of it. :')
BloodRedRubies: If it didn't end in a brawl, it wouldn't be Fairy Tail. :') And haha I'll let you think imagine Mira's punishment for them since I didn't write it! :D
Snavej: Thank you so much I'm glad you liked it. :')
AnimeFairy2424: Hope you liked the epilogue! :D Thanks for reviewing. :)
NaluNom: THE EPILOGUE HAD THE WEDDING IN IT YAY! :D Hope you enjoyed it. :')