Here's the final chapter! Thank you so much for following along with me on this one. It was a lot of fun to write.

I want to take a moment to let you all know that you are wonderful people and I hope you are all doing alright. With the Covid nonsense and now the riots in the cities, things have been rough the last couple months, but it will get better; it always does. As for me, we live on the edge of the Twin Cities, and even being this close is scary. I worry for what happens if change isn't implemented fast enough and the rioters run out of businesses to attack. There has been talk of them attacking homes, and threats already made against homes for having signs in their yard supporting their cause. I hope everything is resolved soon, and I hope all of you stay safe in the meantime.

As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!

"Ow!"

Lucy sighed as she looked up from her desk. "Wrong window, Natsu!" She shot to her feet as she heard him curse. "Just walk through the hallway this time!" By the time she'd crossed the hall he'd already disappeared and closed the window. She sighed and returned to her room just as he opened the window. "Just how many times did you mistake someone else's window as mine in my old apartment? How many of my neighbors did you disturb?"

"None," Natsu said as he stretched across the bed. "Your apartment smelled like you, there was no way I could miss it. This whole house smells like you, though, so it's harder." He sighed as he closed his eyes, oblivious to Lucy's eyes drinking him in.

It had been almost three months, and things had only just fallen into a routine. It had been hard, with her facility destroyed and Natsu being in such bad shape, but with all their friends' help, it had worked out well. Levy and Gajeel had visited every day to help with the patients, and the entire guild had joined them a month after the incident to help rebuild the new shed.

Lucy's fingers tightened around the pen in her hand as she studied Natsu. He was still too skinny, but he was working on it. It had taken nearly a month for his appetite to return and almost two for him to have energy to begin working out again. Of course, his form of working out was fighting, and in an effort to keep him safe, she'd asked Capricorn to help him. Erza had tried to help once she found out, but Lucy had put a stop to it before it could start. She knew Erza would never intentionally hurt Natsu, but they could easily get carried away if they weren't careful, and she wasn't willing to risk that happening.

When Natsu began to snore, Lucy smiled and returned to her paperwork. Her coffee had gone cold long ago, but she grabbed it and drained it anyway. It was only morning, but it had already been a long day. Sting and Rogue were set to go home the following day, and she had a truck showing up that afternoon to drop off a few new patients for them. A couple of them had very strict diets, so she'd spent much of the morning on the phone making sure the food she needed would be dropped off in time. She still had to finish the bills before lunch and the enclosures needed to be prepped as well, which would take all afternoon, if she was lucky. She glanced at the clock and then back at Natsu's sleeping form. She wished she could sleep as easily as he did, but it had been difficult since he returned because of the nightmares.

She despised the nightmares.

At least once a night she woke up shaking and sweaty from them, sometimes even screaming. They always woke up Natsu, and she hated it.

They were always the same, her running, searching, desperate to find something; to find him. Sometimes she woke up before she found him. Sometimes she found him locked up. Sometimes she fought Zeref. Occasionally she found him dead; and that wasn't even the worst one…

Lucy set down her pen and picked up her phone. After she finished setting her alarm, she laid down next to Natsu, curling up against him as she settled down to take a nap. As long as she woke up with her alarm, she could avoid the dreams and get her work done before lunch. With a sigh, she allowed Natsu's heat to lull her to sleep, her arm wrapped firmly around his waist.

Just a little nap and she'd feel better…

Lucy's breath heaved from her lungs as she ran. She had to find somewhere to hide, but where?

No, that wouldn't work. He'd find her. Unless she could cover her smell, there was no way she could get away. There was nowhere at all that she could hide.

She stumbled over something, sprawling out on the ground. She tried to get back up to her feet as quickly as she could, but was met by a faceful of hot breath. Looking up, she found him inches from her face, his teeth glistening, maw dripping blood. "No," she whispered. "Natsu, please don't." She had to stop him- had to protect him from the guilt.

His mouth opened, a low flame building up, smoke spewing around her and filling her nose. She tried to crawl away, but he slammed his foot onto the ground in front of her, his talon digging deep into her hand to hold her still. She barely muffled her scream as he opened his mouth wider, revealing every sharp, terrifying tooth. Tears streamed from her eyes as the fire licked passed his teeth and he leaned forward to-

"Lucy!"

Jerking awake, Lucy swung her fist. She hit something hard, causing whoever said her name to curse. She jerked away, causing herself to land on the floor. "Lu-she!" She looked up, eyes wide to find Natsu leaning over the bed, fingers pinching his nose. "Y'okay?"

Ignoring the blood on his hand, she launched herself off the floor, knocking him backward. He grunted as she landed on top of him, but caught them both before they could roll off the other side of the bed. Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself as close to him as she could.

It had just been a dream. That version of Natsu wasn't real anymore. It was gone and it was never coming back. His arm tightened around her as he shushed her. She focused on his voice and her breathing, gradually calming down.

She'd barely pulled herself together when she shot up. "Shoot, what time is it?" Lucy rolled over to check the time, jerking up as she did. "I'm late, I have to get the bills-"

"Just relax, Luce," Natsu said as he pulled her back and hugged her to his chest. "You need to catch your breath. Calm down. The world isn't going to end just because you don't get the checks signed."

"Natsu, if I don't get them taken care of-"

"You always pay them early, so I know they're not due for another two weeks, will you just relax?" He turned her so she was sitting sideways in his lap so he could cup her cheek and press his forehead to hers. "Is this how you were when I was away, too? Fidgety and restless? I'm right here, you know, you don't have to worry anymore."

"I know, I just-" Lucy snapped her mouth shut, cutting off her thoughts. Instead, she focused on the heat of Natsu's body against hers, the soft pads of his fingers that had yet to regrow their calluses, the way his free hand was slowly pushing up her shirt-

With a gasp, Lucy grabbed his hand as she glanced at the open door. "Natsu, someone could see us!"

"Who? No one else is here."

"Levy and Gajeel-"

"Took the afternoon off."

"What! Well, what about Mira-"

"Finished lunches early and went back to the guild," Natsu whispered as he peppered kisses along her cheek. When he reached her ear, he purred softly as he nibbled on her earlobe.

"Natsu…"

"Come on, Luce." He gently tugged on her hair, tilting her head to give him easier access to her neck. "Stay with me for a little bit."

"Aren't you… tired?" she asked breathlessly.

"I think that nap gave me just enough energy for this," he whispered.

"Natsu-"

He cut her off with a kiss. His mouth was gentle, a direct contrast to his hands, which firmly lifted her off his lap and laid her back on the mattress. Lucy tried once more to fight back, but Natsu refused to let her get away.

A growl was the only warning Lucy got before he pressed her into the bed, his mouth moving against hers with enough force to cause their teeth to meet. Natsu's mouth ravaged hers as thoroughly as his hands did her body. His touch was overwhelming, almost frightening, but despite being separated for so many years, she wasn't scared. She'd never worried about his touch; no matter how intense he was, he would never hurt her.

With a sigh, she finally gave in. She flipped him over and then yanked her shirt over her head. Natsu quickly removed his own, but before he could toss it aside, Lucy grabbed it and balled it up with her own. With deadly precision, she threw it at the door, knocking it closed before kissing Natsu once more.

An hour later, a commotion outside had Lucy getting up from the bed. Since Natsu was still asleep, she softly kissed his forehead before tugging on her clothes and heading downstairs.

"Sting! Rogue! Calm down!"

Lucy frowned as she went out her kitchen door and found Gajeel and Yukino trying to keep the drakes off Levy, who was holding a box in her arms. The woman merely smiled as the drakes tried to reach her, not seeming at all phased by their behavior.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked.

Levy grinned as she walked up the steps and held out the box in her arms. "We have company."

The blonde frowned and then gasped as she looked into the box. Three tiny balls of different colored fur were curled around each other inside. They looked like kittens, except for the tiny white wings that were curled up tight against their backs. "Levy, they are so cute! Where did you find them?"

"It's a bit of a story, but the short version is that a pet store owner found some eggs and hatched them, not knowing what they were. Once they came out, he realized they were magical creatures so he brought them to the guild since he only sells regular pets. Wendy took care of them until I stopped by, but by then, one of them had grown attached her so I only picked up four of the five."

"But there's only three of them here."

Levy grinned at Gajeel over her shoulder. The dragonslayer was still working on keeping Rogue at bay, but Lucy could easily see how red his face had gotten. "That's because someone also grew attached to one of them." Levy nodded at Lucy's disbelieving stare. "I'm not kidding! All of them were friendly enough, but once the black one saw Gajeel, he became instantly attached. He even insisted on coming with today." Levy turned and pointed to the end of the porch, where a small black kitten was curled up on a chair, quietly watching them.

"Wait, so they can talk?" Lucy asked.

"A little bit. His vocabulary is very small, but I think he's like a kid. As he grows and spends time around us, I think they'll be able to interact as well as any person can. Only Pantherlily has spoken so far, but I think the others will as well.

"I'm still trying to figure out the connection with Wendy and Gajeel, though. Like I said, they were friendly with everyone, but once the other two interacted with Wendy and Gajeel, they were instantly attached."

Lucy frowned at the drakes and then looked back at the box. "Do you think… that they're somehow linked with dragons, then? Since Rogue and Sting also seem interested, that might be the key."

Levy gasped quietly. "I didn't think of that. Maybe…"

Rogue pulled away to glare at Gajeel. He opened his mouth and growled before roaring in his face. The dragonslayer crossed his arms, not at all phased. "Talk back all you want, you're staying away from 'em."

Inside the box, the little green cat lifted its head. It stood up and stretched before propping its feet up on the edge of the box and looking out. It seemed unsteady on its feet, but it mewed a little as it looked around. Rogue began to shift on his feet as he tried to find a way past Gajeel. He called out again, and to both Levy and Lucy's shock, the little green cat began to flap its wings. After a few test flaps, it hopped out of the box, surprising both the women so much, neither stopped the little thing before it jumped. It unsteadily floated to the floor before making its way to the steps.

"Wait, hold on," Levy said, handing the box over to Lucy.

Gajeel glanced backwards, giving Rogue the opportunity to dash around him. "Hey!" Rogue crouched at the bottom of the steps, his nose pressed against the top stair as the little cat came forward to sniff at him. He bumped the little cat gently in return. With a rather loud purr, the creature walked forward and then climbed on Rogue's nose. Sting whined as Rogue stood up, the little green cat balanced easily on his head.

"You might be right, Lucy," Levy said with a grin as she grabbed the box again. She walked down the stairs, skirting Rogue as the green cat batted harmlessly as his eyes. Sting perked up instantly when she stopped next to Yukino. Before she'd made it to him, his whining roused the red cat from its slumber. It perked up instantly as Sting's nose bumped the box. It mewed quietly as it propped itself up on its hind legs and nuzzled the drake's nose. "You like him, don't you little guy." Levy picked him up and carefully set him on the grass next to Sting, who then curled up around him in a circle. Yukino sighed as she watched the drakes playing with their new friends.

"They're going to cause trouble, aren't they?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Levy said as she adjusted the box. The blue cat was still sleeping peacefully, curled up in the corner. "I've been trying to figure out what they are, and I think I managed to stumble onto something last night, but I'm not sure yet."

"She needed her sleep," Gajeel said gruffly, "so I made her go to bed."

Lucy's jaw dropped. "You what? How?"

Levy glared at her. "Quiet you. I know when I need sleep."

"The Geilmar house," Lucy said flatly.

The other woman flushed slightly. "Well, that was an important job-"

"You were awake for five days."

"That long?!" Gajeel asked.

"I needed to be!" Levy snapped.

"No, you didn't," Lucy said. "We could have kept everything under control long enough for you to sleep, you just refused to do it!"

"Well maybe if someone hadn't broken her glasses the day before-"

"That wasn't my fault!" Lucy said.

Suddenly, the little blue cat jumped up with a tiny meow. It looked up over the side of the box and then flapped its wings hard enough to take flight. Once it was airborne, it flew towards the porch, landing lightly on Lucy's head, its attention focused on the kitchen door. Lucy reached up to pet it lightly as she helped it stay on her head. "What's he doing?" she whispered. Levy shrugged.

Behind her, Lucy heard Natsu calling her name. "I'm on the porch, Natsu," she called. A moment later, he exited the door wearing only his shorts, his hair a bigger mess than usual.

"What are you doing out here? I thought we were-" He cut off as he saw the group in the yard. He glared Gajeel's way. "I thought you guys were going to take the day off?" he asked aggressively.

"It wasn't my call," Gajeel answered as he crossed his arms.

The cat on Lucy's head began to move, meowing as he did to get Natsu's attention. The dragonslayer looked up and then chuckled. "Luce, you got something on your head."

"Yeah, I think he was waiting for you." Natsu carefully removed the cat from on top of her head as he continued to chuckle. It immediately began to purr and twisted onto his back. Natsu gently rubbed its belly as he moved to sit on the top stair. "He likes you."

"Who doesn't?" Natsu asked. He was not oblivious to the way Levy suddenly smacked Gajeel.

Yukino chuckled. "Well, it looks like you won't need to house these little guys anymore." She was sitting next to Sting with his tail wrapped around behind her, while Rogue laid on her other side, his head in her lap where she could reach the little green cat.

"I suppose you're right," Lucy said with a grin. When the little black cat suddenly jumped up and moved to join them in the yard, she moved to sit next to Natsu. For a while, she just watched as they talked and played with the little cats, thinking about things.

It had been a rough few years. With Natsu's disappearance, everything she had built up since leaving home had felt like it was gone, even with the guild still around. Try as she might, it just hadn't been home anymore. When she thought about it, since leaving her parents' house, everything that had come after that had felt like home had been brought about by Natsu. After he'd disappeared for the second time, she'd just needed to start over again. On her own.

That was why she'd bought this place.

It had become her new home, her sanctuary. Her place to be the new her… the her without Natsu. It had given her the space she needed to piece herself back together. Her friends and the patients had made sure she wasn't lonely, but she'd also had enough space so she could be alone when she needed to. She'd focused on healing, avoiding new friendships and getting attached to anyone so that they wouldn't be a crutch. Now that she was better, now that Natsu was back, maybe she was ready to open herself up again.

"Hey Luce, can we keep him?"

Lucy turned to look at Natsu as he smiled at her just as wide as he ever did. He was still a little too skinny. He was still getting reaccustomed to his magic. His memory was faulty some days and he kept pushing himself too hard to get better on most.

But he was home and he was with her. They were always stronger together, and now that he'd returned, there was nothing that was going to take him from her side. She loved him so much that it was almost painful to look at him, to have him home. That love gave her strength, and despite the pain of his absence still being fresh in her heart, she knew that love would also keep her strong.

Natsu's smile faltered a little when she didn't respond right away. He kept one hand on the cat and wrapped his free arm around her. He tucked her head under his chin as he sighed. "I'm here, Luce, I promise."

Lucy chuckled as she pressed against him. More than once since he'd gotten back, he'd found her just staring at him, not sure if he'd really returned, almost convinced he was still a figment of her imagination. When she'd told him what was going on, he'd picked up the habit of touching her whenever he suspected she was having doubts.

She hugged him back, grateful for his consideration. "That's not why I'm staring at you this time," she murmured.

"Then what's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm just…" She sighed. "I'm just glad you're home."

His arm tightened around her. "I am, too." He kissed her forehead before pressing his own against it. "I promise you," he said once she'd opened her eyes. "I am not going anywhere. Nothing is going to take me away from you again, and nothing is going to take you away from me either. I won't allow it."

He kissed her then, his lips as gentle as the fingers that ran up and down her back. Lucy placed her hand against his cheek as she kissed him a little harder, a little more fully, before pulling away. She ignored the gagging noises Gajeel was making as she rubbed a finger over the little cat's head.

"I think we should keep him," she said. "This house could use a little more life in it." She'd been on her own so long, all she wanted was to fill her house with more love; as many people as she could have around, as many as she could fit in her house and heart.

When tears threatened to collect in her eyes, she quickly got to her feet. "I'll be right back." Before he could stop her, she entered the kitchen and retrieved the lunches Mira had packed. Once she had them all, she exited the door to find Natsu waiting for her with a grin while the others played in the yard.

"You want company?" he asked.

Lucy nodded. "Sure." Natsu gently set the little blue cat on his head before taking one of the bags in her hands. "So, did you name him?"

Natsu nodded carefully. "I think I'm going to call him Happy."

"Happy?"

"Yep." He paused as she dropped off the two containers for Rogue and Sting before walking with her to the pond. "Because he showed up during the happiest time of my life."

Lucy threaded her fingers through his as they walked. "Oh yeah? This is the happiest?"

"Yep."

"Happier than joining the guild?"

"Yep."

"Happier than meeting me and making a team?"

"Yep."

"Happier than marrying me?"

"It's close, but yeah, still happier than that." Lucy squeezed his hand as she chuckled. "Those are all happy moments, but this is the happiest because everything was so awful before I found you again. Even losing Igneel wasn't as bad as what's happened the last few years."

Lucy pulled him to a stop and wrapped an arm around him. "I'm sorry I couldn't find you."

"It's my fault," he said, returning the hug. "I shouldn't have gone alone."

Lucy heard a splat as Natsu flinched. He began to growl as he pulled away. "Hey, Ice Breath! You do that again and I'll make sure Luce changes her mind about letting you stay!" When another ball of snow zipped past Natsu's head, Lucy grabbed the bag he held and Happy just before he chased after Gray. The sprite stuck out his tongue as he flew into the air, dodging the fire Natsu had thrown at him. In the pond, Juvia was floating near the center, a ball of water dancing lazily in her hand as she watched. The sight warmed Lucy's heart and she thanked the spirits once again for her good fortune.

Juvia and Gray had decided to stay after the incident with Zeref. Gray had grown fond of her it seemed during his stay, and had chosen to stay there to protect her. "You should have more help around here," had been his first words to her and she'd been thankful. It seemed he'd been betrayed by humans in the past, so he'd be reluctant to befriend her at first.

Of course, once Gray had decided to stay, Juvia had immediately asked to stay as well. With Natsu around, she'd even given up on harassing Lucy about being around Gray and grown more friendly. With Virgo's help, Lucy had expanded the pond, as well as linked it to the lake in the back of the property to give Juvia more space to move around, and they'd planted several trees from Gray's home for him to be more comfortable living there.

Including Natsu, herself, and now Happy, that meant there were now five warm bodies running around her property. As she continued to watch Natsu and Gray fight, she smiled. She felt more full of love than she had in a long time. She had amazing friends, she had a great job helping others, she had her husband back, and she had new allies.

There was still a lot of empty space on her property, but that wouldn't last. They'd build more friendships, they'd fill the space with more love, and they'd be happy. Some day, her and Natsu may even have children. For now the air was full of laughter again, and love surrounded her wherever she went. She nodded as she began walking towards the pond again. For now, this was good, and with time…

It would only get better.

Heads up for anyone who followed Surprise Guest, I'm going to going back and editing it soon; I need something to work on to help with my anxiety. I also have some ideas for a few shorts to add on to the end, so if you follow it, prepare for some updates in the near future!