For the next week, Lucy continued to make herself busy. She would briefly stop by the Guild in order to exchange her research materials for new ones as well as pick up new jobs. Occasionally, the job board had requests for translations that normally went to Levy, but as the time grew nearer to her due date, she allotted them to Lucy.
"I think you should slow down a little, Lu-chan." Levy said to her one evening when Lucy had dropped by to look for some books in the guild library.
"Why?" Lucy asked as she picked another book off the shelf to examine its contents before deciding to take it home. "I'm happy when I'm busy."
Levy frowned; she was helping Lucy pick the right books for the research she was conducting. "I don't think you are happy. I think you're just avoiding your issues."
"Levy, I'm fine. My break down was over a week ago and I haven't had another one since." Lucy ignored the worried look Levy gave her as she continued to browse the shelves.
"What about Natsu? You were extremely bothered by the note he left. That can't have all just gone away."
Lucy shrugged. The note did still bother her, but her mind was focused elsewhere. Since her lunch with Captain Mandal, she hadn't been able shake the idea that she was right about the heating lacrimas being the cause of the magical ice and seal. She didn't trust herself to go back to her apartment, however. If she was being honest with herself, she was worried that she was on the verge of another break down like the one she had during the meeting. Part of her was aware that if she saw the scene of her magical sealing, it would be too much for her to handle. "I've moved on from it. When he gets back, we'll talk and settle things. Whatever way it goes is the way it was meant to be."
Levy narrowed her eyes at Lucy, not believing a word her friend said. Sighing, she changed the subject, "You should come over and see the baby room. Gajeel has really out done himself."
"Are you guys ready?" Lucy asked.
"That's a hard question to answer. Is one ever ready for a baby?" Levy replied, running her hand over her stomach. "I guess I'm ready to stop waddling everywhere I go." She said with a laugh.
Lucy laughed with her, "That and the cravings, I bet."
"Oh, but the cravings are a good excuse to make Gajeel run out and get me cookies." Levy said with a pout, "I'll miss it once the baby is here."
Lucy grabbed one of Levy's hands and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I doubt you'll even notice you miss it once you lay eyes on your baby."
Levy smiled. She gave Lucy's hand a squeeze in return before pulling her own back continue browsing the shelves. "So, you'll come over? I could use some help sorting the drawers with all the baby supplies we got."
Lucy reached above her to grab another book off one of the higher shelves. Pulling it down she flipped through it with a small frown. "Maybe." She said as she closed the book and replaced it on the shelf, "I have a lot of work I have to do."
"Work that you are making for yourself. Lucy, please," Levy placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder, turning the blonde woman towards her, "You need a break. This isn't good for you."
Lucy sighed, "Okay, fine. But I can't tomorrow, I really do have work I need to do."
"This weekend then. Don't forget." Levy reprimanded Lucy with a stern voice.
Rolling her eyes, Lucy conceded, "I won't mother." Levy gave her a bright grin, taking Lucy's jab as a compliment.
Two days later, Lucy woke up feeling nauseous. Throwing back the covers, she dashed out of bed and ran down the hallway in order to throw up in the toilet. Her stomach was empty, making her heave up acidic bile that burned her throat. She hadn't felt sick since the first few days after she moved into Natsu's house.
"Levy was right. Too much stress." She muttered to herself as she rinsed her mouth with cool water from the tap. Making her way to the kitchen, she started making herself coffee, but the smell overwhelmed her, making her feel worse. Dumping the contents of the half-filled carafe down the sink, Lucy retreated to the bathroom to take a shower before she got dressed. Levy was expecting her at noon today at her place and Lucy wanted to put in an hour of work before she left.
Once showered, Lucy went into the living room, wearing only her robe. She stood over the coffee table where she had left her research spread out the night before. Without Happy or Natsu around, she was able to leave things out so she could easily pick up where she left off. Her heart gave a hard thump when she thought about Natsu. If the mission had gone well, then he and the others should be home by tomorrow evening at the latest.
Lucy fingered the note she kept in her robe pocket; the paper had become wrinkled over time as she pulled it out occasionally to read it. She had thought she had prepared herself for all the possible outcomes that could happen during her talk with Natsu but worry overwhelmed her.
No longer in the mood to do any work, Lucy turned away from the books on the table and went into the bedroom to get dressed. She would surprise Levy by arriving early with breakfast from their favourite café.
It was just past ten by the time she had gotten dressed, picked up freshly baked apple fritters from the café and made it to Levy's place. Knocking on the door, Lucy waited for Levy to answer. When she heard footsteps approaching, she held up the bag of fritters up to the eye hole so Levy would see them when she peaked to see who it was.
"Oh Mavis! You brought fritters!" Levy cried with happy glee as she threw the door open to take the bag from Lucy. Lucy stood shocked looking at her friend.
"Levy." She said slowly, "Did you get a piercing?" Lucy leaned forward to peer at the black loop that stuck out of Levy's lip.
Levy stopped short of grabbing the bag. Clasping her hand over her mouth, she squealed and slammed the door shut. Lucy heard her run off into the house before coming back. This time when she came back, the loop was gone.
"What was that?" Lucy asked as Levy let her into the house. Her face was beet red as she carried the bag of fritters into the kitchen.
"N-nothing." Levy stuttered, clearly embarrassed.
Taking a seat on a stool at the island, Lucy pestered her friend. "It was not nothing. You clearly just had what looked like a piercing in your lip."
Levy got on cups and plates from the cupboard, "Did you want coffee?"
"Tea, please. And stop avoiding the question." Lucy demanded.
Levy filled the kettle at the sink before placing it on the stove to boil. She took the fritters out of the bag and placed them on a large plate while putting two smaller ones on the island next to it for Lucy and herself to eat off of. "Gajeel made it for me." Her voice was hushed, but her blush had lessened. "And it's not a piercing." She walked out the room briefly before returning. In her had she held the loop that Lucy had seen on her lip. It had a mechanism that allowed it to open and close around Levy's lip without having to be pierced. Attached to it was a chain that had little balls with faint teeth marks scratched into them. "I get these awful cravings for iron because of the baby, so he made it for me out of his iron. The little loop allows me to attach it to my lip, so I don't accidentally swallow it. The balls allow me to gnaw, which helps a little more than just sucking on it."
"Do you actually get cravings for sweets, or is it a cover when you're out in public?" Lucy teased.
Laughing, Levy tucked the chain into her pocket. "No, I get cravings for sweets too. Luckily enough, the cravings for iron are mostly in the morning." She gave Lucy a grin as she walked back around the island to pour the boiling water into the teacups, "Imagine what will happen if you have Natsu's child. I can't imagine how you're going to eat fire."
Lucy chuckled. Her mind flashing to her night with Natsu and the flames that had engulphed them. She wondered what those flames would taste like if she tried to eat them. Would they get hot as she swallowed them? Would they taste like Natsu? That spicy cinnamon taste that was unique to him. Shaking her head, she chuckled again. "I can't even begin to imagine."
Setting down the cups of tea, Levy took a seat next to Lucy and pulled the plate of fritters over to them. Handing Lucy her plate, Levy grabbed one of the fritters and took a big bite. She moaned, "Mavis, nothing beats freshly baked fritters this early in the morning."
"Not even iron?" Lucy teased as she took a bite of her own fritter. The dough, still warm from the oven, was sweet and soft. The cinnamon coated apples hidden inside melted when they touched her tongue, causing her to give a soft moan of appreciation herself.
Levy laughed, wiping her sticky fingers on a napkin so she could pick up her tea to take a sip. "The iron is a special case. This fritter. This is for me."
They chatted for a bit as they each ate another fritter and drank their tea. Getting up from her stool, Levy picked up the dirty dishes and brought them over to the sink. "C'mon. I want to show you the baby room! You're the first one outside of the household to see it." Grabbing Lucy's hand, she pulled her out of her seat and dragged her upstairs.
The baby room, which was the old guest room, was at the end of the hallway at the top of the stairs. The room itself looked out over the house's large back yard, giving a great view of the forest and mountain ranges beyond. Lucy remembered the room had been a peach colour, painted before Levy and Gajeel had bought the house and moved in together.
When Lucy walked into the room, she was amazing at how much it had changed. The peach was gone, replaced with a pale green trimmed with white. Along the top of the room, a strip of wallpaper had been added that had a pattern of what looked like books growing from vines, obviously picked by Levy. The furniture consisted of a rocking chair, dresser, changing table and crib, all painted a creamy white. The fabric cushions on the rocking chair matched the cover on the changing table as well as the cloth trim of the crib. It was another shade of pale green with a slightly darker green vine pattern. Lucy noticed a bookshelf in the corner, built of wood and left its natural colour, a rich mocha brown. It had a few small books on it but was relatively empty otherwise.
"Oh Mavis, Levy. This looks amazing!" Lucy whispered. The softness of the room making her not want to break the comfortable silence that blanketed it.
"Isn't it?" Levy sighed, "Gajeel made most of the furniture himself, with Lily's help. They painted the room and put up the wallpaper. I made the cushions. Don't you think the pattern is cute? And did you notice it nearly matches the wallpaper?" She said excitedly.
"I could tell right away it was your touch. This room is so special, Levy." Lucy felt her throat getting thick with tears, "You're going to make such a great mom." She said as she embraced her smaller friend.
"Don't cry!" Levy returned Lucy's hug, her own voice thick with unshed tears, "If you start crying, I'll start crying. And then it will be non-stop crying for the rest of the day."
Lucy laughed as she pulled back, "I'm sorry." She said with a smile as she wiped away a stray tear, "I'm just so excited for you and Gajeel."
Levy looked around the room and sighed happily, "Me too. I can't wait." She ran her hand over her belly. It was becoming a habit Lucy noticed, "Help with folding the baby clothes?" She asked as she waddled over to the dresser where stacks of small clothing lay.
Lucy followed her over and picked up a tiny t-shirt with a teddy bear on the front, "Have you decided on a name yet?"
"Hmm, no. We can't agree on anything. I've decided to wait to see what the sex is before I continue arguing with Gajeel about it." Levy rolled her eyes, "I just know the baby will not be named Metalicana after Gajeel's dad."
Lucy chuckled. It was fun to see the domestic side of Levy. She was happy that her friend was in such a loving relationship with a dependable man like Gajeel. While Gajeel's relationship with everyone in the guild had started out rocky due to his previous guild attacking Fairy Tail, as he had grown more comfortable with everyone, he had become a reliable ally for them all. Lucy knew that Levy had feelings for Gajeel, and he for her, long before either of them had acknowledged it. Their situation was similar to hers and Natsu's she realized, the thought giving her a little hope.
As they were folding clothes, Lucy began to feel nauseous again. "Excuse me!" She called as she bolted from the room to the bathroom down the hallway. She promptly threw up both fritters she had just eaten and the tea that Levy had made for her. She heard Levy follow her into the bathroom a minute later before the other woman pulled back her hair.
"Lu-chan? Are you alright?" She asked as she lay a cool palm against Lucy's forehead.
Lucy was unable to answer as her stomach continued to reject the contents inside. After another minute of Lucy heaving over the toilet she was able to speak, "I'm okay. Just stress." She said as she stood and washed her mouth out at the sink.
Levy sat on the edge of the tub as she watched Lucy, her eyes worried. "Does stress normally cause you to throw up?" She asked when Lucy had finished drying her hands. "You don't have a fever." She added before Lucy could speak.
"I don't think I'm sick. I was throwing up when my magic was first sealed, but that stopped weeks ago." Lucy leaned against the counter, crossing her arms under her breasts.
Levy watched her for a minute, before slowly speaking again, "Lucy, not to freak you out or anything, but when I got pregnant I couldn't stop throwing up for the first little while."
Lucy scoffed, "I'm not pregnant."
"Are you sure? What kind of protection did you two use?" Levy questioned.
Lucy's entire body went still. She thought about her night with Natsu and then the next morning. She had been so caught up with her emotions and passions that she couldn't remember if there had been any protection. "I don't remember." She said slowly, her brow furrowing.
Levy just stared at her for a minute. "Are you on the pill at least?"
Lucy shook her head. She could feel the blood leaving her face.
"Don't panic." Levy said calmly, getting up from the tub and walking over to Lucy. "I could be wrong. Maybe it's just your magic doing something funny, or maybe it is truly just stress." She said as she rubbed Lucy's arm in comfort.
"Levy," Lucy whispered, before turning to look at her friend, her eyes wide in fear, "What if I am pregnant? What am I going to do?"