"But I was not to see the boy who would not grow up again." The now adult Juvia said as she finished her story.
"Did you mind very much?" Her daughter asked.
"No. Somehow I was certain that it would be the last time and I accepted it."
"Why can't you fly now, Mother?" Asked her son who had tried not to get interested in her story but found himself getting pulled in anyway.
"Because I am grown up, dearest. When people grow up they forget the way."
"Why do they forget the way?"
"It's difficult to explain."
"Do you still think of him?" Her daughter asked.
"All the time. Especially when I see your brother. He reminds me so much of him."
"I do?" Her son said.
"Yes. In fact the way you struggle to understand what grown ups must go through and how they really feel, like you did with your father today? That's exactly how he was. You're almost identical to that boy in every way."
"Mother is that why you always wear that funny necklace?" Her daughter asked referring to the acorn button on a chain that she wore.
"Yes my darling. It's so I don't forget him like I promised I wouldn't."
"But Auntie." Said her nephew. "Did he ever bring any other children to the island?"
"No. Your father, your uncle Romeo, and I were the last ones he ever brought there. He had learned to understand how sad and truly devastating it was for a child to leave their parents. He also learned that when a parent gets angry at their child it does not always mean they are being cruel and that they have no love for their children. He found himself empathizing with grown ups as well as children."
"Does he still hate grown ups?" Asked her niece who was much older than her nephew.
"No. Not anymore."
"Then why did he not stay with you that night? Why did he leave?"
"Because even though he had made peace with his parents and grown ups in general he was still so very afraid of growing up. Not sure if he would ever be ready for it."
"He must be so terribly lonely now." Her daughter said with pity as she clutched the teddy bear that had once belonged to her uncle but then passed down to her.
"Oh no. He is not lonely. He has not been lonely for a very long time and is quite happy."
"But how do you know that if you never saw him again?"
"I believe that is a story for another night. Now I think it is time that you all go to sleep. We have a very important day tomorrow."
She tucked in each of the children, giving them each a kiss goodnight, the last one she went to was her son. The boy no longer looked angry or frustrated but remorseful and guilty.
"Mother." He said.
"Yes my dear one?"
"I'm sorry about what I said earlier."
"I know you are."
"I don't think grown ups are bad anymore. When father gets home tonight, will you tell him I'm sorry?"
"Yes I will."
"Do you think he'll forgive me?"
"Of course. Do you forgive him?"
"Yes."
"You have no idea how relived he'll be when I tell him that."
She kissed his forehead.
"Goodnight Mother." He said.
"Goodnight."
She turned out the lanterns and lit a candle which she left on the book shelf, because she knew how scared of the dark her daughter and nephew were due to how little they were. Her son and niece who were much bigger than them, would complain and say that they're younger siblings were being babies only for her and her sister-in law to remind them that they themselves had been afraid of the dark when they were little. She lightly closed the door and went to her own room to ready herself for bed.
Twenty years had passed since that meeting at her window and oh how things did change. Thinking back to it, she found it to all have happened rather quickly. Elfman was to brought up by Mirajane and was happily reunited with his other sister Lisanna who had once been younger than him, something the family found to be very amusing. Lucy, Gajeel, Rogue, and Sting were all adopted by very loving and caring families who luckily lived nearby. Of course they all attended school and did very well in their classes.
The years rolled by and they kept getting older and older. Becoming more mature and worldly. Eventually they grew up, all of them. She could see Sting and Rogue any day going to an office. Gajeel and Elfman both joined the army together and thankfully returned alive when their service finished. Later Gajeel married a lady of title and so he became a lord while Elfman became a judge. Lucy matured into a very attractive woman who worked as a naturalist. Romeo procured a career as an engine driver who just loved to use the train whistle and Natsu grew up to be a very successful inventor.
She remembered how the people of Magnolia had mocked Natsu's intelligence and said that he was too stupid to amount to anything. That her parents had made a mistake adopting him because he would only bring them shame. True Natsu did struggle more than what was expected of an intelligent boy but he was by no means stupid. He excelled in all his classes and even ended up going to college. Her entire family was so proud of him and when he chose to have a career in inventing, the people laughed but he proved them wrong like she always knew he would. He invented the lighter and ended up making a great deal of money, which would serve him well in caring for his wife and family.
Yes Natsu had married, he married Lucy. His courting of her was not the usual that one expects from a gentleman and lady of Magnolia, England. His methods of wooing her were more humorous then elegant and she had a habit of playing the coquette with him, sometimes resisting his advances and flirting with other young men. But it wasn't to be cruel, it was to make him jealous. For you see despite Lucy's obvious charm and pretty features, she did not behave as most English ladies did. She was very vivacious and high spirited which many people of high society frowned upon and it led her to feeling very insecure about herself. But in time she learned that Natsu loved her for being so different from all the other ladies.
Juvia could not help but laugh to herself as she recalled how he proposed to Lucy. He had attempted to make it a big production with fireworks lit by the lighter he invented but something went wrong and he accidentally set fire to his trousers. In a panicked state, he stripped out of his trousers and stood there in front everyone wearing his coat, dress shirt, and boxers. How embarrassed he was and how sure he and all witnesses were, save for Juvia herself, that the pretty blonde would refuse but instead she laughed and planted a great big kiss on his mouth before accepting his proposal. They had two children together: An older daughter who inherited her father's spitfire and her mother's connection to nature, and a younger son who inherited his father's knack for inventing and his mother's determination.
Juvia herself was a married woman now and a mother too. It was inevitable of course because she grew up to be a very beautiful young woman, taking her mother's place as the loveliest lady in all of Magnolia. Her beauty along with her demure and gentle personality was found to be desirable by a good number of young men. She had many suitors and the most persistent was Lyon Vastia. A lawyer who had everything that a proper English woman would require in a husband: a man of good birth, with the finest education, and dreadfully wealthy. He was also very sensitive, caring, and supportive of her hopes and dreams. Any woman would be lucky to be his wife.
Thinking back to her memories had made her quite tired and she ended up falling asleep rather quickly. Although her husband did not return home that night for he had too much work to do on his project, she only hoped that he would at least sleep while staying over there. Come the next day, right after four o'clock she and her family began to prepare for the special event they were attending this evening. The gentleman and boys put on their best Sunday suits and the ladies and girls wore their formal gowns.
"Lucy you look simply lovely." Juvia remarked to her sister in-law who indeed looked quite ravishing in her yellow dress.
"Thank you." She replied. "Just my old gown made over. But it did turn out rather nicely."
"Is Natsu ready yet?"
"Not yet I'm afraid." She answered as she pinned her blonde hair up. "Natsu dear, do hurry. We mustn't be late for the party, you know."
"Lucy." Her husband replied as he searched his drawers. "Unless I find my cuff links, we don't go to the party. And if we don't go to the party then I can never show my face in public again because everyone will think I'm an uncultured swine."
"I do believe I saw Igneel with your cuff links earlier. He thought you had thrown them away and decided to use them as nails to fix one of his broken toys."
"What? How many times I have told that boy not to take things from our room or my bag?"
"Now Natsu don't lose your temper with him." Juvia warned her brother. "Remember how you were at his age. You once took Father's shirt front and tried to make a bird feeder out of it."
"Besides I brought an extra pair of cuff links with us." Lucy said handing the pair to him.
"Thank you Lucy. Now if only I could get this blasted tie to tie right." Natsu complained.
"Let me help." Lucy chuckled before helping him tie it around his collar and then kissing his cheek. "There we go. You always get so upset over the littlest things."
"With children like ours can you blame me? It took the nurse three hours to get Nashi into her dress because she kept fighting so much."
"It was forty-five minutes."
"Still she can't stop being a tomboy for just one night?"
"She'll grow out of it eventually and in the end we got the dress to stay on her. Also be honest, you find it adorable when she does things like climbing trees and trying to learn to hunt."
"That's true." He chuckled.
Juvia chuckled as well for she could not help but notice how much her brother tended to behave exactly like their father. Especially when he became angry and frustrated but also like their father he was caring man who loved his family above all things in this world.
"Will Lyon make it on time to bring the carriage?" Natsu said to his sister as he put on his jacket and helped Lucy put on her coat. "I know he's been very busy with that court case regarding the bank fraud so part of me thinks that he might be a little behind schedule."
"He swore to me that he would be on time and I've never known him to be late once he's given his word." Juvia said.
At six o'clock precisely, Lyon arrived at the house with the carriage already for them. Taking hold of Juvia's hand, he helped her aside along with her little ones while Natsu helped in his wife and children in as well. During the ride Lyon could tell that Juvia was nervous because she was twisting her handkerchief in her gloved hands. He took hold of one of her hands again and gave her comforting smile. Her eyes silently thanked him, oh what a fine man he was.
"Do you think they will all be there tonight?" She asked him.
"I have no doubt and I'm certain they've all been looking forward to it." He answered.
"It's just so exciting and anxious."
"I know. I know."
"All the work and effort put into this. What if no one likes it? Or worse what if the critics write something cruel in the paper."
"Dash the critics." He said. "They only exist because they have no talent and want to demean those who are."
"How funny. That's what my father always said about critics."
"If that's true then I must be correct in my statement. You have no need to worry my dear, tonight will be a success. You'll see."
"I hope so. I really do hope so."