With that the two get into Natsu's car and head off to dinner. Levy turns back to Kade with a sunny smile on her face, "Alright kiddo, what do you want to do first!"

Kade smiles a real smile, "Fort and cookies please."

"You got it."

Natsu opens the door for Lucy, being the gentleman he was. Once Lucy settled in the car, she noticed the scent of cinnamon and smoke. Breathing deeply she let the air calm her. Truth be told she was nervous for tonight. She didn't know why, but there was a hum in her veins that didn't seem like it would go away.

Natsu sat drivers side and started the car, making it roar to life. Arm stretching over the back of Lucy's chair he asked her, "You ready for your surprise?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Came her immediate reply not breaking eye contact. They sat there for a moment, soaking the other in, before Natsu cleared his throat and began to back up.

The night air was crisp and clean, the sky alight with stars. Looking above she could pick out the constellations her mother had showed her. Picking out the belt of Orion, the head of Taurus, and the twins Gemini. She loved stargazing, being able to see the stars this closely around this time of year was scarce and few between. The last time she could remember looking up at the stars was when Kade was just a baby and thinking how much her mother would have loved him. Thinking that she was among the zodiac, looking down on Lucy and watching over her.

Natsu grasped her hand then, pulling her from her memories. Grounding her with the brush of his thumb against the back of her hand. "What'cha thinkin' over there?"

"The stars. My mother used to take me stargazing as a kid, it's been a while since I've looked up and noticed them." She gave a sad smile. "It just reminds me of when my mother was alive, sad and happy times. You know?"

Natsu brought the back of her hand to his lips, leaving them there a heartbeat longer before resting their hands on his thigh. "I do. I can tell your mom loved you with everything she had. I see it in the way you talk to Kade. You are a wonderful person Luce. I don't care how many times I have to say it, I'll remind you if I have to. You are one of the strongest people I know, and I'm proud to know you and be someone who is able to stand right next to you."

Lucy took a deep breath to quell the tears building in her eyes and she laughed to herself, "If you want to make me cry, keep going. You can't say that out of nowhere."

"It just felt right to say I'm sorry!" He gave a small laugh. A smirk found its way to his lips.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"Dinner." Came his only reply. That smirk still intact on his face.

"Oh that's really specific. Might as well say a place where you eat."

Natsu faked a shocked look, "Who told you?!"

"Ha ha ha." came her flat laugh.

"In all seriousness, it's a place that I've only been to once and it was with my parents. I have a sneaking suspicion that you'll love it."

"If you picked it I have no doubt."

The car ride after that was filled with a comfortable silence, smiles on both of their faces, when Natsu finally put his car in park, Lucy stared at what was ahead. Regulus. The name in bright letters strewn across the brick restaurant. Ivy strewn around the building, along with lights hanging like twinkling stars in the sky. As Nastu helped her out of the car, she then noticed the smell. Wafts of rosemary and basil assaulted her nose in the best way imaginable. Natsu led her to the hostess, surrounding her were tables for two or more with candles illuminating the tops of tables. Small succulent gardens surrounded the pathway leading up to her.

"Hello, do you two have a reservation?"

Natsu piped up, dazzling smile showing off his pearly whites, "Yes under, Natsu."

The hostess looked down, looking at all the names Lucy would guess, "Ah! Yes, here you two are. If you'd follow me."

Lucy took a hold of Natsu's hand and allowed him to guide her to where the hostess was seating them. What she noticed was instead of sitting in the front or even in the restaurant itself, she lead them to the back where it was more quiet, intimate. There were less people over here, and the lights were softer, the theme stayed the same, but it was a lot darker out here than she expected. When she turned to Natsu, he was already staring at her, and as if knowing her question, he gestured up with his head, and when Lucy did all she could do was gasp. It made sense now with the soft light. It was to look at the stars overhead. It was easy to see the milky way now, dark shades of blue and purple illuminated the night sky. Natsu tugged her along and pulled her chair out before going to his own and taking a seat.

"Natsu this," looking at him now with eyes full of wonder, "this is amazing. How did you find this place?"

"My dad is a long time friend with the owner, we'd come more often but it's so far away, and the owner practically begged that I take you here when I asked him if he had any seats available for today. I wanted to make sure today was special."

"You did an amazing job Natsu. This place is incredible...you're incredible."

Natsu seemed to blush at the compliment but it was dark enough where she couldn't tell for sure. Natsu scratched the back of his head nervously, smile faltering for only a second before it came back in full force.

"I just thought that it would be nice for the both of us to have some time together."

"You were right. This is just what I needed. So thank you."

"Anytime Luce."

The waiter arrived not shortly after them taking a look at the menu. "What can I get you lovely couple this evening." the man said with a politeness that even Lucy couldn't mimic. The waiter was tall and slender, with legs that rivaled those of a horse it seemed, his hair had gone gray at the top and his goatee matched. Considering that it was night, the man's sunglasses rested in his jacket pocket. "What can I get you Miss?"

"May I have the rosemary bellini please?"

"A fine choice." he agreed while jotting it down. "And for you sir."

"Whatever you have on draft."

'Shall I offer you my favorite?"

"Sure!" Natsu smiled.

"I'll be back in a moment with your drinks."

Natsu and Lucy nodded before getting lost in conversation again. They began talking about how busy their days had been. Lucy raved that her manager, Jason, couldn't seem to catch her a break but she enjoyed the work of writing. She asked how the station was and Natsu nodded saying that there wasn't much to report besides some kids having fun with fire alarms.

Before they knew it their dinner was over, but Natsu wasn't finished just yet. "There's somewhere else I wanted to take you. You up for a little bit of a drive?"

"I just got a text from Levy saying that Kade went to bed with a little less than saying he's excited to see us when we get back."

"Perfect."

"Can I know about this place at least?"

"I mean I guess. But my question first, did you bring a pair of extra clothes?"

"No? Was I supposed to?" She gave him a look that screamed, I should have been told this.

"Nah I brought extra just in case."

"Why do we need a change of clothes?"

"Cause these are to uncomfy to wear. Duh!"

"Ah yes, cause that makes sense for the person who is being surprised."

"Well it's fine anyways, I brought 'em. On to your question. We're going to a place I used to go to back in my teens. The only people who know about it are my Dad, Frostbite, and Gajeel."

"Is it like a house?"

"More of a shack if you asked me, Dad and I built it. One of my best memories with him."

"And you're taking me to it?"

"I figured it would be nice to share the place." he gave a shrug.

"Why there if I might ask?"

"Cause if you thought the dinner had a nice view of the stars, you've seen nothing yet."

That got Lucy excited. Her blood singing beneath her veins at how well this dinner was going. She hadn't known Natsu long but he'd taken up a huge part of her heart ever since they met. When they first met she stared at a goofy young man that loved teaching kids soccer, now here he was driving her out to dinner, being there when she needed him most, sharing their most precious parts of themselves. She didn't realize she could feel like this. This warm feeling that took her voice whenever she looked at him, her heart squeezing whenever he said her nickname. She knew she liked Natsu. But looking back on how they've grown as people and together. There was a feeling for that, but she didn't know if she could face it yet. She also didn't know how Natsu felt about her. What if he really only liked her? Nothing more. It could be too soon, and she didn't want to ruin that.

By the time the car came to a stop they were out in the wilderness. No trace of house nor car. Any source of light came from their cell phones, but the moon was bright enough to cast faint shadows in the night sky. Getting out of the car she looked around, listening to the cadence of the crickets, the sigh in the breeze, everything felt peaceful. It helped settle her nerves.

Going around to Natsu's side she didn't realize he chose this opportunity to start changing. With his shirt off Lucy was able to see all the nic's and scars from years of training and his line of work. She also noticed how toned his tan skin was, every muscle flexing with the shifting of his arms. She didn't notice the smirk that ran on Natsu's face and the mischievous glint in his eye until he decided to speak, "Like what you see?"

Lucy let out a small shriek from being caught, and looked anywhere but him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" doubt laced every word. "Cause I could have sworn you were ogling me."

"I was not ogling you. I was just looking at," she looked around for an excuse, "the woods is all."

"The woods."

"Uh huh." she agreed, sticking her nose up.

"So you were just looking at the woods in my direction?"

"Yep!"

"So then you were also just making sure that nothing else was going to sneak up on me."

"Yes."

"Were they pretty?"

"Gorgeous."

"What about their leaves?"

"Very green."

"And their abbs?"

"Perfect."

Realizing her mistake her eyes shot open. Natsu was hunched over from laughing so hard. "I wouldn't call them perfect but I'll take the compliment where I can get them." he said between wheezes.

Lucy didn't know whether to be embarrassed or angry. Maybe a mixture of both.

"You!" was all she could say. This only caused Natsu to laugh harder from her sputtering mouth.

Lucy threw up her hands in exasperation, someone out there hated her she was sure. Natsu's laughter subsided and she turned back around to notice the light in his eyes. He wore his signature smile as he strode up to her in nothing but his dress pants, a T-Shirt in his right hand.

"Why thank you for the compliment," he was so close to her now. His chest almost touched hers, "But I'll have you know that I have a girlfriend."

"Do you, I wouldn't have guessed with you parading around without a shirt. I could imagine that she'd get awfully jealous."

"I somehow don't think she minds."

"Is that so?"

"It is, she's probably the smartest person I know. I got real lucky someone like her," his voice got huskier the quieter he began speaking, "noticed someone like me."

"I'd say she's the lucky one," she whispered loud enough for him to hear as she leaned in, she placed a tentative hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat beneath, the same erratic beat matched her own. This somehow made her bolder, "You know if I were your girlfriend I don't know if I could let you go." Her eyes grew hooded, but she still saw the smoldering look in his eyes. The same wanting reflecting back into her own. "If I were your boyfriend, I wouldn't be able to walk away," a hair's breadth away were their lips. So close, it would just take one of them leaning in and they would be touching. She could feel his hot breath ghosting her lips, "Well it's a good thing your girlfriend feels the same way." She brushed her lips over Natsu's. Slowly, tentatively exploring. Natsu did the same, he grasped her hip as the other one cradled her jaw, T-shirt on top of the car. Carelessly forgotten. Lucy grew bolder in her actions, her freehand tangled into his hair, the pink tufts soft against her fingertips. Natsu tilted Lucy's jaw up just a smidge to deepen the kiss.

Lucy matched his pace, her nails raking his hair, his arm coiled its way around her waist and before she knew it, they were moving. Natsu pressed Lucy against the car, cold metal biting into her skin only added to her swollen lips. Lucy traced the seam of his lips with her tongue, letting herself go to the feeling of him and her, a clash of teeth and tongue. But Natsu was gentler with her, made sure that there was enough room where he had her pinned that if she wanted to stop she could. But Lucy was thinking the opposite, she wanted more. A moan dragged from Natsu's throat, the vibrations causing her to whimper. Natsu broke away with a pant, resting his forehead against her own. Her eyes were still closed but if she opened them she could imagine the molten look she'd find in his. All that could be heard was the sway of the trees, their heartbeats pounding in their ears, and the heavy pants that came out of both of them. Slowly she fluttered her eyes open, her guess was right on the mark. Natsu's breath mingled with her own in the night air.

"Hey Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there a bed where we're going?"

"There is. Are you sure?" Natsu gave her a serious look. One that wouldn't be taken likely, but all Lucy could do was melt more into him.

"Yes I'm sure."

Natsu and Lucy made their rushed entry into the woods, Lucy still had her dress on, not taking any time to where they were going. The trees almost seemed to bow before their presence, engulfing them into their thick canopy like a protective shield. Then a clearing came into view. And on the edge sat a cute cottage, with its wood aged and worn from the elements. Slowing their pace down, Lucy took in the sight of the house and pictured Natsu with his dad building this place.

Natsu seemed to be doing the same from the warm look in his eyes. Natsu grabbed her hand and gently tugged her closer.

Once at the front door, a wooden carving of a dragon laying down, almost seeming to keep whatever was hiding away from prying eyes. Natsu opened the door, the action causing a groan of protest out of the door. There were candles strewn out haphazardly, a bed lay against the back wall with a window parallel to it. Natsu stepped inside and took out a match box from his pants pocket. Lighting them one by one in the soft yellow light, she couldn't help but love the way everything around them lit up. Pictures of Natsu and his father decorated the walls, a dark wooden table took up most of the space in the center with three matching wooden chairs.

"Natsu this place...you built this?"

"Yeah, back when they first adopted me, they thought it was a great way to break the ice. Can't say they were wrong."

"You did a great job."

"Pops did most of the work."

"You still put a lot of work into this though. I've never seen anything like this before."

Lucy stepped around the place, admiring their work, before reaching where the bed was. Oddly clean, most of it was. Like someone came and cleaned it not too long ago.

Natsu on que, shuffled closer to her, "I come up here a lot. It's my safe space, you could say. Whenever I need to come and think. That's where I got the idea for tonight." Natsu paused, his eyes widening at the implications of his words, "I mean not this, I didn't really plan for this. But the anniversary. I-I mean not that I haven't not thought about this. Wait! I mean-"

Lucy giggled, circling her arms around his neck, his hands rested on her hips and never strayed. "I'll stop you now for the sake of saving both of us from embarrassment."

Natsu nuzzled her affectionately as a thank you. After a nice moment of silence Natsu voiced, "So do you really..?" the question hung in the air. "Cause only if you want to."

"So long as both of us are willing I would, yes."

"Okay cause I want to."

"So do I."

An awkward silence hung in the air, after neither moved "Natsu are you okay?"

"Yeah, I've just never…" he trailed off.

"You haven't had sex before?"

Natsu tensed at her statement. "No, I uhh, was never super interested in anyone before you came."

"That's perfectly fine then. Just follow my lead."

With a stroke of sudden boldness, Lucy slid one of her hands down to cup his jaw, and pressing up on her toes she rose to meet his lips. Soft and warm, she could feel his breath hitch with the action. She slowly worked his lips apart, Natsu gaining more confidence in the kiss, he began following her lead more and more before the kiss became fervorous. Natsu worked his way down her jaw, niping her as he went, till he got to the junction of where her slender neck met her shoulder, finding her pulse point Natsu latched on, drawing a pleasured gasp out of Lucy. She grasped his hair as an anchor. Natsu lapped up her skin, not seeming to get enough, "Natsu," Lucy whispered breathlessly, a plea in her words. Natsu came back to her lips with renowned energy, sucking and teasing her lips, wanting to hear her make more noises.

Lucy let go of his hair only to tug at the hem of his shirt a silent request for him to take it off. Without hesitating he stripped it off, Lucy wasted no time putting her hands all over him, tracing the muscular lines of him, from his chest down to the tempting v dip. Natsu growled as she raked her nails across his skin, Nastu deepened the kiss as much as possible, making it a game of who would make the next noise. Lucy didn't realise when but she was now backed into the table at the center of the room, without a second thought Lucy hung onto his neck as she raised one sensual leg, Natsu seemed to get the idea, holding onto the back of her thigh, she was raised then, legs clamping down to Natsu's lower back and crossing bringing them happily ever closer, Lucy gleaned a happy whine from Natsu then, pressing impossibly closer to him. Natsu detached from her lips then and bit at her neck once more, this time causing a wanton moan to escape her lips despite her best efforts to keep them silenced. She felt Natsu smile then against her skin. He placed a soft lingering kiss to the hickey that was sure to be there tomorrow.

"Natsu."

"Hmm."

"Unzip me." The command came so easily to her lips, he obliged. Lucy slid off the table, as he took a small step back, she revealed the zipper behind her. Natsu sweeped her hair off her shoulder, and as he slowly, painfully, unzipped her, there was a trail of kisses with it. Lucy shivered as he finally reached the end, he placed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're 100% sure?"

"I am, are you?"

"I don't think I've ever been as ready as I am right now." His voice low and husky.

Lucy let the dress fall to the floor, a red discarded heap on the floor boards. She slowly turned around keeping eye contact as Natsu dragged his eyes over her, while they darkened quite a bit, there was a softness to them. "You're beautiful." he said in almost a worshipping tone.

Lucy felt so bare and vulnerable, but with Natsu she knew there was nothing to fear, Natsu joined her in terms of removing clothing. It was her turn to take an appreciative look at him, then Natsu looked at her like she was the rain in a never ending drought. He drank from her lips, a man drowning in bliss. Then they moved toward the bed, lost to each other and the feeling of one another. By the end of the night they were a tangle of limbs, not knowing where one began and where the other ended but smiles rested on their faces as they drifted off into a sleep deep enough where even dreams couldn't reach them.

I want to say thank you for all the comments and guesses where they were going to go and how the night would end, I'm not very good at writing these types of scenes yet so consider this practice. I hope you all enjoyed the extra long chapter!

I forgot last chapter but big big big shoutout to those who reviewed Ushindi, Alba, rao hyuga 18, Copperreign12, MaraDragneel3113, starleads, and FairyTailxFanGirl. Y'all are amazing.

Let me know what you guys thought, I love hearing the feedback! I'll see you all in 2 weeks!