A/N: This is my first Fairy Tail Fanfiction so I hope you guys like it. I'm a huge NaLu fan!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters.

The next morning came much too quickly for Lucy. She was still pretty tired from the night before, and the warmth of the bed was almost luring her back to sleep. Than everything came back to her, as she went to move and heard the growl by her ear. She wasn't warm because of the bed. She was being spooned by Natsu. He had his body fully aligned behind her while his right arms was circled around her waist keep her close to him. When she had tried to move again, she got another growl, and the arm around her waist tightened its hold. Well now what was she supposed to do.

"Natsu, I need to get up please. I have to check on Ambrosia." She tried, but all she got was another growl, but longer one. She started to wiggle, hoping to wake him enough to let her go. Until she felt a heat so intense it left her breathless, and she went completely still.

"Natsu, wake up please." Lucy almost whimpered. At that point his eyes shot open and he sat up with her in his lap now. He was scanning her like she might have been injured. She guessed it was something in her voice. "Natsu, I'm fine. You just wouldn't let me go, and I was starting to get muscle cramps. Also I kind of have to use the bathroom." Lucy whispered the last statement. Natsu's extreme hearing though caught it, and he chuckled.

"Sorry Luce. I guess I got a little clingy in my sleep." Natsu put her down on the floor as he blushed profusely. Lucy found it beyond adorable. He was embarrassed. She smiled as she walked into the bathroom to complete her morning routine. She knew the moment she was done that they would need to talk, so out of fear she prolonged her routine as long as possible. She used the bathroom, brushed her teeth, brushed her hair, and started the shower. She had just turned on the water when there was a knock on the door.

"Luce? Are you gonna be long?" Natsu asked from outside the door. Not having undressed yet, Lucy opened the door to him.

"Is something wrong Natsu?" She felt concerned at his tone of voice. Which only sparked when as soon as he caught sight of her he smiled but ran to her and held her. Not that she would ever complain, the man she loved more than anything in the world was holding her like she was his greatest treasure. For a dragon that was everything. "Natsu?" She called for him more worried at his silence.

"Sorry Luce. I'm okay now." He said releasing her. "Go enjoy your shower, and I'll be waiting here when you get out. We still need to talk. Oh but before you go, can you do something for me?" Natsu remembered the book the healer had given him. He figured that might really come in handy for this talk.

"What is it?" Lucy was confused by the sudden change in him as well as the request. He could clearly see it in her eyes, and it almost made him laugh. Instead he just smiled and told her about needing the book retreived. That it was super important he have it with him. He knew she would understand when they got to talking.

A book? He needed a book. Well if he says it's important than she trusted him to know so. "Open Gate of the Maiden, Virgo" Lucy called forth.

"Hello Princess. Hello Natsu. What can I do for you today?" Virgo bowed as she appeared, taking in the healthy glow she hadn't seen on her key holder in a while. She was quite pleased.

"Virgo, I need you to go to get Natsu's things from his hotel room and bring them back here please. Then I need you to check on Ambrosia please. If she needs nothing than you may return home." Lucy caught Natsu completely off guard by asking for all of his stuff, and not just the book. Was she planning on letting him stay with her? He would love nothing better. That's when he felt his scarf being placed back on him.

"Luce?" Her giving it back scared him. Did this mean that she didn't want it anymore?

"Relax Natsu. I just need you to hold it while I take a shower. Don't want it getting messed up. Plus it needs a little more Natsu scent." Lucy giggled before pushing him out and closing the door. Now she had a reason to hurry through her shower. Her mate was waiting for her. Her mate, she still didn't quite understand what that meant, but she understood that it meant something of great importance in the world dragons and dragon slayers.

Lucy quickly took her shower, but after drying off, she realized she forgot her clothes. So wrapped in a towel she walked out of the bathroom and straight to her bag, trying to find her outfit for the day.

Natsu heard the bathroom door open, and was about to get up to meet her when he saw her. She was in nothing but a towel, and he was tongue tied. She was so beautiful it took his breath away just looking at her. She had no idea what she did to him. Especially right now, with that skimpy little towel wrapped around her, his thoughts were nothing but inappropriate. Igneel help him he could feel his pants getting tighter. He couldn't fix that just yet, they needed to talk first, but he could give her something to think about. He stalked over to her, and waited for her to turn around. As soon as she did, he pulled her to him.

"Luce, you're beauty is beyond words." Natsu said before he kissed her with everything he had in him. Their mouths melded together perfectly. Nothing had ever felt so right to him. Igneel help him, he loved this woman with every part of him, and soon she would be all his. Before his body could try to remove her towel and take it further, he forced himself to let her go and walked outside the room. "I'll wait outside the door for you to get dressed. Let me know when you're done." Natsu waved walking out with a smile.

Lucy stood there for another minute before she sprung into action. What the hell was that?! Lucy's brain couldn't keep up with the thoughts in her head. One stood out though, and she was sure it wasn't good to have right now. She didn't want him to stop. Once she was dressed, she opened the door with cheeks as red as the summer dress she now wore. To Natsu though she was gorgeous, blush and all.

"So how about we have that talk now." He suggested while walking back in. She saw that Virgo had returned with his stuff. He set his bag next to hers, and pulled out a book, before sitting on the couch in the sitting area provided in the room. Most manors had rooms that included them, and the Dalesworth Manor seemed no different.

"Well for starters can you tell me what a mate is?" Lucy asked him as she sat down next to him. She had no sooner started to settle, when he pulled her feet on to his lap, so she was almost reclining as they talked. When he started rubbing her feet, she nearly moaned and lost concentration on the conversation they were supposed to be having. "Um, Natsu? Can you stop that?" She asked shyly, not wanting to ruin the moment and anger him. She still wasn't sure how this whole thing worked.

"Sorry, guess it's just instinct to want to make you as comfortable as possible. You seemed tense, so I wanted to put you at ease." Natsu grinned. He knew the effect it had on her. He could smell her relaxing. With his goal achieved he stopped, but didn't let her move her feet. Lucy figured it was a waste of a battle at the moment. "As for what a mate is, why don't you tell me what you think it is first?" Natsu cleared his throat and attempted to get them back on track. This conversation was very important to their future, and he needed to power through his urges right now.

"Well I would guess it's someone your dragon sides wants you to be with at the moment." Lucy tried to put her thoughts into words. She still wasn't sure how to explain what she thought a mate was. She saw him frown and got worried she had upset him.

"Well you're right about my dragon side choosing them, but it's not for a moment as you put it Luce. When a dragon or dragon slayer in my case, chooses a mate it's for life. They are the person they are devoted to for the rest of their life span." She went to interrupt, but stopped at the look he gave her. "Dragons only have one mate ever Luce. This isn't something that will change later. You're it for me." Natsu told her, staring into her eyes. He needed her to understand that this was a permanent thing, not some passing he felt for her like she assumed so. "It goes beyond anything in Earthland. Most people get married, but married people can get divorced. When a dragon mates, that's it. There is no undoing it. They are mated for as long as they live." Natsu continued to push until he saw a light flicker on behind those gorgeous brown eyes of hers.

"So wait...your dragon chose me to be this person for you to be with forever? You will only ever want to be with me, and you'll never want to mate again?" Lucy tried to understand.

"That's correct Luce."

"Why me though? Why would your dragon chose me? Does it take into account your feelings? If so, why didn't they choose Lisanna?" Lucy just could wrap around the fact that he was basically telling her that she would be the only person from now on that he wanted to be with, because his dragon said so.

"Well I would guess he does considering it usually is based off how deeply I feel for someone. My questions is why you would think it would be anyone but you? You're beautiful beyond words, and I don't just mean your looks. Inside too Luce. You're so kind and open hearted. You never cease to surprise me with the lengths of generosity and loyalty to you will go to. For Igneel's sake you were willing to leave the guild just to ensure your family stayed happy and smiling. You wished me happiness with someone else at the risk of your own heart ache. Lucy it has always been you that I loved since the day we met in Hargeon. No one else. You lit a fire in me that had nothing to do with my magic. Lisanna is great, but I have never felt for her like I do for you. She like a little sister to me, even when we were kids. I may see you as family, but not in the same way. You're the kind I want to create a family with. One with pink hair and your gorgeous brown eyes, like Mira keeps hoping to spoil one day. Don't you think for one second that I don't want it to be you. I prayed that when the time came for my dragon to choose my mate that he chose you. You're all I want and all I need Luce. You and no one else." Natsu was almost light headed after his speech. He felt so passionately for this woman that it brought him to knees sometimes at the magnitude of it. She'd always had that effect on him, and somehow he imagined she always would. He looked forward to it too.

"What happens now?" She asked him. She was stupid to believe that is all it takes to become a mate, there had to be something that happened. She knew dragons were very territorial, and wanted no one to have what was theirs. So if she was his mate than something had to happen show it.

"Well that really depends on you Luce. This book…" He gestured down to the one in his hands. "It was given to me by the healer I took you to after you fainted. I had no idea what was happened, and she guessed that I didn't know anything else about mating either. Sadly she was right. So she gave me this book. It tells all there is to know about the mating process. Although, I may not have made it to the end yet." Natsu blushed, remembering what had brought about his sudden halt to finishing reading. Lucy took the book from him, while his thoughts were elsewhere.

"So if I want to know what to do, than I just need to read this book?" She started pulling out her Gale-Force reading glasses.

"What are you doing?" Natsu tried to take the book from her. He wanted to fill her in slowly about what had to happen, not have her read and turn him down cause of it.

"I'm going to read the book, so I can understand what's going on. Why are you trying to take it from me Natsu?" Lucy was getting suspicious. There was something in this book he didn't want her to read, and now she wanted to know why. "Natsu Dragneel, why don't you want me to read this book? What are you trying to keep from me?" Lucy told him angrily. At her tone change he stopped trying to take the book, and flinched back. Almost like her tone of voice hurt him.

"Not trying to keep it from you, I would just prefer to ease you into it myself." Natsu mumbled out with a blush thoroughly forming on his cheeks. Whatever it was, seemed embarrassing to him than, and just made Lucy want to know all the more.

"Well I'm still waiting to hear what it is? Tell me or I will read and find out for myself." She told him. If he really wanted to tell her himself then this was his chance. She felt it was important that she know, and right now she wanted to know everything so she could be prepared for it as it came.

"Wehavetomakelove." Natsu said as fast as he could. The look on her face told him she had no idea what she said, and her response confirmed it. "Huh?" He sighed yet again, well she was going to find out so it was better he tell her than she read it.

"We have to m..m..make l..l..l..love." Natsu stuttered out going as red as her dress.