Chapter 1: Confused screaming.

Natsu woke up with a start. He was covered in cold sweat from head to toe, "Where am I?" he questioned no one in particular. It was then that he realized he was only wearing night pants with his upper body bare. Everything seemed oddly familiar as he took in the scent he had grown to love, strawberries and vanilla. He lay there in a soft and neatly made queen sized bed as he diligently took in his surroundings, his senses heightening.

Upon keenly observing the room, he could faintly hear a sweet, humming voice coming from the bathroom. "Luce?", he wondered. Without a warning, he heard the door to the bathroom click and a beautiful blonde walked out in a fluffy pink bathrobe. Apart from the fact that she had cut her hair to shoulder length and her mature aura, she didn't look very different from the last time he saw her. Abashed, Natsu lowered his gaze to his hands. What he saw turned him pale, his heart throbbing loudly. On the ring finger on his left hand was a gold wedding band.

He snapped from his stupor as he sensed the blonde take notice of him. Strange, she didnt even kick him out of the bed…

"You're awake?", she asked, not turning away from the mirror as she dried her hair. "You just returned from a mission yesterday, why don't you rest a little while longer?... But not too long okay? We still have to go to Zeref and Mavis' house to celebrate their anniversary, remember?"

She took his silence as a 'yes', so started undoing her robe to dress up. Natsu, uncertain of where to look, turned his head back down and began fumbling with the ring on his finger. Lucy still didn't look at him as she continued giving him instructions while putting on her dark blue dress that reached just below her knees. She also put on a pair of gold hanging star earrings that Mavis and Zeref gifted her on her birthday.

"Nashi hasn't woken up yet so please do wake her up in case you aren't planning on sleeping longer. I just made breakfast and Luke is setting the table, don't forget to come downstairs and eat before you take a bath."

Just as she opened her make up kit, Lucy seemed to have remembered something very important and finally turned around. "Natsu, you have the gift wrapped up and ready right? I reminded you about the gift during dinner and you said it was all taken care of, but I've been searching since morning and haven't found it anywhere!"

It was all too much for Natsu to take in as he felt light headed… What the hell was going on here?! When did he return from a mission?! Why was Lucy so calm seeing him in her bed? Nashi? Luke? Zeref and Mavis' anniversary?! Weren't they long dead?! He woke up and now he had 2 kids, a wife and his brother was still alive?! He kept staring at Lucy with a perplexed expression on his face as his mind went haywire.

Lucy looked very displeased as she gave him a disapproving look. "Honey, please don't tell me you forgot all about the gift!"

Natsu did not know what she was talking about, nevertheless, a sudden thought occurred to him. He looked down at his ring finger and looked at Lucy's hand, contemplating something. When he found her hands bare, though, a strange, unwelcome feeling washed over him. He almost felt disappointed, why wasn't Luce wearing anything on her finger?

Lucy noticed her husband's fixated stare on her ring finger and instantly understood what he was thinking. "Oh the ring? It's been a while since I last washed it so I took it off." She reached into a draw in her dresser and walked towards the bed. She reached out her hand and placed the ring on his palm. "Here, why don't you put it back on me?", she cocked her head to the side and gave him a radiant smile as she said so.

This action made Natsu's heart flutter as he stared at her in a daze. Lucy looked at him with a worried expression as she asked, "What's wrong sweetie? Is there something wrong with my face?". She subconsciously reached for her face but Natsu caught her wrist before she felt her face and composed himself. He gave her that infamous smile that could make everyone's heart melt and said in a reassuring voice, "Don't worry about me… It's just that the mission was stressful. And don't worry about your face, you look r-really p-p-pretty…" He added the last part with a dark flush staining his cheeks.

Lucy gazed back at him with a knowing smile and eyes so bright, they could light up the night sky! "Well? Aren't you gonna put it on, Mr. Dragneel?", she asked coquettishly, looking expectantly at the ring on his other palm.

This wiped off the smile on his face as Natsu quickly let go of her wrist and clumsily put the ring on her finger. When his gaze met Lucy's again, he noticed her sit down on his lap without breaking eye contact, an action that sent shivers down his spine. Without a second doubt, the blonde abruptly closed the distance between them. Natsu was taken aback at first but relaxed into her touch as her hands roamed his bare chest. He inwardly debated the act many times before shoving all of his thoughts aside and kissing her back fervently.

Natsu couldn't help but feel guilty and confused, it was wrong, yet it felt like it was meant to be. Just as he decided to end the kiss, he heard the door to the bedroom being knocked on politely. The person who knocked the door was very inconspicuous, to be able to deceive the dragon slayer's keen senses and reach the room without any sound… Natsu didn't even notice someone on the other side of the door until he heard the knock! The fire mage hated to admit it, but he was secretly impressed by the stealth skills of the person in question.

Lucy promptly stood up and straightened her dress before giving a small peck on her husband's lips. "Get up and find that gift soon.", she said sternly before opening the door.

Standing at the doorframe was a boy around 14 years of age and almost as tall as Lucy beaming at her. Even though he seemed young, the boy had a mature, calm demeanor; Straight, neatly groomed, blonde hair and an elegant face, it was like he was staring at the male version of Lucy! The aura around the boy so bright, it was blinding Natsu.

Author's notes:

Introducing Lucas Dragneel (Luke for short)! He is the elder son of Natsu and Lucy. Nashi Dragneel is the younger one.

I tried to make it fluffy… Natsu is reluctant to be intimate with this Lucy because he feels guilty and he knows that this isn't the same Lucy he knows…

I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you for your support!