Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fairy Tail.

I know my updates are infrequent and far apart. I apologize. Life changes constantly, but I do always find myself coming back to this story. I can't leave it unfinished, no matter how long it takes. The good news is that the end is in sight. I know what direction I want to take things, and what I can do to resolve this winding romance saga with a really good ending that should hopefully satisfy all of you :)

Although don't get your hopes too high on this chapter. Go grab some tissues and prepare to use them. ^(^0^)^


Rubbing her eyes, Lucy sat up in bed, completely still as the blare of the alarm that had been going off for ten minutes continued screaming without the pinkette to turn it off and coax her out of bed. Lucy chucked a pillow at it and knocked the clocked off the night stand, sending it crashing to the floor as it's plug was yanked from the outlet, shutting the machine off completely. She cradled her face in the open palms of her hands as she lurched forward, the sun already beginning to peak through her curtains. It had been two weeks since Natsu's injury, and Lucy was barely functional. The boys had done their best to try and fill Natsu's shoes, but all of them were concerned the way Lucy seemed to be in her own captive existence as she walked through house like a ghost. Her blue eyes had been vacant every time she thought no one was watching her, as she sank into her own mind often.

"Lucy, here" Laxus tried to hand her the lunch bag that Natsu usually packed for her based on her binder, though Laxus had taken over that task.

Lucy silently took the insulated bag from him with a nod as she stood there zoned out for a moment, knowing she was forgetting something. Gray then made his way out of the kitchen, holding out her shaker bottle of almond milk and protein powder, her bland and monotonous breakfast every day the last month as a part of her routine. When she didn't initially take it after he held it out, he stepped closer, gently bonking her head with it in order to get her attention.

Shaking her head as she snapped out of her daze, she took the bottle with a quiet thanks as she plodded towards the front door, her security detail already standing in the threshold with the door open, waiting for her to be on her way to the record label's studio. Gray and Laxus watched with concerned gazes that went right over Lucy's head, Sting and Rogue standing at the top of the stairs with a similar expression as she made her way out of the house.

"I hate this..." Sting hissed as he came down the stairs, still eye-ing the now closed front door.

Rogue chimed in with his own commentary, "Without Natsu, she's completely empty."

Gray just let out a sigh as he turned to head back into the kitchen to make his own cup of coffee now that Lucy was on her way thanks to his and Laxus' combined efforts. The boys shuffled around the house as well, even with Natsu out of commission, Erik told them to maintain their current schedule with a delay for their tour date due to Natsu's condition. Every day that went by, everyone started gradually losing confidence that Natsu would wake up.

Despite Lucy being beside herself in grief and feeling responsible for the entire incident, she poured herself into her work, drowning in her days at the studio as she let her autopilot take over on stage and in the recording booths. Serano eventually learned about the incident the morning after it'd happened, and gave Lucy an additional 2 days at home with daily cardio in order to gather herself. When Lucy came back, Serano tried to bite her tongue, though her instruction was still as sharp as ever. Lucy didn't mind as much when her emotions had started dampening in intensity, growing apathetic as her functionally depressive mindset took over.

"This is great, but are you going to be ready?" Serano finally asked her as the debut for the music festival was only two weeks away, and her feature duet song had just aired on the radio, meaning that 'Celeste the up and coming pop-star' was now trending on social media as the music festival hype was building.

Lucy looked down at the floor, unsure of how to respond at first. Eventually she raised her head as she looked Serano in the eye, "I guess I won't know until it's time. All I can promise is my best but... can I make a request?" She gaze somberly into her manager's eyes.

Serano chewed her tongue a moment, "Well... let me hear what it is before you ask me to say yes."

Taking a deep breath, Lucy finally asked, "There's a song... I wrote, I want to play it at the music festival."

"Well lets hear it then" Serano crossed her arms and made a gesture for Lucy to share her creation.

"No" she shook her head, "I can't play it for anyone until the festival."

"Lucy... this is your career. You can't honestly expect me to just let you play something I've never heard in front of a live audience of tens of thousands of people, and even more that will be watching the live broadcast on television..." Serano tried to rationalize with the blond.

Lucy teared up as she said, "You won't understand..."

"Let her do it" a voice came from the back of the auditorium.

Jellal waltzed in with his business casual attire, Erza looking at Lucy with the pitying gaze she hated that came from everyone around her recently. After making his way down the aisle between the mini auditorium's seats, Jeallal faced Lucy giving a smile and a wave before turning his attention to her white haired keeper.

"Let her do it" he repeated, more quietly now that he was standing closer to them, "I'm confident in Lucy's musical abilities. I've heard something she's made before and it was... hauntingly beautiful."

"Her debut isn't supposed to be 'haunting'." Serano quipped with air quotes, "She needs to be provocative, lovable, spicy."

Jellal shook his head, "Consider this a personal request then, let her do it."

Serano growled in the back of her throat before clicking her tongue, "Fine. But if this tanks it's on you. It's not going on my track record."

Jellal gave her a shit eating grin as he gave his own retort, "I'll take credit when it's wildly successful then."

Serano rolled her eyes as the president excused himself and made his way back out. He had simply been doing rounds in the building checking in on the people who had come in to work on their songs and performance materials for that day. The boys were somewhere in the building too, although they were probably in a much different situation focusing mostly on their playing, even without Natsu.

"Serano... I..." Lucy tried to find her words but stumbled.

The woman gave a lengthy sigh before turning her attention back to Lucy once Jellal was gone, "It better be unbelievable" she squinted at the blond who was asking to pull the biggest show business no-no she could imagine.

Lucy gave a nod as they continued with their rehearsals, pouring herself into the choreography for all three of her performances. On her way home, she made a request to go by the hospital, visiting Natsu's room where Makarov was sitting quietly by Natsu's bedside, reading.

"Makarov..." she spoke his name just above a whisper as she set eyes on the little old man.

The spritely visitor put his book down as he gave Lucy a smile in response, gesturing her to come the rest of the way in as her guard stood by the door.

"Makarov I..." Lucy felt like she had to apologize to everyone at every opportunity but the old man held his hand up to cut her off.

"Don't" he said, "The gun wasn't in your hands, neither was anything else in this situation."

Lucy tried to stifle her tears as she came and stood on the opposite side of Natsu's bed, looking at his eyelids that were fluttering as if he was having fitful sleep. It gave her hope when she saw his body react or move in anyway. He was still unconscious, so they'd hooked his legs up to pressure cuffs that occasionally squeezed him so that the blood in his legs wouldn't clot from inactivity. It was as if every time she came in their was some new device attached to him to account for his completely vegetative state. She took a hold of his hand and the urge to cry was even stronger, but she maintained her composure savoring the vacant warmth of his skin on hers. It was the warmth that left her aching as she fell asleep alone every night now. It was something that was foreign to her after spending the better part of a year never going a day without seeing each other. Hoping she'd never have to get used to it, she said a silent prayer in her head, Makarov giving her space and silence to be able to visit in her own way, and grieve.

"He'll be alright" Makarov tried to give her hope, "He's pulled through worse" the old man blatantly lied, but he didn't feel like it was lie since Natsu could probably come back from the brink of anything, Makarov having seen him grow up first hand and the crazy things he'd been through.

Lucy nodded as she smiled and gave a silent thanks before excusing herself to return back home. When she came back in the boys had pretty much assumed she'd gone by the hospital, since there's nowhere else she'd go on her way home. None of them asked about how Natsu was, since they had a group chat that they all relayed his condition in, whoever was in his room with him at the times the doctor came in would send the message. Since there were so many of them who'd volunteered to keep his bedside occupied, no one was fatigued from having to constantly occupy his room. Lucy was the one more than anyone who had wanted to volunteer, but because of her schedule and upcoming performance, she couldn't, and it left her feeling even more guilty.


Her alarm clock went off once more. It was the weekend of Valentine's day, Saturday the 13th. The day of the music festival had arrived. Lucy heard the scream of the clock she was sleeping through as someone's hands on her shoulders that were gently shaking her.

"No..." she grumbled under her breath, her subconscious drifting to the normalcy of someone touching her as she woke up.

Gently sitting up she reached with her hands to cup the face of the person leaning over her bed, which was none other than Gray, who was blushing furiously and scowling as she held his face, knowing full well who her groggy brain was mistaking him for.

"Lucy..." he grumbled as the blond's eyes fluttered open, "You're going to be late."

The blond's eyes snapped all the way open as her eyes locked onto onyx hair and deep dark eyes, the shirtless man, clearly not her man, becoming less and less amused by the close proximity as she let go with a shriek and ensuing cascade of apologies that followed shortly after.

"Don't worry about it..." he grunted to her as he wiped a hand over his face. "Your security detail already has the car engine on. You need to throw your shoes on get to your trailer on site to get ready or Serano's going to flay you alive."

Lucy let another shriek escape her lips as she started scrambling around the room for sweats. Her stage clothes were with Serano and her stage team, no doubt in the trailer Gray mentioned. Lucy quickly sent Serano a text that she was on her way as the blond rushed out the door without her breakfast, or anything besides her phone and keys.

"Your-!" Laxus tried to yell at her to take the lunch bag but the front door was already shut as Lucy scrambled inside the sleek sedan with tinted windows, "That airhead..." he muttered.


"Hair!" Serano shouted for different teams to attend to Lucy as she sat on a little bar stool inside the temporarily erected double wide trailer behind the massive festival stage, "Make sure her facial features are distinguishable, but don't make her look cheap" Serano spoke to the make up artist who was putting the finishing touches on Lucy's stage look.

The woman nodded silently as she finished the playfully light pink lipstick. She was definitely not expecting the outfit she was wearing to be... as revealing as it was, but, it could've easily been worse. She wore a thick pink collar with a big metal hoop hanging from it tight around her neck like a choker. Her pink top looked like a frilly pink bra, as ribbons adored the middle and the base of where the straps connected to the cups. Two strings of pearls were attached to each strap base on the top, elegantly hanging off her shoulders and down across her arms on each side. There were the same string of two pearls on each side connected to the center point of her bra-top that cascaded around her torso sides in a similar fashion. The skirt was a pink tutu, but the fabric was long in the back. Her shoes were outrageously metalic bright pink and blue platform high-top sneakers. She secretly thanked Serano for not ending up making her dance her routine in heels.

"You're on in ten" Serano barked at her from the trailers doorway before slipping out to make her way to the main stage to prep for Lucy's arrival

We're all here Lucy saw a text from Mira in their group chat, followed by Levy chiming in that while she was not physically present, she was in Natsu's room and streaming the music festival on his room's TV. He's here for you too she tried to comfort her.

Lucy tried not to tear up so that her makeup would stay pristine, quickly tucking her phone away in her dressing table drawer before taking up a brisk pace to find Serano on the main stage. After catching up with her hellishly high stamina manager, Lucy was quickly ushered to side stage as she saw a crew in uniform moving her set pieces around and prepping the stage for her performance.

"Breathe" Serano said in Lucy's ear, in probably the most genteel tone she'd ever used with the blond, "This is your moment."

Lucy tried to smile as she bounced her way on stage, yelling into the microphone, "Helloooooo Magnolia!" she practically yelled into the mic as she was all smiles for her performance. She absolutely killed her first two numbers, sweating and panting by the end of it, then she took a moment to catch her breath before speaking calmly into the mic.

"I know many of you today were expecting nothing but upbeat music, but I'd like to take a moment to play something I wrote, a ballad of sorts..." she tried not to ramble as the middle of the stage opened up and a small circular platform rose from it with an ivory white grand piano resting on it. Lucy used some steps that were quickly ushered out before sitting down at the piano bench, adjusting the microphone and clearing her throat as the crowd was relatively silent, a few murmurs rippling through the rows of faces.

Lucy began playing the keys and immediately everyone was in awe the second her voice broke the haunting melody that played over their silence.

(The song is "After You" by Meghan Trainor, I do not own the rights to it)

Is this all we get? One short life?

Tell me we've got time

I saw a word, without you there

Somehow you weren't mine

And oooo please don't go... please don't go... and leave me alone.

By this point half the crowd was starting to hold up lighters, fully-bright cellphone screens, and all other manner of illumination as their arms swayed in reverence to her somber anthem. The camera man had panned to some of it, as Levy watched, tears already streaming down her face at Lucy's broken heart pouring out on stage, magnifying the true essence of what performing arts were supposed to make people feel as they watched and listened.

Don't wanna give my heart to someone new,

Won't be anybody after you.

And even one day our time is through,

Won't be anybody after you... after you.

I'll never find another lover after you...

Serano was putting her foot in her mouth, as well as being moved to tears, knowing the source of Lucy's muse as she let the tears silently glide down her cheeks, too full of pride to wipe them away she looked at her charge who was pouring their soul out to an untold number of people.


Levy was in Natsu's hospital room, her hand resting over the pinkette's idle fingers, which is why she was able to feel them twitch, even though her eyes were locked on the screen with her own tears being shed from Lucy's performance. Jerking her head down to look at the comatose patient in her car. Scrambling to grab her phone off the nightstand to text the group, but as she was doing so, she heard an audible groan from him, causing her to drop the phone as she type to run out of the room and shout for a nurse or doctor.

"nnngghh... Luce..." he croaked with his hoarse, unused vocal chords.

"Natsu!" Lucy was crying as she lightly jostled his arm, "Natsu look!" she tried to point towards the screen, tho his eyes weren't opened yet, crying both tears of sorrow and joy.

A few nurses came in and began taking his vitals and shining small examination light into his newly opened eyes as they began trying to ask questions, Lucy's performance now in the periphery of their focus as her song rang out through the room.

I won't be able to move on baby,

I won't be able to love nobody else,

So if you go, won't you me with you?

Don't leave me aloooooone~

As the nurses busied themselves with Natsu, Levy scooped her phone back up, erasing what she had typed before and simply sending "he's awake."

The flood of messages that ensued was immediate. Some had even spoke that they were immediately on their way, even though Lucy was completing the end of her performance on stage.


I don't wanna give my heart to someone new...

there won't be anybody after youuu...

and even if one day, our time is through!

won't be anybody after you!

after you! oooo after you

I'll never find another love after youuu...

As Lucy finished, a few of her own tears peppered her cheeks before she stood up to descent the stairs of the raised platform, the audience's applause practically shaking the stadium as she stood there, taken in by her own emotions as well as theirs. Not sure what else to do except bow as she shoulders shook and the rest of her tears began leaking out of her eyes.

"Lucy!" a voice rank out from the side of the stage, nearly inaudible from the noise of the applause.

When Lucy glanced over in the direction of her name being called, she saw Erza beckoning her over, holding Lucy's sweats draped over one of her arms, a sense of urgency painted on her face. Rushing over to grab the garments from her, taking her queue to leave the stage, "We have to go" Erza said as Lucy slipped on the warmer clothing over her stage clothes.

Erza grabbed the blonde's wrist as they took off, weaving through the backstage corridors until they came out to the preparation trailers on the back-end of the stadium. Offering the blond the vague explanation that they needed to go to the hospital. Lucy's jaw clenched, fearing the worst as Erza's car pulled out of the parking lot.

Having had the chance to finally check her phone, Lucy broke down into quiet sobs as she read Levy's message, proceeding to hold her phone to her chest as she wept silent tears, begging Erza to get there faster. The redhead swung through the drop off lane to the hospital's entrance, allowing the blond to run out as she went to park the car.

Lucy looked like a mess, her hair still the same from her performance, but her makeup was bleeding down her cheeks as her stage clothes peeked out from underneath her sweats, rending her a much different appearance than she'd had on stage. A few murmured whispers ensued from those waiting in the lobby as they pointed between her and the TV she had just been on almost an hour prior, the nurses quickly trying to usher her into the back before she garnered too much attention with her borderline incoherent speech and sobs.

"This way" a nurse quickly ushered her through the hallways corridors, leading her to a smaller waiting room in a different ward of the hospital.

A few familiar faces greeted her, but gave her some respectable space as she was led to Natsu's room. She had to pause in the doorway when she heard his raspy voice speaking to whoever was inside, the volume just above a whisper, only able to see his blanket-covered legs from the door.

Levy came around the corner of the room, spotting Lucy as she hitched her breath and quickly went to grab the blonde's arm, dragging her the rest of the way into the room despite her current state of shock and disbelief. The mascara and eyeliner still tear stained down her cheeks as new rivers began flowing through the existing streaks.

After Lucy approached his bedside, the pinkette offered her a melancholy smile and a thumbs up, causing the blond the break down as she fell to her knees at his bed side, resting her head in arms as she lay her head down next to him sobbing. Levy gently rested her hand on the blonds head, combing some of her hair back from her face before quietly taking her leave to go back to the lobby outside. She had safe-guarded the door from the others who had arrived before her, insistent that Lucy was going to be his first visitor, herself not withstanding since she'd already been in the room when he woke.

After seeing Levy leave the room, Natsu expended much of his effort to move his body so he was able to turn slightly on his side, trying to move his chord and IV-bound arms so his hands could cup Lucy's face, begging her to look up and meet his gaze, her red puffy-eyes meeting his crystal clear ones.

"I... I was lost without you..." she blubbered between her sobs, unable to stop her tears.

The pinkette had to stop himself from snorting as his thumbs swiped her tears and further smudged her makeup, "But you found me" he tried to offer, "I'm so proud of you Luce..."

Natsu didn't try to further speak, as he knew that the blond was in a high state of performance anxiety and turbulence. After nearly an hour of her sobbing, she eventually passed out there half on the floor. It was a while before anyone else came into the room, knowing Natsu and Lucy needed time.


To Be Continued...