Summary: The Lucy in Natsu's heart scene we were totally cheated out of in the Manga….

Pairings: Natsu/Lucy and some implied family and friendship feels.

Author's Note: Thank you all for giving me over ELEVEN THOUSAND AND FIVE HUNDRED reviews! I hope you all continue to enjoy this.

"You have to make a choice."

It was no longer a surprise to Natsu that his 'spiritual guide' into his own heart had changed again. He had already spoken to Zeref, Rogue, Sting, Gajeel, Wendy, and Igneel and they had changed back and forth so regularly and quickly that it had made Natsu's head spin.

So to hear the familiar, warm, soft voice that tugged at his heartstrings from behind him didn't really surprise him at all.

It only surprised him that Lucy hadn't appeared earlier.

"Lucy," he murmured, "I've been looking for you."

It wasn't until he said it that he realised that was the truth. He had met some of the most important and dearest people in his life in this weird dream, hallucination, thing and yet there was still so many more he had not been greeted by.

He had a big heart and it was filled with a lot of people.

But Lucy has always taken the most of the room.

She stared back blankly. Her dark eyes were flat and empty and her smile was missing entirely. "You're dying," she said flatly. Igneel had said the same thing but it sounded a hundred times worse. From her lips. "You heard what Igneel said about the demon seed and the dragon seed if you want to live you're going to have to make a choice."

"I only want to be with you and keep on having adventures," Natsu mumbled, "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Luce."

That was his plan for the future that he had hinted to her before this never-ending battle started. A whole lifetime of them being together and having adventures and spending time with their friends. He has never wanted anything more than he wanted that.

Lucy smiled at that. "Good," she said happily, "but you still have to make a choice."

"Demon, Dragon," Natsu said scathingly, "what does that matter? I'm human. I've always been human and I always will be. There's only one choice I need to make and that's to live." He wasn't going to let what Zeref did to him or how Igneel raised him from stopping him actually living his life the way he wanted to. "To live with you, to grow old with you, to have adventures, and continue to fight."

Lucy's smile was utterly radiant at this point. "Then live!" she cried out happily as she held her hand out to him. "Come back to me so we can do all of that. I've been trying to keep you alive the best I can but you need to help me."

"Yeah, I know," he could feel and smell her close by. He might be in another reality of his own making but that didn't mean he couldn't feel something holding onto his body. It was a weird, vague, sense. "How do I help you?" he asked.

"Oh that's easy," she replied, "All you have to do is take my hand then I can pull you back. I'm your anchor, you know, I keep you steady," she mumbled weirdly as she suddenly looked all shifty and nervous and weird.

"Jeeze!" Natsu rolled his eyes. "I knew that already you weirdo. You've always been my anchor."

And at that, without a moment's hesitation, he reached out and grabbed her hand. Her small fingers slid between his with ease as he soaked in the soft touch of her palms, the warmth of her skin, and the general Lucy-ness of it all. The weird two seed things behind him vanished as he suddenly felt lighter and fitter than before.

He could fight a hundred Zerefs and not feel a thing!

"Come on then," Lucy's voice echoed in his ears, "let's go home."

And there was a blinding, golden, light that hurt his eyes as he felt like he was flying upwards and then –

Lucy's brown eyes were filled with concern as her worried face leaned in close to his. He could feel her warm breath against his skin and every movement she made as she breathed in and out. The rise of her naked chest, the-

Natsu's eyes bulged out as he realised that they were both very much naked and touching one another.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"