Hey Guys,

I am so sorry that this took so long! A lot has happened and I just needed the summer to fully arrive before I really had the time I needed to devote to this. I will hopefully be getting 2 chapters done a week, but I can't guarantee anything as I do have a summer job and other things going on. However, I don't foresee any major pauses, like the last one.

As always, I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment and review.

- Singed

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Lucy

Lucy came out of her dreams slowly. She was in that world between waking and sleeping, and all she really wanted to do was go back to sleep. She had been having such a nice dream. She and Natsu were already married and setting up the house. They had been laughing and joking, while Levy and Gajeel, who was eating a frying pan, helped in the kitchen. Gray and Juvia were there too, cleaning the bathroom. Gray had been wearing nothing but an apron, much to Juvia's delight. Happy had flown in at some point with Carla, who announced she was going to have Happy's kitten. Everyone had congratulated them, but of course, in the light of day, it was nothing more than one of those rare peaceful dreams.

"A dream I'd like to go back too," Lucy sighed as she dragged herself from the bed. She needed to be at the seamstresses in an hour and a half. It would only take her a five-minute walk from her apartment and showering and breakfast would take thirty minutes tops. So why had she woken so early? To write a letter of course. When she had set her alarm lacrima the night before it had seemed like a good idea, now, she was sure she was certifiable.

"I can't write like this. I don't even think emotions exist this early," she complained, quite dramatically. She made coffee and breakfast first. Lucy decided on scrambled eggs as it was a healthier choice than what she really wanted, waffles with syrup. As she ate, she mused about what her next piece was. Honestly, there was quite a bit of time from the almost date to the next moment she had felt anything other than friendship and annoyance for the pyro.

Finishing breakfast, she stepped into the shower, setting the water temperature to hot. It burned a little, but it woke her up. She really was having a difficult time deciding what to write about next. There had been little moments that warmed her heart, but when she mused on one of these, they didn't do anything for her. No, she'd have to go with a bigger event, but which one. At this point, she and the gang had been on so many adventures that her entire life felt like one long event.

She was ringing the water out of her long hair when it hit her. She needed a haircut something fierce, unfortunately, she needed the length for her wedding. But more importantly, watching the water flow down the drain made her remember a very specific and very important moment for both of them. Throwing on her outfit for the day, she raced to her desk, still tired, but no longer drowsy.

Piece 11 - You Look Good In A Sunset

"Hey, Natsu,"

"As I write this, a beautiful sunrise is peaking through my window. The oranges and pinks remind me of you, but it also reminds me of a time when we watched a sunset. To be honest, I'm not sure how much of the actual event you'll remember as you were pretty out of it. I'm not even sure how you ended up on that raft. I'm assuming that you were tricked by Gemini, who we're pretending to be Gray at the time. All I know is that it landed on me to save you thanks to all those crazy circumstances."

"You know, come to think of it. It was the first time I really saved your life. I had helped you before. I had given you assistance in numerous fights and held you back from the wind barrier, but that time I battled Angel to save you and ultimately a few celestial spirits in the process, was the first time your life was truly in my hands." Lucy smirked as she remembered it.

"That was a hard battle, and to be honest I'd call it the hardest. True, I've fought more powerful people since then, but she was the first one I'd ever battled on my own that could be considered a life or death situation. I guess Sherry could count, but she was never very serious. Anyway, you know me I'll fight to my last breath, something we have in common. However, with that one, I went far past my limit, and even in the midst of battle, I knew it. The thing is, I didn't realize why I did it until later. Part of it was because of the spirits. It wasn't right what she was doing to them and I needed to get my revenge for all the celestial mages she'd killed to get their keys. But, the other, larger part was you."

"I knew that if I lost there was nothing stopping her from killing you. She wouldn't even feel bad about killing either of us, at least at that time she wouldn't have. So, I fought and she lost. I was so relieved when she fell that I almost forgot about you completely. I just wanted to lay in the stream and take a rest. Of course, that was when your raft started bouncing downstream. I had to run to keep up, only to finally make it just before we went over a waterfall."

"I didn't have time to do anything else but clutch you tightly to myself and try to protect you as we both flew over the cliff. I'm not entirely sure when I lost consciousness, but I do remember my last thought. It was more of a prayer actually. "Please, let him he okay."

Lucy stopped writing for a second and looked out her window. The sun was steadily climbing and she knew that she was running out of time, but she needed to clear her mind and relive that moment to get this next part right. Looking back on all those memories, she wondered why she has never realized the true depth of her feelings, but when one is falling in love, it can be quite confusing.

Shaking her head, she put her quill to the parchment once more. "When I awoke, I found that Virgo had changed our wet clothes for us to some rather stylish outfits. Of course, they matched, but I didn't really care. At least, I didn't until it was pointed out. But the part that really stood out to me was how, in the middle of your angry rant, you stopped and sincerely thanked me. I was floored, I had honestly thought you were too out of it to know what was going on. I remember looking into your eyes as you said it and seeing such intensity that I couldn't help but blush and stammer out a response. I was already confused by my reaction, especially when I felt the blush but then Happy had to make some quip about me loving you. You ignored it, and I tried too, but I was surprised to realize how embarrassed I was about it. I hadn't felt anything for you in a long time and so I should have been able to ignore Happy, only I couldn't."

"Sometimes Natsu, I wonder at myself. I know that I'm smart and usually pretty good at a puzzle, but when it comes to my own emotions I can't seem to figure them out at all. However, at that moment I knew enough to realize that my crush might still have some surviving roots. I wasn't worried. I had no time to be and I was sure that with how much you'd been annoying me recently those roots would die. They didn't obviously, maybe because you did just enough to endear yourself to me, or maybe because in that outfit and with that bright orange sunset, I thought you very handsome."

Lucy stopped writing and decided that that was enough. She wasn't happy with the letter. It rambled a bit and seemed to never really have much of a point, but she realized as she signed and sealed it that that was the point. Life was a mess and one prolonged ramble. Perhaps admitting that she didn't have it all together would let him know it was real.

With a smirk, she tucked it with the others and grabbed her dress before walking to the seamstresses. She would get there right as they opened and if she were lucky, no one else would be there.

Natsu

Natsu looked at himself in the mirror. He had slept like a rock, but he was never that pretty in the morning. It usually took him a good half hour to fully wake up but he didn't really have that today. He had overslept and if he was going to finish his lacrima for the day and help Lucy with whatever it was she needed help with, then he needed to get going.

He jumped into the freezing cold water of the bath, heating it to a nice steam as he scrubbed. He dressed quickly and dried his hair as he thought about his next piece. It was an ... interesting one, nothing overly romantic, in fact, some of it was a little ... skeevy, and more than a little embarrassing for him. One would think that if you dealt with a condition your whole life that you would stop being embarrassed by it, but no. Every time he had to deal with his motion sickness he always felt a little annoyed. At least he didn't blush anymore.

He sat down with his breakfast, some eggs and bacon, and turned on the 2nd lacrima. He shoved the first mouthful between his teeth just as it blinked on.

Piece 11 - My Knight in Shinning Armor

"Hey Luce," he tried to say, but it came out more, "Heaaaa Ooosss," as some egg bits flew. He swallowed and tried again.

"It's a beautiful morning here. As you can see I'm eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. I'd normally be trying to think what it was you wanted me to do, but The last thing for me to do is pick up the rings and they won't be ready for another few days so I'll check in with you later."

He quickly swallowed another mouthful and then continued. "Anyway, I guess I should get going on my next piece." Natsu smiled and shoved more food down his throat before he began. "It was during that whole Oracion Seis and Nirvana situation. I'd been running through the woods when I found Gray lying face down in a stream of water. I went down to get him, when whoosh, I was on a raft. I was out of it from then on but with it enough to pick up bits and pieces."

"First, I realized that Gray wasn't Gray. It was those twin spirits, Germy or something, anyway, I knew I was in trouble because I figured I was at their non-existent mercy when I heard your voice. I was relieved because I knew that our bond was strong and that you would not allow me to die, just like I would never allow you to die. Second, I heard Germy Gray say how he liked you, and for some reason, that really pissed me off! I mean, where did he come off making a pass at my partner? I was going to need to have a serious talk with him. I never did because I forgot about it for a long time, but it's a memory that still gets me steaming." Natsu actually was steaming a little, whatever water was left in his hair and on his skin was quickly evaporating and escaping.

"Third, you have a very nice rack. I mean, I'd been aware of this fact for a while, but when Germy Lucy flashed everyone to get you off your game, I will say that I was both appreciative and ready to blind the others there. It was slow, but you were awakening both my dragon sex drive and my dragon jealousy. If I had been more in a position to do something I would have destroyed Germy and their handler and then burned that memory from everyone's mind. At the time, I thought it was because I was protective of you, which I am, but I'm protective because you are the woman I love. I just didn't know that then. Fourth, you fought your butt off to save my life. What little I saw and understood through my vertigo showed me just how strong you'd become in both your magic and convictions. It was a beautiful thing to behold. I wanted to cheer when you defeated her with that awesome spell, but then the raft came loose and I lost consciousness as you raced after me."

Natsu quickly finished his plate and belched for good measure, before moving on. "When I finally came too Virgo was there with you and I noticed that I was in a new outfit. I actually kind of liked it, but the situation at hand quickly came back and my anger got the better of me. I remember ranting a little, only to suddenly notice the surrounding area. We were in a completely different spot from where we started and there was a waterfall nearby. I'm not the smartest, but I can put two and two together and I realized that we had gone over it. It was enough to make me stop and thank you. You had saved my life, of that I was sure and you deserved to know how grateful I was."

"You seemed a little shocked at the thanks and when Happy made fun of you about you loving me, I saw the blush. It made me wonder, for just a moment if you really did. I was surprised that I liked the idea because it would mean that you would be there to always watch my back. Of course, I forgot these thoughts quickly enough as there were adventures and battles to get to, but looking back on it now, you had done something for me that no one else had. You had fought for me. Igneel and Erza had both sacrificed themselves for me, well tried to, but you had done the harder thing. You had fought."

"Anyway, I have to go. I need to see what you're up too!" With that, he signed off and stretched. He opened the door to see a note pinned to it.

- Natsu,

Lily and I are going to look at a few more places. Carla might return today. If she does, tell her that we're planning on having dinner at the Guild.

- Happy

Nodding, Natsu burned up the note and walked out. He'd deliver the message if he remembered. But more importantly, he needed to find Lucy and make sure she was still crazy enough to marry him.