Hey Guys!

It's good to be back at this! A few things, we are almost to our next major milestone, 20 chapters! When that happens, I'm throwing myself a party. Not literally of course, but I will feel mighty accomplished. Also, being a teacher means that school will be starting soon. My goal is to still get at least one chapter done a week but with COVID and the new regulations it has placed on all the teachers, I may have to go on radio silence until I can get into the rhythm of the new routine. However, if I feel this is necessary I will let you know in advance. With that being said, I am hoping to have chapter 20 done before something like that might happen.

Anyway, sorry that was long. As always enjoy, review, and comment.

- Singed

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Lucy

Natsu practically pranced as he hauled his monster fish from the woods to the guildhall. He planned on asking Mira to cook it for him and if Lucy were honest, she was both happy and disappointed that he hadn't asked her. She'd gotten used to cooking for him and even though it was a pain some of the time she always found a supreme satisfaction over watching him enjoy the food she prepared.

"So how are you going to ask Mira to cook your fish?"

"I don't really care. I'd ask you normally because you do a better job, but it's only a few days before the wedding and you deserve a break." Lucy smiled and sighed. As always, her anxieties were unwarranted, at least her anxieties concerning Natsu and her. He'd always be there for her and it would seem that he would always put her first.

When they arrived it was crowded like always, but none of their main group was there yet. Everyone usually showed up at some point during the evening. Natsu immediately went to Mira, who almost fell over when she saw the size of the fish. Lucy, who was nearby, heard Mira agree.

"Really? Thanks, Mira."

"However, you need to gut and clean it first. I'm not touching it otherwise." Natsu took it in stride and Lucy suspected that he'd figured that this is what would happen. He disappeared into the back and Lucy decided to sit at their usual table and get in more writing if she had the time. To be honest, she was never really sure how much time this sort of thing took. Natsu usually brought his fish already gutted and cleaned when he wanted her to prepare it.

Piece 18 - If Your Falling then I'm Coming Too.

Natsu,

You have never been one to do anything by halves. If you choose to do something, you usually give it your all. It is part of the reason it took me so long to fully understand you. You were so involved and passionate at times and at others, so lazy and unconcerned. It took me a while to realize that it would be impossible, even for you to be "fired up" all the time. So, if nothing was going on or you didn't care about it, it took a lot to get you moving. However, if something mattered to you, nothing in this world, or the next, was going to stop you.

This was why I wasn't at all surprised at the multiple shocking, groundbreaking moments that happened during the Hades fight. What a fight it was. We all just wanted it to be over. I was concerned for Levy and desperately wanted to see her, but I knew with Hades still around and Zeref possibly with him, we couldn't allow him to do as he pleased. So, I joined you and the rest in the fight. To be honest, I felt way out of my league, but it was ultimately a good thing I was there. I ended up saving two lives that day. Wendy's was the first of course.

That was one of the scariest moments of my life. I thought she was dead, but good old Horologium came in just in the knick of time and saved her. I was so relieved I almost passed out, but I didn't have time as the battle began in earnest. He was a monster, full of power and intent to kill. I was terrified that someone was going to pay that price when Laxus showed up and saved our butts.

To be honest, I almost relaxed when he got involved. He was always so powerful, not that I had forgotten what he'd done to us, but I could tell something had changed in him. He was no longer the man who had tried to destroy Fairy Tail. That battle was great, but he lost, much to our shock (pun intended). That was when he gifted you with lightning magic to finish off the battle. That shouldn't have been possible, but there you were shooting off fire and lightning like you'd been doing it your whole life. It was breathtaking and though your strength already impressed me, I gained a whole new appreciation for you that day.

I remember Erza mentioning that watching you power up with both flame and lighting was like the time you'd eaten etherion back at the Tower of Heaven. The power you wielded during that battle was unprecedented and I'll never forget the look of pure shock when Hades bound your hands with his magic chain and you snapped it in two. Then you hit him so hard that he flew through a few walls and laid there, as if dead. For a moment, we all thought he was.

I remember Grey muttering something about being thankful that it was over. I turned to you, to give you a word of praise and congratulations for beating him but you looked dead on your feet.

'I told you,' you said as you swayed, 'that this is what happens to those who mess with Fairy Tail.' Then to my horror, you began to fall into a hole we had previously made through our battle. I ended up moving faster than I thought possible and I caught you as you fell. It was a close call, something that still gives me some anxiety when I stop to think about it. Had I been any slower… But I wasn't.

'Thanks,' you muttered, barely able to talk. 'That was a close one. I don't suppose you have any food tucked up in that outfit, do yah?' The thing is, normally I'd have been annoyed or at least indifferent towards such a comment. But that time, I remember just being so happy that you were alive, so amused that even at a time like that all you could think about was food, that I softly smiled and I could practically feel all the affection I had for you pour out of my eyes.

Of course, because our lives are never easy and we all have an interesting brand of luck, Hades was not dead as we'd hoped. We'd later find out that it was due to his use of the demon heart he kept in the center of his ship and it's survival meant that Hades too survived. Upon standing and making some arrogant assertion, he removed his eye patch and we got a taste of his real power. I had assumed that I had gotten a taste of real power when you'd knocked him out, but nothing could prepare me for what he had. His power just kept building and what he could do with it was downright impossible, or at least should have been. Instead, there he was building demons out of nothing but debris. I remember trying to shield you by holding onto you. You had just saved us all by using the last of your power, and now I was determined to protect you, but I was powerless to do so. Wendy cried because she was scared, I cried into your shoulder, holding onto your arm with a death grip because I couldn't save or protect you when I most needed too.

So, being totally in love with you, but completely unaware of it, I wrapped myself more around you, both taking comfort and trying to give it. I remember feeling so helpless, more helpless than I had been as a child in my cold, loveless home. When suddenly, you grabbed my arm, and in a completely Natsu move, you rallied us by telling us that we had everything we needed right there to defeat him. That we had learned our limits, but only so we could challenge them and grow stronger. That all we needed to have the courage and strength to defeat this guy was to believe in each other.

You know, I'm not sure why we are always so surprised when you make these types of speeches. You've made them enough times, they are almost commonplace now. But, you are also completely dimwitted and spacey so much of the time that it causes everyone to forget how smart and shockingly deep you really are.

Of course, we beat the guy by launching you at him just as Happy, Carla, and Lily destroyed the heart. I won't lie, it felt great when he went down for good, though that might have something to do with the Tenrou tree being back and us having our invincibility again. I also remember saving your scarf and having to carry you, well for ten feet before Capricorn came to our rescue, but honestly, I was so relieved to see everyone that I somewhat forget all the details of what happened just after the fight. But, what I will never forget about that fight was that determination I felt. I laid awake sometime later, trying to figure it out because it wasn't going away. It was like that one fight fully solidified something for me. If you were going down, then I was going down with you.

Love,

Lucy

Lucy quickly sealed the letter into its envelope and placed it in her bag. Not seeing Natsu, Lucy pulled out her book and started reading. She was maybe a page in when Natsu and Mira came gliding over to the table with the large fish prepared and steaming. Natsu sat, happy as a clam, and dug in.

"Do you want anything Lucy?" Mira asked.

"Huh, just a salad and some tea Mira."

"Coming up," Mira chirped and pranced away. Lucy happily waited, having a small halted conversation with Natsu as she had to wait for his responses between bites, chews, and swallows. She was perfectly content, that is until Erza slammed a fist against her table.

Startled, Lucy looked up and saw Erza, looking annoyed, Mira behind her somewhat uncomfortable, Cana, already drunk but a bit uneasy, and Levy and Wendy bringing up the rear, both blushing redder than a tomato.

"Lucy, we must discuss this morning." And with that, Lucy's good mood vanished.

Natsu

Natsu stretched and sighed in contentment. He was almost done for the night and it felt so good to know that for once he was able to do something without bailing out just because he didn't feel like doing it. Okay, so he'd done it before, but it was rare so he would be proud of himself regardless.

He leaned forward to start the next video when his sensitive ears picked up the distant rumble of thunder. He paused for a moment, listening, and heard another soon after. It was a tad louder this time and he knew that soon a storm would be right over his head. In all honesty, he always liked thunderstorms. The sound, the heavy rain, the dancing lights, the sheer power of it all, yet calming, as long as the winds didn't cause problems.

As if struck by the very lightening he was anticipating, he had an idea. He grabbed the lacrima and walked outside. The air was still and heavy, the crickets' staccato chirps loud in the unusual silence. This, even more than what his ears were hearing, told him that a storm was coming. He sat close by his house so that the lantern would still illuminate him and he turned on the lacrima.

Piece 18 - You're Falling With Me

"Hey Luce," he looked up at the sky. "There is a storm coming, I can hear it in the distance. It will be a big one, but it shouldn't cause any damage. Lily will probably snuggle with Gajeel all the same." Natsu cracked a smile and chuckled a little at his own comment. He liked Lily, but that meant that he'd give the exceed a hard time whenever he could.

"Anyway, it's come to my attention that storms seem to follow us. Do you know what I'm saying? It seems like we have more than our fair share of storms during important or even unimportant times. Maybe that is why I find them so calming, they've become pretty normal." As if in an answer and a greeting, a quick gust shot through the trees and caressed Natsu. It brought the smell of rain, followed by another low rumble.

"Lightning also always meant Laxus for me, too. He never scared me, even with all his power and at times anger. I never really read the guy as a danger even when he tried to be. So, I was really happy to see him on Tenrou when he came out of nowhere and helped to fight Hades. I guess I hadn't realized how much I'd missed the guy, even if he was nothing but bad-tempered. I was a bit annoyed that he came in and took over our fight, but even I was aware that we needed all the help we could get. Laxus had always been one of the most powerful members of the guild, maybe even the most powerful next to Gramps, so I wasn't worried."

Natsu suddenly started laughing. "Man, that fight was perhaps the first time I ever worried about Laxus. To watch him get beat like that and know that he didn't have enough left to take on Hades. I was even more shocked, pun intended when he sent me his remaining magical power to turn me into a flame lightning dragon slayer." As if on cue a loud crack resounded over the wind and a flash danced across the sky.

Natsu lost it, laughing like a little boy. "See, even the storm agrees that I was epic! Anyway, I'd never held that much power before, so I was more than happy to wield it. I'm not what you'd call power-hungry, but I do enjoy gaining it and then using it when necessary. Man, I put all I had into that fight and when I watched Hades go through that wall and not move for a few minutes, I could have jumped for joy and shot off a fireball or two. I would have if I wasn't so exhausted and unable to move."

Another gust of wind, more powerful than the first swept over Natsu and his hair stood on end for a moment. "Man, this storm is coming in strong. I'll have to hurry. Anyway, next thing I know, I'm falling. I wasn't even aware that I was standing next to a hole. To be honest, I didn't care that I was falling either. At that point, I'd survived a fight with Hades and no fall was going to kill me. Of course, I'd forgotten how high up we were and that there was a lot of debris, mostly sharp that could have easily impaled me."

He sighed, a look of gratitude and love passing over his face. "Then you caught me. It kind of surprised me because even though I'm thin, I'm all muscle and that makes me pretty heavy. You had grown a lot stronger in your magic, but physical strength was never your deal. It just added another hot quality to your list and I was both impressed and a little worried as to what other secrets you were keeping. I could barely speak, but I was able to open my eyes just a little and when I saw you, dressed in blue and white, blond hair floating around you like an angel, I couldn't help but love you at that moment. I think I might have even said something about it if my stomach hadn't made his presence known. I was suddenly very aware of how hungry I was and I know I said something about it because you smiled and made a small hum of amusement."

A few drops of rain kissed Natsu's face and without any other warnings, he was soaked by a sudden downpour. "Well, I guess this is my second bath tonight. Anyway, the feeling passed, especially because of everything that happened soon afterward, what with Hades not being dead and having to fight him all over again, and then that whole Achnologia thing. But, again I'm getting ahead of myself. It's just, at that moment I realized, while I was held by your arm that you were willing to fall with me. I've had a lot of people willing to fight with me and even live life with me, but no one seemed ready to fall with me. It's an amazing feeling to know that you found someone like that." Another flash of lightning followed the statement, making Natsu laugh again. He stood up and finished the recording as he walked soaking into the house.

"Just remember Lucy that at one time I could ignore my feelings and even forget them, but I was only falling in love then. Now, I'm at the bottom, fully aware, and more than happy to tell you that I love you. See you soon Lucy." Natsu shut the lacrima off and placed it on the table. He dried himself as he had earlier that night and sighed. The thunderstorm continued outside and Natsu went to watch it for a while at his open door.