This is the final chapter, guys. I have no plans to add any more to this story, like I am slowly doing for Surprise Guest, so I hope you will be satisfied with this ending. As always, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support. Every favorite, follow, review, and message make me extremely happy and thankful. Readers like you make these stories worth writing.

So, for the last time (for now), thanks for all the love, and happy reading.

Levy arrived at Lucy's door an hour after the sun rose the next morning. She had wanted to arrive sooner, but had decided that waiting would be the best move. While she was curious about what Lucy was up to, she didn't want to rush the woman. She knocked and waited patiently until the door swung open.

"Good morning."

Levy was surprised to find a man in front of her. With tousled pink hair and a sheet wrapped around his lower half, he looked as though he had just rolled out of bed. Levy stared at him, confused about why he was answering Lucy's door.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Levy?"

"Good morning, Natsu." The moment of hesitation disappeared and Levy shook her head a bit. Why was she questioning Lucy's husband being there? That was ridiculous. "I was wondering if Lucy is available."

"She's actually asleep already," he answered apologetically. "She hasn't slept well recently, so she's trying to catch up."

"Oh, well I hope she's okay. I know she's been upset recently." Levy frowned. Why was Lucy upset? Didn't they just talk about it yesterday? Why couldn't she remember?

"She's fine," he reassured her. "She just needs to rest."

"Alright. Well, I'll come by later, if that's okay?"

"Sure," he said. "Just wait until this afternoon. Unless it's urgent?"

Levy shook her head. "No, it's nothing. Um…" She hugged herself as she looked up at him. "Has she been up to anything recently? Planning anything?"

"I don't think so," he said. "She hasn't mentioned anything, and she would have told me if she was."

"You're right," she said. "There's very little she won't tell me, and she doesn't keep any secrets from you." She let out a breath. "I feel a lot better. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He gave her a small bow and grinned at her. "Don't work too hard, okay?"

"I won't," she said and then left with a wave.

As soon as Natsu closed the door, small hands found their way around his middle and a soft feminine form pressed closely to his back. "Levy is worried about you," he noted.

"Mmmm." Lucy rubbed her cheek against his naked back. "Thank you for getting the door."

"That was absolutely nerve wracking, by the way." Lucy giggled as he turned and pulled her into his arms. "Did you have to give me my old memories, too? This would be so much easier without them."

"I wanted you to be all of you, so I couldn't leave out even a little bit." She sighed as she pressed against him, truly happy for the first time in her life.

Levy had been right when she visited the previous morning- without her, this wouldn't have been possible. Every single one of her parents' possessions had been destroyed or 'lost' once they died, so she'd been left with nothing to help her or learn about her family. If Levy hadn't held onto that book, she'd never have been able to fix everything. She'd have to find some way to repay Levy, once everything had settled down.

Lucy reveled in the way Natsu's hands moved up and down her back, relaxing her with their heat. She'd never had any idea that such feelings existed. This freedom, this safety from having someone so close and so devoted to you. So completely in your corner… What she'd felt for him before was only a fraction of what she felt now, and she loved it.

Being without any emotions had been awful, and she was never going back.

Natsu kissed the top of her head. "You do know that because you made me me… this is going to take some getting used to, right?"

"I know," she said, "and I'm okay with it. I can wait for you as long as I need to."

They'd already discussed things, and she was okay with his hesitation. The attraction and attachment he'd felt before had been a kind of love that didn't fit into their narrative anymore. Things were going to be weird for a while between them, but she was certain everything would eventually work out. If her ancestor could do it, then so could she.

Natsu chuckled before leaning forward and tossing her up into his arms. She sighed as he carried her to her bedroom, where he gently set her down before laying down at her side. "I still don't understand," he said as he got comfortable.

"Don't understand what?" she asked.

"Why you chose me. Why you brought me back this way."

She frowned at him, confused, so he explained. "I'm just a poor orphan boy who used to bring you flowers. Why on earth did you develop feelings for me? And if you brought me back for this face, and this," he gestured down at himself, "body, you could have done it without the memories. You could have created me as a devoted, doting husband who was already madly in love with you, and instead of us just sitting here talking, you could have been getting… you know…"

Lucy couldn't think of anything more adorable than the way he was blushing so she feigned ignorance. "What do you mean? Getting what?"

He kept his eyes averted as he puffed up his cheeks. "You could have been getting... acquainted with this body-"

Laughter burst out of Lucy. "Acquainted?!"

"Stop laughing!" He grumbled as she continued to laugh. "What word do you want me to use? I was still young when I died. I have no experience with this!"

Talk of him dying cut her humor short. She sat up with a sigh and leaned forward to press her forehead against his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset," he reassured her, "just embarrassed."

They stayed like that for a while before Lucy broke the silence. "Are you really okay with this?" she asked, pulling away so she could see his face. "Are you okay with… what I did? Making you a god and… my husband?"

He took her hand gently in his, the same way he had done the last day he visited her. "If there was ever a human woman for me, I never met her. As far as I'm concerned, my human life is over, along with the possibility of a human life with marriage and children and all that.

"My new life is here, now, with you." He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I have loved you since I was a child, so I don't think it will be too hard for that to change into the kind of love a man has for his wife." He faltered, his eyes finding where their hands were linked as he worked on finding the right words to voice his question.

"Are you okay… waiting?" His hand tensed around hers. "I don't want to rush this and ruin it for either of us. If we're going to be together for the next few dozen centuries, I want to fall in love with you properly, so that you know that what I feel is real, and not just me acting the part. I want to be able to be the husband that a goddess like you deserves." He looked up and she became mesmerized by those dark, dark pools. "So will you let me have some time? To court you and fall in love with you the right way? I would rather develop those feelings for real, for both of us, than have to fake it for the rest of our very long existence."

Lucy chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I can wait," she reassured him. "I have been without a family and emotions for so long, it will be a treat to wait for you. Just don't take too long," she said. "If we're still this far along in a decade, I might have to start questioning my choice." Natsu chuckled as he pulled her close. As she settled against his side, he reveled at the turn his life had taken.

From a poor orphan boy with no one but his brother to rely on, to a god whose brother had deceived him and whose goddess had not only saved him, but given him a life and purpose. He'd been lucky, he thought. He wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn't found her. Where would he have ended up without her influence?

He watched as the stars in her hair moved around, settling only when Leo lifted free near Lucy's temple. He watched Natsu carefully for a time before walking along a long strand that had settled across Lucy's chest, just shy of touching him. Leo stopped at the end of her hair and headbutted Natsu's stomach.

Natsu chuckled as he reached with a finger to rub the lion on his head. "Thank you Leo," he said. "I owe you a lot, too." He could feel a slight vibration coming from Leo as he rubbed his head and then a strange warmth radiated out of him and through Natsu's finger. He could feel happiness, respect, and some appreciation in that touch, and Natsu marveled once more at the wonder that was Lucy Heartfilia, Goddess of the Stars and Night Sky, sole heir to the Origin.

"Don't worry," he reassured the small constellation. "I'll do my best to take care of her. Same as you."

That seemed to appease Leo, because the leader of the Zodiac nodded at him once before making his way back to where he had appeared before sinking once more into Lucy's hair.

Natsu decided that a nap wouldn't be the worst thing, so once he was sure they were both comfortable and Lucy was covered with a blanket, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax.

He had questions, of course, and there was a lot to do if he was going to figure out how to be a god. Not to mention the whole pretending to be a husband thing while also wooing his wife and falling in love with her properly. There was an entire new world for him to explore and gods for him to meet, as well as a friend to get to know and befriend for real. For now, though, sleep next to his goddess seemed like the best use of his time.

Natsu sighed as he thought back once more to the day he'd first seen Lucy's temple. It had been lonely and unimpressive compared to the rest of the shrines. The colors, though, had drawn him in. The rest of the shrines had been made out of plain, slightly different shades of white, all boring and mundane, but not hers. Hers had been colorful, and bright, and eye-catching. Even without actually meeting her that first time, he had known someone was there, so he'd gone back. Week after week, always bringing flowers that would disappear before his next visit, hoping against hope that there was actually someone there. And now, with her right there at his side…

He was so glad he had found her.