Epilogue: Seven Months Later
The sky was painted a strange, dark red. But that was to be expected with an eclipse. Thankfully this eclipse day was much less eventful than the last eclipse. No time gates. No dragons. No life-or-death situations. Outside of the eclipse, the day was pretty normal for most of the world. Peaceful. Except in one private wing of a Crocus hospital. A few reporters had caught wind of the news. That killer Elena Alteria had gone into labor, and had flooded the lobby. But they were not allowed up on the top floor where the action was actually happening.
"Come one, you're almost there," a healer encouraged.
Elena shook her head as she gasped for breath. She didn't want to push anymore, not just because of the man, but because of the strange man standing in the back corner, arms crossed, head hung.
"You have to push!" the healer said again.
Despite her unwillingness to, instinct took over and she began to push again.
"AUGH!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. Not because of pain, but because of what she knew would happen once the child was born.
"And there we go!" the healer cheered as she stood to her feet, a white bundle in her arms. "A healthy little girl!"
Elena lunged forward, fighting against the magic cancelling restraints that held her in spot.
"Let me see her, let me see her please!" she begged, tears running down her face. "Please, I want to hold her, just once!"
The healer jumped back, narrowing her eyes at Elena.
"Go on," the man in the corner said.
The healer gave him a bewildered look.
"It's not like she's going to go anywhere," he pointed out. "Let her say goodbye."
The healer nodded slowly and set the baby against Elena's chest. Elena gasped as she saw the child, bursting into tears. She was unable to hold the child, though, because her hands were chained to the bed by magic blocking handcuffs. Instead she just laid there, kissing the baby's head.
"You're so pretty," she whispered. "You're perfect. So, so perfect."
"Alright," the man sighed, almost sounding regretful for what he was about to do. "I've got to get going."
He scooped the child into his arms.
"No, don't!" Elena begged. "Don't take her, please! Don't take my baby!"
"She was never yours and you know it," the man said in a calm voice. "You stole her from her mother, who you murdered. You have no right to keep her, no matter how much you may want to."
Rather than get angry or curse, Elena broke down crying. "Please, she's all I have left! The only good thing in my life!"
"Then give a chance at a good life," the man said. "Let her go."
"You're not going to give me a choice are you!?" Elena thundered.
"No."
"And you say I'm wicked!"
"Look, I get no pleasure out of this," the man sighed. "I'm just trying to do what's best for this kid."
Elena sniffled and choked on her sobs.
"And if you really loved her you'd do the same thing."
"Just…" Elena cried. "Just let me give her one last kiss."
The man conceded, bending down to let Elena kiss the baby's cheek.
"Goodbye little one."
The man sighed as he stood up, tucking the baby into the crook of his arm and covering her with his cloak.
"You won't remember me after today, but I'll leave all the memories of her," he said.
"Thank you," Elena whispered.
The man set a finger to her forehead, erasing all memory of himself. He did the same to the healer and then he just disappeared.
Elena blinked, looking about for the baby.
"Where is she!? Where is she!? Who took her!? Where's my baby!?"
Her sobs echoed down the hall, reaching down to the reporters below.
"Is that her?"
"Did she have the baby?"
"Did the baby die?"
"Where's the baby?"
The baby was already gone, though. Tucked safely in Mest's arm as he direct-lined himself away from the hospital. He had several thoughts running through his mind as he shot his way across the landscape. Seven months later and there was still no sign of Wilma, or Sina, or Laertes, or Erigor, or the six missing children. No doubt by now there would be whispers of the missing baby. What happened to it after Elena gave birth? Was it stillborn? Did Elena kill it? Was it smuggled back to her guild? Did it ever really exist?
Only Mest and a select few others would know the truth.
Mest finally stopped at a small cabin in the middle of the woods. It was a quiet place. Isolated. Far, far away from any prying eyes. Mest pulled his cloak closer over the baby as he approached the front door and knocked.
At first no one came to the door.
"Hm. She must not be done yet," he said as he sat on a seat at the front porch. Surely he knew he was here. He could hear a small him no problem. He'd come as soon as he was sure his wife was fine. He rocked the baby to sleep as he waited. She was tiny, able to fit perfectly in the crook of his arm. Doubts swirled in his mind as he waited. Not that he didn't admire what they were doing, but...
After a few minutes the door opened and Natsu, now able to walk again, stepped outside.
"Mest," he said, walking towards his guild mate. "Sorry it took me a while. Lucy was still in labor."
"I figured as much, but she's alright?" Mest asked, pulling his cloak back around himself and over the baby.
"Oh, yeah, she did awesome. As expected," Natsu said proudly, a big smile on his face. "It's a girl!"
"Congratulations," Mest said, smiling at the irony of the situation.
"Thanks," Natsu said before his smile faded. "So...did something go wrong?"
"Why you ask?"
"Where's the baby?"
Mest sighed, pulling his cloak closer over the sleeping babe in the crook of his arm, hiding her from view.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"Huh?" Natsu arched an eyebrow.
"This isn't going to be easy. I mean, sure, you can keep this a secret for now, but not forever. You'll have to tell her the truth at some point. How are you going to deal when it gets to that point? And how are the rest of your kids going to handle it? And then once the secret is out...this is a pretty dark and heavy situation that she's never going to be able to outrun or walk away from, no matter what-"
"You don't know that," Natsu said. "Yeah, this baby's getting a rough start in life. But so did I. I was reborn as E.N.D. A demon designed specifically to kill my older brother. But I'm not just E.N.D. anymore. I'm Natsu Dragneel. I have a family, a guild, a great life. If I can do it so can she. That's why I have to do this. My father, Igneel, gave me a chance at a good life when no one else would. I can't just turn away from his child when I can do the same thing for them."
"But...sooner or later you'll-"
"We're not going to keep this a secret from the baby. We'll tell them tiny bits of the truth as they gets older. They'll always know they're adopted, but they'll also know there's a reason we tell everyone else that they're a twin. We'll let them know that something bad happened when they were born, but we'll leave out all the crazy details until they're old enough to handle it. They'll always know they're there though. This will only be a secret to the rest of the world."
"For how long?" Mest asked. "How long are you going to hide this from the rest of the world?"
"Until the baby decides to tell 'em," Natsu answered. "This is their story to tell, not ours. And Lucy and I will guard it for them until they are ready to decide what to do with it."
Mest sighed. "So you're sure?"
"Yes, now where's my baby!" Natsu was getting agitated.
Mest threw his cloak off. "She's right here. A healthy little girl."
"Two girls?" Natsu asked, letting out a small laugh as he stepped forward to take the baby from Mest. "Igneel's gonna be pissed!"
He cradled the little girl to his chest.
"Well, hello there," he whispered, face breaking into a wide grin as he gently rocked her in his arms. "Hi. Hi, sweetie. Aren't you beautiful?"
The baby yawned and opened her eyes. They were brown, not quite the same shade as Lucy's, but close enough. Her hair was jet black. A good thing Zeref had black hair, Natsu thought. That makes it easy for us to explain away. The baby screwed up her face and began to cry.
"Oh, sh," Natsu whispered softly. "Sh, sh, sh. I know, it's been a rough ride so far for you, hasn't it. But it's all over now."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You're home."
The baby's cries reduced to whimpers.
"That's it," Natsu crooned. "You're safe now. I'm going to protect you from now on. I promise."
The baby blinked up at him, still whimpering. Natsu kissed her forehead again.
"I'm your Daddy. And I love you. More than you'll ever now, even if I have just met you."
The whimpers finally stopped and the baby just stared up at him, wide-eyed and curious.
"That's it," Natsu gently stroked her cheek with his finger. "Come on, let's go meet your Mommy."
He turned to walk back inside, but stopped at the door and turned to Mest.
"Remember, as far as you know Lucy and I had twins. You have no idea what happened to the baby Elena was carrying."
"I know," Mest nodded and then direct-lined himself away. Natsu stepped back in the cabin. It was small, but cozy. He and Lucy were the only ones there besides the two babies. Porlyusica had already left, but not before promising that if anyone asked her to tell them that Lucy had given birth to twins. She quickly, but rudely agreed.
"Sure. Whatever. I don't care."
The other three children were staying with the Redfoxes. Natsu and Lucy had come here about three days ago, knowing Lucy was due to give birth soon, as well as Elena. In order for their plan to work they needed to be somewhere secluded. Somewhere no one could stumble upon them and find out their secret.
Natsu carried the baby back into the bedroom where Lucy was lying on the bed, another baby cradled to her chest.
"Hey, Luce," he called softly.
Lucy slowly opened her sleepy eyes, sweat still on her brow.
"I'll trade ya," Natsu said brightly.
Lucy giggled as Natsu placed the child he was carrying on her chest and then took the other one into his arms.
This baby was, ironically, about the same size at the one Elena had given birth to. She also, ironically, had brown eyes, which she used to curiously watch her father as he set her in his arms. Natsu smiled as he cradled her close as he smoothed her hair. It was a peach color, much lighter than his or Nashi's color, with just hints of gold woven within it. He gently kissed the top of her head.
"Hello," he whispered. "Aren't you just perfect?"
"Ah," the baby crooned.
"You talking to me already? Your just like your oldest sister was when she was born."
"Ah."
"Yup, she was a chatterbox from the jump too."
Natsu kissed the baby's cheek. The baby squirmed against him, trying to grab onto his shirt with her tiny hands.
"You trying to snuggle?" Natsu asked as he adjusted his arms, setting her against his chest so she could listen to his heartbeat. "Well, you do that. Daddy's a bit of a cuddler himself."
"Don't I know it," Lucy smirked from where she was holding their other daughter, smoothing her jet-black hair. She then let out a small giggle.
"Whatcha laughing at?" Natsu asked.
"It's just kind of funny…" Lucy mused. "We have two daughters born on two different ends of Fiore during an eclipse, when the sun and moon cross over each other from different ends of the sky. One has bright hair and is chattery and cheerful like the sun. The other has dark hair and is quiet and sky like the moon."
"Huh," Natsu said as the baby he was holding began loudly sucking on her hand. "I didn't think about it like that. I guess that is kind of funny."
"Yeah," Lucy smiled as she turned back to the baby in her arms. "That does give me an idea for names, though…"
"Yeah?" Natsu asked. "What are they?"
"Well, for this one," Lucy ran a finger over the black hair of the baby in her arms. "Luna, because it means 'moon.' And for that one, Kyri, because it means 'sun.'"
"Hm," Natsu thought for a moment. "Luna and Kyri. I actually kinda like that. What about middle names?"
"Well, why not Summer for one?" Lucy asked. "'Natsu' does mean summer after all. Makes sense to give one of them that name then."
"Sure!"
"Which one?"
"Hm…" Natsu thought for a bit. "Luna Summer or Kyri Summer? You know, I think Kyri Summer has a better ring to it."
"I guess it also makes sense given her first name means 'sun.' Alright, Kyri Summer Dragneel it is," Lucy turned back to Luna, now asleep in her arms. "Now what about you?"
"I...ehm...might have an idea…" Natsu said bashfully.
"Yeah?" Lucy asked, curious as to why he was so shy all of a sudden.
"I mean, I know he did a lot of bad things...and he was technically a bad guy...but Zeref was still my brother. And he brought me back to life and got me to you so I, erm, I guess I kinda owe him. So..."
Lucy smiled softly. "Go on."
"Well I was, eh, I was reading through a baby name book, and I came across the name 'Darcey.' It's suppsoed to mean 'dark' and Zeref was known as 'The Dark Wizard,' so…"
Silence fell over the room.
"Luna Darcey Dragneel. I like it," Lucy finally said, smoothing Luna's hair once more.
The sky outside went from red back to its usual blue. The eclipse was over, but Kyri and Luna's adventures had only begun. Natsu set Kyri back onto Lucy's chest, then laid down next to her, one arm around her shoulder, the other tracing lines across his daughters face. Now that they were laying side by side it was impossible to tell which was birthed by Lucy and which was birthed by Elena.
And that was how it should have been.
Back at the guildhall Mest sipped on his drink. A few of his guild mates gave him knowing glances:
Laxus and Mirajane. Erza. Gajeel and Levy. Gray and Juvia. Wendy and Romeo. Lisanna and Bixslow. Evergreen and Elfman. Freed. Happy and Carla.
They all knew where he'd been today. The rest, however, they were blissfully clueless.
Mest smiled as he sipped on his drink.
Yes, three women were still dead. Four criminals were still on the loose. Six children were still missing.
But there was one bright spot now. That little baby he'd carried from Crocus to that cabin in the woods behind Fiore, she was going to be just fine. She had a family, a mother and father who would love her just as if she was their biological child. She was going to lead a loving and normal life, despite her tragic start in life.
Mest smiled as he finished his drink and asked Mirajane for another.
That was one bright spot at least.
Laxus waited until the official letter from Natsu and Lucy came to make the announcement.
"Well, you all know the Dragneels went on vacation to get some much needed time alone to recover after these past few, rather traumatic months for them…"
The guild members all nodded their heads solemnly.
"Well, they got a bit more than they bargained for because Lucy has given birth..."
Cheers and gasps rang out.
Laxus grinned before adding: "...to twins!"
"WHAT!?" everyone shouted, even the ones who knew better.
"Yup, so give me a hand in welcoming our two newest guild members: Kyri Summer Dragneel, and Luna Darcey Dragneel!"
Mest smiled as he joined in the applause. Both of the girls were welcomed in the same way. He wasn't even sure which was the adopted one. And that's how it should have been.
This may have been only one small bright spot in the midst of the trauma of the past few months, but it was quite the bright spot indeed.
AN: So, that's the end of this story! I will admit, I debated on how to end this story for a while. I finally decided to go the bittersweet route. I had thought about all the bad guys getting caught and all the kids being saved, but this leaves the door open for more stories in the future! :P
I also debated on who should adopt the baby Elena stole. At first I worried that having Natsu and Lucy take her would be cliche because they're the main characters (and, yes, she was always going to be a girl, as was Natsu and Lucy's biological child, regardless of who ended up adopting the one Elena stole). But, given Natsu's past and begin adopted himself I thought it made sense he'd want to be the one to take the baby.
Let me know if you liked these choices (it's too late to change them now in THIS story, but if you didn't like them then I'll know not to make similar decisions in the future.)
Once again, thank you so, SO much for all the support. I've been kinda in a weird spot in my life. Writing is one of my passions and I'd love to make a career of it someday (I do have an original story I'm working on outside of my fanfictions). However, certain events in my life have made me doubt myself a bit. All the positive feedback I've gotten from this story has helped to pick me up immensely, though. Seriously, you'll never know how much all the compliments I've gotten has meant to me.
Thank you all so SO much! I hope you like this ending, and I hope you'll be excited for more in the future.
Love you!
God bless!
Sincerely,
Ms. EarthbendingRavenclaw
(Yes, I'm a chick. I've had a few people ask me, so let's clear it up. I is female! A very smol and quirky female with big glasses and poofy hair! Kinda like post makeover Princess Mia from The Princess Diaries. Am I the only one who remembers those movies? Yes. No. Okay, I'm awkwarding this up too much so…
...bbbbyyyyeeeee!)