Nalu Week: Smile

…One week later…

"Princess, are you sure about this?" Virgo asked, more concerned than anything, watching as Lucy packed up her office.

"For the first time ever, yes, I am." Lucy responded confidently.

"B-But you've worked so hard for this company! It's your life's work!"

"No, it was my father's life's work." Lucy corrected her gently, taping up the final box before turning to face her friend, "And I can't keep running it out of guilt. I have to learn to be alright with that. So, I'm going to go figure out what my life's work is now."

"This isn't the punishment I enjoy." Virgo grumbled.

"I know." Lucy sighed.

"Is this because of the newsleak? Jason was punished for that and the Gemini Twins handled the situation perfectly. There's been no lasting, negative effects!" Virgo continued to protest.

"For which I am grateful." Lucy assured her, "But this isn't about that."

"Then why?"

"Because an idiot told me to be happy."

It was the honest truth.

"I'm sure this isn't what he meant!"

Lucy shrugged, "Probably not. But this is my choice either way."

"Isn't there something to change your mind?" Virgo pleaded with her oldest friend.

Lucy brought her into a quick hug, "Virgo, you haven't done anything wrong. Don't take it that way. The only way I can do this and not worry about the company is because you and everyone else have done everything right."

"Princess-"

"No, no more arguments." Lucy stopped her, "Loke has essentially been acting CEO for the last couple months anyway. He'll make a wonderful CEO, he knows the job. And you will be a great COO. You're ready for this, and honestly? I can't wait to watch Zodiac Industries grow and flourish. I don't think I trust anyone more than I trust all of you."

"But giving us your company?"

Lucy shrugged, "I've got enough money saved up that my great-great-grandchildren can live comfortably without working a day in their lives. What else do I need?"

Virgo stared at her, speechless.

Lucy squeezed her hand comfortingly, "Thank you Virgo, for everything."

Natsu sat in his office, bored out of his mind. His new patient was 10 minutes late to their first appointment. In another 5 minutes he was giving up, admitting that they weren't coming.

It happened occasionally, but he was never happy about it.

Grumbling, he pulled their file over again, reading over it to kill time.

There wasn't a lot in there. Erza had scheduled it for him though, which made it strange. She was normally incredibly thorough in the intake process. This file wasn't even a page long.

'Lucy Ashley, referred for spinal and leg injuries after a bad car accidnet. Can still walk, but relies on a can. No feeling in her left leg.'

Her contact information was listed next to it. Something about the number was familiar, but he couldn't place it.

Honestly, he'd barely made it past the name.

He knew it was a common name, but it still brought his Lucy to the forefront of his mind.

He hadn't heard from her since the night at the carnival. Levy said she had canceled her appointment this week too.

He tried not to worry about it, but he couldn't help it.

His biggest worry was that he had messed up again, pushed her too far. He was very talented at that.

His office door opened, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Only to be shocked to see Lucy walking in. They stared at each other in silence for a long moment before she spoke.

"Hey."

"Hey!" he jumped up from his seat, "Are you ok?!"

She looked adorably confused, tilting her head to the side, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"You've never visited me like this before. I-I thought that-"

"Everything's fine!" Lucy cut him off, "I'm fine, better than fine, I promise! Sorry for worrying you."

Natsu felt his heart calm down, the panic leaving.

"Ok, ok, good. What's going on?"

"Do you have a moment to talk?"

He winced, "I'm actually expecting a patient any moment. I mean, they're already late, but-"

Lucy interrupted him again, looking sheepish, "I'm actually Lucy Ashley."

Natsu's jaw dropped, "Wait, you lied to me?! You aren't a Heartfilia?!"

Lucy's sheepishness left in an instant, replaced by anger, "No you idiot! I booked an appointment under a fake name so we'd have time to talk!"

"You weirdo! Who does that?! Next time, just ask me!"

"It was a surprise!"

"You don't surprise someone with a fake name! This is a horrible way to tell people your real name!"

"Ashley isn't my real name!"

Natsu scoffed, "Yeah right, like I can trust you now."

Lucy groaned, "Natsu!"

"Whatever," he huffed and crossed his arms, but smirked slightly, "Since you went to all this trouble to talk to me, how can I help you, Miss Ashley?"

A vein ticked in her forehead, but she chose not to respond, knowing that otherwise they would argue for hours. "I wanted to talk to you about what you said the other night."

"What about it?"

"I decided to take your advice." she said.

Natsu perked up, "Really? That's great!"

"I'm glad you think so."

"What exactly did you decide to do?"

"I gave away Heartfilia Industries." she said calmly.

Natsu was silent for a long moment, blinking at her. Lucy squirmed uncomfortably, waiting for his response.

Finally, "Sorry, you what?"

"I gave away my company." she repeated.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Lucy nodded immediately.

Natsu cleared his throat awkwardly, "When I said 'do something that makes you happy', I didn't mean this."

"I know. You don't have to worry about this, it has nothing to do with you." she reassured him, in case he felt guilty, "But I wanted to do this. I twas the only thing I think I could do, if I wanted to finally be free."

"Free." he repeated, more to himself than anything, "Ok then, so what will you do now?"

She shrugged, "I don't know yet. I was thinking of writing, try to publish a book maybe? But I guess I don't khave to decide right now. I have plenty of time."

Natsu was silent for another long moment, debating what to say, before deciding on, "You don't look happy."

This time it was Lucy who blinked in surprise, "What?"

"If this is really what you want, then great, I'm happy for you…but you don't look happy." he said.

"I am, I promise."

"Then why aren't you smiling?"

It was a simple question, but Lucy found that she couldn't answer it, the words stuck in her throat. She just looked guilty towards the ground.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile." Natsu whispered.

"I-I haven't smiled in years." Lucy admitted, feeling ashamed. It was something Levy had mentioned in their sessions, something Lucy wanted to work on, but she wasn't sure how. She wasn't even sure why she didn't smile.

"Will you…maybe let me fix that?"

Lucy's head snapped up so fast she was sure she'd get whiplash, "What?!"

"Will you let me make you smile?" Natsu said, very deliberately, with another small smirk, but cheeks tinged red with a little embarrassment.

"Why would you want to-" she started, but stopped when he stepped close to her.

"I told you. People should do what makes them happy. And it would make me very happy if I could make you smile." he smiled down at her and her breath stopped at the sight. He looked so…happy, so carefree.

She started to tear up.

"Honestly, at this point, I don't care if it's a fake smile." Natsu continued, "But I'm going to make you smile every day from now on."

"Why?"

Natsu leaned in closer, an eyebrow raised "I thought my note made that obvious."

The words of his note came rushing back to her, along with a blush.

And, for the first time in years, Lucy Heartfilia, smiled.

Epilogue

Lucy smiled at the kids in front of her, scrambling around the yard in what she thought was a mix of tag and red rover, but she couldn't be sure. The kids were always thinking up a new game anyway and her mind could never quite keep up.

Natsu, in line with every aspect of his personality, had no issues whatsoever. He didn't even let his age slow him down. He wasn't nearly as young or fast as when they first met, but he still gave each of their grand kids a run for their money.

Or, in this case, run for their stuffies. Little Erza, named after her mother's favorite aunt, had declared just that morning that stuffed animals were the new and only acceptable form of money, overruling her brother's decision that all money should be candy.

Lucy giggled at the memory.

Lucy and Natsu now had a total of seven grand kids, with an eighth on the way. Lucy could only count down the days until she had another little baby to dote on.

She still couldn't believe it, how much had changed. Who could have guessed that one wrong phone call could lead to all of this?

And yet, she wouldn't change a single thing. She'd never been happier.

Lucy still remembered her first kiss with Natsu like it was yesterday. It was the same day that she had smiled for the first time in years. It had made her feel so loved, so cherished.

After that, things had just kept changing, but for the better.

Their relationship grew slowly, which Lucy was forever grateful for. After everything, she didn't want to be rushed, she just wanted to enjoy life.

She went back to school and got a degree in creative writing.

Levy and Gajeel started having kids, twins in the first of many pregnancies.

The trauma center expanded, opening another location in Crocus.

Zodiac Industries boomed, far more successful than Heartfilia Industries had ever been. Virgo and Loke made a tag team that the business world was never ready for, especially with Aquarius backing them up.

Mira got married to a man named Freed and Erza and Jellal were blissfully happy together, having taken over running the center.

Then, years after they had met, Natsu proposed. And, in true Natsu fashion, hadn't done so with a ring. Instead, he knelt down and offered her a golden key charm for her bracelet, Leo the Lion, and the last one she needed before she had every charm, promising to always make her happy.

It was a very small wedding, only close friends in attendance, and it had been perfect.

Shortly after that, they decided to have kids, a family of their own.

They'd had three total.

First was Wendy, from the center, whom they'd adopted. To this day, Natsu insists that having loving parents is what gave her the strength to finally start walking.

Then came Layla. She was the spitting image of Lucy, except for her bright pink hair, and was just as fierce and stubborn as her father.

Then there was Igneel. He may have been Natsu's little doppleganger, but the boy was more shy than Aries, spending much of his childhood clinging to his mother and listening to all her stories.

They were perfect.

She'd been blessed with a wonderful life.

But the best part was Natsu. He'd kept his promise.

She'd smiled every day of it.

The End.

I hope you enjoyed this! Again, I am so sorry that this took so long to complete.

But they finally got their happy ending! (Two and a half years in the making, but who's counting?)

I don't know if I am ever going to participate in Nalu Week again, I've since learned that I hate writing on such a strict deadline, but, well, never say never.

Special shoutout to ShanaHollows and MorriganFae who got me into writing for Nalu Week and passed along inspiration and support when I needed it. I'm really sorry to you two especially for taking so long to get back into the fanfiction world. You can officially consider this story dedicated to both of you!