Back already? Alrighty! Thanks to all my awesome reviewers, both signed and unsigned; it's because of all the great response I got that I decided to go ahead and stick this one up today! (usually I have a 48-hrs-or-3-reviews (whichever comes first) policy when it comes to updating, but you guys beat that aside before I even got a chance to update! Thanks bunches!)

This one takes place a bit in the future, but that's obvious after like the first 3 lines, haha. Here we go!

#37 Butterfly

"Alright, kids, time for bed."

"Awwwww!" both twins whined in unison, a reaction Lucy had gotten used to in their five years of life.

"But Mama, it's still early! We wanna stay 'til Daddy gets home!"

Lucy smiled and placed a hand on the small girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Layla. You can see your dad in the morning, okay? But only if you go to sleep." Layla looked down as if disappointed, but not a second later she raised her head and smiled.

"Okay," the little girl agreed, before twirling around and skipping down the hall, her shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair swaying lightly across her back.

"Well I'm staying up to wait for Daddy!" the other twin pouted, stomping his foot on the carpeted floor. He crossed his little arms in front of him and stuck out his bottom lip, glaring at the floor. The look reminded Lucy so much of the boy's father that she almost laughed out loud. Instead she knelt down and eyed her son carefully.

"Luke," she began calmly, "you don't have to worry. I promise he'll be home soon. You can wake him up in the morning just like you always do, okay?" Any time she or their father went away on a mission, Luke and Layla would insist on staying up until their missing parent would return. For children, they seemed to have a very keen sense of danger, even though they were never told exactly what was going on. It made Lucy smile to know that the twins cared for them so much, but that night it really was getting quite late, and they needed to get to sleep. They were still quite young, after all.

Luke eyed his mother for a moment before finally giving in and allowing himself to be led off to their bedroom.

"Tell us a story?" Layla asked with wide, pleading eyes once they were snuggled in their bed.

"A story?" Lucy repeated. "What kind of story?"

"One of your stories!" Luke answered as his sister nodded in agreement. Lucy smiled. The twins always did love the stories she'd written.

"Alright, let's see…" She glanced at the ceiling and thought for a moment, searching for a story she'd yet to tell them. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful butterfly," she began in a soft voice. "She lived in a quiet wood with many other butterflies, all of whom were just as regal and beautiful as she was. She was happy there for a while, but eventually… she became sad. She longed to escape her tiny wood and spread her wings further than they'd ever been before. So one day, she left her home, in search of a better place, one where she belonged." Lucy paused a moment to examine the patient looks on her children's faces, their eyes wide and gleaming. She smiled inwardly before continuing her story.

"But the world the butterfly found was not the world she'd pictured. There were many strange, frightening things in it that she hadn't been ready for. The wind tore at her wings, the rough ground made comfort difficult, and all kinds of evil beasts tried to harm her. She realized how small and fragile she was. She even thought of escaping back to her wood and her own kind, where she knew she would be sheltered but safe. If it meant facing all that danger, learning of how breakable and weak she truly was, she didn't think she was ready to live in the world. But then one day, the butterfly met a dragon."

"A dragon?" Luke repeated in a breathy voice, his dark brown eyes widening.

"Was she afraid?" Layla asked, looking almost scared herself.

Lucy chuckled at their enthusiasm. "She was at first. The dragon was much stronger and more powerful than she was. But in truth, they didn't meet by chance." The children listened quietly and attentively as Lucy continued her story. "You see, the butterfly had been captured by an evil hunter. He wanted to add her to his collection of beautiful things. The butterfly was very afraid, and she thought that she was done for. But then, a dragon swooped in from the sky and defeated the hunter, rescuing the butterfly and her fellow prisoners."

"The dragon saved her?" Layla whispered, a small smile on her face.

"Yes," Lucy answered. "And from that day, they became friends. The dragon was fierce and strong, feared by many throughout the land. And he protected the butterfly, so no one could ever harm her again. For years to come, never did he leave her side. He watched over her for the rest of their lives, so that wherever one of them went, you could expect to see the other there with them, the best of friends."

Luke laughed. "That's a funny sight, a dragon and a butterfly as friends."

Lucy smiled. "It is, isn't it? But they didn't mind. They taught each other many things. He taught her to be strong, to protect herself and others in ways she had never thought possible. And she taught him to be gentle, that force was not always the best answer. They were the perfect pair, the dragon and the butterfly. It was like destiny that they met and became friends."

"Wow…" Layla sighed, dreamy-eyed. "What a nice story…"

"Did you write that story, Mama?" Luke asked almost skeptically.

"Of course I did," Lucy answered, ruffling his blonde hair and making him giggle. "And it's a true story, too. That butterfly is a close, personal friend of mine."

"True story? Yeah, right," he teased with a laugh. Lucy smiled, but didn't elaborate further.

"Alright, now it's bedtime, you two." She tucked them in and turned for the door.

"'Night, Mama!" they both called.

"Good night," she replied, turning off the light and closing the door.

"I've never heard that one before."

Lucy jumped violently at the sudden, unexpected voice in the dark hallway, but relaxed as two strong, familiar arms encircled her from behind.

"Shh!" she reprimanded, twisting in Natsu's grip to look at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, before saying, "I didn't know you were home. The twins wanted to see you."

"I just got back," he whispered, releasing her and leading the way back toward the living room. "I didn't want to interrupt the story. It was good, I especially liked the part where the dragon 'swooped in' and saved the butterfly."

Lucy punched him in the arm and laughed, before dropping herself onto the sofa. "I told them it was a true story, but they didn't believe me."

"That's because you left out the best part," Natsu insisted, sitting down next to her. She looked at him inquisitively, and he answered, "Them."

Lucy raised her eyebrows, a small smile turning the corners of her mouth. "You're right," she agreed. "Silly of me." As he grinned in agreement, she leaned forward and kissed him gently, as if to thank him for everything the story had made her remember, and—as he'd said—for the best part she'd forgotten. Lost in memories full of emotion, she twisted her arms around his neck and pulled his body closer, not realizing how much she'd missed him until right then.

"Careful," he pulled back and warned after a moment. She raised an eyebrow and he gave her a sly grin. "Don't wanna break those fragile wings of yours."

"Ha, ha," she said sarcastically, before shoving him onto his back on the couch and pinning him down, using another well-timed kiss to shut him up.

This one makes me smile :D Mostly because I have this adorable picture in my head of these two little kids (yes, one of whom is named after Lucy's mother XD Creativity? Yeah, maybe not, haha), and I think Lucy and Natsu would make great parents, haha :D (And don't think you've seen the last of little Luke and Layla! I just *might* be bringing them back in more of these!)

Still have a couple logged away that I'm holding onto... Review for me and maybe I'll update sooner again? Worth a shot, right? haha

-oMM