AN: SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING FOR MONTHS. I was drawing and yeah huhuhu. Anyway, this chapter is basically a mess. It's kinda a filler because idk I needed something before the actual ball so yeahh. This is a filler-ish chapter but you have to read it or you'll miss something important! (Filler-ish because this was not included in my original outline.) Uhm I think this is full of fluff? I don't know but heehee naluuuu. Enjoy heehee.

Warning: This fanfic is set after the Tartaros Arc. But the dragons didn't appear to destroy FACE and Igneel wasn't dead and Natsu isn't E.N.D. and the guild did not disband… FT deactivated FACE on their own and defeated Tartaros and E.N.D... you get it. I started this fanfic in June so yeah, it's around Lucy vs. Mard Geer so the setting is that plus years later, yeah?

Uhh quick summary so far?

After months of being comatose, Lucy was peacefully living her high school moments at a school and then one day Natsu comes barging in claiming that he's taking her home with him. She was taken aback that Natsu looked like the Natsu in her novel, Fairy Tail. But then he said Nashi's name and Lucy's sealed memories before she got into coma were triggered remembering her life as a mage, and her lover and daughter. Seems like a dark mage sent Lucy into another dimension after a mission and was missing for a year. To get back to Earthland, she needs Virgo to dig an interdimensional hole that connects Earth and Earthland. But the problem is… her keys were missing. Her mother's Earth counterpart, Layla, came over and told her that the keys were in the Heartfilia estate treasury. Lucy was informed about the Heartfilia ball at the estate and the couple planned to infiltrate the party to search for her keys.

If you don't remember… don't worry, I forget sometimes, too. Hahaha. Feel free to reread if ever.

© Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail

CHAPTER 09

It was the day before the Heartfilia ball. According to Lucy, the Heartfilia ball is an event where she's going to be auctioned to the highest bidder by her great 'father'. Too bad, she had other plans for that day. But for now, Natsu and Lucy just decided to just chill out in the blonde's condo unit and prepare for the big day.

They woke up early but both Earthland mades were too lazy to get out of bed. Lucy wasn't going to attend school again anyway so she had the luxury to just laze around with her boyfriend under the sheets. Who's gonna blame her though? She's been away from her family for a year without her knowledge because her memories were tampered with. That really sucked.

Lucy tightened her grip at Natsu's torso and leaned at his well-built chest to make sure that it was real. That she was really with the love of her life— with Natsu.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" A husky voice interrupted the blonde's musings and she turned her head towards her lover.

"Nothing, Natsu. Just… giving myself a reality check." Lucy chuckled then pecked Natsu on the cheek.

"Well aren't you slow, Luce." Natsu smirked as he teased Lucy.

"Mou." Lucy pouted which earned a soft kiss from the fire dragon slayer.

"I'm here, Lucy. I'm real. Not some character from a book—"

"Hey!"

Natsu grinned as he held the blonde tighter in his arms, "— But I still can't grasp the fact that I finally have you in my arms."

"Well, aren't you slow." Lucy retorted sarcastically while she playfully waved her hand in the air.

This time, Natsu was the one who pouted. "Gee, thanks."

"Haha, love you." Lucy propped herself using her elbow so that she could lean into the dragon slayer's forehead for a kiss.

"Love you, too."

"Anyway, I have to take a shower so excuse me—" Lucy tried to pry herself from her lover's grasp but failed, "Natsuuuuu, let gooooo."

"No."

"I feel ickyyy— let me have some bath tiiiime." Lucy whined while still trying to escape from her human cage.

"But I wanna keep you here—" Natsu whined back to his blonde girlfriend, "Or is this a ploy to make me have a bath with you?" Natsu slyly added.

"What? No, you pervert!" Lucy smacked Natsu's chest. "Ugh lucky me, I'm stark naked and icky and sweaty and apparently I don't even have the right to take a bath— this is the life." She deadpanned.

Natsu laughed at Lucy's antics, "You drama queen. C'mon, let's take a bath." He put Lucy's arms around his neck and sat up pulling her along with him. He reached for her legs using his left hand while the other hand was around her waist. He hoisted her up and went to the direction of the bathroom.

"Ugh— this is so your plan."

"Whatever, Lucy."

"Ugh."

"This is so relaxing…" Lucy snuggled further at her boyfriend's well-built body while he hummed in agreement. Lucy was seated between Natsu's legs with her back against his chest. His hands were gripping the sides of the bathtub and his head was leaning at the edge making him face the ceiling.

"Ne, Natsu?"

"Hmm?" Natsu moved his head down and looked at his girl with his eyebrow raised as a sign of acknowledgement while the blonde turned her head towards Natsu. He noticed that Lucy was kind of fidgety and nervous about something he didn't know. He nudged the blonde to continue her inquiry.

Lucy seemed hesitant at first but her eyes were suddenly full of determination when Natsu urged her to continue. She swallowed the lump formed in her throat and spoke, "Can you tell me about the others back home at Fairy Tail?"

"So that's what's bugging you?" Natsu smiled as he nuzzled Lucy's neck, "Of course, I'll tell you. Just name people and I'll tell you something about them— well I already told you about Levy though. I think I won't be saying much though because I'm always out on missions or with Nashi at home." 'Or at some clearing in the forest just looking at the stars because they remind me of your beauty', Natsu added but decided to not blurt out his thoughts.

Lucy could feel Natsu's voice laced by bitterness when he spoke his last statement. She began to caress his hair and hummed her thanks, "Thank you, Natsu. It's okay, you know you're doing your best to cope. Don't worry, I'm here."

"You really know me, huh?"

Lucy snorted. "Of course. You're too simple-minded."

"As if that's bad."

"I didn't say anything about it being bad. Actually, that's one of the things that I love about you." She gave him an Eskimo kiss while they grinned. "How's Happy?"

"Oh yeah, before I answer, I'm warning you about their reactions… it's not good."

"It's okay. Their suffering is nothing compared to what I'll feel later because during your time of grief, most likely I'm just sleeping."

Natsu frowned at this, "Sorry Lucy. If only—"

Lucy put her finger against Natsu's lips, "Hush, just start telling me about them, okay? I'll be fine. You're here. It'll be like a storytelling session. Besides, we're going to come home soon and have a week-long party at the guild."

Natsu nodded before finally answering her question, "Hmm, before I went here, he was always with me – whether if it's on a mission or just at home with Nashi. Your disappearance… he took it badly. That cat really loves you. He cries whenever he hears your name. His whimpers were unbearable to hear but Happy started to calm his nerves when Nashi pinched his cheeks then frowned at him. It's like saying that Happy shouldn't cry too much because you're coming back."

"Really? Our baby girl did that?"

"Yeah. I was there when it happened. Nashi reached for his uncle and pinched him hard. Then she showed him her sad face— take note, her eyes were glassy and oh god even I got affected by the kid—"

"Wow, I can imagine her face. I doubt that I could resist that face."

"See? She's so hard to resist. Of course, everyone knows that our girl is the most adorable baby in the planet and we're all basically whipped by her."

"You mean, you're whipped."

"Hey!" After a few seconds of silence, he added, "… yes."

Lucy giggled. "But Happy… is he alright now?"

"I left him in Lisanna's care when I left. He promised Nashi that he will not cry anymore and he'll prepare a lot of fat comments when you come back." Natsu snickered.

"That stupid cat."

"Also he will prepare the most oily and fatty food for you in your party." Natsu laughed when Lucy smacked him in the chest.

The laughter subsided and then Lucy continued to ask. She decided that she'll ask about her precious daughter last.

"How about your dear friend, Gray Fullbuster?" Lucy teasingly smirked at her boyfriend who was ticked off by the 'dear friend' comment.

"Who told you he's that to me?" Ignoring the blonde's snort, he continued, "Well, whatever. Because of what happened to you, he started to notice Juvia bit by bit—"

"It's about damn time!"

"Well, the bastard's slow but he's getting there. He looked pretty pathetic whenever he tries to make a move on her— I think he wanted to be subtle. And he's failing at that."

Lucy snorted, "I still can't believe you realized your own feelings first before anyone did—"

"Hey!" Natsu protested.

"But it's quite relieving that something good happened because of my disappearance."

Natsu frowned, "Don't say it like that Lucy. Gray wouldn't like it either if he heard you like that. He was really planning on pursuing Juvia soon. It doesn't really matter if you disappeared or not. I'd rather have you than nothing." He tightened his grip on his favorite girl.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. Maybe I'm just finding the good in mishaps."

"I know. It's because you're that kind of person, Luce."

Lucy smiled, "I just hope Gray and Juvia will come to terms when we get back. It'll be a double celebration!"

"And I'll never live it down." Both of them laughed.

"Anyway, how about Erza?" Lucy imagined that Erza might also be taking this hard. She had the strength to fight yet she wasn't able to save her team mate— her sister. "Is she okay?"

Natsu smiled as he sensed Lucy's dilemma, "Don't worry about Erza. She's strong. And she said that to make up to you, she'll take on a lot of missions hoping that she would find anything about your predicament. She's been helping Levy obtain rare books that was often a reward or… you know Erza's ways. "

"It's Erza! I bet she threatened a lot of people." Lucy grimaced at the thought. "Yeah. I should probably treat her to a lot of strawberry cakes in the future."

"Lucy, I hope you know what you're saying."

The last time Erza was rewarded her favorite treat, the Master went broke because she ordered everything on the bakeshop. It was a horrific day for the poor Wizard Saint.

"Hence the probably." Lucy added.

"Good to know that our funds won't be bankrupt soon."

Lucy giggled and pinched Natsu's right cheek, "Who's the one always destroying stuff on missions, eh?"

"Hey! I really earned a lot when I was moping around!"

Lucy snickered, "So you were moping around…"

"Lucyyyyyyyyy"

She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him close, "You're just too adorable, Natsu."

Natsu snorted and then whispered, "I'm not adorable, I'm manly."

"Yeah, whatever Natsu~" Lucy grinned and made herself comfortable in Natsu's arms. Now that she's hugging him, her head rested at his shoulder while her sides were leaned against his muscular chest. He shifted his hold so that his hand was splayed against Lucy's thigh while the other was on her hip. After a few seconds of silence, the hand that was on her hip began to move upwards, trailing his heat towards her arms, shoulders, neck, and finally her head. He caressed Lucy's cheek lovingly while letting out an overdue sigh.

"But really Lucy, it broke me to pieces. I'm pretty sure if Nashi wasn't around, I won't be able to stay sane to fetch you. I have probably demolished the new guild hall to smithereens if wasn't for her. The dat when I returned home alone, she was looking for her mother. For you. I wasn't really thinking when I suddenly blurted out that you were gone after that horrible mission. And then to my utter horror, I realized that she could understand what I was saying when her eyes were brimming with tears as she tried to reach out for my face." Natsu took a deep breath and continued, "That' when I also realized that I should put my shit together— at least in front of our daughter."

"What am I doing?" Natsu ran his fingers on his head while letting out a frustrated sigh. He took some deep breaths and turned to his crying daughter.

He mustered a fatherly smile, "Sorry about that my princess. Daddy was just so hurt about Mommy. Will you forgive Daddy?"

As if she understood her father's words, the infant touched Natsu's cheek and stopped crying.

"Thank you my princess. I promise that I'll bring Mommy back okay?" Natsu picked up his daughter from the bed and hugged her close, "So for a while, I'll tell you lots of stories about Mommy and Daddy's adventure, okay?"

The infant showed her father an adorable toothless smile that could warm up anybody's heart.

"I'm so glad I have you, Nashi."

"And since I have you in my arms again, I'm so excited to come home and surprise our little princess!" Natsu squeezed his girlfriend while Lucy let out a small squeak in return.

"Yeah, I'm really excited. I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow."

"Well, you know us Fairy Tail mages, we attract danger so I won't really keep my hopes up for peace if I were you."

"Thanks a lot, Dragneel." Lucy's voice was oozing with sarcasm while Natsu just laughed it off.

"And I love you, my queen." Natsu pecked Lucy on the lips and hugged her tightly.

"You're so lame."

"You're welcome."

"… love you too."

Silence ensued for a few minutes until Lucy spoke again.

"… H-How's our daughter, Natsu?" Lucy blinked back her tears to keep them from falling down. "I-I miss her so much. Did she say her first word already? Oh God I missed a crucial time in her life— will she forgive me? Will she ever accept me back as her mother? I'm a horrible—"

"Don't you dare continue that sentence, Lucy." Natsu growled while he gripped her arms tightly— but not enough so hurt her. "Nashi is fine. No, she can't speak yet. Yes, you might have missed a year's worth of memories with her but when we come back, we'll just make more! And don't you forget who her parents are— are we unforgiving of our nakama? If you're very forgiving, then Nashi will be forgiving too. She's too pure and she'll never shun you out of her life."

Lucy stared at Natsu, still processing his words. He continued.

"If she senses our sadness, she's the one who pulls us back up. A simple touch on my cheek from her would make me feel better. Her eyes, which are beautiful like yours, has more than enough warmth and security for the both of us. And of course, she misses you. But our baby girl did not like the horrible aura of sadness emanated by our friends so she became the light of the guild in her own little ways. She always manages to reach out to every single one of our friends. But I know that she's hurting, too. She's only a year old— well, she's turning two— but she's very understanding. That's why I asked Reedus to paint a picture of you and put it in a frame so that Nashi could hug it whenever she misses you." Natsu smiled and caressed Lucy's cheeks lovingly.

He gently kissed Lucy on the lips then hugged her. "She's selfless like her mother— the one who fanned my flames and the love of my life."

"Oh Natsu." She was so touched by the man's words. She buried her head on the crook of his neck and then whispered, "I'm excited get this over with and go home… I miss living in our home with our daughter, merrymaking with our nakama, taking missions with our team… heck I even miss Happy's insults…"

He chuckled at the blonde's declaration. "Don't worry, Luce. We'll come home very soon."

Still not breaking the hug, Natsu ran his right hand up and down Lucy's back and then after a few minutes of silence, he spoke again.

"Hey Lucy."

"Hmm?"

"I'm feeling nostalgic."

"Uhh you're feeling nostalgic yet you sounded like someone who's going to be sick. We aren't on transportation, Natsu."

"Silly Luce. I just remembered the day when we finally got together."

Lucy blushed hard as soon as she heard Natsu's words. "W-what are you, an old man?"

"Wow I must be pretty hot and damn good looking for an old man then." Natsu snickered as he flexed his bicep. Lucy slapped him on the chest. Hard.

"Oh my Mavis, Natsu! Seriously, what in the world!?" Lucy sputtered as she stared wide-eyed at her silly boyfriend. Natsu just laughed.

"But really Lucy. I just realized that we looked like an idiot around each other and the guild was so damn frustrated about it. Man, I still remember their faces—I won't ever forget about that!" Natsu laughed again but this time Lucy joined him.

"Well, while I felt quite bad about hiding our relationship— even if it was unintentional, I can't deny that I enjoyed the sight when we announced… my pregnancy. That was hilarious!"

"I know right!"

"We both forgot to tell the guild about us and they just dismissed our actions as friendly ones."

"Haha well…"

"Well at least we didn't forget telling them about Nashi…" Lucy joked.

"Exactly! Aw man, thinking about it, the day when we got together was very dramatic." Natsu looked Lucy in the eye and smiled.

"…yeah." Lucy closed her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, it was."

X791

Today's the day that Natsu Dragneel will claim what's his.

It was a month after the Tartaros incident. The whole city was still recovering from the damages done by the battle between Mages and Zeref's Demons.

Even though the Fairy Tail guild was busy rebuilding their own guild hall (for the third damn time for Mavis' sake), they were also helping the citizens rebuild their homes. After healing enough, the Fairy Tail mages has set out to help the most that they can.

And now, Natsu was standing in front of his favorite blonde celestial mage's apartment— which was miraculously spared by the attack. He was given a few hours off (well, he was kicked out literally) by Erza because she noticed that Natsu was spacing out too much and is pretty much useless.

And yes, Natsu was spacing out too much because of the blonde. He didn't know the details because Lucy wasn't really comfortable telling the depressing tale and he's not going to push it until she's ready but he knew that she saved everyone's asses by summoning the old man (Celestial Spirit King) and breaking whatever curse the demon bastard Mard Geer casted.

After the battle, Lucy seemed like her usual self. After recovering, she helped immediately in the repairs. But Natsu knew better. Lucy's smiles did not reach her eyes. And her eyes— Oh dear her eyes. It lacked the usual luster that made her chocolate orbs special. Whenever he looked at Lucy's eyes, instead of joy, he felt sorrow, grief, emptiness and regret. He knew something happened—and the broken golden key that he saw her clutching near her heart confirmed it. Lucy wasn't very Lucy-like to Natsu anymore.

He jumped and latched his hand on the edge of Lucy's window. He knows that it was always unlocked because she gave up on telling her two best friends to use the damn door. He opened the window and let himself in. Although, he noticed a big lump under Lucy's duvet.

'She's already sleeping at three in the afternoon?' Natsu thought.

Natsu landed on Lucy's bed carefully to not wake the blonde. But the sudden shift of the mattress made Lucy stir from her sleep.

"Nachuu?" Lucy slurred— still groggy from her nap.

"Yeah, Luce. It's me." Natsu sat at the other side of the bed and patted Lucy's head.

Lucy removed the duvet covering her face to look at her bestfriend. And that's when he noticed her tear-streaked face. He frowned and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Lucy averted her gaze from Natsu and bitterly smiled. "Nah nothing. Maybe I had a nightmare."

Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "Maybe?"

Lucy sat up and leaned her back on the headboard. She continued to smile but looked down at her lap. She knew Natsu wasn't buying it. Then, she felt her hand being tugged and she was pulled towards the salmon-haired man. She didn't have the time to think about what was happening until she was encased into a warm embrace by the fire dragon slayer.

"It's okay Lucy. It will be fine." Natsu stroked Lucy's mane slowly and tucker her head under his chin. "I'll be here for you. I'll never leave you."

Lucy was touched by the affectionate gesture of her bestfriend. She knew that she couldn't hold the dam any longer so she let it go. And she needed to move on. She needed someone to help her to let go.

"Natsu…" She sobbed in Natsu's scarf and gripped his one-sleeved jacket firmly. "I miss Aquarius…"

"That mermaid lady?" He felt Lucy nod. "Why?"

"I broke her key…"

Natsu gasped. So the broken key was…

"I-I was able to summon three spirits at the same time. I-I had to because I had to save you guys. I was supposed to die yet I survive summoning three. But A-Aquarius told me that I need someone who's stronger than the Zodiac— the Celestial King. S-She said that I am eligible because I can summon three spirits at the same time without dying. B-But I needed to break a golden key to summon the Celestial King. I-I didn't really want to s-sacrifice anyone of t-them but—" She sniffed and sighed then continued, "A-Aquarius…"

"She forced you to break her key…" Natsu whispered while holding Lucy tighter at the same time.

"S-She… the golden key and the master should have a strong bond and… s-she told me that we w-were bonded enough and—" Lucy sobbed harder and buried her head deeper in Natsu's scarf.

"You don't need to say more… I understand Lucy." Natsu continued to hold Lucy while stroking her back, "I understand… shhh. Don't cry. Don't cry. The reason why she did that was because she loves you. Shh. She loves you and wants you to survive…" Natsu cooed.

"S-She's m-my friend… I-I've deprived her of her right to come to the human world…"

"But she's still alive right? You can ask your other spirits about her— or send her stuff or even travel to the Celestial world! Bring me, okay?" Natsu pulled away from the embrace and smiled at her. "It'll be fun!"

Despite her tears, Lucy managed to smile— the first genuine Lucy smile ever since the Tartaros incident.

"T-Thank you so much, Natsu." This time, Lucy was the one who hugged Natsu. "Thank you for always making me smile."

"Your smile is the one that I live for, Lucy." Natsu touched their foreheads together and stared at her sparkling, chocolate orbs. "I'll do anything to keep that smile of yours going."

Lucy blushed at Natsu's words. She never thought that Natsu could spew words like that.

"R-Really?"

"M-Mhmm."

"Why?"

'This is it.' Natsu closed his eyes but not breaking their contact and sucked in a breath.

"Because you're the most important person to me."

If Lucy could blush any deeper, she would. 'D-Did Natsu just…'

Natsu continued, "I love you."

And now Lucy looked like a blonde-haired tomato.

"O-of course… w-we're n-n-nakama…" Lucy stuttered while avoiding eye contact with Natsu.

"I love you as a lover. As a wife."

Lucy's eyes widened at the fire dragon slayer's confession. "W-What?"

"Sorry. I just can't help myself anymore. If this isn't romantic love, I don't know what this is. I've almost lost you lots of times already at it breaks my heart every single fucking time. I realized that I can't live without you anymore. That you should remain as an integral part of my life. That I love you damn too much for you to become other man's beloved. I'm tired of being selfless— I want to be selfish. I want you for myself— I need you." By the end of his speech, Natsu's face was very red because of his intense blush. Meanwhile, Lucy tried to cover her face hoping that she would stop her face from reddening even further.

"I-is this really Natsu…?" Lucy thought out loud earning a chuckle from her best friend.

"Why can't you believe it?"

"B-because you're Natsu and… fights… Igneel… priority…" Lucy started to mumble incoherent words that made the dragon slayer laugh.

"I just needed to claim what's mine, Lucy—that's all. So…" Natsu grabbed Lucy's hands and placed a kiss on each one and gazed at Lucy's eyes intensely. "Will you be mine?"

She didn't hesitate. She knew that this boy— no man— is the one who she's destined to be with. She also knew that she had already given up her heart to him since a long time ago. She knew that she couldn't pass up his offer so she lunged at him while crying.

"Idiot! That was the sweetest thing I've ever heard! Why would I say no!?" Natsu just laughed at the sobbing blonde while holding her tightly to cushion their fall into the bed due to Lucy's previous action.

"Great! It'll be fun, I promise! And we'll have lots of adventures together!"

"Mhmm!"

"Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

"M-May I kiss you?"

Lucy sat up from the hug and straddled Natsu's waist. She noticed that Natsu turned his head away and his cheeks were dusted with pink. She smiled and placed her hand on his cheek.

"Of course you may."

"Okay."

Natsu held Lucy's hips so that she wouldn't fall off when he sits up. And when he did, he cupped her cheeks and leaned in. He stared one last time at Lucy's eyes before he finally closed the gap.

The kiss felt amazing. Both had no idea if they were doing it the right way because that was their first kiss but neither cared. One kiss was followed by another… and another… and another— they were intoxicated with each other that they can't stop. They never noticed that they fell back into the bed— that Natsu was hovering over her— and that they were memorizing each other's touches. But they both knew that they couldn't go further because they just got together. Lucy was the one to pull away first, leaving a whining Natsu.

Lucy bumped her forehead against Natsu to catch on their breathing. Then, she smiled and looked at Natsu.

"I never answered you so…" She gave him a peck on the lips and continued, "I love you, too."

Natsu smiled and hugged her. "Thank you, Lucy."

"No—Thank you, Natsu."

The two had been on the bath for too long now so they decided to finally get out. Natsu stood up first to get the towels from the closet. He dried himself using his flames and covered his waist using a small towel. He returned to the blonde's side and opened up a large towel so that he could dry her off with it. Lucy stood up and let Natsu cover her with the towel. She got off the bathtub with Natsu's help and went to the closet. But she didn't expect another hug from the salmon-haired male.

"Natsu?" Lucy questioned.

"Lucy."

"Hmm?" She did not deny the wonderful feeling of her mate's warmth so she sank into it deeper.

"Will you marry me?"

"Idiot, really? A proposal in the bathroom?"

"Well, it's not a typical 'Natsu' proposal if it's not unusual."

"Point taken."

"So?"

"I'll answer you after we get my keys."

"What the hell, Lucy? You're so mean!"

"Eh, suck it up. You proposed in a bathroom. And get me a ring first!"

Natsu just laughed and then kisses her passionately once more before they put on their clothes.

AN: OH DEAR LORD I HAVEN'T WRITTEN THE NEXT CHAPTER YET. So I'm sorry but it might take a while. I write slow… and I only have few select days when I'm in the mood to write… ;u;

I try really hard to write reader-worthy chapters even though I don't write that well haha. But I thank the readers for keeping up with me. Thanks a lot! :D

Chapter 10 is the ball! I hope. LOL. Wish me luck haha!