A/N: Part 2 is here! Enjoy!

June 29, x793: Lucy

Lucy sat neck deep in a hot bath. Hot tears spilled from her eyes and plopped into the water at her neck with tiny plinking sounds. Her birthday was quickly approaching, and while this would usually make someone elated, it just reminded Lucy of all the birthdays she had been alone. Her mother was dead. Now her father was too. Not that he'd remembered her birthday when he was alive, but the fact that he was no longer here still saddened her. And to think, the whole time she had been on Tenrou Island, her father had been sending her gifts and letters, even though he had no way of knowing if she was even still alive, or if she'd ever come back. He had tried to make amends with her once, and she'd sent him away out of rage and hurt. Now it was too late.

Lucy stayed there, crying out all of her tears until the water became fridgid and she started to shiver. She drained the tub, then stood up to wrap a towel around herself before stepping out of her bath and onto the plush white rug she kept there. She stood there for a moment, unwiling to go out into her bedroom, just in case her idiot boyfriend decided to stop by unannounced. He STILL did that, maybe even more so since they'd started dating. He was there so often it was almost like he lived there, too. But in the last few days he had been less present in her apartment, making her feel increasingly lonely. Which was weird, since she definitelly did NOT want him just dropping by. Or crawling into her bed at night. Or waking up to the smell of eggs and toast...

She finally braved her bedroom, opening the bathroom door just a crack so she could peek through. Not that she could be secretive with a dragon slayer for a boyfriend. The coast looked clear, however, so she pushed the door open wider and stepped into the room. It was quiet, eerily so. The wind outside seemed to crash against all her windows with the force of a hurricane. Or maybe she was just imagining things. She wasn't used to it being so quiet around here.

"I know, I'll put on some music." She walked over to her music lacryma, still clad in just her bath towel, and turned it on. Fix You by Coldplay began to play and Lucy groaned loudly as if in pain. "This has to be the most depressing song ever." She set the song on repeat. "But it fits my mood perfectly." She grumbled, plopping onto her back on her bed and staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and let the familiar lyrics start to wrap around her.

"And the tears come streaming down your face... When you lose something you can't replace... When you love someone, but it goes to waste... Could it be worse?"

"Story of my life." Lucy sniffled as new sobs began to wrap around her. This song spoke to her so much, and in that moment it was bringing back all the memories of a time when she still had both of her parents in her life. Now she had no one.

"Lights will guide you home... And ignite your bones..."

She sat up straight. No, that wasn't completely true, was it? Ignite your bones... Yes. She did still have someone. Natsu. Her flame in the dark. Just then she desperately wished that he would burst in through her window so she could feel his warm arms wrap her up in an embrace. She thought about their relationship as the song pregressed, wondering just where they were headed.

"High up above and down below... When you're too in love to let it go..."

She stiffened. Too in love to let it go... Something flluttered in her chest at those words. But, no. She couldn't possibly. They had only been together for three months! Well, they had been DATING for three months, but they had been best friends long before that. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. Love... Did she LOVE Natsu? She cared about him, and she loved him as a best friend, but was she IN LOVE with him?

"Oooh, you looooove him!" Happy's words to her, every time he saw them together.

"You two are the cutest couple! I can't wait for the wedding!" Mirajane, two minutes after they announced that they were officially dating.

"Love is a powerful thing. Do not let it go to waste, my child." Master Makarov, after their return from Tenrou Island, before Natsu and Lucy even got together. She had thought he was talking about love in general, but was it possible that he knew more about her heart than even she did?

"Love," she said aloud, the single word echoing back to her in the empty space of her apartment. "I'm in love with Natsu Dragneel." The confession was both thrilling and terrifying. She was in love; how had she never realized this before? But what if Natsu didn't feel the same way about her? She thought about how distant he'd been this week. She hadn't even seen him except at the guild for nearly six days.

She sighed and lay back down as the song reached the bridge.

"Tears stream down your face... When you lose something you cannot replace..." Lucy glared at the ceiling.

"Just what are you trying to say to me, Chris Martin?" She grumbled. She turned onto her right side and saw the red dragon plush staring back at her. She plucked it from its spot by her pillow and clutched it against her chest, sobbing into its soft, red fur. She didn't want to lose Natsu. He was such a constant part in her life, she couldn't bear to even think of what would happen if he was just suddenly gone.

Lucy lie there, wrapped in a towel and clutching a red dragon to her chest while listening to Coldplay, until she finally cried herself to sleep.

June 30, x793: Lucy

Brilliant rays of sunlight crept along the carpet of Lucy's bedroom. Since she had no shades on her windows, which Natsu so loudly complained about every morning he woke up there, the sun was already bright, illuminating the small space. Lucy was used to this, though, and normally the sun wasn't much of an intrusion on her sleep, usually it was an annoyed dragon slayer that woke her. But today, it was the cold that eventually pulled her from her restless slumber.

Lucy gave a shiver, wondering why she was so chilled when it was the dead of summer. Then she remembered: she was still naked! The towel she had had wrapped around her the night before was now in a heap on the floor. Lucy lie there completely exposed. She sat up and yanked at the blanket to cover herself, cheeks heating as her gaze shot anxiously around the room. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw nothing suspicious. She peeked back over at her window. The sun shone in brightly, and she could see the light shimmering off of the nearby river canal. She clutched the blanket tighter to her chest.

"Lucy, you idiot!"

She had never thought that not having shades would be a problem. Until she woke up naked this morning... She might have to finally invest in some curtains.

When she was certain that no one was riding down the river just then, Lucy jumped from bed, still clutching the blanket around her, and dashed over to her dresser to find some clothes. She pulled on the first outfit she found, a pair of mint green shorts, and a black shirt with flowing sleeves and a mint green floral pattern. She grabbed a pair of black sandals, and pulled her hair into a half side pony tail. Once she was done with this, she went back out into her bedroom in search of her phone. She found it, and quickly dialed a familiar number.

"Hey, Lu!" Levy answered on the first ring, like she'd been waiting for her call. It almost made Lucy smile.

"Hey, Levy." Lucy tried to make her voice sound cheerful, but even she could tell that it lacked it's normal brightness. Levy picked up on the false note in her tone right away.

"What's up, Lu? You sound upset." Levy's voice radiated concern for her friend.

"It's nothing," Lucy lied. She didn't want to drag her friend into her boyfriend drama. It was probably nothing anyway. She was just being paranoid. "I was just wondering, have you by chance... Seen Natsu the last few days?" She felt stupid for even asking this question. But she had to know if Levy knew something she didn't.

There was hesitation on the other line, and then Levy said in a careful tone. "... I have. Once or twice."

"Really?" Lucy grew hopeful. "Did he say anything?"

"About what, Lucy?" Levy asked, still using that careful tone, though Lucy was too preoccupied with this news to notice.

"About me!" She exclaimed. "Or, us, I guess. I haven't seen him all week!"

"I'm sure he'll show up soon, Lu!" Levy said as cheerfully as she could, avoiding Lucy's question. "You know he can't stay away from you for long."

"Yeah, I guess." Lucy sulked. That information was not helpful in the least.

"What are you up to today, Lucy?" Levy asked when the silence stretched on too long.

"Huh? Oh, I'm just going to stay home today. I'll probably be busy trying to finish my novel all day." In truth, Lucy just didn't have the energy to go to the guild, or deal with her guild mates who knew nothing of her emotional drama.

"Well, if you get bored be sure to call me and we'll hang out, okay?" Levy said. "Promise?"

Lucy actually smiled. "Sure, Levy. I promise."

The two disconnected, and Lucy was alone once again. She sighed and laid her head on the desk in front of her. Her aforementioned novel sat on the desk to her right. It would most likely remain untouched for the rest of the day. She almost wished that she had just told Levy to come over and hang out with her so she wouldn't be lonely. But she knew she wouldn't make for very good company right now. And besides, she and Mirajane had already promised to stop by the next morning to make her a special birthday breakfast. She would see her friend tomorrow.

With nothing else to do, Lucy heaved a sigh and slumped over to her bookshelf, picking out a book at random before plopping into a spot on her sofa. She cracked the book open to the first page and began to read.

About a third of the way through the book, Lucy grew restless. She snapped it shut, not even bothering to place a bookmark to hold her place, and dropped it onto the coffee table in front of her. She stood up and paced the floor for a good five minutes, wondering what the hell she could do with the rest of her day. Looking at a nearby lacryma clock, she noted with annoyance that it was barely past noon. She grumbled something unintelligible under her breath and then sat back down on her couch. She could work on her novel, like she'd told Levy she was going to do, but she didn't think she could concentrate enough in the current state she was in. She could go over to Natsu's house, she supposed, and demand answers of him. No. She would wait a little longer before taking such drastic measures.

She lay back on the couch and closed her eyes, deciding that she would just take a nap to help stave off the boredom. Not two minutes later a knock sounded on her door. She sat up and frowned. Well, it couldn't be Natsu, he never used the front door. He would just come in through her window.

She pushed to her feet and walked over to the door, pulling it open to reveal a blue cat.

"Hi, Happy." Lucy greeted with a small smile. "What are you doing here?" She glanced behind him for a moment. "Is Natsu with you?" She dared to be hopeful.

"No," Happy's whole face looked pitiful and sad, and Lucy immediately felt a strong urge to hug the feline. She held the door open wider.

"Come in," she said. Happy gave a small smile and stepped inside. Lucy shut the door behind him, and then followed him over to her sofa, where he sat on the arm, facing her.

"What's the matter, Happy?" She asked. "Where's Natsu?" Happy shrugged.

"I was hoping he was with you."

"You mean you haven't seen him?" Lucy asked in disbelief. When were those two ever not together?

"No!" Happy began to sob, tears leaking from his eyes. Lucy offered him some kleenex from the box she kept on her coffee table. She and Levy used them a lot when they watched chick flicks together, but the last few days they had served another purpose. "He won't tell me anything! He keeps saying he has some 'things' he needs to get done, but that I can't go."

"That's not like him." Lucy noted. She tried to think of a time when Natsu had left Happy out of anything, but nothing came to mind. Those two were best friends; they were always together. "He's been acting strange with me, too." Lucy admitted. "He's been avoiding me, I think."

"It makes me sad," Happy blubbered, then blew his nose loudly into a kleenex.

"Yeah, me too, Happy." So Natsu wasn't just avoiding her, it appeared. Why was he acting so strange? Maybe he was avoiding her so suddenly... Because someone came along. No, that couldn't be it. If Natsu had found someone else to be with, he wouldn't be avoiding Happy, too. "I just don't get why he's acting so strangely."

"I don't know," Happy agreed sadly. "But I hope he goes back to normal soon. I miss my best friend."

"I miss him, too."

The two sat in silence for a long time, both caught up in their own sorrow. Neither knew much about the dragon slayer's sudden change, however, they were content to just share in one another's pain for the time being. It was nice to know they weren't alone in their suffering.

By the time the little blue Exceed had left, it was early evening. They waved goodbye, and Happy promised to stop by tomorrow to wish her a happy birthday. Well, at least HE remembered, Lucy thought bitterly, closing the door behind him. As soon as the door closed, her stomach began to grumble loudly. Oh, right. She hadn't eaten anything all day.

She headed into her kitchen in search for something to eat. After several moments of searching, she finally decided on just a slice of leftover pizza from the night before. Or maybe it was two nights, she couldn't remember. Carrying the slice on a napkin, she went back to her couch. She nibbled on her slice, not really tasting it, just eating to stave off the grumbling in her stomach.

When she finished her pizza, she decided to finally work on her novel. She sat down at her desk and pulled a piece of blank paper in front of her, continuing on where she left off in her last chapter.

Three hours later, she had, surprisingly, managed to write two complete chapters, adding them to the steadily growing pile to her right and making sure the stack stayed neat and in line. She finally gave a smile. Writing those two chapters had been good for her. It gave her something to focus on besides her growing pain at the absense of her favorite dragon slayer.

It was dark outside by the time she lay down for bed, the full moon casting a beam of light right onto her bed. She turned onto her left side to look at it out her window. She had always appreciated the full moon. It was really something, she thought. She didn't know how long she had been watching the moon before her eyes finally drifted closed, and she fell asleep.

July 1, x793: Lucy

Mira and Levy were both being a tad suspicious that morning. Lucy knew, based on their overly innocent actions, that they had something planned. It made her smile. Her friends truly cared about her, and never failed to do something special for her birthday.

Of course, the one person she WANTED to see that morning was nowhere to be found. Maybe he'd forgotten about her birthday this year. She knew he'd almost forgotten last year, that was how she'd ended up with a dragon plush toy, but she hadn't cared. He'd pulled through in the end. And she still slept with that dragon. Every night when HER dragon wasn't around. Which was too often this past week.

"Aw, Lu, what's with the sad face?" Levy asked with concern. The three of them were seated at Lucy's small kitchen table, drinking some tea that Lucy had made for them. They ahd already finished with breakfast, and were now simply chatting and sipping tea.

"No being sad on your birthday!" Mira ordered in a tone that wasn't at all commanding. Lucy sighed, fingering the thread bracelet on her left wrist.

"I'm not sad, you guys." She said, unconvincingly.

"Come on, Lu," Levy reached out and placed a hand on top of Lucy's, giving it a reassuring pat. "What's on your mind? Maybe we can help?"

She sighed again. "It's Natsu," she admitted. "He's been avoiding me lately and it's been really getting to me." Levy and Mira exchanged a knowing glance but Lucy didn't notice because her head was down. Mira bit back a smile, but Levy still looked concerned about her friend's obvious distress.

"Why do you think he's been avoiding you?" Levy asked carefully. Of course SHE knew the truth, but she had been sworn to secrecy. She wouldn't spoil the surprise, no matter how miserable Lucy looked.

"He hasn't been to my house for a whole week!" Lucy exclaimed. When she looked up there were tears swirling in her chocolate eyes. Levy's heart broke. She wished she could tell her friend that she had nothing to worry about. "And I've hardly seen him at all around the guild hall, and the few times I have seen him he's took one look at me and then ran in the opposite direction!"

"I wouldn't worry too much about Natsu," Mira said, adding a hand on top of Levy's. "He's just a strange boy, you know that! I'm sure he'll be around sometime today!"

"Yeah!" Levy agreed. "He wouldn't forget your birthday."

Lucy swiped at the tears on her face with her free hand. "You really think so?"

"Of course!" Mira grinned. "He cares about you, Lucy. You know he'd never try to hurt you." Levy nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, you're right." Lucy managed a smile. "Natsu wouldn't do that to me. There must be some other reason he's been acting so strangely." Lucy thought about that for a moment. What could her dragon slayer be up to... She remembered Happy coming by the night before. Natsu had been avoiding him, too... She narrowed her eyes. "Oh. I see. He IS up to something." The two women kept perfectly neutral expressions.

"What gives you that idea, Lu?" Levy asked, avoiding eye contact with the blonde.

"Well, he IS Natsu." Lucy rolled her eyes. The other two women relaxed slightly. "He's ALWAYS up to something. It makes sense, I guess. But I have no idea what he could possibly be doing that would make him avoid me like the plague. And it's not just me, either. Happy came by my apartment last night in tears because Natsu hasn't been around him, either."

"Happy, too?" Mira was genuinely surprised by this. She knew that Natsu had been avoiding Lucy for obvious reasons, but Happy, too?

Levy's eyes lit up with understanding. Natsu couldn't tell Happy about his plans, because Happy was the worst at keeping secrets. Still, she thought it was probably more suspicious this way. She was surprised her normally highly observant friend was acting so dense. Maybe the dragon slayer was rubbing off on her.

"So," Levy worked to keep the realization hidden."Are you almost ready to go, Lu?"

Lucy sighed, feeling suddenly tired. "I don't know, you guys. I know I said that we would go out, but I'm just not-"

"No," Levy held up a hand to stop her. "We're going out. It's your birthday, Lucy! You can't just hole up in your apartment all day."

"Exactly," Mira nodded in agreement.

"Fine," Lucy stood up and went to start cleaning up the dishes from breakfast, but Mira and Levy stopped her.

"Nope!" Mira said, grabbing the plates before Lucy could. "No cleaning up on your birthday! Go finish getting ready. We leave in ten minutes!"

"Ten?" Lucy glanced at her clock. 9:40. "Are we on a schedule or something?"

"Of course!" Mira grinned. "Now, scoot!"

Lucy had already showered before Mira and Levy showed up, so now she just had to change out of her cotton shorts and t-shirt into something more appropriate. She had no idea what the two girls had planned for her, so she just had to guess on what to wear. She flipped through clothes in her closet until she came across something she liked. She pulled off her shorts and t-shirt and slipped into the new outfit. She donned a pair of shoes, and then went into the bathroom to fix her hair. After a few unsuccessful attempts at styling, she gave up and just let the soft blonde waves fall across her shoulder blades. It would do.

When she walked back out into the living room, Mira and Levy were waiting for her with eager expressions.

"Ready?" Mira asked, practically jumping up and down in her obvious excitement. Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What were these two up to?

"Let's go!" Lucy said with forced enthusiasm, and the trio walked out the door.

A/N: End of Part 2! I know, I'm a horrible person! I not only make you wait for a second part, but now a third! *cue angry mob* Sorry, you guys! But I really wanted to show what Lucy was doing during all this "secret planning" of Natsu's. He's so dense, he doesn't even realize that he's been avoiding his girlfriend. Poor Lucy! Anyway, look out for Part 3!

ThatOneFriend-3: Haha it doesn't have to make sense. Your excitement is all that matters to me! And thank you so much for that! Your support of this story means a lot!

MystpopGIRL: Sorry you have to wait another day! But hopefully it'll be worth the wait! And I hope you liked getting a little sense of what Lucy was doing, even if it was kinda depressing haha. I'd be sad too if my hunky dragon slayer boyfriend wasn't around! XD

Skylovekittycats2004: Aww thank you so much for that comment! It means a lot! I promise the next chapter will be a lot more fluffy and feature a lot more NALU! Stay tuned!