*ANNOUNCEMENT* [31/12/16] I have finished rewriting the current chapters. I have made a lot of changes to the story, grammatical and plot-wise. Please reread the previous chapters to catch up on some of the parts I've changed. I am super sorry for this inconvenience but I hope you'll enjoy the differences I've made in the personalities of the characters, especially Lisanna. I realized how biased I was portraying her so I'm trying to fix that. Thank you for sticking with me and for all your wonderful reviews! *ANNOUNCEMENT*

Hi everyone. I'm back! I know this is really late but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Things have been hectic lately but here's Chapter 4 of Mercy! Thanks again to all the amazing people who followed/faved/reviewed this story. You guys are my inspiration to keep writing! :)

Fanfic Lover - Thanks for reviewing! I hope I updated soon enough XD Hopefully this chapter is as good as the others!

FoxyLocky4509 & WisdomWarrior45 - Let's wait and see, eh? The build-up of this story is going to go quite slowly and might be a little draggy and it'll seem like he's going to cheat at times, but it's the ending that counts, so do be patient. :) I will try my best to update as fast as possible. But the quality might not be as good as I'd like it to be so I'll try my best! Btw, this story is definitely Nalu. It will start and end with Nalu. This I promise. :)

Disclaimer : I do not own Fairy Tail whatsoever. It belongs to Hiro Mashima. The plot of this story is also kind of based on Jodi Picoult's Mercy.

Chapter 4

'Lisanna?'

The white-haired girl stiffened as she heard the familiar tenor of his voice. She turned around to look at the pink-haired officer staring wide-eyed at her as he stood in between the rows of flowers. Her breath hitched as she took in the sight before her. A blush steadily made its way to her ears as she realized she was staring.

He had grown so much, she noted, the air of confidence he exuded only added to his ever-attractive features. His jaw seemed more defined and his eyes were brighter than she last remembered. She tried not to look at the obvious muscles straining against the tightness of his blue suit. The person in front of her was no boy, anymore. He had grown and matured into a man every girl's parents would have desired to have as a son-in-law.

'Lisanna,' Natsu repeated, his words sounding like a slur to her as her brain slowly took everything in. She straightened and recomposed herself. 'Is that really you?'

Lisanna timidly nodded, unsure of what to do. She wanted to laugh and cry and leap into his arms because after so many years, she was finally here. He was finally here with her and she couldn't be happier.

But as the memories of their last meeting flooded her mind, she realized that it was probably a mistake to have admitted that she was Lisanna instead of sticking to her original plan. She winced as a frown replaced Natsu's usual, easy smile. Dammit, this was not -

'Wow! It's been, what, six years?' Natsu said, a full-blown grin on his face as he reached out to pull the shocked girl into a hug. She froze for a moment before melting into his familiar embracr. The white-haired girl inhaled his musky, pine-scented cologne and sighed happily. Lisanna felt a small smile growing on her own face as she curled her arms around his torso. Ah, she'd missed this so much, she's missed them so much. His warmth and his voice...everything just felt so right.

She belonged here. In his arms.

His comforting warmth left her as abruptly as it came and she suddenly felt too cold when Natsu pulled back. She could feel the calluses on his palms as they sat upon her shoulders. She blushed under Natsu's searching gaze. 'How've you been, Lisa?' Natsu asked, a friendly smile on his face as he inspected his old friend.

'I-I've been good,' she stuttered, her hand reaching up to tuck away a stray strand of hair. She didn't notice how the officer's onyx eyes had glazed over in the most subtle way. 'I -um- came here a few days ago and I met L-'

She jumped when the sound of the bells rang in the quiet expanse of the shop, startling both Natsu and her. She let out a breath of relief as she realized that it was probably just a customer. But why should she be relieved that its just a customer? She did no wrong. What everyone would have seen was a young woman catching up with her old friend. Right?

As the sound of footsteps approached the counter, both of them turned to see who the customer was.

Only it was no customer.

The brightest grin Lisanna has ever seen was plastered on his face and she watched as his eyes lit up as Lucy walked into the shop. Her face fell as he mumbled a quick 'catch up with you later' and rushed to greet the blonde florist. She felt a coil of envy unfurl in the pits of her stomach.

Why was he ignoring her in favor of a blonde he barely even noticed in high school?

(He didn't even look at her when he said goodbye.)

Natsu grinned at the sight of his favorite blonde. His wife entered the flower shop, looking beautiful as always despite her messy, windblown hair and flustered self. She headed towards the counter, not noticing her husband or her assistant standing in between the rows of flowers. She was carrying a huge basket of flowers and equipment for their latest arrangement and was currently wondering where the hell her lovely assistant was when she needed her?

She doesn't know how she managed to juggle everything for as long as she did, but what Lucy does know is that if she doesn't reach the counter in the next five seconds, she was bound to trip over her own feet and fall flat on her face. Seriously, whoever said clumsiness wasn't terminal has never met Lucy Heartfilia, because she was the most accident-prone woman on Earthland. But that wouldn't do now, considering her current 'situation', as Dr Porlyusica so blatantly puts it. Lucy gritted her teeth and shifted the basket from one arm to the other while trying to prevent the precariously balanced equipment from falling.

Natsu's eyes softened as he followed his wife to the counter. He chuckled inwardly as she tripped and dropped the basket, causing some of the flowers to fall onto the floor. Natsu tried to contain his laughter when Lucy swore loudly before picking everything up all while cursing her own clumsiness. His so-called 'Lucy smile'(the smile he reserves only for the said blonde)made its way to his lips when he went up to his wife, who was still oblivious to the officer's presence.

Lucy bent over the counter as she rearranged the flowers she had ordered whilst doing a mental tally to confirm their number. She was so preoccupied with her multi-tasking that she didn't heart her husband's footsteps. Natsu crept up to her and hugged her from behind, nuzzling his face into her hair and causing her to let out a surprised yelp. She got over her initial shock and leaned into her husband's embrace, taking comfort in his strong, tanned arms.

She giggled as Natsu tightened his hold on her. He was always so protective (not to mention possessive) of her, even when she wasn't in trouble. The blonde florist didn't really mind. She loved the way they let body language speak for them in place of words. It showed how deeply in tune they were with one another. Plus, Natsu's cuddles were the best. She wondered distractedly if he would hug his children like how he hugged her, or if he had a different type of hug for different people.

He would be a wonderful father. A small part of her whispered.

(She didn't know how he only hugged her so tightly, with his palms on her mid-back, his fingers relaxed yet firm on her skin, his face buried in the crook of her neck, where he could feel her pulse against his lips, reassuring him that she won't ever leave; reminding him of the one constant in his life.)

'Hey,' she whispered, her hand reaching behind her to stroke his soft pink locks. He moaned at her touch, eliciting a barely audible laugh from the blonde, the vibrations of her laugh lighting his face up instantly.

The couple weren't aware of the tears brimming in a certain white-haired girl's eyes or the sound of a heart cracking.

'Hey yourself,' he mumbled into her hair. She could feel his grin against her blond strands.

Lucy turned around to face him, his arms sliding down to rest firmly around her slender waist.

'So, what brings you here?' she asked, placing her hands on her hip. A delicate eyebrow was raised in question.

Natsu chuckled. 'Aw, I can't see my own wife now?'

Lucy smiled and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek in affection. He froze in his spot; flashbacks of his past with his ex resurfacing. And all of a sudden, he couldn't remember where Lisanna ended and Lucy began. He could feel his vivid memories with Lucy blur and mash with his time with Lisanna, blending and blending into one big fat blob. Natsu struggled to keep his calm. It was his first attack in years, they had stopped ever since he fell completely, totally and helplessly in love with Lucy.

So what triggered it again after all this time?

Looking into his wife's soulful, dark brown eyes, he pushed those thoughts aside, brushing it off as a side effect from his shock over Lisanna's unannounced arrival. An image of his ex popped up in his mind and he quickly forced it back. He would talk to Lisanna later. Today, he reminded himself, was about him and the beautiful, loving, perfect woman in his arms.

Luckily, his wife didn't notice his earlier stiffness. He internally let out a breath of relief. (He was never that good at acting, and he never tried. From his experience in acting, he had deducted that acting was unhealthy, both emotionally and physically. Thanks a lot, Erza.)

He hated to make Lucy worry. She was always the most level-headed one out of all their friends but when it came to matters concerning Natsu and her adoptive family, she was an absolute demon. He remembered how fierce she was when she fought for her adoptive brother, Sting, during the adoption process. He had never seen his wife that enraged...but he couldn't deny that it was down-right sexy as hell when her eyes flared with barely contained anger.

(The sex they had that day was the most mind-blowing experience of his life. It was raw, hot, rough, and a hundred percent satisfying. The lovers both had the battle scars to prove just how intense their love-making had been. Even the very thought of that day sent blood down south...but that didn't mean he would piss his wife off intentionally. Nope.)

Lucy's voice snapped him out of his reverie. 'How long have you been here, Natsu?' She glanced around the shop, causing him to gulp. He probably shouldn't tell her that Lisanna was in her shop. It would definitely bring down her good mood, seeing how badly his ex had treated her back then.

'Not that long,' he shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. Lucy's eyes narrowed and he wondered if he seemed casual enough.

Okay, maybe Lucy isn't as gullible as he thought. 'A few minutes before you, I guess. Why?' He admitted, hoping that Lisanna had left. Sweat started to form at the back of his neck. Please don't tell me she's using Erza's interrogation technique.

Having Lucy meet Lisanna on the very anniversary of the day Natsu first met her would be catastrophic, he reasoned, those two are better kept apart. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn't know Lisanna was in town yet. After all, Natsu didn't want his wife worrying or complaining about her high school tormentor all night, especially when it was supposed to be their night together.

Lucy's wandering gaze snapped back to him and she said, 'I've hired an assistant a few days ago, but she's not here. Do you happen to see anyone in here?'

Oh. Letting out the breath he didn't realize he was holding, Natsu answered, 'No, I don't think so.' Was there anyone aside from him and the white-haired girl in the shop before she came in? Natsu tried to remember seeing anyone else but he was positive he didn't spot any stranger standing behind the counter or crouching behind the racks of flowers. He shook his head, confirming his previous statement. 'Nope, I pretty sure I didn't see anyone at all.'

Lucy's shoulders dropped in disappointment. 'That's too bad. I had hoped she could – '

'I'm here!' a voice interrupted.

It was comical how Lucy brightened up immediately. Natsu stifled a laugh. 'Should I be jealous that you're that happy to see someone other than your loving ol' husband?' he joked.

Lucy winked at him sideways. 'I'll let you decide that yourself, huh?' Then, she turned towards the source of the voice and called out, 'Lisa? You there? I need your help with something!'

To say that Natsu had taken over Gray's title of Ice Princess was an understatement. Natsu felt as though his mother, Erza and Scary Lucy were having their time of the month and he'd done something to upset all of them.

Lisa? Why would Lucy of all people know her by that nickname? What the hell is going on here?

Lisanna walked out from the racks and walked towards Lucy. She flinched a little when she saw Natsu by her side but said nothing nonetheless.

Lucy didn't notice the tension between the two. She smiled at Lisanna and said, 'Natsu, I'd like you to meet Annalisa Dreyar. She's my new assistant.'

Natsu was ten seconds from fainting. He'd dealt with criminals that gave adults nightmares and been in multiple life-threatening situations but this was nothing compared to that. Since when did Lisanna change both her first and last name? Oh fuck, please don't tell him that Lucy has no idea who her own assistant is.

'And Lisa? This is my husband, Natsu!'

Yep, she has no idea who her assistant is. Screw his life.

I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I feel as though I messed it up a bit. I'm really sorry if I've let you guys down with this chapter. I promise to do better the next chapter!

Please leave a review about how I could've written it, or how I could improve. Thanks! :)

[31/12/16] FOR THOSE WHO CAUGHT THE HINTS I THREW INTO THE REWRITTEN CHAPTERS, LET'S KEEP THE REVIEWS SPOILER-FREE, YEAH? XD BUT DO LET ME KNOW IF YOU LIKED THE SUBTLE CHANGES I'VE MADE. :)