Disclaimer: All rights of Fairy Tail go to Hiro Mashima. I do not own this.

Chapter 2: A New Town

Lucy was still a bit worried about what Haru had said back on the cliff. When she'd asked him what he meant about wishing for their family to be together he only smiled and said he couldn't tell her, otherwise the wish wouldn't be granted. Lucy hadn't wanted to press the issue either if she was honest, not with Haru finally giving her a real smile. But she had a good idea what he had meant. He wanted his father back.

Lucy wasn't sure what troubled her more. The fact that she had indirectly given Haru the idea he could wish for his father to come back, or how she hadn't even tried to explain to him how impossible that was. And to make things worse, her check engine light came on ten miles outside Magnolia. So much for her truck being indestructible.

At least Haru's smiling again. That has to count for something, she thought.

Looking over at Haru practically bouncing in his seat as he leaned out the window as far as the seatbelt would allow Lucy found it impossible not to smile. Since they'd first arrived in Magnolia ten minutes ago, Haru had been asking questions nonstop as he looked wildly out the window.

Not that Lucy could blame him. Magnolia was certainly far more colorful than Crocus had been with its all gray skyscrapers and black roads. Magnolia trees, which the town was named for, dotted the streets and nearly every store had large flower boxes under the window sills. Even the buildings were painted bright, cheerful colors.

It's more beautiful than I remember.

"Hey mom! What's that place?" Lucy leaned over slightly to see which building Haru was pointing at. While most of the town had stayed the same, Lucy was shocked to see just how many shops had been replaced with new ones. Her favorite burger joint was now a small bakery called "Strauss Free Bakery", much to her disappointment. She wondered if her old friend Levy had managed to open that book store she'd always dreamed about.

Looking at the place Haru was talking about Lucy felt her shoulders slump as she realized the ballet studio she used to attend was now an antique store. There went another part of her childhood. "It's an antique shop, Haru," Lucy said.

At the boy's confused look Lucy tapped a finger to her chin, thinking of the best way to explain it to him. "Do you remember all those stores we used to go to with dad to find some of his records?"

Haru nodded. "Yeah. They smelled weird and all the stuff looked funny."

Lucy laughed. "Well, those were antique stores. They sell all kinds of old things that aren't made anymore. Like records and other funny-looking stuff."

"Oh..." Haru drawled, nodding slowly before turning back to the window. He quieted down after that, biting his lip and twisting his shirt in his small hands the way he always did when he started to think about his father. Not wanting her son's cheerful mood to end Lucy took the next right she came to and headed down one of Magnolia's more extraordinary streets, in her own opinion that is.

Central Lane was lined with thick magnolia trees on one side and a canal on the other that ran right through the town. Fishermen often traveled along the stretch of water that led to the sea and most of the buildings in this area were little shops and fancy restaurants. But the true wonder was Kardia Cathedral. It sat right in the center of the town, towering over every other building around.

It didn't take long for Haru to notice the change of scenery and his brown eyes widened as he leaned across Lucy to get a better look at the canal.

"Woah! Mom! Mom look! There's a river!"

"Canal," Lucy corrected.

"Do you think Uncle Sting'll take me fishing?" Haru asked his excitement back in full force.

Lucy laughed and nodded. "I'm sure he will. Maybe he'll even cook up some fish for you afterwards. Fresh fish is always the best."

Haru whooped and went back to asking Lucy every question he could think of about the new town. Lucy answered each question patiently, finding her own excitement growing to match her son's. Soon they were both laughing as Lucy told Haru about how Sting once tossed a ketchup packet into the road and had the red goop squirt him right across the eyes as a truck ran over it.

Checking her gps on her phone occasionally, Lucy made sure she was on the right road as they left the center of Magnolia and headed to the town's outer limits. Her brother had tried to give her directions to his place but after the third time of him saying "it's by the big bush," Lucy had told him to just give her the address. Honestly, she wasn't sure how her brother had ever managed to find his way anywhere.

Turning down a dirt road that would eventually lead to the lake on the outskirts of town, Lucy couldn't suppress her groan when she saw just where her brother had picked to build his house and business.

The Sabretooth bar and grill looked more like a glorified shack propped up in the middle of nowhere than an actual restaurant. The ugly greenish-blue paint combined with the dark wood and stone made it look older than what it really was.

It sat in a small clearing off the road with massive, moss covered trees surrounded it on every side. Their lush leaves gave more than enough shade around the building and the outdoor seating area was already close to full.

Placed haphazardly around the front were little round tables with two sets of mismatched chairs seated around them. Bales of straw provided extra seating to some tables where families had pulled two or more tables together while having breakfast. Strung up along the edge of the roof were little lights that were still on despite it being nowhere near dark. In all honesty, the place was rather ugly looking, with barely anything matching.

It certainly wasn't the type of place one would expect the son of Magnolia's biggest business man to live. Most had probably expected Sting to take over the family business. But Sting had never been one to follow rules, the man was twenty-three years old and insisted people still called him by his old nickname for crying out loud!

But, say what you want about Sting, the man could cook that's for damn sure.

He and Lucy had often helped their mother cook dinner when they were younger, but while Lucy enjoyed cooking Sting fell in love with it. He'd flown through culinary school at the top of his class, easily capable of running a large restaurant in any city around the world. But he'd come back to small town Magnolia after school and built his own restaurant in the middle of nowhere instead. That, as it seemed, wasn't a bad thing.

Even with it being just past nine in the morning, Sabretooth was quite busy. Old trucks and cars lined the gravel lot next to the building, and nearly half of the tables outside were full of people, mostly elderly couples, eating pancakes, eggs and grits from the look of it.

Haru twisted around in his seat to look out the back window as Lucy expertly parked their truck, mindful of the trailer she towed behind her. "Where are we mom?" he asked as Lucy clicked off the engine and unbuckled herself.

"Remember how I told you Uncle Sting owned a restaurant? Well, this is it," Lucy said with a bright smile as she hopped out of the truck. "You hungry?" she asked.

Haru nodded, already opening his door and jumping out. "Come on mom!" he called, bouncing on the balls of his feet by the trailer.

Lucy laughed and took his hand as they crossed the lot. She couldn't help but close her eyes and take a deep breath of the fresh, if slightly salty, smelling air. Aside from her family and friends, she'd missed the smell of Magnolia the most after leaving. There was just something about how she could always smell the sea even though it was several miles away that made her want to smile.

Stepping inside Sabretooth, Lucy sighed with relief at the wonderfully cool room. One thing she hadn't missed was how hot Magnolia could get in the summer. Inside, the restaurant looked even worse than it did outside, if that was possible.

Yellow and blue lights hung from the ceiling, offering very little light in the back where the sunlight streaming through the large front windows couldn't quite reach. The walls were covered with different posters, signs, boat parts and other typical knick-knacks often found in ocean-themed restaurants, giving the whole place a rather cluttered feel.

The bar lined the front half of the wall to Lucy's left and she could hear sounds coming from what she assumed was the kitchen behind the double doors near the back. She recognized her brother's best friend Rouge behind the bar, cleaning the glasses and putting them back on the shelf. A woman with wavy brown hair dressed in a bikini top and kakis sat at the bar gulping from a mug that looked much too large for Lucy's tastes. How someone could manage to drink so early was beyond her.

Next to the door was a glass box propped up on a fancy wooden stand that held the actual sabretooth Sting had found at Tenrou Lake when he and Lucy were just kids. Tacked to the wall over it was a sign that read "No Pictures Allowed."

Lucy rolled her eyes. Leave it to her brother to think people would want to take pictures of some fossilized tooth. Though, based on how Haru was looking at it with wide eyes maybe Sting wasn't completely wrong.

As Lucy looked around the large room she recognized a few people seated here and there but she couldn't spot that familiar spiky blonde hair or sleek silver belonging to her brother and sister-in-law. She supposed Yukino could have still been upstairs resting, but surely Sting was somewhere in the restaurant. Though, it would be just like her brother to skip out on work, especially if he was pampering his wife.

The double doors suddenly burst open and speak of the devil there he was. Sting stormed out of the kitchen, a deep scowl on his usually cheerful face as he balanced a tray full of pancakes, bacon, eggs, a large bowl of grits, some deep fried fish and a whole pot of coffee on one hand.

He expertly wove through the crowded tables to a booth on the right wall where he set, more like slammed, the plates in front of a very large, and round, man dressed in plaid pants and a high collar white shirt with thick ruffles over the chest and cuffs.

Sting glared down at the man, arms crossed over his chest. "You damn well better leave a tip this time Droy. I didn't bust my ass for you to leave one fuckin' dollar. Again."

Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. That was Droy?! He looked so…different from the last time Lucy had seen him. Two hundred pounds different.

Droy gulped and held up his hands, voice squeaking as he did his best to smile. "N-now Sting. Maybe you should be more polite to the guy who runs the most popular critique blog in town. A good review from me could really help business."

Lucy could see the vein in her brother's forehead throbbing from across the room. Covering Haru's ears, Lucy sighed and shook her head. This is going to get messy, she thought.

Leaning on the table with one hand, Sting bent forward until he was practically in Droy's face. "Hard to type your dumb blog with broken fingers," he hissed.

Droy tugged at his collar, sweat gathering on his forehead and under his double chin. "You w-wouldn't."

Sting smirked. "You'd be shocked what a man'll do for his family."

Droy swallowed. "I-I'll leave a tip. A good one!" Sting straightened and narrowed his eyes. "A-and I'll write you a good review. B-but that's just the truth anyway, so…I'll give you a good deal on my vegetables! The best in town, I promise," Droy added with a nervous chuckle.

Sting grinned and clapped Droy on the back, not too gently Lucy noticed. "Atta boy!" he said. "Enjoy your meal."

At that point Haru had noticed his uncle and broke free from Lucy's hold to dash across the room. "Uncle Sting! Uncle Sting!" he called.

Sting turned and his grin widened even more as Haru all but crashed into his uncle's arms. "Hey buddy! How's my favorite nephew?"

"Good. Can you make me some waffles?"

Sting tossed his head back and laughed. "Sure thing."

"With chocolate chips, too?"

Sting scoffed, holding one hand over his heart feigning hurt. "Is there another way to have waffles?"

Haru tapped his chin, thinking it over. "Mom puts berries on hers," he said, little nose wrinkling in disgust.

Sting matched his expression, pretending to gag at the thought of berries on waffles. "Gross…"

"Hey! It's not that gross," Lucy said, lips twitching in an amused smile.

Sting looked up at her and his grin was back full force. "Lucy!" He swung Haru over one shoulder and practically ran across the room, Haru laughing and kicking his feet as he did. Lucy rolled her eyes as her brother pulled her into a crushing hug, her forehead knocking into his hard chin. Since when had her little brother gotten so tall?

"Welcome home, sis!"

Lucy squirmed in his arms. "Sting…I can't breathe," Lucy wheezed.

He sighed and let her go but kept his free arm around her shoulders. "Picky, picky," he mumbled, earning a smack on his shoulder from Lucy.

Despite them having lived in different towns for so long it never ceased to amaze Lucy how she and her brother had remained so close. While most families would have had at least some distance grow between them from living so far apart it wasn't the case for them. Sting and Yukino had always visited for every holiday and often accompanied them on the camping trips and vacations Lucy and her family had gone on.

Never had Lucy been so thankful for their close relationship than when she'd lost her husband. For the first two months without him Sting and Yukino had been right there, helping her, and more importantly, Haru through those horrible days. Lucy wasn't sure what she would've done without them. Haru especially had depended on his uncle more than ever. A fact she was reminded of every time Lucy watched them together.

Lucy smiled up at her brother. "You're going to be a great dad," she said.

"W-what? Where the hell did that come from?"

"Language," Lucy warned.

"Uncle Stiiiiing," Haru whined. "Put me down."

"Oh, alright," he sighed and dropped Haru to the ground. Placing a large hand in the boy's hair, Sting grinned down at him. "So, waffles was it?"

Haru smiled, trying to push the man's hand from his hair to no avail. Sting just snickered as he turned to Lucy. "What about you, sis? Waffles sound good? Or maybe those crepes you like?"

Before Lucy could answer she caught sight of a familiar face over Sting's shoulder, her smile turning to a smirk as she knew what was about to happen.

"Eucliffe. What's this I hear about you threatening our guests?"

Sting paled, his grin slipping from his face instantly at the sound of his wife's angry tone. For a brief moment, his eyes flicked to Lucy's, silently asking for help. Her smirk widened as she motioned for him to turn around.

He did, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. "Y-yuki!" Sting gave a nervous smile but the woman only narrowed her eyes at him, one hand on her hip while the other rubbed small circles on her large belly. "What are you doing out of bed? Oh crap! You didn't try to call me did you?"

Sting fumbled with his phone to see if he'd missed a call while Yukino lectured him about being rude to customers. Lucy was doing her best to stifle her laughs behind her hand when she felt Haru tug on her shirt. He motioned for her to come closer with quick, urgent waves of his hand.

Kneeling down next to him, Haru cupped his hands around Lucy's ear and whispered, "Whose Eucliffe?"

Lucy turned to whisper back in his ear. "That's your uncle's real name, the one grandma and grandpa gave him," she explained.

Haru's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. "Really?"

Lucy nodded. "Yep."

"Hey! Don't go spreading that crap around!" Sting protested. "And that's not my name."

Lucy scoffed. "Oh, whatever. Eucliffe is a wonderful name. You should be honored mom and dad named you after grandpa."

Sting crossed his arms over his chest, blue eyes narrowing as a much too child-like pout crossed his sharp features. "It sounds like the name of some priss who went to private schools."

"We went to private schools," Lucy said, her smile turning smug as she looked up at her bother.

Sting opened his mouth to reply and promptly let out a yelp of surprise as Haru shoved past him to Yukino. "Aunt Yuki!"

"Haru!" Yukino opened her arms to the small boy, she really had missed him. It had been too long since she saw her beloved nephew. Luckily for her, now she wouldn't have to go a day without hugging Haru. Her sweet, cute, lovable, not in her arms nephew.

Opening her eyes, Yukino could only blink in confusion at the boy. Haru stood a few feet back, his own arms spread wide like he was ready to hug his aunt but stood just out of reach. "Haru?" Yukino wasn't sure what to make of his odd behavior.

Haru looked over his shoulder at Lucy, bewildered expression making her giggle softly. "Mom? Can I hug Aunt Yuki with the baby?"

Lucy sighed as Sting broke into a laughing fit. "Of course, Haru. Just be careful about her belly," Lucy said.

Haru nodded and gently wrapped his arms as far around Yukino's wide stomach as he could, squeaking in surprise when Yukino pulled him closer. Sting draped an arm around Lucy's shoulder as she stood, sagging slightly so she was forced to carry part of his weight.

"Peach crepes, then?" he asked.

Lucy smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist. "With whipped cream. Eucliffe."

Sting rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah." He pulled back and rubbed the top of her head, snickering when Lucy complained about him messing up her hair and walked over to his wife to place a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "The usual Yuki?"

Yukino nodded, reluctantly letting Haru go much to the small boy's relief. "With extra mayonnaise. The light kind."

Sting nodded and turned to go back to the kitchen, Haru following after him. "Uncle Sting. I wanna help."

Sting glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah? Well then let's get cookin!"

"Uh Haru," Lucy called. "Maybe you shouldn't go into the kitchen."

"Awe sis, its fine. I know the owner ain't got a problem with it." Sting turned to Haru and ruffled the boy's hair. "Common Haru. I'll teach you how to make the perfect omelet."

Lucy sighed and shook her head as she watch the two disappear through the double doors. "He better not start a fire back there," she mumbled, though she wasn't sure if she meant Sting or Haru. The two seemed to get a big rowdy when left alone for long.

Yukino walked over to her and slipped an arm though Lucy's. "Oh, let the kids have their fun," she said, making Lucy snort. "It gives us time to talk."

Lucy smiled and hugged her sister-in-law. "Some girl time does sound nice," Lucy said.

Yukino hugged her back before wincing and pulling away, one hand rubbing the side of her belly. "He kicking you?" Lucy asked.

Yukino nodded. "Yes. He's been doing that more often lately." She looked back at the kitchen, checking to make sure her husband was out of earshot before leaning closer to Lucy. "Don't tell Sting please. He's been so concerned about every little thing I can hardly get relaxed with him hovering over me twenty-four-seven. If he knew how much this kid kicks I'm sure he wouldn't let me out of his sight!"

Lucy laughed, promising she wouldn't tell her brother. Though she did make a mental note to tease him on being so overprotective later. Yukino smiled and started to lead Lucy to a blue door tucked behind the bar. "Wonderful! Now, let's get a seat and have some breakfast."