A New Beginning

by Smash1992

When recently widowed and single mother Lucy Heartfilia moves back to her hometown in southern Fiore she wasn't hoping for much more than a simple new beginning for her and her son. But small-town Magnolia has never been simple, so it's no surprise when things take an unexpected turn for the young mother in the form of the town's local vet. Or is he the mechanic?

10. Chapter 10: A New Plan

Disclaimer: All rights of Fairy Tail go to Hiro Mashima. I do not own this. Also, the song Natsu picks out in this chapter is Blue Ain't Your Color by Keith Urban. At least, that was the song in my head when I wrote it but you can pick whatever you want. Also, I did want to warn everyone that I have made some changes to Juvia's character. It's nothing very drastic and I am going to try to make her as close to Mashima's depiction of her as possible but I wanted to give her a more unique standing in my story. Just thought I'd give you all a heads up so wouldn't be too thrown.

Chapter 10: A New Plan

When Igneel walked into the animal hospital early in the morning, he didn't expect to see his son asleep on a cot in the recovery room next to a cage with a fluffy white dog and six pups inside. Lisanna had called him that morning saying she'd lost her keys (again) and couldn't get ahold of Natsu. Figuring his son must have misplaced his phone (again), Igneel grabbed the spare key he kept at his house and headed off at seven in the morning to let Lisanna in, not expecting his son to already be there. He paused in the doorway and looked Natsu up and down before nudging his foot that hung over the side of the too-small cot. Natsu groaned and somehow managed to roll onto his side despite his shoulders being wider than the frame.

Igneel smirked and nudged him again. "Come on, boy. Time to get up."

"No," Natsu mumbled.

Igneel rolled his eyes and took a sip of his tea from the large thermos, waving the bag of doughnuts he'd brought for himself hard enough for his son to hear the familiar crinkle of the paper bag. "Your ma made doughnuts."

Natsu peeked open one eye and looked over his shoulder at the older man. His pink hair flopped over his forehead in a way that always reminded Igneel of when his son was just a boy. "With chocolate icin'," he asked.

Igneel grinned, "Has she ever made anything else?"

Natsu grumbled but slowly pushed himself up, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Man, I'm tired," he mumbled.

Igneel chuckled and handed him his tea. "Here. Let's get some fresh air, boy."

Natsu grunted as he trailed after Igneel, pausing for a moment to check on the dog and pups. A few minutes later they sat out on the tailgate of Natsu's large truck in the parking lot watching the sunrise peek over the trees. "So, what are you doin' here, old man?" Natsu asked as he stuffed a doughnut in his mouth.

"Lisanna called. She lost her key and couldn't get ahold of you." Igneel clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I swear, that girl has one knack for locking herself on the wrong side of the door. Surprised she hasn't locked herself in another world with how scatter brained she can be."

"Lisanna's here?" Natsu paused and looked around, finally seeing the woman's jeep parked across the lot.

Igneel hummed and sipped the coffee he'd gotten from the break room since Natsu seemed to have taken his tea permanently. "It is Wednesday," he said, shrugging.

His son usually had Wednesday's and the occasional Sunday off, especially now that summer was starting to settle in and the town's annual softball tournament was about to kick off. Natsu liked to use that free time to get some extra sleep and go fishing too, which was why he wasn't on call those nights except for extreme cases. Igneel didn't know much about veterinary care, but he could figure that the dog and pups must have been through something serious if their owner called straight to Natsu on his night off.

Natsu blinked as if he was just realizing what day it was and reached for another doughnut before Igneel smacked his hand away. He'd only brought twelve and with the way his son was inhaling them, Igneel would be lucky if it would be an even split.

"Hey!" Natsu said, rubbing his hand with a small pout.

Igneel chuckled and took the largest doughnut. "Don't be like that, Natsu. I brought these for me and I already gave you my tea," he said, nodding to the large thermos in his son's hands.

Natsu rolled his eyes but waited for Igneel to take another doughnut before quickly snatching his fourth. "Yeah, well I'm starved. Didn't get to eat much last night before I had to deal with Plue."

"About that. Why are you here?"

Natsu quickly told him what had happened the night before with the dog and pups, somehow managing to look and sound somewhat excited despite the way he still paused to yawn every so often. It wasn't too often Natsu or Lisanna got such extreme cases so when someone's pet had something serious both vets couldn't help but get a bit thrilled over the rush. Most people took good care of their pets in town and aside from any special cases brought in from other clinics and wild animals needing rehabilitating the life of a small town vet was limited to mostly spays and neuters. As Natsu rambled Igneel took particular notice of the way his son went off on a little tangent about the owner, Lucy, and her son Haru for about five minutes. Twice. "How long were you up with Plue?" Igneel asked when his son let out another loud yawn.

Natsu shrugged. "Most of the night. I wanted to make sure it didn't happen again."

"It's a good thing you were there. Same thing happened to one of Jura's cows last year. Lost the calf and the mom." Igneel still remembered the way his old friend had looked when he had stopped by to help Jura bury the two animals on a nice spot on his land. Jura was quiet and humble about his job as a beef cattle farmer but he'd always cared deeply for his animals and Igneel had only need to take one look to know his friend was very upset over losing his cow and the calf. Grandeeney had baked Jura two large casseroles and an apple pie from scratch that she'd sent over while Igneel had simply handed his friend a cooled six pack and sat with him on the back porch afterwards. He couldn't imagine how awful something like that would be for a family pet.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, I remember that. Lisanna felt pretty bad for a few weeks afterwards. I just wish I'd been there to help her. Beef cows are pretty wild without the added stress of a calf stuck halfway out." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just glad it wasn't too late when Lucy called. Might not have heard the phone I was so tired."

Igneel hummed. "If you're so tired, boy, head home. Lisanna can watch Plue for the day."

Natsu nodded but made no move to get up. "Yeah, okay. I just need to call Luce first. Let her know things went fine."

Igneel smirked around his cup of coffee as he watched a flock of geese lazily fly by. It wasn't often his boy gave people nicknames, something he reserved for only his closest friends, but this Lucy lady must have made quite the impression on Natsu for him to call her anything else so soon. Suddenly Igneel was a little more curious about meeting this new lady in town if she'd managed to become so close with his son in such short time. His wife would be even more eager too, once Igneel told her this. "I take it this is the same lady and boy you've been spendin' breakfast with, eh?"

Natsu choked on his fifth doughnut and Igneel gave him a hardy slap on his back. Boy never was very good at eating and talking at the same time without choking. "W-what?! Where the hell'd you hear that?" he gasped, rubbing his chest slightly.

Igneel barked out a loud laugh as he snagged the last doughnut from the bag. Seven to five was pretty fair. "Gildarts stopped by the other day for a bit. He mentioned how you had a new lady friend," he said, waggling his bushy red eyebrows and nudging his son's side. "And Juvia was talkin' up a storm to your ma at work. Somethin' about you and a pretty blond makin' lovey eyes at each other over breakfast."

Natsu shoved him off, the tips of his ears now bright red. "It ain't like that! Lucy's just a friend that I like talkin' to and Haru's her boy. And whatever Juvia and Gildarts said ain't true! One's a gossip machine and the other's a perv." He smiled at Igneel and downed the last of his tea. "You'd like 'em though," he said.

From what his son had said, Igneel didn't doubt it. Natsu may have been a people person in general but he rarely talked with so much excitement, and perhaps even admiration, for someone unless he was very fond of them. Igneel nodded and slid from the truck's bed, pushing the tip of his cane in the gravel to help steady himself. Despite his age, the man was still quite fit, even with the fact he had to use a cane to get around now. A feat that likely had a lot to do with being a fire fighter up until a few years ago and the fact that his wife made sure he ate a healthy diet daily (with the occasional homemade doughnut). His only fault in marrying a doctor was the lack of junk food allowed in the house but that may have just been Grandeeney. Mavis knew her mother was ten times worse. He took back his thermos and handed Natsu his now empty cup, ignoring his son's squawk for him to 'carry his own trash' before turning to head back to his car.

"Well, invite them over for the game Sunday," he called over his shoulder. "I'm sure they'll have fun. And your ma will love to meet this friend of yours."

Igneel grinned when he heard Natsu groan. "What did Juvia tell mom?! She better not bother Lucy. Old man? Hey!"

Igneel was still laughing when he pulled from the parking lot.

Natsu sighed as he watched his father drive off. He really was tired but he needed to talk to Lisanna and Lucy first. After gathering up the trash and heading back inside, Natsu found Lisanna and briefed her on Plue's condition. She was doing very well, much to Natsu's relief, and was eating and giving attention to her pups like any good mom would. Lisanna had cooed softly over her and the pups, assuring him she would make Plue her main focus throughout the day. Really, they couldn't have been in better hands. Lisanna may have been more of a cat person, but she certainly loved all animals. And it may have helped that Plue's pups were damn near the cutest things Natsu had ever seen.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about her, Natsu," she said as they walked to the front door. "She's doing good. Vitals all fine and she's as active as you'd expect a new mom to be."

"I know. Just want to be sure, you know? Prolapsed uterus' can be pretty serious."

She nodded as she moved behind the front counter to rifle through a few papers on the surgeries scheduled for the day. "It usually doesn't happen again but I'll make sure to keep an eye on her."

Natsu nodded and pulled his keys from his pocket. "Call me if anything changes, okay Lis?"

She waved him off with a soft smile. "Sure, sure. Will do."

He left her with a less than enthusiastic wave over his shoulder and hopped in his truck. He thought about simply calling Lucy and just heading home to sleep but hesitated. It was almost eight so she was likely at work already, and Natsu knew she tended to keep her phone on her when she worked, even if it was on vibrate, so really calling her would probably be the best option. Knowing how upset she and Haru had been though, Natsu wanted to talk with them in person too. It was easier to reassure someone while with them that things would be okay than over the phone anyway. In the end, it was Natsu's grumbling stomach that decided for him. Never mind the fact that he was also a bit eager to see Lucy and Haru. At least Sabretooth was in the general direction of his house anyway.

He pulled into the bar and grill's parking lot not long after it had opened, immediately looking for Lucy's blue pickup but didn't see it. Figuring he'd might as well get breakfast while he was there, Natsu sighed as he slid from his truck and made his way to the restaurant. He chose to eat inside that day, sitting at a small booth near one of the large windows in the back. Breakfast was decidedly a lot less entertaining without Lucy and Haru, and Natsu found himself slowly picking his way through his eggs when Yukino appeared next to him.

"Natsu!" she said. "I didn't even see you come in. How are you?"

He smiled. "Fine. Just getting somethin' to eat before I head home."

She nodded and Natsu quickly jumped to his feet when she started to slowly ease herself into the seat across from him. She gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you. I swear, I'm ready to pull this kid out myself at this rate. I feel like I can barely move."

Natsu nodded, knowing how uncomfortable the last months of pregnancy could be. And Yukino was especially far along. "He's due any day now, right?"

Yukino hummed and rubbed her stomach. "Yes. And I wish he'd hurry up." She huffed and glared down at her stomach (which may have been shoved against the table to the point where Natsu was starting to wonder if he should try to pull it back a little). "Honestly, it took me ten minutes to roll over and get my phone from the night stand and call Sting to help me sit up this morning." She shook her head, "That's not normal…"

Natsu laughed and didn't bother protesting when Yukino reached over to take his bowl of fruit. "Well, at this point there isn't much else you can do other than wait."

Yukino sighed as she popped a raspberry in her mouth. "Yeah. That's what the doctors said too. You know, Sting actually looked up what the record for the longest pregnancy is? I swear, if that man tries to put our child's name in the world record book for this I'll be livid."

Natsu laughed. "Well…to be fair, I think it would be your name that makes the page."

Yukino glared. "If I could move, I'd smack you upside the head."

Natsu held up his hands in surrender but couldn't stop his snickers. They sat there in silence for a moment, both picking at their food before Natsu tried to casually ask, "So…I take it Lucy's not working today?"

Yukino smiled sweetly. "She might. She called me this morning and told me what happened with Plue last night. I told her to come in later if she wanted but it wasn't necessary. She seemed pretty shaken."

"Oh…"

Yukino eyed him closely as she attempted to lean forward and rest her elbows on the table, eventually giving up and slumping back against the cushions. "I know it's just you're job, Natsu, and that you would've been there for anyone if they'd called, but I really am happy you were there for Lucy last night. Handling stuff like that hasn't always been easy for her and I'm glad she had a good friend with her."

Natsu nodded, not sure of what to say. He'd known Lucy was stressed and more than a little scared about what happened with Plue but he hadn't truly thought his presence really mattered. In a personal sense anyway. He'd figured she would've been just as relieved to see Lisanna. Of course, he'd wanted to be there for her, and Haru if he'd been up, but the way Yukino made it sound was as if Lucy had also wanted Natsu there, specifically. And not just because he was the vet.

The thought made his chest swell with a warmth that he couldn't name but was starting to associate with Lucy and Haru.

Yukino giggled and placed a hand over his. "I just wanted you to know that I'm glad you were there for her and Haru. That they can depend on you in more ways than one."

Before Natsu could think of anything to say, Yukino motioned for him to help her up and promptly disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Natsu feeling a little confused and with a slightly warmer than normal face. He finished the rest of his breakfast rather quickly before leaving and making the drive back into town to Lucy's.

A few minutes later, Natsu pulled up in front of the small, yellow cottage, fingers a little jittery with nerves as he turned off the truck. He stretched his arms over his head before making his way up the stone trail to the front door. The two front windows were open slightly, letting in the fresh, summer air while there was still a cool breeze. As he walked up to the porch he could hear the sound of old classical music playing softly from somewhere in the house. He was just about to knock when the door opened and Lucy nearly walked into him. He chuckled. This was definitely a habit now.

"Oh! Natsu!" she gasped.

Even though she was barefoot, dressed in old sweats with some holes at the knees and a blue tank top that was a few sizes too large, Natsu noted again how attractive Lucy was. But today, it struck him that he liked this look on her just as much as when she dressed in her frilly blouses at work. She had a kind of beauty that had more to do with her openness towards others rather than traditional good looks. It made her seem so…real, and Natsu thought she could catch the eye of a hurricane in jeans and a t-shirt without even trying.

He grinned and gave a small wave. "Hey! Was just on my way home and thought I'd swing by to tell ya how Plue is."

"O-oh! Well, do you want to come in? I just put a pot of tea on so it should be ready soon."

"Sure thing, Luce."

She grabbed the mail from the box by the door before stepping aside and Natsu followed her into the house to the kitchen in the back. She didn't even try to tame her hair or fix the wrinkles in her sweats. Something Natsu found very charming. "It's funny you showed up," she said as she pulled another cup from the cabinet over the counter. "I was just thinking about calling you."

Natsu raised an eyebrow as he settled in the chair by the table. "You were? What for?"

She chuckled and moved about the kitchen to get the honey and milk ready. "I told you last night I'd call you before Haru and I stopped by the hospital. Don't you remember?"

Oh. Yeah she did say something about going to the hospital today. He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh. Sorry. Everything was so crazy last night I think I forgot half of it."

Lucy rolled her eyes as she poured two cups before handing one to Natsu. "Well, I'm glad you stopped by. I hope things went well…?"

Natsu nodded. "Plue's doin' fine. So are the pups. Cute as bugs, really! And hungry little guys too, so you'll have your hands full when they're bigger."

"You're sure she's fine?"

He nodded and added a bit of honey to the warm tea. "Yeah. I did an x-ray and there was no indication for internal bleeding and everything was where it was 'posed to be. Once she got some fluids in her she got a lot of her strength back. She could probably come home later today, but I want to keep her another night, if that's ok."

Lucy nodded with a relieved sigh. "Of course. Whatever you think is best."

Natsu only hummed at that and took a long gulp of his tea. It really was better than coffee. He watched Lucy as they sat in silence for a bit. She slowly sipped her tea, gaze drifting out the window occasionally. She looked tired and Natsu could easily tell she was still a bit jumpy from what happened yesterday. Which…didn't suit Lucy. She always seemed so strong and brave, able to smile no matter how trying her day had been. She was the first one to make sure Haru was cheerful along with everyone else she cared about. Natsu thought back to what Yukino had said about how she didn't handle situations like this well and how she'd behaved the first day they met when she'd lost track of Haru. Both times she'd overreacted? Well, maybe overreacted wasn't the right word but was pretty close.

It made him wonder about how much of Lucy Heartfilia, the real Lucy Heartfilia, he didn't know.

"Surprised you even own tea bags, Luce," he teased, hoping to pull her out of whatever somber mood she was in. He grinned, "Aren't ya all into coffee?"

Lucy huffed in an overdramatic way and crossed her arms. "I usually only drink tea when I'm stressed. It calms me down." She smirked and leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. "You know, I could brew a quick pot for you. Add a shot of expresso, too."

Natsu wrinkled his nose. "Na. I was up most of the night watchin' Plue so I'd rather not be awake when I'm tryin' to sleep."

Lucy laughed and Natsu grinned. "So…would Haru and I still be able to see Plue today? He was pretty worried about her last night."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. Lisanna's watchin' her while I head home to crash for a bit, but you can head over anytime. But fair warning, she may be a little doped up on the sedatives I gave her to get the x-ray, but other than that she's perfectly fine." He paused for a moment to listen to the music playing. "Speaking of Haru, where is the kid?"

Lucy shook her head but a small smile curled her lips. "Still asleep. After you left he had a hard time falling back to sleep. I figured he'd be pretty tired after everything..."

"He okay? Ya want me to talk to him? Let him know things are good?" Natsu asked.

Lucy's smile softened. "Thank you, Natsu, but I'm sure he'll be okay once he sees Plue. Just some bad memories is all…" She trailed off and her gaze shifted out the window again. Natsu was trying to think of something to say when Lucy suddenly turned back to him, making Natsu jump in his seat. "I just want to thank you again, Natsu. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there. I-" She paused and closed her eyes to take a deep breath. "I'm glad you were with us."

Natsu felt heat rush to his neck and ears the same moment his heart flopped in his chest. He smiled softly and reached over to place his hand on Lucy's lying against the table. Her head jerked up as she blinked at him. "I'm glad I was there too, Lucy. And like I said last night, if ya ever need anything, whatever time, just call and I'll be there."

Lucy bit her lip but Natsu could see her eyes shine a bit brighter. Suddenly, he was reminded of what Yukino and his father had said about them becoming so close and his heart began to beat a tad faster. "I thought you forgot last night?" she said, a small smirk pulling her lips up on one side.

"I remember that part."

Lucy's cheeks flushed a bright red but she didn't look away. "Thank you Natsu. And, for what it's worth, if you ever need something you can call me too." She chuckled, "I don't know if I can promise anytime, what with Haru and all, but I will certainly be there for you."

Natsu gave a mischievous grin and Lucy's kind smile quickly became one of concern. "Actually Luce, there was something I wanted to ask ya."

"Should I be worried," Lucy mumbled.

Natsu laughed. "Na. I think you'll like this. See, the town's got a little fundraiser for the library every summer where different stores and businesses support softball teams and there's a whole tournament. First game is this Sunday at three. The animal hospital and town's doctors are playing against city hall's team, so Erza'll be there with Reiki. It's at Hakobe Forrest, on the south side of the mountain, and people always cook out so there'll be plenty of food. It's by the park too so the kids can play. Haru would love it!"

He wasn't sure why he was trying so hard to convince Lucy to go. In all likelihood, she'd probably be happy to come, if only to spend time with her friends and family after what happened with Plue. But for some reason Natsu felt an almost desperate flare in his gut at wanting Lucy and Haru there. He blamed it on his father for saying his mother wanted to meet Lucy.

Lucy chuckled and shook her head. "Okay. We'll be there."

"Great!" Natsu paused and reached to rub the back of his neck only to realize he was still holding Lucy's hand. He quickly pulled away, standing in an attempt to hide the blush he could feel creeping over his nose. "So…I'll see ya around, Luce. Tell Haru I said hey, and if he has questions about Plue he can call me. But Lisanna will answer any questions you guys have just fine, too. She's watching her and the pups today for me. Ya'll can still call her to make sure she's expecting ya when you visit Plue, if ya want." He was rambling. What the hell?

Lucy raised an eyebrow as she stood. "You're leaving already?"

"Like I said, I'm bushed. But don't worry, I was planning on going back to check on Plue personally later."

Lucy nodded and led him to the door, standing in the doorway as he paused on the porch to spin around and give Lucy a bright grin. "See ya later Luce," he called. He took a couple steps back towards the steps and couldn't stop himself from saying, "Oh, and by the way. That outfit looks great."

It might have been a smooth line if he hadn't tripped over the last step into the flowerbed.

Lucy smiled softly as she watched Haru walk through the glass door into the animal hospital ahead of her. The stethoscope Natsu gave him hung proudly around his neck and he held his head high as he looked around the room. To most, he would look perfectly fine, confident even, but Lucy could tell he was nervous, and maybe a little sad, from the way his hands kept twisting his shirt occasionally. Lucy couldn't blame him. A vet clinic was very similar to a hospital and the whole situation with Plue was only bringing up bad memories for both of them. Lucy was just thankful Haru hadn't had to see the worse of it. But it didn't take a genius to know that something serious had to have happened for Plue to be taken away so suddenly, and Haru had always been rather perceptive for his age, even if he didn't always show it. He was like his father in that way.

Lucy tried to focus on the differences between this place and the hospital back in Crocus. While it still had the same sterile smell that all medical practices seemed to naturally carry, there was also the strong smell of pets and the sweeter smell of flowers that tended to flow over all of Magnolia. The wooden benches near the front windows were worn in places but not overly so and the cheerfully colored pillows had just enough of a tattered feel to them to remind Lucy of a well-loved home. Certainly much more preferred than the pristine, stiff chairs that offered no form of comfort in the hospital's waiting room.

Taking a deep breath, she followed Haru up to the front desk where the same receptionist from their first time here sat happily petting a cat with only three legs and one green eye on her lap. Another wonderful difference to the frantic nurses rushing about for all the emergency cases brought in alongside her husband. If Lucy remembered correctly her name was Millianna.

She looked up and smiled as they walked up, her usual cat eared headband almost lost in her wild, orange hair. "Oh, Mrs. Heartfilia! Lisanna said she was expecting you today. I gotta say, for dogs those puppies are certainly very cute. Everyone's been fawning over them all day."

Lucy smiled and Haru practically beamed. It was relieving news, to say the least. "So I've been told," Lucy said. "Actually, Haru and I were hoping to check on Plue and the puppies. And maybe talk to Lisanna if she's not too busy."

Millianna motioned to the near empty waiting room. "Not busy at all. Just take a seat and I'll let her know you're here."

Lisanna was out in just a few minutes and she happily led them back to the recovery room. "I see you've brought your stethoscope," she said to Haru.

He nodded, smiling wide but still twisting his shirt in his hands. He'd been unusually quiet all morning. "Yeah. It's so I can make sure Plue is okay."

Lisanna nodded sagely. "Of course. But you know Haru, Plue is doing very well. Natsu stayed up with her all night and made her his special patient. And now she's my special patient, so she's been looked after real well."

Haru reached up to take Lucy's hand and she gave it a comforting squeeze. "…Mom said she's feeling good now and so are the puppies."

Lisanna nodded enthusiastically. She was a lot like Natsu in that way, and Lucy could feel herself and Haru relax the more Lisanna talked. "Oh she is! Quite the tough little dog you have there and she's such a wonderful mother! And those little puppies are so cute." She glanced over and Haru and winked. "You're going to have a lot of fun playing with them when they're older."

Haru perked up at that but he still held Lucy's hand tightly as Lisanna opened the door to the recovery room.

"Now, Plue is still a little sleepy from the medications we gave her, so she may not be herself, but not to worry! She's doing just fine and you can still pet her. Just be careful, okay?" Lisanna said.

Haru nodded and took a deep breath. Lucy held his hand tightly and gave his back a reassuring pat. She'd explained how Plue might act different around them on the drive over. More tired and sloppy, maybe even a little drooly, but that it was perfectly normal and Haru didn't need to be scared. The moment they walked into the room, however, Plue gave a happy bark as she easily stood up in her cage, careful to mind the six wiggling bodies around her paws. She was still shivering, but other than her usual odd tick she looked perfectly fine. Perhaps not as energetic as usual but enough so that Lucy wasn't concerned as Plue whined until Lisanna opened her cage before trotting over to them.

Lucy smiled as Plue wove around her legs, tail wagging as she licked Lucy's hand's and Haru's face. Haru laughed and pulled Plue into a gentle hug, running his fingers through her thick fur. "Hey Plue. You're okay. I'm glad you're better," he murmured against her neck. Plue only huffed and wiggled in his grasp to lick his cheek, tail thumping against the ground enthusiastically.

"So am I," Lucy said, kneeling down to stroke Plue's head. "You had us worried, silly dog."

"She's doing a lot better than Natsu and I expected," Lisanna said from her spot by the cage. "The puppies are good too. I've given them a full checkup and they're all fine. One's a little smaller than the others but it's not uncommon for there to be a runt in a litter this size, and he's just as healthy as his brother and sisters."

"How many boys and girls are there?" Haru asked from his place next to Plue. He already had his stethoscope out and pressed to her chest but he looked up at Lisanna expectantly.

"Two boys and four girls." Lisanna looked down at the pups still wiggling about on the fluffy blanket lining the bottom. "They're still a little young to play with but you can pet them if you'd like, Haru."

Haru looked over to Lucy, waiting for her to nod before walking over to sit in front of the cage, Plue trotting right after him. Lisanna gave him some hand sanitizer before wrapping one of the larger pups in a soft towel and tucking it into Haru's waiting arms. He insisted on checking each puppy's heartbeat and with Lisanna's careful guidance he looked over each puppy. Checking their tiny ears and little, black noses. Plue didn't seem bothered one bit with Haru handling the pups so much, but she did keep a watchful eye on Haru and her own babies the whole time.

Lucy kneeled beside her son with Plue happily resting her head in her lap until her puppies whining became enough to pull her back into the cage. It was only then that she noticed Haru's pillow was propped up against the side of the cage, away from the puppies enough to not accidently get dirty but close enough for Plue to lean against. She smiled at the thought of Natsu making sure to keep Haru's treasured pillow somewhere relatively clean but still kept his promise. Haru also noticed his pillow and fluffed it up before Plue settled against it with a deep huff.

Lisanna went on about Plue's condition and what Lucy would have to do when she took her and the puppies home. It was mostly the same stuff Natsu had told her but Lucy found it calming to hear again. "Honestly, I'd be fine with letting you take them home today but another night here won't hurt," Lisanna added.

Lucy nodded. "I talked to Natsu this morning and he said something similar. He thinks it would be best to keep them here for another night, though. Just in case."

Lisanna nodded. "That's fine. I'm on call tonight but I'll give Natsu a call later to see what he thinks."

"He's at home taking a nap now," Lucy said and instantly felt her cheeks heat up for saying anything. She could imagine a number of ways that could sound, most of which involved memories of her saying something similar about another man back in Crocus. Lisanna only raised an eyebrow but Lucy felt her blush begin spreading so she quickly cleared her throat and added, "A-at least, that's what he told me when he stopped by earlier."

Lisanna only hummed as she helped Haru put the last puppy away and closed the door to the cage. Plue was already nudging the pups closer to her side, encouraging them to nurse with gentle licks and soft whines.

"She's a good mom," Haru said, crossing his arms and nodding.

Lucy smiled and ruffled his hair. "Yeah, she is."

"And the puppies all have very strong hearts. I checked them all and counted like Natsu said."

Lucy leaned over to kiss the top of his head. "I'm sure Plue is very happy you were able to check her puppies for her."

Haru snickered and reached through the bars to scratch behind Plue's ears. Lucy started to stand when Haru reached out and grabbed her shirt. "Mom? Can we stay a little longer? Until Plue falls asleep?"

Lucy glanced over at Lisanna who only smiled and shrugged. "It's fine with me. We're not too busy today anyway. Stay as long as you'd like." With that she quickly left the room, no doubt hurrying to her next patient for the day.

With a sigh Lucy settled down next to the cage, reaching a hand through the cage bars to pat Plue's head. She still looked tired, though whether that was from the drugs still in her system or the extra effort needed to care for six pups Lucy wasn't sure. "You're a good dog," Lucy murmured, earning a lazy thump of her dog's tail.

Haru shuffled over to press himself against Lucy's side. He held his stethoscope tightly in his hand, occasionally reaching through the bars to place it on Plue's forehead or nose. Lucy wrapped her free arm around him and pulled him a little closer. They were both quiet for a while until Haru whispered, "We should name the puppies."

Lucy smirked. "I'm pretty sure we're supposed to let their future owners do that, Haru."

"But I already have some really good names," he whined.

He listed off several names in a hushed whisper ranging from Yelper to Canis Major and Lucy could only smile and breathe a sigh of relief that they'd managed to get past this latest obstacle. Lucy could quietly admit that she was still a bit shaken and she had no doubt that Haru would likely ask to sleep with her for the next few nights, but it would help to have Plue home so soon. Perhaps she'd ask Natsu to talk with Haru after all. While he didn't seem as upset as he was yesterday, Lucy figured he'd feel a bit better after talking with Natsu.

As it turned out, talking with Natsu did help Haru calm down enough to not need to sleep in Lucy's bed for more than a one night. Instead, Lucy focused their attention to fixing up the room down stairs for Plue and the puppies. Natsu had explained that the puppies would likely need to be contained in a small area with newspaper and old towels lining the floor for them to go to the bathroom on, given they wouldn't be house trained for the next few months. Haru was more than happy to help prop up some boards around the room to keep the puppies contained, even drawing pretty pictures on them to make the room look a bit more 'homey', as he'd put it. By the time Plue came home the next day, Lucy and Haru may have gone a tad overboard with all the soft bedding and new toys placed around the old potting room.

At least, that was what Natsu said when he brought Plue and the pups over.

Despite the hectic start to the week, the rest of the time was fairly peaceful. The lull in any activities until the weekend was a much needed break for both Haru and Lucy, but Haru had seemed more and more restless the closer they got to Sunday. Lucy had told him about the baseball game after Plue was settled in their home once again, and he had been eager to spend some time with Reiki and Emma at the playground. Which was why Lucy wasn't too surprised when Haru and Reiki had the idea to have a sleep over Saturday night when the Fernandez's were over visiting the puppies Friday evening. Still a bit shocked, though.

Lucy blinked down at them and a quick glance over to Erza told her she was caught off guard with the request too.

"A sleepover?" Lucy asked.

Haru grinned and nodded while Reiki gave a polite smile beside him. "Yeah! Me and Reiki were thinking of a really cool game we could play at the park tomorrow, but we gotta get some stuff ready at his house."

"What sort of stuff?" Erza asked, leaning over across the kitchen table to get a better look at the boys.

At Erza's question Haru pursed his lips together and gripped his shirt. Reiki, however, didn't look a bit nervous as he easily said, "We wanna play knights and dragons with your costumes, mom."

Haru nodded excitedly, grin stretching to once again cover his whole face, but Lucy took particular interest in his little hands still twisting his shirt around and around. "Yeah. Emma said she was gonna be there too and she was gonna dress up as a princess. And we have to have a knight and a dragon!"

"Ah," Erza hummed, leaning back in her seat. "I see. Well, if it's alright with Lucy, I don't mind."

"Umm…"

At her baffled look Reiki gave a polite smile and grabbed Haru's arm. "We'll give you some time to talk it over," he said and pulled Haru to the back door to go play in the garden.

Lucy blinked after them. It still threw her for a loop whenever Reiki said something so…mature.

"So, Lucy," Erza said. "What do you think?"

Lucy pursed her lips. "They seem a bit young for a sleepover, don't you think?"

Erza chuckled. "They're seven. My Reiki has had several sleepovers with Emma and a few with Laxus and Mirajane's kids. It's nothing they can't handle." At Lucy's small frown Erza smiled and reached over to pat her hand. "If you're concerned about Jellal and I watching Haru I can assure you that he will be well looked after."

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped. "I'm not worried about that, it's just that this will be the first sleepover Haru's had and I guess I'm a little worried is all." She chuckled, "I suppose that I thought I'd get a bit more time to think it over. But I'm sure he will be fine with you."

Erza nodded in understanding. "I suppose I was a bit worried when Reiki spent his first night away from home too."

Lucy sighed and took a sip of her tea. Being seven, Haru was around the age that most children had their first sleepovers. And it wasn't as though he'd be staying with someone Lucy barely knew. While she hadn't met Jellal yet, Lucy trusted Erza completely and it wasn't as though Haru had never had sleepovers. He'd just always done them Lucy and his father with him. But she supposed something like this was bound to happen sooner than later. Especially with how close he and Reiki had become.

"I think a sleepover is a wonderful idea. Just make sure you call me if anything happens, no matter how small."

Erza chuckled. "Of course."

Haru bounced in his seat as his mom drove them to Reiki's house. He'd been over a lot since he and Reiki became best friends, and sometimes Reiki came over to play at his house, especially with the puppies (but only to pet cause they were still too little to really play with) but this was the first time he would spend all night there. Without his mom too.

"You know Haru," his mom said. "If you want to come back home any time, that's fine. You can ask Reiki's mom or dad and they will call me and I will come get you, okay?"

"Okay," he said.

"And Mrs. Erza assured me that if you need her in the middle of the night, she has no problem with you waking her up."

"Okay," he said. He wasn't so sure why his mom was acting so weird. Haru wasn't scared to spend the night without her. Kind of. Maybe he could call her before he and Reiki fell asleep. He could do that right? Just a quick call so she could say goodnight. Maybe read him a bedtime story over the phone. Yeah, that would be okay. Besides, he and Reiki needed to get a lot of stuff together before hunting that dragon tomorrow at the park. At least this way they could get everything ready without having to tell their secret plan to their moms. They'd find that dragon for sure!

When they pulled up in front of Reiki's house Haru's mom turned to him one last time and ran a hand through his hair. She smiled softly and Haru couldn't stop his own grin. "Are you sure you want to do this, sweetie? I know this is your first time and it's okay if you change your mind. I'm sure Reiki will understand."

Haru sighed and bounced a little in his seat, the special treasures in his tin box he'd been collecting rattling in his backpack. "No. I want to do this. Me and Reiki are gonna play a lot of games and he said we could watch the Ten Wizard Saints movie too! It's gonna be fun!"

His mom chuckled and moved to open her door. "Well, then how could I possibly argue with the Ten Wizard Saints?"

Haru laughed as he followed her up to the front door which was already opening as Reiki hurried out to tug Haru in side. "Haru! You got here just in time. My mom said we could make a cake but we have to choose what kind we want before dinner. Hello Mrs. Heartfilia," he added, looking back at Haru's mom.

She smiled as she trailed after them into the kitchen with Haru's duffle bag. "Hello Reiki. Is your mom around?"

Reiki nodded and pointed to the back door. "She's getting strawberries for the cake."

Haru watched as his mom walked over to the back door, setting his bag on the couch with a quick look his way that Haru knew meant 'be good'. Reiki softly tugged his sleeve to get his attention. "My mom likes strawberries on her cake, if that's okay? But she said we could choose what flavor to make it. We have vanilla and chocolate and blueberry. You're the guest so it's up to you."

Haru grinned. They were going to have a lot of fun tonight.

His mom left not long after, telling Haru again that he could call if he needed her for anything. Haru promised he would, if only to make his mom let go of him at the door. Once she had driven away Reiki turned to Haru and asked what he wanted to do.

Haru leaned over to whisper in Reiki's ear, "Let's get the dragon costume. And the really cool knight one."

Reiki nodded and called over to his mom who was working on the chocolate cake that he and Haru were going to play in the attic. Mrs. Erza nodded and told them to make sure they washed up before dinner. It didn't take long for Haru and Reiki to pull out the dragon costume and the parts of the angel knight that Reiki could fit in. "How are we going to get these to the park tomorrow?" Haru asked while scratching his head.

Reiki smirked. "I have a backpack we can use and my mom already showed me how to fold up the costumes so they're easier to carry." He paused to tap his chin as he looked over the breast plate, metal arm bands, helmet and sword from the knight costume. "I don't think we can take all of the knight costume, though," he said.

Haru nodded. "Then what parts should we take?"

"The helmet, arm bands and sword. I'll wear my knight shirt tomorrow too, just in case."

Haru grinned and threw his arm around Reiki's shoulder. "This is perfect, Reiki! We're gonna find that dragon tomorrow for sure!"

Reiki gave him a soft smile before turning to fold up the dragon costume. "Emma said she would wear her princess costume to help us."

"Cool! And I brought my secret weapon," Haru said proudly.

Reiki paused to raise an eyebrow at him. "A weapon? I thought we weren't gonna hurt the dragon."

Haru shook his head as he dug around in his backpack. "No, not that kind of weapon. A secret weapon." He pulled out his tin box and carefully opened the lid. Inside was the snake skin and fairy soldiers like always but he'd added his stethoscope and some pretty rocks he'd found in the garden. His collection of treasures was getting very big and cool. Haru bet the dragon would think they were cool. That was why he'd brought them. But tucked away at the very bottom was his secret weapon. Haru pulled it out with a loud 'aha' and held it out for Reiki to see. "Here it is!" he cried, making Reiki jump as he leaned over to get a better look at…

"Anchovies?" Reiki said, wrinkling his nose at the small tin box.

"Yeah! I know dragons like fish so I…uh…borrowed these from my uncle."

Reiki smirked. "Borrowed, huh?"

Haru huffed and tried not to look too guilty. He didn't ask his uncle if he could borrow the fish and he knew that was wrong but this was, like, a secret mission, almost. He couldn't tell everyone that he, Reiki and Emma were gonna look for a dragon cause then everyone might try to find him too. And then Haru wouldn't get his wish! Cause everyone knew that a dragon only gave one wish ever, and Haru didn't want someone else to take his wish.

"Anyways," he said, "are you almost done with the dragon?"

Reiki only hummed as he expertly folded the dragon's tail and then carefully stuffed it in his own backpack. "There. All done," he sighed and sat back on his heals. "Want to play a game now?" he asked.

Haru nodded and after locking up the trunks they settled on playing in Reiki's room with his Ten Wizard Saints toys until Mrs. Erza called them down for dinner. Rushing down the steps, Haru and Reiki ran into the kitchen just as Mrs. Erza placed a big bowl of mac and cheese on the table next to the hot dogs and fries. The three of them sat around the table eating while Reiki's mom said something about Reiki's dad coming back later that night but Haru wasn't really listening as he tried to sneak his broccoli onto Reiki's plate. He'd already gotten eight pieces on it, he was that sneaky.

"Like a ninja," he whispered to himself and snickered when Reiki looked over at him.

It didn't take long for them to make up a new game where they had to sneak food onto each other's plates while taking some away too. It was fun and Haru was pretty sure he was winning when Reiki's mom politely told them to finish their own food. He and Reiki made sure to clean their plates and then they were off to Reiki's room to change into their pajamas and brush their teeth.

"'Ou know wad we soot do?" Haru said, talking around his tooth brush still stuck in his mouth. They were both crowded around the bathroom sink on the small stool Reiki used when Haru had his awesome idea.

"Wat?" Reiki asked, his own tooth brush still in his mouth too.

"Wee soot mak a ford. To watch da moovie."

Reiki nodded and spit out his tooth paste before washing his tongue. "Otay," he said.

Haru grinned, or tried to with his toothbrush still in his mouth, and quickly finished brushing his teeth. When they were all dressed for bed they hurried downstairs where Mrs. Erza was setting up the movie and they both practically begged her if they could build a fort to watch the movie in. Well, Haru begged. Reiki just waited for him to pause before asking his mom if it was okay. Mrs. Erza smiled and told them it was fine, even allowing them to sleep in the fort if they wanted.

They spread a sheet over the back of the couch to two of the tall chairs from the kitchen counter they'd dragged over to make the roof. Reiki had the great idea to stuff the sides with pillows to make a wall while Haru laid out his and Reiki's sleeping bags with their own pillows underneath. It was perfect and they could easily sit back and watch the movie against the couch. There was even enough room for Reiki's mom to watch the movie with them.

Haru was trying to shove his green pillow against the couch in the perfect way when Reiki crawled into their fort with a big glass jar. "Want to help me get the night light?" he asked, waving the empty jar in front of Haru's nose.

Haru frowned and looked the jar over. "Uh…it's empty. There's not light in it, Reiki."

Reiki chuckled and shook his head. "That's cause we haven't caught it yet. Here," he grabbed Haru's arm and tugged him out from under the fort and out the back glass doors.

Nighttime had just started and Haru and Reiki quickly raced about the back yard before they were called in by Mrs. Erza. They grabbed as many fireflies as they could, though Haru quickly learned that he needed to carefully cup his hands around the blinking bugs, otherwise he'd have just a bunch of glowing goo on his fingers from smashing them. Between the two of them it didn't take long to fill up the jar. Haru giggled as he rushed back to Reiki's side with two fireflies clasped firmly in his hands just as his best friend was slipping in three of his own.

"This is so cool!" he said, crouching down next to Reiki. "I've never done this before."

Reiki looked up at him and blinked. "You haven't?"

Haru shook his head. "Nope. There weren't a lot of fireflies in Crocus. And when me, my mom and my dad went camping we always stayed in a cabin when it got dark out, but we would watch them by the fire sometimes and my dad would try to make a really big smore for me and my mom." He snickered and brought his hands up to his eye to peek between his fingers at the glowing bugs. "One time a firefly flew into the smore and my dad pretended to eat it. He stuck his tongue out and it was glowing but when I tried to do it too, cause it looked cool and funny, my mom said it was just a trick and my dad had eaten some special candy that made your tongue glow. I still thought it was funny."

That was one of Haru's favorite things about his dad. He was always so funny and cool and did silly things to make Haru and his mom laugh. Haru laughed at his story and Reiki chuckled too. It made a warm feeling in his chest to tell a story about his dad to his best friend. It was…nice. He grinned as one of the fireflies crawled slowly up his arm, snagging it at his elbow before it could fly away. "My dad would call them lightening bugs, though. It was weird."

Reiki nodded. "My dad calls them lightening bugs too. My mom says he thinks they're called that cause he grew up up north. She says he's wrong."

Haru giggled. "Yeah. My mom said my dad was wrong too." He paused to catch another firefly in the thick flower bushes by the back fence. They seemed to like it there best. "This is fun though," he said.

Reiki smiled. "Me and my dad do this a lot in the summer. He lets me keep them in my room some nights. But he always has me let them go the next morning."

Haru nodded, not sure what to say as the warm feeling started to go away. His dad used to let him do fun stuff too. Like let him pick the prettiest leaf in the park every week they went to add to his collection. Or let him leave his window open a crack so he could hear the baby birds chirp in the nest just outside. Or let him use his special work pencils for Haru's drawings cause they were really, really black and Haru liked how they felt on paper. Or let him hang off his arm while his dad reached way up over his head so Haru couldn't touch the ground cause his dad was that strong. Or let him wear his favorite sunglasses because Haru wanted to look like him. And a lot of other fun stuff. Hearing about what Reiki did with his dad made Haru's stomach feel bad and his chest hurt a bit. He reached out and started twisting his shirt in his hands.

Just one more day. And then I'll have my wish and dad will be back.

That's what Haru told himself as he, Reiki and Mrs. Erza settled in the fort to watch the movie. Haru slumped against Reiki's side, not really as excited about the movie but trying to watch it anyway. They were half way through the movie when Reiki's dad walked in. Reiki's mom paused the movie and as she and Reiki crowded around him Haru lingered back a bit, not sure what to do or say. He watched as Mr. Jellal ruffled Reiki's hair and told them a joke and called Mrs. Erza princess (something that Haru's dad used to do too) and then Reiki was by Haru's side again. Smiling as he introduced Haru to his dad and Haru smiled and said hello but when Mr. Jellal shook his hand with a soft smile and said, "The pleasure is all mine," Haru remembered that was how his dad said hello to new people too and he tugged at his shirt real hard.

He asked Mrs. Erza if he could call his mom and a little later he was sitting on the tall kitchen chair, tugging at his shirt with one hand while he listened to his mom tell him a bed time story. It was nice but it made Haru wish she was there to hold him.

It made Haru wish his dad was there to hold him.

As soon as Lucy dropped off Haru she knew she couldn't go home. She was too nervous on Haru's behalf to sit at home, and if she was honest she wanted a chance to relax in town without having to watch Haru.

It wasn't too late, only around six, and Lucy decided she'd try one of the few restaurants she'd never been to. Driving along the main road she found a parking spot across the canal and set about walking down the sidewalk. She made sure to put her phone on its highest volume and made a mental note to check it often that evening but for the most part Lucy tried to just relax and enjoy her brief free time.

She passed by several restaurants, none of which looked particularly appealing. It wasn't until she came across a large building with a steeply sloped roof and the words Fairy Tail etched across the front door that she paused. Lucy could hear the faint sounds of laughter and people singing from what she assumed to be some sort of fish grill, if the wonderful smell was anything to go by. The place must have been new since Lucy hadn't heard of it before, and she was sure she would have remembered it, given the place was clearly very popular.

"Oh, why not," she sighed, and quickly made her way up the front steps.

Inside, the place was wonderfully open and bright. High, arched ceilings, tall windows on three sides and wide open tables neatly lined the floor in a way that made Lucy realize how cramped Sabretooth really was. The place smelled of wood and spice and Lucy's mouth watered when the kitchen doors opened for a waitress to walk out carrying a tray piled high with crab legs and grilled fish. The tables sat down in a lower level of the room where there was just enough space for a small dance floor to the left, with the booths lining the walls on the same level Lucy stood, separating the busier tables from the quieter booths while still keeping the place open. Music drifted down from the speakers hanging from the ceiling and seemed to be connected to the huge jukebox in the corner where a group of teenagers had taken the liberty of flipping to a new song every few minutes.

Across from the front door was a long bar twice as big as Sabretooth's with enough alcohol to fill the whole back wall. Most of the bar stools were full but Lucy thought she saw Cana sitting near the end talking with a pretty woman with long white hair and wearing a simple red sundress. It took a moment for Lucy to realize it was Mirajane Struss-Dreyar. Lucy had met her a few times, always whenever she and Haru stopped by Mira's store, Struss Free Bakery, and the woman was always polite and happy to dote on Haru by slipping him a few extra treats whenever she thought Lucy wasn't looking. After her second time in the store Lucy had left with a box of twelve doughnuts, a very sticky faced Haru and the promise that she would call Mira that afternoon to talk about getting together for tea as soon as they could manage.

Lucy wouldn't use the word pushy to describe Mira but the woman had an uncanny way of always getting what she wanted without making anyone feel put out, no matter what her request was. She would simply smile sweetly, offer a few kind words and boom! Someone would walk out of the store with ten doughnuts more than they'd wanted.

"Mind the southern belles, dear. They are so sweet they'd talk a pepper out of their spice." That was what her grandma had said and while Lucy still wasn't sure exactly what that meant she couldn't think of a better way to describe Mira.

She watched as a tall, blond man with a wide chest walked over behind the counter and passed them their drinks. From the thick scar across his right eye and the deep frown on his face Lucy guessed he was Mira's husband. The guy looked more prone to cutting lumber than cleaning glasses behind a bar but from what Mira had told her Lucy knew his bark was almost always worse than his bite. Given how gently he reached out to take Mira's hand Lucy would have to agree.

Lucy glanced around for a hostess or even a waitress to seat her but as a young couple walked in behind her they didn't even pause before heading to the closest empty table. "So…you seat yourself?" Lucy wondered. Seemed a bit odd but people seemed to enjoy the place enough.

Shrugging, Lucy walked down the steps to the lower level, figuring she could sit at the bar where at least there were several employees to take her order. Certainly Cana and Mira would be happy to talk for a while and Lucy always loved to hear about Cana's latest drunk story. Last week Lucy had nearly laughed herself sick as Cana told her about the time she'd been towing a trailer after having a few beers, as she'd put it, while some jerk behind her kept trying to pass. She'd cut him off five times before having to come to a red light and the man immediately jumped out of his car and rushed over to her window.

"I thought I was gonna have to fight him, Lucy. And you know I'd win," she'd said with a wink.

Turned out the guy had only wanted to warn her that her trailer was on fire from a faulty break pad. She thanked him and promptly walked to the back of the trailer to put out the small fire with a can of beer.

Yes, another story like that would be just what Lucy needed to take her mind off of her worry over Haru. And no one told a drunk story as well as Cana.

"Luce?"

Lucy stumbled to a halt and turned to see Natsu, of all people, sitting at a table with Lisanna and a man Lucy had never seen before. Natsu was already standing and walking over to her, a wide grin stretched over his face that somehow made his eyes seem a little brighter. Or maybe that was the overhead lighting. He was still in his scrub shirt but had changed into jeans and those same cowboy boots he often wore outside of his job.

"What are ya doin' here?" he asked. "I mean, I've never seen you come here before…"

"Natsu. Hey," she said, smiling as he paused in front of her. "I just stopped in to get something to eat. I've actually never been here before."

Natsu nodded. "Well you came on the perfect night. All Saturday's kids eat free."

"Oh, well actually, Haru's not with me." At that Natsu blinked and scanned the isle, turning in a half circle with a small pout that Lucy couldn't help but giggle at. "He's spending the night with Reiki and Erza," she explained. "I didn't feel like sitting at home by myself so I came here for dinner."

"Oh. Then I got nothin'."

Lucy laughed at that, clutching her stomach and tossing her head back when someone moved past her in the isle and bumped into her side. Lucy gasped and stumbled forward a few steps before Natsu's hands reached out to grasp her shoulders and steady her. Lucy glanced over her shoulder and gave a quick apology that the person may or may not have heard as they hurried towards the door.

Natsu chuckled. "I don't know if this is your way of fallin' for me, Luce, but ya may want to work on your balance anyway. Not that I mind."

Lucy froze as her mind flashed back to the first words her husband had ever said to her. I think you just fell for me, princess. It was eerily close to what Natsu had said and Lucy wasn't quite sure what to do. Luckily Natsu didn't seem to notice Lucy's momentary freak out as he simply helped her straighten up then hooked a thumb over his shoulder towards his table.

"Want to eat with us then? Since ya aren't with anyone, that is," he asked.

Lucy could barely manage a quick nod before stiffly following Natsu over to his table where Lisanna and the man were waiting as they sipped their drinks. Lisanna looked up and gave a bright smile and wave to Lucy, easily reaching out to guide her into her the empty spot next to her with a quick word about grabbing Lucy a drink. Lucy smiled and made a mental note to thank her later. As Natsu took up his seat across from her, Lucy looked over to the other man still sitting quietly at the table. For some reason he looked very familiar. His dark blue eyes were sharp as they watched Lucy despite the droop to the lids that came from a hard day working. He nodded once in greeting, his black hair falling forward into his eyes from where it had been combed back and then it clicked.

Lucy gasped, "Oh my gosh. Gray?!"

Lucy couldn't believe how different Gray had become, no longer the gangly boy that was constantly yelling with his twin. He looked almost exactly like his father, minus the scar and graying hair. And maybe the smile too, but Lucy remained hopeful he was just tired.

Gray's eyes narrowed when she said his name before he seemed to recognize her and smirked. "Lucy. So you're the new city girl everyone's been talking about." He chuckled and shook his head. "Don't know why I didn't recognize you earlier. You look just like Layla."

"You too. I mean, you look like your dad, obviously. Not my mom." She chuckled nervously but Gray only shorted out a soft snicker.

Natsu's eyes were wide and he glanced over at Gray in a way that Lucy thought looked almost nervous and maybe a little warning before turning back to Lucy with a grin. "I take it ya two know each other, Luce?" he asked.

"Kind of…" Lucy said, reaching up to tug at a loose strand of hair.

"Our parents knew each other but we didn't spend a lot of time together as kids," Gray said. He gave his already loose tie a few tugs and undid the top buttons on his shirt before taking a big swig of his beer. "Somethin' about your old man not liking me or Lyon," he said to Lucy with that same smirk.

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Sounds about right. I think his favorite term was 'hooligans'."

Gray snorted into his beer and Lucy smirked but Natsu was oddly quiet. She chanced a look at him and found him nervously tapping his fingers against the table. Why he suddenly seemed so anxious was beyond her but before she could say anything Lisanna came back with a cider and placed it in front of Lucy.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I got what I normally get. I guess I should've asked if you were even drinking though," she said as she settled back in her seat.

Lucy waved off her concerns. "It's fine. I don't have Haru today and cider is okay. Though I typically like something a little stronger."

Lisanna smiled, "I'll remember for next time, then."

Lucy smiled softly at that and took a sip of her drink. It was a bit sourer than normal cider but still not as strong as what she preferred. Across from her, Natsu snorted and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table. "Of course you'd like somethin' stronger. Given all the coffee ya drink I'll bet you can hardly taste anything."

Lucy frowned and reached over to flick his arm, studiously ignoring how hard his bicep was. "I'll have you know my taste is impeccable. Certainly not at risk of being watered down like yours, what with all the tea you drink."

Lisanna giggled but at least had the courtesy to hide it behind her hand. Gray, on the other hand, had no qualms about laughing loudly in Natsu's ear.

Natsu ignored him to keep his eyes on Lucy's and smirked. "And yet I like you just fine."

Lucy felt her cheeks flush and couldn't seem to decide if she should look away or keep up there little impromptu staring contest. She settled on taking a long gulp of her cider instead.

Gray rolled his eyes and smacked the back of Natsu's head heard enough for it to fall forward and knock his nose against the tip of his own beer bottle. "It's too early for that, Ash Head," he muttered. Natsu, for his part, suddenly looked nervous again and spun to glare at Gray. Something that Gray fully returned with a challenging smirk.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at that and looked over at Lisanna who was already looking at her. "Umm…what was that about?" Lucy whispered.

Lisanna said nothing for a moment but then smiled softly and shook her head, taking a small sip from her bottle. "Oh, just Gray trying to cool Natsu down. I'm not sure about the rest yet."

Before Lucy could ask what that even met Gray smoothly stepped in to pull the conversation in something a bit more easy going (though Lucy still wasn't sure what made things so tense between him and Natsu in the first place). They all talked easily for the next few minutes about work and when Gray asked about some of Lucy's favorite science articles she'd written for Sorcerer Lucy spent a good ten minutes ranting about the intricate steps of a dying star before stuttering to a stop and apologizing for getting carried away. Lisanna had happily encouraged her to go on asked question after question with open interest.

Lucy would have normally felt a bit uncomfortable talking in such detail about something she knew most people didn't care about. And yet, Lucy somehow felt right at home with the three people around the table. It wasn't the same warm comfort of being with Erza and Levy, even after so many years, but a bit more energetic and bright. Like stepping into a summer rain versus watching it from a plush chair in a warm house.

Lucy said as much when Lisanna asked how it was living in Magnolia and Natsu had snickered and said, "Sure we're not too watered down for ya?" Which spurred on a new round of laughter from them all.

It wasn't until another waitress passed by that Lucy remembered she hadn't ordered yet. Huffing she crossed her arms and frowned. "When is the waitress going to be by anyway? You three have been waiting even longer than me!"

Natsu nodded and tapped his chin. "Yeah. I guess it's been long enough."

Gray shook his head before pulling over a small touch screen sitting between the salt and table sauce that Lucy hadn't even seen. "Lucy can go first and Flame Breath can go last, since he takes so long."

"Hey! It ain't my fault Dragneel's have healthy appetites," Natsu said.

"There's healthy appetites, and then there's your appetite," Lisanna teased, already leaning over to help Lucy pull up the menu.

Lucy blinked at all the options, mostly sea food but there were some chicken options and even a fair amount of pasta. Now she realized why there weren't many waitresses, people could just walk in and sit wherever they wanted and would order food when they wanted themselves. Lucy had been to a few restaurants back in Crocus that had electronic menus at the table but she hadn't expected a place in small town Magnolia to have that too.

She tapped on a grilled salmon topped with mushroom and tomato sauce and a side salad before passing the tablet over to Lisanna. "I didn't expect a place like this to be so…unique in how you order."

"Yeah," Natsu sighed. "It was Laxus' idea." He nodded towards the tall blond behind the bar that Lucy had seen before. "Guys always been into electronics. When he took over Fairy Tail after Gramps he added a bunch of new stuff." He shrugged and tried to snatch the tablet from Lisanna before Gray could get it but ended up with Gray's hand mushed in his face while he turned to enter his order in before Natsu.

"It was a good idea, too," Lisanna added. "Fairy Tail was already popular but the new techy stuff with the homey atmosphere made it really popular with the tourists." She giggled and winked at Lucy. "It also helps that the basement level has a deck area beside the canal. Lots of people like the romantic aspect of the place just as much as the lively part."

Natsu heaved a loud sigh when Gray passed him the tablet, tapping so many different options that Lucy started to consider telling him to slow down. Especially given over half his choices were deep-fried and from the "fire side" of the menu. It only took about twenty minutes to get their food and by then Lucy's stomach was growling loud enough it had Natsu laughing so hard he nearly spilled his drink several times. When Lucy took her first bite she nearly moaned. "Oh gosh. Don't tell Sting, but this is better than any fish he's ever made me."

"No promises," Gray said.

They continued to eat in a comfortable silence for a moment until Natsu huffed and leaned forward to jab his fork between Lucy and Gray. "I can't believe you two know each other. I mean, what the hell!"

Gray rolled his eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh. "Our parents knew each other. Not like we were friends."

"Yeah. My father was a bit picky about the friends Sting and I made," Lucy added.

"I keep forgetting you grew up here," Lisanna said. "I mean, it's weird that we never met before. Magnolia's not very big and your mom was always so involved in different town functions."

Lucy sighed and nodded. "Well, Sting and I were home schooled when we were really young. And when we were in middle and high school we went to a private boarding school in Hargeon, which was year round board aside from the summer months. Really, we didn't spend much time in town at all."

"Sounds…private," Gray said.

Lucy shrugged. Really, it was pretty lonely. Aside from her brother, Lucy's only friends in town were Levy and Erza (who she mostly saw Friday evenings at ballet practice through the summer) and the few friends she'd had at school were more acquaintances than friends any way. Lucy never stayed in contact with them once school was let out and hadn't felt much need to. At least with Levy and Erza, Lucy would call and write when she was away. And there were the few sleepovers she was allowed to have with them during summer break (always at the plantation, of course).

Really, it was Sting who made it all so bearable and Mavis knew they were always spending most of the summer months together getting into some form of trouble on the Heartfilia grounds. Lucy had lost count of all the times they'd explored the wooded lot on their land, or spent a whole day lazing about at the pond telling secrets. He was her person, the one who always had her back and would support her unwaveringly no matter what, and Lucy honestly wasn't sure what she'd have done without her brother.

He had been the one to support her applying to a college so far from home and the one that stood up to their father when he ordered Lucy to turn down her acceptance at Crocus University. He'd helped her pack her bags and load up her truck and even road up with her to help her settle in at her new boarding room before flying back to Hargeon to start his sophomore year two days behind everyone else. Though, that may have been more because Lucy was too busy crying to properly drive.

It had been terrifying to move away from the plantation when Lucy had never been to a city of any sort, especially since she'd no longer had any support from her father. But Sting's firm assurance that she would be fine had made all the difference. His confidence in her had helped Lucy believe in herself to stand alone for the first time and had made the pain of her and her father's last argument more bearable.

"Show him he's wrong, sis. Make him eat his words so he can't say anything back when you come home a bigger success than he ever could be."

That was what he'd said before heading back home and Lucy was glad he hadn't pushed her to talk with their father so soon. Jude had been furious when he'd learned that not only was his daughter moving to a "dangerous city" like Crocus for college, but was planning on majoring in liberal writing as well. They'd had many fights over the years but that one had taken the cake. They'd both yelled so many awful things that day and, in a fit of rage, Jude had snatched Lucy's acceptance letter and tossed it in his office fireplace. Lucy had been so furious she'd vowed to properly disown herself as soon as she left. Saying that if her father had chased away Layla then Lucy would save him the trouble and just leave herself. She never forgot the broken look on her father's face after that. Even Sting had looked a little shattered as he pulled her out of their father's office and up to her room to pack.

It had taken many years, and a lot of Lucy growing up, but she did get why their father was so overprotective, even before their mother passed. He'd had more than his fair share of people who wanted to befriend him only for the benefit of his money. Jude didn't want his own children to have to worry about whose friendship was real and whose was not. Unfortunately, his answer was a mix of isolation and stern rules that only increased when Layla died.

It wasn't right, but now that Lucy was older she understood her father's intentions weren't bad. She was just glad she'd come to that realization before he passed and their relationship ended far better than it could have. She would choose the soft whispers of love in a small hospital room than the loud shouts of hate in a too big house as a final goodbye any day.

"It wasn't so bad," she murmured into her bottle. "Sting and I were really close so we always had each other at the house, and we had enough friends at school that it wasn't dreadful."

"Still," Lisanna said, "I can't believe we never met around town. I know the Heartfilia plantation was far outside Magnolia but I'd have thought you would be around more often."

Lucy shrugged. "The plantation was self-sustaining, as far as most food went, and it was only mom who came into town a lot. I don't think many people knew she even had kids. Our family was just…private." In a way.

"Well, I'm glad we could have met anyway," Natsu said with a bright smile. "Even if it was so late."

Lucy smiled back but she knew it looked forced. It felt forced. "Funny how things work out."

Natsu hummed and they all turned back to their food, the slight tension in the air enough to dampen any conversation for a while. Lucy could feel Natsu's eyes on her and tried not to fidget until the silence seemed too much for him and Natsu shoved himself to his feet, walking over to the large jukebox and slid a coin into the slot. Lucy watched him as he flipped through several options before seeming to find the song he wanted and hit play.

He turned around and looked right at Lucy and smirked, looking damn proud of himself as he walked over when the song started to play. It was a slow song, with the man's voice rolling over Lucy in a comforting way but it was the lyrics that really made her smile. They just…fit so well, both as describing Lucy's life and what Natsu would say were she to open up more. Oh, the irony with this man, she thought. She snorted and tried to focus on her food and not the man stopping next to her table with an exaggeratedly slow dance to match the rhythm of the song.

Lisanna giggled and Gray rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he mumbled and Natsu just flipped him off.

Lucy shook her head. "What are you doing?"

Natsu grinned. "Dancin'," he said simply. "Dance with me, Luce."

"I'd rather finish eating," she said, feeling her face heat up. She shoved around the last bites of food in the hope that it would look like she had more to eat than she really did.

Natsu shrugged and looked over to Lisanna and held out his hand. "Dance with me, Lis. Let's show Luce, here, what a good time with us is."

Lisanna was full on laughing as she stood and began slowly swaying side to side by Natsu. When he turned to look at Gray the man only glared and pointed his fork threateningly at Natsu and said, "Like hell, Flame Breath."

Natsu only shrugged and Lucy couldn't hold back her soft chuckle, her smile slowly growing to cover her whole face. After a few more verses came the chorus and Natsu smirked before singing along. Several people cheered while others joined in, some even getting up to dance around their own tables. Lucy could only smile and she found herself willingly standing when Natsu held out his hand again. She slowly rocked back and forth, letting Lisanna take her hands to slowly swing them over their heads as they took turns twirling.

It was simple and silly and fun, and Lucy was still laughing by the time the sun just started to dip behind the horizon. "Oh," she gasped when she realized what time it was. "I should head home."

"What?" Natsu whined. "But we're just starting to have fun."

Lucy rolled her eyes as she rifled through her purse for a few bills. "I know, and I wish I could stay, but I promised Haru I'd read him a bedtime story if he called. And I don't really fancy talking to him with," she waved a hand vaguely around at the loud cheers and occasional yelled curse in the building, "all this going on."

Natsu chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. I get that. You're still comin' to the game tomorrow, right?"

Lucy nodded, moving to place the bills on the table when she paused and looked around. It occurred to her that she didn't know exactly how to pay. Given how…unique Fairy Tail was in seating and ordering Lucy wouldn't be shocked to find they just had a large pot by the door people dropped money into on their way out. "Umm…"

Behind her Natsu chuckled. "Don't know how to pay, do ya?"

Lucy huffed and glared at him over his shoulder. "Of course I do! I just…was wondering if I should leave a tip?"

Natsu rolled his eyes but he was grinning. "No tip and you can just leave that on the table. I'll make sure Mira gets it."

Lucy nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Natsu. For a good time."

He grinned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sure thing Luce. We should do this again, yeah? I bet Haru would love their fried shrimp."

Lucy frowned at that. "I'm not sure I want Haru developing eating habits like yours," she said, pointedly looking at Natsu's plate of fried food swimming in hot sauce.

Natsu gasped. "Why Mrs. Heartfilia, I for one am shocked you think so poorly of my eating habits. I'll have you know my mother, bless her soul, kept me and my sister on a very healthy diet."

"A diet you apparently disregarded," Lucy said with a smirk. Natsu scoffed as she passed, apparently falling into his over-dramatics even easier after a few beers, and walked after Lucy to the door.

"I am serious though," he said at the door.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"I'm glad we met, Lucy. I like you," he snickered, "even if ya are a bit weird."

"I'm not weird! You're weird!" Lucy sputtered, ignoring her flaming face. She knew it was probably a bright red and she just hoped Natsu couldn't see it in the waning light. "I'll see you tomorrow, Natsu. Make sure you hit a home run for Haru."

She turned and only just got to the bottom step when Natsu called from the door, "Oh, Luce. The color red really suits you."

Natsu cursed under his breath as he caught the softball square in his glove. Damn thing smacked right into his palm and he was sure his mom had thrown it extra hard. "Stupid stronglady," he grumbled.

"I heard that," his mom said across from him.

Natsu grinned innocently before lobbing the ball to his sister on his right. Wendy easily snagged the ball from the air before faked throwing it to their mom only to chuck it right at Natsu's head. "What the hell!" he cried, barely snatching it out of the air before getting a broken nose. While he was on the one team that was filled with every person who knew how to set a nose that didn't mean Natsu wanted his broken. "Geez, Wen. Are you two trying to gang up on me? Not fair!"

Wendy laughed while Grandeeney made a point of straightening her ponytail. Her long, dark blue hair reached all the way down to her waist, even while pulled into a high ponytail. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, dear," she sighed, looking over at Wendy with a small wink. "Wendy and I are only trying to loosen up."

"Like you should," Wendy added and Natsu had a feeling she wasn't talking about his muscles.

He frowned and drew his arm back to throw a particularly hard ball at his sister (she was strong and fast enough that he wasn't too concerned, even if she was only seventeen) when he caught site of a flash of blond hair out of the corner of his eye. He fumbled in his throw and ended up lamely tossing the ball several yards short of Wendy. Ignoring his sister's huff, Natsu turned and looked over at the benches but it was only Jenny Lemon out for her usual jog.

He wouldn't say he was worried, but it wouldn't be too much longer before the game started and Lucy and Haru weren't there yet. Well, neither were Erza and Jellal and they were on the other team. Actually, most of the two teams' members weren't there yet.

"You did invite your friend, right dear?" his mom asked. "I was hoping to talk with her a bit. Perhaps invite her and her son to dinner afterwards."

Natsu refrained from glaring at his mom. He knew she meant well, and that she and Lucy would get along wonderfully, but he just didn't want his mom to put any stress on Lucy's shoulders with heavy comments about their relationship. Or rather what it could be. His mom was a master at subtly pushing Natsu into getting in a relationship, and even better at letting him know who she thought was worth the trouble. Hell, she'd already made him a bit nervous about him and Lucy, and he'd only heard what she thought about them through his old man!

He still felt like an idiot for how he'd acted the last few times he'd seen her. They were just friends. New friends, at that, and Natsu didn't want to rush into anything. Not to say he wanted anything more in the first place! He was happy he and Lucy were becoming such good friends, that he could be there for her and Haru was important, even if he wasn't completely sure why.

Point was, Natsu was happy with how he and Lucy were and he just had a feeling his mother's involvement would only confuse them both. Besides, Natsu wasn't really looking for someone to date anyway. He'd had relationships and flings but the idea of settling down just seemed too soon.

"Of course I invited Lucy and Haru. She promised they'd come." He turned and smirked at his mom as they walked over to the bench behind the fence between home and third to grab their water. "If you didn't insist we get here so early we wouldn't have to wait on everyone."

"Well excuse me if I wanted some time to be with my lovely children," Grandeeney said, reaching out to pull Wendy into her arms.

Wendy giggled and smiled as she hugged their mom back as the two beamed up at him. Natsu would never get over how alike they were. Both in looks and in personality. Wendy was the spitting image of their mom, her hair just as long and deep in color, and her eyes the same dark brown. They were even the same height, both standing just to Natsu's collar bone, though Natsu suspected Wendy had a few growth spurts left. Curtesy of their dad who was just a hair taller than Natsu. The biggest difference was the streaks of white at his mother's temples and the slight wrinkles around her mouth and eyes from smiling so much.

Both women were almost unbearably kind and compassionate, yet able to turn as fierce and brave as a dragon when someone they cared for was hurt, and they both held a deep love of medicine. Really, no one was shocked when Wendy announced she would be going to medical school. She spent just as much of her free time at their mom's office as she did at the horse barn back home with Carla or running around with Sheila. Unfortunately for Natsu, his mother and sister's similarities also included liking to tease him relentlessly. Which was why he should have known they were up to something when they suggested coming out to the park a little early to warm up. Less witnesses.

"Natsu's just nervous because Lucy is coming," Wendy snickered.

"I'm not nervous. And don't say her name like that!"

Wendy blinked innocently as sat on the bench to take her own water out of the cooler they'd brought. "Like what?"

Natsu scowled and crossed his arms before deciding he needed something in his hands and snatched a bottle of water from the wooden bench. "Like your seven and saying I like her."

"Do you?" Grandeeney asked.

"No. I mean, not like how you're implying."

"I'm not saying anything," his mother said with a casual flick of her hair.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Right. And I'm not gonna hit a homerun today."

"You didn't last year," Wendy added and Natsu squirted a bit of his water at her shoes.

"Oh leave the boy alone. Not his fault Gray's such a good pitcher." They all turned to Igneel as he walked over with Metalicana who had Emma balanced on his broad shoulders with Lily trailing at his heals. Gajeel and Levy were unpacking their own cooler from Gajeel's black hummer, no doubt it was full of hot dogs and burgers for the team. Even from this distance Natsu could see Emma's favorite pink and glittered fairy stickers placed across the car's side and bumper. They stood out perfectly against the black paint and Natsu still thought it was hilarious that his overly serious, tattooed and pierced cousin drove around in a hummer covered in fairies and flowers.

Even more funny was how Gajeel would boast about them to anyone who so much as glanced at his car.

Natsu turned to his father as he walked over to give his wife a kiss on her cheek. "Gray's a cheater and that ump was biased!"

Igneel chuckled as he sat down next to Wendy. "I'll give you the ump but Gray has always had good aim. And you weren't really tryin' last year."

Natsu pouted and crossed his arms, slumping a little extra to make Emma giggle. "And here I thought you were gonna give me a break," he grumbled.

His dad laughed and poked Natsu none-too-gently in the stomach with his cane. "No breaks for you. Now go bat so your sister can practice pitching." Igneel grinned and leaned over to Wendy to whisper in her ear, "Give 'im hell."

Despite the supposed threat of his sister to give him hell, Natsu was wonderfully loose by the time the rest of their team, as well as their opponents, showed up. The teams weren't too big, with only about eleven people on each team, barely enough to cover the whole field at once. It wasn't long before Lisanna, Juvia, Sheila and the other vet techs and nurses arrived and Natsu stood back while his mother immediately talked strategy. While the tournament was for charity, everyone in town knew the Dragneel's were the most competitive team around. With the exception of Sting's team.

It was a few minutes before the game was scheduled to start and Natsu was debating if he should call Lucy and ask her if she was still gonna come or if that would be too much. He groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. This was why he didn't want his mom prying. All her little quips and seemingly innocent questions that left him reeling only confused him to the point where he couldn't even call Lucy without wondering if he should.

"Alright! If everyone is ready we're gonna get started," Erza said, walking over to go over the last parts with his mom and the ump.

"No! We need to wait for-"

"Natsu!"

Natsu spun around so fast he actually heard something pop, but that didn't matter when he saw Lucy and Haru walking over with Sting and Yukino. Sting helped Yukino sit down on the shaded part of the bench while Lucy dropped their bags nearby but Haru rushed past her to Natsu, a big grin stretching over his face that Natsu knew was mirrored on his own.

"Hey kiddo!" He knelt down to properly grin at the boy just as he stumbled to a stop in front of him. "Got here just in time. That's some good luck," he said with a wink.

Haru giggled and Natsu glanced up at Lucy who rolled her eyes. "Sorry we were a bit late. Eucliffe wanted to pack his house."

Her brother glared at her and Natsu snickered. Seemed he wasn't the only one whose sister liked to tease. "Ain't my fault Yuki's about to pop! I need to be ready."

"Technically it is your fault," Sheila said.

Sting gave her a dull look and flicked her hat off as she walked over to Wendy. "Not what I meant," he grumbled and everyone laughed.

Haru tugged at Natsu's sleeve to get his attention. "Natsu. Do you like my outfit?"

Natsu pursed his lips, scratched his chin and made a show of looking Haru up and down. Really, the boy looked god damned hilarious. His backpack was practically bursting at the seams, stuffed with something, and he clutched his treasured tin bin to his chest. His t-shirt was a bright blue with a pattern over it that looked like fish scales and his tennis shoes were still blinking around the dragon picture on the side. But the best part was the massive dragon costume head Haru wore. Natsu could just see his big eyes and chubby cheeks bunching up from his grin through the open mouth and damn if he wasn't the cutest thing Natsu had ever seen.

He grinned. "I like it. Makes ya look fierce."

Haru nodded. "Not scary, right? You'd still want to play with me right?" he asked.

"Of course! Who wouldn't want to play with such an awesome dragon?!"

Haru laughed and bounced a little on his toes. "Reiki's the knight. See!" He pointed to where Reiki was standing with Jellal by their bench. His dad was helping him tie the arm bands to his outfit, the big helmet making his head bob with the effort to hold it upright. Now Natsu knew why Emma had insisted on wearing her princess dress.

"Oh yeah. Well, ya can't have a dragon and princess without a knight."

"Mmhmm. Hey, Natsu. I have a question."

Natsu chuckled. Haru's ability to switch from excited to shy on a dime was one of his favorite things about the boy. "Alright. Shoot."

Haru frowned slightly and bit his lip. "It's a secret…"

Natsu nodded and leaned forward so Haru could whisper in his ear, which wasn't easy with his dragon head. "When you were saved by that dragon, did he say where he lived? You know, so you could visit?"

Natsu ran a hand through his hair as he thought that over. He wasn't sure how much he could milk the whole dragon thing and if Lucy would even approve. She seemed to always encourage Haru's creativity so…why not give the kid a good story. "Well, he said he had this huge cave that he kept all his gold in. Wouldn't tell me where, cause that was his secret place," Haru nodded, his brown eyes wide as he listened closely to Natsu's hushed whisper. "But he said he loved spending time out by the lake. Helped keep him cool in the summer, ya know?"

"Okay. Thanks."

Natsu raised an eyebrow as Haru rushed off to where Reiki and Emma were waiting by the benches. That was…weird, he thought. Normally Haru wasn't so…abrupt. Natsu shrugged as he stood. Maybe the kid was just excited to play at the park.

He looked over at Lucy who only shrugged and opened her mouth to say something when his mom walked back over to announce they would be in the field first. She gave them all their positions and after handing Igneel the clipboard led the team on the field.

Natsu looked back at Lucy who smiled and waved him on. "You heard the coach. Go play."

Natsu sighed and after casting a weary look at his dad turned and slipped between the fences onto the field. He took his place as short-stop when Haru called out to him. He turned and saw the boy standing at the fence line, grinning as he bounced on his feet. "Catch the ball!" he yelled.

Natsu laughed. "Aye, sir!"

Lucy chuckled as she watched Haru cheer Natsu on. Reiki and Emma stood next to him, Emma just as loud as she bounced and twirled around in her pink dress while Reiki couldn't seem to decide who he should cheer on. Natsu and his team or his mother who was walking up to bat. The three looked like characters out of a spoof movie but Erza hadn't said anything when Haru and Reiki had jumped out of their car all dressed up so Lucy decided to just roll with it. Her son had certainly done stranger things before.

Someone chuckled next to her. "Quite the fan you have there."

Lucy turned and saw an older man with deep red hair flecked with gray and a familiar looking smile. "Oh, just wait until Natsu's set to bat. I think it may be a case of a hero worship complex," she said.

The man chuckled, making the creases around his mouth and eyes deepen before holding out a hand. "I see. So you must be Lucy Heartfilia. My son's talked quite a bit about you and your boy."

"Your son?" Lucy asked, reaching out to take his hand. It was large and rough, like aged leather, and dark from many days out in the sun.

He nodded towards the field. "That fool on short is mine. So is the pitcher and the lovely one on home."

Lucy blinked. "Oh! You're Natsu's dad!"

He laughed at that, the same loud booming noise that Natsu had. "That I am. Igneel Dragneel. I'm sure by the end of the day you'll have met my wife, Grandeeney. She's a bit of a chatter box so keep an eye on your ears, least they fall off."

Lucy snickered at that. She could definitely see where Natsu got his humor from, as well as looks. "Well, it's nice to meet you."

She called Haru over to introduce him to Igneel as Erza easily moved to first after her hit. "Hello, Mr. Dragneel. I'm Haru Heartfilia," he said.

Igneel grinned. "Oh, none of that "Mr." talk, call me pops. Everyone does," he said when Lucy started to protest. She still wasn't used to people being so casual with titles around kids. Her father nearly had a coronary when her brother called one of his business colleagues by his first name.

Haru snickered. "Okay, pops. Uh, mom? Can I go play with Reiki and Emma?"

"Sure." Haru rushed back to his friends sitting under a large tree at the other side of the benches.

Lucy watched him for a moment but since they were near Sting and Yukino she let herself relax. Besides, she'd seen several people keeping an eye on the children, even the ones that weren't theirs. Lucy had forgotten that it was just something people in Magnolia did. She could see Levy with who Lucy assumed to be her husband, Gajeel, and another older man with dark hair by one of the grills around the picnic area watching the three kids closely. Not to mention Lily was already sitting with the kids. His lone eye watching everyone who happened to walk by closely.

Beside her, Igneel chuckled. "That's one cute kid."

"It's the dragon head," Lucy said and Igneel laughed so hard Lucy thought he might fall from the bench.

Igneel wiped his eyes as his laughter subsided and he turned back to her. "So Lucy, what do you think of our team? I'm betting we make first this year. Though not many keep count."

Lucy smiled and found herself easily drawn into a conversation with Igneel ranging from softball to her past job to Haru. She learned quite a bit about Igneel as well, and found herself in a nice position regarding some embarrassing stories about Natsu. Igneel was wonderfully easy to talk to, much like his son, and in many ways Lucy felt like she was talking with Natsu. The first inning didn't last long but Erza's team did manage to score four points. The woman who Lucy assumed to be Grandeeney was a flurry of shouted batting line-ups and quick scribbles on a clipboard as she stood off to the side of the field. A girl with cherry pink hair tied into pigtails was up first (Sheela was her name, if Lucy heard Grandeeney correctly), followed by Lisanna then Natsu's sister, Wendy, then Natsu himself.

Igneel busied himself with passing out bottles of water and Natsu was distracted by Wendy asking him about someone named Carla so Lucy was left on her own for the moment. She shouldn't have been too surprised that that wouldn't last long.

A young woman with wavy, blue hair sat down next to her and smiled softly. She'd kept her hair down, despite the heat, and only had a simple butterfly clip to keep it out of her face. Lucy's first impression of her was that she was very proper, with her whole outfit looking fashionable but not overly so, and she sat perfectly straight with her legs tucked elegantly under the bench and her hands clasped in her lap. She reminded Lucy of the women her father would do business with but there was a softness in her blue eyes that spoke of kindness and a bluntness to her nails that showed she was a hard worker. Lucy was pretty sure she'd seen her around Sabretooth, usually picking up food to go.

"Hello. You are Lucy Heartfilia, right? Juvia is very glad to finally meet you."

Lucy blinked at the heavy accent. It wasn't one from Fiore and while Lucy couldn't say exactly where, she was sure this woman was from another country. It would explain her unique way of talking. Lucy smiled and took her hand. "It's nice to meet you too. I've seen you around Sabretooth but we haven't had a chance to talk."

Juvia smiled. "Oh, yes! Juvia goes there quite often for Dr. Grandeeney. She likes the Saber Burger best, though Juvia doesn't think it's very good." Juvia wrinkled her nose when she mentioned the massive quarter-pound burger.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "For Mrs. Dragneel?"

"What's for her?"

"You get food for Mrs. Dragneel."

"Oh. Yes. Juvia works for Dr. Grandeeney as her assistant in her doctor's office. Mostly Juvia answers phones and takes care of all the paperwork but it's lovely work and Juvia gets to talk to everyone in town and help people," she said, eyes lighting up as she rambled about her job. "Juvia heard you are going to work for the paper? That sounds lovely."

Lucy sighed and slumped slightly. "Hopefully. It's been a little over a month since I last talked with them and I still haven't heard anything."

"You should call and ask to speak with Freed Justine. He's the head writer and publisher. It's possible he forgot about your…ah…application. He is very busy making sure the paper covers the upcoming fair. Juvia doesn't get to speak with him as often now since he's so busy with work."

Lucy smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Thank you."

Juvia smiled and nodded before turning back to the game. Lisanna was already up to bat and Lucy could see Sheela was on first. Natsu and Wendy were on the side trying to distract Gray with a few vaguely rude chants about his pants. Or something…

Lucy frowned and leaned back against the bench behind her. "Well, that's a little annoying," she mumbled.

Juvia nodded and leaned closer to Lucy. "Yes. But Gray won't be distracted by them. Juvia game him earplugs in the car earlier."

Lucy smirked. "Sneaky."

Juvia smiled and dipped her head down slightly. "Oh no. It's not sneaky. Juvia was only trying to help Gray from getting a headache. He didn't sleep well last night and Juvia wanted him to have fun today. He's been very busy with work and has been coming home later than usual."

"I take it you two are together then?"

Juvia blushed and looked down at her hands. "No. At times? Juvia is not sure yet…" Lucy pursed her lips. She was the last person to judge anyone's relationships and she knew Gray was a good man, if a little closed off. Juvia looked up at Gray then. "Juvia is happy though. Some don't think so, but it's alright. Gray is good and Juvia likes him and his family very much. Yesterday we all spent the day at his parent's house and Juvia talked with Mrs. Ur and Ultear about going on a family vacation, since Juvia has never been on one. We are all like a family."

Lucy smiled. "That's good then," she said, and Juvia smiled at her.

Talking with Juvia was…odd, Lucy decided. At times the conversation would flow easily and other times Lucy would struggle with how to best respond. That usually only happened when Juvia seemed partial to sharing a particularly, well, private piece of gossip, to put it mildly. Juvia was also partial to rambling and had gone on and on about her living on a small house boat along the river close to town for a solid two minutes. She was polite but could turn her emotions swifter than the tide if Lucy said something Juvia deemed wrong. It certainly kept Lucy on her toes.

Not long into their conversation, Juvia excused herself to get ready for her turn at bat after Natsu. By the time Natsu was up the bases were loaded and when he smashed the ball into far left center Lucy could see why Grandeeney put him up at fourth. He was all the way on second before the ball was brought infield, and by that point Sheila, Lisanna and Wendy were already in. Haru and the other kids were cheering and Igneel was whistling as Lucy sat back down after getting caught up in all the excitement.

She cheered for Juvia as she calmly made her way up to the plate, hefting her bat over her shoulder in a way that Lucy knew was a bit too high. A few in fielders moved up a bit but Lucy noticed how when Gray threw the ball it was significantly less hard then all his pitches before.

Igneel leaned over to nudge her side as he grinned. "They're sweet on each other."

Lucy giggled. "I can tell."

"I'm also betting on when Gray'll finally admit he likes her. Boy's been dancin' around her since she showed up."

Lucy laughed at that. "I can picture him doing something like that."

"Oh, now don't start trying to turn this sweet young lady into a gambler like you." Lucy nearly jumped when Grandeeney suddenly spoke up next to her in Juvia's place. She hadn't even seen the woman walk over.

Igneel only grinned and nudged Lucy's arm with his elbow. "We'd never do something so callous, right Lucy."

She nodded at Igneel and grinned. "Right."

Grandeeney rolled her eyes at her husband and turned to Lucy. "I'm sure you already know, but I'm Grandeeney. This old fool in my husband."

"This old fool who is lucky to have you," Igneel added with a grin, making Grandeeney sigh but her lips twitched into a fond smile.

Lucy smiled and shook her hand. Grandeeney was a lovely woman and Lucy could tell the two of them would get along very well. While Natsu and Igneel had a noticeable drawl, Grandeeney had more of the mannered southern lit many high end ladies did in the south. It made her sound more proper but her casual look and kind but sharp eyes made her approachable. She actually reminded Lucy quite a lot of her mother in that sense. What was it her grandpa often said? Sweet like strawberry wine but with a kick like whiskey. Yes, that described Grandeeney very well.

"Lucy, but you probably already knew that too."

Grandeeney hummed, eyeing her son now on third. "You know, Natsu's determined to hit a home run today. I'll bet it has something to do with his big fan over there." She nodded to Haru who was back at the fence grinning as he waved to Natsu. The man had made quite a show of stealing third, much to Haru's and the rest of the spectator's amusement.

Lucy smiled. "Haru's pretty excited about today. Honestly, I don't know if it's because he and his friends set up this big game of theirs or if it's because Natsu promised him a home run. Would you believe he's hardly talked about anything else all week?"

Grandeeney laughed. "Oh, yes. My son was the same way. I'll bet he's just happy you and Haru are here. He's spoken about you and your son quite often, you know."

Lucy blinked, ignoring the warmth in her stomach at what Grandeeney had said. "He has?"

She nodded. "Oh, yes dear. I heard about what happened with Plue. I hope she's doing okay."

Lucy nodded, dutifully ignoring the sour feeling curling through her stomach knowing that was all Natsu had said about her and Haru. "Yeah, she's fine. So are the puppies. I'm just glad Natsu was there so quickly."

Grandeeney nodded. "He's good like that, and an even better vet! It's why I think I'll keep him around a little longer," she winked. "At least until I get my grandchildren."

Lucy laughed. "I don't blame you. He's been a big help since moving here and a wonderful friend. To me and Haru."

Lucy thought she saw Grandeeney and Igneel exchange a quick look but she couldn't be sure as she watched Natsu jokingly take several steps off third base and act like he was going to steal home. Lucy smiled and shook her head. Natsu really was good, like his mother had said. He had no problems acting like a fool if it meant he got a laugh, especially if it was from a child, and he was always ready to slam everything to a halt when someone needed him. Lucy hadn't thought much of it before, but she was quite surprised he wasn't married and had a family of his own. He was loving, kind, funny, brave, excellent with kids, level-headed when he needed to be. And attractive. Lucy had been aware of that from day one, even if she would only admit it to herself. How he hadn't been snatched up by someone yet was beyond her. And a little relieving…

Grandeeney laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You know, Lucy. Most of the team sticks around for hot dogs and burgers after the game but we like to get the Dragneel family together for some games and dinner after. I'd love to have you and Haru come by. Sting and Yukino too, and we'll just make a whole family affair of it. What do you say?"

"O-oh, well I…"

"We'll go," Yukino said a little ways down the bench. "Actually Grandeeney, I was hoping I could ask you about the baby. I have a few questions and I'm sure Sting would love to have some of that fried chicken you make," She turned to look at her husband and Lucy thought she saw him frown slightly before Yukino patted his thigh.

"Sure. Sounds good. What'dya say sis?"

Lucy frowned, glancing over at Haru, then to her brother and Yukino then back to Grandeeney. "O-okay. That sounds nice. Yeah! We'll just follow you back to your house."

Grandeeney smiled and patted Lucy's knee. "Excellent. I'd love to talk with you about that piece you wrote about wormholes and the possibility of traveling through them. 'The Gateway', I believe it was… That was very interesting, and for you to write it so young! It's probably one of the most impressive things I've ever read."

Lucy grinned. Not many knew of the entrance essay she'd written to get into Crocus University's astronomy program and she was always happy to hear someone enjoyed it. The essay detailed the concept of traveling far distances across space in a short time, particularly the hypotheses including wormholes. The piece was a still a bit out there, as far as science went, and only had the earliest hypotheses to back it up but Lucy had always found the topics of wormholes and what they could potentially do, as far as traveling across the stars in a mere second, to be fascinating. Plus it was a good way to combine her love of science and magic.

Lucy spent the next few innings talking with Grandeeney whenever the woman was nearby until she held up a finger and went off to fetch Levy from the grill and sat her down next to Lucy. "Tell her now, dear, and tell me at dinner," she said. Lucy blushed but was more than happy to talk with Levy. Lucy had the habit of rambling and becoming over excited about her work when anyone showed even the smallest amount of interest. Natsu had made the mistake of coming over to see how she was enjoying the game and soon got swept into the conversation as well. He'd listened with a soft smile on his face as she talked about the structure of a wormhole and what it would mean to discover one in real life rather than an eloquent equation on paper before begrudgingly heading back out to the field.

"Sorry Luce. As much as I'd like to hear ya keep talkin' I gotta go. We can't lose to Erza," he grumbled before stalking through the fences.

Lucy blinked and glanced over at the clipboard Igneel was holding. Lucy was a bit shocked to find out that it was already the eighth inning and Natsu's team was down six with Erza's team only needing one more point to win the first game of the season. Apparently, Gray was one hell of a pitch as Grandeeney had studiously marked down that most of the team was struck out. Natsu included.

"How'd that happen..?" she mumbled.

"Well, while you got stuck in your head the Dragneel's team got their asses handed to them," said her brother from where he'd moved over to sit behind her. Lucy had been using him to lean back against while Yukino gossiped on and off with Juvia about Mavis only knew what.

Lucy rolled her eyes and nudged his knee. "Six points down is hardly getting their asses handed to them."

Sting grinned and tugged a strand of her hair. "It is for the Dragneels."

Levy giggled, reaching out to smooth Emma's hair back from her face as the little girl wiggled around more comfortably in her mother's lap. She'd grown tired after playing with Haru and Reiki on the playground and had climbed onto Levy's lap to doze in her arms. "He's right, Lulu. You should have seen the stink Natsu and Gajeel made last year when the med team went up against the mechanic team. They fought each play nearly the whole game so much that the ump ended up calling the winner two innings early."

"Natsu was cheating!" Gajeel called as he stalked by with more hotdogs. The kids and spectators had hit Gajeel and his father hard at the grills. "And Lisanna's always been as wily as a cat. Wasn't fair."

Levy waved him off. "Yes, yes. And the ump had been paid, I know."

Lucy chuckled and shifted back against her brother's legs a bit. "He really called the game?"

"Yep," Sting said, popping the 'p'. "And Doc, over here, nearly bit his head off. Why do you think she's writing down every kicked stone." He smirked over at Grandeeney standing by the bats watching the game and dutifully writing on her clipboard.

"Nothing's more important than heart," Igneel said, and Sting tossed his head back and laughed.

Lucy looked out at the field. The bases were once again full and Natsu was up to bat. He looked determined and confident despite the fact he hadn't been able to hit anything other than a few easy high balls to center field. It made it ridiculously easy for the outfielders to catch, and easier to hold their place in the lead. As he was every time Natsu was up to bat, Haru stood against the fence by home. He bounced up and down beside Reiki as he cheered, "Get a home run, Natsu! A home run!"

Natsu grinned and walked over to where Haru stood, ignoring Gray's impatient yells for him to hurry up. "A home run, eh? Sounds like a good plan, little man. Where you want me to hit it?"

Haru paused to think it over, scanning the back field before whispering something to Natsu that Lucy couldn't hear from the benches but had Natsu giving a wicked grin as he nodded. "Aye, sir," he said and gave a two fingered salute before striding over to home.

She raised an eyebrow when he moved to bat left-handed, which he hadn't been doing all game. Beside her, Igneel gave a low whistle. "Goin' to left. He's serious about this one."

Lucy cast him a quick glance before looking back at the game. "What do you mean?"

"Natsu's ambidextrous," Grandeeney said from her spot beside her husband where she'd suddenly slipped to. "He can bat both ways but he's always been better left-handed. He's like that for most of the tasks one can do with their hands in fact. It gives him a little ace up his sleeve when he's in a particularly difficult surgery."

Igneel leaned over to Lucy and tapped her knee with his cane. "He only bats left when we need the runs or he's tryin' to impress someone."

Lucy smirked and looked over at her son, unaware of Grandeeney's pointed tap on her husband's shoulder or her brother's annoyed sneer. Natsu's change in batting seemed to alter the whole game, as all the infielders suddenly moved onto their toes and lowered their stance and the outfielders moved much farther back. Erza took a few steps back on her position at first as well and Jellal shuffled up into a more professional crouch at home plate.

Gray raised an eyebrow. "That's how we're doing it?"

"Just throw the ball, Ice Queen," Natsu said.

Gray shrugged and rolled his shoulder out a few times before shifting into a real pitcher's stance. Lucy held her breath as Gray threw his first pitch, and boy was it fast. "Strike!" yelled the ump but Natsu didn't budge or even try to swing.

Lucy frowned. "What's he-"

"Watch 'em," Igneel mumbled.

The second pitch was a bit outside, but it looked pretty damn close to Lucy, and the third was another strike. On the fourth pitch, Natsu swung hard and smashed the ball high into right field and then it went higher, and farther and…over the fence. Natsu's team went crazy, cheering and whistling and yelling like it was a real game, and Lucy was right along with them. She laughed as Igneel clapped her shoulder and Sting threw his arms around her neck from behind. Grandeeney pulled Juvia into a tight huge and Sheila, Lisanna and Wendy were leisurely jogging into home, laughing the whole way.

Lucy turned to look at Haru but couldn't see him over the rest of the team jumping up and down. She heard Haru's laughter though so she imagined he was having a good time. She caught a flash of white and turned to Yukino just as she looked over at Lucy. Her eyes were wide and a little nervous in a way that pulled Lucy's stomach right down to her toes.

"Eucliffe," Yukino said, her usually soft voice loud over the slowly dying cheers.

It pulled Sting's attention right away and even Grandeeney and Igneel turned towards her. "Yuki! What's wrong?" Sting gasped as he rushed to her side, Lucy right behind him.

"Nothing. It's just the baby must have been a bit excited about the hit too and my water broke."

Yukino sounded perfectly calm and Lucy half expected her to say something about the weather next. Lucy and Sting both looked down at the puddle in the dirt under the bench where Yukino was sitting. "Your water…broke…" Sting mumbled.

Levy stood stock still behind Lucy, holding Emma as they both stared in shock. "Mommy. Did Yukino have an accident?" she asked.

Lucy turned to see Levy shake her head. "No, sweetheart. The baby is coming…"

Lucy blinked once before all her intense studying for her own pregnancy snapped into focus and she grabbed Sting's elbow. "The baby! Oh my god! We have to get to the hospital. Or call 911. Which is faster?" She asked, looking around at Levy then back to her brother.

"The…baby…"

"Eucliffe!" Lucy hollered, and that pulled everyone's attention real fast. Grandeeney was suddenly right there, as was Wendy and Juvia. Grandeeney gently placed a hand on Yukino's back, rubbing in slow circles as she murmured for Yukino to breath and stay calm.

Grandeeney looked over at Lucy and back to Yukino. "The closest hospital is in Onibus, forty minutes away. It'll take too long to wait for an ambulance. Yukino, dear, we'll have to drive you."

"Not Sting," Lucy said, pinching her brother's cheek hard enough to cut off his mumbles about "baby coming…hospital…baby…baby…Yuki…" and snap his brain back into working order. He gave his head a sharp shake before focusing on Yukino.

"We came in Yuki's van. It's not very big…" he said, reaching down to take Yukino's hand and brush her short hair back from her face. That was when her first contraction seemed to hit, as she squeezed Sting's hand and closed her eyes to grit her teeth with a soft exhale.

"That was a contraction," Sting said and looked up at Grandeeney. "Should they happen that fast?"

Grandeeney's eyes were wide before she sighed and murmured, "Lord give me strength." She stood up to her full height and suddenly looked every bit the capable doctor and not a loving mother and softball coach. Juvia took her place at Yukino's other side. "We'll take my car then," Grandeeney said. "Natsu, go get the car and bring it around!" she called and Lucy had never seen the man move so quickly as he nimbly wove through the crowd gathered around and sprinted across the park to a big, white SUV. Grandeeney turned back to Sting and Yukino. "Juvia and I will ride with you two. If you're having contractions so soon we could have to deliver the baby a little early."

"What does that mean?" Sting asked, finally looking up from where he'd been focusing on easing Yukino through her second contraction. There wasn't much time between them already.

"It means, the baby might get the scenic route to the hospital. Now, Wendy, get some ice and water to put in my cooler and Lucy could you try to find as many towels or blankets-"

"We have towels. I brought towels…" Sting said.

Lucy reached out to pat his back. He looked near crazed and Lucy could see his fingers trembling around Yukino's. "It'll be okay," she murmured to him. He nodded and Lucy pulled the several bags they'd brought with them from under the bench. She silently thanked her brother's tendency to go a bit overboard when it came to family as one bag was stuffed with nothing but soft towels and another with more bottles of water than Lucy could count. Sting had packed three bags total and had more than enough supplies for an impromptu hospital visit. Or maybe even an impromptu birth…but Lucy hoped that was the last case.

Natsu pulled the car up right beside the benches and leaned out the window. "Ready when you are!" he called from the driver's seat.

Grandeeney nodded. "Right. Natsu will drive and Wendy you will sit in the front. Juvia and I will be back with you two," she told Sting and Yukino.

"We'll follow you," Erza said, walking over with Jellal. "Lucy, you and Haru can ride with us if you'd like. Our car is big enough."

Lucy nodded, "Okay." She turned back to her brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can stop by your house and get anything else you need, Sting. Which likely won't be much, but Yukino will want some clothes and I'm sure you will too."

He nodded and gave her a smile. "Okay, sis. Thanks."

She nodded and leaned over to give him a quick hug. "I'll call you when we leave the house. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"We'll go with you," Levy said, hurrying over with Wendy with their cooler. Gajeel, Emma and the older man (Metalicana, from what Lucy remembered of Natsu's hurried introduction as Gajeel's father) Lucy had seen with Gajeel by the grills earlier were right on her heals. "You may need help finding the hospital. I've been there so much with Gajeel I practically know every route there."

Erza nodded. "We'll follow you then."

"Well, whoever is going find a car and hurry up! We'll meet you at the hospital," Grandeeney said.

There was a flurry of movement from almost everyone as people gathered their things and rushed to their cars. Sting and Grandeeney helped Yukino stand and make her way over to the car. Wendy took the bags from Lucy and Juvia took the cooler from Levy. Lucy looked over at Natsu and found he was already looking at her, his eyebrows drawn together and a look in his eyes that Lucy couldn't quite place but made her stop and stare right back.

"Hold it! Dad, you can drive and I'll go with Lucy." He hopped out of the car and walked over to Lucy. Igneel was already getting in the driver's seat while Grandeeney was yelling at Natsu to make up his mind but he was looking at Lucy with determination and a steady calmness that she recognized from when he'd arrived to help with Plue. "I know where the hospital is and I can watch Haru if ya need me to, Luce," he said when he reached her side. He grinned, "It'll be faster if we take my truck and get that stuff and head there instead of five people following each other."

Lucy blinked up at him, stunned that he would offer to stay with her and Haru like that, before smiling softly and reaching out to take his hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Thank you, Natsu. I'd really appreciate that."

He smiled, his eyes soft, and gave her hand a comforting squeeze back before she let her hand slip from his. She was starring and she knew she needed to move, to get Haru and help her brother but that warm feeling in her chest was starting to creep back and she was having a really hard time ignoring the fact that it was happening more and more often around Natsu. And that she was kind of okay with it.

Levy cleared her throat and Lucy and Natsu both snapped their heads over to her. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them for a moment before she looked back at Lucy. "If Natsu's going with you I'll just meet you at the hospital then."

"As will we," Erza said.

"A-are you sure? I mean, you don't have to come-"

Levy waved her hand and rolled her eyes with a fond smile. "Oh, it's fine. Besides, I have a feeling most of the town will be there anyway. Wouldn't want to miss this."

With that she turned and reached for Emma's hand but the little girl pulled back. "No! I don't wanna go! I wanna stay here with Reiki and Haru!" she cried.

"Emma, sweetie, Reiki and Haru are going with their parents to the hospital too. We'll see them in a bit," Levy said, reaching for her daughter's hand again but Emma only shrieked and ducked closer to her grandpa beside her.

"No! I was 'posed to be with them to help but I can't find them." She started to tear up and Metalicana knelt down to place a large hand on her back. Emma leaned closer to him, shying away from her mother's careful look.

Lucy's body went cold and everyone stiffened at what Emma said. Lucy's head snapped up and she looked wildly around for her son but she couldn't see him. She couldn't see him. He was just at the fence and now…now he wasn't anywhere around the park. How had this happened? She'd just seen him, he was right there but she turned away for a second and…and he was gone!

She could feel her panic rising up her throat as she looked over each corner of the wide open field. She was breathing fast and far too heavy but she couldn't worry about that because her son was gone and she couldn't find him because he was gone-

A warm hand slid into hers and suddenly Lucy was pulled back from her racing thoughts. She looked up at Natsu, still half frantic but found his calm, if a little worried, eyes so grounding. He didn't say anything, just shifted closer to her side and Lucy very nearly leaned against him for the support. Both emotional and physical. He squeezed her hand Lucy knew it was his way of telling her calm down, that Haru would be found and he'd be okay. Besides, with how many people were around someone likely saw him run off somewhere to play. And Emma hadn't really said much about Haru and Reiki. Perhaps she'd meant she'd lost sight of them and it was nothing more than a child upset that her friends weren't nearby to play with her.

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Trying to get her emotions back under control was a lot easier with Natsu at her side.

Levy took her daughter's hand and this time Emma let her. "What do you mean you can't find them?" she asked.

Emma sniffed and looked up at the adults around her, suddenly looking far more nervous instead of close to tears. "Um…I don't know…"

"Emma Rosemary Redfox. What did you three do?" Levy's eyes narrowed and her tone was sharp and left no room for arguing.

Emma squeaked and tried to shift closer to Metalicana but he held her in place with a soft but firm hand to her small shoulder. "W-we just wanted to help Haru find his dragon. He said it was in the woods, by some water, and had a big cave and if we found it we could get a wish and Haru could wish for his daddy." She sniffled and rubbed at her eye with her free hand. "I just wanted to help but when everyone was worried about Yukino and the baby I forgot to go with them. I was 'posed to be the princess to help find the dragon!"

Lucy took a shuddering breath. The dragon. Haru had run off to find the dragon Lucy had told him about. And all because she still hadn't figured out how to tell him the truth about his father. This was her fault. She should have told him why he couldn't find a dragon and why his father wasn't coming back. Natsu squeezed her hand and gently tugged her forward a bit until she turned and met his eyes.

"We'll find them," he told her. "It's gonna be okay, Luce."

"Reiki's missing too?" Erza said. She looked a bit panicked too, though Lucy felt a thousand times worse, as Jellal placed a hand around her shoulders and murmured softly in her ear.

"Don't worry, Erza. Reiki will be fine. Remember you taught him all those safety techniques?"

Erza nodded and took a deep breath before looking at Lucy. "Right. They can't have gotten far. If they were looking for some caves or water there's a river not far east of here. Reiki will know of it, definitely knows about the caves in the mountain up north."

"East…" Natsu said, an odd look on his face.

Jellal nodded. "We've been hiking around here for years and Reiki always loves to visit the river. We usually pass over it on the trail farther north but I'm sure that's where they went."

"Then that's where we will go too," Erza said.

Lucy felt her shoulders relax and the breath she hadn't realized she was holding left her in a shaky sigh. Natsu's grip on her hand tightened and she looked back at him to see his calm eyes and reassuring smile. "See, Luce. Won't take us long to track them down."

"O-okay…" she whispered.

Suddenly Gajeel hurried over, barely pausing to look at everyone before turning to his wife. "Levy, I can't find Lily. Ya didn't happen to see where he went did ya?"

"No…" Levy said, finally looking up from the scowl she'd been giving Emma for the past few minutes. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh, he must've followed the kids!"

"Kids? What kids?" Gajeel asked.

"If Lily is with them I'm sure they are fine," Levy said, ignoring her husband and turning back to Lucy and Erza.

Of that Lucy had no doubt. She'd seen how protective Lily was over Emma and Reiki and now Haru to know that he likely followed after them out of sheer loyalty and wouldn't let a scratch befall them. It was comforting and certainly a step up from the two boys being lost alone in the woods. But they were still lost…

"We have to hurry," Lucy said. "Hakobe Forrest is so big it could take hours to find them."

"Not if they headed east," Natsu said.

Lucy looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Some distance away, Haru rushed after Reiki through the dense woods. Reiki was a lot faster since he didn't have to wear the big dragon head and his backpack wasn't as full as Haru's. "Reiki! Wait!" he called and Reiki slowed to a stop in a small patch of grass that was surrounded by thick bushes and huge trees that Haru thought looked like dinosaur legs when he ran past them.

"Sorry," Reiki said as soon as they caught their breath. "I didn't want my mom to get us before we were far away. She's really good catching me or my dad, especially when we're doing something we shouldn't."

Haru nodded. His mom was good at doing that too. They were only able to run off because his aunt did something and then everyone was yelling about her and the baby (Haru wasn't sure what she did but it looked like she'd used the bathroom or something). Reiki had grabbed Haru's arm and tugged him towards the woods, telling him to hurry while everyone was distracted. It was a good plan. Better than Haru's and Emma's to wear a mask and sneak off like ninja's in the grass.

At the thought of Emma Haru blinked and looked around. "Emma's not here," he said.

Reiki sighed and tugged one of his metal arm bands back up his arm. "Yeah. I couldn't talk to her when we started to run. I'm sure she's okay, though. She was with her mom when Mrs. Dragneel started yelling."

Haru nodded but he frowned and started tugging at his shirt. He and Reiki and Emma were supposed to look for the dragon together. Like a team. But Reiki was right, they couldn't have gotten Emma since she was with her mom when they snuck off. Haru just hoped she wasn't too sad. Or mad. Emma had really wanted to help and since she was the princess she was really important, too.

Haru took a deep breath and looked up at his best friend, clenching his fist as he said, "Well, we'll just have to bring Emma back to meet the dragon after we become his friends. We'll find him today and then you and me can give him the dragon costume and we'll promise to come back with our princess."

Reiki nodded but he glanced over Haru's shoulder at bit at his lip. "Yeah, okay…I just wish Emma was with us. She's really smart and could help us track the dragon…"

"Can you track the dragon?" Haru asked.

Reiki nodded. "Yeah. My dad taught me how to track animals and a dragon may be good at hide and seek but they still leave foot prints."

"What if he flies everywhere?"

Reiki frowned and scratched his head. "Well, we know he likes water and caves so we can just track those down instead."

Haru blinked. "You can track water?"

Reiki nodded. "Sure. You just have to go downhill cause that's where all the water goes when it rains and then it collects into a stream that flows into a river."

Haru grinned and lunged forward to give his friend a hug. "Reiki! You're a genius!"

"It's just the water cycle," Reiki mumbled into Haru's dragon head.

Haru laughed and pulled back before crouching down to pull the anchovies out of his backpack. "Okay. Then let's go."

They walked through the woods a bit longer before Reiki tugged at Haru's sleeve to show him they were near a hill. "See. Now we just follow the hill down and at the bottom there should be water."

Haru grinned. "That's so cool."

Reiki chuckled and they started down the hill. It got a bit steep and after Haru tripped twice Reiki held his hand so it was easier. "This wouldn't be so hard without the dragon head," Haru grumbled.

"Yeah. My arm bands keep sliding off. It's really annoying," Reiki said, trying to shove one back up his arm without letting go of Haru's hand. The hill was really steep now and they both had to grab onto trees as they passed. It took a while but they finally made it to the bottom and just like Reiki said there was a very small stream. Reiki pointed to the right and they followed the winding stream through the woods until it started to get bigger and bigger. The longer they walked the more Haru began to hear something. It was like a roar that lasted forever and got louder the closer they got to whatever it was.

"You hear that?" Haru asked.

Reiki nodded. "Yeah. It's the river. My mom and dad always take me to see it when we go hiking. It's really big and I'll bet the dragon goes there a lot."

They didn't have to walk much more before the river's roar was so loud Haru thought it was right next to him. It echoed around the tall trees and Haru was glad he had his dragon head on to help stop the noise. They shoved through a thick patch of bushes and stumbled to a halt on a patch of rocky pebbles the size of Haru's fist by the river. And the river was big. It stretched out as wide as Haru's whole house. Maybe bigger. And was really fast and it looked deep too. The trees lined the river a ways back, leaving the rocky beach open and clear. Definitely the place for a dragon to go.

"Woah…" Haru gasped and Reiki nodded in agreement. "This place is huge. And so cool."

"We can wait here for the dragon, if you want," Reiki said. "I'll bet he's coming soon, since it's so hot."

Haru opened his mouth to say they should when the bushes behind them began to rustle. Haru and Reiki both gasped and jumped back from the bushes, reaching out to grab each other's hand. Haru stared wide-eyed at the bushes. This is it, he thought. This is the dragon.

The bushes gave one final, hard shake and then out stepped Lily. His dark black fur was a little muddy on his legs and there were large, green burrs stuck to his back and sides but as soon as he saw Haru and Reiki he gave a deep huff and trotted over to them.

"Lily?" he and Reiki said together.

"What are you doing here?" Haru asked, reaching out to pull the few burrs from Lily's neck and back.

"He must have followed us," Reiki said, stepping up on the other side of Haru to help take off the burrs. "I didn't even think he would do that. He usually only stays with Emma."

Haru knelt down to get the many burrs on Lily's belly. "So what now? Can he stay with us?"

Reiki nodded. "I think so. He won't chase away the dragon…I think. He's always really good with other animals."

Pulling the final burr off Lily's belly, Haru stood, crossed his arms and gave a firm nod. "Okay. Then we'll just wait here for…" He trailed off as he looked over at Reiki and finally noticed the old bridge behind him a little ways up the river. "What's that?" he asked, pointing over Reiki's shoulder.

He turned and frowned. "A bridge, but I don't know why it's here. We're not close to any trails…"

Haru started towards it, Reiki hurrying after him with Lily close behind. "Let's go check it out!"

The closer they got the more Haru realized the bridge wasn't very good. The wood was cracked and splintered and moss was growing over the bottom. The rope that lined the top between the poles was really old looking and even broken completely in some spots. A few vines that hung from the biggest trees close by had reached out to grab at the rails and the whole thing smelled like water and old dirt.

Beside him, Reiki frowned. "That's not the bridge me and my mom and dad cross," he said.

Haru thought it looked like something right out of his favorite stories where the brave hero would be on the trail of some bad guy or monster. "That's it!" he cried and grabbed Reiki's arm. "The dragon has to be across the bridge! It's probably a special bridge and that's why it looks so old and is in the middle of nowhere. It's magic."

Reiki twisted his lips as he thought about it. "Maybe…but is it safe to cross?"

"Sure." Haru paused and looked over at Reiki. "Umm…who goes first?"

Reiki frowned and looked them both over. "You should go first. You're shorter then me so you'll be lighter. And I have the knight costume on."

Haru frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "'M not that short," he grumbled.

Reiki smiled softly and gave his shoulder a gentle push. "Just go."

The bridge wasn't as scary to cross as it looked. It barely wobbled as Haru slowly shuffled across but it was slippery. The moss that covered the bottom was wet and Haru was scared he'd slip and fall over the edge into the water. He clung to the rope and vines around him and once his dragon head got stuck on a dead branch caught on the side of the bridge but he got it off and only slipped a little bit. He moved slowly and once he was across he turned and waved back at Reiki. "Okay! You can come over now!" he called.

Reiki didn't take as long as Haru did and he didn't get caught on anything but he did slip on the last step and fall into the big rocky beach really hard. "Ow!" he gasped, reaching up to rub at a scrap on his elbow.

Haru dropped down beside him and looked at his arm. "It…doesn't look bad."

Reiki rubbed it a little more before standing and saying he was okay. By that time Lily had made his way over the bridge and followed after them as they headed towards the woods. After crossing the magic bridge Haru was sure the dragon was close by. They just had to find the perfect spot or his cave and then he could ask for his wish. He led Reiki and now Lily through the woods until they broke through some bushes into a huge meadow filled with flowers.

"Woah…" they said, looking around at all the flowers with wide eyes. Even Lily stepped forwards to sniff a big yellow flower.

There were all kinds of flowers. Blue ones, red ones, yellow ones, orange ones and even a few that looked purple. It was amazing and the absolute, perfect place for a dragon to be. "This is it!" Haru said. "This is where the dragon will be! I just know it."

Reiki nodded and slipped his backpack from his shoulder. "I think so too. We should just wait and he'll be here soon."

Haru dropped his own backpack and they sat down around the flowers and tall grass. It was so high that once they sat down it came up to their chins. Reiki dug around in his backpack and pulled out a small bag of cookies.

"You brought snacks?" Haru asked, blinking at the small bag. He only then noticed how hungry he was. They didn't have time to eat the hotdogs Emma's dad and grandpa were making cause they were too busy thinking of a plan.

Reiki grinned and tore open the bag. "Yep. I thought we would have to wait for a while. Here." He held out the bag and Haru reached in and pulled out three cookies, leaving four still in the bag.

They ate them really fast, and Reiki split the last one in half before folding the bag and putting it back in his backpack. As he finished his last cookie, Haru looked around at the meadow. It was like they were hiding and Haru snickered at how cool it was. "It's like we're ninja's hiding from the evil samurai."

Reiki smiled and settled back against Lily's side. "Or little fairies."

Haru paused and looked over at him. "You think there are fairies here?"

"Sure," Reiki said. They paused and looked at each other then jumped to their feet and rushed further into the meadow looking for any small fairies they could find.

After a while Haru was crawling around through the tall flowers when he saw something poking up from the ground. He reached out and pulled up a gold stick with a crescent moon on the end. It was pretty and even with all the mud on it, it sparkled as he turned it round and round. "Hey, Reiki! Come see this!"

Reiki came rushing over from the other side of the meadow with Lily close behind and squatted down next to Haru. "Oh! You found a hair pin."

"What's that?" Haru asked.

"It's what a lady will use to keep her hair up. My mom has several, some with pretty jewels on them and some that are just plain looking. You found a pretty one, though." He frowned and looked around. "I don't know why it would be here…"

"Maybe it's the dragons."

"Dragon's don't have hair, Haru."

"I know, but it's gold and dragons like gold. Natsu said the dragon that saved him had a big cave filled with gold. Maybe this is his and he dropped it. Or the sprites stole it."

Reiki raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side. "Mr. Natsu's seen a dragon?"

"Yeah. He didn't tell you about it?"

Reiki shook his head, "No."

Haru started to say something when a shadow suddenly appeared over him and Reiki. His eyes went wide and when he looked at Reiki his best friend was staring back at him with his mouth hanging open. "Well, what are you two doing here?" someone said beside them. Slowly, Haru and Reiki looked up and blinked at a tall, thin, old woman with red eyes and pink hair pulled into a tight bun. She was frowning down at them in a way that had both boys huddling close together and Haru wondered if Lily would keep them safe like Emma always said he would. "Who are you? Where are your parents?" she demanded, bending down slightly and Haru saw a glittering crescent moom hair pin stuck in her bun.

He gasped and held the pin closer to his chest, not wanting to lose one of his new treasures.

The old woman looked over at Lily sitting next to Reiki and narrowed her eyes. "I see…" she murmured then looked back at the two boys with a deep frown. "Right. You two come with me."

"Haru," Reiki whispered as they followed the old woman through the woods. He reached over and tugged at Haru's sleeve, keeping their heads close. "I think we need a new plan."

"Why?" he whispered back.

"Cause I think we just found a witch."