Simon

The sun cast a low glowing light into the empty room that let me know it was setting. I had finally gotten Elena to settle down and she was now happily snoring away off to the side of the room. I raised a hand to my face and gently touched the rivets left by my darling sister and winced. I would be lucky if it didn't leave a scar. At least it stopped bleeding.

I chanced a look outside and thought to myself that I needed to find the others, but the snoring reminded me that I needed to wait. She wasn't up to all of the excitement yet. She was getting better, but still had a long way to go. It was hard, taking care of her. But I was the only one who could do it. I never was sure if she knew the connection between us, but I did know that she trusted me more than anyone else. The others all praised my patience with her, but to be honest I didn't know where it came from. Many times I wanted to just give up and tell pops that I couldn't take it anymore. But then Elena would look at me, and I couldn't turn away from her.

Staring out of the window, I smiled. I saw her coming towards the building with purposeful strides. It looked like I wouldn't have to go hunting for them after all. She walked into the building and took one look at Elena and then turned to me. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. Do I need to ask how you found me?"

Nashi grinned and tapped her nose. "You could but it would be a stupid question." Her face grew more serious. "I was actually sent out to find you."

"Really? Who sent you?"

"Well…"

Everyone was still confused but thrilled at the revelation that we were in fact their lost children. From my place near the roof, I could feel the swell of emotion like the wind on my face. It was annoying. Once everyone was there except for Simon and Elena there was talk about going out to find them. Of course some of my friends were giving advice on places that he liked to go if he was worried about Elena, but it was Silver that said something that pissed me off. "Just send Nashi out there, she's like a freaking bloodhound."

My face flushed is anger and I jumped in through the window and hopped from the ledge to the banister and then down to the ground floor. "You did NOT just call me a dog!" I snapped, inches away from his face.

"No, I said you were LIKE one! Not that you are one."

"What's the difference?"

"A tail."

That did it. I didn't even remember balling my fist up, but I did fell when it connected with his face. I heard several people protest, but over all of that, I could hear him laughing his ass off.

Simon was straining himself to not laugh out loud by the time I finished. "How many people did it take to get you off of him?"

"Just two, but I wasn't really into the fight so I didn't resist."

"Wow. Our little Nashi not really into a fight with Silver? Are you sick or are you finally growing up?"

"Shut up." She said while she playfully punched my arm. "So, are you coming back or staying here?"

I turned back to my sister and sighed. "I don't know. I'm worried about how she'll react. You know she doesn't like big crowds of people."

"I know. But there are people waiting for you."

"Why?"

"Wait…I didn't tell you did I." She slapped herself on her head. "Shit, sorry. So this is actually the world we were born in and the building we landed in is where all of our parents are. So, yeah."

I could only stare at her. The idea of reuniting with them had gone through my head many times over the years but I never thought it would actually happen. Elena. How would she react? Would she even understand? "Have you seen your…"

"Yeah, and let's just say it wasn't the happy reunion that I always dreamed about. But then again, nothing is ever as perfect as we dream of usually."

"You have a point." I stood and made my way to my sister and then stared down at her, debating on if I should wake her. "Is it worth it?"

"Is what worth what?"

"Seeing them. Is it worth all the trouble?"

"It might be. I don't know, and neither will you unless you try."

I chuckled and knelt down. "When did you get so insightful?"

"When you weren't looking."

"I guess so." I reached out a hand to wake my sister while also bracing myself against her coming tantrum, but it didn't happen. Her eyes were already open. She gave me a look that was so clear it was almost unnerving and she said one word.

"Momma?" she asked.

"Yes, Elena. We are going to find momma."

Natsu

When Nashi left to find the other 2, I decided to head out to find Erza. Once she realized what was going on she, like most of the others, left to find them.

I followed her scent all over Magnolia and finally found her sitting just outside Kardia Cathedral. She had her normal breast plate off so that all the was wearing was her white top with the blue skirt. I wondered why she was just sitting there, but then I saw her face, and the tears. I approached her slowly so I didn't startle her, but I should have known that it wasn't necessary. "You don't have to be so gentle with me Natsu." I could hear the smile in her words.

"Sorry, it's a habit I guess from dealing with all of the craziness from the last few years."

"Understandable. I know I was a complete mess for a while."

I sat down next to her on the bench and then stared out over the city with her. "What are you doing here?"

She shifted her body slightly, obviously uncomfortable with the question. "I just needed to think."

"About?" She didn't answer me. I had a feeling I knew what was bugging her. Hell, it was probably the same way all of us were feeling right now. "Are you worried that they won't like you?"

Her body jerked slightly, and she sighed. "Yes, and no. I mean it's not like I want them to automatically love me or anything. But what if I am not what they want? What if I don't live up to some expectation they have of who their mother is supposed to be?"

"What if you are overthinking it?" I said. I leaned back and looked up at the sky. "They aren't the little kids we thought we were going to get back and some of them are very broken, but it doesn't matter. Because they are still our kids. Nashi is very distant, and a few times I looked at her, I could tell her mind wasn't here. She was somewhere else that wasn't pleasant. All I could do was wait for her to come back. And that's all any of us can do, really."

"Natsu Dragneel." I took my eyes off of the sky and put them back on Erza. She was looking at me with a smile on her face. "How did you get so insightful?"

"I'm always insightful." I said with a smirk. I let it die down before I asked my next question. "So, when are you going to tell him?"

Her smile vanished as well and she had to look away. "I don't know. I haven't seen him at all in almost a year. When we realized that there was no trace of them, he couldn't take being here with all of the reminders of them around."

"He'll want to know."

"I know. And I will send him a message, I just don't know when or even how I'll word it so that he will believe me."

"Just tell him the truth."

"Right, because the truth is so easy to believe."

"Stranger things have happened to us."

We laughed together as the sun finally set for the night, leaving us to the darkness of the evening. I didn't want to push her to go back, but we couldn't sit here all night long. I was saved from the choice when I smelled her getting close to us, with two new scents with her.

I turned my head to the left and saw my Nashi walking to us, and two people behind her that were without a doubt the ones she was looking for. Erza finally heard them a moment later, and she stood up, locking eyes with the boy.

The girl was trying to hide behind him, while also trying to peek at Erza. I could only see one eye, and it just happened to be the eye that had the same mark as her father. If it wasn't for that, the girl would have been a spitting image of her mother.

"Hi." The boy said, his voice soft and scared.

"Hello." Erza's voice was just as scared as his. "How are you?" I could see that she regretted that question by the shift of her eyes. Like she was berating herself for such a stupid question.

"I'm ok, I guess."

They just stood there, staring at each other. I was getting annoyed, but apparently so was Nashi. She gave a low growl and then pushed the two kids forward and he stumbled, causing himself to fall to his knees. The girl was left standing on her own without her brother to shield her and her reaction was that of terror. She was looking all around for a place to hide, but then Erza was there. She was right in front of her, not trying to touch her, but helping her brother up from the ground.

Once he was standing again, she girl went back to hiding behind him. But this time she was watching Erza with both eyes. There was curiosity there along with the fear. She wanted to know more, but she was also afraid of what she would learn.

"Are you hungry?" Erza asked them. At first they just looked at her, unsure of how to answer.

"Food?" the girl asked. Her word clipped.

"Yes. Food."

"Food." She had turned back to her brother and tugged on his shirt. Repeating the word. Telling him that she wanted food.

"We are starving." He told Erza, a smile finally appearing.

I watched them leave, feeling warm and fuzzy inside and turned back to see Nashi trying to sneak away. "Leaving so soon?" I asked, stopping her in her tracks.

"I was just going to…um…"

I sat back down on the bench and patted the seat next to me. She sighed and then slowly slunk over and sat down. I pulled out the card that Lucy gave to me before I left the guild hall and handed it to her. She took it and smiled at it.

"So…what does that mean? Can you fly?"

"Not really." she told me with a light laugh. "When pops first found me, I was a mess. I didn't want to talk to anyone, I didn't even want to be around people at all. One time, I ran out of the house and climbed this huge tree that was out back. Pops found me a few hours later, livid, he said everyone had been searching for me for hours." She turned the card over in her hands a few times, allowing herself a few moments to think. "After a minute or two, he finally calmed down and asked me why I was in the tree and I told him, 'because it feels like I'm flying.'" She handed the card back to me. "Being high up, it let me know that I wasn't trapped anymore. It was like I had the whole world under me and I could just spread my wings and soar above everything." She spread her arms out wide, like she had wings and she was about to take flight and closed her eyes. "So whenever I am feeling too closed in, I find a place that is high up and I will stand there like this. I will feel the wind hitting me and I can pretend for just a moment that I really am flying, and everything goes away."

She put her arms back down and opened her eyes back up. Turning to me she said "Anytime I had to leave the house and do that, pops would just say 'Nashi's flying again' and the others would know that I needed my space."

I had to give her a smile. I didn't want to, just the fact that she needed something like that tore at me. But at least she had something to help her mind. "This pops guy, he really helped all of you out."

"He did. I don't know where any of us would be without him."

I reached a hand out to her and she jerked hers back, not wanting to be touched. I pulled back and sighed internally. It was worth a try. "So, do you know where you are staying?"

"You mean like sleeping?"

"Yeah."

"I…never thought about it. I'll probably see where everyone else is staying and then go with them." I guess she saw my expression because started to defend her words. "It's not that I don't want to stay with you, I'm just so used to being with the others that it feels…safe with them."

"It's ok. I get it, I do. I don't want to push you to do anything you don't feel comfortable with. But I want you to know this. You will always have a home with Lucy and myself. No matter what."

"I got it."

"Good. Now, I missed dinner because someone decided to just drop in on us. So what do you say about coming back to the guild hall with me and grabbing a bite to eat."

"Sounds good."

There it was. A smile that was content. It wasn't the one of pure happiness that I wanted, but it was enough for now.

Juvia

It was late. I was sitting on my bed and about to go to bed but there was something keeping me up. They weren't here. They all agreed that they weren't ready to break off and stay with us just yet, so Master Makarov is allowing them to stay at the guild hall for a while. Mira, Erza and Lisanna are staying there with them in case they need anything. I wished, for the hundredth time, that I was there as well. It didn't feel right knowing that they were back in my life but I couldn't be with them. I needed them.

There was a shifting of the bed behind me and I didn't look around. I knew it was him, and I knew that it would be the same as before. I don't know how many time I dreamed of marrying him, and now that I am, it's nothing like I hoped it would be. He didn't even want to marry me to begin with. Mira and Erza practically badgered him into it after I found out I was pregnant. And then when they were taken away from us, the only reason he stayed was because I couldn't function and he felt obligated to keep me alive. I truly hated myself for the situation.

I was about to lie down when I felt him right behind me. I stiffened and waited for him to tell me that he was going to leave, but instead he said "I need to talk to you about something."

My eyes widened as I turned to face him. He sat there in nothing but his shorts, looking at me with something I had never seen before. "What is it?" I asked him carefully.

"I'm sorry." He told me, lowering his head down.

"What are you sorry for?"

"Being such an ass to you." He looked back up at me and I saw a faint hint of tears in his eyes. "You didn't deserve the way I treated you. It was my own damn fault for getting you in the situation in the first place and then I treated you like shit."

"It wasn't your fault. I seem to recall doing my own fair share of drinking that night too."

"I know, but I should have stopped it somehow. If I had, then maybe none of the crap we went through in the last year would have happened." He slapped the bed and then grabbed my hand. "But that's not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about. I don't know when it happened, really. Somewhere between watching you while you were pregnant, and then the twins being born and then holding them for the first time, and then losing them. Seeing how devastated you were, and taking care of you and then getting them back." He dropped my hand and took my face in his hands, putting his face less than an inch from his. "Somewhere in all of that chaos, I fell in love with you."

My heart stopped. It seriously stopped, and it only started back up when he pressed his lips gently to mine. And then it was racing so fast I thought I was going to burst. He kissed me, and he did it because he wanted to. In the kiss, I could feel that he was being honest. I could feel his love for me in just one simple kiss.

He broke the kiss long enough to lay be back on the bed. I stared up at him, my heart still racing in my chest and he ran a single finger from my bottom lip down my chin and then my neck. In its wake I felt chill, and my entire body broke out of bumps by the time his one finger reached my chest and stopped between my breasts. I clenched my hands together, feeling the sheets bunching and my body gave an involuntary spasm.

He picked his finger up and then traced my ribs along my side ever so lightly, that chill following every stroke and I found my eyes closing by themselves. I forced them back open, I wanted to take in every moment of this.

I thought he was going to stop and then we would get to the main part, but he then moved to my arms, and then my stomach and back. After, he went to my legs, using his finger to trace lines all over my body. It was then I realized what he was doing. He was learning my body. Every nook and cranny, every line and curve I had was found by this man I loved. It was then I decided that I wanted the same thing. After all this time, when I finally got something I truly wanted, I couldn't let it pass me by. Using my foot, I pushed his hand up and then pushed myself up.

He gave me a confused look but then it was replaced with a smile when I motioned for us to switch places. With him on the bed, and me sitting next to him, I allowed myself to be free with him. I let my fingers roam all over him with carefree abandon. It wasn't enough for me, for I soon found myself leaning down and touching my lips in the hollow of his throat. I then trailed light kisses down his chest and across his abs and back up, ending with my lips finding his again. When he kissed me back, I was surprised again. It was even better than the first time.

I felt his hand grasp the back of my head and he turned me so that we were both on our sides, our lips still locked together. Once settled again, be broke the kiss and pulled back enough to look at me. There was something in his eyes that made things low in my stomach tighten that I didn't know could. It was a look of need, and desire, and I couldn't believe it was aimed at me. With my gaze still on his eyes, he moved his hand lower, and then all thought fled my mind.

I had never felt this fire before, it burned throughout my body and threatened to burn me from the inside out and I didn't care. He filled me more than I thought anyone could to the point that I thought I would split apart. And I didn't care. My entire world had been wrapped around this man for years without him really seeing me, and now he was truly mine.