A/N: Look! I uploaded another chapter and it didn't take months! Your reviews, follows, and favorites pushed me to continue writing. Please keep them coming!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I do, however, own the character of Gilligan.

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The hours melded into days which turned into weeks. Two weeks slipped by since Natsu and I had brought Gilligan to the guild. Autumn began to overtake Magnolia. Even with the sun high in the sky, the chill settled in the streets. Jackets were brought out of closets and fires began to ignite in the more frigid evenings. My bruises had healed, leaving in their wake pristine and porcelain skin. The scuffs on my elbows and knees had almost completely closed, a few last scabs clinging on. Physically, I was doing much better. Mentally, I was struggling. The night terrors had not let up and even around Natsu there were times where I wanted to run. If he moved too sudden, came up from behind too fast, I'd flinch, jump, and cower. It pained me most to see the hurt in his deep, onyx eyes every time I reacted negatively to him. My dragon never left my side. He was true to his word, as I knew he always was. In the black of night, he held me as I sobbed, running warm fingers through my hair. During the daylight, we'd laugh and joke as if nothing had ever happened. Though, every couple of days I'd sink into myself. I'd catch a glimpse of Fried's hair before I saw his face and I'd fall into the abyss of that night. Laxus must have sensed something wrong because he requested that Freed begin to wear his hair up, in messy pony tail. The lightning dragon slayer said that it accented his features well, made his sculpted jawline standout. But the blonde had looked at me and offered a smile, before assisting in styling the lime locks. Some days, I'd have a pure flash back and black out, waking soaked in sweat and shaking like a leaf in Natsu's arms.

I'd tried to build my courage up. I wanted to tell the rest of my friends what I'd been through. But that little voice stopped me every single time. The fear of losing my family hurt worse than bottling my emotions. Besides, with Natsu at my side I could conquer anything. My team could tell something was off but out of respect, they didn't pry for information.

Gilligan was warming up to the guild. I caught her once using the word nakama which turned her bright red as she swore up and down she'd actually said "no, yo mama." I'd given her a knowing smile and clapped her on the back. Slowly, she was gaining weight. Her face didn't seem so gaunt, her purple eyes weren't sunken into her skull. Her hair had begun to shine and the texture became smooth. She worked steadily, with as much sass as I expected from a fourteen year old. Mirajane used her Satan Soul magic once when her attitude and blossomed and instantly Gilly was whipped into shape. The moment the eldest Strauss even begins to open her mouth for a request, the child is there. She skirts around her nervously, like a mouse, from time to time. Not that I blame Gilligan. Mira was not only beautiful but her magic was on the verge of being terrifying. She was an S Class for a reason.

I woke with a start, gasping for air as my dream clutched at my throat. Goosebumps rose along my arms and I sighed, pulling my knees up to rest my chin against them. A shock of pink hair twitched beside me. Natsu's eyes opened and his nostrils flared possessively. "Lucy? What's wrong?" he murmured, still coming out of his own sleep.

"I'm fine. Just the dream."

He nodded and sat up, running his hand up and down my back. I let myself melt into his warm touch, forgetting about the nightmares that had plagued my slumber. "It's eight o'clock, I won't be able to go back to sleep." I shifted away from him, swinging my legs over the over and grabbing my large fuzzy robe to wrap up in.

"Neither will I. Want to head to the guild for breakfast this morning?" Natsu asked, stretching and successfully popping what sounded like every joint in his body.

"Sounds good to me. I'll hop in the shower, unless you'd like to go first?"

The dragon slayer smirked at me and raised an eyebrow. "No, you go first Luce. You always use all the hot water anyway and I'll have to warm it up either way." I turned before Natsu could see my blush, though I know he knew it was there. Heightened dragon senses. He chuckled as I collected my clothes for the day. I was at the threshold of the door when he stopped me. Natsu's voice was husky and shook ever so slightly, "I... I could get used to this, Luce," he murmured almost so quietly that I didn't know whether he intended for me to hear it.

I turned back to him. The sun was streaming in through the window, illuminating his sculpted body. He'd kicked the comforter to the foot of the bed, one leg wrapped in the linens. "Get used to what?"

"Living here," he replied earnestly. "With you."

"Is that all?" I laughed and scratched at the back of my neck. "You've practically lived with me for years anyway."

"Would you mind, if we made it official?" His husky voice was back and his eyes were downcast, like he was a scolded puppy.

The question came as a surprise and I tried to ignore my pulse as it increased inside my chest. "You want to live with me? Long term?"

"Y-Yeah," Natsu stammered. "I mean, I'd keep my cottage. Clean it up, rent it out to tourists on vacation. So I'd always have it… Just in case you didn't want to live with me anymore."

I sank to the floor, crossing my legs to get comfortable. My clothes were set to the side, right out of the door ready for my shower. I felt like this conversation wasn't going to be a quick one so I decided to relax. I picked absently at a hangnail as I asked, "Why wouldn't I want you to live with me?"

The dragon slayer was quiet for a few moments, enough so that the buzz of Magnolia snuck in through the window. Outside, children were hurrying off to school. Cart merchants were calling out their wares for the day. The few songbirds left chirped weakly in the chill of the morning. He ran his hand through tufts of pink hair, gripping and tugging slightly. "If you find someone, love someone. You wouldn't want your best friend—a male, no less—hanging around."

I scoffed and my heart strings tugged at his insinuation. Two weeks ago we'd talked into the night about dragons and their love life. I'd been so curious to know if Natsu knew who he was to love—if I was being honest with myself, which I wasn't, I wanted to know if he loved me. If he could love me. Even after being tainted. Truth be told, I didn't even know why I'd attempted dating anyway. I guess because who I really thought of when the future crossed my mind was Natsu Dragneel. "That is seriously something you do not need to worry about," I said with an exaggerated eye roll.

The dragon slayer shrugged meekly. "Alright then," he spoke evenly, not wanted to throw my emotions off balance as they teetered dangerously between sadness and anger. "W-would you like for me to move into the guest room? Or can I stay here?"

His voice was so pleading, so hopeful that I couldn't help but to crack a smile. "No, no guest room. That's a guest room. I like you right where you are, besides the heating bill is astronomically low when you sleep with me. You're a walking fire. And before you ask, yes of course Happy can live here too. When he isn't staying with Wendy and Carla, anyway."

Natsu flopped back onto the pillow, grinning wildly at the ceiling. "Thanks, Luce," and he sounded so genuinely happy that my heart ached in my chest.

I excused myself to the bathroom and cranked on the water, letting it warm as I stared at myself in the mirror. Could he love you? The woman in the mirror was pretty enough. Her blonde locks stuck out every which way: bedhead. Her brown eyes were reddened from sleep. Her skin was smooth, flawless even without makeup. But even though I knew this was my reflection, I couldn't see the beauty that anyone else claimed to. I saw the pores that raided my nose. I saw lopsided ears. Most of all, I saw my scars. I was tainted, everywhere that monster had touched me, scorned. I had been lucky enough to avoid any sexual diseases transmitted through his vile fluids. Still, I felt like I was damaged.

It took me and Natsu less than an hour to get ready. He tugged his scarf around his neck as I finished smudging makeup under my eyes. Natsu smiled as we headed towards the guild, watching as I balanced along the side of the canal. "Luce?" he pondered after a few moments.

"Hm?" I responded, not lifting my focus away from my feet.

"Come with me." Without waiting for my response, he grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the canal and down an alleyway towards the market beyond. The dragon slayer chuckled as I stumbled against him, clutching me in the crook of his muscular arm. We made it about two blocks before he abruptly stopped and stepped behind me, shielding my eyes and guiding my path.

"What are you doing?" I asked, breathless from laughing.

Natsu was quiet for a moment. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course." There was no hesitation.

I could feel his smile but he remained silent, carefully leading my steps through the crowd. Before long he guided me through a door, a soft chiming bell alerting of our entrance. My nose was assaulted with some of my favorite scents, the unique aroma that only a bookstore can possess. Musty and content, aged paper and pitch black ink. The smell of leather bound stories, waiting to share their tales. The faint odor of wood, half chewed by mites and the remnants of moth balls lost in corners. Natsu kept me wrapped in one arm, his hand still covering my vision. He ignored all my inquiries as he shuffled me around, I felt him pick something up and take me to cash out.

A familiar voice greeted us, "Lucy," the old man who ran the bookstore sounded amused. "Natsu," he sounded impressed that Natsu had set foot inside his shop without burning it to the ground. I felt the dragon use his free arm to gesture something passed my neck, as if he was putting a finger to his lips to keep the surprise. The bookkeeper chuckled. There was a ring of the cash register and the sound of Natsu dropping some jewels on the counter before he steered me out of the shop and back into the street. He sat me down on a bench and I felt him place a large tome on my lap.

"Okay, Luce. Open." He stepped back and I peered up at him. My goofy dragon, a smile plastered on his face, his eyes closed from the force of his expression: his nose scrunched. On my lap was the book I'd been eyeing for the past week, I gasped and ran a hand over the golden lettering. "I've watched you look at every time we've passed by but we haven't gone on any missions so you couldn't afford it… I had some jewels laying around that I wasn't doing anything with so… There ya go!"

My eyes filled with tears. I carefully sat the book beside me and leapt up, latching my arms around his neck. "Thank you!" I sobbed into his chest, nuzzling my face into his smoky warmth.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me, burying his nose into my hair. "You're welcome, Luce," he whispered so that only I could hear.

"How sweet," a familiar voice teased in a singsong. We pulled away and turned to see Gilly, carrying two baskets of bread from the bakery down the road, on her way back to the guild. I flushed and looked at my feet but Natsu wasn't fazed, as usual.

"Oy, Gilly! Need some help?"

She handed him the larger of the wicker baskets as I clutched my new book against my chest. And with that, our tender moment was forgotten and all of reality rushed back into my lungs. "You guys are out and about early today," the teenager commented and I could feel her purple eyes piercing into my back.

"Thought we'd get a head start on our day," Natsu replied happily as the guildhall came into view.

Inside, Mira was busy cooking up breakfast and Makarov was waking up with a large mug of coffee. Erza, always chipper to begin the day was already nibbling on a pastry of some sort. "Good morning," she absently told the three of us as we strolled through the doors.

Before long, the main hall was beginning to fill. I never realized how many members of Fairy Tail came in so early to grab breakfast and get first pick of the new missions on the board. I saw Natsu look toward the board longingly, wishing to go on an adventure. I chewed on my lip. I couldn't avoid the world for forever but I simply wasn't ready to go back but I knew my friend was itching for a battle. In that moment, I had an idea. I shoveled one last forkful of eggs into my mouth and then stood on top of our table, nearly kicking over Happy's fish. The Exceed looked up at me with teary eyes and I flashed him an apologetic grin.

"Natsu!" I shouted, causing the entire guild to hush instantaneously. "I challenge you to a duel!"

Gajeel choked on his drink, which looked startlingly like liquid iron. "What was that bunny girl?"

I kept my eyes focused on my best friend, finger pointed at him. He looked at me with a blank expression before he knitted his eyebrows together. "No," he said, firmly and with finality.

"Yes," I argued right back.

Natsu balled his hands into fists. "No, Lucy. I don't want to hurt you. I refuse to hurt you," he hissed through his teeth. I could feel his trepidation.

I sneered. "C'mon dragonboy! Don't tell me you're scared of poor little heiress, Lucy Heartfilia. I'm sure Gray would accept my challenge."

"Keep me out of this," the ice mage grunted, shoving a cinnamon roll into his mouth.

"Juvia will fight you!" his companion quipped. I ignored her.

"Lucy," Natsu growled threateningly. I didn't back down, I straightened my shoulders and puffed my chest out. I uncoiled the whip from my waist and snapped it around the dragon slayer's wrist, knocking his coffee out of his hand. The mug shattered on the floor. Natsu's eyes darkened. "Lucy," he repeated. I jerked my whip so that it slashed across his chest, leaving a faint pink welt. That was enough to get Natsu to stand up and press his forehead against mine. I felt the smoke coming out of his nostrils. "I will not hurt you," he snarled and it sounded almost pleading, begging me to stop. But I didn't. I wouldn't.

I felt the entirety of our family watching us, breaths held, eyes trained. "You think you're better than me. You think I can't hold my own," my voice trembled slightly as that ugly memory snaked into my mind, I pushed my assault away. "You protect me. You put yourself in danger to make sure that I remain unscathed. But I am a Fairy Tail Wizard. I am a member of the best team in the guild. I am the greatest celestial mage in all of Fiore," I said that last sentence with more confidence than I felt. "And I challenge you, dragon slayer, to spar with me." I paused, "Igneel would have encouraged you."

That did it, Natsu looked at me defeated but with a new determination in his eye. "You know I won't let you win," he stated.

"You'd better not."

Makarov cleared his throat loudly, "Please, children, do not do this inside. Out, out! Into the arena. This will be a match I'm sure many of us will like to see. Wendy, please stay close in case someone needs your medical prowess. Erza, you're to referee. If this gets out of hand, stop it." Wendy and Erza looked at each other and nodded, standing. "Fifteen minutes and then you may start." Collectively, the guild let out a whoosh of air that they'd been holding and erupted into chatter. Gildarts and Cana began calling for bets, collecting the hard earned jewels of our fellow members.

Natsu stared at me. "Lucy," he whispered, pained. For once, when I hugged him it was not my pulse that was racing but his. His heart pounded against my ear and I smiled at him.

"Natsu, this will be fun."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." I'm not sure what possessed me to stand on the tips of my toes and kiss his cheek, but I did. I felt my face flourish red and I quickly scampered off to prepare for our duel, Levy leaping from her spot with Gajeel to follow me. I saw the iron dragon slayer lift his pierced brows at Natsu and smirk but I didn't catch any of their conversation.

My bookworm sighed as she adjusted my bandana, pulling blonde tresses from my eyes. "What are you doing, Lucy?" Levy groaned.

"I have no idea," I admitted. "But both of us could use some fun."

The blue haired mage looked at me skeptically. "Natsu really doesn't want to do this… You're a great mage in your own right, Lu. But Natsu is an entirely different level. Mavis, he's a true dragon slayer raised by Igneel all those years ago and sent to fight—"

"I know," I interrupted her. "I don't expect to win. I'm pretty confident that I'll lose. But I want to do this. I want to duel him and have fun. I want Natsu to see that I'm not some damsel he needs to protect."

"Oh, Lu-chan," my friend whispered, pulling me into a hug. Over the years we've mastered silent communication, and with one nod she pulled back, squeezed a bit of sunblock onto my shoulders and we parted ways.

The entire stadium was full. It seemed that all the guild decided to forego missions today to watch me and Natsu brawl. On the highest box, Makarov presided over us, seated with him the S Class mages of Fairy Tail. Wendy sat on the edge of their box, he legs dangling over the edge. She waved encouragingly at me. The Exceeds were with her, Happy chanting for Natsu's victory. Carla looked bored and belittled by the entire process. Pantherlily appeared curious.

Natsu and I walked to the center of the coliseum, faced each other and shook hands. "Last chance to back down," he whispered to me.

"Not a chance."

He sighed at me but I caught the smile hidden in his eyes as he stepped back. Makarov raised his arm, lowered it, and we began. "Fire dragon—" I leaped away from Natsu's first attack using my small stature to my advantage. I snatched a key from my waist and held it high in the air.

"Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo!" I called and Loke materialized in front of me, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Oh my, how I've longed to do this," he murmured, his hands began to enflame with the rays of the sun. Everything else was forgotten. The cheers of the crowd were muted and lost. There was nothing besides Natsu and I and our magic. Fleuve d'étoiles sparkled to life, the celestial properties of my whip causing it to glow with the power of the stars.

Natsu's foot crashed into my stomach but my adrenaline was raging; I didn't feel the pain of the blow. Loke cursed loudly, quickly leaping between my body and the dragon slayer, alight in his fire. "Open! Gate of the Bull, Taurus!" I called out another offensive spirit and sent him thrashing his axe towards my best friend. I leaped into the air and lashed at his ankle with my whip. I was so surprised when my attack landed that I almost forgot to pull him off balance. Almost. In a blur of fire and pink hair he fell to the ground and had to roll to avoid a Regulus Impact from my lion. I leeched off a bit more magic power as I opened my third key, "Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" My pink haired spirit appeared before me with a low bow. She quickly vanished into the earth.

I knew I was testing my luck, using only offensive spirits but I knew that defensively I had zero chance of staying in this fight for a long period. My only option was to overwhelm Natsu by attacking and flanking him from all sides—moving constantly. And maybe, just maybe, I'd get in a few blows of my own before this was all over. "Lucy kick!" I screamed as I aimed a blow at his head. Easily the dragon slayer spun and gripped my ankle in his hand. I gulped as he launched me into the sky and sent a jet of flames chasing over me. I was surprised at how little they burned. I questioned if Natsu was pulling his punches but forgot that idea as he sent a kick into my stomach as I was already downed. With his back turned to Taurus, the bull was able to swing and clip his shoulder, causing him to spin around disoriented.

I focused on the training Capricorn had given me in hand to hand combat and snapped my whip at his exposed feet, causing his to wince and throw himself off balance. I threw my elbow into his side and lashed my whip around his neck, straining to keep control as Loke charged him in a flash of golden light.

I released Natsu from my grip as he sunk to the ground, rubbing his neck. When he looked up at me, my stomach dropped. He was smirking. Briefly, I wondered if everyone he faced felt this same creeping dread come over them when Natsu achieved his second wind. "Oh, Luce. Now I'm all fired up!" He clenched his jaw and inhaled. "Fire dragon roar!" he shouted as flames pelted against my skin. I was caught in his inferno. Virgo came from beneath me, pushing me out of his fire. I closed her gate with thanks and opened Scorpio's, knowing I'd get an earful from Aquarius later on.

Our battle continued. I used Scorpio's sand to extinguish his flames before they managed to reach me but Natsu was agile, more agile than I had expected facing him. He soon learned my patterns and turned them against me, strategizing and finding my weak spots. His fist chopped against my knee, causing me to fall in front of him. Loke aimed more light in his direction but he breathed fire into the attack, breaking its course before it could reach him. Taurus was trapped in a vortex of flames that Scorpio was desperately trying to rescue him from. Natsu gripped my face delicately under my chin and lifted my eyes into his, he inhaled the final blow. A fire dragon lotus straight into my face.

I was done. Natsu Dragneel had won.

As soon as it had started, it was over. His fire went away. Loke and Natsu shook hands and clapped each other on the back, laughing before the lion left back into the spirit world. I breathed heavily, clutching my chest as my heart raced and the adrenaline left my body. Wendy glided down to us, inspecting me first for any damages. Natsu looked pained as the sky dragon healed bruises beginning to form along my stomach and legs. I smirked as I noticed his neck was ringed in a faint purple outline, his ankle swollen slightly from where my whip had scorned him. Wendy Marvel easily healed our superficial injuries and bowed out of the arena. Natsu extended his hand and I gladly took it, letting him heave me up onto my feet. We held hands, lacing our fingers together and took an obnoxious, curtain closing bow.

The cheers of our guild began to register. Cana and Gildarts were scurrying through the crowd, collecting the jewels of the poor souls who's actually decided to bet on me. I saw Levy elbow Gajeel as he dropped a few coins into the tarot reader's hand. Gilligan stared at Natsu and me, her mouth hanging agape. She had cheered louder than any of them, her voice hoarse from screaming. "This is Fairy Tail!" she called, throwing her arm into the arm, extending her thumb and her index finger. One by one the rest of us joined her, cheering for our family.

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A/N: I know some of you don't like me switching back and forth from first to third person every chapter but I'm already too committed to stop. Sorry! Any other fics I write won't have that mistake. Also, I consider myself to be a "gardener" writer as GRRM would say, so I'm not sure when this story will end. It's done when I'm convinced it's over. That might be in five chapters, ten, twenty. I dunno! Please give me a review before you go, I really appreciate them!

-GH057