Sleepless Night

Author's Note: Ne, mina! So… this chapter contains a reference to one of my other stories, Terror Unknown. So, if you haven't read it, I would advise you to do so. And Natsu and Lucy are still engaged. At this point in time, their wedding is in a week or so. Don't worry. I already have the wedding idea written down. It will definitely be a chapter. :)

Anyway, I hope you guys like it. Leave a review!

Natsu woke with a start, a faint sheen of cold sweat making his bare neck and torso shine in the moonlight. He propped his weight on his elbows, his chest heaving slightly. He'd been having… odd dreams as of late, and he wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was because it was close to the anniversary of… of when he almost lost Lucy…

He paused. Why was he having nightmares about that? That happened years ago, and it hadn't bothered him like this before. He pushed himself up into a sitting position to think, his heart rate finally going back to normal.

This isn't over, Salamander.

He said that seven years ago, and he never showed his face again. Natsu supposed he should be glad that his threat was empty, but he couldn't but be uneasy. Somewhere deep inside of him, he was afraid that bastard would come back and finish the job with Lucy when he wasn't there to protect her. As a matter of fact, he was terrified of coming back from a mission and finding her mutilated body on the living room floor. But that fear had gotten worse.

He had a child now, too.

Natsu looked across the room, toward Nashi's bedroom. He knew if something were to have happened to her while he was asleep, he would've woken up from a strange presence or his daughter's frightened scream. But he couldn't stop himself from sliding out of bed, careful not to wake a slumbering Lucy, and quietly walked to his daughter's room.

He silently opened the door and stepped inside, approaching her crib. She was there, asleep, cuddled up close to Happy, and unharmed. She was perfectly fine. Natsu breathed a sigh of relief and leaned over to place a soft kiss on her forehead. He gently closed the door behind him as he left, making his way back to his own bedroom. Once he slipped back into bed, he turned onto his side and propped his head up on his hand, gazing at his fiancée's sleeping face. She was breathtaking even in her sleep. The way her face lay on the pillow made her cheek puffy, and her golden hair shined delicately with the gentle light of the moon.

Natsu smiled dreamily as he reached up and brushed her hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, just as he did with Nashi. "I love you," he whispered, his hand gently stroking her hair. As if she heard him, she stirred in her sleep, pushing her face farther into the pillow, sounding a light chuckle from the Dragon Slayer. He was insanely in love with this woman. And just think, in a couple of days, he going to be married to her, and the thought made his heart thump particularly hard.

If he were to ever see that bastard's face again, the psycho that nearly killed Lucy, he would make sure he never saw the light of another day. As long as he was alive, nothing would ever hurt her that badly again. And the same goes for Nashi. If anything were to happen either of his girls, there will be hell to pay. If it came to it, he would give his life to protect them. "I promise." With that said, he yawned, and declared it time for him to go back to sleep. Moving carefully, he slipped his arm under her neck and pulled her closer to him. Lucy hummed sleepily and snuggled into his shoulder, sighing into his skin. He fell into a peaceful sleep.