A/N: *fangirl scream* I'm so excited! I had such an amazing time writing this story. I would like to thank each and every one of you. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you. I hope that all the loose-ends are wrapped up nicely for you. I made this chapter extra long. There was so much I wanted to include. I have to say, though, that this is the best ending I've ever made. I teared up writing this. When this story comes to a close, a part of me will die with. This story has been running since February 2nd, almost a full year. That may seem like a small amount of time in the end of things, but there are many good memories with this. While writing this I think I may have just learned a few things about myself, as crazy as that seems, and I hope you experienced the same. I love you all so much, and I'm happy to say that you guys are the reason I am here now. Before I shut up and let you read there's a few things I'd like to remind you all of.
-The 600th reviewer was erzywerzy4. You're awesome! *thumbs up*
-My novel will probably be started after Christmas! Come join my team! PM me :)
-Let me know you're favorite parts of this story.
-Cute scene requests for the CielxLucy in Rome story? Credit will be given. It will be like a chapter-dedication. I would like to put lots of fluff in since you kind of already know how the story starts and ends, you know?
-Enjoy :)
Gray sighed. It was finally over. It took almost two hours, but it was finally over. A healthy baby girl was born, and Gray couldn't be happier. Lucy, on the other hand, could stand to cheer up a little. She was still cursing his dick and the dicks of the Fullbusters for the next twenty generations. It would have been funny if Gray didn't have nail marks on his arms to prove her point.
"You can hold her," a nurse said, holding the baby out to Gray.
Gray felt his chest tighten. He nodded dryly and took the baby. The nurse had to help him hold her correctly, since he was so nervous he forgot how to hold a baby properly. He looked at the spot of black hair on the girl's head and smiled. She had his hair. He was pleased to see that she got Lucy's cute nose. The baby opened her eyes, showing how big and brown they were. He felt tears form in the corners of his eyes. She giggled and held her hand up. She was just so small and adorable. He almost couldn't contain his joy.
"Can I see her?" Lucy asked. She looked completely worn out. Gray had never seen her look so beautiful, though. Just seeing her hold their child, the soft moonlight reaching in from the window, making it seem like they were both glowing. "I was thinking we could name her-"
"Luna," Gray said, speaking before Lucy could.
She looked up at him with curiosity in her eyes. She was going to say something completely different. He hadn't given very much input to naming the baby, saying everything was nice and pretty, but he had such sincerity in his eyes. Tilting her head back, she could see that it was a full moon that night. Looking back to her child, she could see that the baby was looking at the sky with interest. It was fitting for her child to love the moon and stars. "Luna," Lucy repeated, a wide smile on her face. "I was going to say Star, actually," she laughed.
"Luna Star Fullbuster," Gray said. The baby laughed. "It looks like she likes it!" He sat down beside Lucy on the bed and put his arm around her. He felt like he was finally complete.
"We'll give you two a minute," Doctor Simon said. "We have to take the baby over to get finger and footprints." A nurse took the baby.
The second they were alone, Lucy grabbed Gray by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. It was completely sloppy and uncoordinated, but neither cared. They had barely touched each other since she became pregnant, and they missed it. It didn't take them long to both be breathless and panting. Gray moved to lay on the bed fully and pulled Lucy to him. "I love you so much," he told her.
"I love you, too," Lucy said, a few tears in her eyes.
"Do you want to know something?" He asked. She nodded. "Layla is giving us the apartment. I'm taking over Star Martial Arts."
"Knock knock!" The door opened, revealing Layla and Laxus. Layla was holding Luna. "The nurse said I can bring her back here. She's just so adorable!" Laxus nodded in agreement. He looked shaken up, but in a good way.
"I don't care how many people are in there!" they all heard from outside the room. Something was said in a hushed, calming tone, so it wasn't clear what was said. "I know protocol all too well! I am a nurse at this hospital! If you don't let me in this room right now, I will make sure you don't have a job Monday morning!"
The door opened again, this time with Ur on the other side. She had a smirk on her face. The nurse who opened the door looked terrified. Ur just patted her shoulder and strolled inside. She looked right at Gray. "He's right outside. Do you want...?"
Gray swallowed dryly. "Can you leave the three of us alone?" He looked back to Lucy, who was looking very confused.
"We'll be in the waiting room," Layla said. She handed Luna to Lucy, kissed her forehead, and pushed Laxus out of the room. Ur smiled weakly before following them.
Gray looked to the floor and clenched his fists. Renji came into the room, an unknown man to Lucy behind him. She looked at Gray nervously, wondering what exactly was going on. "I'm just here in case they start swinging," Renji said with a laugh, putting a hand to the back of his head. He stepped aside, showing the man behind him.
Lucy's heart stopped. She didn't quite understand who was standing in front of her. All she knew that there was another Gray! She vowed over the previous summer that if one more showed up she would probably die.
Gray finally looked up. He may have been glaring daggers at Kyle, but he spoke softly. "Lucy, this is Kyle Fullbuster." Her eyes widened as Gray looked back at her, a grin on his face. "Dad, I would like you to meet the best thing that's ever happened to me. Well, now two best things."
Renji looked over just in time to see rage fill Lucy's eyes. He quickly grabbed Luna, just in time. Lucy clenched her fists hard, her jaw tightening. She pushed her blankets aside, confusing everyone. It wasn't until she stepped out of bed that everyone reacted. "Lucy!" Gray yelled, running over to her. "You have to stay in bed!" Lucy swatted him away, walking right towards Kyle. The older man's eyes were wide.
"Gray, grab her!" Renji yelled, wishing he could set Luna down somewhere.
Gray grabbed both of Lucy's arms, keeping her back. He would have grabbed her waist, but he figured that wasn't the best idea at the moment.
"NO!" Lucy screeched. "Let me scratch his eyes out!" She felt suddenly weak, dropping to her knees in sobs. Gray held her up, though. She was just so upset. She didn't like the idea of meeting the man that caused Gray so much pain. She knew herself how awful it was to have a father that didn't love you. If Jude were to show up, she wouldn't even let him see Luna. Yet there Kyle was, in the very room that Luna was born.
"I know you two are upset," Kyle said with a kind smile. "I want you to know that I regret leaving my family. Ur's already forgiven me. She's willing to look past it. I know things will never be the same, but will you two try, as well?"
Lucy's head snapped towards Kyle. "Do you think that it's all that easy?!" she yelled. Magically, Luna wasn't upset that someone was yelling. She was definitely ready to go home to her crazy family. "Having a father that doesn't love you is complete hell." She looked to the floor with tearing eyes and clenched fists, once again. "Living in an empty home, no one to come home to. Being hit every time you do something silly like knocking a pillow off the couch. I still have some scars from when he threw bottles at me and cut me."
Gray's eyes widened. He didn't realize that she had it that bad. He knew she wasn't saying the worse of it, either. She's never told him how bad it was with her father, but he could still assume that. What really helped him imagine how horrible it was was the scars she had. He's seen small cuts on her before, but when he asked her about it, she just acted like she didn't hear him.
"But that wasn't the worst of it. No, the worst is when he lets you leave. He comes into your room while you're packing, asks what you're doing. You're too scared to say, but he understands. He sends you a maid to help you pack. He tells you he never wants to see you again. Then he kicks you in the stomach, sending you on your way." She let out a forced laugh. "I guess he never did learn to not do that, did he?"
Gray's eyes narrowed. Jude did that before? It was obvious he did it while she was pregnant without thinking, but to his little girl?
"So I left. I don't know why I went to Rome. Maybe it was the first flight out of here, I'm not sure, but I'm glad I went. I found Ciel there. He took care of me for two years. The day he left, though, I did, too. I started traveling around, then my dad found me. I was terrified that I would have to go back to my dad, but I was told I had to go with my mom. I wasn't sure whether to be happy or not about that. I'm glad I came more than anything in the world. Gray changed me for the better, and I changed him, too. Ciel protected me before, but he just left me. It was clear it wasn't meant to be. But it is with Gray. I can just tell."
Lucy wiped her tears. She took a moment to catch her breath. No one else spoke. They were all too shocked to. Renji no idea any of that happened to her, while Gray just didn't know the extent, or that she felt that way about her time with Ciel. Kyle was in shock that she was pouring her heart out. None of them understood why she was talking about it all.
Lucy finally stood up. She took a shaky step towards Kyle and put her finger on his chest, her eyes narrowing. "If you think for one moment that I won't kill you if you touch Gray, you're dead wrong." The way she kept her voice low was making her threat seem so much worse. "Having an abusive father that doesn't care might be total hell, but what about having one that cares so little he leaves? Or maybe it's care too much? Regardless, that empty feeling in your stomach knowing that no matter what you do they won't come back. I may have gotten scars from my father, he may have killed my first child-" Kyle's eyes widened at this, "-but at least you can heel those scars. You can never touch the ones inside."
She felt a little light-headed. Her one hand shot up to her head. Her eyes fluttered a little, but she didn't stop talking. She turned to face Gray. "I was scared when you didn't come." Fishing into the collar of her hospital gown, she pulled out the cross necklace she was wearing. "I had to fight with the nurses for it, but I knew if I had it you would have to come ba-" She didn't get the last word out before she fell forward.
Gray caught her almost instantly. He was surprised she lasted so long. She was still tired and shaken up from having the baby, so declaring how messed up the world was had an effect on her. He didn't stop her from doing just that, though, because he knew that it was something she needed to do. From the moment his father was first mentioned, he knew that she had an opinion she wasn't sharing. He was happy that she finally got to say what she needed to.
"How...how did you get that necklace?" Kyle asked with wonder in his eyes. He seemed more shocked about that than anything that was said.
Gray was surprised at the question, to say the least. He picked Lucy up and put her back onto her bed, then sat down at the foot. "I saw Mom with it one day. She was sitting against the one wall holding it to her chest, crying. I asked her what it was. She just pulled me down onto her lap and let me hold it. She said it was the last thing she had of you, but she gave it to me anyways." He sighed. "I get it now. It wasn't the last item she had. It was the last thing that you seemed to care about. I remember the days before you left. You didn't care about much of anything."
Kyle began walking over to Lucy's bed. Gray was about to stop him, but he saw that his father just sat beside her. He gently reached out and gripped the necklace laying against her chest. His thumb ran over the smooth blue gem. "I gave this to your mother. I never gave her an engagement ring. It was mine since I was little, yes, but I gave it to her when we were young. Childhood friends, you see." He looked up to Gray. "Can we go outside? Just to talk."
Gray nodded dryly. Renji said he would just stay with Lucy and Luna. And nurse would stop by soon anyways, he said. That left Gray and Kyle to go outside. Going the opposite way of the waiting room, they came to double doors. Gray's never been at this part of the hospital, so he didn't know that there was a balcony in the back. Kyle pushed him through, closing the door behind him.
"I came out hear when you were born, Gray. This wasn't built when Lyon and Ultear were born," Kyle said, leaning over the railing. "I was so nervous when you were born. At six months the doctors said that you may not live. It scared your mother and I have to death. You were born a month later, way too early. Imagine our surprise when you came out blue. They whisked you away before we could tell anything. I figured that was the perfect time to escape to the balcony.
"You know, Gray, I always felt a special connection to you. I wouldn't go as far as saying you were my favorite, but I still don't know what word to use to describe it. When Ultear was born I was so happy. I had my baby girl, after all. She looked just like Ur. I loved her more than anything. When Ur became pregnant again, and this time with a son, I thought my heart would burst. I loved him, don't get me wrong, but I was almost disappointed. It was just me being selfish, of course, but I wanted a child that looked like me. Ur had Ultear, and I put false hopes in my head that Lyon would look like me. When you were born, in the split second I saw you, I knew that you looked like me. We had the same face, after all. Just the thought of loosing you was awful."
Gray could see the love showing in Kyle's face. He understood everything he was saying. He almost felt the same way. The whole time Lucy was pregnant, he wondered what their beautiful little girl would look like. He loved Lucy and thought she looked like the most gorgeous thing he's ever seen, but if Luna looked exactly like her, then where did he contribute? He wanted people to be able to look at their daughter and not have to question if she's his. With Ultear and Lyon, there was no way of knowing they were Kyle's children without some sort of test. Having Gray must have been very important to him.
"You became my sunshine," Kyle laughed, continuing with his story. "Every day I woke up, ready to spend the day with you. I worked in an office, and as soon as you were old enough, I began taking you to work with me. Everyone there loved you, so no one really minded. Lyon and Ultear never felt secluded, either, which was the best thing ever. I played with them while you played with Ur. She loved you just as much. She'd never admit it to you guys, but you're her baby boy. Ultear was her little girl; Lyon was her son. You were the baby. She treated you boys differently. She was extremely proud of Lyon and smothered you, so it evened out. I hope this is making sense. I don't want you to think that we're picking favorites.
"You know, when Wendy was born, nothing really changed. Ur just had two baby girls. Wendy never really liked you at first, I remember. She always loved Lyon. I thought that was cute. Ultear was old enough that she needed more of Ultear's attention, so Lyon and Wendy had each other."
"After you left," Gray began, pausing to clear his scratchy throat, "Wendy wouldn't even look at me. But when she finally payed attention to me, it was only me she saw. It was because I looked like you; she had her dad back. I really began her father, actually. We did everything together. After I started martial arts, she joined shortly after, not able to stand doing something I didn't." He looked to Kyle. "I don't understand how you left us so easily."
Kyle wiped his eyes. He hadn't realized he started crying. He noticed that Gray made no attempt to wipe his tear-streaked face. "I really did pass-out that night. When I woke up, I realized what I was doing to everyone. I just left. I convinced myself I was doing something good for you all. It was all too late when I realized how wrong I was." His gaze shifted to the stars. "I couldn't tell you what got me so depressed in the first place. I had it all, after all. Sometimes you don't get to decide these things.
"I have never really been religious, but I think this was all planned that I left. How else could I make such a stupid decision? I'm just putting small pieces together, but you joined that martial arts place after I left, right? That's Lucy's mother. You wouldn't have been around her so much if you didn't have a connection to her family. Isn't that crazy to think about? Would you really know her if I didn't leave? Would you have Luna waiting in the other room, even if it is too early for you to be a father anyways?"
Gray had thought about that many times. He would have still seen Lucy at school. He was still friends with Laxus. But would they have had that main connection with Layla? Of course not. She wouldn't have been forced to clean windows. She wouldn't have been forced to go to the NYMAC. He wouldn't have gotten jealous and realized his feelings. He wouldn't have caught her smoking. They would have never gotten drunk together, gotten closer because of it.
And what about Lucy's awful life? If her father hadn't been so abusive, Layla would have never left. Lucy would have never ran away. She would have never gone to Rome. Her heart wouldn't have been broken by Ciel enough to change her. And if she never changed, she wouldn't have caught Layla's eye in the worst way. She wouldn't have been stuck washing windows and having private lessons with Gray.
There were just so many "ifs" in life. What if he never had that moment with Juvia in the park? She wouldn't have made a rival out of Lucy. What if Lucy didn't have a kind enough heart to look past that? They weren't exactly friends, but they weren't enemies anymore. Then again, Juvia sort of secluded herself from the group. What if Lucy and Sting never shared that cigarette? She wouldn't have had friends to turn to while with her dad. What if her father never abused her? They would have their first child at the proper time, but Luna was still not growing properly. She needed those extra couple months to be on track. So which child would he have left? Luna or the first? Would he even be having this talk with his father?
Strong arms enveloped Gray. That's when it all made sense. Hugging his father for the first time in many, many years, Gray knew his answer. Fate existed, and although the path to his happy ending was a little rugged, it all turned out damn good for him.