Lucy and Natsu packed up their gear and started walking west immediately after seeing the dragons. They weren't worried about losing the trail because Natsu soon felt something summoning him. Given his connection to dragon magic, it seemed likely it wasn't a coincidence.

After they had been walking for about five hours, Natsu began to get anxious. It seemed they were getting close which made Lucy nervous.

"You can't just run up to a group of dragons," Lucy said as she hurried to keep up with him. "What if these dragons hate humans?"

Natsu pushed some brush aside and kept walking. "The only dragon that has killed a human in the last 400 years is Acnologia. I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"How do you know? Dragons might have killed lots people and you just don't know about it." She stumbled over a tree branch and Natsu caught her. Their eyes met.

"Look, I understand why you're scared and its okay if you want to stay here. But, I'm going to talk to these dragons no matter what. I've been looking for my father for too long to give up now."

"I know. And I'm not going to bail on you. I just think we need a plan for how we approach them."

A bush rustled and she spun around.

Lucy laughed nervously— it was just a deer running through the forest. "Man, I'm getting jumpy."

Suddenly, thousands of birds dove out of the brush and rushed past them.

"What's going on?" she cried out.

Lucy looked back towards the brush just as a large tree fell over. Suddenly, a massive beast with claws and teeth broke through the forest and charged at them full speed.

"Run!" Lucy grabbed Natsu's arm and tried to pull him away but wouldn't move.

"Natsu!" she screamed. At the last moment she dove out of the way but it was too late for her friend.

The dragon crashed into Natsu and pinned him to the ground. Lucy watched in horror as the dragon's jaws drew towards Natsu. A large tongue slithered out and… licked him?

Tears were streaming down her friend's face but they were tears of joy, not fear.

"Father! I knew you were alive." Natsu rubbed his cheek against the dragon's scaly shoulder.

Lucy had heard Natsu talk about his father but she hadn't fully prepared herself for the sight of him. His incredible size was enough to steal her breath. The dragon's body was muscled and covered with red scales, except for his stomach which was the color of sand. A thick scar crisscrossed his chest and his right eye was missing.

Strange growling sounds were coming from Igneel. As Lucy's heartbeat slowed to a mild sprint, she realized that the sounds were affectionate, bearing some resemblance to a cat's purr.

Natsu dodged one of Igneel's kisses and put a hand on the dragon's nose. "Hold on a second. You have some serious explaining to do."

"Yes Father. Please tell us where you've been."

They all turned to see who had spoken. Leaning against a tree with arms crossed, was villain extraordinaire and Lucy's newest buddy, Zeref. He was staring at Natsu and Igneel with unmasked hatred in his eyes.

"What's he talking about? Why did he call you Father?" asked Natsu.

"The same reason you did. He's my son."

The weight of his words seemed to hang in the air until Zeref finally broke the silence. "What's wrong Natsu? Did daddy leave you in the dark about a few things?"

Igneel took a few steps towards Zeref and stretched out his long neck. He nudged Zeref's shoulder gently. "I know you probably don't believe me but it's good to see you. I'm sure you have lots of questions but I'd like to spend some time with Natsu now. He was just a small boy when I left and I'm sure it was very hard on him."

Zeref's lips pressed together in a thin line. "Take all the time you need. I'll just stand over here and inspect this tree for termites."

Igneel gave a small snort. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you missed me. Just give us 15 minutes."

Lucy walked over to Zeref. "Come on, let's go for a walk." She tugged on his jacket sleeve and he reluctantly began moving.

She looked back and saw Igneel's tail wrap around Natsu as they began speaking in earnest. Igneel was right, it would be good to give him and Natu some privacy but she could muster up a little sympathy for Zeref.

Just a little.

"So, Igneel's your father?" she asked after they had been walking for awhile.

"Yes." He kept walking, staring at the ground.

"Are you two… on good terms?"

He gave her a wry look. "What do you think?"

"Sorry," she said quickly.

He sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so annoyed." He kicked a rock and it bounced off a tree. "When we lost Aaron, I was obsessed with trying to turn him back into a human. I began experimenting with more and more powerful forms of magic which upset my Father. He begged me to stop but I ignored his pleas. We've had a strained relationship ever since."

She nodded to show she was listening and they kept walking.

"Twenty-four years ago, I cast a sleeping spell on Acnologia. It was successful and he lay dormant for 17 years until I accidently said his name while on Tenrou Island."

Lucy gritted her teeth, remembering the event. She had also been on Tenrou Isalnd and might have died if it had not been for a protection spell cast by Fairy Tail's first Guild Masater.

Zeref kept talking. "Anyways, once I cast the sleeping spell I went to visit my father, certain he would approve of my success—I had found a way to stop Acnologia without the use of black magic."

"Instead, I found out that he had started a new family—he had adopted another child and was training him in the art of dragon slayer magic. I left without even speaking to him."

She shook her head. "I can understand why you were upset but you should have talked to your father anyways." She looked down, remembering the troubled relationship with her own father. "I'm sure he still loves you. Parents always hold a place in their hearts for their children, even if they don't always show it."

He made a sad smile. "That's a lovely thought, but we had some pretty heated arguments. Anyways… after I saw my father with Natsu, I went to visit my him a few times, but seeing him with a new son brought back too many bad feelings—I felt like I had been replaced. On one of these trips, I noticed that Natsu was all alone and crying. I watched him for a full day but my Father didn't return. Something was obviously wrong—my Father wouldn't have left such a young child. I loathed Natsu but I couldn't watch him die. So, I put an anonymous note on Fairy Tail's door and three hours later, a man with red hair and a cape came for him."

Lucy's eyes widened. "That's incredible! You should tell this to Natsu."

"Why?"

"He should know what you did for him."

"Look, I'm not interested in having any sort of a relationship with Natsu. I don't even know why I'm telling you this." He rubbed is forehead like he was getting a headache.

"Well, I'm glad you did." She stopped and looked around. "Do you want to start heading back?"

Zeref put his hands on her shoulders. "In a minute—there's something I want to do first."

He bent down and kissed her on the lips. It was such a shock that Lucy didn't even think about what was happening. When he was done, he pulled back and smiled at her.

Her heart was racing. Touching her mouth, she looked up at him.

"There, now I'm ready to head back." He turned and started walking.

After a few moments, she followed. It wouldn't be good to get lost in the forest.

They came up over a small hill and Lucy spotted Natsu and Igneel. She waved and Natsu motioned for them to come over. As she got closer, she noticed that he was glaring at Zeref.

"Did you two have a nice walk?" Natsu asked.

"Absolutely lovely. Did you have a nice chat?" Zeref flashed Natsu a cold smile.

Natsu stared at the two of them and Lucy could feel her face beginning to turn red.

Igneel cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at the dragon.

"I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting this young lady," he said.

"Oh sorry I didn't introduce you," said Natsu. "Lucy, this is my Father, Igneel."

Lucy held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

The dragon held out a claw and she grasped it in what had to be the world's most lop-sided handshake.

"Likewise," said Igneel. "I'd love to get to know you better but I think I have kept my other son waiting long enough."

"No problem, I understand."

"But—" Igneel added, "There will be time for us to talk later. The dragons have set up camp about 2 miles to the west of here. Natsu should have no problem following my scent. Please go there and I will meet up with you as soon as possible."