Chapter Twenty-Three: Perfectly Imperfect (Epilogue- Part One)
"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" Mason ran into the house, shirt soaking wet and a little dirt smudged on his face.
Lucy glanced down at her son. She was in the middle of cooking dinner, but she stopped to give him some attention. "What happened?"
"I was chasing Wendy and I fell," the five year old boy yelled, brown eyes growing watery as he held out the ends of his shirt. "And now I'm dirty!"
His mother giggled, then patted his head of blond hair. "Why were you chasing Wendy?"
"Because she wouldn't let me have the ball!"
Lucy raised a brow. "You mean the ball we gave her for her birthday last month?"
Mason jutted out his bottom lip as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe..."
"No maybe's," Lucy placed two hands on her son's shoulders, then spun him towards the door. "Go change, then apologize to Wendy for chasing her."
"But Mooooom," he whined, clearly not satisfied with that outcome.
"No buts mister, or else she'll get your dessert tonight."
Mason's eyes widened at the threat. "Wendy!" He quickly ran out of the kitchen to where he came from. "I'm sorry!"
Lucy laughed, glad her empty promise worked. She turned her attention back towards the stove. It was getting close to five, so Natsu would be home soon. She wanted to have dinner ready for when he arrived.
As she finished cooking, she heard footsteps throughout the house. "Ahhh!" Wendy yelled as she rounded a corner. "Mom! Mason's tryin' to cut my hair!" The twelve year old girl with long blue hair ran behind Lucy for protection.
Just at that moment, Mason came running up, a pair of safety scissors in his hand. "No I wasn't! I was just gonna give you a trim!"
Wendy let out an 'eep', then clutched Lucy's shirt. "Mom! Make him stop!"
"Mason!" Lucy scolded, causing the little boy to drop the scissors. "What did I say about running with scissors? Or terrorizing your sister? Or changing out of your dirty clothes?" She added when she saw he was still in his wet shirt.
"Sorry Mom..." Mason looked down at the floor, a little ashamed of himself.
"Don't say sorry to me," Lucy said, stepping out of the way so he could see Wendy. "Apologize to her."
"Sorry Wendy," he said, sounding a little authentic. "I was just tryin' to have some fun."
Before Wendy could say anything, Lucy placed a hand to her forehead, "And both of you, please stop saying tryin', it's trying. I swear your dad's grammar is a bad influence on you two sometimes."
"Oops," Wendy giggled when she realized she made the same mistake. "Sorry Mom."
"Yeah, sorry," Mason added.
Lucy sighed. "Just go get cleaned up for dinner. Your dad will be home soon."
"Okay!" They both said as they ran out of the kitchen, leaving Lucy to pick up the scissors herself. Luckily she wasn't too far along that she couldn't bend over.
"Those two," Lucy smiled to herself as she set the scissors on the counter before returning to the food.
She was just about done when she heard the front door unlock, followed by Natsu's voice calling out, "Luuuucy! I'm home!"
She giggled to herself, knowing he must be in a good mood because he was acting especially dorky today. A few heartbeats later he was entering the kitchen, a huge smile on his face as he wrapped his wife up in a hug. "I missed you!"
Lucy squirmed when his pink hair tickled her cheek. "You just saw me this morning."
"Not you," Natsu pretended to sound offended, but she could see the gleam in his green eyes. He lowered himself until he was on his knees, then lifted Lucy's shirt to reveal a slight bump. "I was talkin' to Natalie!"
Lucy groaned. "If you keep that up the kids will think it's normal talking like that. I caught both of them today using the word tryin'."
Natsu lifted himself up, allowing Lucy to put her shirt back down. "I don't see what the problem is," he said, but the coy smile on his face gave him away. "As long as you know what they mean it's fine, right?"
"Wrong," Lucy wagged a finger at him. "And you know this."
Natsu stared at her finger for three seconds before opening his mouth to suck the digit in. She screamed, pulling her now wet finger away from his mouth. "What'd you do that for?!" She dried her finger on the towel hanging by the stove while glaring at him.
"Felt like it," he grinned. He really didn't have any other explanation. "How was your day?" Natsu asked, changing the subject so she couldn't say more about his weird behavior.
Lucy was about to protest and get back to her finger issue, but she decided to drop it. Natsu was just being himself, and that's what she loved about him. "It was good. Two of the women found jobs, so hopefully they can transition well."
She was referring to the women at the shelter. Lucy volunteered there three times a week when Mason and Wendy were in school. She got bored easily, and used that time to do some good. She'd volunteer more, but then she wouldn't have time to write.
Natsu nodded, "That's awesome." He was proud of the work Lucy was doing. She worked with helping women on interviews and résumé to get jobs. She was great at it, and her warm personality helped go a long way with it. The women trusted her, which was key when dealing with previously abused women.
"I think so," Lucy said before returning her attention to the food. "How was your day?" She checked the temperature of the whole chicken in the oven while she waited for an answer. The blast of heat felt icky, especially since it was early May and the weather was already getting warm outside.
"Great," Natsu grinned from ear to ear. "You know that supervisor job that just opened up?"
"Yeah?" Lucy said, recalling him telling her about how Gildarts was getting another promotion, leaving his spot vacant. Natsu got the last job Gildarts had, so he was eager to try to get this one too.
"I got it!" Natsu barely got the words out before Lucy wrapped him in a hug. "That's awesome!"
"I know!" He hugged her back, excited she was happy with the news. The money would help, especially when they would have a fifth mouth to feed in a few months. Lucy was seventeen weeks pregnant with a baby girl.
She wasn't showing nearly as much as she was when she was pregnant with Mason, but the doctor said Natalie, which was going to be her name, was as healthy as she needed to be right now. For now it looked like Lucy just ate a little too much food. If someone didn't know better they would never guess she was pregnant.
"Daddy!" Two voices called out.
Natsu's attention snapped over to the two new bodies joining the hug, one pair of arms wrapped around his waist while the other pair was wrapped around his thigh.
"Hi kids!" Natsu chuckled, slowly letting go of Lucy to give them his focus. "How was school today?"
"Boring!" Mason yelled.
"It was good," Wendy said a little more quietly.
Natsu didn't hesitate to ruffle both of their hair, laughing harder when they tried to get him to stop. He leaned down, wrapping an arm around both their waists before lifting them into the air. "I'm gonna kidnap the kids for a second," he said as he left the kitchen, knowing she needed space in order to finish cooking.
Lucy held back her giggles. Natsu was so great with their children. It was hard to tell one of them wasn't biologically his.
Yes, they ended up taking the DNA test for Mason. Neither Natsu or Lucy wanted to, but about two months after he was born, Jackal's lawyer sent a court-ordered DNA test. They had to comply, so they did. Lucy remembered crying when she brought Mason to the facility that swabbed the inside of his cheek for his DNA. She didn't want to know, and neither did Natsu.
Still, now that it would be legal, he figured he might as well find out. He knew it wouldn't change how he felt about Mason. The boy was his son no matter what some stupid test said. That's why he didn't hesitate when it came to signing the birth certificate. Mason would always be his son. He did however see the benefit of knowing now, since Lucy would have to tell him whether or not Mason was technically Jackal's offspring after she got the results back.
After impatiently waiting about a week, Lucy got the results. She received the email before the actual mail caught up. After typing in the username and password assigned to her son's case, she opened the results.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes when she saw there was a 0% chance Jackal was the father of Mason. The blond hair on his head was passed down from Lucy's genes, nothing more.
She expected Natsu to react differently to the news, but he seemed calm with the results. He told her, "I already knew he was mine before the test. This doesn't make a difference." He said it with a smile and a kiss to Lucy's lips. "And if Jackal was the biological father it wouldn't make a difference either, Luce. Mason's our kid, no matter what."
Natsu was happy they wouldn't have to deal with some drawn out custody battle when Jackal was eventually released from prison though. This made things easier. Plus he couldn't resist making the joke, "My swimmers were all fired up!"
The kid that wasn't biologically Natsu's? Well that would be Wendy. She was an adorable ten year old girl when they met her two years ago. They wanted to expand their family, but they wanted to adopt this time. It only took one meeting with Wendy for them to know she was perfect. She'd been raised at the orphanage most of her life, and every year she grew older, her chances of being adopted decreased.
Natsu and Lucy didn't care what her age was. They saw she was a bright young girl who had a lot of potential if given the right amount of love and attention, so they did what they had to in order to adopt her. She integrated well into their lives, especially since Natsu was adopted as well.
When the adoption was finalized they had a party, inviting all of their friends to celebrate the new member to their family. Mason was three at the time, but understood quickly that Wendy was his new big sister. The little boy welcomed her with open arms, and a tug to her pigtail.
Yup. The little boy definitely treated her like a sister from day one. With the new addition to their family, they felt more whole than before. That was until a few months ago when Lucy found out she was pregnant.
It wasn't that much of a shock to them. They'd been off birth control for about a year, deciding that 'if it happens, it'll happen'. After a while she finally got pregnant, which is where Natalie would come in. They already discussed it, deciding Lucy would get her tubes tied after having Natalie. Three kids was more than enough, and if they changed their mind later they could always adopt again.
"Dinner time!" Lucy called out after setting the table. She started making everyone's plates as her two kids came running in.
"This smells great!" Mason shouted as he sniffed the spices Lucy sprinkled on the chicken. He seemed to share the same cravings for spicy food as his father. Wendy was more like her, liking things with a little spice, but not overly so.
The two kids looked washed up. Mason even had a fresh shirt on. Lucy was about to ask where their father was, but stopped when she saw him strolling in. He had a clean set of clothes on, but judging by the rust on his neck, he hadn't showered yet. Lucy was fine with that, as long as he didn't smell bad.
"This looks awesome," Natsu said before stabbing a piece of chicken with a fork. He dipped it into Lucy's homemade hot sauce before shoving it in his mouth. "Ahhh, it tastes good too!"
"Right?!" Mason copied his father, ungracefully shoving his food into his mouth in the same manner. Not only did he share his love for spicy food, he also had Natsu's boyish smile. The hair and eye color might belong to Lucy, but his face was structured just like Natsu's was at that age.
The two girls shook their heads at their behavior, then began eating. "So Wendy, what'd you learn in school today?"
Wendy swallowed her mouthful of corn before speaking. "I learned group projects are a joke."
Lucy couldn't agree more. "Did you get stuck doing all the work?"
"I did," Wendy sighed. "I just don't want to get a bad grade because they're lazy."
"I understand," Lucy knew all too well how that went. She sent a glare at Natsu, who immediately knew what memory she was thinking about.
Natsu gulped, shrinking down in his chair. He may or may not have been guilty of doing little to nothing on some group projects he was assigned to with Lucy when they were in high school. In his defense, Lucy was really smart... He thought she could handle it on her own. He apologized later, but it hardly made up for the burden of doing all the work by herself.
"I really wish I could give you good advice," Lucy started. "You can always try to talk to the teacher, or see if they can switch you to another group."
"I'll try that," Wendy said before grabbing her glass of water.
"You could try beatin' them up," Natsu suggested, only to get scolded by Lucy a second later. "Uhh, oh... My bad. You could try beating them up."
Lucy dragged her palm against her face. He clearly missed the whole point. Thankfully Wendy had some sense, saying, "I think I'll try Mom's way first..."
"Suit yourself," Natsu shrugged, then proceeded to stuff his face once more, earning a giggle from Mason before he mimicked his dad.
Lucy could only laugh as she continued to eat. This was her new life, and she wouldn't trade it for the world.
"Is everything ready for the birthday party tomorrow?" Natsu asked when he stepped out of the shower. Steam pooled around him as he dried his pink locks.
Lucy glanced up at him, toothbrush hanging from her mouth as she took in the sight. She choked a little when she saw the firm muscles and taut chest of her husband. He always had a way of making her mouth water and the apex of her legs pulse without trying.
She stared at him, mouth slightly parted as her eyes raked over that sun-kissed skin. She just wanted to lean in and lick his-
"Luce?" Natsu asked, startling her out of her daydream.
"Oh, umm," she realized she had no idea what he was talking about. "What?"
He merely chuckled before hooking his thumbs around the towel covering his lower half. "If you want a better look, all you gotta do is ask." He pulled, towel dropping to the floor to reveal his toned thighs and impressive cock. The attention she provided was enough to arouse him, his shaft twitching as it grew before her very eyes.
Lucy squeezed her thighs together, then went to speak. She was going to deny her desires, saying he was full of himself, but she stopped when she tasted the minty flavor of her toothpaste.
Embarrassed, she spit out the toothpaste and rinsed out her mouth. When she went back to look at Natsu, fully prepared to tell him he was overly confident, she stopped. Standing before her was her husband, large hand holding onto his thick cock as he stroked himself.
"How about it Luce?" He squeezed around the base, then made a slow pump to the tip. "Wanna play?"
As much as she wanted to keep her dignity, she couldn't deny what she really wanted. Lucy nodded her head since she didn't trust her voice. She knew if she spoke now she'd surely choke up.
"How do you want it?" Natsu asked, hand coming off his cock to travel over his abdominal muscles. Lucy's tongue came out to swipe over her lips, wanting to taste every inch of him.
In just her nightgown, Lucy strolled up to him. She was less than an inch away from kissing him when her hand curled around his hardened member. Natsu let out a surprised hiss which she swallowed, along with the moans that tumbled out when she began rubbing his cock.
Natsu groaned, clearly not prepared for her assault. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, dominating him as her other hand came down to caress his sac. It took him a moment to get a hold of himself, but once he did his hands grabbed at her hips, pulling her closer so her breasts pressed against his chest.
Lucy pulled away from the kiss, mouth seeking out his throat where she bit over his scar. Natsu bucked into her hands, fingers growing shaky as he felt Lucy drag her wet tongue over his pulse point before sucking. He knew he'd be fine if she left a hickey. The white scaled scarf he owned would be enough to cover the evidence of what she did to him, but the thrill of someone possibly seeing it, knowing his wife marked him sent a fire straight to his belly.
"I want you," Lucy whispered into his ear, minty breath fanning over his cheek as she made her way back to his mouth before sealing her lips on his. This time Natsu responded roughly to the kiss, one hand coming up to hold her head in place as his tongue invaded her mouth. His heart sped up as his other hand sought out the pink flower hidden between her legs.
A long finger dragged over her panty-covered core, feeling the moisture already gathering before rubbing little circles on her bundle of nerves. Lucy's knees started to buckle, but she stayed strong enough to keep standing.
She mewled, feeling Natsu's finger push her panties to the side before sliding a finger against her sex. She was dripping with need, ready for him to dominate her.
Which he did.
Lucy gasped when he grabbed a handful of hair, lightly tugging at it to pull her mouth away from him. She whimpered, but her hand continued to rub his cock as if nothing were wrong, because nothing was wrong. After years of being together Natsu gained more and more of her trust. They could push sex further than before the longer she recovered.
Natsu was pleased with her progress, especially now that she could handle when he growled, "You're all mine!"
Lucy moaned at the unspoken promise to show her exactly how she was his. Natsu's finger withdrew from her body before he turned her around. She already knew what he wanted, but she let him put her in the position anyway so he could establish dominance.
Natsu used his hand to press against her back, guiding her to lean over the counter with her ass in the air. The next thing he did was use his foot to push her feet further apart. She complied, spreading her legs so her exposed core could be seen when he lifted her nightgown.
Natsu growled at the sight. "You have such a pretty pussy," Natsu said as he lowered onto his knees. His tongue came out, swiping at her lower lips to collect her essence on his tongue. She tasted sweet, so he dived deeper.
Lucy whimpered when his hand moved to spread her lips apart. His tongue fucked her core, causing her to jerk and moan until his lips sealed over her clit. That's when she went wild. She quickly shot out her hand to hit the bathroom's fan, creating enough noise so their kids wouldn't hear what they were doing.
The last thing she wanted right now was one of them interrupting them... again. They'd never caught them in the act, but knocking on the door to see why they were shouting was enough to ruin the mood on more than one occasion. Lucy wanted to be safe this time.
"Moan for me Luce," Natsu grunted, his mouth and nose soaked as he covered his face in her core. He loved the smell and taste of her. He could never get enough. The only thing that stopped him was either her command -which he listened to every time, or the throbbing of his cock demanded attention.
Natsu's tongue flicked over her clit mercilessly, drawing a string of cuss words from his wife as she succumbed to the pleasure he gave her.
Lucy's legs tensed, then shook. She was close, so Natsu sped up despite his jaw hurting. A finger came up to play with her entrance. He didn't push it in, instead just massaging the opening to give her a nice tease. It seemed to work, seeing as Lucy's body started quaking as his name was called out.
Natsu lapped up the juices running down her inner thighs, thoroughly pleased with her climax. He rose to his feet, feeling a little lightheaded before moving behind her. "Now that you're all wet," he said, grabbing his cock to line it up with her pulsing womanhood. "I'm going to fuck you, nice and hard."
Natsu paused for a moment, somewhat of a habit now to see if she had any protests. When the only word that came from her lips was, "Please," he began rubbing the length of his cock against her soaked pussy lips. She jerked whenever his tip rubbed over her clit, but he made no efforts to stop, knowing she liked what she felt.
When his cock was covered with her wetness, he entered her. One quick motion and he was fully submerged, her pussy already squeezing at him. Natsu growled, hands gripping her hips to help control himself. He looked down, making sure her belly was off and away from the counter before making the first of many thrusts.
"Oooh, yess," Lucy cried out when he snapped his hips forward. By now he knew what her body craved, and he was more than willing to do everything he could to satisfy her needs.
"Remember the first time I fucked you here?" Natsu asked as he gave her pussy long thrusts, "Before we even bought the house? You were so naughty, bent over this counter to accept my cock!"
Lucy's breathing became ragged as she let that memory take over. They were both naughty, having sex with the realtor so close by, easily getting caught with just the opening of a door.
Lucy lowered her head, puffing out her breaths as she whimpered. "Y-yes... S-so naughty!"
With the fan on, her moans sounded muffled, but his sharp hearing was enough to detect her response. He fucked into her again, drawing out a prolonged mewl before he pumped in again fervidly.
"Luce," Natsu grunted, cock pushing deep into her core, "you feel so fucking good! Seriously!" It didn't matter if this was the first or hundredth time he made love to her. She felt amazing every single time. "I love you so much," he growled, biting at her shoulder as he rammed in a little harder.
Lucy responded by thrusting her hips back, meeting him to deepen it each time. Natsu bit harder, drawing some blood as he fucked her sweet pussy again and again.
"Look at the mirror," Natsu demanded before biting at her again. He drew back his hand, waiting until she could clearly see what he was about to do before executing his move. He spanked her ass lightly, loving the sound the skin on skin contact made and the way her pussy gripped him for a few seconds afterwards.
Lucy's grip on the counter tightened as she neared her climax again. She squeezed her eyes shut until she heard Natsu's low voice. "Nuh uh," he grinned, teeth still biting into her flesh for a few more seconds before releasing the reddened skin. "I want you to keep looking at yourself in the mirror."
Lucy did as told, eyes coming open to watch herself as Natsu took her from behind. Her lips parted as a shaky breath escaped her, her throat tightening and her heart hammering. She was dangerously close, and Natsu's fast pace wasn't doing anything to pull her away from the edge.
"You look beautiful," Natsu said, one hand coming up to run his fingers through her golden locks. He could feel the sweat at the nape of her neck before he touched her soft hair. Natsu couldn't blame her for being worked up. He was sporting a healthy sweat too.
He stopped thrusting into her for a moment while his hands went to run over the curves of her body. She felt so soft under his rough hands, so warm and tender.
"Tell me," Natsu grunted as he gave her a rough thrust, causing her to gasp. "Tell me you look beautiful!"
Lucy moaned, forcing herself to keep her eyes open despite the desperate need she had to close them and succumb to the pleasure. "I-I'm beau-aaahhhh... Beaut-tiful,"
"Again," Natsu growled, teeth bared before he bit at her neck.
"I'm b-beautiful," Lucy whimpered, pussy clamping tightly around Natsu's cock. "S-so fucking beautiful," she added, her body shaking as she tumbled over the edge.
Natsu wasn't far behind her. Dirty talk was one thing, but forcing Lucy to moan compliments about herself was a weird kink he discovered a few years back. He loved the look in her eyes, the sound of her voice, and of course he loved the words she said, because she was speaking the truth.
"F-fuck!" Natsu's hips stuttered as his cum filled her pussy. His body twitched with every spurt, coating her insides with his -obviously very fertile- sperm. He slumped over her, hot breath fanning on her neck as his hands grabbed onto the counter to keep his weight off her back.
"Th-that was awesome," Natsu panted, feeling like he could chug a gallon of water at one time. "You're fucking amazing," he kissed her neck, chuckling when she giggled.
"You ticklish?" He asked, nuzzling against her neck. He already knew the answer. Over the years they became closer. He knew so much about her and her body, like the way her neck got super sensitive after a climax, or the fact that she loved being lightly spanked, but only when she could see it was him striking her.
Lucy giggled until she started nodding. Natsu gave her throat a firm kiss, then slowly pulled out of her sore pussy. Some of his cum dripped down her inner thigh, so she jumped in the shower before it could race to the floor.
While she showered, Natsu washed his cock in the sink. It wasn't that weird of an action. All he did was get his hand a little soapy, stroke over his flaccid member, then repeat it with just a wet hand until the soap was gone. He dried off with the towel he used earlier, then sighed in contentment.
Having sex with Lucy really cleared his mind to allow fresh thoughts to enter. He enjoyed being intimate with her on a physical and emotional level. It was where carnal desire and his love for her came together, to not only pleasure him, but pleasure her as well. Sometimes he thought he overthought sex, but it couldn't be helped. Lucy fascinated him and she was constantly on his mind. It wasn't his fault he sometimes thought about sex with her and how deeply the simple act of making love to her meant to him.
While he was busy thinking about that, Lucy was finishing up her shower. When she emerged and wrapped a towel around her body and hair, Natsu chuckled since they were now in opposite positions from before.
"So, like I was saying earlier before you started ogling me," Natsu joked, earning a blush from his gorgeous wife, "is everything ready for Mason's party tomorrow?" Their son's fifth birthday was actually yesterday, but they were celebrating tomorrow since it was a Saturday and more people could get off work to bring their kids.
"Oh," Lucy smiled, "yup! Guests should start arriving at noon and it will last until seven."
"Seven hours with a bunch of screaming kids around," Natsu laughed, sarcasm laced with his tone, "that won't be stressful."
"At least their parents will be there," Lucy reasoned, then lowered her gaze to Natsu's naked body. "Are you going to put clothes on?"
"Nah," Natsu felt no shame for his body. "It's getting kinda hot."
"You're kinda hot," Lucy tried mumbling under her breath, but Natsu easily heard her. Judging by the sheepish grin on his face, Lucy realized it, causing her blush to spread.
Lucy quickly ran a brush through her hair, getting it untangled before heading to their bed. It wasn't the bed they had five years ago. The blood from Lucy stained it too badly, so they got rid of it.
They needed a king-sized bed now anyway since every once in a while one of their kids would sneak into the bed with them. It was a bad habit, but Natsu and Lucy didn't have the heart to send them away when they had a bad dream. Besides, it only happened once in a blue moon, so there wasn't much harm.
The ones they really needed to keep off the bed were the many, many cats now living in their house. They adopted a cat from the animal shelter to give Happy a companion. What they didn't realize was the white furred cat they got wasn't fixed, so before they knew it there was a litter of kittens running around their house.
They quickly got Carla, their new female cat, fixed. They decided to keep the kittens they couldn't give away. It was nice having the animals in the house, even if sometimes it was a pain cleaning up after them.
"Man," Natsu laid his head down on the soft pillow, easily relaxing his body, "I'm beat."
"Me too," Lucy turned off the lamp, then crawled into bed by Natsu. She started cuddling up to him, realizing he was facing away from her.
"You be the big spoon tonight," Natsu pouted, grabbing her arm to wrap around his waist.
Lucy laughed, but fulfilled his request. She didn't mind cuddling him, even if it put one of her arms to sleep in the process. Despite the warm air outside, Natsu's hot body felt nice against her skin. It was a constant reminder of who she was with, not that she feared she was with anyone else anymore. There were still occasionally a bad dream, or a rare trigger she hadn't worked through yet that set her off, but more often than not she was at peace with her life.
"G'night," Natsu started, breathing evening out as he drifted to sleep. He had a long day at work, and cumming certainly didn't help him stay awake. "Love you..."
"Love you too, Natsu." Lucy pressed her face to his back, feeling his heartbeat through his heated skin. "Sweet dreams."
"You... too... Luce..."
The two drifted off to sleep, Lucy's arms secured around him and Natsu smiling as he enjoyed her loving embrace. Some days it honestly felt like their lives were perfect.
And then other days it felt like they were drowning.
Today would be a good example of that. Natsu and Lucy were hosting their son's fifth birthday party, meaning they were surrounded by about twenty kids, all from the ages of infancy to thirteen years old.
It wasn't all bad. There were plenty of parents to watch the kids, so the responsibility didn't weigh Lucy and Natsu down too much.
The air was warm, so Lucy decided to wear capris seeing as the scars on her lower legs were faded enough to not be noticeable. She used the scar cream a lot, and that combined with time definitely helped. She hoped in a few more years she'd be able to wear shorts, but for now she was happy with this.
Her children asked about her scars in the past, and Lucy decided to be as honest with them as she could. She said sometimes people make bad choices when they're upset. She said their mom made some bad choices, but she's working on fixing them so she can be a better person for them. They smiled, accepting that answer for the time being.
Recovery only got easier the longer time passed. Natsu was doing well too. He hadn't had anything alcoholic to drink since he quit over five years ago, and he gave no signs of ever missing it. He still went to his AA meetings once a week. He used to go more often, but now that he had kids to take care of he lessened his time away from them. Besides, he didn't feel the urge, so he felt confident reducing his meetings.
Lucy was rushing back and forth all day during the party, making sure no kids wandered off their property and making sure food and drinks were set out so no one went hungry. The messes were also an issue. Kids were messy, so Lucy was busy cleaning up spills and dirt from kid's cheeks before they zoomed off to get more dirty. It was exhausting, but seeing the smiles on everyone's face was worth it.
Most of the kids at the party were Mason's age, so Lucy suggested Wendy invite the neighbor kid over for her to play with. They were really good friends since the girl was thirteen years old and went to Wendy's school. She was a sweet girl named Sherria, with hair almost as pink as Natsu's.
Speaking of Natsu, her husband was running around with the kids to keep them entertained. The only thing he wasn't allowed to do was the bounce castle. Not only was he a little too big for it, but Lucy also wanted to avoid having all the mom's of their guests staring at her husband like a pack of hungry hyenas looking at their next meal. The single moms were the worst, blatantly staring despite knowing he was a happily married man.
Lucy knew Natsu would never cheat on her. Hell, she doubted it ever crossed his mind, but she didn't want to dangle her husband in front of them like that. Especially when he chose to wear a tight muscle shirt and dark jeans. Even Lucy had to admit he looked extra drool-worthy today.
Natsu ran up to Lucy when she was in the middle of setting out more cups. He didn't hesitate to grab the back of her head, gently leading her to a kiss before pulling away. "This party's awesome!" He quickly went back to Gray's side where they bet whose son could take the other in a fight, only to end up fighting themselves.
Lucy giggled, women glared, and she blushed. Yes, she was Natsu's world, and he only had eyes for her no matter how many scars or stretch marks adorned her body or how much she weighed after giving birth last time. She wasn't ridiculously large, but she wasn't going to be modeling swimsuits anytime soon. But Natsu was okay with that, and so was she. In the end, their opinions were the only ones that mattered.
As Lucy greeted another round of guests at the front door, she noticed their mail being delivered. She figured she might as well grab it now since she was already outside. After letting the guests inside, she strolled over the mailbox where she collected three envelopes.
Lucy made her way inside and to the kitchen where she usually dropped off the mail. She flipped through them, seeing the first was a utility bill, the second junk mail, but the third made her stop in her tracks.
She furrowed her brows when she saw no return address, but the letter was addressed to 'Lucy Heartfilia'. She cocked her head, thinking it'd been years since she last went by that name. Curious, she opened it up to take a peek.
After reading the first two lines she shoved the letter back in the envelope and crushed it in her fist. 'That fucking bastard,' was all she could think as she threw the other two envelopes on the counter before placing a hand to her forehead to cool herself off. Her temper made her face heat up with rage. 'I can't believe he would...'
Lucy shook her head. She was lying to herself, because she knew he could. That asshole was perfectly capable of ruining her life when he wanted to. Her hand on her face slipped, feeling wetness on her skin. 'Great. And now I'm crying at my son's party.' She felt awful.
Not wanting to make a scene, she went quickly to the master bedroom to clean herself up before going back outside. She didn't want anyone to see her like that. Once she was inside the room she shared with Natsu, she went to go sit on the bed.
Lucy practiced taking deep breaths. Her heart was racing, her palms beginning to sweat, and her chest tightened. She recognized the signs of anxiety, so she worked through what her counselor told her to do when she felt like this.
Step one: Locate the reason for the anxiety.
That was easy. She got a letter from her good-for-nothing ex-husband out of the blue. She knew he got out of prison a few months ago -somehow he got out for good behavior- but she didn't think he'd try to contact her. It was why she let the last restraining order expire. She thought they were done with each other.
Step two: What's the worst thing that could happen?
That thought was terrifying. He could come to their house and try to take her away from her family, or worse... He could get rid of her family...
More tears flooded her eyes as fear spiked within her. She had to get to step three now before she allowed herself to slip into a worse state.
Step three: How likely is that to happen?
That was a tricky one. Jackal was known to be a sick son of a bitch. She wouldn't put it past him to try to ruin everything she built together with Natsu.
'Natsu.'
Last time they came face to face Natsu had lost, but only because he was already exhausted and sick. In his condition now there was no way Jackal would be able to enter their house without getting his teeth knocked in. Natsu would protect her, Natsu would protect their children. As long as she had her support system, Jackal couldn't hurt them.
Step four: Talk yourself down.
Lucy started making plans in her mind already. They could get a security system just in case, even though Magnolia didn't exactly have the highest crime record. She could get a restraining order on Jackal so he couldn't try to contact her again, in person or by mail.
Lucy didn't realize she was tightly gripping onto the envelope so much little indents were forming on her skin. She slowly opened her fist to reveal the crumpled up letter.
She didn't want to read it, to give Jackal the satisfaction of getting under her skin. She felt the tears streaming down her face again as memories of his abuse came to the forefront of her mind. He'd been so cruel to her, and for what? It was all meaningless in the end.
If things worked out perfectly she would have ended up with Natsu in the beginning. Sure her mother would have passed away, but her last four years were stuck in a hospital anyway. She honestly didn't look happy. Layla was just holding on, probably for her family's sake. So the death of her mother would have hurt, just like it hurt when she passed away for real, but at least that way Lucy wouldn't have been abused and raped for years while Natsu tried to drink himself to death to get over her absence.
They could have been together, created a life sooner. It might not be Mason specifically, so that hurt, but she wouldn't have known how much she loved her son. They might not have adopted Wendy though... The talk of adoption only came up because Lucy thought she was infertile... So...
Lucy flexed her fingers to keep herself from thinking about scratching herself. She rarely got the urge anymore, but sometimes it crept up on her. She hadn't cut herself since before she found out she was pregnant with Mason, and she intended on keeping it that way. She wasn't thinking about cutting now because she was mad about the letter Jackal sent. She was upset when she imagined a life without her children in it, no matter how 'easy' it would have made things.
Lucy's hand covered her belly, soothing the dull ache in her heart. This was her life. She didn't have to worry about what could have happened, because this was all that mattered. If she didn't go through what she did with Jackal, she'd be in another place right now.
In the end she decided things worked out this way for a reason. She would never thank Jackal for what he did. She wanted nothing to do with him, or the past, but if it hadn't happened like that she never would have known Mason or Wendy, and that thought alone hurt.
Just as Lucy decided she wanted to destroy the letter, she stopped. What if there was something she needed to read in there? What if it was something dealing with a legal matter? Or what if it was a threat? She wouldn't put it past him to do either, so reluctantly, she opened the envelope to read the letter.
It was short, just one page worth of text. She only barely recognized his handwriting since it'd been so long ago since she saw it last, but it was clearly him who wrote it.
After taking a deep breath, she read it. She went through it quickly, not wanting to get stuck on any specific part for too long. By the time Lucy finished the letter, her eyes were dried up, her sadness gone. Instead she felt her heart turning cold and her body going numb. She felt... nothing.
No pain from his words.
No sorrow for what he said.
Nothing.
Because the man meant nothing to her.
The letter was just an apology letter, saying he was sorry for what he put her through. Apparently he 'learned' what it was like to be taken by force, and he 'now realized' it was wrong. Lucy had to scoff. It took going to prison and getting raped himself to realize rape was wrong? What a joke!
He had the nerve to ask for forgiveness, which she wouldn't give. He had no right to ask for such a thing. Lucy already came to terms with what happened years ago. She worked past her demons, but that didn't mean she had to grant him forgiveness, and it didn't matter if she did anyway. Right after that he said he didn't expect her to reply to him, that's why there was no return address.
'Yeah right,' Lucy thought. She knew the real reason he didn't put a return address. Either he thought Natsu might read it if he saw who it was from, or Jackal knew Lucy wouldn't even open it if she saw.
Speaking of Natsu, she wondered what he would think of the letter. She wanted to destroy it, but she figured she'd at least let him read it. She didn't want to keep things from him, and a letter from her ex-husband was something that definitely didn't happen every day. Secrets like this were toxic for a marriage, and she didn't want to risk something like that.
Lucy pulled out her phone, sending Natsu a quick text to meet her in the bedroom. She breathed deeply, wishing she got this letter on a different day. She wondered if Jackal timed it so the letter would arrive right around Mason's birthday. He knew when her baby was born, seeing as he tried to claim paternity over him five years ago.
Lucy looked over the envelope again, wondering why her mind didn't automatically pick up on Jackal's handwriting for her name. Scratch that, her maiden name.
She was Lucy Dragneel now, and she intended on keeping that name until the day she died. She knew Jackal knew she was married to Natsu already. The paperwork five years ago clearly stated Lucy Dragneel on it when he sent the court-ordered DNA test. This was just his way of getting one last jab at her.
Well, it didn't work. She wouldn't allow him to affect her like that anymore. He was nothing more than a distant memory that only popped up when she was feeling down or triggered. Natsu, Mason, Wendy, and soon Natalie were her life now. They were all that mattered, now and forever.
Thank you so much for your continued support! It means so much to me! Thank you for every favorite, follow, and review! Special thanks to those who reviewed last time: Court818, Tohka123, PrincessSarahDragneel, sthokatrina, BloodRedRubies, MarSofTheGalaxies, Tenma360Warrior, TheDorkyCelestialFlame, The Crystal Rose, andy24amk, Yomi14, katiekat2001, ShanaHollows, LovelyLovelyLove, Undertheskys, CelestialSpiritQueen, badgaldaan, nalucreep, JacJac-Arie, sarara1.8, ContactFear, Argo0, Crimsonlink310, SmirkedySmirk, screennamesarelame, Fairytail-FMA-fan, Ashnmarley, Adtrboy0916, Matt427, guest, FlameDragonHime, Abdltf, fire854, turtle3334, OtakuLover43, zerophelia, Soul-of-glass, st. jamesthomas205, SakuraStar1862, DarkestLightOfHope, SleepinBeautyK, and Animemama328!
Up next, the final chapter: Chapter Twenty-Four: Perfectly Imperfect (Epilogue- Part Two)
*Mason is the boy's name I would like to use if I ever have a boy. (Though I'm definitely not ready for a kid yet, so not sure if/when I'd even be able to use it.)
*Natalie is just a generic girl's name. I thought it would be cute since the first three letters are the same as her father's, plus I didn't want to go with the classic Nashi. But I do really like the name Nashi, just didn't want to use it for this story.
I hope everyone enjoyed how the epilogue turned out so far. Not only is Lucy about to have two of Natsu's children, but they also adopted Wendy. Let me know what you thought of part one?