Chapter 1

My Beautiful Sunflower

It all begins with Lucy Heartfilia, a young child with blonde locks and a smile always on her face, running around her families estate with her mother in tow.

"I'm gonna getchu!" Lucy's mother yells from behind her while pretending to give chase.

Lucy, running with all her speed, giggles, and screams as she runs from her mothers tickles. Her mother soon catches up and picks her daughter up into her arms. Lucy laughs uncontrollably as her mother begins to tickle her neck with one hand.

"I gotchu, now prepare for the tickle master 9000."

This Is how Lucy spent her days, outside in the beautiful gardens with her mom, doing anything and everything her heart desired and her imagination created. Lucy knew no sadness in her life, surrounded by servants and parents who adored her with all their beings.

"Come its time for lunch, Lucy. How does that sound?" Lucy's mother says as she places lucy back on her feet and extends her hand to her daughter.

"But I don't want to go inside." Lucy pouted, she didn't want to stop playing now, it was so warm, and the sun was so nice.

"Well how about a picnic then?" Lucy's mom suggested. Lucy's pout stilled as she stopped to ponder the idea.

"Hmmm" She mumbled, "Yeah mommy let's have a picnic!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly.

The two walked back into the house hand-in-hand to go prepare their picnic. Once inside they were greeted by Lucy's father, who had just finished with a business meeting.

"Lovely afternoon my ladies" Her father, Jude, says and jokingly bows. The mom and daughter laugh at his antics.

"Hi daddy! Wanna have a picnic with me and mommy? Its really nice out!" Lucy asks her dad with puppy-dog eyes. Her father looks at her, knowing he has stacks and stacks of work awaiting his return to his at home office, and agrees. How could he say no to those eyes, that face? Lucy was a carbon copy of her mother with big brown-doe eyes and a soul of pure kindness and joy. The three begin to prepare peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches; two of which have mustard in them as it is Lucy's favorite despite just looking gross. They all head to the center of the garden and lay out a blanket to sit, just as lucy begins to eat her sandwich her mother excuses herself to the washroom. She looked oddly pale as if she'd seen a ghost and felt as if she were going to be sick. Unfortunately, Lucy's mother wouldn't make it to the washroom before she fainted in front of her husband and daughter

"The news is bleak, its with a heavy heart I tell you she doesn't have long. The kind of sickness she has, I've seen it before, it is the kind that steals innocents from their families. I would say your goodbyes and make preparations. I've given her some medicine so that she doesn't feel any pain but there is nothing more I can do. I'm terribly sorry Sir." The doctor says outside Lucy's mothers room to her father. After she fainted the afternoon prior, she had not left her bed, too weak to lift herself. Lucy's father immediately called the nearest doctor to come help, assuming she simply had a terrible cold. To his dismay, his wife had far more than a cold but a terrible virus that had swept over the nation in what felt like over-night. So far, no doctor knew how to treat it, baffled by how quickly it could overcome a person, its death toll raged higher by the hour. Lucy's mother was simply its next victim.

"Sir…Sir? Jude? Can you hear me? Please sit down this I know this must be a lot." Lucy's father sat down on the bench in the hall they were standing in, he heard the doctor, but could not think of a single word to say. There was so many thoughts ravaging his mind, yet none seemed to be coherent enough to place into words.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss Sir, my condolences. I unfortunately have to go as I have another patient; I must see urgently but here." The doctor places a card onto the bench next to where Jude sits. "This is the phone number of a grief counsellor in town, I hope he may be of aid to you and your daughter during these sorrowful times." With that the doctor left.

"Daddy?" Lucy looked at her dad concerned. He had not moved since the doctor broke the news to him. He sat looking at his hands, at the wedding band on his finger. "Till death due us part." He whispered, so quietly Lucy couldn't make out what he had said. "I didn't imagine we would part so soon." Jude said, loud enough Lucy could hear.

"Part soon? What do you mean daddy? What's wrong with mommy? Didn't the doctor come and make her better?" She looked at her dad, eyes full of questions and anxiety, but he made no response. He sat there for a minute or two more, trying to think of how to tell Lucy that her mom, her best friend, was going to leave her, leave them. That there would be no more playing in the garden with her mom, tea party's with her mom and her stuffed animals, no more tickles. How do you tell such a thing to a child?

"Lucy, my sweet girl, mommy is sick, and the angels have told us its time that your mommy returns home, so that she is no longer sick and in pain." He tells his daughter with the last of his voice that he can muster.

Lucy looked at him, she wasn't really sure she understood. Where was her mommy going? When would she be back? Why do the angels want her now? Sensing her confusion, Jude stood up and took his daughters hand and lead her back to the center of the garden. Surrounding them were the most beautiful flowers of all kinds: roses, sunflowers, lilacs, peonies and so much more. The servants tended to the garden everyday so that it flourished.

He kneeled down to his daughters level and asked, "Lucy, I want you to pick some flowers, can you do that?"

Still confused, she opened her mouth to speak but her father spoke before she could.

"I know you don't understand," He said, "But it will all make sense in a second, can you pick me some flowers... please?"

Lucy nodded and headed off further into the garden, she picked sunflowers, her mothers favorite. She walked back to her father and handed him the bouquet.

"Lucy, why did you pick these flowers?" Jude asked

"Because mommy loves sunflowers." She responded softly

"But why these sunflowers, why did you choose these over all the others?"

"Because they were the prettiest, this one was the brightest" lucy pointed to one sunflower. "But this one had the nicest petals." She pointed at another.

Jude kneeled down once more, taking his daughters hand in his own, and spoke calmly. "Just like you chose the prettiest flowers in the garden, angels choose the most beautiful people to bring back home. People are like flowers Lucy; God picks the best one when he needs them. God and his angels chose mommy because she is the most beautiful person there is."

Lucy looked at the bouquet and her dad, tears began to fall down her cheeks onto her white dress. "Can we say by to mommy before she goes home?"

"Of course, sweetheart, Lets go wish mommy a safe trip home."

Lucy followed her father into her parents bedroom, within the bed lay her mother, surrounded by their servants who were saying their goodbyes as well. "Sorry, do you mind if me and Lucy have a moment alone with Layla?" Jude asked politely.

"Of course, sir, our deepest condolences to you and Lucy, she is the kindest soul to walk this earth, it has been an absolute honor to know and serve her all these years." Emma, one of the Heartfilias servants, said with her voice full of sorrow.

"Thank you, Emma. Thank you all for tending to her." Jude said to the group of servants, they all bowed before quietly exiting the room. Jude kneeled before the bed and took Layla's hand and kissed it, tears flowing from his eyes in silence. Lucy crawled onto the bed next to her mother, taking the bouquet of flowers and placing them in her other hand softly.

"I know you have to go mommy, its okay, If I were the angels, I would want you back home too. You are the prettiest sunflower in the garden." Lucy smiled with tears begging to spill once more. Layla began to stir, her eyes flinches before slowly opening, "Lucy, my sunflower, when did you grow up?" she asked hoarsely

"Huh? Mommy what do you mean I'm still a little girl." She responded

"Maybe so, but you are so wise for your age. You will be the most beautiful person when you grow up. Just know Lucy, wherever you go… I will be there right by your side. My beautiful sunflower…"

Layla looks to her husband, tears in her eyes and smiles. She squeezes his hand and closes her eyes as the angels take her home.

Authors Note: Hello to who ever has chosen to read this! I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of my story. I plan on making this a longer series that goes a bit deeper into each characters lives and their relationships. I hope you enjoy the first chapter and any and all constructive criticism would be great:) This is 100% going to be a Nalu story!

THIS IS NOT MY STORY. All characters and ships are based on the famous anime Fairy Tail!