Natsu had never understood the insane compulsion that came over Lucy after Nashi was born. Sure, she had been big on taking pictures whenever something caught her eye, or she wanted to preserve a memory, but after Nashi, she was crazy about it. Thousands of pictures were taken over the course of that first year; it was to be expected, but what he had not expected was for so many to be printed out, chopped into pieces, and glued into scrapbooks.

And it was not just Nashi. No, Lucy went back through all of the pictures that had been taken throughout all the years they were together, put everything in chronological order, and filled more scrapbooks than he had realized. Nearly every moment of their lives was covered in a colorful series of books, all properly labeled so that they could look back at their lives - both the good times and the bad - and remember.

That was what Natsu found himself doing on that bright spring morning. He sat on his favorite chair, cup of coffee in one hand, with a scrapbook opened on his lap. This was the one that had started it all - Nashi's first year. He'd almost forgotten how tiny she had been as he looked at the picture Lucy had taken of them; he had gotten up in the middle of the night to change her diaper, and she refused to be put down, so he sat and rocked her until they had both fallen asleep.

He lost track of time sipping from his cup and turning each page carefully. On and on he went, paging through years of birthdays and anniversaries, the decades of their life together painstakingly documented by the love of his life. Even the most mundane moments were immortalized by her delicate handwriting - something he had made fun of her for multiple times, but now he appreciated more than anything. Those dull, unimportant moments were the ones he cherished the most.

Approaching footsteps broke Natsu from his silent reverie for a moment, but he did not look up, already knowing who it was and why she was looking for him. His eyes burned as he turned another page, looking at the most recent entry. Nashi had taken the picture of him and Lucy. It was a candid shot as they danced at their anniversary; he couldn't remember the joke he told, but he had a smile on his face and Lucy was laughing. She had laughed so hard she snorted, which just made her laughter that much brighter and more vibrant.

"Dad," Nashi called from the doorway. She stepped into the room slowly, taking the scrapbook from his hands and setting it on the nearby end table. "It's almost time to go, you need to get dressed."

He nodded, standing from his chair and kissing his daughter on the cheek before making his way to his bedroom to dress.

It was nearly ten in the morning by the time they arrived at the hospital. The nurses and staff who knew them gave sad looks, but few said anything. Today would be difficult enough for the Dragneel family without added commentary from others. Natsu hesitated when they reached Lucy's room, Nashi squeezing his hand before she entered, giving him a moment to steady himself.

When he finally got up the will to enter, Nashi was sitting next to Lucy, holding her hand, tears streaming down her face. She spoke so softly that Natsu could not hear the words, but he already knew she was saying goodbye.

Looking at Lucy, his own eyes filled with tears again. Her health had been declining for over a year, but she had only been in the coma for a week. Per her wishes, that was as long as she wanted her family to keep her on life support. Natsu had fought her on it, saying that there might be a chance she could wake up again, but Lucy was insistent. She did not want her family to go through what she had as a child - waiting and hoping for over a year because her own father refused to let go.

That did not make it any easier on him when the doctors asked him to step out for a moment so they could remove the tubes and lines and wires that were keeping his beloved wife alive. When he was allowed back into the room, he stepped in alone. Nashi was calling their family and friends to let them know.

Unsteady feet brought him to the chair at her bedside. He reached out and pushed a bit of hair back from her face. She looked peaceful, like she was just sleeping instead of dying.

"I'm still not ready," he admitted as the tears streamed down his face. "It's been so many years, but I'm not ready to let you go. You've been my whole world for over sixty years, Lucy, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do without you."

Minutes passed in silence as Natsu pulled himself together enough to continue talking to her.

"It was one hell of a run, though, wasn't it? We raised such a wonderful daughter - even though she married a Fullbuster, she's still wonderful." He could picture Lucy's small chuckle at his comment and it warmed him and filled him with sadness in equal measure, knowing he would never hear her laugh again.

"I'm sorry for making fun of you for all the crazy scrapbooking you did. I spent my whole morning looking back at our life and all the adventures we went on, and I was only able to do that because you were so diligent and dedicated to making them perfect. Thank you for everything you've given me over the years. I just wish… gods, I'm so selfish, but I wish this wasn't the end of them. There is so much that we wanted to do and never got the chance at. I just wanted a little more time with you."

In the hours that passed by, their family and friends came and went, all taking the time to say their last goodbyes. In the quiet times, when it was just Natsu and Lucy, he reminisced about all the things they had done, telling her how much she was loved and how dearly she would be missed.

It was late in the evening when he finally felt it; one last, slow beat, and then there was nothing. His Lucy had left him. Leaning over, he laid one final kiss on her temple.

"I love you, Lucy. I hope we get a chance to meet again."