Hi! So, this was originally started by another author here, but they sadly put it on hiatus a while back. I had always loved the storyline and concept and was happy when I reached out and asked if I could do a bit of my own take on it and here we are!

I love single parent/found family au's so hope you all still enjoy it!

"Kade, where are you?"

"Right here, Mom!"

Lucy turns at the sound of her son's voice and sighs in relief, watching as he runs out of his now empty bedroom and down the hall to meet her with the last of his toys. She kneels down on a knee to his height and catches him in her arms.

"The moving truck's here. Ready to head off to the new house?" Lucy asks, brushing a hand through his soft dark blonde hair with a fond smile.

"Yeah! Can't wait for daycare!" Kade chirps happily, wide toothy smile reaching his bright hazel eyes.

Lucy's smile softens.

It'd been five years of challenges and financial struggles since Kade was born, forcing Lucy to sacrifice extra things like daycare for so long. She saved up everything she'd earned at her most recent job, though, and with the new job she got offered at an up and coming magazine company a couple hours away in Magnolia, she would finally be able to afford everything Kade deserved. Even if it meant sacrificing some of her own wants.

Kade would always be her priority over everything. He was her whole world after all.

"That's right! You're going to make so many new friends soon, sweetheart." Lucy stands and reaches for his hand. "Ready?"

Kade agrees eagerly, making her laugh as he tugs her hand and pulls her towards the door.

Lucy takes one last look behind her, grateful for all that their small apartment had given them all these years, but she was ready to look ahead to what was next for them.

They followed behind the moving truck in Lucy's car. Kade kept her entertained as they sang songs and his stories and thoughts of everything he wanted to do in the new town, Lucy hoping she could make at least some of those happen for him.

A couple food and bathroom breaks later, and soon they arrived in Magnolia.

"Look, Mom! It's huge!"

Lucy giggles at the way Kade's voice echoes in the new room, watching him run around and dig through the scattered boxes and pulling out toys and plushies as he went.

"You like it?" she asks fondly, leaning against the doorway.

"Yes!" he exclaims before gasping. "Look! Dragon blankies!" Kade jumps up and lifts an armful of the blankets over his head."

Lucy gasps dramatically too. "Woah, they're pretty cool, huh?"

She had seen them at one of the local stores before they left, and since any and all dragons were pretty much Kade's favorite things right now she couldn't say no to getting them for him.

It made her heart swell to see his happy, bright smile that rivaled the sun outside over something so that would be so simple to someone else.

Kade drops the blankets on his bed before running over, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Lucy laughs softly, pushing back some of his messy hair. "You're welcome, bug."

"Can I have friends over?" Kade asks, eyes wide and pleading up at her.

"As many as you want," Lucy grins, "but first, how about we clean up and get ready for bed, hm? You have a big day tomorrow and don't wanna be tired for all your new friends right?"

"Ok!" His expression brightens into contagious excitement and Lucy giggles as Kade runs out of the room towards the bathroom. She shakes her head and grabs some fresh pajamas for him before following the eager calls of her name.

Lucy finally manages to get him washed up and tucked into bed, grateful that she took the time to get most of his room set up at least.

"Alright, here's your blankets," she says affectionately, sitting beside him on the bed, and pulling up one of the soft blankets up over him and the comforter.

Kade grins a bright toothy smile and cuddles up with them and one of his favorite plushies, a large faded red dragon with a content sigh.

"I like it here better."

Lucy laughs, leaning over to press a warm kiss to his forehead. "I love you, silly little dragon. Sweet dreams."

"Love you too, mommy," he murmurs right before a large yawn, his eyes fluttering closed.

Lucy stays and watches him for a couple more moments until his breathing deepens and evens out. She pushes his hair back and caresses his cheek softly.

He was already getting so big, she couldn't help but want moments like this to last forever.

Lucy eventually stands and gives Kade one more affectionate look before flicking on his new dragon nightlight and making her way to her own room with a sigh as she looks around at the number of boxes.

She hadn't gotten it as set up or unpacked as much as Kade's yet, save for her bed. The need for him to be more comfortable in his own room was more important. She figured she still had time to work on her own room during the week.

Lucy was a little excited at the thought of getting to decorate their new space. It was still a little small, but definitely bigger than the apartment and was just what they needed now.

Being able to afford to rent an actual house was also a big plus. She never even entertained the thought back in the bigger city they were in, so she was grateful.

There was still so much that had to be done, but tomorrow was the start of her new job and their new life and she couldn't deny the fluttering of hope and anticipation. Something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Lucy had to agree with Kade, she liked it here already too.

Sadly, Kade wasn't as excited the next morning after all.

"Mommyyy," he cries, glossy sad eyes looking up at her, grip tight on her waist.

"Kade, you were so excited about today, what happened?" Lucy kneels down to his level and runs a hand through his hair, heart aching at the large tears that were rolling down his cheeks.

Kade quickly wraps his arms around her neck tightly. "Don't want you to go. Can you stay?" Kade pleads, voice quivering against her sweater.

Lucy's chest throbs again. "I wish I could, sweetie, but I have to go to work." She smooths a hand over his back soothingly. "Mrs. Aries here and the others are going to take good care of you, okay?"

Kade only cries harder. Lucy makes a soft soothing sound, looking up to see Mrs. Aries giving her a kind, understanding smile as she waits patiently. Lucy gives the teacher a grateful smile in return.

Lucy tries again after a long moment when Kade's tears seem to have eased. "You know, your teacher told me they have really cool dragon toys here. I bet all your new friends are waiting to play with you."

Kade sniffs, pulling back and looking up at her and his new teacher with wide hopeful eyes. "R-Really?"

"Yup! We love dragons here too," Mrs. Aries says warmly, "do you want to go see them?"

Kade looks back at Lucy. "Come see them with me?"

Lucy's expression softens, brushing the lingering tears from his cheeks. "Of course, bug."

She stands, reaching for Kade's hand as they follow Mrs. Aries further into the room, reaching a large chest where another child with light brown hair was digging through some toys.

"Good morning, Noah," the teacher greets brightly. "This is our new friend, Kade."

The boy turns, brown eyes excited. "Hi, Kade! I'm Noah!" he says, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Noah likes dragons too, Kade. I'm sure he'd love to show you all the good dragon toys," his teacher smiles, placing a hand on Kade's shoulder.

Kade shifts on his feet, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, looking over at the other boy. "Y-You really like dragons too?"

Noah's wide smile brightens. "Well, yeah! They're only the coolest things ever! Wanna play with me?"

Kade eventually lets go of Lucy's hand, a smile twitching at the edges as he raises his arms up to Lucy for a hug.

Her expression softens, leaning back down to wrap Kade in a tight hug.

"You be good for your teachers ok?" she said, running a hand over the back of his head. "I love you."

The words catch in her throat. Her previous jobs had been understanding enough to let her bring him to work with her so she was able to still be with him since she couldn't manage daycare back then, so the thought of not having him with her for most of the day anymore for the first time in so long made her heart ache, but it was something she had to do. For their sake.

Lucy presses a kiss to Kade's cheek before standing back up.

"Love you too, mommy!" he exclaims happily and runs off with Noah before she has a chance to say anything else.

She laughs softly, blinking away her own glossing tears in her eyes.

"Kade will have a great first day, don't worry," Aries reassures beside her, warm smile still on her lips, "he's already making friends."

Lucy nods, watching as a few more kids join them at the toy chest, her heart warm at the sight of Kade's face lighting up.

"He's been wanting this for a while, so thank you so much for letting him in so late in the year," Lucy says gratefully.

"You're welcome, Lucy. It was wonderful meeting you and we're looking forward to seeing you both everyday," Aries' smile grows, reaching to give Lucy's arm a reassuring squeeze. "Now, I think you're safe to head out. Looks like he's forgotten all about this morning and it'll be hard to tear him away from all the toys now," she giggles.

"I think you're right," Lucy laughs, moving to gather her things, "thanks again, see you after work?"

"Absolutely, have a great day!"

Lucy gives her a wave and turns, affection swelling in her chest at Kade's wide smile as he laughs brightly with the others. She smiles softly, happy that he seemed happy and giving her the extra motivation she needed to start the rest of her day.

Lucy takes a deep steadying breath as she shuts off her car.

Well, here goes nothing , she thinks to herself, as ready as she would be for her first day.

She gathers her things and heads through the sliding doors of the large building, greeting the receptionist and says she's supposed to be meeting a woman named Levy McGarden.

She waits for a few minutes in the lobby before a pretty, petite woman with rather blue hair comes out of one of the doors.

"Good morning, Miss Heartfilia! My name's Levy," she greets cheerfully, shaking Lucy's hand.

"Hi, Levy. It's great to meet you," Lucy smiles back before moving to follow her after the woman urges her.

"So I'll be showing you around the magazine here and training with you for the next few days!"

Levy shows her the different departments in the building and introduces her to some people who are just as kind and energetic.

Maybe she would have to start drinking coffee to keep up with the pace here.

They eventually make it to Levy's office, the woman motioning for Lucy to sit in front of her at the large desk.

"So as you can see, working here is pretty fun! Especially if you have a partner helping you with articles and things then you can just brainstorm and write all day," Levy grins brightly. "I'll take you over to Jason's office soon. He's who we report to every day and everything, but we may actually end up being partners if everything works out!"

"I would love that," Lucy grins before voicing her thought from earlier, "though I was thinking I may have to take up coffee to keep up with the fast pace around here," she laughs softly.

Levy giggles. "We definitely may make a coffee drinker out of you yet, I can't deny that. But at the end of the day, what I really love is just cozying up with some hot tea and a good book," she sighs in content.

Lucy's expression brightens. "That's one of my favorite things too! I can get so wrapped up in them, I've always loved books," she smiles warmly.

"Really?" Levy gasps, "What kinds do you like? Are you reading anything good lately? Who are your favorite authors? Oh! I knew I had a good feeling about you, Lucy!"

Lucy can't help but giggle herself at the woman's infectious excitement before she starts listing some of her favorites and finding they already had a lot in common. "Though, things have been a little crazy lately so I haven't had a chance to read much, sadly… but I also do some of my own writing when I have the chance," Lucy admits shyly.

"Oh, that's great! I would love to read some one day!"

"Thank you," Lucy smiles softly, curling some of her hair behind her ear, "but I don't know if any of my work is good enough for anyone to read just yet."

Levy gives her an understanding smile. "I totally get it, we've all been there, but if you ever need any writing help or just want someone to talk about it with, you know where I'll be!"

"I really appreciate that," Lucy huffs a laugh and they share a few comfortable quiet moments.

"So you're from out of town right? How are you liking it here so far?"

"Oh yes, I'm originally from Crocus," Lucy shares, "I had only passed through here once before but I'm really liking it so far, considering it's my first full day," she smiles. "So, thank you for being so welcoming, it's nice to make a new friend here."

Levy brightens. "Of course! Actually, if you want to explore the town more and meet more people, my friends and I like to meet up for dinner every other week, play some games, and maybe a movie if you would like to join us this time?"

Lucy's heart warms at the thought, followed by a soft ache. "I would love to, Levy, but…"

"But?" Levy asks with a worried look.

Lucy bites the inside of her bottom lip. Sometimes she was still hesitant to tell people she had a child, especially after just meeting them. She'd dealt with more than enough people who had very choice words for her when they found out she was a young mother. Lucy would have a few good words for them too, not letting them think they could say what they wanted about her boy.

Though, she knew she would have to tell her boss in case she had to leave for emergencies during the day and in turn, her new co-workers would find out eventually, too.

She had a good warm feeling about Levy so far, though. She seemed like a genuinely kind person and Lucy already felt comfortable with her, something she didn't feel very often. So she decided to trust her heart.

Lucy takes a steadying breath. "It may be hard, because I have a son..." she admits softly, fingers fidgeting with the edge of her cardigan.

"Oh?" Levy's eyes are curious before they brighten. "That's amazing! I would love to meet him one day."

Lucy pauses for a moment. Her head expecting the usual, 'Why would you have a kid so young? Why would you throw your life away like that? How do you support him? But her heart ended up being right and Levy's smile was still warm and kind, no trace of judgment in her amber eyes and easing Lucy's initial nerves.

She lets a full genuine smile stretch across her face. "He has a lot of energy so I hope you'd be prepared."

"Oh, he'd fit right in then!" They share a laugh before Levy continues. "What's his name?"

Lucy smiles fondly. "Kade. He's five and growing every day."

"Aww, I love that name. Yeah, they really do have non-stop energy at that age," Levy laughs.

"They really do. I'm glad I was finally able to put him in a proper daycare so that should help," Lucy grins, faltering a bit. "It's just been hard the past five years, having to pull together a bunch of jobs just to try and make ends meet since I was sixteen and we were on our own…" She takes a shaky breath. "But it just makes me that much more grateful for this opportunity to have something stable and be able to provide more for him. For both of us…" Lucy clears her throat and swallows past the lump there. "I'm sorry, that was probably a lot for a first day," she laughs roughly, brushing under her eyes to clear the tears that had gathered.

"I completely understand, Lucy. Please don't apologize," Levy reassures warmly. "I know we just met today, but I can tell you're an amazing mother and you do the very best you can and that's what matters," she smiles, "and like I said, if you need any help, here at work or otherwise, I'm always here for you."

Lucy swallows thickly again, still not used to rare kindness like this. "Thank you…" Meaning it in more ways than one.

"Of course! What are friends for," Levy says, her smile still bright and kind, "and I know you may have to make other plans for him if you wanted, but the offer to come out with us still stands and you're both always welcome anytime."

Lucy returns a warm grateful smile. "I think I just might take you up on that soon."

She embraces the warmth swelling in her chest. She hadn't met someone who felt like a genuine friend from the start in so long and she couldn't help the bit of anticipation at the thought of meeting more possible friends if they were just as kind as Levy.

There's an excited shout of her name as soon as she walks through the doors of the daycare. Lucy looks up to see Kade bounding over towards her.

Lucy laughs and kneels down with open arms to catch her son in a warm hug as soon as he crashes into her.

"Hey there, my sweet boy," she says, brushing back some of his messy hair from his eyes when he pulled back. "How was your day?"

"Awesome! Noah and me played dragons! And guess what, I got chocolate milk for lunch!"

Lucy stands and smiles, wanting to giggle at the bursting excitement in Kade's eyes.

"You did?" she gasps eagerly. "What else did you have?"

"Pizza! I ated all of it too!"

"Wow! You're gonna get so big and strong when you eat all your food like that," Lucy smiled.

"Really?" Kade asks, eyes wide.

"Yes, bug, really!"

"Oh, hi, Lucy!"

Lucy turns to see his teacher making her way over to them and smiles. "Hi, Mrs. Aries! Hope everything went well today?"

"Oh yes! Kade was wonderful. He immediately got along with Noah and they've been inseparable ever since," she smiles encouragingly.

"Noah is the best, mom! We had lots'a fun," Kade says happily.

Lucy's expression softens. "I'm so glad you made a good friend, bug," she said, reaching to clean off a smudge of marker from his cheek.

Lucy turns back towards Aries. "Thank you so much for taking care of him. We'll see you tomorrow!"

Kade gathers his things and holds Lucy's hand, making their way towards the door.

"Looking forward to it! Bye, Kade!"

"Bye, Mrs. Aries!" Kade waves at her. His teacher waves back at them until they're outside.

Kade doesn't stop talking about his day the whole way home.

About the pizza, which kids were nice, who was funny, what kind of games they played, the "cool" dragon toys he found. The list went on.

Lucy makes a stop to treat him and buy them something quick for dinner to bring home.

Even while they eat dinner, she can't help the way her heart melts at the excited, happy look in his eyes as he continues to tell her more stories that he animates widely with his hands and bouncing in his seat.

She had tried this daycare on a whim and she was so glad it worked out well for them. If only she would've been able to give him that all this time, but now with this new job, it was a comfort to her to know he would be taken care of and would be happy there while she was at work.

They eventually wash up and get ready for bed.

"Mommy?" Kade asks softly, fingers playing with the edge of his blanket, eyes shifting from hers.

Lucy hums in question.

He's quiet for a few more moments and Lucy grows concerned and asks, "What's wrong, Kade?"

His eyes flick back up to hers. "Noah saids he plays baseball with other kids here… do you- can I play with them too?"

Lucy's heart aches at his pleading hazel eyes.

Kade rarely asked for anything and it always hurt when he would and she wouldn't be able to afford it before. She just wanted him to be happy and make friends like this after all, so she was going to try and do her best this time.

"I'll see if I can talk with Noah's parents tomorrow and find out where they take him to play, okay?"

Kade's eyes grow in delight. "Okay!"

Lucy grins. "But first, we get some rest. Sweet dreams, bug." The young mother leans in and presses a kiss to his forehead, ruffling his hair a little.

Kade giggles. "Night, mommy."

Lucy stands and moves to flick off his lamp, only the glow of his dragon nightlight shines in the corner of the room. She gives him one more affectionate look, closing his door half way and making her way to her room.

She sighs as she settles under her covers.

Kade deserved the world, and so much more than she could give him. It frustrated her that money had to be such a struggle for everything, but she felt good about this new job after today and she just hoped she would be able to afford this for him.

She tries to hold onto that bit of hope from earlier, willing her heavy heart to ease as she slowly lets sleep pull her.

They'd made it through their first day in their new life and only the universe knew what was next for them, but she had a good feeling about it.

Thanks for reading!