I'm so sorry I'm updating late, and this is the only little bit that I have for you. So, so sorry!

I'm also terribly sorry that my grammar was so dang awful in the last few chapters... Wow. It's just crap. I cannot fix it, but whenever I finish this story, I might edit it, and then re-publish it.

But, as requested, here's your first lemon!

First Mission

The air was thick, hot, and reeked of sweat. Everything seemed to be spinning and lost in a whirlwind of colors, and I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as my muscles strained. They screamed in agony and ecstasy, begging to stop but also pleading to hold on. Just above me, a warm body carefully pressed into mine, Natsu's touches barely more than a whisper against my skin. He groaned, and I bit my lip to keep from blurting my sounds of pleasure in response.

We were both so close… So unbearably close to the edge of glory.

All he needed to do was simply give a tiny flick of his finger, and it would all be over.

"L-lucy…" Natsu moaned.

A small pleading noise escaped, and I grunted hard back, "Don't. Don't, Natsu. We've got this."

Mavis, it was starting to heat up, and my arms were beginning to tremble. This was my first time, and holy hell if I was going to let it be my last. Why have I gone my entire life without it? Never in my life have I ever felt anything like this. Especially with Natsu. Even though his body temperature began to spike as he strained, and the floor grew slippery with our sweat, I could endure all of this again just to feel his body against mine again.

Natsu began panting, his hot breath torturous against my already flushed skin. I shot him a deep glare, trying to convey the words that were stuck in my mouth: Just a few more seconds…

Then, the world came crashing down around us, and from across the room, Gray said, "Left foot green."

"Fuck!" Natsu shouted, and even though he tried bending over me even more to reach, his fingers slipped on the mat, and he came tumbling down onto me.

"Natsu!" I yelled, pinned beneath him and more than mildly pissed. "We could have won!"

A few feet away, Wendy swiped her foot against the green dot, and then stood erect, jumping into the air victoriously. Gray and Juvia lounged on my couch, both smiling knowingly, as if they expected this outcome. Which they probably did. Bastards. Wendy hopped over to Juvia, the bluenettes laughing excitedly. Gray continued to watch us, his eyes twinkling with mischief. On top of me, Natsu grumbled an apology, his voice vibrating against my back. Usually it sent shivers through me, but for now, I was just too eager to get Gray's eyes off of us.

"Natsu, get your ass off of me," I complained, trying to shove him off, but my muscles were still screaming in protest from playing Twister for too long. Natsu only groaned in answer and remained on top of me.

"Well," Gray drawled, "I guess the fire slayer has a pretty short stamina. That's got to suck for you, Lucy. You could do so much better."

"Gray!" Juvia and I shouted in unison.

Wendy blushed three shades of scarlet, and Juvia tried to coax the underage girl into thinking he meant magic. Wendy knew that's not what Gray had meant. Especially when Natsu finally shot to his feet and said, "I'm a damned dragon slayer. There's never a problem when I get fired up."

Wendy blanched, and I ran to her and covered her ears as a testosterone match flared up between the two idiots in my apartment. Seriously, this wasn't something a little girl should be hearing, and it's definitely nothing you should speak about in polite company.

"Well, at least I can get it any time I want!" Gray finally yelled at Natsu.

Before the pyro could shout back a retort, I growled, and swiftly knocked both idiots on the head with my fists. They collapsed to the floor, knots swiftly forming. "Hey! If you two can get your heads out of your asses, maybe you would notice that we're all still here. Wendy is about to faint, and you should start apologizing for scarring her for life!"

Gray and Natsu whimpered and scurried to Wendy on their knees. They bowed and apologized over and over again for their obnoxious behavior. Wendy waved them away, embarrassed more by their quick mood change and the attention focused on her. Juvia sidled next to me and giggled. "You've only been here for a short time, and you already have them whipped."

I smiled smugly and chuckled as the two knuckleheads began arguing again over who was going to give Wendy a better apology gift. After Natsu and I had come back to the apartment after visiting the sakura tree, we found a few visitors loitering in my living room. At first Gray and Juvia wanted to leave, sensing the heated atmosphere and intention of bringing Natsu back to my apartment alone. But, they came with news from the master, news that I was definitely not wanting to hear…

A few hours earlier…

"What the hell do you mean I cannot look for Levy?" I raged, storming around my suddenly too small apartment. I needed air again, air to breathe in deep to get this frustration out of my system or else I was going to start swinging.

Gray lifted his hands, trying to show his innocence. "Mira thought it was a good idea too, Luce. If you were to go after Levy first, AMC would see it as you abandoning your mission. Especially since you're supposed to be hunting down a certain fire mage." His eyes found Natsu's, and the pyro huffed in answer, crossing his arms.

I sank down onto my couch, my hands covering my face as I tried to reign in the sanity of it all. It was the best option since I didn't want to raise suspicion, and it would get me out of Magnolia for extended periods of time so that AMC wouldn't send anyone to come looking for me here. But…Levy…

A small hand touched my knee, and I looked between my fingers to find Wendy sitting before me, a sad smile on her face. "It's okay, Lucy-san. We'll find her. Juvia and Gajeel will be sent to look for her. Meanwhile, we'll go on a mission together, along with Gray and Natsu-san."

My hands dropped, and I searched for Juvia. She nodded. "Juvia is not excited to leave Gray-sama, but Gajeel is a dragonslayer and will find Levy quickly."

I sighed deeply then. They had everything already figured out, and I just had to relax and go on a simple mission with Wendy, Gray, and Natsu… I didn't want to sit around and twiddle my thumbs, so maybe it would be a decent distraction while Juvia and Gajeel tried to rescue Levy, but still…

Wendy moved then and pulled something from behind her back. It was a white box with colored polka dots everywhere and bright red letters screamed, TWISTER.

"What's that?" I asked her, my earlier thoughts halted for the moment.

Wendy gave me a charming smile, and asked, "Wanna play?"

It all went downhill from there…

Present time

"I'll bring her chocolate cake!" Gray howled.

Natsu pressed his forehead against his, and roared, "Then I'll bring her strawberry cake!"

"Or you can both get the fuck out of my apartment," I growled. They suddenly clung to each other, shaking in fear.

"Y-yes ma'am!" they replied sheepishly and scrambled towards the door.

Juvia giggled again, and she waved as she followed the freak show out. I hurriedly helped Wendy collect her game, and then she gave me a strong hug before she disappeared out the door after everyone. I smiled, as I watched them leave from my window, the four of them parading down the streets as if they owned all of Magnolia and unafraid of the night restrictions.

When they at last took a turn down an alley and were completely out of sight, my smile finally faltered as the weight of the silence hung heavily around me. My small apartment had seemed so small and suffocating with them here, and now it was suddenly too big to move around. After years of working and living alone, these last few nights with someone sleeping next to me… I had forgotten how comforting it was to be surrounded by my friends, to come home and their arms be opened to me, and to wake up with a warm body against mine.

Natsu and I hadn't been planning on anything when we had come back here. It was far too fast for me, even if my heart was already tripping all over itself, fighting my brain to let him fill in that empty broken section left inside me. But I couldn't. Not right now. I had to fight against those feelings and there were a hundred reasons why we wouldn't work.

We were going to be partners in Fairy Tail, working missions together soon. I have a lot of promises left to keep, and some of them I couldn't trust anyone but myself with. I had to find Levy still, and even if Gajeel and Juvia were finding her instead, I had to at least try to find out why RHA would want her. And, probably most importantly, I was a Hunter and he was a mage. I worked for AMC, and I was supposed to hunt him. I was supposed to bind him, haul him in, get his magic taken away…

Magic. If felt so thrilling to have magic again, to wield it and call my spirits to my aid if I were in trouble. Now that I had it again, I could not imagine going without it. And, Mavis, if I took his magic away, he'd hate me for the rest of my life. I wouldn't do it. I'd find a way to get out of bringing him in. Maybe Mira could assign me to someone else. Maybe…

I sighed heavily. There were so many choices, all of them hardly possible, all of them exceptionally difficult. There was death lingering at every corner, ready to pounce—or a Hunter either from AMC or RHA.

When did life become so difficult? When did it become impossible to do the most natural thing in the world, and stroll up to someone you loved, kiss them fiercely and never let go? When did the world go from black and white to various shades of alarming gray?

My head was pounding, and I rubbed my temples. Life may have gotten difficult, but it was not going to get any easier if I did nothing but sit here and think of all the endless and ever changing possibilities. I had to take it one step at a time, one choice at a time. I had promises to keep for my mother and my sister. Those were always my goals, and I had to concentrate on that.

I left my seat by the window and went to start a bath. Tomorrow would be a new day. A new adventure. Something profound was sure to happen…

Natsu's POV

Gray kissed Juvia goodnight and rubbed Wendy's hair just before the two girls walked into the small inn, or the former Fairy Hills. Most of the buildings that were associated with the guild had to be removed or remodeled and renamed. No one wanted the residents to be endangered more than they had to be.

There was a comfortable silence between the ice prick and me as we sauntered back towards the heart of the town, towards our own homes. Most of the guild thought we hated each other, but when it came down to it, there's no one else we trusted to guard our backs. Gray has saved my skin on more than a few occasions, and I've returned the favor every chance I got.

Even though the world was almost always in turmoil and we were constantly threatened by the weight of it, Fairy Tail had endured. We had endured. Through it all, we stood strong, refusing to die like most of the other guilds. We were the strongest for a reason, and we were a beacon of hope. We had to be strong.

But, now the world felt like it was shifting, and I could not shake the feeling that we were not going to be prepared this time. I needed to protect the guild and my comrades. They were my priority. No matter what happened to me, I needed to make them all safe. Everyone, from Gramps to Gray, Romeo and Wendy, even Reedus and Warren. Easy. It had always been easy to protect them, to put my life on the line. They looked up to me the same way the other guilds looked at Fairy Tail. I had to be strong for them, be unflinching and unafraid of everything.

Blonde hair and melting chocolate eyes bore into my thoughts, knocking aside everyone else. I could still smell her as she embraced me, taste her lips on mine, feel the tight muscles corded beneath her soft skin… It scared me shitless. Everything about her made me weak and hopeless. Igneel had told me it would happen one day, but I never knew how hard it would hit. How devastatingly beautiful it would be. My whole life I was searching for answers, looking for anything to fill this void in my chest, and I never thought it would come wrapped up as a gorgeous Hunter of AMC.

As if he were reading my thoughts, Gray said, "Lucy. I've known her a pretty long time, and we can trust her, no matter what she did in the past." As if I would ever doubt her trust… but he was right. Even if she was a Hunter, and even if we were mages, I trusted my gut instinct about her. "You seem to already be pretty taken by her."

My step faltered midstride, and I blinked at him, carefully trying to reign in my emotions. Gray had a way of seeing past all of my fronts, so it was hopeless to try to pretend otherwise. A hot breath slipped from my mouth in a quick huff, and I replied quietly, "I don't know what it is about her."

Gray nodded, and he looked around. His hearing wasn't as sensitive as mine, but he was not the one distracted enough to forget to listen for spies. The only sounds on the streets were the soft padding of our boots against the stones, and after a few short minutes, he answered, "You are not the only one to fall in love with a Hunter. It is not what you think. I may have known you basically my entire life, but I have known Lucy for half a decade. She's one of the best Hunters, but also the best at smuggling them back out. She has no intention of ever destroying a mage or annihilating magic like the rest of them. On the outside, she plays a tough game and has hardened herself to live through the challenges, but on the inside… she's just like you, Natsu."

Just like me? Broken, afraid, fragile. She did finally open up and surrender a piece of her past, and even though I still sensed there was more to the story, in that moment, she had looked exactly the way I felt every day. Confused and wandering in search of something.

"All I'm saying, is when the time comes," Gray continued as we crept closer to our apartment we shared, "don't be afraid. Time is already too short and precious to waste."

Lucy's POV

"This was the worst idea in the history of mankind, and I will take my time with killing the bastard who ever decided to do this," I growled as I stumbled into the pasture, followed by the mage trio, plus Natsu's blue cat, Happy.

Our "mission" was to catch a beetle.

Sure, simple right? No. Wrong. Very wrong. No one told me this fucking beetle was going to be over twenty feet!

Wendy, Gray, Natsu, Happy, and I left at dawn to ride a train to the Great Plains of Fiore. It was some place stuck in the middle of the continent where enlarged bugs were apparently common. Giant beetles were usually herded in these plains, but one had decided to run away, and we were hired to track it down and bring it home. Sure. Great, whatever. But, it was a dung beetle. One that was imported from another country, and yes, it loved to roll shit. Literally. We spent half of the day chasing down this monster, and the other half avoiding its pile. Yet, it was never that simple. Natsu had decided he was going to ride it, so as soon as he jumped on top of it, it had gone berserk. Gray tried to freeze it, but at the same time Wendy used her wind magic to push it back towards the client's barn. He tried to get out of the way but was run smack over and was pressed against the side of it. Gray began rolling with it. He was so distraught he could hardly yell for help. I tried to use my whip, but it instead of pulling the beetle off, it pulled me with it. Happy saved Natsu from the top of it, and I released my whip and Loke appeared to break my fall. As for Gray, well… We ran over a few chicken coops, and by the time we saved him, he smelled like crap and was covered in feathers. He was thoroughly sprayed with a hose.

We finally herded the beetle back, collected our menial reward, and we jumped back on a train and high tailed it to the southern part of the continent where a house was being haunted. It turned out ghosts are real, and the only way Natsu thought we could kill it, was to burn the house. We ran as fast as we could until, we reached the ocean where a hotel sat overlooking the water. As our last request of the day, we spent the majority of our night serving dinner in animal costumes to people from the "Save Our Livestock" Convention. Natsu was a pig, Wendy was a cow, Happy just hid in our Inn across the street, Gray was a rooster, and I was dressed as a bunny. Every ten minutes, someone would try to pull on my ears of my tail, and Natsu would come charging over, trying to protect me from feisty hands. However, we could only speak using animal noises. Natsu made the most ridiculous noises, and within minutes, I had to knock the damn pyro out before he started to produce fire and make bacon out of his costume. Yes, pun intended.

By the end of it, we were all exhausted, disgusted, and totally and completely done with the day. And here I was wanting something profound to happen on my first mission. Gray and Natsu had a separate room from Wendy and me, and I let Wendy use the tub as I snuck away to view the ocean.

"I'll be back soon," I promised her.

"See you later, Lucy-san!" Wendy called from the bathroom.

Luckily we were on the first floor, and I slid the window open and squeezed out. It was a short walk, but it felt as if it took forever to reach because of my heightened anticipation. Of course, as soon as I reached the sand, I squealed in delight, but I had to walk a few miles before I was officially away from the public and wandering eyes. Over a few rough rocks and towards the mouth of a cave, I was finally secluded. As soon as I deigned it far enough, I stripped out of my clothes and carefully trekked toward the water.

Years. It had been years since I last saw the ocean. I could not honestly recall the last time I was able to enjoy myself. While the day may have been long and miserable, I was going to at least enjoy my night. The chill of the night kissed my bare skin, and the breeze carefully touched my exposed breasts. The salt in the air was sticky and thick, but the weather was perfect and the night was dark except for the soft rays of moonlight.

The roar of the ocean breaking against the jagged rocks nearby soothed my hammering heart, and I was about to slip my feet into the frothy water inches from my toes when a light suddenly awoke in my peripheral and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Natsu stood near the cave opening, his hand alight with a small flame that illuminated his face in a warm glow. Even from here, I could see the mad blush forming on his cheeks and the way his throat bobbed as he averted his eyes from my nakedness. Hastily, I dashed for my clothes as he stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was out here. Gray was taking forever showering, and you didn't answer your door when I came by. I was just going out for a walk." His rambling was amusing, but as I quickly pulled my shirt back on, I stopped him.

"It's okay," I said. "I just wanted a few minutes to relax. I didn't think about asking you to come with me."

He only nodded, and he still wouldn't look up as I made my way towards him. When I was close enough, I took his other hand, and we walked towards the cave. I collected a few pieces of drift wood, and he casually set it on fire. We sat in silence, taking in the cool air, and the rhythm of the ocean. Wendy would probably be wondering where I was, but she was smart enough to lock the doors until I came back. Honestly, she was probably already asleep. Gray was too, or else he was still trying to get that rank smell off of him that seemed to linger. The people at the convention thought it was appropriate for his costume, and I swear he almost snapped and froze everyone there.

I looked over at Natsu, suddenly noticing his bare torso. The flickers of flame sharply defined the hard muscles on him, and his eyes seemed to glow like embers as he stared into the fire. Such intensity on his face…

"What are you thinking about?" I blurted.

Powerful onyx eyes drifted to mine, and my breath caught as I took in the ferocity. His pink hair shifted with the wind, gently blowing across his forehead and into his eyes. My hands were pushing it back before I realized it. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch for a brief second before he pulled back.

"I'm sorry," he groveled, his voice low and heavy, contrasting his usual carefree self. "I'm just not use to this."

His hands twisted into his hair in frustration, and I sat back, contemplating him. "To what?"

He was so still and quiet, I didn't think he heard me, but then he said, "To being here with someone, enjoying life outside the guild and the pressures of the country." I nodded in agreement, hugging my legs against my body. "Usually it's just me and Happy, or even when I'm temporarily partnered with someone, I disappear for a few hours, just wanting to be alone. Trying not to be anyone except…me."

Natsu laid onto his back, his arms shielding his eyes. "For the guild…" He swallowed hard. "For the guild, I try to be strong. I try to convey hope and strength, but… it's hard. It's hard being something I am not all the time." His voice was no more than a whisper, and even though he couldn't see me, I nodded anyways. I was all to use to it. Being someone I was not.

"I don't have a guild or a reason really to pretend to be stronger than I am, but I guess, I disappeared for all of the same reasons. Even when I was alone, traveling from hotel to hotel, I would sneak out at night as if leaving the tough girl behind in the room, and finally opening myself up to the person I am not. I guess, I am running away from myself because I cannot bear the weakness inside of me or the strength."

I didn't know where the words came from. They tumbled from my mouth, and they felt so right. It was like fitting the last piece of a puzzle together, finally figuring myself out. When I looked back to Natsu, he was staring. The intensity has lessened, but the fire in his eyes burned right to my core. He understood, even without me fully explaining, he knew how it felt.

Slowly, I reached for his hand, and I pulled him to his feet. A smile spread across my lips, and it echoed onto his mouth, as we slipped out of the cave together and walked towards the water. He was silent. Never once about to break the quiet that enveloped us as if terrified this moment may shatter, and we'd wake tomorrow in that Inn away from here and be separated once more.

Carefully and nervously, my fingers traced the edges of my shirt, and I slipped it over my head in one smooth motion along with my bra. My breasts sung and my nipples hardened as they met the cold breeze once again. My fingers then fumbled for the button to my jeans, and it felt achingly long to pull them off until I was standing before the dragon slayer in nothing more than a black lacy thong. Natsu's eyes devoured me, and heat pooled low in my core. He merely nodded in understanding as he began to slip out of his black shorts, his member thick and ready as it sprung out and bounced against him as he moved.

My heart pounded hard against my rib cage, and a small part of me was terrified because if this meant anything, anything at all, then there was no going back. My mind screamed at me, reminding myself of how just the night before I had been reprimanding me from falling and crushing so hard… But this was real. It wasn't some girl's fantasy or pretend fleeting fancy. It was real.

Natsu's words sang through my head, If all the magic in the world disappears, I wish this one would at least stay.

But, I could not stay the fear or the desire and the conflicting emotions pounding inside my head as Natsu stepped closer, his breathing ragged even before his fingers searched for mine and he pulled me into the water with him. We waded out to our waists, the cold biting sharply, but it did nothing to stop the heat between us, even though only our fingers touched. Natsu only looked at me, his eyes asking questions that mine were sure to only be mocking.

Are you sure? he seemed to ask.

I nodded, not trusting my words.

There's no going back.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Gently, still too afraid that at any moment this dream could end, he tugged on my fingers and I drifted closer towards him. His hand dropped to his side, and he stared down at my breasts and then into my eyes. A question. I pressed myself against him, my nipples touching his exposed chest, and he inhaled sharply. His fingers hesitantly pressed into my waist, as if bracing themselves before they crept up and took in my full breasts. I could barely contain the slight squeal of delight as he squeezed gently and began massaging them, his thumbs circling the nipples. I shuddered against his touch, and his right hand trailed down my side, then began making soft patterns in my skin on my abdomen. I closed my eyes, enjoying each delicious touch just before his fingers plunged lower, diving into my folds with a hidden hunger. I gasped, and he hesitated.

Then he softly chuckled, and his lips pressed against my throat before he started again with a renewed vigor that had me squirming at his every move. His fingers dove deeper and teasingly plunged in and out, stopping now and again to bask in the glory of my moans as he slowly caressed my clit and went deep between my lower lips for more. His other hand slipped from my breast and reached around to my ass. He pinched it hard, and squeezed harder for each sound that slipped from my mouth. His lips were soft against my skin, but they too grew hungry and his sharpened canines brushed against my skin. His tongue flicked out, and he sucked hard on the base of my throat. They went further down until they found my breasts, and he began nibbling and playing between the two. I shuddered against him, my head thrown back to feel the breeze against my heated cheeks, but even that could not cool me down any longer as Natsu took his time with me. Biting, teasing, playing. It was all too much, and I was drowning in this ocean with him. My body began shaking, and my hands held him close, my nails digging into his skin. He stopped playing with my breasts and grew more serious as he rubbed harder with his hand. Harder, faster, harder, faster… Then, finally I broke. Stars glittered behind my eyes and I moaned his name just before his mouth find mine and claimed it as his own. I gave it to him. My body sagged against him, the fire hotter than before but still burning from the climax.

His fingers were just leaving from inside my body when I grabbed him and shoved him back. He stumbled away and fell onto the shore when I attacked him. Without even a moment's hesitation, my knees were digging into the sand around his hips, and I plunged myself onto him. He gasped at the sudden onslaught, but the surprise was quickly replaced by desire and pleasure. Now it was his turn to close his eyes and allow me to pay him back for the moans he had torn from me. I lowered on top of him, my nipples brushing against his chest as I pulled my hips up and down on him. His fingers bit into my sides, demanding more, and I gladly pumped fast, beating against him, feeling him hard and strong inside of me, opening me up and always begging for more and more. But he had not exaggerated his stamina to Gray, and he could feel my movements growing more sluggish, so he pressed my tight against him. One held me to his chest, while the other held me closer against him as he bucked his hips against mine, grinding deep within. He clenched his teeth as I breathed into his ear. His own breathing grew labored and deeper as he continued to dive harder and faster. His fingers once again seized my clit and furiously went to work as he began convulsing beneath me. I breathed out his name once before I was completely drowning again in pure bliss. I could feel his every movement, his own pulsing inside of me, and his body gave one last pump before he too was lost, his mouth whispering my name like a prayer and his seed expelling onto me and into me.

His mouth kissed mine, his tongue fierce before he broke apart to try to breathe. "Shit…" he grumbled, and I laughed as I collapsed on top of him. His chest strained for more air, but he didn't move me. "That's what I have been missing."

"You're a virgin?" I inquired tiredly.

He smiled wickedly. "Not anymore."

I rolled my eyes and swatted him. He only chuckled breathily, but he could sense my sudden discomfort and easily guessed why. "It's okay," he said. "Gray told me it's not as wonderful as you think with virgins."

I nodded. "The first time, it felt like you were being ripped in half. I was frightened and unexperienced and…" I blushed madly. "It was embarrassing. At least with you… at least with you, I could give you the best experience."

Natsu only laughed in response, and I loved the way he wasn't mad or jealous about it. "It's okay, because what matters is that I'm here with you now." He nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck, and he flipped over me over until he was hovering over me. "Let me show you what that means to me."

He did. Over and over again until we were both lying on the shore, our bodies sore and coated in sand, and the sun threatened to peak over the horizon at any moment. Later, when we finally hastily washed off in the ocean, and we grudgingly put our clothes back on, we walked hand in hand back to the Inn. Our hearts united as one.

So what do you guys think? ;) Was that good enough or do you want more?

Haha, it's going to be hard to update, but I promise that I will finish this story! I have 5 classes and 4 jobs, so let's see what I can do!

Please leave a review and let me know how you like it!