A/N: Welcome to the Epilogue. I'm so grateful to each and every one of you that reviewed, followed, and favorited this story; especially since it was my very first attempt at writing a fanfiction! I can't wait to bring you all more stories, so keep an eye out! I can't wait to bring you all more stories, so keep an eye out! Hopefully, you all enjoy the 20k fluffy goodness I've written.

Now, on to the EPILOGUE!

Bickslow brought his lips to hers in a tender caress, smirking when Lucy's arms lazily draped over his shoulders. "Glad you're alright, Cosplayer. You know I worry about you."

"I know. But, I'm a-okay now," Lucy whispered as she kissed the tip of Bickslow's nose. "Maybe this time, right Bix?"

Bickslow saw the hopeful gleam in Lucy's eyes, the small bit of insecurity that he knew she would harbor until she was finally pregnant as she lightly nibbled on her lower lip. It was only a week away, and he hoped with everything he had that this time around, Lucy would get pregnant. "Yeah, baby," he whispered back. "Maybe this time."

~.~

Bickslow sighed and nestled his nose in Lucy's hair, tiredly grinning when he heard her slowly starting to wake up. He knew she was exhausted, and he was right there with her. An entire week of them being locked in the house and boning like rabbits on steroids always left the pair completely drained afterwards—in more ways than one. He just couldn't help but hold her as close as possible. Not when he really felt like this was it. The first two times they had gone through it, Lucy had been the one that was driven to initiate it. This time though, Bickslow hadn't been able to sleep as the night before their anniversary drew to a close. Once that clock hit midnight, he had all but pounced on the sleeping woman in their bed. And it wasn't all from that need deep within him that increased his libido. He wanted to have a family with the woman he loved, and if that meant spending every moment of that week buried between her legs, then he was all for it.

"Morning, sexy," Lucy whispered sleepily. She was just about to roll over to face Bickslow, but stilled when she realized how they were laying. It wasn't often that she would wake up with her back to him, because she had a tendency to wrap around her soulmate like a damn leech in her sleep, but this time was different.

Bickslow chuckled and kissed Lucy's hair, his free hand slowly smoothing over her hips and resting on her flat stomach. He hoped with everything in him that this time was really it. His thumb drew slow circles over the scar that ran from one hip to the other. If it hadn't been for Wendy using more magic to completely heal Lucy's reproductive organs the day she was brought back to life, they would never have the chance at finally having a family. Lucy's body was littered with small, almost unnoticeable scars from that day. The one on her stomach was the only one that was really visible – excluding the scar on her leg from the day she was struck by lightning – but it served as a reminder to the both of them that there was still hope of her finally getting pregnant. Wendy had made sure of it. "Morning, baby," he whispered tenderly.

Lucy smiled and scooted herself back only a scant few millimeters to make sure every inch of her was pressed against him. She could hear Bickslow's thoughts running a mile a minute, but everything was revolving around just how much he hoped that she was pregnant. She slowly placed one hand over his on her stomach, lacing their fingers together. "We've gotta be patient, Bixy."

He nodded, but that just couldn't stop him from continuing with the same train of thought. He wanted this more than he could describe, and he could tell by the sudden swell of happiness from the woman in his arms that she was listening to just how much he wanted this to happen. "I know," he sighed. "Just…" Bickslow stilled and a wide grin spread across his face. He'd been looking for the perfect moment for it, and this seemed like the best time there was.

Lucy slowly rolled onto her back when Bickslow pulled away and started rummaging through his nightstand. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, but she still turned her head to give him an exhausted smile. He wasn't letting her hear what he was thinking anymore, but she was just too tired to even care at that point. "Why don't we just go back to sleep?"

"We can in a minute," Bickslow chuckled. He glanced at Lucy, and his grin widened when he saw that her eyes had stayed closed. She looked so damn peaceful, so utterly serene, that it took his breath away in an instant. He didn't think he'd ever be able to understand how someone like her had been chosen by fate to be with him. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he had the most perfect woman in the world as a wife and soulmate. "I wanna give you something," he said excitedly as he rolled back onto his side to face her. "I've been meaning to do it for a while, but the timing never seemed right."

"Oooh, a present?" Lucy crooned, her eyes barely opening to look up at him. "Bixy, you always give me the best presents!" She grinned when she saw a light blush dusting his cheeks, and would have cuddled closer to him if he hadn't decided to move so he was lying on top of her. "This isn't what I was expecting," she teased.

Bickslow winked and said, "No worries, that's for after you get your gift… and after we've gotten some more sleep." He gave the giggling blonde a tongue-lolling grin, then tightened his grip on the small box he'd been carrying with him everywhere he went since the day Lucy had been brought back to life. "You remember the first time you came into the work room?" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I told you that what I was working on was just something random. It kinda was, and I'd just been screwing around with the wood since I couldn't figure out what I was trying to make it into. But… I figured it out, and I wanted to give it to you." Bickslow settled his chin on Lucy's chest, then handed her the box. He nibbled his lip while he watched her open it, and when the first tears sprang into the corners of her eyes he had to stop himself from instantly jumping on her to make sure she was okay. He could hear and feel everything that she was experiencing, and he couldn't help but grin even wider.

There, nestled in the box, was a piece of wood no bigger than the palm of her hand. Lucy remembered thinking, back when she'd first seen Bickslow carving, that the wood was too small to be one of his babies, but she'd been wrong. Well, wrong in a sense. The face was a perfect combination of both himself and Lucy, and carved to look like a young woman. The shape of Bickslow's eyes, his lips pulled into that signature smile of his, and his cheekbones; Lucy's brow, jaw, and nose. Just the tip of its tongue was sticking out, almost as if the little piece of wood had played a joke on someone. The eyes drew her in and held her captive. Even though they were mostly identical to Bickslow's – that beautiful almond shape with the swirls on each end, and fine concentric indentations carved into the irises – there was a depth to them the reminded Lucy so much of her mother's caring eyes, so much of her own. The hair was carved into a similar style to her own, and she was able to see the little knot he'd been struggling with at the bottom of the wood. She turned it over in her hand after removing it from the box, and smiled when an identical face smiled back at her, except the smile was more like her own with no tongue sticking out. "Y-You…" Lucy whispered with a watery smile, running her forefinger lightly over the perfectly polished wood, "Bixy, you gave me a baby?"

Bickslow chuckled and kissed the center of her chest. "I guess you could say that. It's what I pictured our baby would look like. Well, if we have a girl, I guess…"

"But… Y-You gave me a b-baby," Lucy sniffled, finally tearing her blurring gaze from the small wooden face in her hands to look at her husband.

Bickslow slowly moved so he was hovering over her, his weight held on one forearm while he wiped her tears away. "Of course I did, Lucy. We haven't been very lucky so far, but… Even if it doesn't happen this time around either… We've got our little girl right here. I told you, I want to have a family with you. And if this is all we've got for now, then… At least we know what she'll look like."

Lucy laughed and threw her arms around his shoulders, clutching the little polished piece of wood tightly in one hand. "You… Bix, you're th-the most amazing husband e-ever…" she cried.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, then tenderly kissed her chest again as Lucy just kept crying. He lifted the hand that was still holding onto the little piece of wood, and pressed his lips to the carved face that was smiling up at him. "She's our little baby, Lucy. Just until we're lucky enough to meet her in person."

Lucy sniffled and watched as he slid further down her body until his head was just above the scar below her navel. Bickslow's soft smile as he looked up at her melted her heart in a way she hadn't known possible, and the tears that were streaming down the sides of her face only came more forcefully when he started kissing her stomach.

"You hear that?" Bickslow whispered gently. "Time to start growing. We wanna meet you, little baby…" He kissed the toned and lightly tanned skin again, then sighed and rested his head on Lucy's hip as her fingers threaded through his hair. 'Please,' he thought, 'Please let it happen this time…'

It was a month and one week to the day past their three-year anniversary, and Lucy was pacing around the bathroom and chewing on her nails, filled with anxiety. She hadn't been feeling well the last few days—mostly a little dizzy spell or some nausea—and had immediately wondered if it was what she was thinking. She stopped and looked at the clock again, then groaned. 'It's been one minute?!,' she screeched internally. She still had four more to go before she could see the results on that stick sitting on the counter. Once she and Bickslow had left the house and gone to the guild at the end of their first "weeklong fuckfest" (as Bickslow liked to call it), Lucy had gone straight to Wendy with her questions. The girl was younger than Lucy, and shouldn't have nearly as much knowledge as she did when it came to things like this, but Lucy knew that Wendy was much more mature than she seemed.

'She told me to check at one month, and it was negative. Then to check again in a week if it's negative, because I might not have enough of a hormonal change so soon.' If the second test was negative, Lucy was supposed to give it another week; if she didn't feel any better, then Wendy could take a look and see what was going on when she got back from her own mission. Lucy started pacing again and threw her hands in the air. Walking around in the bathroom was driving her insane. She walked out into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She drank it as slowly as possible, and when she looked at the time she sighed and dropped her head. 'Three more minutes to go…'

She hated that Bickslow was away on a mission. She always hated when he was away because she was afraid he would get hurt, but she also knew that he felt the same way when she was gone. If she hadn't gone off with Erza to a spa, then she would have been with the rest of the team on that job instead of pacing around the house like a lunatic. 'Of all the days to be gone, it had to be today,' she thought with a huff. It wasn't his fault that Laxus had decided they needed to do a "quick" job that lasted two weeks, and they were supposed to be back in a day or two. The only problem was that Lucy needed Bickslow to take her mind off of what was going on. What she was waiting for. 'Two more minutes…'

Lucy walked down the hallway and stopped at the spare bedroom. It hadn't been used in about a month, since she hadn't been babysitting lately, but Lucy did the same thing every year around this time. She took a tentative step inside and looked around at the child's bed on one side of the room, a crib on the other side with a dresser and changing table connected to it, a rocking chair with a small table and lamp, a bookshelf filled with children's books, and the two toy boxes that sat in a corner for whichever one of the many Fairy Tail babies she had agreed to watch. Over the years, she and Bickslow had slowly started accumulating little things here and there for whenever they finally started their own family, and it didn't hurt that they were able to watch their friends' kids as often as they—more like as often as Lucy—wanted. In three years' time, Lucy and Bickslow had discussed what it would be like to have a family quite a bit, and she could tell that even now Bickslow was really warming up to the idea of starting one of their own. At first, he'd said he didn't mind when it happened; now though, he was absolutely ecstatic about the prospect of it happening this time around. Lucy took another slow step into the room, trying to decide if she would want to redecorate it for their own baby, then took a deep breath. Lucy's nose wrinkled and she sneezed. Dust. Lucy rolled her eyes and went out to get a rag and start cleaning. 'TIME'S UP!'

Lucy dropped everything and rushed into the bathroom. She didn't dare pick that stick up—some part of her saying to just leave it there—and leaned over to read the results. She picked up the box and read the instructions, then looked back at the stick. Box. Stick. Back and forth until she dropped the box on the ground and backed into the wall. She slowly slid to the floor and stared off into space while the news sunk in and tears streamed down her face.

"Baby, you home?" Bickslow called out once he opened the door. The team had stopped at the guild to report a successful mission, and when Mira said that Lucy hadn't been there all day he came home as quickly as possible. He'd been glad that they finished the mission earlier than they'd anticipated, since he really didn't want to be gone in the first place. Bickslow knew from experience that there were certain times that he needed to be by Lucy's side: on the anniversary of when they bonded, exactly one month afterwards, and then the entire month afterwards while she tried to cope with the news of not being pregnant. It was exactly one month and one week after their anniversary, and he figured she would have gone to the guild even if she got bad news just so that she wouldn't feel as lonely without him there.

Silence.

Bickslow's eyebrows drew together and he shut and locked the door, then took off his shoes and had his babies sit down on Lucy's writing desk. Something was off, but he couldn't place what it was. The house seemed to be too quiet, yet the silence was almost deafening. He slowly walked through the house and saw that the kitchen light was on, but Lucy was nowhere to be seen. He turned off the light and made his way down the hall. 'The spare room?' he thought. The door was wide open, and when he went inside he saw cleaning supplies strewn across the floor, he felt fear trickling down his spine. He couldn't smell any of them, which meant that Lucy was going to start cleaning, but something had happened. It wasn't like Lucy to leave things like that, and he knew that if she'd gotten distracted by something then she would have placed everything on the dresser where it would be out of the way. 'Maybe she's taking a nap… Mira said she wasn't feeling well yesterday.' Bickslow walked out of the spare room after moving the cleaning supplies, closed the door behind him, and continued down the hall.

The faucet was running in the bathroom, so he figured Lucy must be coming out shortly. The water turned off, then Bickslow heard her curse before the sound of her feet quickly padding across the bathroom was swiftly accompanied by the sound of violent retching. 'She must really be sick,' he thought as he rushed into the bathroom. "Lucy, is everything alright?" he asked as he knelt next to her, pushing a random box out of his way before he rubbed soothing circles on her back. Bickslow winced at how violently Lucy was heaving, but he pulled the elastic band from her wrist to tie her hair back before any of it could fall into the toilet.

Lucy whimpered, leaning her head on her arm as it rested on the toilet. She was hugging the damn thing like it was a life preserver, and it might as well have been one. 'Three hours of this shit,' she thought sourly.

"You've been puking for three hours?!" Bickslow asked incredulously.

"Uh-huh," Lucy managed to mutter before her stomach tightened again to push out what was left of the small meal she had just eaten. When it died down, she silently told him, 'I just tried eating some bread or crackers and drinking water… But that's in the toilet now…'

"What's going on?" he asked softly, feeling her shirt completely soaked with sweat and her shivering form beneath it.

Lucy heaved again, the convulsions in her stomach becoming painful before more of her stomach's contents managed to come out. She weakly pointed a shaky finger to the floor where she thought the box was, then up to the counter before heaving again.

Bickslow's eyes followed her movements, looking at the ground then at the counter. He picked up the box he had moved and almost dropped it. 'Pregnancy test?' Bickslow's eyes shot back to Lucy, and he slowly put the box down on the floor. He reached up and grabbed the stick on the counter. A small smiling face was shown in the little window, and he bent down to look at the box. The stick. The box. Back and forth until a wide grin spread across his face. He dropped everything in shock, then looked at Lucy again as she spit into the toilet. "I'll be right back, baby," he whispered.

Lucy nodded before the small movement caused her stomach to lurch, and she instantly started dry heaving again. Her whole body was tensed up, and her stomach felt like it was trying to tie itself in a knot and then compress itself until it didn't exist anymore. 'Goddamnit, stomach!' she screeched internally, completely unaware that Bickslow was able to 'hear' her. 'You are not a black hole. Cut this shit out!'

Bickslow silently laughed at her internal outburst as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a washcloth, then ran it under cold water and rung out the excess. He walked back into the bathroom and smiled sadly at Lucy who was hunched over the toilet with her head resting on her arm. "This should help," he said when he kneeled back down, then carefully placed the cool rag on the back of her neck.

Lucy sighed and closed her eyes. Every time she tried to move, her stomach would protest and instantly try to push its nonexistent contents out of her. She just barely registered that Bickslow was there with her, that he had helped her cool down with the washcloth on her neck, or that he was rubbing her back soothingly. "Thank you," Lucy whimpered. It was pathetic, and she knew she sounded horrible—hell, she felt absolutely revolting right then—but she smiled when he lightly kissed her shoulder.

"Anything for you, Lucy," Bickslow whispered happily. He decided to give her a minute before asking if what she had pointed out was really true, knowing that she might end up getting sick all over again any second.

Lucy sighed when her stomach stopped convulsing, and decided that she would finally be able to stand up and brush her teeth again once she had the strength. Ignoring Bickslow for the moment, Lucy closed the lid to the toilet and flushed, then laid her head on the cool ceramic of the lid in the hopes of cooling herself down.

"Is it true?" he asked hopefully, rubbing soothing circles on her back again.

Lucy nodded, then swallowed with a grimace. Her throat was completely raw, her whole body in pain. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see the wide grin that spread across Bickslow's face. "Far as I can—" she paused to clear her throat, wincing at how much it hurt to do so, "—tell. Puking, feeling dizzy and nauseous the past couple days, plus that test…"

Bickslow slowly leaned over and pulled Lucy into his arms, brushing away the strands of hair that were stuck to her forehead. "Shh," he whispered before pressing his lips lightly to her hair. "Just rest your throat for a bit, okay?"

She swallowed again, hoping the small amount of saliva she could muster would soothe her aching throat. 'This sucks so fucking hard…'

Bickslow bit back the chuckle that tried to creep out, and kissed her shoulder again. "I'm sorry," he said with his lips ghosting over her skin. After a few minutes of Lucy sitting in his arms, he asked, "Ready to get up?" When Lucy nodded, he helped her stand up and waited for her to brush her teeth—maybe a little too vigorously—and wash her face. Once she was ready, he waited for her to decide what she wanted to do. It didn't take long for Lucy to turn towards the living room and let Bickslow guide her over to the couch. Once she was settled, with the throw blanket wrapped around her, Bickslow kissed her gently and went to make her some tea.

Lucy nestled into the blanket and weakly smiled at the babies on her desk, then closed her eyes until Bickslow came back. She had missed him fiercely while he was away on that mission, and it was absolutely amazing now that he was here. Even if all she wanted to do was crawl under a rock and die, Lucy couldn't help but smile at the fact that her soulmate was home, safe and sound. She had spent Mavis only knows how long just sitting on the floor of the bathroom after finding out the test was positive, and when the news had finally sunk in completely all she had wanted was for Bickslow to be there with her so they could share in the happy moment. She hadn't really planned on telling him that she was pregnant by pointing to the test while she was puking her face off, but… That didn't really matter now.

What mattered to her was that she and Bickslow were going to finally have a family. "Come here, babies," she whispered softly, smiling when the six little totems shot toward her from the desk and instantly started nuzzling her. "I'm pregnant."

"We know," Papa chuckled. "We're very happy for you both."

"You'd better be, old man," Bickslow laughed as he walked into the room with two cups of tea. He settled himself next to the blanket cocoon that he knew was holding his wife, and set the cups down on the table. "I made you some tea, baby. It should help your throat feel a little better."

Lucy slowly pulled her arms free of the blanket and gratefully took the cup that was handed to her. She blew on the steaming liquid, then took a small sip. "Oh my god," Lucy groaned, "Bix, you're a fucking angel!" She took another sip of the tea he'd made her and hummed in delight as the honey in it started soothing her throat, just like he'd said. "Best. Tea. Ever." She smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

Bickslow blushed and took a sip of his own tea. "Whatever you need, baby," he muttered with a smile on his face.

Lucy gasped and said, "Oh, heavens. Is that a blush?"

Bickslow eyed her for a second, his blush deepening and then he nodded before looking away.

"Aww," Lucy crooned, leaning against his shoulder. "Blushing just to make me smile, how sweet!"

Bickslow turned to give her some sarcastic remark, then immediately shut his mouth. 'Remember all those stories everyone told you,' he thought to himself. He knew that she wouldn't instantly turn into a hormonal mess that was just as likely to fuck him as she was to chop his dick off, but Lucy was already feeling like shit. He would much rather see her smiling, no matter how weak it was, than anything else. Instead, Bickslow simply shrugged and wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "Like I said. Whatever you need," he said softly, turning to press his lips to hers.

"And that's why you're the best." Lucy sighed happily and finished her tea, then settled the empty cup down on the coffee table.

Bickslow smirked down at her. "You should call Mira and the girls," he said softly. "They'll have all kinds of tips and shit."

Lucy giggled and said, "I believe it's 'tips and tricks,' Bix. Not shit."

Bickslow laughed and shrugged. "Eh, You say tomato. I say—"

"You also say tomato," Lucy deadpanned. She and Bickslow laughed again, keeping the mood light until a thought struck her. "Oh, man…" She dropped her head to hide in Bickslow's chest.

"What's up?" Bickslow asked with a chuckle.

"The guild… They're gonna lose it!" Lucy said dramatically.

"Do you wanna wait to tell them?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "No, but I want to at least have Wendy check me out first. The first test was negative, so—"

"First test?" Bickslow asked, pulling away slightly to look into Lucy's eyes.

She blushed and nodded before explaining what Wendy had told her to do. "There's still a chance it was a false positive, so the only way to know for sure this early is to have Wendy check."

"Well, she's back from her mission already," Bickslow said carefully. "They finished early, and she came back the same time the Raijinshuu did." When Lucy perked up, he laughed and pulled her close. "Want me to call her?"

"Oh, please please please! Would you?" Lucy begged, clasping her hands together and pouting.

"Well, I can't really say no to that face," Bickslow muttered with a grin. "I'll have her bring Mira and Laxus, just in case."

Lucy jumped into Bickslow's lap and peppered his face and neck with kisses. When her teeth grazed against his earlobe, she whispered, "Maybe you should wait to call them…"

He groaned and let his hands glide over her hips, his eyes rolling back as Lucy quickly started pulling at the layers of clothes he was still wearing from his mission. "You sure?"

"Bix," Lucy nearly moaned, grinning as she licked the shell of his ear before looking into his glowing eyes. "Do I look sure?"

A wide and lecherous grin settled on his face, and Bickslow held onto her as he jumped to his feet. "You look like you're ready to eat me alive, Cosplayer."

"Because that's exactly what I'm going to do," she rasped, slanting her mouth over his as he carried her to their bedroom. Calling their friends could definitely wait.

Bickslow felt tears welling in his eyes as he looked down at Lucy's sweaty face, and he couldn't help but grin at her. "You did great, baby," he whispered, smoothing her hair from her forehead and leaning down to press his lips to hers. "So great. I'm so proud of you."

Lucy lifted a shaky hand to his cheek as Wendy and Porlyusica worked on cleaning up the twin girls. It had come as a huge surprise to everyone that she was pregnant with twins, especially since everything they had read said that she would only be able to have one child. After reading through the books again, she realized that they really only said one pregnancy. It was entirely plausible that she could have twins, and it seemed that Fate and her uterus decided that needed to become a reality.

It had been a very long nine and a half months, and she had been ready to cut her stomach open and pull the little ones out of her. Wendy had said that, even though she was overdue, it was better to give the twins a little extra time and allow them to come out on their own. Normally, she would have gone only another week past her due date before labor was induced, but Lucy and Bickslow agreed with Wendy's opinion.

"Here they are," Wendy said softly as she and Porlyusica carried the little green and gold bundles over to their parents. The two girls were placed in Lucy's arms and Wendy smiled down at the happy family as Bickslow leaned over to look at the sleepy little faces nestled in their blankets. She gave the infirmary a cursory glance to make sure everything was in its place, then washed her hands again and picked up the camera that Mira had given her. "Let's get a picture of the guild's newest family."

Bickslow chuckled and helped Lucy move over on the bed when she silently asked him to, then carefully took one of their daughters into his arms and sat down next to his exhausted wife. With an arm around her shoulder, his tongue lolled from his mouth when he smiled at the camera. He wouldn't find out until later that Lucy had done the same thing, and that their guild marks were proudly showing.

Lucy sighed and brushed her fingers gently over the little girl's face as she and Bickslow were left alone in the infirmary. "What should we name them, Bixy?"

Bickslow looked from one identical face to the other, and his breath stalled in his throat when he really took in the twin pairs of eyes that opened to look up at himself and Lucy. Almond-shaped eyes with small swirls at each corner, honey irises that perfectly matched Lucy's. Neither of the girls had very much in the way of hair just yet, but the few blonde hairs that were present were broken up by little streaks of blue. Just like the little baby he had imagined the day he'd gone to save Lucy… "Hope," he whispered with a smile as he looked at the little girl in his arms. "... And…"

Lucy smiled down at the little one in her arms. "Faith." She looked up at Bickslow and blinked back her tears. "The two things we needed all this time…"

He knew she was right. Over the years, with all of the ups and downs they had gone through, faith in one another and hope that things would work out had become cornerstones of their relationship. It's what had held Lucy together when he had been dealing with his grief over those lost souls taking control the day she died. And the same had been true for him when Lucy had been on the verge of dying after that lightning strike. "Faith and Hope," he whispered, looking from one girl to the next. A watery chuckle left him as he laid his head on top of Lucy's. "They're perfect, Lucy..."

"Bixy, what color are their souls?"

He looked down at the twins again and his smile faded when he didn't see identical green orbs nestled in their small chests. "That... That's impossible..." he whispered incredulously.

"What's impossible?" Lucy asked cautiously, suddenly more alert than she had been only moments before. "Is everything alright?"

Bickslow nodded, his brow furrowing in confusion as he looked from one baby to the other. "White..." He hadn't known white souls even existed. He had seen babies before, newborns even, and their souls were always a pale green. They were innocent, without an ounce of darkness within them, and held the purest souls in existence. He'd never heard of white souls though. "I... I don't get it... There's no such thing..."

Lucy laughed and glanced at the door to see Laxus and Mira making their way in. "Well, leave it to our little girls to break their Daddy within minutes of being here," she giggled. "We can look into it later, Bix."

Bickslow slowly nodded, then looked up when Laxus cleared his throat. A soft smile was on his oldest friend's face, something that had become a common sight after Alex was born, and Bickslow tenderly kissed Hope's forehead before handing her over to the blond mage. "Hope, this is Uncle Laxus."

"And this is Aunt Mira, Faith," Lucy said as Mira carefully pulled the little girl into her arms. She sighed softly, and cuddled into Bickslow's side as she watched their two closest friends holding their daughters. "Bickslow," she whispered happily, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Lucy," he whispered back, pressing his lips to her hair.

"Want me to help you feed them, Lucy?" Mira asked softly. "It's a little hard the first couple times until you three figure out what works best."

Lucy smiles and nodded, then tilted her head to kiss Bickslow tenderly. "How about you go talk with Freed about their souls while the girls eat, Bix?"

"And miss seeing your tits?" Bickslow chuckled. "No way, hot stuff." When Lucy rolled her eyes, he could hear her thinking about how little he would enjoy watching her breastfeed. That just wasn't the case. Sure, he'd noticed women doing it in public with their babies, but he didn't downright stare at them. He acknowledged it was happening, then moved right along – just like most other guys did. This was entirely different. These were his little girls, and Lucy was his wife. He knew he couldn't exactly feed the twins himself, but Gajeel had already told him that there as still plenty that he could do to help Lucy out. "Besides, I wanna see my little girls getting fed. I don't wanna miss anything, baby."

Laxus chuckled and shook his head when Lucy started blushing up a storm. "I was the same way both times, Blondie. You're never getting rid of him now."

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes, then nodded. "Alright, alright," she said. "Let's get this going. Mommy needs a nap..."

Bickslow stood so Lucy could get more comfortable, and carefully held Faith while Hope was settled back in her arms. He grinned down at his sleepy little girl when his finger found her small hand as it poked out of the blanket. Those tiny little digits wrapped around his index finger, and he slowly sat down in a chair with Laxus on his right while she pulled his finger to her mouth and started suckling.

"They're beautiful, man," Laxus whispered, keeping his gaze averted from Lucy while his mate helped her figure out how to get Hope to latch on properly. "Told you it'd happen for you guys."

Bickslow nodded and looked over at Lucy when she laughed in triumph, only to see that Hope had successfully started trying to get her very first meal. "I know. It was just a matter of time."

Bickslow's totems floated down around the twins, three with Faith and three with Hope, and Papa's little voice laughed softly. "They're not just beautiful. My granddaughters are perfect."

Lucy's heart swelled as Mama brushed across her cheek. "What do you think of your granddaughters, Mama?"

"They're everything I could have hoped for, my dear."

"Pwesents! Pwesents!" Alex giggled as he sat on top of Laxus' shoulders.

Laxus and Mira laughed at the amount of energy the boy had so early in the morning. They had decided to spend Christmas morning over at Bickslow and Lucy's to get a few of the presents out of the way along with having a nice breakfast together. The twins were only a few months old, and the entire guild was absolutely buzzing with the prospect of spoiling the newest additions the same way that Bickslow and Lucy had done for each of them over the years. After the kids had a chance to get a nap, the two families would head down to the guild together.

"Breathe, Alex," Laxus chuckled. "Remember, we've gotta be super careful with the little girls, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy…"

"Aw, don't sound so sad, Alex," Mira giggled, double-checking that Sarah's face was covered from the late December chill. "Uncle Bickslow's babies will still play with you."

When their son instantly perked up, Laxus rolled his eyes and slowly led Mira and their daughter up the walkway to the house. Bickslow had never been one for decorating his home for Christmas, but over the years he and Lucy had ended up becoming one of the biggest supporters in their neighborhood of that holiday pastime. The eaves and windows were strung with lights, candy canes lined the walkway, and there was even a ridiculous pair of Santa's boots sticking out of a mound of snow. Even the roof had lights. It just went to show how much Lucy had been able to brighten Bickslow's life in only a few years.

He knocked on the door and only had to wait a moment before he was greeted with a sight that would never leave his memory. Bickslow answered the door with a wide grin on his face – something that wasn't all that odd, considering the Seith mage really couldn't keep his smile to himself most times – wearing an adult sized pair of footie pajamas adorned with dozens of Santas on the forest green fuzzy fabric. "What the…"

"Oh, hey guys!" Lucy called as she came to the door. Honestly, the look on Laxus and Mira's faces was enough of a gift when they saw that she was wearing an identical pair of pajamas to Bickslow's. Her husband was a freaking genius. "Come on in. The girls just finished eating, so they're doing a little tummy time before we get started."

Laxus nodded absently, letting Mira walk in first while he pulled Alex down from his shoulders. He blinked in confusion when he saw that all six of Bickslow's totems were wrapped in matching fabric, with only the little eyes and mouths visible. Hope and Faith were no different. He knew that Lucy and Bickslow had similar senses of humor, but he just couldn't picture Lucy planning this shit. "Bix... Really? Fucking really? I can understand onesies on the girls... But, c'mon dude..."

Mira scowled as she set Sarah down on the floor with the girls, and turned her hardened gaze to her mate. "Language, Laxus Dreyar!"

Alex giggled when Laxus winced, then walked over to Bickslow and tugged on his pants. "Fuckin' weally?"

Laxus covered his face with a hand and carefully closed the door behind him, then slowly said, "I'm sorry, babe… I'll be sure to nip that shi—uh… not do that… Y-Yeah…"

"Don't worry, man," Bickslow laughed as he draped an arm over Mira's shoulders. "You guys have some too!"

"What?!" Laxus shouted.

Lucy snorted and pulled four pairs of pajamas from under the tree. "Well, we couldn't be the only ones wearing pajamas, now could we?"

"Blondie, what the fuck?! Are you two fucking high?!" Laxus stared down at the fabric in his hands in horror. Red and fuzzy fabric, little Christmas trees with blushing happy faces, all strung together by garland. "How the hell did you find something like this so fucking big?! This is…" He paused and unfolded it, then his eyes bugged out when he looked at the back. "You're fucking kidding me! There's an ass flap… Really? Big black goddamn buttons and fucking all?!"

"Laxus…" Mira said sweetly, "Do you happen to recall something about your use of… language? Around the children?"

"Butt fuckin'!" Alex giggled. "Butt fuckin'!"

Lucy threw a hand over her mouth and had to fight with everything she was worth not to drop to the floor and start laughing like a damn lunatic… Like Bickslow just did. Tears instantly sprung to her eyes and she started fanning her face while trying to maintain some sense of composure. She slowly sat down on the floor and picked up Faith when she started getting fussy, then watched as Bickslow instantly got his shit together when Hope followed suit.

"Just for that, you're wearing it," Mira said softly. "No arguments. Suck it up and put it on."

"But babe, I didn't mean to—"

"If you fight me on this, I'll be taking pictures and sending them to Jason. Then everyone and their mother will see you in them instead of just our family."

"I…" Laxus looked down at Alex when the little blond boy tugged on his hand. "What's up, buddy?"

"Daddy pants!" Alex giggled. "Pants!"

"You wanna put on your new pants?"

"Yeah!"

"Alex, do you want Daddy to match?" Mira asked with a wicked grin. Her eyes flashed with excitement when his steely gaze narrowed in her direction. She was more than willing to play dirty, and he knew it.

"Daddy match!"

"What do we say?" Mira asked.

Alex grinned up at Laxus. "Pweeeeeassssee?"

Just like they all knew he would, Laxus caved. He could never find it in him to deny Alex when he pulled out the puppy dog eyes and asked nicely. He was just too damn adorable.

"Come on, girls," Lucy called out down the hallway while she put on her boots. "We're going to visit Granny's shop to help out today."

Bickslow chuckled and pulled his beautiful wife into his arms, letting his hands trail over her lower back. "Baby, they're brushing their teeth."

"Good," Lucy whispered, "Because they need to get all that damn sugar out of their mouths. What made you decide we were having cinnamon rolls for breakfast?"

He simply shrugged and pressed his lips to hers, sighing softly as his tongue flicked across her lower lip. "Now you taste even sweeter, Cosplayer."

"Impossible," Lucy said with a playful pout. "I'm already the sweetest thing in existence."

Bickslow chuckled, his mouth opening to agree with her, when he was cut off by twin shrieks coming from the bathroom. Without a moment's hesitation, he and Lucy rushed down the hall and stopped in the open doorway to the bathroom, looking around for the cause of their daughters' screams. Hope was curled in on herself in the corner by the bathtub, Faith had her back to the door, and both were crying. "What happened?!"

Lucy's eyes widened when both girls looked at them, then a wide smile broke out across her face when she was met with a steady white glow from their eyes. "Aw, sweethearts," she whispered tenderly, "Come here."

Faith whimpered and rushed into Lucy's arms, her sister scrambling from the floor to do the same with Bickslow. "M-Mommy, wh-what is it?" Faith whispered.

"Th-They just started g-glowing," Hope added, her slender ten-year-old arms tightening around her father's waist.

Bickslow sighed and hooked his finger under her chin, then lifted her head and grinned. He looked into those eyes that were a perfect combination of his and Lucy's normally – almond-shaped with small swirls at each corner, honey irises with little concentric white rings in them – and couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride sweeping through him. "You girls inherited my magic," he whispered. "You're just like your Daddy."

"W-We did?" Faith asked.

"Yes, honey. Take a look at your sister's chest, and see if you can find her soul," Lucy said encouragingly. She watched as the girls looked at one another in unison, their eyes glowing marginally brighter. It was clear the moment that they saw their twin's soul, because wide smiles spread across their young faces.

"Yours is white, sissy," Faith giggled.

"Yours too!" Hope replied. She looked over at her mother and watched as a brilliant golden light filled her vision. "Wow… Mom, yours is so bright!"

Lucy blushed. "That's because I've got you two and your Daddy to make me happy every single day."

Bickslow sighed and tucked Hope's head back into his chest. "Don't look at mine, okay?" he whispered sadly. He gave Lucy a pleading look, 'Baby, I don't want them to see it… From what happened that day… Cover Faith's eyes.'

Lucy's eyes widened and she quickly tugged Faith's head to her, making sure Bickslow wasn't visible. He still had the black veins branded into his flesh from that day a little over ten years prior, and the large black spot that covered where his soul sat. She already knew he was worried that the girls would get his magic, and be able to see the result of what had happened the day he died. While she didn't really believe that his soul was blackened the way he assumed it was, she also wasn't going to fight him on the issue in front of them.

"Now we've got even more reason to go see Granny," Bickslow said as he hugged Hope. "She can start teaching you two about Seith magic while Mommy and I go to the guild."

"Granny?" Faith whispered.

Lucy nodded and kissed the top of her head, smiling down at the blonde and blue streaked hair that hung to her daughter's shoulders. "Yeah, Granny's a Seith mage too. She'll help you girls today."

"What are you and Mom gonna do?" Hope asked.

"We're gonna go tell Uncle Laxus to get the stamp ready," Bickslow chuckled, a wide tongue-lolling grin on his face when the twins jolted in surprise. He was silently extremely thankful that their magic was still a little unstable, and that their eyes weren't glowing any longer. He couldn't let them see his soul. Not when this was all still so new to them. He just hoped that the girls wouldn't try to get a peek at it too soon; otherwise, he would have to tell them what happened. "That is… If you girls want to join Fairy Tail."

Matching smiles were directed at Bickslow, though only Faith's tongue hung out of her mouth, and then switched to Lucy. "Really?" they asked in unison. "We can join the guild?!"

Lucy laughed. "Of course! You're mages, aren't you? Besides, I hear Fairy Tail's guild master has a soft spot for twins."

The four of them slowly made their way out into the living room as Hope said, "That's because Uncle Laxus loves us to pieces!"

"He is our godfather," Faith chimed in while putting her shoes on. As they started making their way out of the house, she looked up at her father's proud, smiling face. "Daddy? When can me and Hope have babies?"

Lucy started laughing hysterically, along with Bickslow's totems, when he blanched and promptly fell to the ground, unconscious. "Oh my god…" she choked out. "This is too good!" Without another thought, she pulled out the camera and took a picture of her husband lying on the ground with the girls standing on either side of him, matching clueless expressions on their faces. "You girls have to master a few things that Daddy and Granny will teach you before you can start collecting and controlling souls."

"Why did Dad fall down?" Hope asked.

"Because he's silly," Lucy laughed. "Next time you want to ask him about the babies though… Say 'totems'. Otherwise he might have a heart attack next…"

"I don't get it," Faith whispered to her sister while they stared at their dad.

"Me neither."

Bickslow groaned as his shoulder was roughly shaken by a hand that was way too small to be Lucy's. "Go… away… honey… Daddy's sleeping."

"But… You told me to come get you when it happened again," Faith whispered.

"When what happened again?" Lucy asked as she walked out of the closet and pulled her shirt on over her head. "Faith, it's Daddy's day to sleep in until breakfast is ready."

"Yeah, but… Hope's room…"

Bickslow's eyes shot open and he jumped out of the bed, rushing from the bedroom in just a pair of boxer briefs without a care in the world aside from his goal. He threw the first door on his left open – the room that had once held all of his woodworking tools and spare totems – and stalked over to Hope's bed. "Igneel, get the fuck out of my daughter's bed!" he bellowed. He threw the blanket from the bed, and roughly grabbed the sleeping white-haired boy that was cuddled up to his teenage daughter.

"Dad, shut up… I'm sleeping…" Hope grumbled, rolling over onto her stomach and pulling her pillow over her head.

Bickslow scowled at the pair of forest green eyes that slowly opened. "Wanna explain why the hell you're sleeping next to my thirteen year old daughter?"

"Hope smells good…" Igneel answered sleepily.

"That's not a good enough answer!"

"Her bed's comfy…" Igneel muttered. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"NO!"

Lucy bit her lips and stood in the doorway to Hope's room, slowly shaking her head while she watched the scene unfold. She slowly lifted the lacrima in her hands and showed Lisanna the reason for her calling so early.

"What is it with you Dragneels and creepin' in my girls' beds?!" Bickslow shouted. "You're just like your damn dad!"

When a bright grin spread across Igneel's face – one that was completely identical to Natsu's all the way down to the pointed canines – Lucy started cracking up. She just couldn't help it. The world was officially doomed. There was a Natsu 2.0 in existence, and that smile proved it. If Igneel being a Dragon Slayer just like his father hadn't been enough, then sneaking into his best friend's bed in the middle of the night sealed the young boy's fate.

"Dad!" Hope shouted. "Shut. UP!"

Bickslow grunted when he took a pillow to the face, dropping Igneel in the process. He scowled as the young boy laughed and scrambled out of the room, then turned to look at his daughter. "Hope, you know he's not supposed to—"

Hope sighed and slowly opened her eyes, then promptly clamped them shut. "Oh god! Mom, stop laughing and tell Dad to put some pants on!"

"B-Bix… You're pulling a Gray…" Lucy giggled. When he looked down to see that he was only in his underwear, then simply shrugged and threw the pillow back at Hope, Lucy shook her head and walked out of the room. "Lis, Iggy's having breakfast over here, I guess. We'll see you guys at the guild later."

"Alright, Lucy," Lisanna laughed. "I'll have Natsu talk to him about sneaking into her room… Again…"

"Honestly, it's hopeless," Lucy said as she started pulling out ingredients for breakfast, a soft smile on her face when Igneel and Faith started setting the table. "I kicked Natsu through the wall more times than I care to remember, and he still didn't get it. But, I'll try to make sure Bix doesn't kill him."

"Don't count on that one," Bickslow grumbled as he walked into the kitchen, a pair of pajama pants now covering him. He wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist, then smirked down at the lacrima. "I'm surprised he's survived this long. Sneaky little shit…"

Natsu's face suddenly appeared on the orb, his signature grin in place. "That's because he's the best ninja out there!"

Faith smiled and rolled her eyes when her parents started laughing, then glanced down the hall when Igneel disappeared back into Hope's room. She quietly finished setting the table, then sat down and watched as her parents started making breakfast together. She hoped that she would find someone that loved her as much as her parents loved each other. Even when they got into arguments, the two always figured out how to work through it. Maybe it was because they were soulmates, but Faith liked to think that her mom and dad were just really good for one another. That was what she wanted one day.

"What're you thinkin' about, honey?" Bickslow asked as he sat down at the table with a fresh cup of coffee.

"You and Mom," Faith sighed wistfully. She slowly turned back to look at Lucy while she moved around the kitchen, then saw the long scar running down her leg and frowned. "You never told us how Mom got that scar on her leg."

Bickslow smiled reminiscently and took a sip of his coffee. "She got struck by lightning, Faith."

"That doesn't sound like something to smile about," Faith giggled, her tongue hanging from her mouth at the same time her father's did.

"Well, you know about soulmates," Bickslow said softly, watching as Faith's eyes softened as she nodded. "Soulmates go through a tragedy that's similar to the Seith mage their fated to be with. I got my magic during a storm, and your mom got struck by lightning in front of the house. That big black spot in the street is where she was standing when I saved her."

"But… Hope and I didn't get our magic the same way as you did," Faith said uncertainly. "Does that mean we don't get soulmates?"

"I was lucky to find her, Faith," Bickslow chuckled. "Most Seith mages don't find their soulmate, but that doesn't mean they're not happy and in love with someone. Your great-grandmother got married and had Mama, but she never had a soulmate. At least… Not one with a gold soul."

"What's it like…" Faith whispered. "When you find your soulmate?"

"Uh… That's something you should ask your mom…"

"She wasn't talking about the sex part, Dad," Hope grumbled sleepily as she walked out of the hallway, followed shortly after by Igneel. The pair sat down at the table, and both dropped their heads to the wooden surface with a unified thud. "We already know about that… Sort of…"

"Lucy…? The girls have a question for you!" Bickslow shouted as he jumped to his feet and rushed into the kitchen. "Please, for the love of all that's holy, let me make breakfast. I swear, you'll get the best back rub ever tonight."

Lucy sighed and smiled when Bickslow pressed a soft kiss to the blue streaks in her hair, then dried her hands and walked into the dining room. "What's the question?"

"What's it like when you find your soulmate?" Faith asked again.

Lucy smiled and sat down while she looked at her daughters. There were so many different ways to describe what it was like when she and Bickslow bonded. Not just concerning the physical aspect of it – which she already knew was the reason that her ridiculous husband had hightailed it right out of the conversation – but the emotional side as well. "Well…" she sighed, her eyes glistening with happiness. "It's like… Being struck by lightning. Literally."

Bickslow laughed from the kitchen. "Yeah, baby. For you."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "It's magical… Unless your soulmate is named Bickslow!"

"Damn right!" he shot back. "Then it's beyond magical. It's fucking epic!"

"That was enlightening," Hope laughed. "C'mon, Mom. You're a writer… Get those adjectives out here."

Lucy rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Hope. No matter how alike her daughters were in appearance, they were like opposite sides of the same coin when it came to their personalities. Hope was outgoing, precocious, and more like Bickslow than she wanted to admit. Faith was reserved and quiet, but she had gained Bickslow's habit of sticking out her tongue when she laughed, along with being a hopeless romantic. "Alright, but don't go making fun of me when I start getting all mushy."

"It's their job, Cosplayer!"

Lucy giggled and shook her head. Over thirteen years later, and she still had that nickname. "Finding your soulmate, more so when the bonding starts, is like seeing something that's always been right in front of you, and you were just too blind to see it. There's something inside of you that longs to be with them. You'll have found your other half, in more ways than one. They can make you smile when nothing else in the world possibly could. Your soul will reach out to them, even without you realizing it, and theirs will reach right back."

"There's no better feeling in the world," Bickslow added as he brought the dishes into the dining room, his babies carrying the others behind him. "For us, it was scary as hell. We had no clue what was going on, but everything just seemed like it was supposed to be that way. Your soulmate makes you feel safe, and like you belong right by their side. Even if it's the first time you guys have really interacted."

Lucy nodded and leaned her head on her sweet husband's shoulder, then tenderly kissed one of the black veins that was still branded into his flesh. "For me, it was your dad's eyes. They just drew me right in, even when he wasn't using his magic." She paused and giggled. "I had to make him close his eyes just so I could focus."

"Yeah, then you kissed me and Loke had to get ten kinds of creepy and start talking in my damn head," Bickslow laughed.

"Well, that's what you get for thinking I was trying to use you as a rebound when I found out Natsu and Lis were mated."

Igneel furrowed his brow as he was dishing up his plate. "Aunt Luce... Whaddya mean?"

"Mom means that she had the hots for your dad," Hope laughed.

"Eww!" Igneel shouted. "You guys are practically siblings though!"

Hope rolled her eyes and elbowed her best friend in the side. "They were just best friends back then, Iggy. Like me and you."

Lucy smirked into her cup of coffee when she saw the light blush on her daughter's face, and discreetly raised her eyebrow at Faith. If there was anyone she could get information out of concerning the older twin's personal affairs that she didn't want her parents knowing about, it was Faith. A cheeky grin was all the response she needed to let her know that Hope was head over heels for Igneel.

"Yeah, and it had better stay that way," Bickslow grumbled as he narrowed his eyes at the two. "Otherwise, I'm adding you to my hit list."

"Oh please," Hope laughed good-naturedly. "Dad, like you would actually kill anyone."

Lucy sighed when Bickslow laced his fingers with hers beneath the table, and gave her a light squeeze. "Hope..." she said softly, instantly gaining all three teens' attention.

Faith's eyes went wide when she saw the guilt on her father's face. "D-Daddy?" she whispered.

"It's not something you two have to worry about if you ever find your soulmate," Bickslow said, his voice tinged with sadness. Years later, he still felt guilty for what had happened the day Lucy was killed in front of him, but he also constantly reminded himself that the souls that took control of him that day were gone. "You didn't get your magic the same way I did. So..."

"There aren't any lost souls that will try to possess you if your soulmate dies," Lucy finished. "You two were born with Seith magic, just like Bickslow, but yours was already active because of my soul being gold. You two can't be possessed by them. Ever. You know how Granny hides that little person on her face with makeup?"

When both girls nodded, Bickslow stood from the table and went to get an old photo album. He opened it to the page that held a picture of him and Lucy at their wedding. "Normally, that's the mark of our magic. I used to have it too."

"How did you get rid of it?" Hope asked softly, her brow furrowed in confusion. She and Faith had never gotten to see the pictures from their parents' wedding. Or anything before she and her sister were born. There weren't any pictures around the house of their lives before they had kids.

"Your mom was on a mission with her old team," Bickslow sighed, watching with a reminiscent smile as the three teens turned to the beginning of the album and slowly flipped through the pages. Everything from when he and Lucy got together until the mission that changed everything was in there. "Natsu and Gray got into a fight. This was back when they fought all the time... And she got captured by a dark guild..."

"They had me for two days before your dad found me with the Raijinshuu, Wendy, and Gajeel. I..." Lucy paused and watched as their daughters and Igneel all stared at her in horror. This was a story that she had never wanted to have to tell them, and she was definitely going to leave out a good portion of just what she had gone through. There was no way that she would tell them she had been tortured and gawked at while she was completely naked. "I got killed right in front of Bix when they got there..."

"Wh-What?" Faith and Hope whispered in unison. They knew a lot of their parents' past, because both Lucy and Bickslow wanted them to know as much as they could about their magic. Bickslow had gone through most of his life not having a clue about a lot of things concerning Seith magic, and he didn't want either of the twins to have to go through that too. Still, they had always thought that the marks all over his body were just a weird tattoo that he'd gotten when he was younger.

"Aunt Luce," Igneel breathed. "You... Died?"

Lucy nodded and pointed to the scar beneath her shirt that was just under her sternum. "The guild's leader stabbed me here, and it went up through my heart. Uncle Laxus was able to restart my heart after Wendy healed me, but..."

"But," Faith said as she looked at her father, "When a Seith mage loses his soulmate..."

"His soul turns dark," Hope finished. "Is... Is that what happened?"

Bickslow wrapped his arm around Lucy and nodded. "I wiped that whole guild out by myself. Then I turned on everyone else. Master Makarov and Gildarts made their way down when they heard what was going on. Even Rogue and Orga from Sabertooth came to help... If it wasn't for Lucy tackling me, I would have killed them too."

"Apparently, the souls that were in him negated his mark, and changed it to these as they got more and more control over him," Lucy said as she traced the veins on Bickslow's forearm. "That's why it's centered around his soul. It's what happens when someone with your magic loses the light in their soul."

"But..." Faith said in confusion. She turned to look at her sister, then nodded. Both girls turned to look at their father, then activated their magic to look at his soul.

"It's still gold, Dad," Hope said with a smile. "Just like Mom's. Soulmates can bring you back from anything, right?"

"That's right." Lucy smiled up at Bickslow, only to see his eyes were wide as he stared at their daughters.

"It... It is?" Bickslow whispered incredulously, lowering his gaze to the large black spot centered on his bare chest. "I thought... That it never went back..."

Faith giggled. "Nope, nice and gold. Just like your Cosplayer!" She glanced at the pictures in the album and raised an eyebrow. "Mom... Where's the blue in your hair?"

Lucy smiled and cuddled closer to Bickslow while she finished her food. "Soulmates can use each other's magic. When I used Seith magic before we got married, my hair ended up changing. I even moved my guild mark at one point." She leaned forward and pointed to a picture that was taken of her and Bickslow in the training grounds after her physical therapy. "It used to be on my hand."

"Why did you move it?" Hope asked.

Bickslow laughed and turned the page to their first Halloween together. "Because she dressed up like me for Halloween, and said that she had to have her guild mark in the right spot."

The three teenagers gaped at the picture of Lucy and Bickslow. Everyone knew that Bickslow wore different clothing on missions than what he normally did while they were at home or the guild, and they had even seen this particular outfit of his on occasion when he and Lucy came back from a job. What none of them had been expecting though, was to see Lucy in so little clothing. Normally, she would wear t-shirts and shorts or skirts, but that costume of hers hardly covered anything at all.

"Wow... Aunt Luce..." Igneel whispered in surprise. "You're hot!" He yelped when he was smacked in the head by the twins. "What?! She is!"

"You don't need to say it out loud!" Hope huffed.

Bickslow snorted when Faith nodded. "Yeah, keep hot comments about our mom to yourself. Only Daddy gets to say she's hot. And his babies."

"Hot! Hot!" Bickslow's totems chirped, causing everyone present to laugh.

"Well, fine," Igneel finally said as their laughter died down. "Then Aunt Luce is super pretty. Dad always says that you're supposed to tell girls when you think they look nice."

Lucy smiled at the younger version of her best friend. He was most definitely the product of Natsu and Lisanna.

"I think you look better now, Dad," Hope said after a silent minute while everyone continued eating. "Especially since now I know how you got those marks."

"Why do you say that?" Bickslow asked.

"Because Mom came back and saved you," Hope whispered while turning to the next page. She lifted her gaze to her parents, a soft smile on her face that mirrored her sister's. "Just goes to show that you can come back from anything when you've got someone that loves you."

Lucy giggled and kissed a vein on his cheek. "That settles it then. My Bixy Bear is sexier now than he was back in the day."

"Oh god... Moment ruined, Mom!" Hope groaned. "Way to go..."

"Nah, the moment is just getting started," Bickslow laughed as his tongue lolled from his mouth. He tightened his hold on Lucy and brushed his nose over her cheek. "My Cosplayer is great at getting things goin'."

Faith watched as Hope and Igneel blanched before rushing their dishes to the kitchen and then closing themselves in Hope's room. She slowly blinked, then turned back to her own plate. "You two are ridiculous," she said softly.

"It's hopeless, baby," Bickslow sighed. "Faith is unflappable..."

A cheeky grin lit up Lucy's face. "Well, I guess we should just call Avery and have him come by for a visit..."

Bickslow's jaw dropped when Faith froze mid-chew, then made a mad dash for her room. "Uh, what'd I just miss?"

"Nothing at all, baby. Nothing at all," Lucy laughed. 'We're sending the kids ahead to the guild. I believe a moment was started, and we can't just leave it unfinished.'

'Very true...'. Bickslow silently replied as he finished his coffee. 'Looks like I'm gonna be screaming your name soon... It's your turn to tie me up...'

'You won't be screaming anything, Bix. We're starting with full sensory deprivation...' When Bickslow started choking on his coffee, Lucy laughed while patting his back. "Virgo gave me some ideas. You can thank Capricorn later."

"Holy fuck..." Bickslow whispered, his voice a mixture of intense desire and trepidation. "This'll be the day you kill me... I'm sure of it." His eyes slid closed as Lucy leaned over and her lips ghosted lightly along his jaw.

"Guess we'll have to wait and see, Bixy," she rasped.

"Hey Mom, have you seen my..." Hope said loudly as she rushed out of her bedroom. She paused in the entryway for the dining room, and watched on in shock as her parents both looked at her with green and gold glowing eyes. "Oh, Ewwwwww!" she screeched. "I don't need it! I'll borrow Faith's! God, why can't you two wait until we're out of the house?!"

"We are!" Lucy and Bickslow shouted in unison. They laughed as Igneel and Hope ran through the house, hopping on one foot then the other as they put their shoes on and left.

Faith sighed while slowly walking over to her parents. She gave each of them a hug and a kiss, then grinned. "Well, I won't make you wait any longer to get your freak on. Have fun!"

Bickslow cackled along with his daughter while she left the house, and Lucy was left completely speechless. "Damn. Faith is just like you, baby," Bickslow laughed. When she slowly turned her head to stare at him with wide eyes, he pressed a tender kiss to her nose. "Now... What did Virgo tell you about?"

"Oh my god, that was awesome!" Hope shouted gleefully as she walked toward the guild with her sister and parents. "Mom, I didn't know you could do that!"

"Yeah," Faith giggled, "Where did you learn how to balance like that?"

"That would be your father's doing," Lucy answered with a sweet smile. "He taught me acrobatics after my leg healed from that lightning strike."

"Totally awesome!" Hope shouted.

"Well, I've been offering to train you guys in that too," Bickslow laughed. "But no one wants to spend time with their stuffy old man."

"That's not it, Daddy," Faith said while she tucked herself into his side. "We just don't wanna take all your time up with training."

"Pfft, Bixy loves spending time with you girls. You know that," Lucy replied with a wave of her hand. "It's not like you'll live with us forever. He's gotta get his time with you now before you up and ditch us."

"Don't say that, Cosplayer," Bickslow whined dramatically. "They're not allowed to grow up! In fact. Stop it. Right now! No more growing for either of you!"

Lucy laughed along with their daughters, lightly smacking Bickslow's chest.

"Oh, and Dad," Hope said quickly, a wide smile on her face, "Your babies are so cool! And then how you made that guy punch himself in the face! Hilarious!"

Bickslow chuckled and held open the doors for his family. "I'll teach you girls how to use Figure Eyes soon. It's pretty useful… Especially when you wanna watch Sting and Rogue fight…"

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes just as Laxus walked down the stairs from his office. "Glad to see you girls survived your first S-Class," he called out, chuckling when Hope and Faith rushed over and gave him a hug. "Get some good pointers from your old man?"

"Yeah!" they said in unison.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Lucy asked in feigned offense.

"Nah, you're too cute to be chopped liver, baby," Bickslow chuckled.

"Very true," Laxus nodded. "I don't think chopped liver would be one of our S-Class, Blondie."

"Yeah well, I was the last one Gramps promoted before he passed the guild to you, so clearly he was having a moment of insanity," Lucy huffed playfully.

"Hey!" Bickslow shouted. "I got promoted the same time you did!"

"That just proves my point!" Lucy laughed.

"Oh! Uncle Laxus! This one mage had me and Hope cornered, and then I remembered that new spell Daddy taught us." Faith said excitedly when her parents started poking each other in a childish tickle fight. "So I used my babies to reflect his attacks while Hope's circled around and blasted him from behind."

"Then he got a Twin Kick to the face!" Hope finished. "Bet he's feeling pretty stupid now. He got beat by a couple fifteen year olds."

"Twin Kick?" Laxus asked, looking up to see Lucy and Bickslow watching with smiles on their faces, although he could see that Lucy was on the verge of cracking up as Bickslow's fingers crept closer to her ticklish sides.

"It's the new and improved Lucy Kick," Bickslow chuckled, wrapping his arms around Lucy's still-slender waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Twice the stopping power, and double the damage."

"We didn't mean to kick him through the wall!" the girls shouted indignantly.

"Don't worry, Laxus," Lucy laughed when she saw their guild master's eyes going wide. "We were next to a cliff. No property damage for you to pay for."

"You guys are the only fucking ones," Laxus sighed. "Why can't the others figure out how to not destroy everything? Natsu and Igneel alone…"

Lucy snorted and took a seat at the bar with Bickslow. "He's just like his dad, Laxus. You should have known what you were getting yourself into when you took over for Gramps."

"Yeah, how's he doin' by the way?" Bickslow asked.

"Better. He's still on vacation with Porlyusica, and she's forcing him to take it easy after that last heart attack. Lacrima hardly works out there, but they're in the middle of nowhere." Laxus shrugged. He had been beside himself when his grandfather collapsed at the guild a month prior, and Porlyusica said that the old coot needed to have some time to just relax and enjoy his retirement. Granted, that's what the geezer had been doing for the past three years, but Laxus wasn't going to face off against her broom. Especially not when he saw the light blush while she said that she would go with Makarov to monitor his health. He sighed softly, then smirked when he saw a head of green hair popping out from behind a pillar. "Girls, go tell the others about your mission. I'm gonna catch up with your parents."

"Alright, Master Laxus," Hope said with a smile and a playful salute.

"Sure thing, Uncle Laxus," Faith whispered, tightening her arms around his hulking frame one last time before she and her sister turned to walk away. "Oh no… Not now…"

Hope blanched when she saw who was making his way toward the pair, and promptly rushed off to hide behind Igneel. "You're on your own, Faith!" she shouted.

"Traitor!" Faith screeched, turning to look up into the brown eyes of the guild's up-and-coming pervert of the century. "Hi, Avery."

The son of Freed and Cana, Avery stood only a hand taller than Faith, with long green hair that was identical to his father's, and his mother's brown eyes. He was like Freed in every sense of the word. Save one. He'd spent far too much time around Gildarts, and had picked up one of his grandfather's habits. "Hey, beautiful," he said softly, a wide grin on his face when he saw her blush.

Bickslow narrowed his eyes at the look Avery was giving his daughter. He didn't like it one fucking bit. "One of these days, I'm gonna stab that kid's eyes out," he muttered to Lucy.

Lucy rolled her eyes, laughing when Avery was blindsided by Faith's three totems – which were made from Gajeel's metal as a birthday present. She watched proudly as her daughter scrambled around a table, throwing Alex in the way when Avery started his pursuit of her, then climbed up into the rafters.

"You're such a pervert!" Faith screeched.

"But, Faith! I love you!" Avery exclaimed dramatically. "Let me whisk you away—"

"He sounds like fucking Loke, Cosplayer," Bickslow sneered.

"Yeah, but… He makes Faith smile," Lucy said wistfully. When Bickslow turned to look at her in confusion, Lucy rolled her eyes and pointed at their daughter. "You know how quiet she normally is. Avery's the only one that gets her to come out of her shell."

"But she says she hates his guts, baby." Bickslow frowned when he saw the corners of his daughter's mouth turn up slightly while she kept yelling at Avery. Hope always just rushed off when Avery was around, turning to her best friend to use as a shield from the young Justine. Faith on the other hand… She'd run away too, but Lucy was right. The younger of the twins, by only a few minutes, would actually get into shouting matches with the kid.

"Of course she says that," Lucy laughed.

Bickslow's eyes narrowed, and he activated his magic to look at Avery's soul. Then felt his stomach drop right out of his ass. "No… Oh, hell no!" He jumped off of his barstool and started rushing toward Avery, only to grunt when Lucy tackled him to the floor. 'It's fucking gold, Cosplayer! No way in hell is getting near her!'

Lucy jolted and looked up at Avery, then smiled. That definitely explained a lot. "Bixy, just calm down," she giggled, turning to look at Laxus and rolling her eyes when he just smirked and sat back to watch the free show. "Just because it's gold doesn't mean anything. Not yet, at least."

"Exactly!" Bickslow shouted. "Avery, you little shit! I'm gonna beat your ass!"

Hope slowly walked over and laughed when she saw her father stand up with Lucy clinging to his back. "Dad, really?"

"Where's Freed?" Bickslow looked around the guild and his eyes honed in on his teammate. "You! You son of a bitch!"

Freed's eyes widened, and he slowly stood to his feet while settling his and Cana's newborn daughter in Gildarts' arms. "Is everything alright, Bickslow?" he asked slowly.

"No! Goddamnit, Cosplayer get off of me! Freed, I'm killing your fucking kid! Then I'm chopping your nuts off so you can't make anymore like him!"

Lucy snickered when Freed paled. "Bickslow looked at Avery's soul."

"Yeah. Oi! Keep your creepy fucking soul away from my little girl, you rat fuck! I'm gonna – ACK!"

The guild watched as Bickslow fell to the ground and started clutching his head, then all eyes travelled up to see Cana scowling down at him with her bottle of water held tightly in one hand. "Don't threaten my son, Bix."

"Dad, you're overreacting."

"I'm not, Hope."

"Bixy, you kinda are," Lucy laughed while she held him and rubbed a hand over the bump forming on his head. "So what if Avery's soul is gold?"

"That's what this is about?" Hope asked incredulously. "You're only just now figuring that out?!" When Bickslow gaped at her, Hope rolled her eyes and shook her head. "S-Class, Dad. You're freaking S-Class, one of the most powerful Seith mages ever... And you didn't know his soul is gold. What are we gonna do with you?"

"You knew?" Bickslow asked.

Hope laughed. "Yeah, but that's because Faith told me. She's known since we started using our magic."

Bickslow refused to believe it. No way in hell would he let this shit happen. "He's so dead..."

Lucy rolled her eyes and kissed his neck, then slowly moved up to his ear. "Bickslow, look at Faith..." she whispered.

Bickslow scowled and searched the rafters for his daughter, only to blink in surprise when he saw her smiling at Avery as he sat down next to her. The two teens were in their own little world up there. Faith was back to her soft smiles and quiet words, and Avery had dropped his overly dramatic declarations of his affection for her. Instead he was giving her the same smile that Freed gave Cana when he thought no one was looking, listening to Faith talking with rapt attention.

"They don't stay little forever, baby."

"But..." Bickslow sighed and dropped his head to his hands. His daughters would always be his little girls. Hell, Faith still called him 'Daddy' instead of switching to 'Dad' like Hope did. "Why? Why my little girl?" he whispered.

Hope rolled her eyes again and patted her father on the head as she walked past. "They're just friends, Dad. Chill out. It's not like they're getting married or anything."

Lucy sighed when Bickslow began wailing uncontrollably, sending a look over to Cana and Freed that spoke volumes. It was only a matter of time before the poor Seith mage figured out what everyone else already knew. Avery was Faith's soulmate.

Faith blushed when she and Hope walked down the hall to meet up with their parents. She could see Bickslow standing at the doors that led out of the guild, a black tuxedo on and his hair still in the twin mohawks he had switched it to when the twins turned nineteen a few months prior. Standing just beside him was Lucy, wearing a soft pink cocktail dress with her waist length hair braided and wrapped in an elegant bun. "Are you ready, sissy?" she whispered nervously.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Hope giggled. "You're the one getting married today."

"Yeah, but Avery and I are already bonded," Faith whispered with a small smile. "This is just so everyone has a reason to party."

"And because Dad said he'd slaughter your soulmate if he didn't make an honest woman out of you," Hope laughed.

"Like you're one to talk," Faith shot back happily. "The only reason Daddy wasn't busting down the door when you and Iggy mated was because Mommy and Freed had him locked in a rune barrier at the guild."

"He almost broke out twice," Lucy laughed as the girls approached. "You look beautiful, Faith."

"Thanks, Mom. Cancer was a lot of help."

Bickslow took a shaky breath and kissed Lucy's forehead just before she and Hope walked out to get where they needed to be for the wedding – his daughter as the Maid of Honor, and Lucy in her seat where she would be waiting for him after walking Faith down the aisle. Once the doors had closed behind them, he turned to look at his daughter. "Your mom's dress looks perfect on you, honey," he whispered as he pulled her into his arms.

Faith hugged him fiercely. "Thanks, Daddy. Think you'll make it through the ceremony without crying?"

A soft and watery chuckle slipped past his lips. "Hell no. I'm already doing it."

"Hope said you made it halfway down the aisle with her before you started crying," she whispered while brushing her father's tears away.

"Yeah, but... You've always been my baby girl... Hope has been independent since she realized it was possible. But you..." He paused and hugged her again. "If he wasn't your soulmate, you know I'd probably fight this thing."

"I know, Daddy," Faith giggled. "But Avery is going to be a great husband. He's already an amazing soulmate."

"Yeah well... If you ever wanna come back home, I'm okay with it."

"Mommy told me you would say that," she laughed. "We live right down the street. It's not like I'm disappearing forever."

Bickslow nodded and finally pulled away to look down at his youngest daughter. "Mom said you've got everything but something old?" When Faith blushed and looked away, he pulled a small box out of the inner pocket of his jacket. "Here, honey."

Faith blinked in surprise and looked up her father, then down to the box. She slowly took it from him, and gasped when she opened it. "This is... Mommy's baby," she whispered in shock. "I-I can't take this..."

Bickslow chuckled and lifted the small wooden carved face from the box, brushing his thumb over the polished surface that ended up being exactly what his daughters looked like as they grew up. "It's a gift from both of us, Faith," he whispered. "I split it down the middle before Hope's wedding, and made two necklaces. This one is yours."

Faith blinked back her tears as she looked down at the wooden face that was identical to hers and her sister's. A thin golden chain was threaded through the small hole at the top. "I... I don't know what to say..."

Bickslow opened the clasp and slowly put the necklace on his teary-eyed daughter. "You know, I made this before we even knew Lucy was pregnant. It's what I hoped our daughter looked like, if we had one. But... I decided to make both sides the same face. I figured, if anything, I could split it when our daughter got married, then Lucy could keep half."

"S-So... Why..."

Bickslow smiled and carefully dabbed her tears away with his handkerchief. "Because you and Hope were this baby. You started out as one, and ended up being two. Now, no matter what happens in life. You'll have your sister right there with you. Just like she'll have you."

Faith smiled down at the necklace, noticing that she had been given the side without the tongue sticking out. Hope hadn't picked up that habit, after all. "I love you so much, Daddy."

Bickslow pulled her into his arms again. "I love you too, honey," he whispered just as the music changed to signal the bride's entrance. "You ready to tie the knot? I'll take you right the hell away from here. Just say the word."

"Bickslow, I'll find you and take a cheese grater to those nuts of yours!"

He blanched and chuckled nervously when Lucy's voice drifted through their bond, but looked down expectantly at his daughter. "Say the word, and we'll go."

Faith laughed and wiped his tears away again. "No way. I'm not leaving my soulmate behind."

A proud smile spread across his face. "That's my girl."

As the doors opened, Faith smiled up at her father, and whispered, "You're gonna be in so much trouble later. Mommy's gonna beat your ass with that paddle we got her for Mother's Day."

His tongue lolled from his mouth when he grinned. "Trust me. I know."

Faith laughed softly and shook her head when he winked at her. Her parents were total pervs, but she loved them just the same. Papa had even told her that her great grandmother – the Seer that Bickslow never got to meet – was just as much of one, if not more. So, maybe it ran in the family.

Bickslow's smile softened when Faith's eyes began glowing a gentle white, and he watched as she looked up the aisle to her future husband. His gaze followed hers, and he was greeted with the spitting image of Freed, only with glowing golden eyes. He had forgotten to tell Faith about his and Lucy's wedding completing their bond, and the dazzling display of their magic as it combined entirely. 'Guess she's in for a surprise,' he thought. His eyes were drawn to his wife as they drew closer to the end of the aisle where Avery was standing, and he couldn't help but let his smile widen when he saw the soft glow of her eyes.

"I love you, Bickslow."

"I love you too, Lucy. More and more, every single day." Her smile took his breath away, and it took everything in him to keep his composure while he kissed Faith's cheek and placed her hand in Avery's.

Laxus smirked when Bickslow silently wiped his eyes again before walking to sit next to Lucy. Once the young couple turned to face him, a wide grin spread across his face. "Well, since the bride's father can't bring himself to say anything, I'll do it for him as her godfather. We'll be watching you, Avery. Don't think I won't shock the shit outta you if you make her cry."

Bickslow laughed and gave Laxus a thumbs up from the crowd while shouting, "Damn right!"

Freed smirked from his place next to Cana. "I will not stop him. You're on your own, son."

The crowd gathered began laughing when Faith rolled her eyes and Avery went pale, and Lucy and Cana smacked their husbands in the head... Although, both women were laughing just as hard.

Laxus cleared his throat and gave Faith and Avery a soft smile. "Now that we've gotten the jokes outta the way, I'd like to start this ceremony the same way your parents' was started. My grandfather wrote a portion of the ceremony for that day, and made the rest up as he went. If he could be here today, I know that Gramps would be extremely happy for the two of you." It had been two years since Makarov had passed, but Laxus still felt as though he was right there with him each and every day, watching over the guild and guiding him on how to keep this crazy group of mages in line. "Each of our guild masters watches over us once they're gone, and I know that's the case with him as well."

"That's because he has to keep an eye on his brats, Uncle Laxus," Faith whispered tenderly.

Laxus smiled sadly and cleared the sudden swell of emotion from his throat. He looked down at the notecards that his grandfather had used for Bickslow and Lucy's wedding so long ago, and smiled when he saw the familiar handwriting. 'I miss you, Gramps,' he thought as he took a steadying breath. "Hello everyone and welcome. Thank you for joining us on this day of gladness and good fortune. Avery and Faith are coming together to publicly proclaim their undying love through the celebration of their marriage. We are all here to learn about loving and being loved, and to watch the miracle of love exchanged is something that enriches every one of us. Therefore, we appreciate the opportunity to witness the shared love of this beautiful couple. Their enthusiasm is contagious, their certainty of their destiny together is inspiring, and their great expectations give us all a glimpse of the heights love can reach. Marriage is a very special place. It's an oasis, a haven, and a sanctuary where we can safely learn about ourselves in the presence of another. Like the harmony with the melody, marriage weaves two lives together, creating a deeper and richer song. We are honored that Avery and Faith are sharing some of their beautiful music with us on this day..."

Lucy held Bickslow's hands tightly in her own as they sat in the waiting room at the hospital. "It's okay, Bixy," she whispered gently. "I'm sure they'll be out any minute to tell us how the girls are doing."

Bickslow nodded, his whole body tense. Hell, he'd been tense since he found out from Avery that his daughters were being rushed to the hospital. At this point, he was bordering on a full-blown panic attack. Hours. Fucking hours of sitting around and waiting to hear some semblance of news. Something aside from the pained screams in the rooms around them. "I-I can't take this shit, baby," he said shakily. "Our little g-girls are in there… And… We don't know a damn th-thing…"

Lucy sighed and stood up, then moved so she was standing between Bickslow's spread legs as he sat on the uncomfortable blue chair. His head immediately went to her chest as her arms wrapped around him, and she felt each tremor that wracked his body while he tried to keep himself together. "Everything is gonna be just fine. The doctors here do this all the time."

"That doesn't mean shit to me!" Bickslow whimpered against her chest. "Wendy's not in there with them. Porlyusica's getting too old to make as many trips as she used to… Ever since Gramps died, sh-she's just gone downhill. I can't see their souls through these walls, and I can't hear anything… L-Laxus isn't here yet, or Freed or N-Natsu, and—"

"Bickslow. Baby, you need to breathe," Lucy whispered tenderly. "Seriously, you're gonna pass out if you don't try to calm down. And I know Faith and Hope will want us in there with them as soon as we're allowed." She rubbed slow circles on his upper back, then looked up when she heard several rushed sets of footsteps thundering down the sterile hallway. "The guys are here, Bix," she whispered. "They're all here."

"Bix man," Laxus said as he rushed over to the couple, "I got here as fast as I could. Council bullshit about damages again."

"Are they alright?" Natsu asked worriedly. "Is Iggy in there too?"

"Avery said the girls went in together," Freed added. "He didn't have much time to give me any information."

"Hope was screaming," Natsu whispered as he sat down beside Bickslow, running a hand through his salmon hair that nearly reached his shoulders. "Fuck, I've never seen Igneel so damn scared in my life…"

"Bix, are you alright?" Laxus asked as he took a seat on Bickslow's other side. "Talk to us…"

Bickslow took several deep breaths, nodding quickly as he expelled each one just as slowly as he took it in. His legs started shaking nervously, and he was clutching to his wife like she was the only thing in the world that was keeping him from going on a damn ramage and ripping those doors off of their hinges.

"He says he'll be fine," Lucy said after pressing a kiss to his hair. "He's just worried. Can you guys hear anything?"

After a minute of silence, both Laxus and Natsu shook their heads. "No, the walls are too thick," Laxus said softly.

"What about your missions, guys?" Lucy asked. "Natsu, you and Lis weren't due back for another week."

"Gajeel took Levy and their kids out to finish up for us," Natsu said. "Once we got the call, we got a hold of them. Lis is checking in at the guild before she comes down here."

When Lucy turned to look at Freed, he shook his head. "Elfman and Evergreen told me to just get here as quickly as possible. Cana is still with Gildarts at home."

"Alex is holding down the fort for me," Laxus added with a sigh when Lucy looked to him in silent question. He looked back at Bickslow and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "They're gonna be okay, man."

Bickslow nodded again, then moved his head down to rest on Lucy's stomach. "They'll be just fine," he whispered to himself. "Just fine…" He couldn't bear to even think about what he would do if something went wrong. He wouldn't be able to power his daughters' souls if they needed the extra boost, because he wasn't in there with them. Avery and Igneel were though. "J-Just…" That had to be enough. "Just f-f-fine…"

"Shh," Lucy whispered. "Any minute now, baby. The doctor will come out any minute." They all sat in silence for what felt like hours, and Bickslow's fear-filled tremors finally started to calm down a little when the door that their daughters were behind opened to reveal a doctor in slightly bloodied scrubs.

"Family?" the doctor asked softly.

Bickslow stood to his feet, his blood running cold when he saw the red staining the doctor's clothes. "W-We're…"

"We're the girls' parents," Lucy finished, wrapping an arm around Bickslow's waist when he started to sway slightly. "How are they doing?"

The doctor glanced at the other three men present. "And you?"

Laxus stood to his feet. "Those two are their fathers-in-law, Natsu Dragneel and Freed Justine. I'm their guild master, Laxus Dreyar."

The doctor nodded then gave Bickslow a worried once-over. "Sir, are you alright? You look a little pale."

"Th-That's… Whose blood is…" Bickslow whispered absently.

Lucy looked from the doctor up to her husband, then quickly helped him sit back down. "Breathe, baby. It's okay, just breathe," she whispered, pushing his head down until it touched his knees. She turned to look at the doctor expectantly, then said, "If you don't want my husband to pass out, you might wanna just spit it out already. How are Hope and Faith doing?"

He jolted in surprise, then blanched when he looked at his scrubs. "Oh dear, my apologies. This looks a lot worse than it seems." He gave the group a weak smile, then said, "The one in there with the white hair… He hit his head pretty hard when he fainted."

"Igneel fainted?!" Natsu shouted in surprise.

"How. Are. My. Daughters?" Lucy asked slowly. Honestly, she was ready to start smacking this guy around.

"Right! They're just fine. A little exhausted, as they should be considering how long they were in labor, but there are two extremely healthy boys in there now." He paused and let the happy news sink in, watching as everyone except for the girls' father relaxed. "I must say though," he added after a moment, "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Like what?" Laxus asked while Lucy started getting Bickslow to calm back down and tell him the good news that he had clearly missed.

"Well, it seems they refused to be separated when they were brought in. Faith came in first, but she kept saying her sister would be here soon, and to get a bed ready for her in the room. Only fifteen minutes went by before Hope arrived, and we had to break several hospital policies to allow them to be in the delivery room together." A soft smile graced his lips as he looked at the surprised faces of their parents, the sweet blonde he remembered looking up to at the Grand Magic Games all those years ago, and her husband that was famous for his magic in recent years. "Your daughters held each other's hands throughout their labor. One would push, then the other. Like clockwork. The boys were born at the exact same time."

"When can I see my little girls?" Bickslow whispered. "Fuck, I wanna see them… and my grandbabies…"

"They're being taken to their room right now, sir. Head upstairs to the third floor, and speak with the head nurse at the desk. She'll point you in the right direction."

Bickslow didn't waste any time as he dragged Lucy down the hall. She barely managed to get out a quick word of thanks before she was whisked away, but it didn't really matter to him. He didn't even wait for the elevators, instead throwing open the door to the stairs and having his babies fly them up to the third floor as quickly as possible. They swerved this way and that as they neared the reception desk, and he paused. "Twins. Dragneel and Justine."

The nurse smiled gently at the flustered man, then pointed just down the hall. "Room 314, sir. They're just getting settled."

Lucy quickly thanked the nurse with a smile as Bickslow's totems shot down the hall. She was pulled off of them just as they reached the door, then yanked on Bickslow's hand before he could rip the thing off its hinges in his urgency to see their family. "Bickslow, you need to relax," she said softly, moving to stand in front of him while her arms wound around his waist. "The girls are exhausted, and everything needs to be calm when we go in."

Bickslow nestled his nose in her hair and nodded. "I know, baby. I just wanna see them." She was absolutely right though. He had to get his shit together and not be a total fucking spaz when they went in there. He remembered just how tired Lucy was after she had the girls as though it was only yesterday, and everyone that had come to visit them in the infirmary twenty years ago had been the picture of serenity. He could see the excitement in everyone's eyes back then, but they'd been respectful of Lucy's and the girls' need for rest. Finally, he took a deep breath and kissed the blue streaks in her hair. "Okay, Cosplayer. I'm good. Lets go meet our grandsons, yeah?"

She grinned up at him, sighing softly when his lips brushed over hers. "Yeah, Bixy." She turned and opened the door, then laced her fingers with his as they walked into the room.

The first thing Bickslow saw was that his daughters' beds were pushed together while the beautiful young women his little girls had grown into held their sons. Igneel was sitting in the chair next to Hope, holding an ice pack to his head with one hand while the other tenderly caressed the tiny head of the boy in her arms. Avery was leaning over Faith's bed, looking down at their newborn with love shining in his eyes. A proud smile was plastered on Bickslow's face when all four of them looked up to see who had come in. "So, I heard someone decided to make me a grandpa." Twin pairs of tired smiles answered him, and he slowly walked further into the room with Lucy. She went to Faith's side as he went to Hope's.

"Hey Mommy," Faith whispered. "Meet your grandson, Frances Áspro Justine."

Lucy wiped her tears away while she gazed down at the little boy. "Looks like he's got your eyes, sweetie," she whispered softly. "Is it white like yours?"

Faith nodded happily. "It is. Once he's done trying to tear my boob off, you can hold him."

Lucy laughed softly, then carefully reached forward and lifted one of Faith's hands to her breast where the little boy was trying to get his first meal. "Lemme help you, sweetie. Mira had to show me what to do so it didn't hurt."

"He's so beautiful, Hope," Bickslow whispered while holding the infant in his arms. He didn't care that tears were streaming down his face while he looked at one of his grandsons, and instead focused on the pair of olive green eyes that looked up at him. There weren't any swirls on each corner like his and the twins', but they were still the same shape as Hope's. A triumphant laugh sounded from where Faith was, and a moment of deja vu passed over him when he saw that Lucy was helping their daughter breastfeed her son. His daughters both looked so much like Lucy in that moment, that he had to hand the little one to Igneel.

Hope's eyes widened when Bickslow leaned down and wrapped his arms around her while he cried. "D-Dad?" she whispered softly as she returned the fierce hug. "Is everything okay?"

Bickslow nodded and kissed his daughter's blonde and blue hair. "Yeah, honey. I'm just so damn proud of you two. My little girls are all grown up."

Hope laughed as tears gathered in her eyes, her own grip on her father tightening marginally. "We've been grown up for a while now," she said. "But… We'll never stop being your little girls, Daddy."

Bickslow grinned and kissed the top of her head one more time. "You haven't called me that in years…"

"I might not say it, but you'll always be my Daddy," Hope replied. When there was a soft whimper followed by a slightly louder cry from her son, Hope instantly let go of Bickslow and held her arms out to Igneel. "Mom?"

"Coming sweetie," Lucy said as she wiped her tears away. She pressed a soft kiss to Bickslow's cheek as they switched positions, with him taking her place by Faith's side. "Okay, pull his blanket down so he can feel your skin."

"What's his name?" Bickslow asked Igneel.

A proud grin spread across the white-haired man's face. "Drake Ryder Dragneel."

"That's a pretty damn good name, son," Natsu whispered as he walked into the room, Freed and Laxus entering just behind him. "Mom will be by later on to visit. She said she wants to wait until the girls have had time to sleep."

Freed went to Avery's side and hugged his son, then openly smiled down at Faith and his grandson. "Absolutely perfect, my dear," he whispered. The brilliant smile that met him from Faith was an exact replica of Lucy's, with the exception of her tongue hanging out just like her father's always did, and Freed couldn't suppress his small chuckle. "You two really are just like your parents," he mused softly.

"I feel like I should be offended by that," Hope laughed.

"But, our parents are the best anyone could ask for," Faith finished.

"Alright, I know it's weird," Laxus sighed while shaking his head. "But Mira's gonna beat my ass if I don't do this."

When Faith, Hope, Avery, and Igneel looked at him in confusion, realization dawned on the four new grandparents in the room. Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes. "Time for a picture of the two new families. Mira wants to see the new babies she gets to spoil."

Laxus smirked as Bickslow, Lucy, Freed, and Natsu moved out of the frame. "Alright. One together, then one each," he said softly as he raised the camera. "Say 'Fairy Tail'."

As one, Faith and Hope leaned their heads into their husbands' sides, and all four mages smiled widely. "Fairy Tail!"

Bickslow wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist, and sniffled softly when she leaned back into his chest. His life had changed so much since Lucy had come into it. All those years ago, he never thought he would have this. A gorgeous and caring wife that loved him, two beautiful daughters that were proud to inherit his magic, grandsons that he already knew would grow up to be great and strong men. He had a family again, and it was all because of the radiant woman that someone had decided should be his soulmate. Whoever that person was, they needed a fucking handshake and so much more. "My life is perfect with you, baby. I couldn't have asked for anything better than this."

Lucy smiled as she turned in his arms, looking up at the sheer happiness sitting so openly on her husband's face. He looked so free right then, like every dream he'd ever had finally came true. Maybe that really was the case for Bickslow. "Four generations in one room, Bix," she silently told him.

"Five when I go to get my grandma from her shop tomorrow."

Lucy giggled softly. "We'll have to get a picture of that then. I'll put it right in the middle of all the other ones on the wall at home."

"Sounds good to me, Cosplayer."

~.~

Hours later, Bickslow and Lucy finally left the hospital to go home. They hopped on Bickslow's totems and flew across Magnolia in silence, soft smiles on their faces as they watched the sun setting on the horizon. Neither needed to say anything, not even through their bond. They both felt their matching happiness and contentment, and once they arrived at the home they had built their lives together in, Bickslow led Lucy to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, curling himself around her just like he had done so many times over the years.

"How does it feel to be a grandpa, Bixy?" Lucy whispered while her fingers sifted through his twin mohawks.

"Amazing," Bickslow laughed. "Even better than I'd imagined."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

He slowly moved until his head was resting next to hers on the pillow. "Because there's this hot grandma that I've had my eye on for a while. I think I'm gonna ask her out."

"Oh?" Lucy asked playfully. "Who might she be, Bickslow? Do I need to start carrying Porly's broom around to fend off wrinkly old cougars?"

Bickslow laughed again and shook his head. "No way. You're the only one for me, Lucy. I'm the one that needs the broom. That way I can sweep you off your feet!"

Lucy giggled. "You've been spending too much time with Gildarts," she teased. "That's one of the cheesiest lines yet!"

"You wound me!" Bickslow chuckled, dramatically grasping at his chest. "I can feel my heart breaking with every syllable!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and leaned down, then pressed a tender kiss to the black spot on his chest that was hidden by his shirt. "Does my precious husband need to be healed?" she giggled. "I don't know if I've still got it in me. I am a grandmother now."

Bickslow grinned and rolled Lucy onto her back, then hovered over her while he watched her eyes begin to glow. "Sexiest grandmother ever."

"You're not looking to bad yourself, Grandpa," Lucy replied while her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She sighed softly when he leaned down and started kissing her neck, laving his tongue over every sensitive bit of flesh he came across. "You know, we really should get up and have dinner, Bix."

Bickslow shook his head and kissed across the collar of Lucy's shirt. "I'm skipping dinner and going right to dessert. There's no going back now." When she laughed and rolled her eyes again, he lifted his head and winked. "Looks like I'll be filling up on sweets."

Lucy giggled when he playfully licked her neck down to her shoulder. "Ew," she whined with a wide smile on her face, "Bixy, stop licking me!"

"Never! You're my yummy Cosplayer!" He began lightly sucking on her bared collar bone, a soft moan slipping from him when he felt her hands sliding down his chest to the hem of his shirt. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled back and took his shirt off as quickly as possible before diving back in. And then it happened. Bickslow howled in laughter when Lucy's fingers dug into his sides, wriggling quickly and with expert precision while she effectively tickled him into hysterics. "C-Cosp… Lucy, no!" he laughed.

Lucy squealed and wriggled out from beneath her husband when he moved to start tickling her. She made it halfway out before his fingers found purchase and got their revenge. She writhed and flailed helplessly, forgetting to try and get Bickslow back. "Bix! B-Baby!" Another peal of laughter left her when he moved so he was covering her entirely and his hands slid under her shirt. "Bixy, I'm gonna pee!" When he instantly stopped, she smiled up at him and breathlessly whispered, "Why is it I always forget to say that sooner?"

Bickslow kissed her tenderly, lying down next to the giggling blonde again and running his fingers over the scar on her leg. "Because you love it," he chuckled.

"Maybe," Lucy answered with a shrug, letting her hands dance across the black veins branching out across his chest. "But I love you more."

A wide grin spread across his face. "I love you too, Lucy," he whispered while bringing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. As his lips continued moving slowly over hers, with his arms wrapping around the slim waist he'd always loved holding and his hands slowly gliding over her back, Bickslow felt his heart swell with more happiness than he'd ever known possible. Lucy was everything he needed and more, and he couldn't even imagine what his life would have been like if it hadn't been for her. She was the light in his soul, the one that would always be able to bring him back from the pits of his own despair. He understood completely why that book had said that Celestial mages with golden souls were 'Angels'… Lucy had saved him countless times, and had become his own guardian angel. He owed the beautiful woman in his arms so much, and he was willing to spend the rest of his life repaying her for it. Lucy was everything to him, and he decided in that moment that his magic maybe wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Wrinkled eyelids opened slowly, revealing grey irises that were shining with happy tears. They slowly spilled over, trickling down her aged face as her lips pulled up into a wide smile. She lifted a shaky hand and wiped her tears away, then reached down into the crib just in front of her.

The baby's blue and black hair had hardly grown, and his cheeks were still rounded from youth. Carefully, making sure she didn't wake the boy who had been born only a week before, the old woman pulled a platinum ring from the pocket of her dress. Her thumb brushed lightly over the ruby and diamonds, then down to the star that was surrounded by filigree etchings. As she placed the ring on the dresser next to the crib, the pale moonlight shining in from the window drew her attention to the inscription etched into the band.

"For Bickslow's Soulmate, Lucy."

She looked back down at the sleeping boy, brushing her fingers over his cheeks again. 'None of it has happened yet,' she thought. Even though she would rather Bickslow didn't experience any pain in his life, she knew the result would be worth it. Her precious grandson would have a woman who loves him no matter what, two beautiful daughters that should have only been one, and two grandsons. He would have a family again. A whole group of people that would eventually accept him for who he truly is, and not what they see based on his magic, eyes, or those marks on him. He would grow into a handsome man, a loving husband, and a caring father. 'It's only a pity that I'll never get to meet Lucy for myself. I would have loved to just give her a hug and thank her for being the woman he'll need. For someone to fight against even death to return to their love… that is something truly magical.'

She leaned down and kissed the empty space between his eyebrows, where the first mark of his magic would eventually appear, and whispered, "Lucy will always be there for you, my dear Bickslow. She'll give you faith and hope when it seems impossible. Never forget that..."

She smiled down at him one last time, then turned and walked out of the room. As the door closed behind her, bathing the modest crib in darkness again, she wiped a tear from her eyes. She would never see him again in this life, but she had no regrets. Her final moments in this world would be spent thinking about the young boy with a future filled with ups and downs, and how she had been able to see him one last time as he rested his sweet brown eyes.

.The End.

I'd like to thank each and every one of you for reading this story. Nearly a year after the first posting, and it's finally complete! I have no words for the amount of thanks I owe all of you. You, my dear readers, have given me the confidence to continue writing. You inspire me when I hit a blockade in my stories. Your reviews give me insight into new and interesting perspectives that I hadn't already considered. This story started out as me trying to find my own voice in regards to writing, but now that it's coming to a close I've come to realize something. This story is for you. All of you. I'm dedicating it to each and every person that takes the time to read this, because without all of you… I never would have had the courage to keep posting my work.

Thank you all so much for being who you are, and for everything you've done for me. I can only hope that, as I continue writing, you all will continue reading my stories.

Now, I know that I've told several of you that this epilogue wouldn't be posted until Poison Fairy was at a point I was comfortable with. I just can't keep this from you guys though. It will be a little while before Poison Fairy does finally get posted, a couple weeks I think, but rest assured that I will be working diligently to bring you all new chapters for each of my ongoing stories.

Also, I'd like to let you all know that LittlePrincessNana and I have decided that we're creating a BixLu week. As soon as we have the details on prompts, I'll be sure to add it to my Author's Notes for each chapter I post on my stories.

Speaking of which…

Don't forget!

~MidLu Week, October 2015~

LittlePrincessNana and I have decided that it's high time Midnight gets some love. So, we've created MidLu Week. The dates are from October 25, 2015 - October 31, 2015. And here are the prompts:

Day 1: Birthday

Day 2: Clock

Day 3: Pin-Up

Day 4: Copy

Day 5: Silence

Day 6: Makeup

Day 7: Halloween

There was such a great turnout for CoLu week (hosted by Dragon'sHost and Eien ni Touko) that we wanted to see if we could get the same affection for our favorite Narcoleptic Reflector mage. So, get those fingers to the keyboard and get to work! I know I'm extremely excited to see what you all write!

So! Review, Follow, Favorite! I love you, guys!

~~GemNika.

THIS STORY IS OFFICIALLY COMPLETE!