AN: I'd like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I realize the last two chapters were rushed, but they were supposed to be only a slight continuation of the events after Natsu and Happy left. Also, I'm more used to writing academic papers than fiction, so bear with me. msc22645 asked for an update, so I decided to write a little bit of an epilogue. Thanks again! 3

Natsu couldn't put Nashi down. She was so small that he was afraid to break her, so he just stood there, like stone, unmoving and unblinking, in the middle of the guild. He stood there for what seemed like hours. It was actually less than a minute. The spell started to break when he heard Lucy giggle.

"Natsu, she's a baby, not a glass doll. She won't break if you move," Lucy chided gently.

"But she's so small," Natsu whispered back, "so tiny. Look at her tiny little hands! And her tiny little face! How am I supposed to -"

"Natsu," Lucy firmly interrupted, "it's ok. Here, you hold her like this. See, now she can hold your finger."

Sure enough, as soon as Nashi was positioned comfortably and securely in the crook of Natsu's arm, his free hand was able to come up to the infant's face and gently stroke her cheek. Nashi babled and drooled a little, and, when Natsu went to pull his hand back, she grasped his finger in a firm grip.

"She's strong," he said, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Yeah," Lucy replied, "just like her daddy."

For the first time since the baby had been placed into his arms, Natsu looked up. His eyes caught Lucy's, and he wondered how he could have stayed away so long. The look in his eyes said everything he couldn't put into words. I love you so much. You are so beautiful. She is perfect, just like you. I will never leave again.

Lucy's eyes widened slightly, overwhelmed by the emotion reflected back at her. She blinked, then smiled. Natsu leaned down and kissed her firmly, if less passionately than he was originally planning. The guild erupted in cheers, breaking the couple from their reverie. Nashi was carefully taken from Natsu, and put into a bassinet that he hadn't noticed before. With his daughter safely secure, the fire dragonslayer, pulled his lover, the mother of his child, his mate, into the most passionate, pure kiss that he could, one had on her lower back, pressing her against his chest, and the other gently cupping her face.

Lucy kissed him back with just as much vigor. She had begun to forget his touch, and, oh dear god did she need the reminder. One of her hand tangled in his hair, while the other skimmed under his arm, down his spine, and cupped his ass. He tried to break away when she squeezed, but she used the hand in his hair to pull him back.

"You were gone for almost a year," Lucy growled, "if I want to grope your ass, I'm damn well gonna."

Natsu couldn't argue if he wanted to, especially since his had had slipped down to cup Lucy's own bottom in surprise when he felt the pressure on his.

"Gihihi!"

"Get a room you idiots!"

"Go Natsu!"

"Lucy," Mira called, "if you want, I can watch Nashi for a few hours tonight."

With that, Natsu swept Lucy up in his arms, and bolted out the door. He came back several hours later to pick up Nashi. The next few days were spent with his new family. The next few years were spent trying to expand it. Natsu and Lucy spent many happy years together, their house was full of love, and they never spent more than a day apart, for the rest of their lives.

The End.