Chapter 14

Lucy stepped off the train, butterflies in her stomach, and heart beating fast in anticipation. The station was as she had remembered it, the people bustling, the white pavement, the familiar atmosphere of Magnolia… She clenched Shunko's hand tighter.

"What if they don't accept me back?"

It was more of a rhetorical question, but it showed her feelings nevertheless. A hand patted her shoulders and Lucy turned to see Natsu giving her a smile.

"It will be fine. Everyone missed you." He reassured her. He seemed to want to say more but his face suddenly turned green and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Ahh, hard, solid, ground." He muttered gratefully, face still green. Lucy giggled and looked at Shunko who was laughing outright at his father suffering from the after-effects of motion sickness. Shunko fortunately, did not inherit his father's weakness of moving objects. When Natsu had complained that it was unfair he suffered alone, Lucy only retorted that it was better to have one sick person on a train than two. Shunko, for his part, only smiled at his parent's exchange.

"Shunko, want to help me carry this big idiot off before he causes a scene?" Lucy asked as she lifted Natsu on one side. Shunko grinned and nodded exuberantly at his mother before going to Natsu's other side and lifting his arm, though due to his height, it was really just Natsu holding to his hand.

"Papa looks funny all green." He cheerfully commented. Natsu blushed at his statement. Ever since Shunko had been told that Natsu was his father, the child had immediately started calling him "Papa". Every time since he had heard the endearment, Natsu and flushed and smiled idiotically at his son.

"Yosh! First things first. We gotta find a place to stay." Lucy announced.

"Huh?" Natsu turned his head to look at her.

At his incredulous look, Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Wow Natsu, did you really expect the landlady to keep my apartment for me after I told her I was moving out?"

Natsu fell silent and paused in his steps before giving her a serious look.

"Luce, you can stay with me." He stated.

"Ehh?!But I don't want to impose. I mean, I'm sure finding out about Shunko was a shock, and to have you accommodate us, besides, what about Happy? And speaking of that why haven't I seen him? I'm sure this is really sudden. I-I really don't think – "

"Luce." Natsu cut her off exasperatedly. "You are the mother of my child, and Shunko is my son. You are staying with me, and that's final. I have done more than enough S-class missions looking for you these years. And last time I checked, Happy was living with Charla so don't worry about anything and just come with me." He finished.

"You are an S-class mage now ne?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah. The year after you left, I became an S - class mage in order to do more quest around and look for you."

"Congratulations Natsu." Lucy whispered. She was genuinely happy for him, but the changes he had mentioned only increased he anxiety of the changed circumstances. Friends she hadn't seen for years… will they still be the same? Could she still go back?

Picking up on her conflicting feelings, Natsu shifted his weight off her and patted his stomach.

"Well, before we head back to our house, wanna grab some grub?" He asked cheerfully. Lucy blushed when he said "our house" and nodded at his question.

"Food! Fire!" Shunko chanted happily.

The trio walked to one of the bustling restaurants along the train station.

"Lots of meat and Fire Whiskey please!" Natsu shouted when they sat down.

"Also add a big salad with a side of fries and chicken strips to that and two orange juice!" Lucy added quickly.

"Coming right up." A waitress walked towards them and settled down the cups of water. "Your food should arrive in 10 minutes. I'll go get your drinks right now." She informed them. Lucy thanked her while Natsu and Shunko commenced a mock battle using their forks and knives.

"Geez, sometimes I wonder if I have two kids instead of one." Lucy rolled her eyes at their antics. Natsu and Shunko shot her identical goofy grins in response.

The waitress arrived promptly with their food. Natsu immediately began digging into his plate while Lucy neatly ate her salad. Shunko, much like his father, also dug into his basket of fries and chicken strips.

"Shunko, table manners!" Lucy admonished. Shunko paused in the middle of chewing a chicken strip. He gave his mother a sheepish look and carefully put down his chicken strip before wiping his face and picking up his utensils to cut the chicken strip into smaller pieces before eating them sulkily. Natsu stared at the scene, his mouth wide open and face aghast.

"But Luce, you are supposed to be using your fingers when you eat chicken strips and fries. Forks are for other stuff, Shunko's a kid, let him be one."

"Well Natsu, I'm surprised that you even know the existence of a fork, seeing that you never use one." Lucy shot back. Natsu gave her an offended look.

"Well Luce," he mimicked, "I don't need one because I'm a dragonslayer." He sat back and crossed his arms, completely satisfied with his answer. Lucy just raised an eyebrow.

"Because you are a dragonslayer? Really Natsu? Being a dragonslayer does not mean you should have horrid eating habits."

"I do not have horrid eating habits!"

Lucy looked at their table, which was now piled with multiple plates of meat with scraps across the surface, and looked back at Natsu. Seeing the projector of her glance, Natsu pouted.

"I still think that Shunko should be able to eat like a normal kid." He mumbled.

"Eating with forks is considered normal, and that's how I have taught him these past three years."

"But you aren't supposed to eat them like that."

"This is getting ridiculous Natsu, I don't know why you are making such a big deal out of this. I was the one who raised him, and I was the one who taught him table manners so when I say he is going to use utensils, he is going to use them." Lucy retorted briskly.

"You were only able to do that because you ran away!" Natsu yelled.

Lucy flinched. The argument was no longer just about table manners.

"Don't you dare presume my thoughts and feelings at that time." She seethed. "Tell me Natsu, do you even remember that night?"

" I –"

He was silent. Because the truth was, there were still many unanswered questions in the air. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to remember it.

"Look Luce, if you want to talk about it …" He trailed off uncomfortably.

Lucy sighed. "You know what, It's fine. Let's just finish up our meals and head home."

She began eating in silence. Natsu fell silent along with her, staring at her from the other side of the table. Shunko who had watched his parents' with wide fearful eyes clutched at Lucy's arm in an attempt to reassure his upset mother. He couldn't follow most of their conversation, but he knew that his mother was currently very sad so he offered his support.

They finished their meal in silence, and not a word was exchanged as they walked to Natsu's home.

"Ah, here it is," Natsu commented as they arrived.

The small house was situated right outside of Magnolia. The walls were made of stone and the thatched roof sat like a yellow hat atop the house. One chimney poked out from the side, and the wooden door swung open with ease.

"Home sweet home," Natsu muttered as he walked in. Lucy glanced around. The place was relatively tidy compared to what she had in mind when she thought of Natsu's house. The living room had a sofa with a blanket carelessly thrown over it. It was connected to the dining room, which situated a small circular table with four chairs around it. The furniture was a set of mismatched pieces, probably collected from missions or replaced after being broken so many time. Inwardly, Lucy thought that was just like Natsu. The overall kitchen design was efficient and neat. Like the furniture, there was a mismatch of plates, bowls, and utensils and surprisingly, there were no dishes in the sink. It gave off a completely Natsu feeling that was warm and welcoming.

"Follow me, I will show you your room." Natsu murmured as he walked down the hall. Lucy and Shunko followed suit, examining the house as they went. It was small but big enough for their small family. There was a bathroom/laundry room at the end of the hall and a guest and master's bedroom. Lucy and Shunko stayed in the guest room and Natsu's room was right across the hall from them.

As Lucy and Shunko started unpacking their stuff Natsu tapped lightly on the door.

"So do you still want to go to the guild later today?" He asked tentatively.

Lucy was silent as she absentmindedly arranged her things. Shunko tugged at the hem of her shirt.

"Mama?" Lucy looked down at her son and patted his head gently. Turning to Natsu, she gave a silent nod.

"I'll be ready in a few minutes." She replied.

The afternoon sun casted a warm glow on the familiar stone pavement leading to the guild. Natsu walked by Lucy who was wearing a hooded cloak as Shunko ran around them. Butterflies erupted in her stomach and her heartbeat increased as the trio neared the building Lucy considered another home. Sensing her nervousness, Natsu paused and turned towards her, pulling down her hood and allowing the sunlight to shine on them. Gently tapping their foreheads together, Natsu whispered, "It' going to be alright Luce." Natsu grasped her hand in his and gave her a reassuring squeeze, their earlier argument was forgotten. Lucy took a deep breath as she allowed Natsu to lead her to the great wooden doors, Shunko in tow with them.

"Hey everyone! I'm back!" Natsu yelled.

Many heads turned at Natsu's announcement. It was rare for the dragonslayer to sound so energetic when he returned. In fact, no one had heard this particular cheerful tone since Lucy left. The light from the doors temporarily blinded everyone in the darkened guild, and many squinted at the form of the dragonslayer walking in.

Not a second later, many had also noticed that Natsu was holding onto someone else's hand and dragging a second, more reluctant form into the guild. As everyone adjusted to the afternoon light filtering through the big opening of the doors, old members began to tear up as they recognized the shade of blond on the second figure's head.

"LLLllluuuuccccyyyyy!"

A blue mini tornado shot through the air towards the girl, and Lucy found herself covered by cat tears as Happy cried on her, giving her a hug. Immediate uproar surrounded them as the whole guild came to greet their long gone member. And overwhelmingly positive and happy atmosphere surrounded the duo as they walked through the guild.

Lucy cried at the warm reception. She cried because her guild, her family was so accepting of her even though she had left without a word. She cried because they were so warm and kind and Lucy could not imagine ever leaving them again. She cried because she was just so grateful to have another chance. A few of the newer member tried asking questions about her disappearance in the first place, but they were quickly silenced by the older members who wished for the happy atmosphere to last as long as possible. Questions could come later, but currently, one of their family has returned, and it was something worth celebrating.

Amongst the crowd, Lucy saw some of her closest friends. Levy gave her a tight hug, also crying as the petite girl made Lucy promise to tell her about all her adventures later. Gajeel gave her a slap on the back with a "Welcome back bunny girl." Wendy and Charla similarly gave their greetings, expressing their relief at her good health. As Lucy greeted everyone, Natsu always remained nearby. In this fashion, the duo made their way to the bar where Mirajane ran out and gave Lucy a tight squeeze.

"Welcome back Lucy." The white hair mage smiled at the younger girl. Her sister, Lisanna who was also helping out in the back kitchen came out to see what the commotion was. Upon spotting Lucy, she dropped the plate she was holding as she stared in shock. However, no one noticed this except a certain pair of eyes as the short haired takeover mage quickly cleaned up the mess she made.

As Lucy talked with the other members of the guild, she noticed a certain pair of mages were missing from the sea of faces. Turning to Natsu, she asked, "Where's Gray and Erza?" The dragonslayer stiffened, but gave a strained grin and shrugged. "Ah, well, they are usually off doing their own thing. Better as Mira." Frowning at his vague answer, Lucy waved to Mira and repeated her answer.

"Ah, Gray and Erza, I believe they are doing a small quest in the Northern Mountains. They went out a few days again and should be back by tonight. In fact, they should arrive anytime." As if on cue, the guild doors slammed open for the second time and another two figure waltzed in. Erza was wearing her normal armor while Gray had stripped off his shirt.

As the two walked in, they paused, confused by the rowdy and cheerful atmosphere of the guild. Spotting the crowd by the bar, Erza began walking swiftly towards the crowd to ask some questions when she saw a very familiar face in the middle of the crowd. Immediately, she released a death aura, quickly making the members scramble away and allowing her a clear path to the face she had spotted. Gray, who was in the back, saw the same thing a few seconds later, and he gaped at the sight.

"It can't be …"

Lucy sweat dropped as she saw both Gray and Erza speeding towards her. One's expression was fairly amicable, though more disbelieving, while the other was nothing short of murderous. Taking a small step back Lucy raised her hands in a surrender pose.

"Hey guys I can explain …"

His explanation was cut off short as she was engulfed in a bone crushing hug by both figures.

"Don't you dare do that again." Erza muttered.

"The next time you do this, we are hunting you down, letter or not," Gray added.

Lucy nodded in their embrace, allowing herself to once again be relaxed in her teammate's presence. The three stayed together for a while, no words were exchanged, each was reaffirming that the other was alright, and was safe. As their group hug broke up, Erza stared at Natsu before huffing and giving him a small smile.

"At least you didn't mess this one up." She commented.

"I guess flame brains got enough intelligence to do this," Gray smirked.

Natsu immediately made an indignant noise and was about to defend himself when a huge booming voice resounded throughout the guild.

"CHILDREN."

A small form dropped from the second balcony and the guild master neatly landed on the countertop of the bar. Walking to face the returning member, Master Makarov gave Lucy a warm smile.

"Have you finished thinking, dear child?" he asked gently.

Lucy nodded and gave the old man a low bow. "Master, thank you so much for allowing me to go and come back. I don't know how I could ever repay the chance you have given me."

The master laughed heartily. "No need to be so formal. You are family, no matter where you are, or who you are. But now that you are back, I think we should make it official once again, don't you?" He asked, motioning for her hand. Wiping the tears off her face, Lucy gave a big smile as she extended her hand. Taking the stamp from Mirajane, Master Makarov took her hand and once again stamped the pink Fairy Tail logo on.

"Welcome back child." He greeted. As he looked amongst the faces of all the members, a mischievous light shined in his eyes. "Now, I do believe we are expecting a new member too Lucy?" he whispered. The other mages murmured in confusion at their guild master's cryptic sentence, but both Natsu and Lucy blushed profusely.

"Now, master?" Lucy asked meekly.

"Now." The old man nodded his head in a grave manner in response.

Giving a small sigh, Lucy nudged at a bump hidden in her cloak. In the confusion and chaos of the initial greeting, no one had noticed that Lucy had a rather irregular shaped short bump behind her.

"Shunko, come on out. It's okay." She murmured.

A ruffle of peach hair and two curious though shy dark eyes peered out. Lucy smiled and adjusted her cloak so that all of Shunko was out before lifting him up to a counter chair.

"Master, please meet Shunko, my son."

The master grinned at the child. "Nice to meet you child, I'm the guild master of Fairy Tail. You can call me gramps." Shunko smiled shyly at the old man and gave a quick wave.

Meanwhile, the rest of the guild that was rather slow on the uptake finally finished processing what they heard, and what they were seeing.

"YOUR WHAT!?" the guild exclaimed.

"My son?" Lucy replied, not seeing what the big deal was.

"Ohmygosh Lu-chan! Why didn't you tell us sooner! He is so cute!"

"His cheeks are so chubby!"

"What magic does he use?"

"Who's the father?"

Silence.

A/N: Yes I am back. Sorry for the delay, I was kind of lost for a while on where to go after they reunited. (I generally don't plan my stories they just happen) Anyways, Happy reading, please R&R

IMPORTANT:The story that I am currently working on, out of my other ongoing fanfics can now be found on my profile. So if any of you are getting antsy on when the next chapter is going out, you can check my profile to see if I'm working on it or not.