What's this? The update of the final chapter?! *GASP* This is the last chapter I have planned. Sorry it took so long! If I get sudden, amazing inspiration for another part, then I'll add it, but I'm honestly gonna focus on other stuff I feel like writing. Mostly oneshots, to be honest.

As always, many thanks for my beta, C.K. and to my readers for showing so much love and support for this story!

Her side of the bed was still empty when Bickslow woke up. Late last night he had crawled in through her window, as was the Fairy Tail tradition, hoping she'd be back from the mission with her team. Alas, the apartment was dark and cold.

Even though the two of them usually hung out at his place, as it rarely had a Dragonslayer sniffing about, Lucy had offered her own home to him in case of emergency. He had woken up in a cold sweat from a nightmare and coming here, surrounding himself with traces of her spirit, soothed him enough to get through the rest of the night.

Groaning as a beam of light spread across his face, Bickslow grabbed the puffy pink comforter and pulled it over his head. He pressed his nose into the soft pillow, breathing in the scent of strawberry lemonade. Rolled onto his side, legs slightly bent in order to fit his large frame on the bed, the Seith mage floated on the edge of consciousness when a door slamming shut jolted him awake.

Lucy was torn between her desire to burst into tears and to punch something when she arrived home. If she was surprised to see a line of wooden totems on her desk and a mop of blue hair peeking out from her covers, then she didn't show it. After chucking her backpack onto the couch and placing her ring of Celestial Spirit keys next to Puppu, the blonde mage made her way to the bed, shedding her clothes as she went. She was down to her underwear when she crawled between the warm fabrics and wrapped her arms around the surprise, but not unwelcome, guest.

Bickslow pulled her closer to his bare chest.

"Bad mission?" he asked, nuzzling his face into her hair. Her hold on him tightened, and their legs tangled together.

"I don't want to talk about it," she growled. He could feel her trembling against him, but even after the last couple weeks of forgetting with each other, he didn't have the right to nose in where she didn't want him.

So they laid there in silence, curled up in the other's warmth.

"I miss her," Lucy finally whispered. Bickslow felt warm tears dampening the skin where she smothered her face. Despite being a major contributing factor to bringing them together, the two mages rarely chose to discuss their pain. They always told each other their problems as opposed to speaking with their other friends, but the basis of their relationship was a little bit of wallowing mixed with a whole lot of ignoring. "It was a water monster. And they just kept yelling and yelling." Her fists clenched until her knuckles turned white. "Telling me to summon her, and I couldn't, and I couldn't tell them why!"

"What happened?" he prompted when she fell silent.

"I ran away." Lucy shoved him far enough away to create space to turn over to hide her face. "It was pathetic," she bit out angrily into her pillow. "Middle of a fight, and I ran. I just couldn't breathe, and my hands started shaking. It was like everything was closing in on me, and I couldn't think straight." She covered her teary eyes with her hand and curled into a ball.

Shifting over, Bickslow pressed close to her back and tossed an arm over her waist. Now that had cried and yelled most of her anger out, she'd be more receptive to him.

"It's not pathetic," he assured. "You were having a panic attack. Happened to me a few times when I was younger."

"R-really?" Sniffling, she arched back into his embrace, letting him provide his comfort.

"Yeah. They suck." A short bark of surprised laughter escaped her, forcing her frown into a tiny smile at the oversimplification.

"They really do," she agreed.

"Your hair looks awful, by the way." Lucy gasped indignantly and looked over her shoulder at her grinning companion.

"I just got back from a mission. What's your excuse?" she snarked. Clapping a hand to his chest in mock pain, the blue/black haired man sat up, allowing the comforter to fall around his waist.

"So cruel and here I was gonna offer to make you breakfast."

"It's lunchtime, idiot."

"First meal of the day is breakfast. Now," he pulled back the covers and lightly smacked her ass, "go take a shower." With his long limbs, Bickslow easily crawled over her. Pausing only to pull his discarded pants over his black boxers, he gave Lucy an expectant look until she gave him an irritated groan and sluggishly got out of her warm, comfy bed.

There was a stiffness in her shoulders that Bickslow knew wasn't from physical exhaustion. A quick look through shimmering green Seith eyes showed that the black flickers were minute, probably because he'd managed to calm her down, but the fact that they were still there at all set his mouth in a hard line. Walking to her bathroom, Lucy stripped off her underwear as she went, pausing only to stick her tongue out at her guest in a brief show of pettiness, before closing the door behind her.

As soon as he heard the shower start, Bickslow headed over to make good on his promise of breakfast, something he's been getting better at despite his tasting disability. Despite his occasional visits, the layout of the Celestial mage's kitchen wasn't something Bickslow was inherently familiar with so he had to resort to opening every drawer and cabinet before he could find everything he needed. It was well stocked, surprising since he was well aware of her team's habit of breaking in and helping themselves, but he stopped searching after opening one of the cabinets that hung above her stove.

It wasn't one that Lucy would be able to reach easily, so Bickslow hadn't expected to find anything in there, but on the highest shelf within was a wooden box. Curiosity always getting the better of him, he reached a long arm up and still barely reached far enough to slide it to the edge where he could grab it.

The very familiar wooden box felt cold in his hands. The sound of Lucy in the shower faded into the background of his mind while he lifted the lid open. Inside were two silver keys, just as they'd been when he gave them to her weeks ago. Honestly, he had never given them a second thought after finally remembering to give them to the Celestial mage, and she never mentioned the keys to him, not even what they were like or their abilities in battle. Granted, aside from their first night together, deep conversations weren't common between them. Normal conversation wasn't that common, either, to be honest, but an update on her new keys may have been expected.

The bigger question is why were they on an unreachable shelf in her kitchen. Bickslow didn't know how long he stood leaning against her counter cradling that open box, but when he looked up there was a curvy woman wearing a pink towel, blond hair darkened from water, and brown eyes lit with horror. The Seith mage gestured his gift towards her.

"Lucy, what is this doing here?" There was the slightest flinch in her expression in acknowledgement of how serious he was, both in tone and the use of her actual name. Bare feet padded against the floor and soft hands snatched the box, slammed it shut, and set it on the counter.

"It's nothing to worry about," she assured, placing a hand against the warm skin of his chest. Tilting her head to look at him, Lucy forced a smile. He frowned in return. "Now, why don't we do something a little more fun?" Her hand slid down his chest, lightly scraping her nails against the flesh, while the other curled into the blue hair at the nape of his neck. Lucy pulled him down for a bruising kiss, growling in irritation when Bickslow didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed her hands and pulled away.

"This isn't something you can just avoid," he said, narrowing his eyes. Lucy rolled her eyes, stepping closer until her breasts pressed against him. Wrapping her arms around Bickslow's shoulders, her mouth stopped inches from his own.

"Of course it is." When she went for another kiss, the elder mage turned his head, so she settled for planting soft kisses across his jaw and down his neck. Bickslow grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away to hold her at arm's-length.

"Talk to me, Lucy!"

"That isn't what we do, Bickslow," she huffed, angrily, unhooking her towel and letting it drop around her feet to convince him to see things her way. He forced his gaze to stay on her face.

"Well maybe it should be!" They both fell silent and froze in the face of the his confession. Lucy's breath hitched, and she turned her head away.

Said in the heat of the moment, Bickslow begged Mavis to let him take back his words as his sometimes-lover picked up her damp towel off the floor and walked to her room without a word. For once, watching her naked backside sway as she walked away didn't make Bickslow smile. Instead he covered his face with his hands and groaned.

Sparing a glance at the catalyst of his irritation, the Seith mage continued on his original mission to cook food for the both of them while Lucy calmed down. While pieces of french toast sizzled on the stove, he tossed away eggshells and put away ingredients, leaving out the cinnamon to dash a little extra on the cooking bread. After checking to make sure nothing was burning and flipping over the slices, plates were fetched and mugs filled with hot coffee, each with sugar and his lightened to a pale cocoa with cream.

It was quick and easy to prepare the plates once everything was completed. Cut up strawberries were discovered within the bottom shelf of her fridge and a drizzle of syrup topped off the final presentation. Bickslow loved making french toast for Lucy, because he only had to mix a few ingredients and then cook it. Even with his dulled sense of taste, it was something even he couldn't screw up. Bickslow slowly opened the bedroom door and saw that the kind Celestial mage had crawled back into bed with the covers pulled high over her head.

A quick pulse of magic activated the five wooden totems still resting on the desk. Quickly giving a silent order to stay quiet, when their eyes glowed green, his babies lifted into the air and floated over to him. They passed through the crack in the doorway above his head and circled each other in the kitchen.

The childish souls happily helped their mage carry breakfast, balancing dishes on their heads. Bickslow stepped over a damp, discarded towel on the floor and sat at the edge of the bed, down by Lucy's knees. A heavy hand gently fell on her covered thigh.

"Hey, Lucy," he whispered. "I made you something." The hidden figure barely shifted, the comforter clutched tighter by her head. Mouth set in a frown, red eyes peered out to see five pairs of green eyes looking back. Pippi hovered over to the person-shaped lump, trying to temp Lucy with the smell of warm food coming from the plate the soul was carrying. Bickslow heard a faint grumbling sound. "Please?"

Slowly the covers inched down and misty brown eyes appeared, however she made no other movement to come out of her hiding spot. Painful silence grew between them. Making a quick decision, hoping he wouldn't regret this one, he asked the babies to drop breakfast along the foot of the bed. There were only minor splatters as the plates hit the surface, but Bickslow would admit that telling Pappa and Peppe to also put down the cups of hot coffee lacked foresight.

In his haste to grab the mugs before they spilled out onto the comforter, which he only half-succeeded in since a brown stain now soaked the corner, Bickslow didn't think about the ramifications of touching the burning ceramic cups. The shock of heat caused him to accidentally fling them away. He flinched when he heard them break against the floor. As his red eyes narrowed at the puddle spreading out on the floor, he felt instead of saw the burning gaze pointed at the back of his head.

The babies had begun apologizing, but the sincerity was lost amongst their giggles. Babies, go play with Freed for a couple of hours, Bickslow said to the souls. Poppo is in charge. Said totem began cackling, eyes glowing a little brighter, and led his companions out the open window to bother the unfortunate and unsuspecting Rune mage.

Leaving Lucy alone for a few minutes, Bickslow set about cleaning up the mess, silently thanking Mavis that the floor wasn't carpet. He could feel her eyes watching him as he mopped up the spill with a damp towel, but after he had left to rinse it out in the kitchen sink and returned, the blonde had turned over and cocooned herself back within her sheets. The breakfast plates remained untouched at the foot of the bed.

Holding back a sigh, Bickslow took the plates back into the kitchen. There would be no getting her to eat until she felt better. Setting them on the counter for now, the Seith mage picked up the wooden box with the two silver keys and brought it with him as he went to sit on the edge of Lucy's bed.

"Do you want to talk to me?" he asked, holding back an irritated groan when the covers shifted to cover her even more. "Will you at least tell if there's something wrong with the keys?"

The comforter moved again, but this time it seemed like she was releasing them from the clutching claws he knew she had gripped them in. It was hard to be patient, however Bickslow was rewarded when blonde hair appeared and then her eyes, but her face still looked the other way.

"It's not them," she muttered.

"Then what's wrong?"

"They're not the problem." Lucy finally rolled over and showed him her wet eyes and red cheeks. "I am."

"There's nothing wrong with you, Cosplayer," he assured, hands twitching from the want to hold her.

"I'm not good enough." The blonde shook her head and pressed a fist to her mouth. "The Ursa keys deserve a better Celestial mage."

"What about your other spirits?" Bickslow asked, refraining from running an exasperated hand down his face.

"I'm too selfish to let them go, but I won't trap another spirit to suffer with me." As she mumbled angrily, Lucy's brown eyes hardened.

"You can't just never make another spiritual contract," the Seith mage told her, narrowing his eyes. It didn't matter how much he liked her or how good she looked with the sunlight making her golden hair shine, he wasn't going to let her act like a brash idiot.

"Why can't I?" she yelled suddenly sitting up. For a brief moment Bickslow was thankful that she had pulled on a tank top, the pale orange fabric creating a barrier to help keep his focus in check. "You never took another soul!"

"That's different!"

"Why?"

"Because no one had to die for your magic!" he snapped, hands white knuckling the wooden case situated on his lap. A furious red mottled his face along with disbelief that she would try to use his babies against him. Tense silence descended around them. The blonde woman's eyes widened as if she also couldn't believe that she had dared to compare her spirits to his souls.

Moving slowly to give him time to refuse, Lucy wrapped her arms around his chest from behind and pressed her cheek against his back. Even though his body tensed at first, she was relieved when the muscles slowly relaxed and let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" she started to say until he cut her off.

"You were angry."

"That doesn't make it okay."

"I say it's okay," he insisted, but his tense tone made it clear that he was still fuming. A lot of members in the guild, Lucy noticed, assumed that Bickslow never got angry. In their defense, he rarely was, but it was more that it took a lot to push him to that point and then he was usually quick to cool off.

Negative comments regarding his childish souls ranked number one on his shit list. Someone could badmouth Lucy or the Thunder Legion or even Laxus if they wanted to. Bickslow would get mad and defend his friends, but he also knew they were all strong mages capable of defending their own pride. His babies either couldn't or wouldn't.

They had died at an age where subtlety was an imaginary concept and unless things were spelled out simply, they weren't likely to fully understand. To gleefully insult Pappa, Peppe, Pippi, Poppo, and Puppu was to be rude to Bickslow's childhood friends, to dead children. To then laugh afterwards when they don't realize they're being insulted, is to cross one of the only lines that the Seith mage has.

"I was disrespectful to your magic and to the babies," Lucy said, shame coloring her cheeks. "I've also been acting like a brat when you were only trying to help."

His chest heaved a heavy sigh, but after a moment, Bickslow moved a hand back to land on her covered leg.

"You're always a brat," he joked, his voice thick as he weakly attempted to lighten the air between them. Instead of a mock offended chuckle, Lucy remained silent, giving him the chance to speak up about what was bothering him. He sighed again and admitted, "There are sometimes that I hate my magic."

That he hated himself.

"It's just," Bickslow groaned, covering his face with his large hand, "I love my souls. They're my friends. My family. And I don't know what I'd do without them."

Lucy's breath caught when his torso shook. She pulled back enough to slip under his arm and witness his face shatter. Her cheek pressed against his rigid shoulder.

"I just wish they hadn't had to die," he said quietly, his voice even despite the pain that clenched his jaw and wrinkled his brow.

"They love you, Bickslow," she responded, squeezing her arms tighter around him. As rare as an angry Bickslow was, a broken Bickslow was even more so, and she knew how much it meant that he was willing to show this type of vulnerability to her.

"And your spirits love you, Lucy." A wooden box was held out to her. Lucy stared at it before unwrapping an arm to take it, balancing it on her leg. Keeping herself pressed against the Seith mage, trying to ignore her thumping heart, the blonde opened the case and let herself touch the silver keys for the first time. A slender index finger traced along the smooth metal that hummed with magical energy.

They were warm, and she couldn't believe that she had let herself shut them away for so long. Crystalline tears swelled in the corners of her honey brown eyes, but it wasn't sadness the shone through when she met the red gaze of her companion.

Bickslow returned her hesitant smile with one of his own. Proper contract summoning etiquette, taught to her by her mother, made her stand after moving the box onto the bed behind her. Her fingers interlocked with his, bringing him to his feet with her, and the other hand grasped the paw shaped silver keys. Allowing the magic to flow through her, they glowed with a golden light.

"I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once. Pass through the gate! Open Gate of the Ursa Major!"

"I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once. Pass through the gate! Open Gate of the Ursa Minor!"

This chapter has been a long time coming (sorry again for the wait!).

Such is the ending for now. It wasn't quite as dramatic as the other chapters, in my opinion, but hopefully it was a satisfying end to my dramatic series.

Hope you liked it!