Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.

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Okay guys, I am SO SORRY about this, but for this chapter, because there were so many amazing reviews, I was unfortunately unable to respond to all of them. And I thought about it and I decided that I didn't want to only respond to some of them, because that would be majorly unfair. Instead, I'm going to mention everyone who was kind enough to leave a comment.

Also, if you still want responses after this chapter, just let me know in a review or a PM, and I'll add a whole extra 'chapter' of just me responding to you guys.

So, this goes out to:

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TokyoTeddyWolf (Okay, I know I said I wouldn't respond to any of them, but I owe you a huge thanks for helping me correct my previous errors. Also, I wasn't able to find your fan art, but thank you so much! If you possibly can, I'd love for you to help me locate it!)

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And for the love of go, if you are a guest, please leave a name so I can thank you properly!

READ THIS, IT'S IMPORTANT: Anyway, I owe you all an apology. I know I said I would, but I will not be able to post my new story as soon as I'd hoped, I hit a serious wall, and I'm just working around my writer's block. I promise, though, I'll have it out the second I finish it, which shouldn't be too long from now.

And by the way, there's like, implied sex towards the end of this so... Yeah... Just keep that in mind...

And lastly... thank you all. For being such an amazing audience, and for helping me out so much along the way. This has been an amazing journey, and I'm hoping that I'll still be able to talk to all of you through my upcoming fic. Thank you for making this an amazing experience.

Now, right below, is the last chapter of Stronger. Hope you like it!

It wasn't hard for Natsu to identify the half-naked man sitting by Lucy's grave.

Or in other words, Gray Fullbuster.

The dark-haired Ice Mage, missing half of his clothes like always, was speaking softly, according to Natsu's attuned hearing.

"And the guy who put up the mission, you should have seen his house Lucy. His personal library... You would have loved it," he was saying softly. Ah.

So it was time for that already. Natsu had forgotten, that those three had just finished a mission. He should have known to expect them here.

It had become a tradition to come here after ever job, and tell 'Lucy' about everything she'd missed.

Judging by the scarlet hair and the little ball of blue fur, Team Natsu was about to become whole again. Right but Lucy's grave.

And Natsu was completely dreading it.

Not that he didn't want his family to be reunited, quite the opposite actually.

But he'd quite frankly had enough tears in the past couple of months (especially the last two days) to last him a lifetime. Forever, actually. And judging by the strong connections with the only three members still in the dark...

There were sure to be more tears. Soon.

Natsu put Lucy down, grabbing her hand in his. Fingers laced together, Natsu pointed to the slab of stone protruding from the ground.

"There, that's it."

Lucy squinted, still not seeing the thing Natsu was gesturing to in the distance.

Natsu put a finger to his lips as the approached, and the bright colors and distinctive features just now becoming clear to Lucy. Though his wings were nowhere to be seen, Lucy would recognize the little Exceed anywhere. (Besides, how many bright blue cats did she know?)

Padding over softly, Natsu took the lead, with Lucy trailing not far behind.

"Hey guys," he said in a soft voice.

"Hey Natsu," they chorused, not looking away. Gray then continued with his story. The two sat in the grass behind the trio, Lucy unable to work up the courage to speak. Her lips were frozen, and it felt like her. Eyes locked on her own name carved into stone, Lucy shivered.

How to even start? How was she supposed to break the silence looming over them. (That is, other than Gray's gentle murmurs in the background.)

Lucy hadn't noticed it before, but laying on her grave (okay for anyone who's confused, this is one of those graves with a headstone and a connected platform/bottom part) were flowers.

White lilies.

Three of them.

"And Natsu... We got this for you," Erza added, "So you have something to give to Lucy too."

A fire lily.

Praising Mavis when Erza didn't turn around (he truly feared that she'd suffer from a heart attack as a result), Natsu took the vibrant flower when she held it out. (They really had a thing for lilies, didn't they?)

The petals looked like the spitting image of a sky as the sun was setting, he noted absentmindedly. As if Reedus had taken his paintbrush and copied the sight of Magnolia sky at sunset.

Eyes closed, Erza was surprised when Natsu spoke, and seemed... happy. Peaceful even. Gray also reached out to squeeze Erza's hand, eyes closed as well. During the crisis, it seemed they'd grown closer. (Don't worry, it's not a Gray/Erza fic, I don't really ship them...)

"Well, Luce. I don't know how many times I can say it. But I really am, truly sorry for leaving you behind that day," Natsu said, genuinely meaning every word. He turned, facing away from her grave to look at her personally. "And I'm not sure if I'll ever get to repay you. But I know, I have the rest of my life to try. And I swear, I will."

Gray, finding his promise a bit strange, said nothing.

"We all are," Erza spoke, beginning to tear up. "Lucy, we are so, so sorry for what we did. And we have the rest of our lives to make up for our crime."

"Erza, stop that nonsense right now," Natsu demanded, cutting Lucy off before she could interrupt. Heads jerked up in surprise.

"Natsu, what the hell?" Gray demanded. He stood, back towards Lucy. "Are you okay?"

Natsu was desperately trying to keep Gray's eyes on him, as Lucy tried to figured out how to make her voice work again. Her lips moved silently, an apology already forming on her tongue. As if reading her mind, Natsu shot her a glare over Gray's shoulder.

Don't you fucking dare. Don't you even go there, was how she interpreted that look. Turns out, she actually was very good at silent conversations with her mate. The whole 'connected' thing... Who knew?

Lucy, stepping forward slowly, wrapped her arms around Gray's torso.

Sniffling, tears were just beginning to glaze her eyes over.

Though it had only been about week for her (remember, they left for a mission and she didn't get sucked into the Spirit World) Lucy had missed her teammates. All of them. Even the stupid stripper who had a habit of scarring anyone unaware of his... 'quirk.' It usually tended to be the elderly and children. (From people their age the reactions were less negative. Guys sometimes deemed him worthy of a head nod, and girls... either called him a pervert or swooned.)

Gray groaned.

"Juvia, now really isn't the time. You know we kind of... have an unsaid thing about the visit after missions," Gray said, fists clenched, as he tried to keep his temper. Breathing heavily, he forced himself to open his closed fist and smooth back his hair.

Lucy didn't move, her sob muted against his back.

"I thought you understood!" He nearly shouted. He was shaking now. "Why can't you just go?! Everyone else does! First Lisanna, and then Lucy! I can't-" He stopped himself short.

"Why is it so easy for them to leave us?"

Maybe Lisanna had returned, and maybe she hadn't actually died. Fine. But... that didn't mean they hadn't mourned for her. They all knew this ache too well... The empty feeling in the pits of their stomachs. Something lodging itself in their throat when they tried to speak, turning it into a sob.

Gray knew the feeling.

Actually, it was what he was he was experiencing at that very second.

Taking a breath in that made his whole body shudder, Gray felt the arms around him tighten, squeezing him in a hug. Lucy was shaking her head, trying to get her stupid body to move, to function, to do anything but for the love of god... just stop Gray's hurting.

Natsu, not the least bit jealous of Gray at that moment, simply crouched down to look up at Gray. Hell, Natsu might have gone berserk on 'Juvia' (or anyone who interrupted the traditional visit for that matter) back then too. Before she'd come back to him.

But she had come back to him and now... it was time her her to come back to them.

Happy turned, ready to apologize, and maybe try to explain.

"Juvia, don't take it personally, but today's just been-"

Happy garbled his own words, as he realized that the figure currently in the process of slowly suffocating Gray was most definitely not that of Juvia Loxar. (One thing that clued him in was the fact that this figure was not dressed in blue.) He started from his eyes level, meaning her knees. Moving up, there was the continuous lack of blue.

And that whip; the weapon was curled in a tidy coil, secured onto her hip. (Lucy had asked Loke to retrieve all of her stuff from the Spirit world. In her haste to leave, and more importantly to see Natsu, she'd left her precious things behind.)

And then there were the keys, dangling from a hook at said girl's waist.

Keys.

Keys.

It didn't take a genius to figure it out. (And unless it was regarding an aspect of fish, the blue Exceed was definitely no genius.)

Happy willed himself to look up after that, yanking his head up to meet the face of the girl slowly separating from the Ice Mage.

And for the first few seconds, he was almost sorry he had.

He had met eyes with a corpse.

Or, rather, what should have been a corpse. But her cheeks were pink and wet with tears, and her eyes were gleaming. Her blonde hair wasn't limp and pale, like the rest of her should have been. Biting her lip nervously, Lucy trembled, despite her long sweater. (The one she was constantly pulling down to hide the scar, Natsu noticed with much displeasure.)

Dumbstruck, Happy's eyes began to water. He looked as if he wasn't sure if he'd been lifted to heaven... or if he'd just gone and plummeted straight into the depths of hell. He had to be dreaming. Because...

Happy decided he didn't care if he was dreaming.

Throwing all caution to the wind, he barreled into her knees, packing a surprising amount of power for a cat. Falling to the ground with an 'oomph,' Lucy found herself sprawled on the ground with a crying blue furball bawling into her shirt. Gray straightened and shot him a scowl, or at least he tried to. 'Juvia' had really done a number on him with that iron grip, and he was trying to find some feeling in his ribs.

But he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the teary, gently smiling 'ghost' stroking the head to the sniveling feline. Scratching his scalp, Lucy cooed softly, like she used to.

They might not have been as close as he was to Lucy, but Gray had definitely cried the day a member of his family had left him. At Lisanna's death, he'd definitely shed a few tears. Hiding behind the crowd, Gray wiped his tears away with his sleeve. (Miraculously, he'd actually managed to keep his clothes on for the entire day.)

Then, he'd cried when yet another person was taken from him. At Lucy's funeral... Though it may have been raining, the raindrops couldn't conceal the puffy eyes or the red cheeks. He hadn't been fooling anyone then, and he hadn't cared. He'd let the torrential rain pound down on him relentlessly, as he wore his heart on his sleeve like an open book.

And now, he was crying again.

"...Lucy?"

The unusually long silence didn't tip Erza off. It was, after all, a graveyard. A place for mourning.

Sometimes Natsu went silent for days. He didn't speak, he only sat huddled up in a corner. Those days, he forgot to eat, if they didn't come by the house and make him.

Compared to that, what was a few seconds? Maybe a minute?

Erza didn't notice until she heard a the name. The forbidden name.

Whirling around, was ready to hiss at Gray for Natsu's sake.

And then she nearly choked.

Lucy rose, stepping closer with cautious steps.

Still cradling the blue bundle of fur, Lucy held out one hand to Gray. He took it, eyes locked on the pink mark that he was just touching the edge of with his tips of his fingers.

Warm.

She's... warm.

He could feel the heat, radiating off of her skin. He could feel her pulse, right as he grasped at her wrist with his other hand. Lucy, kind of knowing how to start (she had done this several times), squeezed his hand reassuringly. He squeezed back. With a smile, Lucy tilted to see around Gray's figure.

"Hi guys," she greeted warmly. "Hello Erza."

You know that horrible feeling of déjà vu you sometimes get?

It was sort of like that.

Except, a thousand times worse.

It was like reliving a memory, seeing something that looked so familiar, something that triggered old memories for Erza that she hadn't revisited in a long time. But that could wait.

Erza rose, not breaking eye contact with the apparition before her, fearing that is she blinked, the image would disappear. Her knees nearly gave out on her twice on the way up, and the sounds coming from her mouth suggested that she was sobbing. As did the tremors racking her entire chest.

Teetering forwards, Erza did nothing to stop the ground from coming up to hit her in the face. Natsu however, saw her falling a mile away, and leapt forwards to catch her. Erza, didn't react to the hands swooping in from nowhere, as she was still preoccupied by gaping at the Celestial Mage.

Lucy simply smiled softly, after glancing back down at the little feline who appeared to have gone into shock. And for a second, her eyes slid to the left.

Natsu and Lucy smiled at each other for a moment there, sharing a look so full of emotion, just witnessing it felt as if they were intruding.

Natsu gave a small nod, his head tilting forward ever so slightly, urging Lucy to go on. Lucy's shoulders set with determination, as she tried to figure out the least painful way to re-establish herself in their lives.

Natsu, after uprighting Erza on her feet, walked over to take Happy from Lucy's arms. Carefully lifting the blue Exceed from her arms, Natsu was startled when Happy suddenly began to struggle. Happy was writhing around in Natsu's arms, desperately trying to escape.

"NO!" Happy wailed. "LUCY!" And with that, the little cat leapt from Natsu's arms, and clung to Lucy's leg like a petulant child. Stuck to her as if his life depended on it, Happy was bawling, rivers of tears pouring down.

Gray and Erza, however, were still frozen in their tracks, shock penetrating them to their very souls. Gray just couldn't- He couldn't makes his limbs obey him. His arms, his legs, even his mouth seemed to be unresponsive to the orders his brain was practically screaming.

MOVE! Dammit, just move!

Gray's mind was going haywire, was he tried to force his lips to form the words. Or even for his hand, clasped by hers, to twitch. His mind was positively chaotic, as he tried to struggle through what he was feeling, and what he knew, all the while juggling the possible causes behind the phenomenon. Erza, on the other hand, seemed to be doing the exact opposite.

She, unlike Gray, seemed to be shutting down, unable to process what was in front of her.

"But... What...?" Erza stuttered

Natsu gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze from behind, ushering her forwards. Brushing a scarlet lock aside, he leaned in closer, almost breathing into her ear.

"C'mon. Go say hi," he encouraged. When she still didn't move, he rolled his eyes. Ugh. Girls sometimes. All these feelings and stuff.

Even Gray didn't react when Natsu poked him in the back of the neck.

Okay, I officially concede. You're on your own, Natsu said in a look as he submitted, raising his hands in defeat. I clearly have no idea how to handle this.

Lucy, triumphant, wisely hid her grin with a well-timed cough. With both her hands free, with Happy now clinging to her like he'd been glued to her, Lucy awkwardly stepped forward, dragging her heavier leg behind her. Gritting her teeth against the pain, as she was using her injured leg, Lucy prayed that Natsu didn't notice.

Like hell he wouldn't.

The moment the first jolt of pain shot up her leg, Natsu swiftly moved in, a hand on her shoulder.

"Luce, what's wrong?" Waving him aside, Lucy whispered a quick "Not now," and proceeded to yank them all into a group hug.

"It's me."

And then Lucy stared to sob, which then led to Erza beginning to cry, and then Gray was tearing up and Happy was still bawling... And Natsu, he was counting his blessings for having had his little reunion in private. If he'd

"I missed you all so much."

"I'm so sorry," Lucy began, still engulfed in the massive hug. "I am so, so sorry for leaving you guys. I didn't mean to be gone for so long, and there was this accident and I-"

"We're sorry for taking a mission without you!" Erza blurted, interrupting. "I'm sorry we left you behind and we really didn't mean to but it just happened and we realized you weren't with us almost as soon as we left, but Natsu seemed upset and really he just wanted some space so we figured that maybe he just needed to cool off-"

"Erza, calm down," Lucy instructed, interrupting her rant. "I know. There's nothing for you to apologize for." Gray, usually a man of few words, decided to put in his two cents.

"Well, it's not like you have anything to apologize for either, Lucy. You were almost killed in an accident, from what we heard. We're just happy you're-" he choked, more tears coming to his eyes at just the thought of it. "-that you're still alive and with us. You don't have to say sorry for anything."

"Lucy..." Happy whined through tears. Lucy bent down, picking up the little Exceed. Cradling him like a baby as the group embrace broke apart, Lucy smiled at him. She tickled his nose with a slender finger, earning a giggle from him. Rubbing between his ears, Lucy affectionately looked up at Natsu.

"Well Lucy, you did it," Natsu finally managed, happy tears springing in his eyes.

"You're finally home."

That day, in Magnolia... It was a good day.

Because once again, Fairy Tail was whole again.

Walking back to Natsu house (as Lucy's stuff was still in the basement of the Guild Hall), Lucy linked their hands together. Happy was staying with Carla for the moment, deciding to give the two newfound mates a little... space. (*winks suggestively and then realizes how awkward this must be for you and how awkward I felt after writing that*)

Opening the front door, Natsu barely hesitated before scooping Lucy up and carrying her over the threshold. She smacked his chest playfully, kissing his cheek.

"You don't have to do that you know," Lucy told him as he proceeded to walk her up the stairs. "My legs do work... " Natsu snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Silly Lucy. Of course I know that." Suddenly leaning in close, so close that his lips were practically on her ear, Natsu whispered "But don't you know it's tradition for the guy to carry the girl all the way into the house and into their room?"

Blushing a bright scarlet once she realized what he was suggesting, Lucy squealed.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried. "What are you- We're not marri- I mean-"

"Relax Luce, I was just joking, " Natsu said with a devilish grin. "For now."

Still a bright red, and refusing to look him in the eye, Lucy huffed. Natsu jostled her then, as he kicked open the room to his door. Gasping in surprise, Lucy clung to him tighter. Looking up, she realized, he was shaking.

With laughter.

"You jerk!" She yelled, half-heartedly punching him in the shoulder. "You actually scared me!"

Putting her down on his bed, he lifted her chin with a finger.

"Sorry Lucy, I couldn't help myself." He sat down next to her then, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "You're cute when you're angry." Lucy rolled her eyes, smiling regardless. She moved in closer, sliding a hand up the back of his neck and into his hair. Feeling the soft pink locks with her fingers, Lucy grinned, before pulling him in for a kiss.

Lips sliding against each other, Lucy could feel Natsu smirking, as she continued to melt into the kiss. Natsu suddenly pulled back, clearing his throat awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Hey, Lucy?"

"Yeah Natsu? What's wrong?"

"You know the thing I was joking about earlier, with me carrying you to my room to-" Natsu nearly stumbled over his words, cheeks just beginning to turn the color of his hair. "-y'know, do stuff. But I, uh... I won't push you. I know that it's a big decision, because that's when we officially become mates and I just want you to know that I'll wait for you. Whenever you're ready. I'm not going to rush you into anything."

Lucy nodded, smoothing her hair back.

"Natsu, I'm ready. I don't need to think about anything. I love you. I just thought, you know... Maybe you wanted to wait so you could get used to the idea of me being back, and I just thought that you wanted to wait-"

"No!" Natsu burst out, his blush immediately intensifying. Lucy raised an amused eyebrow at him. He scrambled, trying to rephrase. "I just... We don't have to wait! I mean, oh god what do I mean? I'm just trying to say that... I love you too Lucy. With everything I have, and I'm ready for you to become my mate, but I don't want to rush you into something you might regret-"

"Regret? Natsu, I think you must be more exhausted than I thought, if you're thinking something as stupid as that," Lucy said with a dangerous edge in her voice. "Natsu, I want to be your mate. Really."

"Are you sure Lucy? I know you love me, and believe me, I love you with all my heart, but I just think if you want to wait-"

Lucy pounced on him then, her lips colliding with his, as she pushed him onto his back.

"You idiot," she hissed, "All I want is you, dummy." Lucy made another move, this time capturing his bottom lip, sucking gently. He moaned, his hands traveling upwards to tangle themselves in her hair. Cupping his face gently Lucy pulled away, both of the mages gasping or breath

"And to be your mate."

And so the kissing began again. One thing led to another and... Needless to say, things escalated from there.

Let's just say the Natsu had officially gained himself a mate and lost any doubts about her feelings by the end of the night.

Natsu woke up feeling... complete. The sun wasn't even out yet, but he seemed to be glowing.

Looking down, he saw an angel snuggled up against his bare chest.

His Lucy, his mate.

Officially, this time.

She was still asleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. Affectionately kissing her forehead, Natsu pulled the covers up higher around both of them.

Tracing patterns in the smooth skin of her back, Natsu smiled.

Finally.

Me and my mate... My Lucy.

With that final thought, Natsu let his eyes slowly shut, as he drifted off to sleep.

And so began their new forever, this time as mates, instead of just teammates.

It was... bliss.

Hey guys. Just wanted to say once again, thank you all for making this such an amazing experience. Thank you for your support, and your critiques. Thank you for faithfully reading my story. Most of all, thank you for making me feel like this story... actually meant something.

Goodbye for now,

-Pyro