A/N: So I was actually kind of hesitant to continue this story, but I'm going to try. This chapter has a lot of Gildarts-Lucy father-daughter touchy-feely scenes in it.

All rights to Hiro Mashima may he forever rot in hell for not giving us our OTPs outright, but instead through his 'clever' little hints.

Chapter 2: Picking Up the Pieces

It had been exactly one week since Lucy's funeral. The guild was quiet as ever, still mourning their lost guild mate. They were also awaiting the arrival of the nomadic powerhouse Gildarts Clive. He had gotten word of Zeref's defeat as it had been celebrated worldwide as far as anyone could tell. He had also heard of Lucy's death as the whole of Fiore was mourning the death of such a beautiful, amazing, kind, powerful mage. Gildarts had said he'd be back within a week of Lucy's funeral.

"Where's that old man?" Cana grumbled, staring at the mug in her hand. She had drunk a drop since Lucy's death, but ordered a mug and stared at it all day.

"He'll come," Mira assured the other girl, clutching a tray to her chest like a shield. Mira had picked herself up the day after Lucy's funeral, but anyone with eyes could see her red-rimmed, puffy eyes and smile that wasn't as warm and didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Well he better hurry the fuck up," Cana said. As if waiting for that queue the sirens went off signaling the arrival of Gildarts.

Many people in the guild started at the sound of the sirens. The whole city had been quiet since Team Natsu's return and so this was the loudest sound in two and a half weeks. Guild members looked towards the doors of the guild with a sad acceptance on their face. No one wanted to see what Gildarts would be like after hearing that one of his daughter's closest friends had died. No one wanted their image of the strong man ruined and yet everyone was waiting with some sick sort of anticipation for the guild to finally be complete in its mourning members.

Gildarts walked into the guild his face solemn. He took in the atmosphere and walked to the Master's office without a word. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't what he say. The Master was sitting behind his desk staring at a picture. Gildarts knocked politely before entering.

"Welcome back Gildarts," Makarov said, setting down the picture he was looking at.

"I'm home, Master," Gildarts replied, dropping into a chair in front of

the Master's desk.

"I'm happy you came," Makarov said, "but I'm sorry that the times couldn't be happier."

"It's fine. Tragedy will hit when life becomes too complacent," Gildarts waved his hand dismissively in the air.

"Yes," Master's eyes gained a misty gleam, "I seem destined to lose my children."

"Not more than any of the rest of us," Gildarts stated looking at all the pictures on the wall.

The ones that were closer to the center of the wall were from the days of the young generation's childhood. Gildarts noticed that after the first photos including Lucy appeared, more and more of the photographs had Lucy in them. Makarov had at least one photo of Lucy alone with every single member. Some of the poses and facial expressions on some of the members, Gildarts would never have expected to see.

"Yes," Makarov agreed sadly, glancing at the snapshot on the desk once more.

"What's the picture on your desk?" Gildarts asked curiously.

"It's from Lucy's last birthday party," Makarov explained and handed it to Gildarts, "This photo is my favorite from all the pictures that were taken that night."

The picture was completely unlike anything Gildarts had ever seen. The guild had been transformed into a club. Lights were flashing in the background and the dance floor was filled, but everyone was doing so sort of dance that Gildarts had never seen. Lucy was in the center with Laxus, Gajeel, Jellal, Freed, Macbeth, Erik, Richard, Sawyer, and Gray, her self proclaimed brothers. They were forming a star by holding onto each other's elbows with one hand. The rest of the guild was fanned out around them also linked together. Looking at the picture Gildarts could hear some sort of odd gypsy-sounding song.

Then the people began to move. Lucy and her group in the center walked one way. Dropping their holds and everyone began to twirl around in such complicated patterns that Gildarts could hardly follow it, but Lucy centered it all. She swirled around in a midnight blue skirt decorated with gold constellations. Lucy was passed from person to person, dancing for a few moments before moving on. It was amazing.

After the dance stopped and the picture re-froze with everyone in their original positions Gildarts looked up in awe. "How did they do that?" he whispered, tone reverent.

"I don't know. Lucy gave it to me after her birthday. She said it was a present from her spirits as a thanks for taking care of her for all these years," Makarov confessed staring at the picture with tears in his eyes.

"It's amazing," Gildarts said, handing the picture back.

"Yes," Makarov whispered taking the picture with a shaking hand, "it is. It really, really is."

"I'm going down to greet the rest of the guild," Gildarts said, his joints creaking as he stood.

"Alright," Makarov said, his eyes glued to the picture. He had watched the dance countless times, but it never got less magical, less amazing, or less beautiful.

Gildarts shook his head sadly at the broken guild master and let the room. He clomped noisily down the stairs, observing everyone within the guild. They all had red, puffy eyes, no smiles. Some were crying outright, others just sitting there staring off into space. Mira was moving around the guild giving people drinks that were either drunk or ignored. Her smile was heartbroken, but Gildarts could tell she was doing her best.

"Hey kiddos," Gildarts said once he reached to floor of the guild, "I'm home, don't I at least get a welcome back."

Natsu despondently eyed the crush mage. "Welcome back," he said in a hoarse voice that spoke volumes of his pain.

"Thanks kiddo, it's good to be home," Gildarts said smiling at the boy.

Natsu reacted immediately in the fashion that Gildarts hoped he would, with fire. "HOME?" the boy roared, "IT'S NOT HOME! HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS! FAIRY TAIL HAS LOST IT'S HEART! SHE DIED PROTECTING ALL OF US! OUR FUTURE! BUT DID SHE EVER THINK ABOUT WHAT LOSING HER WOULD DO TO US?! DID SHE THINK THAT MAYBE, MAYBE WE JUST WANT HER TO COME HOME!"

Natsu wailed the last part and fell to his knees in the middle of the guild. Everyone flinched. Natsu had done the best out of everyone in locking up his heartbreak. All the guild members knew he mourned for Lucy and spent hours each day at her grave, but they had not seen him break in the guild. They had not seen him cry. They had not seen him scream. Only the mages present at the fight had seen his grief. Happy had not even seen Natsu's grief since they came home from the fight. Now Natsu was on his knees in the middle of the guild roaring his pain to the sky, not caring who saw or heard.

"SHE PROMISED! SHE SAID WE'D ALWAYS BE TOGETHER! FOREVER AND EVER NO MATTER WHAT!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs, "LUCY SAID SHE'D ALWAYS BE THERE FOR ME! FOR US! FOR FAIRY TAIL! SHE PROMISED SHE'D ALWAYS BE HOME!"

Tears were pouring down the boy's face. The guild was frozen, watching the scene in front of them in horror. They had all been so wrapped up in their grief that they'd forgotten about each other. They had not even considered what other people like Natsu might be feeling. No one had tried to comfort other people except for at the funeral and even then it was only the couples.

"SO YOU'RE JUST GOING TO GIVE UP?" Gildarts boomed, shocked at the guild's actions.

"THERE IS NO MEANING IN LIFE WITHOUT A HEART AND OUR HEART IS GONE!" Natsu yelled back, rising to his feet, "SHE'S GONE AND NEVER COMING BACK!"

"DON'T JUST ASSUME THINGS!" Gildarts shouted as loud as he could, there was only one way to make that guild wake up and that was for them to realize what they did wrong. What he was saying was painful, but Gildarts knew he had to say it, "LUCY MIGHT BE DEAD! SHE MIGHT BE GONE! BUT IT'S ONLY PHYSICALLY! HER SPIRIT STILL EXISTS WITHIN THIS GUILD AND WITHIN YOUR MEMORIES! UNTIL NOBODY REMEMBERS HER ANYMORE LUCY WILL LIVE ON! SHE WOULD BE ASHAMED TO SEE THAT THIS IS HER LEGACY! THAT SHE SACRIFICED SO MUCH JUST SO THAT YOU ALL COULD WASTE AWAY IN THE GUILD WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING TO PROPERLY HONOUR HER!"

Gildarts ended his speech heaving for breath. Natsu was staring at him in shock. The guild was staring at him in shock. Everyone was staring at him. Gildarts reached up to his face and felt wetness. He was crying. Of course he was, he'd just lost a precious family member and found out his home was being torn up because the idiots who'd lost so much didn't remember how to properly grieve when they lost the most important person in their lives.

"I'm a Fairy Tail member too, you know," he joked weakly, "I've lost my heart too, but I'm not going to waste away. I'm going to honour her sacrifice. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go apologize to my daughter for how her family has been acting."

Gildarts walked past every guild member, head held high, tears streaming down his face until he reached the doors that lead out of the guild. He paused and turned back, his gaze focused on the key hanging above the bar. "I'm home Lucy, my daughter," he said.

Gildarts' eyes widened when Lucy appeared on the bar stool she always was sitting in, a milkshake in her hand. "Welcome home father," she said smiling at him, "I knew you'd wake 'em up." She smiled wrily and took a sip of her shake, "I'll do my best to come visit as soon as I can."

Gildarts nodded and smiled, ignoring the looks he was getting from the guild. "You do that," he said and let in a swirl of black fabric and click of boots on pavement.

Gildarts headed to the cathedral where Lucy's private tomb was. The one where the funeral was held was in the graveyard at Acalypha where her parents were buried. That was just a gravestone and everyone knew where it was. This tomb was more private.

It was a magnificent thing of marble and star stone. There were four pillar supporting a dome. The edge of the dome had the Fairy Tail symbol and saying carved into it. The bottom was a platform left open so that visitors could walk right into Lucy's grave to converse with her. Once you entered the platform you could see the murals that adorned the tomb, all made by Reedus and preserved with magic. Paintings covered every surface and short, looped memories were reenacted in every space in between pillars. Many memories, all chosen by guild members or what people knew were Lucy's favorites were there. In the center of the platform was a small table with two chairs. One chair was locked to the ground and couldn't move, the other was for visitors to sit in.

Gildarts took a seat and looked up. The top of the dome was an exact replica of the night sky with the constellations of Lucy's keys more vibrant than any other stars. He smiled and looked at the chair across from him. Gildarts could easily picture his adopted daughter sitting in that chair. She'd be leaning forwards slightly, ankles hooked around the legs, hands propping up her chin. Her eyes would sparkle with curiosity and life, her mouth would be turned up slightly at the corners, her ever present smile ready to spread into existence on her face.

Gildarts laid down on the table, stifling a sob. It had been so hard to hear about Lucy's death and act strong, to yell at the guild, to greet Lucy, to not crumble into a thousand pieces when he saw the picture, to learn that he'd miss that funeral. It had been so hard to be strong, now within the shelter of Lucy's tomb, he could no longer be strong. He'd been strong for so, so long. Lucy had always provided a place for him to be weak anyways.

He missed her warm smile, her 'welcome home,' her laugh. He missed seeing her drinking her milkshake, turning to greet him with delight in her eyes when he returned. God he sounded like a lover, but he'd been a father for her when he learned that her's was dead. He had chased off boys, talked to her about the future, and reminisced about the past. The two of them often sat at the riverside by his house drinking tea and just enjoying nature like two old men.

Lucy's been good at that. Good at being quiet and a steady presence. She's been a good companion on days when Gildarts felt weak. Lucy had always had time for him when he needed to be supported by someone, when he felt like a failure. Lucy had been good at providing a shelter with no bias or expectations except for the one requirement that he talk to her about what was wrong. It had always helped. Gildarts stifled another sob. He felt pathetic. If only he could have been there. If only he was stronger. If only he'd been able to kill Acnologia when they met. If only he could have gone with them on that mission. If only he was around more.

If only, if only, if only, if only, if only. if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only, if only.

"Hindsight will help nothing." Gildarts looked up. There in the chair across from him was Lucy, his beloved adopted daughter.

"You, you're here," he gasped in surprise.

"I can only appear as an insubstantial spirit here because of the Spirit King's help," Lucy explained, as she leaned forwards just as GIldarts had imagined she would, except sadness lurked in the depths of her eyes as well as curiosity and life was no longer so prominent.

"Are you actually dead?" Gildarts asked, sitting up straighter.

"Yes and no," Lucy said, twirling a piece of her hair, "it's really complicated. I am now one with the stars, but I can appear in certain places on Earthland for short periods of time. I can appear here, my gravestone, and in Fairy Tail the longest and strongest, but you have to be looking for me to see me."

"That's incredible," Gildarts breathed, his tears slowing.

"Hopefully someday I'll be able to visit like Mavis, but I think it might take a decade or two," Lucy sighed, leaning back in her chair, a cup of steaming tea appearing in her hands and another, real one, on the table in front of Gildarts.

"How?" he asked picking up the cup.

"Virgo," Lucy explained, waving her hand in the air.

"Ah," Gildarts sighed and leaned back too. The two of them sat for a while enjoying the silence and their tea.

Eventually Gildarts spoke, "what happened to your keys?"

"That was the price they paid for helping me and being sub-wielders of the Ultimate Magic of the Stars," Lucy explained in a sad tone, "they are forever bound together and to me. No one will ever be able to summon them again unless they possess enough magic to summon every single one of my spirits at the same time. When that happens the spell will be reversed. The keys will separate once more and whomever has summoned them will be blessed with the fortune of having the entire Zodiac and several silver spirits being bound to serve their family until the line ends. When that happens my keys and any keys the last member of that family line possessed will meld together once more in wait for the next person with insane amounts of power to come along."

"That's never going to happen," Gildarts exclaimed, "No one is ever going to have that much power again!"

"What do you mean again?" Lucy asked suspiciously.

"I know very well that you could have summoned all your keys by the end Lucy Dragneel of Fairy Tail," Gildarts admonished her, waving a finger at her accusingly.

"I wasn't aware I was a Dragneel now," Lucy said scratching the back of her neck embarrassed.

"You've been one for a while, the two of you just never made it official," Gildarts informed her with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose," Lucy sighed. The two fell silent again.

"Well. I hope people will start to visit you again and realize that you are not gone. Not really," Gildarts said standing after an hour of silence.

"Thanks for the visit," Lucy replied smiling, "I enjoyed your company. Don't forget to stop by whenever you come home. I'll be waiting to hear about your adventures."

"I'll definitely come back," Gildarts assured her, standing on the edge of the platform, "until next time."

"See you around old man," Lucy waved goodbye to her surrogate father. Gildarts waved as he walked away, not turning around so that she did not catch sight of his tears. Even though he'd been able to see her again and gain a sense of closure, it still hurt. But he did not feel weak anymore. He felt strong. Strong enough to protect his family from anything.

Natsu and the rest of the guild stared at the closed doors in shock. They didn't even realize that they'd been such bad family members. They couldn't believe that they'd been so caught up in their own feelings that they'd neglected each other and Lucy herself.

"We're idiots," Gray said after a bit.

"Yup," Natsu agreed.

"The biggest," Erza added.

"It's never too late to try again," Levy put in.

"Lucy will forgive us for this terrible blunder," Mira said, putting down her tray. Other guild members set down their drinks. Cana took a drink. Natsu burnt off the ends of his hair so it was it's original length. Gray stripped off his shirt. Erza re-equipped into her normal armor from her mourning dress. Levy pulled Gajeel out into the middle of the guild with her and climbed up onto the table that was located in the direct center of the guild.

She held aloft the most beautiful book anyone had ever seen. "This is what Lucy left for me in her will. I have not read it read. I have not even opened the cover. I think it's time I do both. We do both. I think it's time Fairy Tail hears the story of their Heart," Levy announced, willing the lump in the back of her throat away.

Immediately everyone in Fairy Tail started to make preparations for story hour. Comfortable chairs, couches, pillows, and blankets were fetched from people's houses and elsewhere in the guild. A small platform in front of the stage, but not on the stage, was made for Levy to sit on. Hot chocolate, tea, coffee and snacks were made and distributed. Master was fetched from his office and missing mages from their homes. Gildarts returned and was promptly shoved into a rocking chair with a cup of steaming green tea.

Finally everyone was situated and Levy sat with a bottle of water by her side. All the lights except for the lamp Levy was using were turned off. Levy surveyed her crowd and they stared back at her, eager anticipation filling their eyes. She took a deep breath and cracked open the book for the first time since she had seen it at Lucy's house the day she went over there to help Lucy write a will.

A golden light spilled out of the book. Levy dropped the book in surprise, but instead of falling the book levitated. Words spilled out in ribbons and twined around the guild, a beautiful golden glow filling the space. And then a voice spoke.

"Hello Fairy Tail," it was Lucy, "I can only assume that since my book has been opened, I passed away in the fight against Zeref. I'm terribly sorry that it had to turn out this way. But I'm glad that you've finally come to your senses Levy, and decided to read the book. I never thought I'd finish this book, but I did." The words and flowed back to the book and condensed, forming a figure above the pages made from the swirling glowing letters, even so Fairy Tail recognized it as their beloved Lucy Heartfilia. "This," Lucy's voice was magical and filled everyone's hearts, "is Our Fairy Tail." As Lucy said the title, glowing letters floated away from her body and spelled out the title in front of her.

Levy had turned off her little lamp and climbed off her little platform unseen by everyone and was now seated in Gajeel's lap. She was almost one hundred percent sure that Lucy was going to read her book to them. Levy was not disappointed.

Lucy kept talking, "I'm sure Levy was going to read this, but I would like to read to you my book for the first time that you guys read it. After this you will be able to activate my reading of this book and time you want, but I will not repeat my message, only read the book. The one exception is when the next generations of Fairy Tail are gathered for the first time for the reading of this book. Then you should pick the new generation retelling. Now without further ado, my story."

The light letter Lucy sat down criss-cross-applesauce and a book made of light letters formed in her hands. "It was a day just like any other day in the small town of Hargeon on the coast," Lucy read in her magical voice. The audience was enthralled with Lucy's story. Even though it was about them and all their adventures, the way she had written it and the way she read it, with little light characters occasionally acting out scenes in front of her, was incredible. No one was bored, no one wanted to do anything else.

For most of the book people were crying. They were crying because they had forgotten all the good times with Lucy, all the amazing memories, all the beautiful moments. They had forgotten the little things that made life worth living even if your loved one was not right there next to you. They had forgotten how to live for someone who was not there and how to fulfill promises they made. Lucy's tale had reminded them of the little things in life that made the world such a beautiful place. That made the world a place living in.

After Lucy had finished reading her book, the book closed and landed on the stage with a soft thump and the glowing letters dispersed about the guild, fading into nothing. The lights came back on, probably with magic, and everyone had faces streaked with tears.

Lucy's book had ended in the saddest, most beautiful way anyone could ever end a book.

"So the man, no longer young, but still full of life, sat at the table in his beloved's tomb and conversed with her spirit one last time. He laid down a single sakura blossom and a single yellow phalaenopsis orchid. The man stood and smiled at the face of his beloved painted on the wall, and in the stars now too.

'I'm coming home soon, my princess,' he said in a tone so sad and elated at the same time that one would both cry and burst into laughter upon hearing it. 'Your dragon will fly among the stars with you once more,' he continued in a voice that was so filled with longing even a stranger would want to join him. 'Soon,' he whispered and walked away from the tomb of his beloved for the last time.

He was the last of the last of his generation. He had lived until he was one hundred and seventy-six before stepping down as guild master and slipping away from the earth. This man, Natsu Dragneel, was the longest reigning guild master in history and likely forever in the future. He survived the death of many of his beloved family, but had promised his love to see them all off before leaving himself.

So the day Natsu Dragneel died, he was surrounded by his child, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even a few great-great-grandchildren. He was surrounded by love and happiness, and warmth. The spirit of his love made an appearance.

She took his hand and led him to the sky. As he went, the years of hardship fell away until he was the same age as his beloved. The next generations watched with tears in their eyes as their mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother led their father, grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather to the golden fields of the sky.

They saw with eyes full of tears, the two beloveds rejoining their friends, Fairy Tail was complete at last. The only thing left behind was a picture of all the members of the third generation of Fairy Tail with 'Good Luck!' on the bottom, and the words of 'Our Fairy Tail,' to remember them by. But that was enough because, as is often the case when being parted with a loved one, memories are the single most precious remainder one can have of a loved one.

The End."

Finally, finally someone had picked up the broken pieces and started to glue them back in place. In the future, when all the pieces had been picked up and put back in place, cracks and holes would be left, but that was to be excepted. After all no repair job will ever be completely perfect even with magic and the best injuries always leave behind a scar.

Fairy Tail would remember their beloved Heart until the end of the world, but no one would be as broken as they had been before. Lucy's book had started the healing process, now it was up to them to finish it. Luckily Fairy Tail was known from recovering from impossible situations and deadly injuries. Losing their Heart would hurt, but it would no longer kill. Fairy Tail was stronger than that.

After all they still had their memories, their precious, precious treasures, right?

A/N: So I did it. I updated. It took me a while to think of how I wanted to write this chapter. I ended up rewriting it a few times and changing a bunch of stuff in it.

I really like the idea of a weak Gildarts. He's always so strong and cheerful, I think he must have his moments where he thinks, 'I'm not strong enough. I can't believe I failed.' and such. After all no person can be strong forever. No one.

I know this might be confusing, but in the end of Lucy's book when it talks about Natsu and Lucy's children, I mean that Natsu adopted some kids, he didn't have children with a ghost. Natsu actually died a virgin because I think that he'd stay faithful to Lucy his whole life and since they didn't hook up in my timeline and I don't think that Natsu slept with anyone after Lisanna died or before that, he dies a virgin. Poor Natsu.

I love the Gildarts-Lucy father-daughter relationship though. And their friendship is supposed to be like that of not only a father and daughter, but of two people who have grown old together in the best of ways. I know, it's kinda weird, but I love it.

I might write more. I might not.

Thanks for reading! Please review,

Artistofthemind