I'M FINALLY BACK! Sorry for the stupidly long wait, I have had a very busy time of late but I am going to try to update as often as possible now that the chapter is finally finished! I made it an extra long one since its been so long! Enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

When Natsu woke up in the morning he finally felt completely human again. That humming need to constantly procreate was eased and he could watch the woman in his arms without the incessant need to fill her to the brim. That was not to say it wasn't still tempting, nor had the aching in his crotch completely subsided. But he could smile and her, nuzzle into her neck and give her loving kisses and nips and feel completely content. And he did just that.

He languidly licked over his claiming mark, which seemed to be healing nicely - though it was far from fading - until she started to stir. When her eyelids started fluttering awake he leaned over her so he would be the first - and only - thing she saw when she woke up. Looking into her warm, brown eyes, he felt his heart race.

She gave him the biggest grin he had ever seen before she softly kissed him on the lips. Though she meant it as a short, loving, morning kiss, Natsu was not so eager to let her go; pressing his lips more forcibly against hers until her head rested back on the bed.

He lazily drew his tongue from his mouth, swiping it over her lips until she let him slip inside; his tongue dancing with hers in a morning greeting. Her taste was just as divine as it was last night and he quickly found himself draping his body over hers, pressing closer.

Maybe his dragon side wasn't as responsible for his lust as he thought.

As soon as he realised just how much he wanted to fuck her of his own volition, it was like putting fuel to the fire; he couldn't stop himself.

His hands wandered up her sides to her bountiful breasts, filling his hands with them, enjoying the skin that spilled through the gaps between his fingers, squeezing and toying with them until she pulled away from his lips to moan, throwing her head back.

He watched her with his heated gaze, satisfaction curling in his belly from her flushed cheeks and panting breaths. As soon as he felt she was pent up enough, his hands traced the sensitive skin around her pert nipples, teasing her with a cocky smile. When she looked like she was going to scream from the frustration, he finally drew his fingers to her pink tips, lowering his mouth to the side of her left breast to take over the job of his thumb.

Her ragged breaths sent the blood straight to his crotch, he could feel his length pulsing, almost painfully, ready to seek her warmth. His dark eyes swirled with lust as he let his free hand roam down to her centre and, without any warning, he plunged two fingers deep inside her, knowing she was already wet and ready for him.

"Natsu!" she cried out, desperately grabbing at his shoulders, gripping him so hard that her nails bit into his skin.

He replied with a satisfied growl against her breast, sucking to show his delight, then giving small nips to her peak. His fingers quickly found their pacing, pushing in and out ruthlessly, as if he would die without her soft mewls and sharp breaths. He bit harder on her breast, feeling an overwhelming need to mark her, almost snarling into her skin, curling his fingers so she would feel the perfect mix of pleasure and pain. She cried his name at her release and his could feel the rewarding warm liquid coating his finger, which he quickly drew to his mouth, lapping up as much of her sweet nectar as he could.

If he was going to find Igneel, he needed to make the most of his time with her, memorising every inch of her body and all the ways he could make her cry out.

Natsu kneeled and took in the sight of Lucy's limp body, growling in satisfaction, burning every inch of her pleasure and her soft, sweet body into his brain to save for the lonely nights he had ahead.

As soon as he caught her hooded gaze he pounced on her again, mashing their lips together, trying to convey all of his love and lust and thankfulness that he had her. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his body down to meet hers, his erection pressing against the passage of her heated sex, something he definitely appreciated.

Distracted the second Lucy opened her mouth to let his tongue explore, he didn't notice her hand snaking down in between them until he felt her small, soft hands wrap around his member.

"Ah!" he breathed sharply, pulling away from their kiss, shutting his eyes and pressing his forehead against hers.

"I want to touch you," she said lowly before kissing him deeply again.

He was not going to complain.

Her hands stroked his shaft lazily, teasing him with a gentle grip and the odd brush of his tip. He found it hard to concentrate on kissing her, letting her take the lead as he gasped against her lips.

Just as he was about to snap at her to stop playing, she gripped him properly, rubbing his length against her soaked entrance, coating him in her wetness until he shivered with pleasure. It took everything he had not to push inside her when she teased the end of his shaft at her entrance, but he resisted, letting her be in control.

"There's a good dragon," she cooed, half thankfully, half mockingly.

He growled in reply but let her continue her work.

Now that he was well lubricated she held him tighter, just the right amount of pressure, and worked her hand up and down, he squeezed his eyes shut tighter and moaned, breaking their kiss as he was finding it hard to breathe. Her wrist gained speed and soon enough he was feeling ready to burst but he growled, snatching her hand away, enjoying the whine she let out in protest.

He lowered his mouth next to her ear and spoke. "I'm going to fuck you now, Lucy."

She gasped and he gave her a wicked grin before lowering himself between her legs and, without warning, pushed inside her, right to the hilt. He groaned at her welcoming tightness, a warmth only he knew. He quickly found his rhythm, pushing into her harder and faster than he thought he could, pounding her vigorously enough that the sound of slapping skin was deafening and his and his balls almost ached with the pressure.

"Natsu!" she cried, chanting his name in time with his thrusts.

"Lucy! Fuck, you feel so good!" he grunted gripping onto her hips with a bruising pressure.

He drew himself up to his knees - refusing to part with her as he went - throwing her legs over his shoulder to get a better angle, refusing to get worn out as he pistoned into her growling at the gratifying sound of wet flesh coming together.

Ignoring the tight coil that threatened his undoing, he pressed on, finding the best angle to fill his ears with Lucy's mewls.

"Ahh! Natsu! Don't stop!" she moaned, clawing at his back. If it weren't for his complete focus on making her feel better than she ever had before - worshipped like the goddess she was - he would have given her a cocky smile.

This time was more desperate than the other times he had fucked her. He needed to make her feel good. He needed her to feel the extent of his love for her. He was a man that had always been better at actions than words, so he pushed himself to his limit as he slammed into her, pulling out to the tip so she could actively feel the loss of him, so she would ache for him when he was gone. He wanted to brand her as his, inside and out, heart and soul, forever. This was the only way he knew how.

He dipped his head, capturing her lips just in time to swallow the scream she let out as she came. He growled again and bit her bottom lip, pulling it towards him, persuading her to kiss him back. She did just that, slipping her tongue into his open mouth, swirling it around his, as if to mix their tastes.

This time, when that coil threatened to spill him again, he let go pounding into her vigorously for three more thrusts before he filled her so completely his seed spilled out around their joined flesh. He gave her one last hearty kiss before he pulled away, slipping himself out of her, and collapsing, thoroughly spent, beside her on their bed.

He panted, trying to catch his breath, his limbs warmed with a satisfying ache of a good job done.

"Wow…" Lucy panted beside him, shuffling up so she could rest her head on his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer despite his protesting muscles.

"Yeah," he agreed, not really knowing if there was anything else to say.

"I'm in love with you." she said, so quietly he wasn't sure, at first, if it was just in his head or not.

He looked down at her and saw her head buried in his chest and knew she had spoken. He swallowed thickly, completely speechless. She loved him. She loved him. His heart felt full to bursting as he turned to the side to press their bodies closer together, face to face, skin to skin. She looked up at him slowly, her face red, her eyes unsure.

He sighed and waited a moment, to gather the right words, before he spoke.

"I love you more than anything, Lucy. I would do anything for you. Live and die for you. I don't think I could ever live without you now and I would go to hell and back to get you. And I know I'm a monster, I kidnapped you, stole you away and kept you. I'm half-dragon and I would kill anybody who touched you; I'd never let you be happy with anyone else. But I love you and I'll give you everything I've got. Even if it's not enough, I'll give you everything." He held her close as he spoke, needing her to hear every word he said.

Her features morphed into a shocked expression and, for a minute, she did nothing but breathe and look at him with wide eyes. And then she did the one thing Natsu was more scared of than anything else in the universe; she cried.

The panic set in immediately and he held her closer, stroking her back soothingly.

"Shit, Lucy, I'm sorry…" he swore.

"Shut up, idiot!" she snapped through her sobs, making him wince.

He opened his mouth to apologise to her again but she looked up at him with an angry expression and punched him in the chest.

"Don't say the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me then apologise, stupid!" she cried.

He was about to apologise again, automatically, until her words sunk in and he snapped his jaw shut, cuddling her closer.

"I really love you, Weirdo…" he said affectionately, smiling into her hair.

"I love you too, Idiot." she mumbled into his chest.

"GAHH! WHY ARE YOU GUYS CUDDLING NAKED?!" Happy screamed behind them. "MY EYES!"

Natsu sighed. If there was one thing his little buddy was good at doing, it was ruining a moment.

"HAPPY!" Lucy growled, struggling in Natsu's grip, trying to grab for the cheeky cat.

"Lucy, you might want to put some clothes on before you murder my cat," he sighed.

She stopped moving and turned bright red and Natsu couldn't help but snickering; he was still a child at heart.

"I HATE YOU BOTH!" she snapped as she grabbed up her clothes. "TURN AROUND AND WAIT FOR ME TO KILL YOU!"

Happy did as he was told but Natsu ignored her, deciding to use the time to pull on his clothes as well. He smiled. Life was pretty much perfect at that moment.

As soon as Lucy walked into the food tent whistling in pure joy, people started looking at her strangely. She was all smiles as she sat down and asked Mira for breakfast for two. The barmaid raised her eyebrow but said nothing.

She could hear the low hum of gossiping behind her, no doubt about the fact that her and Natsu were sleeping together - she wasn't really expecting to get away with it after he made her scream as loud as she did. She really couldn't bring herself to care though.

She happy. Unbelievably happy. No amount of annoying blue cats or gossiping could bring her down. She felt invincible.

She gave a beaming smile, waiting for both her food and her...friend? boyfriend? Lover? Her Natsu. He apparently wanted to have a 'talk' with Happy about sleeping arrangements and how naked cuddling would be on the menu for the foreseeable future.

When Mira walked over with two plates of food in hand she gave another big smile and thanks before digging in. She didn't finish one mouthful before Mira couldn't contain herself any longer.

"So you and Natsu are having sex." she said sweetly.

Lucy spat out her food.

"Oi! Luce! Don't waste food! If ya don't want it, I'll have it!" Natsu said, sauntering in, obviously ignoring Mira's statement.

Lucy groaned. Okay, maybe she could deal with anything but two things at once. She grumbled incoherently before taking another mouthful. Watching Natsu take a seat beside her, digging into his own food, she couldn't help but smile, his words echoing in her head. She felt a warmth spread in her heart as she watched him.

He was on seconds by the time she finished eating, smiling like an idiot as she caught his eye. He dropped his plate, wiping his face before swiftly pulling her into a quick but loving kiss. They both smiled at each other as the room went silent.

Mira, as usual, was the first to break. She let out an almighty squeal and clapped her hands together.

"Aww, man! So I did walk in on you guys trying to get freaky!" Gray complained from his seat.

"You're the cockblock, ice pants!" Natsu snapped in return, causing Lucy to blush.

"Sorry if I thought nobody would ever want to have sex with an idiot like you!" Gray replied smugly, making Lucy's blush deepen. Natsu got up off his chair.

"At least I'm getting some, loser!" he growled.

"Is someone trying to start a fight?" Erza asked, getting out of her seat.

"No!" both the boys squealed, Gray dropping down in his seat.

Natsu scowled at him but ultimately retreated back to Lucy, wrapping an arm around her waist. Erza nodded, seemingly happy with her job before walking up to them. Natsu, though she knew he would deny it, was shaking a little but growling all the same, until Erza smiled. She was at them in a few strides and crushing them against her armour in a hug.

"I'm so happy for you!" she cheered.

"Thanks, Erza!" they squeaked in unison before she let them go.

Soon enough half the camp had joined on the conversation. Happy had flown in not too long after Erza set them free and had seated himself on Lucy's lap much to Natsu's chagrin.

Once most of the excitement had died down - Natsu had, halfway through, decided to hide his head in Lucy's neck - Levy had dragged Gajeel up to them. Levy gave her a wide smile whilst Gajeel just seemed a little bored. Natsu pulled his head out from Lucy's neck and sighed when he saw the crowd has dispersed.

"Lu! Hey, congrats and all!" she said with a large smile, nudging Gajeel in the side when he said nothing.

"Yeah, yeah. Well done with taming the idiot, bunny girl." Gajeel said begrudgingly.

"HEY!" Natsu complained and then frowned. "Bunny girl?" he asked.

Gajeel grinned knowingly and Lucy went bright red.

"Ya see me 'n Lucy go way back before I joined to guild," Gajeel teased with his evil smile. Lucy groaned. "An' I jus' so happened to see when her old man set up an engagement for her with this old geezer…"

Lucy's heart stopped. He wasn't really going to tell them was he?

"But this guy had a kink, ya see? So her old man got this made specially for her a-"

"STOP!" Lucy cried, "Please." she added desperately, looking down so she didn't have to see Natsu's reaction.

She felt a hand on her head and looked up to find it belonged to Gajeel.

"Don't worry, bunny girl. I aint gonna tell 'em. You got me on your side, remember?" he smiled.

Lucy sighed and, when she nodded, Gajeel took his hand off her head and slung his arm over Levy's shoulders.

Lucy smiled. Although there was a terrible memory linked with that name, there was also a good one. Natsu pressed a small, reassuring kiss to her temple but she had no doubt he was still curious to know what happened.

"You knew Lucy before Fairy Tail?" Levy asked, looking up at Gajeel. His eyes hardened and he simply nodded in reply.

"He was the one decent guy in Phantom Lord, the people who attacked my guild." Lucy said, and Gajeel laughed and shook his head. Levy smiled.

"I knew you weren't the big bad you want to make yourself out to be!" Levy chimed, giving him a smile full of affection. He returned it, but his eyes were still a little dark. Lucy decided to leave out they way they first met.

"Oi, Salamander!" Gajeel said, turning his head to Natsu. "We need to have a little chat. Alone."

Natsu looked over to Lucy, who nodded, before pulling away from her and walking off with Gajeel, leaving Lucy, Levy and Happy.

Mira, who had obviously been eyeing them from the bar, goaded Happy away with the promise of fish. Levy took the opportunity to steal Natsu's seat next to her.

"So you finally got together!" Levy said with a smile.

"Yeah," Lucy replied with a blush.

"I'm assuming this happened before you told me you wanted to tell him you loved him yesterday?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"It happened when he was still in his dragon mode." Lucy confessed.

"I knew it! I'm happy for you, Lu. You seem great together." she said with a smile.

"Thanks, how's it going with Gajeel?"

"Slow but steady. He's still under some stupid notion that he's not good enough for me, so he holds back a little but I'll win him over!" she huffed determinedly.

"Go, Levy!" Lucy cheered.

"So...seeing as I'm your best friend I think it's only fair you tell me the details first." Levy said with a wink.

"Levy!"

"Oh, come on, Lu! We're all wondering!"

"Fine! But don't go letting the whole guild know this time! No more telling Mira things!" she pouted.

"I promise, I promise! Now tell me what he's hiding under those trousers!" Levy squealed making Lucy blush.

She looked around, checking the coast was clear, before leaning in to Levy's ear and whispering a single word.

"Mammoth."

Levy gasped.

"NO WAY!" she cried, a few guild members turning around at her outburst.

Lucy nodded.

"Go, Lu!" Levy cheered, quieter than before as not to gain the interest of any earwiggers. "So does he know how to use it?" she asked quietly.

"Most definitely." Lucy replied smugly.

"Go, Lu, for sure!" Levy giggled.

"He also told me he loved me this morning!" Lucy squealed, not being able to retain herself. Levy immediately hugged her.

"That's amazing!" she cheered.

"What's amazing?" Natsu asked as he strolled back into the tent with Gajeel. Damn his good hearing.

"None of your business. It's girl talk." Levy replied, pulling away from Lucy and stuck out her tongue.

"Careful, you don't want to get that bitten off," Gajeel teased her, she quickly replaced her tongue in her mouth and scowled at him.

Levy got up of the seat next to Lucy and said goodbye. Walking over to Gajeel, they departed with a nod.

Natsu sighed as he walked up to Lucy and gave her a sweet, longing kiss. When he pulled back his face looked serious, his mouth drawn in a hard line. Lucy frowned, a bad feeling eeking its way through her system.

"We need to talk." He said, his serious expression remaining. Her heart stopped and she felt an awful dropping sensation in her stomach.

"About what?" she asked, still frowning.

"Not here." he replied. "Let's go back to the tent"

She tried not to look terrified as he led her back to the tent. She felt tears welling up when he didn't even bother to hold her hand like he usually did.

Didn't he just tell her he loved her? Did he not mean it? Her mind was reeling. She stopped following him a meter before they got to the tent and couldn't help it when a few tears escaped. She saw him stop when he realised she wasn't following him and turn around. His eyes widened and he ran up to her immediately, gathering her up in his arms.

"Why are you crying, Weirdo?" he asked, exasperated.

He held her close kissing the side of her head and rubbing her back soothingly.

"You don't want me!" she cried into his shoulder.

"Where did you get that idea?" he asked, holding her tighter.

"You said you wanted to talk!" she sobbed.

"Yeah, about mating for life, Weirdo! Geez, I thought you were 'sposed to be clever, Luce!" he complained.

Lucy pulled away from him.

"Mating for life?" she asked, barely more than a whisper.

"Yeah," he confessed turning bright red, wiping the last of the tears out of her eyes with his thumbs. "I thought I already told you that I aint gonna let no-one else have ya!" he laughed and gave her a heart-warming smile.

"You're an idiot, but I love you." She replied.

"So is that a yes?" he asked, raising his brows.

"You even have to ask?"

"I'm gonna hide you away and never let another man see you," he said affectionately before kissing her hard.

"I don't think I agreed to that!" she frowned.

"I'm gonna do it anyway," he replied, nuzzling her cheek. She sighed, having the feeling that she had lost the battle.

"So was that 'the talk' we had to have?" she asked, interrupting his nuzzling. He paused and pulled back, the hard expression back on his face.

"No," he said simply. "Let's get into the tent. It's best to talk about this before Happy gets back."

Lucy nodded, still feeling uneasy, and followed him back into the tent. She sat down and he dropped down opposite her.

"I'm sure you've heard by now that my dad is a dragon," he said and she nodded. "Well his name is Igneel and he's a fire dragon." Lucy nodded again. "When I was a kid, Igneel taught me a lot about what it meant to be a dragon, an' a half-dragon. I didn't understand alotta the stuff then, especially when he said he had ta leave. See the thing with dragons is that they only get one mate and when that person dies...well let's jus' say it's not easy to get past. My mom died when I was a baby and ever since then my dad...well I guess he only had long enough to look after me when I was really young. When he left, it was cause he was hibernating. Waiting until I had to find him again…."

"Lucy. I already told you I wanna mate for life but it aint that simple for half-dragons. See we can't have kids." his eyes darkened and Lucy froze.

It wasn't like Lucy had really thought about her future with Natsu; she hadn't really had the spare time in her morning. But she just expected kids to be in her future. She always expected to be a mother. Even if she had a lousy husband she would have always loved her kids. But here she was. The perfect guy. Her missing piece. But she would never get to see little Lucy's and Natsu's running around. She mourned. Right there and then. She felt like her heart wept for children she would never even have. It hurt.

But she knew whatever she was feeling, Natsu felt ten times worse. She knew he would feel guilty for being the reason she was deprived.

She didn't even think when she got on her knees and pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly.

"I love you." said firmly, trying not to give away the fact that she was holding back tears.

"Luce." he replied and she let him go so he could speak, but still clasped onto his hands. "There's a way, though. A way to have kids. But it comes at a cost." she gripped his hands tighter. "Igneel...it would kill him…" he held her hands tightly and dropped his head.

She pulled him to her again, holding his head to her chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll love you either way. Forever." she promised, holding him tight.

"I already decided, Luce." he said. "It's what my old man wants. Though I kinda wished he would meet her before..." he frowned, a dark look of sadness washing over his features.

"Her?" Lucy asked, laughing through her tears.

"Yeah, Luce. We're gonna have a girl first. I already made my mind up." he said blinking away his unhappy look, pulling away from her to give her a searing kiss.

"I don't think it works like that!" she laughed, the last of her tears falling down her face.

"It does when it our kid!" he grinned, kissing her again.

"I give up!" she replied, smiling back.

"There is one more thing though…" he frowned, but the darkness had left his eyes.

"What is it?"

"I have ta go find him. Igneel. It means I'm gonna have to leave you and Happy for a while, and I don't know when I'm gonna be back."

"Oh…"

"I'm planning on leaving tomorrow morning."

"Oh…"

Silence hung between them like a man at the gallows.

Out of all of the reactions Natsu predicted Lucy would have to the news that he was leaving in the morning, he could not predict the actual one she had.

After a minute of deathly silence, Lucy had, without warning, pounced on him, jumping into his lap and curling her arms around his neck so she could pull him into a kiss. He had been pretty sure, up until that point, that he had mated the best woman in the world but now he was one hundred percent sure.

He kissed her back with vigour, and pulled at her clothes, even more desperate to get skin to skin than he was when they woke up. Lucy pulled at his clothes too and they drew apart, standing up to shed their garments as quickly as possible before jumping at each other again. They unceremoniously collapsed to the floor, Lucy landing on top of him, something he was going to correct until he saw her mischievous smile, curious, he let her stay, gripping at her hips lightly as he saw the start of bruises forming from their time earlier.

His hands slowly made their way up her exposed body, his erection becoming more pronounced as he felt her creamy skin and watched her generous chest, soon enough he could feel it pressed against her ass, something which only made him harder.

She leaned down to kiss him again and he growled at the feeling of her breasts pressed up against his naked chest. For him, there was no better feeling in the world than being naked with Lucy. She smiled, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking and pulled away from his lips to grace him with another cunning smile. He narrowed his eyes, watching intently as she shimmied her way down his body, until her mouth was level with his crotch. He breathed in sharply.

Keeping her eyes glued to his the whole time, she slowly, languorously, dragged her tongue along the length of his shaft, not even twitching as it jumped in approval. Natsu felt the need to let his eyes roll back in his head but he refused to look away. He wanted some semblance of power still in his court. He gave her a cheeky grin despite the fact that he felt like whining, and tucked his hands behind his head, eager to see what she did next, determined not to falter by her actions.

It took him a few seconds after she took him in her mouth before he let out a broken sound that was something between a growl and a whine. To hell with staying in power, his woman knew what she was doing - something he was going to question her about later - and he was not going to waste any time complaining.

He moaned as she swirled her tongue over the head, with light, experimental touches. She moved her tongue all over, seeing what he liked and if anything felt uncomfortable and, eventually, she found a combination which was making him pant and sweat, but before his coil was tight enough to snap, she stopped, seemingly panting herself.

He gave her a heated look and she dove back on his body so they were, once again, face to face. Then she was kissing him with a desperation that matched his own. He couldn't hold out any longer as he flipped them both over and, without another second of thought, filled her with himself.

"Natsu!" she cried out as their slick bodies slid against each other.

Instead of the fast-paced fucking that he was used to giving her, he took it slow, worshipping her body, praising her with every ounce of love and desire he had for her. For the first time they were really making love. He was overcome with the need to show her how much he would miss her when he was gone. How much his body would ache, burn, for her when he was without her.

"I need you," she gasped, as he kept up his slow, hard pace.

"Mine." he growled in return, pulling her closer, coaxing her to wrap her legs tightly around his back, as if he could brand himself on her beautiful skin.

"Yours!" she moaned in reply at a particularly hard thrust.

"Only mine. No one else. If anyone else even tries to touch...I'll kill them all." he said through gritted teeth, feeling the coil tight enough to snap.

"Only you," she cooed, gripping onto his back, her need for marking him seeming almost as strong as his for her.

Just as he was about to go mad from being unable to peak, she spoke again.

"Faster!" she begged.

Never being able to deny her, he growled again before aggressively pounding into her, praying she would find her release before he burst.

They came together, their cries echoing in the tent. They both found themselves panting, still gripping onto each other tightly, neither of them willing to let the other go too soon. Finally, Lucy's grip sagged and he rolled them over so that she was lying on top of him, her face buried into his shoulder.

"I don't want you to go," she said quietly, her broken voice portraying nothing of the cocky vixen that he had seen only moments before.

He let out a large sigh and held onto her tighter, kissing the top of her head with a frown.

"I know, Luce. But I have to." he replied soberly.

"I wish we could just stay like this forever." she said, her head emerging from his shoulder, a cute pout on her lips.

"Yeah, me too. But I gotta do this. That 'an I'm pretty sure Happy'll be back soon!" he said with a smile.

"Stupid cat," she complained.

He laughed and watched her as she got up to dress, appreciating the curves of her body in the light inside of the tent. He sighed again as he got up to dress himself, not knowing whether he should be happy or sad that this would be his last day with Lucy for a while. He knew he had to make the most of it, and he was glad that he would be able to see his father again, but he couldn't help the terrible void in his heart he felt whenever he thought of leaving her.

Happy, ever being the one to break up important moment, seemed to fly in just at the right time again. The dark silence that hung between them before had once again returned after they were dressed, they sat apart with faces drawn in thought.

"Natsu! Lucy! You're back!" the cat cried flying between them, not being able to sense the grisly atmosphere.

"Hey, Buddy!" Natsu greeted, hoping he wouldn't sound off.

"Natsu, why does Lucy have that ugly look on her face?" he asked, half snarkiness, half honest concern.

"I'm not ugly, cat!" Lucy snapped in response, but Natsu frowned at the question. He had to tell him the truth now that he would be leaving tomorrow morning.

"Happy. We have to talk." Natsu spoke seriously.

"Lucy?" Wendy squeaked as she found her slumped against a table at the far end of the food tent.

"Oh. Wendy. Hi!" Lucy replied, trying to muster some semblance of enthusiasm after being kicked out of Natsu's - their - tent because Happy decided that he wanted some 'man' time with Natsu since he wasn't allowed to go find Igneel with him.

"Um, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you, but I was wondering if you knew where Natsu was?"

The girl looked unsure as she watched Lucy's face, obviously searching for signs of unhappiness.

"No, it's fine, Wendy! Natsu's actually just spending some quality time with Happy since he's leaving tomorrow. I got kicked out of the tent so I don't know if it's a good time…"

"Oh...well, would it be alright if I talked to you instead?" she smiled.

"Of course. That's what friends are for, right?" Lucy giggled.

"Right!" Wendy cheered, and took a seat next to a no longer moping Lucy. "Well I guess I'll start by saying, though I'm half-dragon like Natsu and Gajeel, my dragon side didn't come from my dad like it did for them. My dragon side came from my mum. Her name is Grandeeney and she's a wind dragon like I am." she paused and had a sad look on her face. "Where Natsu's going...I can't go until it's time for me as well. But I miss her a lot, you know? I haven't seen my mum since I was really young and I just want to know that she's okay," she nodded, a few tears building up in her eyes.

Lucy didn't hesitate to give the girl a hug. Truthfully, all these family revelations made her think about her own family; her father who was probably still wishing for her safe return. Wendy hiccuped a few times into Lucy's shoulder before pulling away.

"I'll tell Natsu to find her. I'm sure she's fine Wendy. I bet she misses you just as much!" Lucy smiled, trying to will her tears away. As much as her father could be heartless, he was still her father and she missed him.

"Thank you, Lucy!" Wendy beamed, the last of her tears gone.

"No problem. I'm sure you're mum is an amazing woman." Lucy reassured her.

"Yeah, she really is."

The two girls chatted for a few minutes longer before Happy came flying into the tent in tears. Lucy, both scared and concerned, quickly scooped up the cat into her arms and held him close until he stopped crying.

"What is it, Happy? Is Natsu okay?"

"HE TRIED TO KILL ME!" He cried, hiding in Lucy's bosom.

"What?!" Wendy squeaked, Lucy's eyes widened with shock.

Just as she was about to contemplate whether Natsu was back in his dragon mode or not, the man himself burst into the tent after Happy. A very naked Natsu. A very angry, very naked Natsu.

"HAPPY! GIVE ME BACK MY STUFF!" he yelled, storming over to them.

Lucy quickly dropped the cat, losing all sympathy, to put her hands over Wendy's eyes before his lower half came into view of them.

"Natsu! Put some clothes on!" Lucy hissed as he got into view.

"I WOULD IF HAPPY HADN'T STOLEN THEM ALL!" he roared, looking ready - as Happy had said - to kill the cat.

"What about the clothes you were wearing earlier?" she squeaked, trying desperately not to look down.

Natsu stopped and the comment, looking to the floor and blushing. Scratching the back of his head; the adorable gesture evidence of his embarrassment.

"He tricked me…" he mumbled lowly.

"HAPPY!" Lucy growled, looking down at the blue cat who was currently hiding behind her legs. He tried to run, but she caught him after making sure Wendy's eyes were still shut. "Natsu, go back to the tent." she said evenly, the threat evident in her voice.

"AYE!" he squealed and dashed off back out of the tent leaving a quiet crowd. Half gawking, half looking at Lucy as if they were trying to solve how the puzzle pieces fit together. She blushed, dragging the cat out of the tent with her before anyone could question her.

"Where did you put his clothes, Happy?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"I-I hid them by the river!" he confessed, trying to scramble away from her tight grasp when she gave him an angry stare.

"Could you please go bring them back?" she asked with a sigh. Happy stopped resisting and slumped his shoulders.

"Aye," he replied, downtrodden.

She let him go, but just before he flew off to the river she spoke again.

"I'm going to miss him too," she said with a half-hearted smile.

With a nod and a sad look, Happy flew off to retrieve Natsu's clothes and Lucy went to their tent.

She pushed inside to find Natsu - just as bare as before - lying down on his bed and looking up and the ceiling. He didn't look her way as she entered, but she knew that he was more than aware that she was there.

"I think he's just scared of you leaving," she said, lying down next to him, trying to ignore the fact that he was gloriously naked. "I know I am." she added, blushing a little.

Natsu turned over to face her, his face unreadable.

"S'not like I wanna leave you guys," he huffed and she couldn't help but smile.

"I know. So does Happy." she smiled, leaning forward to give him a short, sweet kiss. Almost laughing when she found him still frowning.

"I'm gonna come straight back and it's not like I'll be gone that long…" his frown deepened.

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than you are me," she giggled.

"Yeah, well it aint like I know how ta live without you now…" he grumbled, looking away with a slight blush on his cheeks.

Lucy's whole face lit up and she couldn't help but kiss him again. He seemed surprised by her reaction at first, but soon enough she heard him moan and felt him reciprocate. She held his face, not willing to give up just yet. Natsu seemed to have the same idea, as he pushed her on her back, draping himself over her body so he could kiss her more thoroughly.

"Geez, is this what you guys do all day?"

Lucy and Natsu both jumped apart as they heard the snarky comment from Gray. Natsu growled, narrowing his eyes and Lucy's whole face turned red. Natsu being naked did not help matters.

"What the hell d'ya want, icebreath?" Natsu snapped, crossing his legs and artfully covering his crotch with his fists.

"I heard there was a naked idiot on the loose. Guess they weren't lyin'" Gray chuckled, turning to Lucy to raise an eyebrow.

"Happy stole his clothes!" she squeaked in reply.

"Suuuure," he said with a cocky look on his face, obviously enjoying the way her face turned a darker shade of red.

"Oi! Don't make Lucy feel uncomfortable!" Natsu growled.

"You're the one who's naked!" Gray cried.

"You don't look too far off yourself," Natsu scoffed.

Gray looked down to discover his shirt was already on the floor.

"Dammit!"

"At least Lucy likes seeing me naked!" Natsu barked.

"NATSU!" Lucy cried in horror.

"Probably just pretendin' cause she doesn't want you to feel bad," Gray laughed.

"GRAY!"

"What? You're saying you really want that monster anywhere near your-"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Nastu shouted, jumping up to punch him.

"WHY'S EVERYONE NAKED?!" Happy cried, flying back with Natsu's clothes just at the right time.

"I'M NOT NAKED, STUPID CAT!" Lucy snapped.

"I just walked in on them naked, so don't ask me!" Gray explained, all whilst taking off his pants.

"I'M NOT NAKED!" Lucy huffed.

"I don't have any clothes! Unlike the other two!" Natsu complained.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY I'M NOT NAKED!"

"If you think about it, Lucy's the real perv here…" Gray commented grabbing his chin and standing next to Natsu who had taken up the same pose.

"You're right. Lucy's a bigger pervert than you are…" Natsu agreed.

"I HATE ALL OF YOU!" she cried, giving up once she realised she was in a room full of idiots, smacking her head with her hand.

"Here are your clothes, Natsu!" Happy said cheerily, all of them seemingly ignoring Lucy's breakdown.

"Thanks, Buddy!" he smiled.

The room fell to silence as both of the boys started putting their clothes back on. Lucy was half-tempted to leave when she remembered the conversation she had with Wendy.

"Natsu, can I speak with you alone for a minute?" she asked absentmindedly.

"Yeah, sure." he replied with a lopsided smile.

"Watch out, Natsu! She might get you naked again!" Happy cried in mock-horror.

"Shut up, cat!" Lucy hissed.

"Don't worry, Buddy. I wouldn't mind!" Natsu laughed, leaving Lucy blushing as he motioned for her to follow him out the door.

"Lucy's a pervert~!" Happy sang, marginally avoiding getting hit as she made her way outside with Natsu.

They walked to the edge of the forest, out of earshot everyone in camp, before he stopped and turned to face her.

"So what did ya want ta say?" he asked, a childish grin on his face.

"Wendy asked me if you would be able to find her mum when you went to see Igneel. I think she misses her a lot and would appreciate the peace of mind…" Lucy said, her eyes glazing over towards the end of the sentence as she thought about her own family.

"Well, I was gonna try to do it anyway but now I'll make sure I find Grandeeney for sure!" he smiled.

"You're the best," Lucy said with a sad smile.

She wanted to see her family. She missed her father a lot. But she knew that Natsu wouldn't be happy with her going back home alone. Especially when he would be away himself. So she thought it would probably be best not to talk about it.

"What's with that face, Luce?" Natsu frowned, stepping closer to her.

"Nothing," she lied. "Guess it just reminds me of the fact that my mum died when I was pretty young."

Natsu's jaw clenched and he scooped her up in his arms, holding her close and putting his chin on her head.

"I'm sorry. I never even knew my mum...she died in childbirth." he said quietly, holding her tighter.

"Oh, Natsu…" she sighed, hugging him back.

"It's okay. I had my Dad and then I had Fairy Tail. I think I had a pretty good childhood considering!" he said cheerily.

Lucy had no idea how he was able to muster up so much enthusiasm but she put a smile on for him as they pulled apart.

"Well you turned out alright," she teased.

"I'm better than alright!" he scoffed, fist punching the air, flames enveloping his knuckles. After maniacally laughing he let the flames die down and cupped her face in his hands which were still warm to the touch. "I've got you, so I'm the luckiest guy in the world." he added sincerely, a light dusting of red on his cheeks.

"Yeah, I think I'm pretty lucky too!" she replied, a huge smile on her lips.

"Lucky Lucy, huh?" he chuckled, not noticing the way her smile fell.

Lucky Lucy. That was what her father called her.

Natsu had spent the rest of his day torn between wanting to spend the entire day in bed with Lucy and hanging out with his friends. Sadly, the latter ending up being what happened. Not that he wasn't planning on kicking Happy out for the night so they could stay up late and he could fill his mind with the taste and feel of every inch of her skin…

"Oi, Salamander!" Gajeel said, shoving him and snapping him out of his daydream.

"What?!" he snapped crabbily.

"You even listenin'?" he asked.

"I said I'd go see Metalicana! What more do you want?" Natsu complained.

"This aint about that!" Gajeel growled.

"Then what is it about?" Natsu frowned.

"It's about the shrimp," Gajeel said quietly. Natsu was unsure but he thought he might have seen a slight blush on his face.

"Levy?" he asked.

"Yeah. Not so loud…" Gajeel grumbled.

"What about 'er?"

"Well, you've known her longer, so could you, y'know...tell me if she likes those bozo's that hang around 'er?" he said quietly.

"And what do I get out of it?" Natsu asked, his mouth upturned in a huge cheshire smile.

"I'll tell you some stories about Bunny Girl," Gajeel replied, crossing his arms.

"Deal. As far as I know, Levy's only ever liked one guy." Natsu replied.

"Who?" Gajeel asked with narrowed eyes.

"You, idiot. Lucy goes on about it all the time."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, dumbass. Now tell me some stories I can hold over Lucy!" He said with an evil cackle.

It was Gajeel's turn to smile an evil, cunning grin. Natsu felt a little unnerved, but didn't show it.

"If you insist…"

"I do." He huffed.

"Well I guess I can tell you about all of the guys that tried to get Lucy in bed with them…"

"The WHAT?!" He growled, not liking the image of any scummy guy anywhere near Lucy.

"Oh, yeah. Bunny girl was real popular with the guys. There was even this one guy that was constantly hitting on her. Always kissing her hand and calling her his princess…"

"HE WHAT?! TELL ME WHERE HE IS! I'M GONNA MURDER HIM!" Natsu snapped, seeing red.

"Oh, no. That wasn't part of our deal, Salamander. But you're welcome to sit here with me and listen to all the ways he hit on her as long as you like…" he chuckled darkly.

"NO!" Natsu barked, not knowing how much more he could take.

"Damn…and I had some really funny stories about her as well…" Gajeel sighed, an evil twinkle in his eye.

"FIGHT ME YOU BASTARD!" Natsu roared.

"My pleasure…" Gajeel said calmly, cracking his knuckles before taking a swing which Natsu swiftly avoided.

"NATSU! GAJEEL!" Erza roared in the distance.

The both stopped in their tracks, looking at each other and silently agreeing to run away.

"COME BACK HERE, COWARDS!" she shouted.

"Thanks for the tip, Salamander." Gajeel said before they parted ways.

Natsu huffed and made his way back to Lucy who seemed to be having a serious talk with Mira. Without bothering to listen in on their conversation, he marched over to her and snatched her away, kissing her quickly and deeply - needing the reassurance after his conversation with Gajeel - and then pulling away.

"Mine," he grumbled, nuzzling her neck.

"Natsu! I was in the middle of a conversation!" she berated.

"Mine." He repeated.

"Dragons are so weird…" she mumbled. "If I say yes will you let me go?"

He pulled away from her neck to pout at her.

"You are mine." He said firmly, pulling at the collar of her dress to reveal his bite mark, looking at it with a satisfied smirk.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked with a laugh and rolled her eyes. "If you're worried I'm going to run off with someone else when you're gone-" he growled and she rolled her eyes again. "Then you have nothing to worry about. I'm probably going to spend my days and nights missing the hell out of you and trying my best to get my mind off of it." she laughed and he sighed, feeling a lot better.

"I love you, idiot. I thought we already established that!" she smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "And it's only you."

It hardly took a second for a bright smile to take over his face.

"I love you too, weirdo. So much…" he sighed and hugged her tight.

"Good. Now let me go, idiot! I was in the middle of a conversation!" she huffed.

He gave a hearty laugh before letting her go.

"Come back to the tent when you're done. I've got something planned." he said lowly, giving her a devious smile.

Only waiting to watch her blush before he left to go back to the tent.

"He still doesn't know yet then?" Mirajane asked, watching Lucy carefully.

"It's not like I don't want to tell him! But with everything that's happening right now...I'm not sure it's the right time." she confessed with a sigh.

"Are you worried it will change the way he thinks about you?" Mirajane asked, making Lucy frown.

"I...I don't know. I know he's not going to change his mind or anything, but...I guess I have a lot of experience of people wanting me for my money rather than for myself…" she replied, trying not to sound too downtrodden.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about. Natsu maybe half-dragon but I can assure you you're a more important part of his hoard than gold is." Mira giggled.

"Thanks, Mira." she smiled.

"Anyway, I thought dragons had a thing about capturing princesses," the silver-haired woman teased.

"Maybe…" Lucy blushed.

"Now go make the most of the time you have with him now." she egged, giving Lucy a knowing smile before she left to find Erza, leaving Lucy with her thoughts.

Lucy wasn't sure what to expect when she found her way back into their tent. She was pretty sure she hadn't seen Happy earlier, so she was fully expecting the cat and Natsu to be planning some horrible fate for her. She had heard them talking - plenty of times - about how they were going to draw on her face when she was sleeping; something she, not too fondly, told them she would not be happy with. But, instead, she found Natsu lying between their furs, staring at the ceiling with that serious expression he had been wearing a lot more lately.

"Natsu?" she asked, snapping him out of his daze.

He turned his face to look at her, a small smile on his lips, though he eyes were narrowed in concentration as if he was trying to memorise her face. He frowned.

"Hey," he said simply, his eyes still searching.

"Is everything okay?" she asked with her own frowned, moving to take a seat next to where he was lying.

He sat up to face her and gave a large sigh, sitting cross legged he leaned forward and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply.

"I'm gonna miss you." he complained, rubbing his nose up and down her neck until she shivered.

"You won't be gone that long," she promised - it was one for both of their sakes.

"Too long." he replied, pulling back from her neck to give a childish pout. "I wish I didn't have to leave you at all."

"Are you still scared I'm going to run away and leave you?" she laughed.

"You're too good for me," he said, as if he was making a point.

"You're an idiot." she sighed.

"That too." he frowned.

"It was a joke, Natsu. Didn't I tell you I love you? I'm pretty sure that means forever." she chastised.

"That's not long enough," he sighed and gave her a cheeky grin.

"Maybe not." she laughed and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Natsu couldn't sleep.

Yeah, he had just had some amazing sex, and, yeah, he had the most amazing girl in the world in his arms, but he just couldn't sleep. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that he would have to leave - both the amazing sex and the amazing girl - in the morning. Every time he thought about it he felt a horrible twisting sensation in his stomach.

It's not like he wasn't excited to see his old man - he couldn't keep the smile off his face even if he wanted to - but leaving Lucy - his Lucy - behind was killing him.

He stroked her hair soothingly - though it was probably more soothing for him than for her - loving how the silky strands felt on his skin.

It was strange, a couple of weeks ago he wouldn't have even considered that he could be in bed with a woman, let alone one as perfect as the one he had. A couple of weeks ago his life revolved around eating, sleeping, hunting and happy and now...it was like everything he did was for Lucy; he lived for her. Her smile, her laugh, her pants, her moans...fuck, he would do anything to make her moan. His life was in the palm of her hands…

That was probably why Natsu couldn't sleep. Because he knew he had to leave her in the morning. And if he came back and she was gone...he didn't know how he would deal with that. He would probably end up burning down the camp in a fit of rage; he was known to have quite temper.

He held onto her tighter and forced himself to shut his eyes despite the horrible sinking sensation he felt. He was going to have to leave in the morning whether he slept or not. He sighed and changed their positions so that he ended up with his head on her chest, he instantly felt better, melting against the heat of her body, lulled by the soft beating of her heart.

Tomorrow he would leave, but tonight he could spend another precious night in her company.

Thank you so much to everyone who had supported this story, especially over this stupidly long break. I am hoping to get back to more regular writing now that I've graduated ( with a 2:1 in Archaeology ^-^ ), though I'm hoping to get a job soon so who knows! Another reason I have been taking a long time to post this new chapter is because I have been doing a lot of fanart!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I shall try to post the next part within a week but it might be two.