. Paranormal: Tranquility .

She didn't remember much after falling asleep.

It had been dark for quite some time, she supposed. Sometimes, she'd felt energetic enough to push herself to the brink of exhaustion in an attempt to find someone else, someone she couldn't remember, but she'd never succeeded.

It had seemed like ages before she'd finally been able to open her eyes and see the light around her. Even then, she'd barely been able to focus on anything. She'd wandered alone amongst the strange surroundings, sudden surges of emotion had brought chaos to her, but she'd ignored feeling anything for the most part.

She saw people often. She'd been forced to dig deep into her mind to drag out names and information, sometimes taking days to remember anyone or anything.

People lived in the house she found herself in.

A dark-haired man, with piercings and crimson eyes that glittered with amusement whenever his girlfriend did something he found funny. He'd never noticed her when she got close, nor did his blue-haired girlfriend, who liked to read so very often, with glasses perched on her nose. They were mournful for quite some time, much to her confusion. Why would they be so sad?

The one she saw most was like her, she knew, wandering listlessly around the house. His pink hair alone was enough to drag her attention to him most days. He'd never seemed to notice her when she tried to capture his attention. The man and woman that lived within the house didn't seem to notice either of them.

It had taken time for her to recognize the man and his girlfriend as Gajeel Redfox and Levy McGarden. It had taken a lot of time for her to remember them in their entirety and just what they were to her. And when she had, she'd cried, because she knew that it her fault they were so upset.

She'd begun to recognize a few people that came by as time went on.

There was Jellal and Erza Fernandes, their eyes glowing with warmth when they were allowed in.

Gray and Juvia Fullbuster had stopped by more often than not, their daughter in tow. Their daughter had been able to see the strange pink-haired spirit that wandered though when her mother couldn't, and he'd kept her busy when her parents wanted her to be good. She hadn't been able to help but smile as she watched him play with the girl.

On the rare occasion, there had been others. Sting Eucliffe and his girlfriend, Yukino Auguria. Rogue Cheney. Wendy Marvell had trusted Gajeel and Levy with her cat when she left town. There were others - many, many others - but she'd had problems keeping track of all of them, to be honest.

The only names that escaped her mind were the other spirit's and her own.

It had driven her mad with rage some days, stressing her out to the point that she'd sit there and scream bloody murder in hopes that someone would notice her, but it never happened. She was there through everything that the others were, but she was the only one who wasn't questioned. Occasionally, Levy would throw a question at the other spirit, who would remain silent. It seemed to disappoint Levy when he didn't respond, and she wondered why he didn't when she asked.

She certainly would have.

She would have done anything at this point.

It was nearly six months - she kept a very close count on the days, ticking them off as Levy marked them on the calendar - before he first noticed. The spirit's eyes would latch onto her for seconds at a time, and she could have sworn there was hope in his gaze. She'd later find out that he'd seen flashes of her golden hair, glimpses of despairing brown eyes watching everyone from afar.

It was eight before his name smacked her in the face.

Natsu.

How could she have forgotten?

She remembered the poltergeist, the friendly spirit, that had more often than not been the source of many troubles. Yet she'd loved him, still loved him, desperately.

She'd trailed after him, a breath away, for weeks afterwards. She'd tried everything, but other than the rare moments where he saw small glimpses of her, he didn't see her. He seemed to know she was there, however, because he was far more cheerful. He still avoided everyone when Juvia came around, as did she, but he was constantly smiling about something or another, the mournful looks long gone.

A year later, he saw her.

He saw her.

Natsu Dragneel looked her dead in the eye, and breathed, "Lucy."

Everything had come back and within moments, she'd tackled him in as tight a hug as she could give. It felt odd; she didn't feel skin, she didn't feel his hair on her cheeks. She didn't feel anything but a gentle pressure when he'd pressed his lips to hers in a fierce kiss, and she silently laughed.

How odd to think of ghosts kissing one another.

He'd explained it all to her, why she'd been unable to think of anything, to be seen. Her energy had been weak for a while, growing every day until finally, she'd been strong enough to show herself to him. It was odd, he admitted, that ghosts without vengeful thoughts had to deal with such things when the murderous demonic spirits could show up immediately.

It wasn't fair, actually.

But Lucy hadn't really cared all that much. The blonde ghost had walked the halls of the house for a year, dead, and now she walked with someone rather than alone.

Time went on.

They avoided Juvia for various reasons; they wanted their friends to be happy, and Lucy knew they wouldn't be if they knew that she was with Natsu yet hadn't moved on. Whenever the blue-haired woman came around with Gray and their daughter, the pair of ghosts would hide themselves in the backyard, playing with Happy, who seemed to recognize her. He'd purred up a storm when Lucy had first approached the cat that had once belonged to her.

Eventually, Levy McGarden became Levy Redfox. The three weeks in which they were away on their honeymoon proved to be a blast. Natsu taught her many things when Wendy wasn't around checking on Happy and Pantherlily. He showed her how to push things just an inch to the side so that when the newly wed couple came home, they'd bump into everything. He showed her how she could mess with the TV, the lights, and turning the water on and off became a pastime that she enjoyed with Happy.

And when Levy and Gajeel came home, it was absolutely hilarious.

Lucy watched from the corner of the living room with a laugh on her lips as Gajeel slammed his hip into the side of the couch. Bellowing in anger and pain, clutching the spot, the red-eyed man had spun around, searching the room, as if expecting Natsu or Lucy to show up and claim that they'd done it. But they never took the blame, and for years after, the couple would discuss the weird occurrence.

Some days were bad.

Some were good.

Lucy sometimes found herself so angry that she couldn't stand anything that Natsu tried to comfort her with. She'd stormed around the house in a fury, her own anger setting Gajeel and Levy on edge. Natsu had even tried to control his own temper, which had flared dangerously when she'd snapped that she blamed him for everything that had happened. It had happened on more than one occasion. And she always felt horribly guilty afterwards.

She'd cry for hours, sobbing into her fingers and pleading that Natsu forgive her, because damn it, she didn't want to be alone.

Natsu always comforted her when she'd been done with her tantrums. He'd sat with her wherever she'd chosen to sit - usually in the middle of the dining room table - and he'd listen to her apologies with patience, taking advantage of her pauses to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere, that he would never leave without her.

Two years after Lucy's death, Alexus Redfox joined the family.

Lucy would never forget the way the curious baby had watched her from crimson eyes, cooing, as if recognizing that she was there to protect her.

One look at Natsu, and she'd started screaming, much to their amusement. Natsu had pouted, and Lucy had given the baby one more loving look before slipping out to allow her some peace.

Lucy had been there for everything. Natsu had missed a few key events, too busy doing whatever he'd wanted to do at those moments, but she hadn't missed a single thing. Lucy had seen Alexus' first steps. Her first words. Her first laugh.

It had been a mystery to her parents when she'd first giggled, "Lu."

Lucy had beamed in pride, having worked to convince the toddler to say her name for ages. Levy had cried for hours afterwards, not understanding just how her daughter had come to know of such a name when Juvia had told her there were no spirits of lost friends, but Lucy hadn't felt the least bit guilty.

Some day, she'd see Levy again. In a proper way, not watching from afar like she had for so long.

Natsu hadn't dared to teach Alexus his name. He'd kept her quiet in the dead of night, when she'd awoken and felt sick. He'd soothed her, stroking her dark hair out of her flushed face until Lucy had successfully managed to prod Gajeel awake, careful not to poke too much. They were still hiding at that time, of course.

When Alexus was four, Levy became pregnant again.

Lucy had been so excited, she'd screamed, bouncing up and down. Natsu had been frightened by the noise she'd made and Gajeel had ended up going to check on the air conditioning, because there was no way in hell a house jumped nearly ten degrees in under five minutes.

He'd been puzzled to discover that nothing was wrong.

Alexus had been excited, too. She'd chattered endlessly about her new baby sibling, telling Lucy and Natsu all about how her parents were preparing a new room for it, and how Levy had decided should the baby be a girl, they'd name it after Lucy. Lucy had wanted to cry when she'd heard that, her lips pressed together and her eyes shining.

But the baby had turned out to be a boy, and nine months of pregnancy later, Saviir was born. He'd had his mother's eyes, the hazel color always sparkling with curiosity. Alexus had introduced the ghosts to him, hanging off of the side of the crib with happy crimson eyes.

There had been a point where Lucy had become irritable. She'd avoided everyone, even Natsu. He'd kept a close eye on her for years at that point, making sure that when she admitted to hearing whispers on occasion, that she ignored them. But she'd nearly fallen to them during that period of time, her heart aching and her entire being longing to be with her friends, alive. She'd wanted a family, too. She'd wanted to be having children and watching them grow, with their little heads of golden hair and dark eyes.

She'd fought with Natsu quite often about the matter.

"Do you not think I don't know what you're feeling?" he'd barked furiously in the midst of one of such arguments. His onyx eyes had burned with rage. The room had filled with heat, and he'd been grateful that the house was empty at the moment. "Do you really think I didn't have to deal with things like that when you were still alive?"

It had broken through her anger. She'd cried for hours, her emotions a wreck, as she realized that he'd wanted to have such things with her.

But they couldn't.

Because they were dead and the others lived.

It had been a long time before Lucy had been able to accept that she wouldn't be able to have a family. She'd quietly play with Saviir in his crib when he was around, keeping him quiet. The infant had cooed and she'd smiled warmly at him, caressing his cheeks and imagining what could have been, but she'd moved on.

She just wanted to see to it that Levy was taken care of, that Alexus didn't need them anymore.

She'd known that they went to her grave every week, and on the anniversary of the day she'd died, everyone had always come over to the house to share the same tales as the previous year, talking about how much they missed her. Erza, Gray, and Juvia had often times told stories of Natsu as well, agreeing that the poltergeist had too much to do with Lucy to not have been included on the day.

Lucy and Natsu had always sat in the corner of the room, out of Juvia's sight, listening. They'd laughed alongside their friends, murmuring to one another in hushed tones so that they wouldn't be overheard. Lucy wasn't sure about why they'd hidden from them at that point; they seemed to have moved on.

She knew that Levy had always thought it odd that Happy would sometimes stop dead in his tracks to curl up in weird places. Lucy had watched Levy with amusement in her eyes while she played with her cat, and Natsu kept up the attitude he'd always had towards the feline. He'd always loved messing with him and he continued to do so. Even with Lucy berating him for it.

Alexus thought it was beyond hilarious when Lucy would scold Natsu for something. She'd caught him playing with Happy in a mean way at one point, and Alexus had giggled for going on ten minutes as Lucy shouted at him, demanding he stopped being so mean to her cat. When Levy had questioned her, she'd merely said that her friends were being funny.

Levy had looked concerned. But she'd done nothing, only smiled and kissed Alexus' head before going to feed Saviir.

For years, Lucy had lived alongside Natsu, haunting the home that she'd died in. She'd protected the family within from a nasty spirit that tried to latch onto Alexus' innocent mind, Natsu chasing it away with his eyes blazing dangerously. It had been the one time that they'd allowed themselves a break from staying hidden; lights had flickered, the TV had come on and off, and the thumps of Natsu slamming it into walls had scared Saviir into screaming.

For years, she'd loved and stayed, protecting, watching, never once abandoning and considering moving on like she and Natsu often times talked about. She couldn't bare to leave her friends behind, terrified that harm would be brought to them.

Natsu didn't understand; why couldn't she just move on now? Clearly, they could handle whatever hardship was thrown at them. Why couldn't they move on? He was tired, and she had begun to get tired, too.

But Lucy couldn't.

Lucy had no explanation.

She just...couldn't.

And she'd always felt horrible about it, but there was nothing she could do to convince herself otherwise.

She'd merely accepted the possibility that she'd never be able to move on.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she didn't really care.

They didn't mean to show themselves that day; it was entirely Alexus' fault.

And Natsu's.

Natsu had merely been playing with Alexus as the six year old and her three year old brother colored together at the table, Levy slowly coming back from whatever she'd been doing. He'd been grabbing her paper as Levy had settled down, wiping spittle from her son's chin. Gajeel had been at work that day.

He'd nearly succeeded when Alexus had lost patience and snarled, "Stop!"

Immediately, Levy had looked up, frowning as Alexus glared at the frozen Natsu. Natsu's gaze had darted in terror to Lucy. For so long had they hidden themselves that they hadn't been certain of what to do. How were they supposed to get out of this?! "Lex, what's wrong?" Levy had asked.

Alexus had scowled. "He's being rude and messing with my picture, Momma!" Alexus had snapped, glaring over her shoulder. Natsu had narrowed his onyx eyes. The generally cheerful and laid back ghost - he'd apparently calmed down from when Lucy had been alive, mellowed out after waiting so long for her to show up - had scowled back and stuck his tongue out in a childish manner. Alexus had returned the gesture.

Levy had questioned who was bothering her, and Alexus had pointed at Natsu as Lucy had started to yell at him, irritable. They'd gone for so long, and now he gave them away?! "Never mind. The nice lady's yelling at him, it's okay."

Levy had narrowed her eyes, beckoning Alexus to her. After Alexus had seated herself in Levy's lap, Levy had wrapped herself around her, frowning down at the young girl. "Are they scary looking, the people you're seeing?"

Lucy had glanced up, listening quietly now as Natsu stood beside her, and Alexus had studied them before shaking her head beaming. "Nope! The nice lady's really nice." She'd paused, and then admitted, "The rude guy's nice, too, I guess. He's stupid."

Levy had scolded her, and then went quiet before calling Lucy's name shakily. Lucy had hesitated, and then knocked once, a symbol of what they'd experienced from so long ago. Natsu had grabbed her hand, squeezing it in that strange way. When Levy had asked if Natsu was present as well, he'd smirked at Alexus and let heat swirl around them.

"I asked you to stop!" Alexus had cried, irritated.

When Levy had begun to cry, her face pressed into Alexus' hair, Alexus had been confused. Lucy had reached past the girl after ruffling her hair, her eyes mournful. She'd touched Levy's head, lovingly caressing her best friend's head. Levy had looked past her, but Lucy knew she'd felt it.

And then the blue-haired woman had shook her head, smiling broadly. "Oh, Lucy, Natsu," she'd breathed, her eyes warm. "Go. We're fine here...it's time for you to move on. Thank you for all that you've done." It was as if Levy knew. She'd realized that it had been them all along, those strange occurrences. This whispers in the night, the times they'd woken up to weird yanks. Everything. "We'll take things from here...okay?"

Lucy's heart had swelled, and tears had risen to her eyes. For the first time since she'd joined Natsu in this strange existence, she felt at peace. She'd felt happy, warm, as if it was okay to close her eyes and finally sleep. She'd exchanged a look with Natsu, and then laughed, pressing her lips to his fingers before dropping their tangled hands.

"Thank you, Levy," Lucy had murmured, her voice thick with emotion. She'd turned to leave, and then looked back just once, to say a final goodbye.

And then, Levy had seen her. The woman had looked her friend dead in the eye, and Lucy had smiled lovingly as Natsu raised a hand to salute her in a mocking sort of way. Levy had gave a shaky laugh as she'd looked into Lucy's eyes. Lucy had sent her a silent message, her eyes speaking of everything she'd ever wanted to tell her Levy since she'd died.

How sorry she was that she hadn't been able to say a proper goodbye.

How she'd watched over them.

How Natsu had been there every step of the way.

How grateful Lucy was that they could finally move on without guilt wreaking havoc in her mind, tranquil after the storms that had raged through it for years and years.

Natsu's heat had faltered and then disappeared as Lucy turned away, closing her eyes.

The time had come.

And then she'd walked into the light she'd once turned away from, hand in hand with the pink-haired poltergeist who had started it all.

So...I missed writing Paranormal desperately and decided to write a one-shot for it! As you can see, this takes place after Lucy's death and continues through the epilogue of Paranormal in Lucy's point of view. I hope you all enjoyed this! :D