Summary: Lucy Heartfilia finds herself back in Magnolia for the holidays after all these years and reunites with her high school sweetheart Natsu Dragneel.

Snowflakes

The moonlight illuminates the dark night sky, as tiny little snowflakes flutter and dance in the air corresponding with the winter breeze. Tiny stars flicker in the cloudless skies, as Lucy Heartfilia takes in the sight once more, knowing this isn't Crocus anymore, as the train drives further from the city.

Staring outside the train windows, she can't help but lean against the glass, feeling the cool material touch her cheeks, as she relieves in the memories of her old hometown. Blurred images from the past finds their way into her mind, as she can't help but think about her first kiss with a peculiar but mysterious pink haired boy whom she spent most of her high school years with.

And then her mind travels back to a day that was supposed to be covered in smiles. Standing in her sparkling pink prom dress, the dim lights illuminated their faces as hurtful words had been said. She remembered him throwing a tantrum as she told him she was moving to Crocus for college. And never returned since.

And graduation came along, but the two had not glanced at each other at all. Her friends had been there when she got on the train, but the person she wanted to see the most, was nowhere to be found.

She left the small town with unfinished business, and it left a sort of a hole in her empty heart. She set her way to Crocus to become an author for a magazine, but upon graduation, she was only able to land modeling jobs for that particular magazine. And along the way, she had lost the one she loved.

The train now pauses to a halt, as she ignores the voice on the loudspeakers signaling for passengers to exit. Tugging along her suitcase, she exits the platform and finds herself walking along the familiar path to her old mansion as her father opened the door welcoming her arrival.

Guests after guests questioned about her job in Crocus, but she can only bite back tears as she lied, saying she was doing just fine.

Morning sunlight shines through her curtains, as Lucy Heartfilia adjusts her eyes to the harsh light, reminding herself she is now back in her hometown. Putting on a cute white sweater, leggings and boots, she decides to take a walk while the rest of the town is still awake.

Back in Crocus, the town would be busy at this time, considering how everyone is in such a rush to get ready. Being a model, she is aware that half the world recognizes her face, so she has to be careful about who she runs into here in her hometown.

She glances at her watch, noting that it is 6am as she finds herself along the familiar path of the broadway next to the ocean, listening to the waves crash along the shore in this hidden part of Magnolia. Smiling to herself, she remembers how she used to walk along this boardwalk as her boyfriend, well, ex boyfriend, would stay by her side as they watch the sunrise before school, and told each other secrets they would never dare reveal to the world. Having stalked him a couple of times on social media, her heart tightens as she remembers seeing a lot of pictures of him going on vacation with a white haired beauty named Lisanna she had envied back in high school. Yet she had already made her choice to leave, so in a way, this whole dilemma was her fault.

The sun's rays illuminate her face, as her golden blonde hair glistens and blends in with the light. Leaning on a wooden banister, she stares into the horizon, pretending she is 16 again and so in love. Pretending he is next to her, as his arms would wrap around her waist and she'd lean in, his warmth encapsulating her body.

"N-no way," a familiar voice says from behind as she hears footsteps growing closer.

"I think that's her," another voice speaks.

"L-Luce... I-I don't- "

"Just say hi or something."

"I-I have to go."

"What?"

Closing her eyes, she smiles bitterly, before coming face-to-face with one of the voices from earlier, though the other one had already disappeared.

"Wow, it really is you!"

"Y-yeah. So um how have you been Gray?" She asks, with a small smile.

"Eh, not much. I started coaching ice hockey and it's pretty cool. I'm hoping they enter Nationals this year."

"Oh yeah, you've always wanted to be an ice hockey player when you grew up... What happened to that, if you don't mind me asking..."

Gray laughs, a bitter tone in his voice. "I know. I didn't have the courage to do that, unlike you who set out to follow your dreams. You never told anyone what you wanted to be, so when you left, we didn't know what to expect. But now you're a model and your name is everywhere. I'm proud of you sis, I really am, but besides you, none of us really had the courage to follow our dreams I guess."

She doesn't say anything, nor does she correct him. She doesn't tell him of the emptiness in her heart, and decides she'd let the world believe what they wanted to believe. Because even though she's famous, she feels as if something is missing from her life.

"You know, you should come to Fairy Tail. There isn't a lot of people with this crazy amount of snow, but maybe you can say hi to a couple of us?" Gray suggests.

"I don't know..."

"Why not? It's been what? 5 years since you visited us? I'm sure they'd rather see you in person than on Facebook."

"I guess I'll stay...but not for too long though. I still want to explore the town..."

The smell of alcohol enters her nostrils, as she inhales the familiar scent of this hangout she used to go to. A couple of people are playing ping pong on the table, and some are playing billiard a while cursing each other out. Others simply find themselves at the bar, and glancing around the room, she can make out some familiar faces.

"Lu-chan! I didn't know you were coming! If I'd known I'd throw a party or something! Oh my gosh! Look at you, famous and living the dream! How's Crocus? Even though we Skype every other day you have to tell me everything!" A petite girl named Levy squeals, holding Lucy's hand.

"Don't hog her for yourself!" A scarlet haired girl shouts, giving the blonde a hug.

"Juvia is happy to welcome Lucy back to Magnolia!"

"My, what a beauty you've become. Did you come home for the holidays to find a little bit of love? What about Natsu?"

"Mira, they broke up a long time ago. I think he has a crush on Lisanna now, and I'm sure Lucy's head over heels with a Hollywood superstar!"

"I still think Natsu and Lucy were a better couple. Remember the way they used to look at each other? You don't see that kind of love every day."

"Mira, that was then and this is now. Times have changed, okay? We were a couple doomed from the start. It was never going to work out between us anyways and honestly I don't even know why we wasted our time," Lucy lies, feeling tears starting to bubble deep inside.

The group is silent for a while, before Lucy's eyes catch those of a deep onyx green with pink hair, as his wide eyes stare at her chocolate brown pupils, before he walks away, an expression incomprehensible.

Christmas music plays in the air as she stares at him in the corner of her eyes, talking to a white haired girl, completely ignoring her total existence.

"Lucy, Juvia is going to the Salvation Army to prepare some meals for the children with Erza tomorrow. Would you like to come?"

Deciding there was nothing to do on Christmas Eve, she nods. "Sure, why not?"

"I thought you said it was only us and Erza?" Lucy says, looking at Juvia.

"Why, am I such a waste of time that you don't want me here?" The pink haired boy asks sarcastically, crossing his arms and looking at her. "Just because you're so famous, Miss Heartfilia, doesn't mean you can rule the world."

The blonde haired girl stares at him in shock, as she feels her chest tightening in pain, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes.

"That's enough, Natsu. She was probably just surprised, that's all," Gray defends. She over him a small, grateful smile, before glancing at the floor.

Walking inside the car, Gray takes the driver's seat as Juvia sits on the passenger seat in the front row, next to her boyfriend. Erza sits on the left side of the back row, as Lucy sits in the middle allowing Natsu to have the right side in case he needs air from his motion sickness.

"So how have you been? Any crushes? I heard you broke up with that Loke guy. It's a shame. You guys would've been so perfect, I mean you're both models, and he seemed nice," Erza says, and to her right, she hears Natsu scoff while leaning on the door.

"He's not the one I'm looking for, I guess," Lucy says.

"Why, he wasn't good enough for you?" Natsu asks sarcastically.

She looks at him, only to be met with glaring green eyes, with golden lights flickering in his pupils, as she furrowed her eyebrows. She ignores his comment as the whole car suddenly becomes silent, with the exception of the radio blasting as she stares straight ahead. Finally, after collecting her thoughts, she decides to reply.

"I wasn't good enough for him. Happy now?"

She feels a slight tension in the air, as everyone stares out the window, trying not to make eye contact. All except Natsu, who turned his head so he can study her face, as she feels his gaze uncomfortably on her, while she pretends not to notice.

"What do you mean?" He asks, silently.

She scoffs, smiling bitterly as she watches the road ahead of her. "He cheated on me with someone better."

And suddenly, the car stops to a halt, as she sees the building ahead of her.

"Why did he cheat on you?" Natsu asks, as he steps out the vehicle.

"Mind your own business. It's not like we're friends anyways."

Because she can still hear his hateful words that day she left with her makeup running in the middle of the dance floor, as she felt her heart tore into two.

The way back home was silent, as they are all tired from today's activities. Snowflakes dance violently in the air as if they are angry with the world around them, as each and every single one hit the windows, creating traffic in the middle of the highway.

"I think there's a snowstorm coming," Erza says, staring outside.

"An unpredicted one too," Juvia agrees.

"The closest house is probably ours. You guys should stay for the night. I mean unless you want to risk being stuck in a snowstorm," Gray says, referring to Juvia and his house.

"Sure, I guess."

Fluttering her eyes open, she feels a strange warmth as she sees that someone had given her another layer of blankets over her previous one. Hearing nothing but the sound of the clock ticking, she stares at the clock, seeing that it's already midnight and it is dead silent as opposed to Crocus. In Crocus, there would still be lights and cars outside, masking the beauty of the night sky.

She looks at Natsu, seeing him snore lightly in his sleep, noting that he's missing his blanket, as she looks at herself. Erza sleeps soundly next to her with her own single blanket, and Lucy smiles at his kind act, watching his innocent face under the moonlight.

She stares at the ceiling while lying in bed, deciding that there's no way she's able to fall back asleep. Taking the blanket that was originally for Natsu, she walks over to him, draping it on his sleeping body on the bed, before caressing his face like she used to before. Sitting next to his sleeping body, she runs her fingers through his soft hair like she used to, before smiling with a pain in her heart.

She gets up, grabbing her other blanket, before wrapping it around herself and stepping outside to the balcony, quickly closing the door behind her as she stares outside, the chilly winter wind touching her face, as she buries herself into her blanket. Staring at the stars reflecting back at her, she feels a silky item touch her cheeks, as she feels the delicate material wrap around her neck.

She turns around, face to face with his pink hair and onyx eyes staring at her in the same way he used to before she left.

"It suits you," he says, as he stands next to her, both leaning on the railing.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I couldn't sleep. Especially with you there" he tells her.

"Thanks for making me feel so much better," she says sarcastically, staring at the silence and darkness of Magnolia.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just when I saw you on the boardwalk I kinda panicked because it's been 5 years, but when you called us a waste of time, I just didn't know what to feel, but I guess we never really worked out in the end, you know?"

Lucy laughs. "I didn't actually mean everything I said. I guess it's because you're dating Lisanna and I didn't want to break you guys up so I said what I did."

"What?"

"I said we were a waste of time because I didn't want anyone making assumptions that I came back to I don't know, steal you from Lisanna or something."

"I'm not dating Lisanna..."

"But you like her."

"We like each other as sister and brother..."

"...oh."

She doesn't know why but she feels a bit of a relief in her heart, as they smile at each other, staring into one another's eyes, as the moonlight illuminates their faces. She feels herself lean a little closer to him, and he hesitantly places his arms around her waist as she stares into the open.

"I'm sorry for everything 5 years ago," she tells him.

"No, you shouldn't be. I guess I was jealous that you knew what you wanted to do with your life and had everything planned out while I was just working in some pizza parlor as delivery boy. You're a model now, Luce, and that's all because you went to follow your dreams. I should be the one sorry for everything I said. I should've supported your decision."

She shakes her head. "I never wanted to be a model nor did I want to be famous. I left to become a writer but I guess that never happened for me..."

"At least you're happy. I've never really found my place after you left."

"I thought you were happy so I never came back... Natsu, my life isn't as perfect as you think it is. Yeah, I escaped my father but we ended up making peace. But living alone while seeing everyone else succeed and find love isn't exactly my ideal life. I thought Crocus would make me happy, but everyone else seemed happier."

"Then move back to Magnolia."

"Why, so everyone would think I'm a failure?"

"There's a publishing company nearby. You can write books and send it to them. Take a break from modeling and chase your dreams. If not, you'll wake up one day at age 50 and realize that you wasted your life away."

She stares at him, eyes locking into one another as she feels an incomprehensible emotion overcome her senses, realizing that she never fell out of love with him. Glancing into his dark, mysterious eyes, she slowly wraps her arms around his neck, as he wraps hers around her waist and shoulders, the two holding each other tightly in an embrace, hearts beating as one. His chin rests on her shoulders, as his face is buried into her soft golden locks, while her blanket lies on the floor long forgotten.

"I don't think I've ever fallen out of love with you," he whispers, but she hears him loud and clear, as little snowflakes fall onto the banister of the balcony.

"Can we start over?" She asks.

He pulls back for a moment, before kissing her forehead. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Forgiving me. Starting over. You know, all that. You're unique, Luce. You have the ability to do anything you want."

She glances past his shoulders, admiring the snowflakes falling down in all different shapes and patterns, mesmerizing but beautiful. Watching them dance in different patterns, she sees how these beautiful shapes are all different. And now none of them are alike. Every little shape has a different pattern, and move in different ways before falling onto something solid, melting into white.

And then she kisses him, their mouths locking into a heated embrace as he pulls her closer, one hand on her hair, as she smiles into the kiss. Both their tears intertwine, as she feels the hole inside her heart slowly beginning to vanish, while smiling into the kiss.

Because in this moment it's just the two of them, while the rest of the world is silent. And when they pulled apart, they stare into one another, unspoken words reflecting in their eyes, silently communicating with each other.

"I don't think I've ever fallen out of love with you either," she tells him and he smiles. "The only reason why I dated those guys were to forget about you but I guess it didn't work."

"I used to be jealous of them, you know? I hated you for a while because I thought you were too wrapped up in the fame but I guess I was just jealous you had everything worked out and I didn't. I guess now I realize your life isn't as perfect as the media makes it seem and when you left I was just scared of change."

"Maybe you said some hateful words but deep inside I know you didn't mean them," she tells him, a hand resting on top of his as they stare at one another.

"Wanna explore the town tomorrow?"

"The day after. It's Christmas tomorrow," she tells him.

He laughs, before agreeing. Taking one last glance at the snowy skies, she smiles as a single snowflake land on her fingertips, before melting into a small puddle of water, destroying patterns of intricate triangles and ovals. Fragile little pieces fall from the skies like pieces of a broken heart, before they connect with one another on the solid ground, creating beautiful artworks on the ground, encapsulating the city in white.

Smiling to herself, Lucy Heartfilia stares at Natsu Dragneel, her high school sweetheart, before deciding that perhaps Christmas miracles do exist.

Happy holidays my loves! Best wishes for you and your family and may you all have an awesome day filled with nothing but laughter, happiness and food! :)

~ CupcakeTiara