A/N It's not often that my life goes entirely pear-shaped and leaves me with NO time to write, but guess what? IT DID! Grrr. I'm really sorry this took so long, everyone! First I kept noodling it because I had to get it just right, then school started again and it's just been one crazy thing after another! I promise I haven't forgotten nor will I ever abandon a story! Come Tartarus or high water, I will finish this story! And so, forward!

"Soundtrack" – "Take Me To Church" by Hozier

As we reach the front door of Lucy's apartment, I dig in my pocket to locate the key. After a moment of increasing frustration I locate it and hand it to Lucy, a grin on my face. As she reaches to take it she leans in and presses her lips against mine. I'm not sure if it is the relief of her being home, the amount of time since I'd last felt her lips or the fact that a soul supposedly meant for me lay within her skin, but a spark of electric heat shoots through me from where her lips brush against mine straight to my toes. Before I can deepen the kiss, however, Lucy breaks away and fits the key to the lock, taking a deep breath before crossing the threshold. I follow, locking the door behind me.

She takes a moment to survey her apartment; her eyes darting over her neatly made bed, her dresser, her desk and novel, everything.

"I was here last night, you know," she murmurs at last.

I nod.

"It smelled more like you than me. How often were you here?" She turns to catch my eye.

I'm mesmerized, unable to look away. Her brown eye is full of compassion, sympathy, joy…like her eyes always were. The red eye…the red eye compels the truth from me, seeming to see into my soul. For the first time I begin to consider that Lucy's not totally Lucy anymore.

"Every day that I wasn't on a job," I reply, trying to smile nonchalantly.

Lucy studies me for a minute more before, like the sun escaping from behind a cloud, a smile breaks across her face. She leans in once again, but this time I'm ready. As her lips press against mine my arms snake around her body and gently pull her tight against me. Our slips move chastely against each other as I work to memorize the feel of her body against mine. It's like a homecoming.

As the kiss spins out I gently run the tip of my tongue along the seam of her lips, begging entrance. She grants it at the same time that her hands slide up from my waist to press more firmly against my back, holding me in place against her. Our tongues tangle, exploring and remembering the taste and texture of each other as, unconsciously, we press our hips together, electric tingles shooting up my spine at the delicious friction.

My hands slide up her back, taking her tank top with them. It's not until her wings brush the backs of my hands that I realize the problem: how will I get her shirt off over her wings? Lucy breaks the kiss reluctantly, her eyelids flickering slightly before she manages to open them. Smiling, she steps back and reaches up to her shoulders and pushes the straps of her tank top down, letting them droop down her upper arms. With her eyes trained on mine she crosses her arms across her chest and slowly slides the straps down, dragging the top down with them. As the neckline clears her breasts and reveals the lacy red bra beneath, I can feel a sweat break out on my skin.

The straps clear her arms, leaving the shirt pooled around her waist. As she hooks her thumbs into the material and slides it down over her hips, she smiles somewhat sheepishly and her fangs make another brief appearance.

My mouth goes dry and heat gathers low in my stomach.

I step close again and slide my fingertips up the skin of her arms, minutely aware of the goosebumps that rise in the wake of my touch. She leans forward slightly into me.

As the top of one finger skates along her collarbone and traces spirals on the swell of her breast, I whisper, "I'd forgotten how beautiful you are."

She blushes but holds my gaze as she places her hands lightly at my waist. I shudder slightly at the butterfly touch. Her hands ghost up my stomach, fluttering lightly along my chest before hooking the material of jacket and pushing it down my shoulders. I shrug it off the rest of the way as her hands drop back to my stomach. She steps closer and slides her hands along my skin to press her fingertips against my low back. I can feel the heat of her body filling the whisper of space between us and my breathing stutters. She closes the distance, molding our bodies together, her lips a breath away from mine.

"I was terrified I wouldn't see you again. I thought for sure…"

"What?" I slide my hands around her waist and caress the soft skin along her lower back.

She shakes her head. "I don't know. I just kept wishing for one more chance, one more moment. Now I have it and..."

"And?"

"And I'm…I'm broken. Screwed up. I don't know if I can-"

I cut her off the only way I know how: by sealing my mouth over hers. One hand presses against the curve of her lower back and she molds herself to me, fingers digging into my hips. I slant my lips over hers, deepening the kiss, begging entrance to her mouth. She grants it, a little moan escaping with her tongue. Without conscious thought I maneuver us toward the bed, spilling us both across it when the backs of her knees make contact.

It's at that exact moment that I feel her go still beneath me, muscles quivering on the edge of fight or flight. Reluctantly I pull away from her and study her face.

"Luce?"

"I-I can't. I'm…I'm sorry." She struggles to escape from beneath me.

I stand and let her loose, but grab her arm as she tries to make a run for the bathroom.

"Talk to me, Luce. I've missed the sound of your voice. What's going on?"

She stands angled away from me, her arm trembling in my grasp. "It's…it's not at all like in that cave. But the minute I felt you on top of me…"

Realization dawned.

"I'm sorry, Luce. I didn't even think…"

"It's…" She releases a shuddering sigh. "It's not your fault. Like I said, I'm screwed up. I don't even know if I can ever…"

Gently I pull her back against me and rest my cheek against the top of her head, mindful of those backswept horns. "It's not you at all, Luce. I'll do whatever I have to to help you." I bury my nose in her hair, enjoying the scent that is hers alone. "I'm here for you, no matter what."

I can feel her shoulders sag in defeat. "I've missed you so much, Natsu. All I've wanted for these past six months is to be in your arms again, to be with you again. And now, I can't even do that much…"

I stare down at the back of her head for a few moments, half-baked ideas colliding with each other until finally I dismiss them all, step back slightly and spin her around in my arms. She gasps but the sound is swallowed by my lips descending to hers once again. When I finally break the kiss I rest my forehead against hers as we both labor to catch our breath. As my heartrate begins to slow I pull away slightly so her eyes meet mine. "We are together, Luce. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. When you're ready, I'll be here."

She smiles slightly and her arms tighten around my waist, hugging me closer. Unfortunately this also brings my still straining erection into direct contact with her stomach and I can't restrain the hiss that escapes me.

Lucy pulls away slightly, concern writ clear across her face. "Natsu, wha-"

I smile reassuringly and scratch absently at the back of my head. "Don't worry 'bout it, Luce. I'm just, ah, gonna step into the bathroom for a sec. You get ready for bed."

As I turn and shuffle to the bathroom (who knew hard-ons could hurt so much?) I hear her shift behind me. But it's the low urgency I hear in her soft "Natsu, wait" that has me turning back to face her. The sight of her in that blood-red bra, her skirt low on her hips, and her wings drooping disappointedly is like a punch to the gut. The breath whooshes from my lungs and my erection twitches distractingly.

Taking a deep breath, I try to smile reassuringly. "What's up, Luce?"

She moves closer (how the hell does she move like that?) and slides her hands along the bare skin of my waist once more. "The broken is fighting with the curious, Natsu, and I think the curious may have won. Can I…can I try something?"

The look she gives me is part seductress and part terrified virgin. I would never have expected that to be such an intoxicating combination. How can I say no? But it's the trembling horror I see when I close my eyes and the bitter self-disgust that rings in my ears as the memory of her voice in the guild hall trickles through my hazed brain and I know I have to say no. As I open my mouth and my lips form the word an image erupts in my mind's eye that forces the air from my lungs in one long rush.

Lucy's beautiful lips wrapped around my length, her tongue sliding up along the underside as she buries me deep in her throat, her lashes fluttering as she locks her eyes on mine, her wings trailing in a leathery puddle as one hand clutches my thigh and the other drifts down to bury itself-

I snap from the moment to find my forehead pressed hard against hers, one hand fisted tight in the hair at the back of her head and the other trapping hers against my erection, where she has managed to wrap her delicate fingers around its thickness despite still being in my pants. Ragged breathing reaches my ears and it's long moments before I realize it's me. As my brain processes that I'm hurting my Lucy and my fingers instinctively loosen themselves, she whispers pleadingly, "Natsu, please?"

In that instant, I lose all control. I buck once, twice, helplessly against her hand before spilling myself in my pants, a low, wild moan slipping past my lips.

When my sight clears and the trembling is more under control, I find I have sunk to the floor, Lucy with me. The naked desire mixed with awe that I see in her face pulls at something deep in my center, but I push it down and instead sweep her off her feet, cradling her against my chest as I carry her across the room to her bed.

Settling her down on the mattress I tuck the covers securely around her, letting her adjust her wings as I brush the hair back from her face. Leaning down, I press a soft kiss to her lips before murmuring, "Sleep Lucy. We have all the time in the world."

She smiles up at me and nods briefly before sighing softly and letting her eyelids flutter shut. I'm halfway across the room before I hear a soft snore. Glancing back, I see the moonlight washing over the bed where the most precious thing in my world sleeps, finally, with no worries.

"Goodnight, Luce."

A/N Am I done? OH HELL NO. There is still a Zeref out there, plus there is so much more to cover with that extra Natsu sneaking around in Lucy's head. More to come as soon as I can! In the meantime, I hope this lived up to expectations! Please R/R!