Mslead here to bring you the end of Wild Aces! It's been lots of fun going on this journey with you, I'm glad you all stuck with us. We're so grateful for everyone who stuck with us for so long! Without further ado, here is your epilogue!

EPILOGUE

Ace

a person who excels at a particular sport or other activity.

Lucy smiled a little as she stepped inside the newly refurbished guild hall, and tried not to laugh at the chaotic sight that greeted her eyes.

In the five years since the battle with Tartaros Magnolia had bloomed into a full fledged town. This was no longer a frontier backwater with a relatively small guild trying to eke out a living. Fairy Tail had grown into a powerful guild in its own right with a reputation that went with it. A reputation that was owed in large part to the dragon nest that had claimed the guild for themselves.

Dragons that were... currently having an eating contest with their father watching on.

Draco had returned from the heavens a few months after being released from his children. He took the time after the gate was destroyed and his spirit as freed to recover back in the stars, but since then had come back down from the heavens multiple times. To keep his rowdy boys and daughter in line, is what he said.

She snorted to herself and shook her head just as the cries of, "Mommy! Mommy!" reached her ears over the shouts, jeers, and catcalls.

She turned her head and smiled happily as her young daughter rushed over from where her Aunt was holding court with the other guild children, and latched onto her leg.

"Hey baby Luna." She cooed and bent over to pick the little girl up, and drop her on her hip, "Have you been good for aunt Anna and Grandpa?"

"Yes mommy!" Luna nodded vigorously, "Daddy let me stay over last night an' I got to read stories with her an' eat chocolate cake an' wrestle with uncle Accy!"

"Did you now?" Lucy grinned as she waded through the crowd, quietly grateful she'd long ago abandoned the ridiculous dresses she used to wear, "I'll have to ask daddy what he was doing while you were away."

She wasn't too worried. Her slightly ridiculous dragon was busily trying to out eat two of his brothers, and he didn't appear to have any fresh wounds. That was good enough for the moment. She grinned as he glanced up and caught her eye, and outright laughed as he hastily swallowed his mouthful and catapulted over the table to leap on her. Causing twin groans of annoyance from his siblings and an amused chuckle from his father.

"You're back Lucy!" He crowed happily, and dropped a sloppy kiss on her lips, "When did you get back?"

"Just now. Levy and Kinana have gone back to the nest. I got elected to report in."

Natsu growled happily at her, his hand sliding around her waist and reaching for her fingers with this other. His nose dipped into the hollow of her throat, his lips curving up into a happy smile.

"Good," He spun slowly with her, completely abandoning the contest in favor of swooping down to hoist his little girl from Lucy's hip up onto his shoulder.

Lucy grinned at the sight of Natsu wearing only a fabric vest, the symbol of Fairy Tail emblazoned on his shoulder in a ruby red.

She reached out, passing her thumb over the shield, her lips curving into a smile at him.

Even after all this time, it amazed her how readily the dragons had accepted their Fairy Tail shields. And for the dragons who had lived in such fear for their family in their past, to wear it with such pride...

They had all come so far, she from an heiress, barely able to ride a horse astride to a bounty hunter far more savvy to the ways of the desert.

And Natsu, going from a bandit that robbed trains and the rich, to a member of a reputable guild to take in legal jobs.

But the most important change between them was the little girl happily squealing between her parents and her grandfather watching benevolently over them all.

Natsu gave Lucy a bright smile, his intense gaze only on her.

"I love you," he breathed out to her, calm and quietly.

"I love you too." She breathed back and kissed him gently.

"And I always will."

Fin.

AND THAT'S A WRAP! Thank you to everyone for sticking with us during this story, it was a pleasure to share it with you. It was unbelievably fun. We're working on a couple of projects now, but we will be taking a couple of weeks of a break before we start posting Tempest. We're on chapter 30 of it now, but we want to get a little closer to it being completed before we start posting that one :)

You didn't make your sneak peek for the chapter, but since it's the last one I'll give you guys another sneak for Tempest. You can check out our story Samhain for another preview of our upcoming fic, Tempest!

Gray nodded sharply and headed back out, though not without a lingering back look at the still sleeping merman. Levy smiled confidently at Lucy, and followed Gray out leaving Lucy alone with her strange guest.

A guest who had his eyes open and was staring at her.

Had Lucy been a little less sea hardened, she might have screamed at the sight of those sharp eyes watching her through the glass.

As it stood though, his unnerving gaze followed her, shifting to straighten up in the water.

He was tall with his tail, ruby scales catching light as he moved towards the glass.

Slow, he almost hesitated in his movements before lifting his hand and resting it on the surface of the glass just where Lucy's hand still remained.

Lucy's breath caught at the merman's cautious movements. Her eyes followed him and he moved closer, almost pressing his face to the glass as he looked at her with an intensity that should have freaked her out.

"I eat human food," he said, answering her question from before. Lucy was hardly able to wrap her mind around the thought, because at once something inside her melted at the sound of his voice.

It really was as breathtaking as the legends made it out to seem. The silky tenor of his voice both somehow smooth and rough around the edges. It seemed impossible for both to exist, but Lucy was amazed.

"What's your name?" He asked, another hand drifting to the glass to stroke across the glossy surface.

"Lucy," she responded but remembered herself and shook her head to break free of the spell in his voice, "Captain Lucy Heartfilia."