Lucy was standing in the second floor guest room with Erza, Juvia, Wendy, Chelia, and Lisanna watching while Levy put the finishing touches to her eye shadow and Mira fiddled with curling ringlets into the ends of her hair. Any minute now the other women of the guild would come to get them, and Lucy wasn't sure she'd ever be ready for that.

Mira had explained her idea for how the dance would begin. All the women would gather on the second floor and line up at the top of the stairs. Macao would announce each woman and her escort would meet her at the bottom of the steps, allowing each one to have a moment in the spotlight. The couple would take a place on the dance floor and wait for everyone to be announced. Then Master Makarov would welcome their guests, the music would play, and everything would be exactly like a fairy tail in one of Levy's books ... or else!

Lucy was pretty sure she didn't want to see Mira's "or else". The very idea of what she was capable of when someone interfered with her matchmaking made Lucy shudder. It didn't stop her from giggling though while Lisanna regaled them all with the story of Mira taking Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel to one side earlier and explaining exactly what would happen if they messed with her plans. She had no doubt that Natsu and Gray would be on their best behavior for at least the first half of the night. Lucy resolved to ask Natsu to escort her home at the first sign of his temper being sparked.

Evergreen walked into the room and with the snap of her fan instantly had all eyes on her.

"Everyone is waiting, Mira. Are you going to fuss with her hair forever or should I let Cana start things off?"

Mira put down the curling iron. "Done!" she proclaimed. She turned to follow Ever out into the hall. "I thought I told you Cana is NOT to start things off. Auntie is here and I asked her to be our guest of honor." Her voice grew faint as she made her way closer to the stairs.

"I guess it's time to go," Lucy said as she stood up.

Erza nodded and turned toward the door. "Come on Juvia we can't be last," she said with a smirk.

"Juvia is right behind you Erza," she smiled at Lucy and followed Erza through the doorway.

Chelia held out an arm to Wendy. "May I escort you to the ball, ma'am?"

Wendy laughed and put her arm through the loop Chelia had made. "Only if you'll go to the dance with me."

"It's a deal," the pink haired girl grinned.

Levy and Lucy exchanged a glance and a nod. They would certainly be keeping an eye on them tonight.

"Those two seem to fit so well together," Lucy said. "I hope nothing happens to ruin their night."

"Oh it won't," Lisanna said with a little chuckle. "Gajeel seems to have hinted that anyone who tries to mess with their evening won't have anything left for Mira to deal with because he wants his little sister to be very happy with her first Grown-up Christmas dance. He said he would be severely displeased with anyone who ruins it for her."

Lucy laughed. "It seems he has a protective streak for short girls with blue hair," she said as she raised an eyebrow at Levy.

Levy blushed but laughed, too. "He has become quite a protector of the small," she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

"But Lissie, did he actually say displeased or was that your word for it?" Lucy asked.

"Oh he used that word, among others." Lisanna suddenly looked very much like Mira when she was about to dish the latest gossip, "His quote-end quote hint was very formal and sounded almost like a royal proclamation, but his description of the consequences for violating his trust was mostly made up of four letter descriptors and various body parts."

Levy put a hand over her eyes as she shook her head while Lisanna and Lucy both laughed heartily. Kinana came through the door just as the laughter died down.

"Mira said that you all are to get your Fairy Tails out there or she will come and get you herself," she reported dutifully. "Oh and Lucy," she waited for Lucy to look at her before continuing, "She said that you were to come down last."

"What?"

Kinana shrugged. "That's what she said. I'm just relaying the message. Now will you three please come before Mira decides to shoot the messenger?"

They promised to talk more, later, and then went to join the line.

From her place at the end of the line, Lucy watched each woman walk down the stairs, one by one. She had fun trying to guess who each woman was partnered with, or, if she knew their partner, what aspect of their partner's magic they were depicting with their clothes.

Erza's date was an easy guess as she'd been with her when she bought her dress. But Lucy couldn't decide if it was the brightness of the blue that matched Laxus lightning or if it was the gold of the chains to show power under great restraint that Erza felt best paid homage to Laxus and his head phones. Lucy snorted when she saw Laxus in his hakama. The red and silver matched Erza's powerful armor and her hair color really well, but now she was thinking that maybe Laxus just wanted a reason to wander around the dance without a shirt on. Levy's comment on the subject was very close to her own thoughts, and she chuckled quietly at it.

Lucy found Mira's choice much more puzzling. Even when she saw Mira and Freed next to each other she couldn't think of how the matching pantsuits were a reflection of either partner's magic or personality. At least they both looked fabulous, eh?

Evergreen's dress with all the different animal prints shouldn't have looked good, but since it was on Ever it didn't dare look otherwise. Elfman's almost timid approach to the woman was very touching especially when she took his hand and gave him one of her rare, heartfelt smiles. After that Elfman was practically strutting to the dance floor.

The last of the Strauss siblings looked adorable in her babydoll dress while Bickslow looked completely ridiculous in all the faux fur and fluffy feathers he wore for Lisanna. Since both of them shared in the same sense of humor they seemed to match far better than their clothing would lead a bystander to believe. Lucy remarked to Levy that those two looked like they would be up to trouble in no time and Levy was forced to agree.

Wendy was one of the few who didn't have someone waiting at the bottom of the stairs because her date was keeping step with her as they descended to the dance floor. Once they were there, Gajeel stepped out of the group huddled together at the bottom of the banister to give Wendy a high-five before returning to the relative safety of the other waiting men.

A few more women went down the stairs and Lucy started to feel slightly nervous about this whole situation. She had just wanted to help out her friend and give him someone to talk to while they had fun with their guild. How had she ended up here in this amazing, but far too expensive dress, queued up like a prize winning show dog about to go before the judges? Was there some way to get out of here without crushing Natsu's feelings or having to walk down those stairs that she was sure she would manage to trip and fall down? Was it getting a little warm in here? Had Natsu set something on fire?

"Lucy, breathe," she heard Levy say. "It's just a dance. It's not like it's life or death. Unlike, say, an overdue book."

The smile that Levy gave her made Lucy feel embarrassed for her moment of panic. "You're right Lev. Thanks for reminding me."

Levy gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We're your friends and just want you to be happy and have some fun, okay?"

Lucy nodded. "Okay. Are you sure I look alright? Not too flamboyant?"

"Luce, when has Natsu been anything short of too flamboyant?"

"True," she said as she nodded her head.

"You know, this is supposed to be fun, right?" Levy asked. "Would it help if we both walked down together like Wendy and Chelia?"

This time Lucy shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to trip on the top stair and Gajeel would probably kil- er, be seriously displeased if anything were to happen to you."

Levy chuckled at Lucy's choice of words. "Ok, but save a dance for me, yeah?"

Lucy smiled, "Of course, Lev. Now go greet your walking library."

Levy grinned back at Lucy then turned to the top of the stairs.

Macao called out, "Levy McGarden!"

Lucy was standing by herself. Never had she felt so alone and exposed. She heard her name called, but it took a moment for her to step forward. She was concentrating so much on taking careful steps and not tripping that she didn't even look at the bottom of the stairs until she was halfway down. As soon as she spotted Natsu she froze.

Natsu was wearing a suit and tie. Natsu was wearing a suit? A suit and a tie! What was this world coming to? Natsu actually donned formalwear? And how dare he look so handsome just standing there like that? Lucy felt like her world was suddenly tilting and she started questioning everything she thought she knew about the fiery dragonslayer. She was almost convinced she had tripped on the top stair and hit her head. That's the only circumstance that she could picture where Natsu would be standing there in that midnight blue suit with the constellations faintly glowing from it.

Lucy shook her head but the picture didn't change. Natsu was wearing the dark blue star suit with a gray vest sporting sun, moon, and planet decorations, along with his signature grin. The tie was a nebula of Lucy's favorite colors against the inky black background that showed up so well against his stark white shirt. His scarf had been loosely draped over it all.

Suddenly tears sprang to her eyes. Nothing could have prepared her for the effect of seeing Natsu dressed in her star friends. She saw the smile slip from Natsu's face as he rushed up to her side.

"Hey Luce, are you okay?" he asked as soon as he was close to her.

Lucy tried to speak, but was afraid she might actually start crying if she said his name, all she could do was nod.

He didn't look convinced. "You've got tears, Luce," he said as he carefully cradled her face in his hands and gently wiped the offending tears with his thumbs.

"You're wearing my stars," she whispered.

"Of course," he replied.

"But how?" Her eyes were roving over his face. "I thought you were just borrowing something from Gray," she said softly, unable to speak at her usual volume.

Natsu shrugged. "Loke helped me," he said simply as he dropped his hands to hold hers. "Apparently the Spirit King wanted to show you his thanks or something."

Lucy was stunned again. "But why?"

Natsu's head tilted back as a huge burst of laughter erupted. "You're kidding right?" He shook his head at Lucy's confused face. "Lucy you've been running yourself ragged for the last two days, just because you wanted this to be a special night for me. Don't you think I'd want to do something special for you, too?"

"I hadn't thought about that," she murmured.

"I'm not surprised," Natsu said as his thumb gently rubbed across the back of her hand. "You get so caught up in helping people and trying to makes others happy that you forget that some of us want to do the same for you." A shy smile crept across his face. "I hope this shows you how special you are to-" his voice faltered but he managed to finish with, "-to all of us."

His tone was so sincere and so heartfelt that Lucy dropped her gaze for a moment. That's not how Natsu usually talked to her. Suddenly this whole thing seemed a lot more important than just a dance.

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, it does. Thank you."

A rough voice yelled out, "Get a move on Salamander! You're holding up the party."

Lucy hid her face in her hands, but peeked out enough to see that Natsu was blushing just as much as she was.

"Keep your shirt on rust for brains, can't you see we're having a moment here?" Natsu yelled back at Gajeel.

Lucy couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up out of her, but it felt like her world was finally back to normal.

Natsu made a bow before saying, "Lucy Heartfilia would you like to go to the Christmas Ball with me?" He held out his arm hoping to escort her to their place on the dance floor.

"It would be my greatest pleasure, Natsu," she said as she put her arm through his.

Together they walked to the center of the dance floor and turned to face the small stage where the band was set up. Master Makarov was standing at the microphone in the middle of the stage.

"Welcome my children! Most welcome friends," he nodded in the direction of the table where Auntie Olga and Porlyusica were seated. One was grinning and waving while the other was scowling. "Have a good time but don't destroy anything!" With that he nodded at the band leader and the music started playing.

Natsu and Lucy started dancing to the song, grinning at one another as they swayed to the music. The lights were dim on the dance floor, but Lucy and Natsu had no difficulties seeing each other's expressions. While Natsu's stars gave off a faint yellow glow, Lucy's dress was flickering with nonexistent flames.

Natsu pulled Lucy in close so that he could whisper in her ear. "You know Luce, I haven't got to tell you yet how beautiful you look tonight. I like the picture you make surrounded by the colors of my flames."

Lucy blushed at the compliment. "Thank you Natsu. I think you know how I feel about seeing you surrounded by my constellations, but," her cheeks grew warm again, "I don't think I've ever seen you look more handsome."

This time it was Natsu's turn to have his face turn a brilliant shade of pink.

Lucy snickered quietly. "You've just gone the same shade as my dragon ear cuff."

That statement made Natsu's face go even redder if possible. "Uh, Luce there's something you should know about that," he said reluctantly.

Lucy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did you do to it?"

"Nothing!" Natsu protested loudly. "Nothing much," he added more quietly.

"Naaaatsuuu?"

He huffed before saying, "I marked it as part of my hoard. That was the blue flame you saw earlier." Suddenly he couldn't look her in the eye and seemed to be addressing the tiny dragon itself. "Dragons only give pieces of their hoard to their children," he swallowed nervously before looking directly into her eyes, "or their mates."

"M-mates?" Lucy stuttered wide-eyed.

Natsu shook his head vigorously. "The word doesn't translate to that exactly it's like," he thought for a moment, "it more like … Nest mates! If a dragon gives you a piece of its hoard then you're a part of their nest … forever."

Lucy could do nothing but stare at Natsu for a moment.

"So you're kind of adopting me into your family?" she asked stunned.

Natsu nodded solemnly.

She reached a hand to reverently touch Natsu's scarf. "Igneel gave this to you, didn't he? That's why you never go anywhere without it. It made you part of his nest."

Again Natsu nodded.

"So now Igneel and I are your dragon family?" she asked with a smile. "We're your, your clan?"

"Only if you want to be," he said quietly. "Technically the instant you put it on, you sort of became the greatest treasure in my hoard, and it's my duty and responsibility to protect you, but," once again he found it difficult to look her in the eye as a blush crept across his cheeks, "I know that I don't own you and never could." His gaze met her warm brown eyes. "You will have my protection and my devotion, only if you want it."

"Oh, Natsu," Lucy whispered. She was quiet as she thought about everything that he had just told her while they swayed to the music. A glance at his face told her that he was trying to keep whatever he was thinking from showing. A slow smile crept across her lips. "It would be my greatest pleasure to be a member of your nest."

Natsu's grin was blinding! "That's what I was hoping you'd say, Luce."

Lucy laughed as Natsu twirled her around.

"Natsu, how are you so calm about this?" Lucy asked amazed at how relaxed he was while they danced.

Natsu chuckled. "Luce, I did all my panicking this morning while I was sparing with Gajeel." He cleared his throat and added, "And I did all my blushing and having my brain melt down while you were first walking down the stairs."

"Really?" she asked tentatively. At his confirming head nod she started to pout. "And I missed seeing it?"

"Don't worry," he replied. "There's about 3 photographers from Sorcerer Magazine here. I'm sure more than one of them got pictures of the moment. And I think Levy paid Romeo and Rufus to capture the moment, too."

"I don't know about Romeo, but Rufus is painting us because Auntie said that's what the dress would cost."

"It figures," Natsu said as he looked over at Auntie beaming at them. He chuckled as he said. "She nearly did ask for our firstborn Luce."

All Lucy could do was blush at his comment. While Natsu continued to twirl and spin her to get the best flames from her dress.

Out of the corner of her eye Lucy saw Gray go into one of his battle stances. She looked around to see if there was something going on, but she couldn't see any direct threat. Gray moved his hands and let loose with the battle cry, "Ice-Make, Mistletoe!"

There, from the roof of the hall to about six inches above Natsu's head, a long line of perfectly formed mistletoe hung.

"You didn't have to be so obvious, Ice Princess," Natsu called over to Gray when he looked at the formation over his head.

"I wanted to make sure you couldn't miss it, Starboy."

"Starboy," Natsu grumbled.

Lucy put a hand to cup his cheek. "My Starboy," she said almost posessively.

Natsu grinned before swooping down to kiss her soundly. After breaking apart amidst whoops and whistles he confirmed it.

"Your Starboy."