A/N: I bet you didn't expect to see another notification for an update did ya? Yeah, neither did I! Anyway, so many of you asked and I wasn't considering it until I actually found myself writing it, but here's the epilogue for Fallen Star! I hope you all enjoy!

I don't own Fairy Tail. Everything belongs to Hiro Mashima.

"Speech"
"Flashbacks/Dream Sequences"
'Thoughts'

Fallen Star - Epilogue

-O-

"There was a time when the caterpillar
thought her life was over.
She then began to fly."
- Unknown

-O-

There was a loud buzz as the door closed behind him. The security guard led him to a lone room away from the other visitors. The room was bleak as a faint elephant grey loitered the walls and there was stingy smell emitting from the room; like it hadn't been used in some time.

The security guard pulled the chair, signaling for him to sit down. Not wanting to have a run in with the law today, he obliged and sat, waiting.

The security guard muttered a few words before leaving him in the room to himself. The bareness of the room besides the table in the middle of the room that was decorated with two chairs made his mood fall. Despite the nerves, he was actually looking forward to this somewhat.

There was another loud buzz and Natsu Dragneel immediately looked up as three new figures entered the room.

He could feel a sharp tug at his chest as a large knot formed in the middle of his throat as he locked eyes with the second individual that entered the room. It had been quite some time since Natsu had seen the man standing in front of him.

"Prisoner 7770456 has entered the room." the officer behind the escorted prisoner spoke into the radio on his shoulder. The other officer nodded and ordered the man in the gray blue jumpsuit to sit down.

"You have one hour." Natsu nodded with a smile as he thanked the officer. The officer left the room, leaving Natsu, the prisoner, and the sole officer left guarding the room.

Silence came very quickly.

"You get your own room. That's pretty neat." Natsu said, attempting to break the awkward silence that ensued. The man in front of him narrowed his eyes and the pink haired man could only sigh.

"Precautionary precautions I suppose." the man replied and the pink haired man shrugged his shoulders.

"Well," he coughed, "when you ran one of the largest drug trafficking networks, you get special attention."

The man merely stared at Natsu as the words left his lips. "I see that you still lack a sense of humor."

"And I see that you're still a stick in the mud, old man."

There was a slight twitch at the prisoner's lips and Natsu couldn't suppress the grin forming at the corners of his lips. The security guard at the door released an awkward cough and the room was encompassed in heavy silence.

Natsu took a long, hard look at the prisoner sitting across the table from him. Prison had been kind to him, one might say. Gone was the glossy eyed appearance in his eyes and the unraveled hair that fell in the worst of places. Gone was that horrid, angry fire in his similar onyx eyes that were often clouded in a drunken haze.

Instead, Igneel Dragneel appeared sober with a clean cut shave and long locks that were pulled back into a pony tail with a few locks hanging from the side. The older Dragneel was now bearing an apathetic look in his eyes that surprised Natsu. It was always easy for him as a child to read the emotions in his father's eyes.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of having my only child come visit me after all these years?" Igneel asked, narrowing his eyes at the once boy who would cower under his father's drunken rage.

It amazed Natsu how much the essence of time could repair and heal the scars of yesterday. He remembered the days where he would run to his room to avoid the disappointed gloss in his father's eyes that reminded him of his failures. He remembered the days when his aggression and temper was a reflection of the life he lived at home.

It was shocking how all that seemed so far away now.

"I don't know." and truth was, he didn't.

There was a high possibility that there might have been some persuasion from a certain blonde haired, brown eyed girl he knew.

But other than a frightening brown glare that made his stomach tingle, Natsu had no clue as to what pushed him to come see his father after eleven years.

"You're still wearing that scarf I gave you." he looked down at the white scarf that was wrapped around his neck. Natsu hadn't thought about taking it off the moment he decided to come down to the prison building. It wasn't even in his thoughts. It was ritual to wear this white, scaled scarf that had seen both good and bad.

He chuckled, pulling it from around his neck. "Yeah, I never take it off except to shower, ya know?"

Igneel raised a brow, curious as to why the pink haired boy he never truly raised was still wearing something as trivial as a scarf that he had given him all those years ago.

"I guess I always wore it as a reminder that there was a good man in you. That there was a man who wanted to be the father he should have been to his son. That there was a man who wanted to do better, to provide better. I kept it as a sense of hope that maybe one day I would see that Igneel Dragneel again. The Igneel Dragneel who ruffled my hair and told me he was proud of me as he wrapped this scarf around my neck."

The oldest Dragneel leaned back against the chair, his eyes unreadable. Natsu didn't dare look up, afraid to see what his father would have to say to him. It had been some time since he had admitted to these repressed emotions. The day his father was locked away, Natsu wiped away all that referred to his father, including the emotions he sought as a boy.

Now he felt like that 6 year old boy who was being looked down at by his father's livid eyes.

"Obviously, it was just false hope." an awkward laugh and Natsu continued, "But, I still wear it as a promise that I will never be the type of father you were to me when I have children of my own. That one day, when I give this to my son/daughter that it will be with the promise to protect them, to support them, to be their anchor when they need me to be."

"I don't want them to ever have to alone at 13 years old and wonder what the hell went wrong, wonder what they could have done better, wondering why they weren't good enough." When he was younger, there would have been bitterness and indignation towards his father in his words.

Instead, they were hollow nothings that were a reflection of the child Natsu once was. A child who had understood the pain of being alone for so long that he had become the kindest of men.

"I remember the day I bought you the scarf." the dark haired Dragneel finally spoke. "I was out handling some business when I had come across a hole in the wall antique store. I didn't know why I had the strangest of inclinations to go in, but when I did and took one look at the scarf, you were the first person to come to mind."

"I could already picture the scarf around your neck and that ridiculous grin on your face the moment I wrapped it around your neck – I wasn't wrong about the grin. It was truly ridiculous how wide that smile of yours grew." Natsu chuckled at the memory. It was one of his most cherished.

"Yeah, well I didn't get many gifts from you often."

Igneel hummed, leaning forward in his chair as the cuffs around his wrists scraped against the table. He gave Natsu a hard look as the pink haired boy could see his reflection in his father's eerily, similar dark eyes.

"You're 26 now, aren't you?"

Natsu felt the air leave his lungs as the question was posed. Shock and perplexion overcame him as his estranged father remembered his age. After all these years, the man was absolutely sure that Igneel Dragneel could care less for him. It almost made him feel as if his father still cared for him in a strange type of way.

"I'm surprised you remembered."

But what surprised Natsu even more was the crest fallen look in his father's dark irises. His body had shifted from a rigid, tense posture to one where his shoulders slumped, that stoic façade was replaced by a grim line stretched out on his father's thin lips.

"In my time of solitary confinement, I have thought much about my past actions. And often, my mind went back to you, Natsu." he rose a brow, Igneel continuing to surprise him. When deciding to visit his father, this type of confrontation was not what he expected.

Then again, he didn't know what to expect.

"I thought about the little runt who came home with awfully angry eyes. I saw the little runt who came home with cuts and bruises, wiping away the tears he so stubbornly held back. I saw… my son with a lost fire in his eyes that refused to be burned out. I thought about the son that I never took advantage of knowing."

Gripping the scarf around his neck tightly, the pink haired man felt mentally torn. These words his estranged father spoke were foreign, unknowing. It was difficult to grasp the reality of the situation, especially after years of apathetic affection.

Natsu remembered reading from one of Lucy's books about the 4 main types of parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful. After helping Lucy with her studying, Natsu took a deep interest in the parenting styles and realized that he had suffered was through a neglectful parenting style. His father and mother did not care for him, only acknowledging him for their unfortunate trials and luck.

"Stop lying." the words left his mouth before he realized what he said. Standing abruptly, he slammed his hands on the table and began to visibly shake. Controlling his emotions and keeping his feelings under control took much patience and many breathing techniques.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the security officer reaching for his gun.

Igneel reclined against his chair and his eyes fell with what look like sadness. Why did his father's eyes have sadness in them? There shouldn't be emotion emitting from his dark eyes! His father was always a bastard who didn't care about him! His father never once gave two rats about him! Why was he doing this now?

"I am not lying." Igneel said.

Natsu snarled and clenched his fist.

"I said stop lying!" he slammed his hands on the table again. The security guard at the gate was now in a defense stance but Igneel put out his hand to hold him back.

"You need to calm down, boy." The red haired Dragneel said.

Who the hell did that bastard think he was? Telling him what to do! He had no right to try to parent him now! Natsu seriously wanted to deck his estranged father in the face at this moment. These were his thoughts as he growled at the man in front of him.

But, Igneel was right. He did need to calm down. Or next thing the pink haired man knew was that he would end up in a jail cell right next to his father. And Lucy would castrate him if that happened.

Swallowing his anger and pride, Natsu slumped back into his chair. His glare was intense as he was figuratively burning holes in his father's body. If he had the opportunity, the pink haired man would knock his father into tomorrow.

"Why should I believe anything you have to say right now?" Natsu asked with irritation.

Igneel sighed, collecting his thoughts all at once.

"You shouldn't. I have given you no reason too." Natsu eyed his father with hesitation, still upset with the confession Igneel made earlier. "The regrets of my past are the mistakes that I will hold on with me till the day I die. But, I wanted you to know that I do regret not being able to raise my son properly."

Closing his eyes, he thought of the blonde waiting back at home for him. He thought of his make shift family at Fairy Tail who helped him, who helped raise him into the man he had become. He thought about the life he shared with his family before he was taken away.

"And that's something that you will have to live with for the rest of your life." The bitterness in his voice came out with a nasty taste in his mouth. Natsu wasn't angry for long, but he felt as if those words would stay with him for some time.

"Perhaps you are right."

Silence loomed over the two Dragneel's and despite the anger in him, Natsu was beginning to make sense of his father and his childhood.

Maybe it was never about his parents not wanting him, nor him being a burden to them. Maybe it was more about his father not knowing how to care for him. And the job his father had forbade him from having the emotional strength to care for a son, treat him like he was nothing more than extra baggage.

And that man that had surfaced during his one sober night was the man that wanted to reach out to Natsu. That was the man that wanted to raise his son and be there to watch him grow.

But he let his demons win, thus, making Natsu suffer.

"Do you have a family yet, Natsu?"

"Not yet." He answered.

Silence filled the room once more and they were stuck at a stalemate. The pink haired man wished he knew which turn to take next because this awkward air that hung around was not ideal for him. And he was sure that his estranged father wasn't a fan as well.

"I think I'm done here." Natsu said as he looked at the security guard who nodded and reached for his keys.

Igneel closed his eyes and sighed. There was a large buzz at the door as the security guard walked towards Igneel Dragneel and made him stand from his chair.

Before he was taken away, Igneel and Natsu shared a brief look with one another. Natsu could see himself in those strikingly familiar onyx eyes that they shared.

"I'm sorry for everything, son. I hope you can forgive me for everything I have done."

And with that, Igneel was led away from the room with another guard waiting for him at the door. The guard muttered something about waiting for another escort to show him out.

When the door shut, Natsu let the tears run loose on his cheeks as he slumped against the chair once more. His heart felt heavy as his father's words resonated in the room. That was thing with scars, he thought to himself. They could easily be ripped open once again.

So he allowed himself a moment of weakness as the emotions he had pent up of his father and childhood all rushed at once. The tears were endless as he sat in the chair, feeling like the 6 year old who would wrap himself in his blankets, holding the tears back relentlessly so his father wouldn't reprimand him for being a cry baby.

"You stupid old man!"

-O-

After his episode in the solitary room, Natsu recollected himself and made his way out of the prison, the text for his ride to come get him sent a while ago. It was just a matter of waiting at this point.

"Natsu!"

At the sound of his name, Natsu turned and grinned as Lucy Heartfilia made her way over towards him. Reaching out his hand, she grabbed it and hugged him, her brown eyes hungry for the details of his visit.

"Well? How did it go?" She asked and the pink haired boy smiled.

"Well, there was a point where I wanted to punch him in the face."

Her smile dropped and it was replaced by a concerned frown. "You didn't, right?"

"If I did, I think you would have gotten a phone call from the cops already."

Lucy rolled her eyes as a small smile made way to her lips. "I guess you're right."

Natsu's eyes travelled down the lengths of Lucy's body and landed on the noticeable baby bump that was obviously visible through Lucy's blouse.

"And how are we doing today?" he kneeled down as he grabbed the sides of her bump and grinned like a fool. "How was the doctors? I'm still sorry I couldn't make it."

He could hear Lucy giggle as she rubbed the sides, reaching for his hands, and intertwining them with hers. "Natsu, I said it was fine, remember? Meeting with your father was more important."

"Yeah… but so are you and this little one." Standing up, he easily loomed over his fiancé. Natsu leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"So, back to your father." Lucy said as she pulled away from his embrace. Natsu scrunched his nose, not particularly in the mood to talk about his father.

The blonde raised a brow to his reaction. "So you said you wanted to punch him in the face?"

The pink haired man shrugged his shoulders and scoffed. "It was awkward at first. I tried to break the tension with some light hearted jokes and the bastard still calls me a humorless boy. Can you believe that, Luce? Me? A humorless guy? Come on!"

The young Heartfilia laughed as she took a hold of Natsu's forearms. "Natsu, honey. I don't know how exactly to tell you this…"

"Don't tell me you agree with the old man! I'm freakin' hilarious!" Crossing his arms, Natsu turned away with a look of betrayal. The pregnant blonde in front of him merely chuckled as she reached for him.

"Enough pouting, you big baby. What else happened?" he turned towards her with a hesitant look, but gave up his stubborn façade after she stared at him with those innocent brown eyes of hers. He was such a sucker for her beautiful brown eyes.

"Well, we sorta made up?" Lucy raised a brow again in confusion. "I know, it's confusing to say, but I think my dad regrets that he couldn't raise me. Even though he didn't show much, I could see in his eyes that he was sad that he didn't get to see his son grow up."

"I told him I didn't want to give my child that experience. And if there was one thing that he taught me for certain was the false responsibilities of a father. He upset me when he was speaking to me about his regrets and it honestly pissed me the hell off because he was confessing his failures as a father. I was really bitter about it. But, after I took a step back and calmed down, I thought to myself that he would have to live with those mistakes for the rest of his life. And I wouldn't."

"Natsu…" She muttered in that guilty tone of hers, but called man shook his head.

"None of that now." He whispered as he cupped her cheeks lightly. "It was good for me to have gone. So thank you for pushing me to go."

Leaning forward, he kissed her soundly.

When they pulled away from one another, they shared a genuine and sincere smile before heading towards the car.

"Now, you never answered the question. How was doctor's appointment? Did Dr. Porly-grandma say anything about the baby or how you're doing?" Natsu asked.

That's when Natsu noticed that shy, but excited smile that was now resting on Lucy's face. She bit down on her lip and rubbed at the swell. This made Natsu curious as he noticed her sudden shift in demeanor. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been bad if she was acting this way. That's what he told himself as they reached the car.

"Luce?" He asked with curiosity and slight worry. "Is everything alright with you and the baby?"

"Yes, Natsu. Everything is alright. Actually, everything is perfect." She said as she reached for his hands and clutched them tightly in hers. He titled his head, still perplexed by Lucy's sudden behavior.

"Natsu, we're having a baby girl."

For the second time today, all of the air left his lungs as Lucy spoke those words to him. His jaw fell from place and his eyes wide with shock and excitement. The blonde was staring at him with her big, brown eyes that were filled with excitement and happiness.

He could barely register any thoughts as the words Lucy spoke raced through his mind. His mind turned to putty and all words dissipated from his mouth.

"Natsu… it's a girl. It's a girl."

And suddenly, a grin like never before appeared as he sprung forward and grabbed Lucy by the waist, a fire of excitement dancing in his eyes.

"We're having a baby girl!?" Lucy nodded with enthusiasm and delight. "We're having a girl! We're having a girl! Lucy, we're having a girl!"

Holding onto her lips gently, he picked her up with ease and spun her around quickly but carefully. She screeched lightly as her feet left the ground, but immediately laughed with him as he spun her a few times before putting her down.

"Luce, we're having a baby girl." He couldn't stop the tears that bit at the corners of his eyes when he enveloped his fiancé in a tight hug.

As Lucy returned his embrace, he was filled instantly with warmth. They both had come such a long way from where they both began. He, as the child of the most wanted drug lord in Fiore and a drug addict. And she, as the child of a monster of a man who had caused her nothing more than physical and mental pain for many years.

Somewhere in the chaos, they had found one another. And that was enough for him. The life he was about to embark with Lucy and their child fulfilled him in more ways than anyone would have thought.

"I couldn't wait to tell you." She whispered in his ear as they shared their embrace. Natsu's grin grew wider, if that was even possible.

"We're having a baby girl, Luce." He hugged her closer to him and she mmhmm-ed, giggling at his excitement.

Natsu felt like the happiest and luckiest man alive. With what he was feeling, he felt like he was on top of the world and no one could bring him down, even if they tried.

After the life Lucy led and the challenges the two faced, Natsu didn't see this type of life in their future. Or at least, not so soon. Though the two were clear with their feelings going into college, Lucy was reluctant into pursuing a relationship with him. For his sake, he knew Lucy was worth the wait and patiently waited for the time that Lucy was ready to take the next step in their relationship.

For Lucy, her wounds were internal and looking at her, one would have never thought she was still suffering. The scars of her past never truly healed as they rested deep in her heart. Her healing period lasted over a span of years and he was there from her best to her worst days.

If someone would have told him 5 years ago that he and Lucy would be happily engaged and expecting at this time, he would have punched them.

But, 5 years was a long time and time had a crazy way of changing things.

"Let's go home, Natsu."

Happily obliging, he grinned and nodded, opening the car door for her but not before planting a kiss on her lips, one that Lucy took with no hesitation. With the smile of a mad man on his face, he jumped into the car and went on a tangent about his excitement in informing the others. Of course, they wouldn't have been Natsu and Lucy without breaking out into an argument.

The ride back to their home consisted of the two arguing over the name of their daughter and who would have the title of their daughter's godmother/godfather. Needless to say, by the end of the night, Natsu had to make a store run to get Lucy those chocolate covered pickles with coffee ice cream that she so desperately needed.

Two weeks before the baby's due date, Natsu and Lucy had decided that Allison was a special name and Erza and Gray would be named her godparents.

One week later, Natsu and Lucy welcomed their first born child, Allison Harlyn Dragneel.

"Let's continue our adventure, together." Natsu muttered with half lidded eyes as he embraced his newly wed wife and newborn child in the hospital room with Allison looking up at her excited parents.

A/N: So I bet a bunch of you didn't expect nor see this coming. Truth is, neither did I. I didn't expect to find myself writing an epilogue to Fallen Star, especially after how emotional taxing it was to me. But, here we are.

Despite the trials they both faced, Natsu and Lucy do live happily together! I know I left in ambiguous, but I have answered those left in questioning! I hope you enjoyed this epilogue as this is truly now the end of Fallen Star.

Let me know what you thought of the epilogue J Did ya'll like it? Love it? Hate it? Reviews, comments, criticism, and questions are welcomed! From Across the Hall is currently in the works right now! And is still projected to be released in June! I also have another one shot in the works right now that I think you all will enjoy J Other than that, I hope you all enjoyed the Epilogue!

See you next time!
- Dark Waffle