(notes): Well guys, this is it. It had been a bumpy ride from the start, and I'm glad it's going to get the ending at deserves.

Thank you everyone, who's been through with me, bared with me from the very beginning. I've really needed some support regarding this story, and you guys gave it to me. I never thought I would ever come this far. 21 chapters filled with emotions, cliffhangers, turns of events, happy times, sad times.

And I'm happy to say: We did it.

We went the distance, and we did it. For the last time, thank you for all the lovely reviews you all sent me, because those were the things that kept me going.

I love you.

Thank you.

I will really miss you guys cheering me on!

Shoutout to: Ellie-016, Gretchen Bane, FTLover, Mara Fray, Naeda Beasly, GeoDaGiraffe, JellyBeanBubbles, 13darksouldand1madhater, Mr. CR, CrazyAnimeFan1228, FairydemonDust, Swiftalicious, Alya Starbright, FDsecretart, SnowAngelSlayerTasha, xXJayfeatherRocksXx, Markus37, DoodlePig1220, DoodlePig1220, OnixDragonGodSlayer, thewalkingdeadfairytail, Searching for my Rushmore, and all of you guys, who I failed to mention. Thanks to all the guests too! You guys helped me become who I am today!

Fact: THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER.

He couldn't believe this. This was all he ever wanted since he laid his eyes upon the girl. She always looked interesting and cool, but never did he imagine that he'd ever get so addicted to her.

It had been a week since they started dating, and Natsu had already moved in with the girl. They shared Lucy's room, and the house was a lot more lively and welcoming now that they both made it look so cozy. Lucy did all the cooking, and Natsu was very thankful for that. He liked to think of them as a married couple now. They loved each other, slept in the same bed, and had breakfast together like a normal family. It was a dream come true.

He loved how they'd stay in bed after waking up and just cuddle and talk about random things. They'd also drink some hot cocoa at the fireplace, talking trash about people that got on their nerves. They also played play station together, and watched cool movies while feeding each other popcorn. It was the perfect relationship! Both of them enjoyed each other's company, and liked living together.

"I'm ready to go Lucy." Natsu shouted out to the blonde in the bedroom. Today was a very special day. They have decided to go visit Lucy's former home, where she'd used to live as a child. She had been against the idea at first, but after Natsu's constant bickering, she'd finally decided to give in, and visit her old house. It has really been a while since she'd done that, heck, the last time she was there was before she decided to run away.

Come to think of it, her father hadn't come to look for her, and she didn't see the report of a missing person on the news. Maybe he thought she was dead or something? Lucy really had no idea what was happening in her father's head. Not that she wanted to understand. But eh, she thought she might as well give it a shot, and see what happens.

"I'm coming!" She replied, fixing the hair band that kept her ponytail in place. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, wondering if she forgot something. Her white shirt was balanced out with a light blue cardigan, and blue jeans, along with her white converse. She looked pretty nice, so she smiled. She ran down the stairs to meet up with her boyfriend.

And, sure enough, Natsu was waiting for her.

Why had they suddenly decided on such an expedition? Well, Natsu had wanted to meet her father, and see if he approved of him. But there was no way he'd ever tell that to Lucy, so he just told her that he wanted to see her old room and all the things she had inside, which was also true. Of course he wanted to visit his girlfriend's new home. He was interested in where she used to live, and how her house looked like, since she hated it enough to run away. But most of all, Natsu was interested in her father's reaction, when he sees that his daughter was finally back, even if it was just for a visit. But, what would he say when he saw Natsu? Maybe he'd yell at him, or throw him out! Nah, after all, Lucy would be there and she would keep the peace. Oh, he also wondered what kind of food they'd serve. Hmm… maybe it would be something he's never even tried before! Lucy seemed to be rich enough to afford good food, since she had two laptops. Well, it's not like he cares for the amount of money she has, or the way her house looks. He only cares about his beautiful girlfriend being happy and content! Ah, he sure does love her.

"…tsu?"

"h-huh?" He finally snapped out of his trance, pushing back all those previous thoughts, as he looked at Lucy. "What was that Luce?"

"I've been calling your name for a few minutes now. Are you alright? We can do this another time if you're sleepy or something." She replied, eyes filled with concern for the boy.

"W-what? Oh. No no no! It's okay! I was just thinking."

"About?" She asked, getting more comfortable in the taxi by leaning her head on his shoulder.

"It… It doesn't matter." Natsu sighed, as he messed up her hair. He leaned his head onto the window, looking out into the scenery of the peaceful countryside. They were getting closer. He could feel it.

"Shh, Natsu!" Lucy shook him awake, as he came face to face with the opened door of the cab. Had he fallen asleep? How much time did it pass? Oh no! she must've already gone in without him, and they were now back at Magnolia!

"We're finally here." She said, and he could feel her stiffen. So, they weren't back home after all. They were at Lucy's old house. Natsu started feeling something boiling up in his stomach, as his excitement reached its peak. Finally! He was going to see where Lucy had lived.

And while he was exiting the car, he could feel his girlfriend's hand clutch his own. Oh, that's right, this place holds a lot of memories for her. She'd need someone to hold on to while she's here.

And then, he finally took a look at the house.

…

"WHAT!?" Natsu yelled, as the sudden feeling of surprise overtook him. What was this? Had they missed the address or something? Because they were currently standing before a huge castle-like mansion, with a huge garden, which was situated in the middle of a gigantic village.

"THIS IS WHERE YOU USED TO LIVE!?"

Gray Fullbuster was a happy man. He had all he ever needed in his life now that she was here. The girl with the scarlet hair.

He had really been hoping that she would be there for him when he needed her, and she was. She proved that today, when he called her to come over at his place, and help him make some food, because he wanted to try out cooking, since he was tired of eating at some fast food restaurant, or eat at Lucy's. And when she actually came without any questions asked, he was more than happy. So, in the heat of the moment, he blurted out something like: 'I wish you lived here!'. Oh how deeply he regretted saying that! She might think he's some creepy perverted boyfriend who's stalking her or something, and give him a hit to the family jewels.

But she didn't do that. In fact, she mumbled a quick 'yeah' in return. His grin stretched out across his face, as he remembered that this was the perfect chance to finally steal her all to himself. He called some old friend he had, and asked him to help by secretly moving all of Erza's furniture, while he took her out on a date. Gray was from a rich family, so his apartment was really big. It had two free rooms, and he would give both of them to her.

Erza was surprised when he'd dragged her out of his apartment in a rush, yelling something about going on a date.

They had spent the day nicely, and it was more than expected from Gray to be nervous when it was time to go back to his apartment. "I should probably just go home." Erza had said, but Gray didn't let that happen, and instead pulled her with him. She laughed along the way, interested in why he was so dedicated to the task of taking her at his place. She didn't suspect anything perverted, because she already knew Gray wasn't like that, even though he took out his shirt 14 times while they were out on their date.

Once they reached his apartment, he started sweating out of panic. What if she didn't like it? Oh God, she surely won't like it! What if she hits him where it hurts? He'll surely get a slap to the face or something. Oh well, he deserved it after all, I mean, he practically moved all of her things out of her home! He was going to be hung for this. This was it; the end of the road. He was going to die a tragic death.

"What…" he could hear her speak, the moment she walked into the living room. Oh damn it, this was it! He was a dead man! A dead man!

"I'm sure I left my phone here…" she mumbled more to herself, but Gray heard that great. Oh, well after all, she didn't go to any of the other rooms. "I think I left it in the first spear room, you know, the big one!" Gray yelled, in hopes of luring her in, to see the drastic change. Once she took the bait, mumbling something about 'why would he take my phone', Gray started realizing that this was not the best idea he's ever had. So, taking it as a last resort, he hid behind the couch in the living room.

Erza would probably be in the room by now, and she has probably seen all the changes, and was now coming for his pitiful empty little head. He was a goner, he was going straight to hell, no questions asked. Oh well, at least he had a fun life, and he didn't really regret doing a lot of things, except maybe this one right now.

"Gray…" he could hear his name being called from somewhere in the hallways of his own house, as he cowered in fear behind the piece of furniture, hoping that she would calm down by the time she finds him. He heard footsteps as she was walking into the room, ready to cut off any body part he had and sell it to some weird merchant guy who weirdly works at the weird part of town selling weird things to weird people who weirdly walked by his weird little stand. Oh man he was screwed and he was screwed for dear life.

"Ahem," he heard her, as he started shaking even more. This really didn't seem like a good idea anymore. Wait, he should call his friend quick, and ask him to return her things back right away, so he can maybe save his leg or something. But would he come in time? And would Gray have a tongue to tell him that? Or will it be cut off before he could even say anything?"Get out from behind the couch." He heard her say. Wow, was this girl that clever, to figure out his super brilliant hiding spot so fast?

He walked out, guilt overflowing around him, as he let a worried smile decorate his face, awaiting his punishment.

"Which room were you talking about?" She asked. Oh good, she hasn't seen them yet. That's great! He still had more time to call his friend, and create a diversion in the mean time. "Were you talking about the one with my stuff in it, or the other one, also with my stuff in it?" She growled and only then did Gray realize in how much trouble he'd gotten himself. This was going to kill him. This was going to be the end of him. Kaput!

"Because…." Erza started shaking, and any normal human being knew that he'd screwed up good. "THIS IS SO CUTE!"

Gray shrieked in fear, as he readided himself for the pain of a lifetime!

…

"Wait…. WHAT!? YOU DON'T WANNA KILL ME?!" He yelled out, feeling relief over-flood the room. Yay!

"No silly! I just thought it was super cute how you did this while I didn't even notice, and how you decorated the rooms just like I wanted them to be decorated, so we won't need any redecorating! And you even moved all 99 of my swords to the second room so I can always see them! That room looks amazing." Gray couldn't believe this. Did Erza have a girly mode? Because he'd never seen it before, but now that he has, he wants it to be on forever. Her eyes sparkled, and she looked so cute, that he blushed a darker red than her own hair.

"Uh uh uh uh uh… I um, thought, that un, ugh, well… because…" he was stuck in a black hole of stuttering and he couldn't find a single word to describe how he was feeling at the moment. He felt … happy? Overjoyed? Delighted? Amazing? No. None of these words could ever describe this genuine feeling. Nothing would ever be able to capture this moment as it is, and he enjoyed every second of it.

He was soon crashed in a big hug, as they both fell over on the ground, Erza being as happy as he'd ever seen her. Not even when that jerk of a man Jellal had asked her to be his girlfriend did she show as much happiness as she was showing now. And Gray was happy to see that.

"Oh!" He yelled, as soon as he was released from the hug that lasted a few long minutes. "I forgot to give you something." He said, leaving to get something from his own room. Erza had inspected that room long ago, while she was searching for his stash of porn magazines, because she thought he had one, even though he didn't. So, she thought there wouldn't be anything hidden there. Did she miss something? Probably. But how? The mighty Erza never misses anything in her whole life. What could he have hidden in there that she hadn't seen?

And there he was, walking out of the room, holding a… wooden sword? But, didn't he put all of them in the other room? Well, it's not like she counted them or something. "Here you go." He said, sliding it in her hands. "I never wanted you to stop just before you finished them all. I knew that you were hurting when you had your heart broken, and stopped making them. I know you told everyone that he was no good for you, and that you were the one who broke up with him. I knew it was a lie the moment you said it. Truth was, he was the one who broke up with you, and then disappeared on his motorbike somewhere in the country. You haven't seen him since, and it was killing you. I know that, that's why I distanced myself from you, I didn't want to see you hurt, knowing that I couldn't do anything about it. It was awful for me too. I know that my pain couldn't even begin to compare to yours, but I was hurt too, seeing my best bro take you away from me like that, even though he knew I liked you."

Erza's teary eyes widened at what Gray had just said. How long had he been in love with her?

"And," He continued, "It was hard for me too. But, the fact that you stopped making these, it broke me even more. You stopped at 99. You needed just one to finish them, and get to the number you wanted since you were a child. So…"

And upon closer inspection, Erza noticed that this was a little different. The movements of cutting it in shape were somehow sloppy and it looked like it was done by some wannabe amateur dude. And then it hit her.

"So, that's why I decided to make you that last one. I know, it's not that good," He paused to laugh at his own creation, "But I hope you'll find it good enough to fill that last spot."

Tears. Loads of them. Erza had never cried this much before! Not even when she wound out her stepmother had left her, and she had to live alone. Gray was scared. He didn't know how to make the tears stop, and the crying cease. She was yelling, as she fell down on the floor. Oh damn it! What was she supposed to do now!?

He dropped down next to her, and looked at her in the eyes, "Hey, what happened to you!?"

"They're…" She muttered, before wiping away her face with her still shaky hands, "tears of happiness!"

And his smile grew up a lot bigger than he expected. And this was it, he couldn't take it anymore. Slamming his lips onto hers, he smiled at the sound of surprise she made, before returning the kiss.

He'd never been so happy,

And neither had she.

"Hey Lyon," Gray said to the man on the other side of the telephone line, "Throw away the 'I'm sorry' cake!"

"Yes, I used to live here. But don't say some bullshit like: 'Who would want to leave this place?!', because it's not all about how big your house is." She deadpanned, Natsu surprised by how easily she read his mind. Oh well, they both took a deep breath, before he squeezed her hand in his own, and they both knocked on the huge double doors of the mansion.

The large doors were suddenly being opened, and Lucy was not expecting one of her maids to appear, and jump into her arms. "Lucy-sama!" She yelled, tackling Lucy to the ground.

"Sama?" Natsu repeated, not knowing why she addressed Lucy with such an honorable title.

"Where have you been? We have all been worried sick!" The maid shouted while tears came down her face. "Can you really believe it's been more than a year now? A whole year! We have been very worried for you, mistress!" The maid finally moved away from Lucy, and looked at Natsu. "Husband?"

"Boyfriend."

And Natsu was the happiest man alive. Hearing Lucy call him her boyfriend made him fell like he could beat the world!

The maid talked about how nothing in the mansion has changed from before, and how the servants still couldn't bring themselves to touch any items in her room, so they've just been cleaning it like they used to. They all wanted to see if she left them a note or something, but they didn't want to touch anything. Lucy however, wasn't interested in the conversation, because she was just staring at every corner of every room as they walked by.

Natsu however, was in a trance. 109 bedrooms? 30 balconies? Loads of rooms filled with nothing but gaming equipment? A huge living room that could fit a train! Big, expensive-looking chandeliers made of thousands of crystals, and large statues in every room. A lot of paintings were to be found on every wall, and a big part of them were of Lucy. The TV he saw in the living room was big enough to fit in the cinema! It was amazing! She even had 3 indoor swimming pools! Why the hell would someone leave a place like this!?

"We're really sorry about your mother's death, Lucy-sama. We know it must've been hard for you to deal with the situation, plus your father, and that's probably why you left this place. After all, every bit of it is full of memories that you can't bear to think about."

Natsu suddenly came back to his senses, and took a hold of Lucy's hand. She needed that.

"Lucy?" They suddenly heard a voice Lucy knew all too well, and all turned around in the hallway. Natsu was the only one who didn't know who that was. It was a tall, middle-aged man who looked a lot like Lucy, with his blond hair. But his face seems very cold, and merciless. He really wondered why the man looked like he was about to leap and kill all of them. Wait a minute, was this man—

"—Dad?" Lucy asked, her breathless whisper echoing in the corridor. Natsu could feel her nervousness grow, as he squeezed her hand, in hopes of getting through to her.

"Who is this?" Her father had asked, directing at Natsu with his head.

"Th–That's Natsu. He–He's my b–boyfriend." Natsu's pride dwelled up in his chest once more, but he was still hurt by the shaky way Lucy had said it. He then noticed the maid signalizing something to him. She was gesturing that he… Oh of course!

Natsu bowed his head down, showing respect to the father, as he shouted, "I'm Natsu Dragneel. Nice to finally meet you Mr Heartfilia"

Jude just shook his head in disapproval before mumbling something about "your choice".

"But honestly", her father continued, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you around since yesterday."

Lucy felt something inside her snap, as her father walked away in silence. "He didn't notice I was gone?" She whispered, her legs giving up on her, as she fell down to her knees, hands situated on the cold floor.

"Lucy-sama!"

"Luce!"

Natsu dropped down to pick her up into his arms, and carry her to the living room. He sat down, along with the maid, as they both tried thinking of something they could say.

"I just, I thought he'd notice." Lucy mumbled, a sadistic smile on her face. "I really am an idiot."

"Lucy-sama, we tried." The maid started talking, peeking both Natsu and Lucy's interest. "When we saw you were gone, we rushed to his office, but he told us not to disturb him, because he had been working on something very important." Lucy thought about how typical this was of her father. "And then, a few days later, he didn't ask about you, or anything. It had already been a month when he said, 'Where's Lucy? I haven't been bothered by her in a while'" Those last few words hurt Lucy a lot more that she'd expected. "And after that, he'd sometimes ask about where you were, and we'd say that you were in the garden or something, just so he didn't worry. We didn't want him to worry if he found out what was really going on, so we kept quiet. And… that's it. It's probably all our faults! I'm really sorry Lucy-sama!"

"No. It's not your fault. He should have been the one to notice that I was gone! I am his daughter! His only child! He should have known! He should have seen that I am nowhere to be found! He should have cared!" Lucy shouted, the walls echoing all her words, as she finally calmed down. "Let's go Natsu." She said, pulling his hand. He got up as well, and was being pulled by Lucy. She didn't care anymore. They entered her bedroom, as Natsu had guessed by the pink walls and cute furniture. She took a bag from her closet, and stuffed it with more clothes, money, credit cards, and most importantly, a picture of her mother. "At least now I have nothing to worry about in here." Lucy smiled, surprised that Natsu had offered to carry her bag.

"I'm leaving now." She said to the servant, who started crying again. "It will really be a bad thing to leave us again Lucy! Virgo didn't eat for days when you first disappeared!"

Virgo.

How could Lucy have forgotten? Her most faithful maid ever! Her mother's favorite servant! She was the one who helped Lucy get past all her troubles after her mother had passed away! She needed to see her one more time! "C –Can you call her?" Lucy asked the maid, who smiled happily. "Sure!"

And the pink haired maid was downstairs in no time. She was really surprised seeing Lucy here, all grown up, even though she'd only been gone for a year or so. Virgo tried keeping herself calm, but jumped straight into Lucy's arms.

"Princess! You've been gone for so long! That deserves some punishment!"

All of them laughed, happy that they have finally found a little bit of happiness in this world.

And so, no matter how many times we fail, there is still a ray of sunshine rooting for us to never give up, and try our best!

A lot of stories were to be told from this wonderful experience, as Lucy's odd personality had changed many lives.

Because every story is connected with another one, making a big storybook for moms to read to their children at night, before the little ones go to bed.

The story of the little girl Levy, who met her prince charming, who was actually the school bully, Gajeel. They had gone studying together in the library, and that's when Gajeel had mustered up the courage to confess to the girl, who'd jumped into his arms yelling 'yes'!

Or Mirajane, who had fallen for Laxus, someone she'd known from her past. They had been eating lunch together, when she was the one who asked him out on a date! And surprisingly, instead of some sarcastic comment, Laxus had agreed with a smile.

Juvia, who'd been disappointed in life, being heartbroken by her 'destined love', had instead met his cousin Lyon, who'd fallen head-over-hells for her, and decided to give him a chance.

And Gray, who had fallen in love with his childhood friend, had also gotten his share of a happy ending. They had been living with his girlfriend until they both finished school, where they decided upon putting the cherry on a top, by getting married. Mira had been the one in charge of course, and she'd made the evening splendid, as they said their 'I do's.

Virgo and the other maid, had quit working for Lucy's father, and gone out to travel the world with the money they saved from that well paid job.

Her father however, had finally, after three years, noticed that his daughter was not home, but there was nothing he could do at the time.

And finally, Lucy and Natsu, who both have finally finished school, have decided upon buying a new, big house right next to Gray's apartment, where they moved in along with Natsu's little sister (who he recently found out he had, because his mother had left her in an orphanage), Wendy. They'd been a happy couple, taking things at their own pace, and not caring about what others had said. They had tacked life head on, and forgotten about all their worries, and bad things.

Lucy had gotten a belated letter from her mother, who she found hidden in her old schoolbag which she took at the mansion.

"Dear Lucy,

Life is really short dear, and you should enjoy every last bit of it. Because one day, when I won't be here, you might think that you owe me to do something I'd never even want you to.

Remember, always keep smiling my dear, and never let anything hurt you, because you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want you to be the happiest girl alive!

Don't keep quiet dear! Be free! Yell at the top of your lungs! The world is a battlefield where only the strongest survive, honey! And you need to be one of them! No need to be quiet!

Sing! Shout!

I'm sorry I ever told you that you needed to stay quiet!

You need to live your life to the fullest dear!

Don't let anyone tell you different!

You are my pride and joy Lucy, don't ever forget that!"

Natsu had a hard time stopping her tears back then, and he'd also been the one who'd answer Wendy's questions like 'Why is Lucy-nee crying?'

But once she'd stopped crying, she'd took Natsu and Wendy by the hands, called Erza and Gray to join them too, as they all stood on Lucy's balcony, holding hands, as they hit life straight on, and yelled, "I WILL NEVER KEEP QUIET!"

With keys, Through Flames.

Aye.

The end.