We enter the guild and this time I don't hesitate. This is my family, and there is no way they would refuse to listen to me.

"Lucy!" Levy cheered, and ran over to me to glomp me in a big hug.

"Levy!" I cry back, "Mira told you I wasn't a backstabbing traitor right?"

"Mira? Oh Lu-chan, I could care less about that. I'm just glad you are here and safe."

"What do you mean you don't care? Everyone thought I told horrible lies about them," she pulled back and gauged my confused expression.

"Sure I was mad at first, December and January were murder on me, but then I went out on a job with Gajeel and Pantherlily. Gajeel was convinced there was something fishy about the whole thing and in-between missions we would spend times looking for any sign of you," she leaned forward and whispered the last part, "we got really close if you know what I mean."

"AH! Levy-chan! I need all details. Why didn't Gajeel believe the article out of all people?" I asked.

"Because you are made of more honest stuff than that Bunny-girl," Gajeel said, appearing behind Levy to wrap his arm around her, "If I couldn't beat your cheerleader spirit out of you, then there is no way in hell someone else did. And it's not like it's hard to kidnap you. I figured a mind reader got ahold of you and forced you to take the picture. Never found anything though."

"Wow, if you weren't dating Levy right now I could kiss you." Gajeel shrugged.

"Takes a bad guy to know a bad guy if you know what I mean. I got the full story from the barmaid, you really have the worst luck Bunny-girl." I wave off his words, not sure if they were an insult or not.

"Yeah, but I'm an awesome friend, you'll never guess what I have for you Levy-chan. It got boring being locked in a black pocket dimension or whatever it was." Levy's eyes went wide and Gajeel's arm got thrown off as she jumped to hug me again.

"YOU FINISHED IT!" she squealed, "And dang, are those muscles I feel?" Levy started squeezing my arms and shoulders while I flexed for her. "You certainly didn't waste away."

"Yes to both, as soon as you can find me a tome copying spell you can have the completed manuscript. I know that was the real reason you kept searching for me." I winked at her and she squealed. Superstar Lucy Heartphilia, coming through, but before Levy could drag her new idol, me, off, Erza called for attention on the stage.

"Everyone! There has been a grievous crime committed against one of our cherished members. Lucy did not degrade the name of Fairy Tail. She has been stuck in a pocket dimension for the past five months created by the villain called Black Rabbit. Once the rogue wizards were defeated by the Trimen of Blue Pegasus, she made her way back home only to be met with anger and betrayal." I felt Natsu come up next to me and I pulled his arm over my shoulder. Erza then pulled the curtain back to reveal a round, balding man tied up and gagged to a chair. "This man is known in darker circles as Lucian Blacktongue, he was an editor for Sorcerer Weekly that has printed numerous false rumors to throw the Magic Council and Light guilds off the trail of prominent dark wizards. He will tell you exactly what he did in order to dispel any doubt that Lucy is indeed innocent of any crime against the guild." Erza cut the gag off his face with a single stroke of her sword, leaving no mark on his skin, but a clear warning.

"I am not admitting to anything, you have no proof!" he shouted.

"I would rethink your words Blacktongue, Lucy heard your name spoken by her kidnappers as the person to contact to spread rumors. In your office I found a box of letters Lucy had written to her mother over the past three years, that sounds like pretty damning proof to me. Now what you say next will determine whether you are sent to the Magic Council in one piece or five." With Erza glaring at him down her sword, Lucian seemed to reconsider his priorities in life. Everyone in the guild knew Erza was bluffing, but it was a sign of how serious this was that everyone no one blew it. At least, five months ago she would have been bluffing, I had no idea what had happened to her in between except for babysitting a depressed Natsu and Gray.

"Fine, I'll admit it. I was paid 400,000 Jewel to fake an interview with Lucy Heartphilia that would make all her friends hate her. I snuck into her house and stole information I could pervert and destroy this crappy guild with. They had promised me she was dead, and it wasn't the only time you snotty mages. You think your so cool, every time you end up on a cover, I'm famous everybody loves me! You wouldn't be more than thugs if it wasn't for our magazine."

"I think that's enough," Master Makarov said as he joined Erza on stage, "You have caused much sorrow to me and my children, and I will enjoy seeing you answer to the magic council." He then addressed the audience, "We have been made fools of, but once again we have pulled through some of our darkest times. Let us celebrate the return of our beloved friend. Welcome back Lucy of Fairy Tail!" The entire guild cheered and there were tears in my eyes. This was the moment I had been dreaming of while stuck in the cage, everyone together and happy again. "Now that we are whole again, S class trials are scheduled for two weeks from now. Sorry for the delay, but certain members couldn't find right from left until this matter was resolved."

"Geeze, you ever stop crying Lucy?" Natsu said in my ear.

"Idiots, you're all idiots," I say, wiping my face. Gray came up to me later and said that everything was put back in place, even my bed, and Levy told me that she had some copy spells sitting in her apartment if I wanted to come over tomorrow. Erza told me to hit her to make up for the pain she caused, and surprisingly enough, I actually did (a promise is a promise, especially if it was to myself) and Cana apologized herself while offing me a glass of beer. I finally had a real conversation with Lisanna and we promised to go out for lunch on Friday to get to know each other better and show the world that there was no hard feelings.

Natsu didn't leave my side the entire night, and neither of us decided to drink (I think Natsu was scared that if his eyes left me for a second I would disappear again) but we enjoyed the party anyway.

*********************************NALU********************************************

When I woke up the next morning, I was lying in my bed, in my house, on top of my Natsu. Last night when we walked in, neither of us had said anything after I changed into my pajamas and dragged Natsu into bed with me. I was out like a light. Now, I should get up and go train, my muscles would not recover from yesterday if I didn't, but I couldn't leave him alone again. Cause guess what? I loved him too.

Once the sleep left my eyes and I was fully awake I started playing with his hair, running my fingers through it, flipping it this way and that, trying to decide which way I liked it best, in his eyes or sticking up. Occasionally I let my fingers trace his face, memorizing the jaw line, nose, cheekbones, eyes, with my fingers, as though I was blind and this was my only form of sight. Soon enough he was smiling and his breathing evened out, telling me that I had finally woken him up.

"Hey," I said softly, his eyes finally opened and he took in the fact that I was laying on top of him.

"Hey yourself," he replied, confused but content.

"I gotta go work out now, kay? I'll be back soon," feeling daring I got onto my hands and knees and gave him a little kiss before pushing myself off the bed.

"Did I hear right? Lucy wants to go work out? And she kissed me? I must be dreaming." I collect my exercise clothes and head for the bathroom.

"Stop teasing me, I'm still sore from sparring with Erza and the only way to fix that is more exercise. It's how they get you addicted you know." Before I could open the door, Natsu had his arms around me waist and his lips on my neck. He was shirtless and the butterflies in my stomach seemed to be on a caffeine overdose.

"I'll stop teasing you if you promise to wake me up like that every day from now on," he said. I turned my head and placed a kiss on his temple, reveling in the fact that I was the only one allowed to do this, to feel this.

"I promise to try," I say, other people can make lighthearted promises like that, but I couldn't. Natsu understood that and smiled, but something stopped him before he could let me enter the bathroom. His hands went flat against my midsection.

"Wait, are those abs that I'm feeling?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," I tease, releasing myself as it didn't look like Natsu was going anywhere soon.

"I love you," he said as I was about to close the door.

"I love you too."

End

***********************************NALU***********************

A/N: This is the end, I really hope you guys enjoyed the story and I was able to show that there are other ways to turn Lucy into a physically stronger mage besides writing the entire guild out of character. Did I succeed? Was the last part so fluffy you could feel the sparkles? Did you know that the bulk of my stories, including this one, are written in third person, but I become so apart of the character that first person slips in and I have to make a really difficult choice and go through serious editing?

As for me, I have already edited a couple of stories and will continue to edit them (That replace document button has seriously become my favorite thing) and I still have several stories in my fanfiction folder waiting to come out. One is a high school AU based around the popularity system in Jamie Lynn Barne's books "Golden" and "Platinum" (I am really proud of the exposition I have for this one), and Avatar cross-over that started out as a joke but turned into forty pages of intense fandom melding. I also have a story where Lucy visits the future, but she died ten years previous to the date she visits, and a two-shot where Lucy gets to play big sister and help Wendy through puberty, and when the questions about sex and boys comes, Lucy is completely honest.

Wow, this went on for a long time, thanks to everyone who reviewed and will review, sorry if I don't take criticism well, I promise I am working on it.

Purely platonic love for strangers,

thecagedsong