A/N: Okay, guys. This is my first fic. I've read a lot of stories on here, and finally decided to try my hand at it. I hope to write at least one more chapter, but I want to see how well this does, first. So, please Read and Review. Follow and Favorite. Do all the things! I need your words of wisdom!
Also, so many people write about NaLi in a way that just seems so OoC, so I tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible. Enjoy!

The day had started out like any other summer day in Magnolia. The sun was shining brightly, a light breeze kept the heat from becoming oppressive, and Lucy had just closed the door after thanking a courier for delivering a package. She didn't even notice that the young man with auburn hair and sky-blue eyes couldn't stop staring at her.

Hmm, she thought, I was wondering when this would get here. As she opened the package and sat down on her couch. A small smile crept across her face at the memory of her gift.

~~~~..~~~~

She walked into the small magic shop, looking for more another key to add to her circle of friends. Deciding, based on her experience, that she should just go right up to the shopkeeper and ask, she smiled as she greeted the old woman. Ms. Yama sat on her small stool, reading a very large tome and taking notes, something that Lucy had noted she always did when she got a new book.

"Hello, Ms. Yama," she said, "Have you gotten any keys in recently?"

Ms. Yama noted the gleam of hope in the young girl's eyes as she reached under the counter. "I'm very sorry, Lucy. I haven't gotten any keys in several months. Would you like to give me your address so I can let you know when I get one in?" Ms. Yama had gotten to know Lucy over the last year, as with every stop the young mage made in her shop, she asked the same question. They had had many conversations about Lucy's love for her spirits, and her determination to continue getting stronger so that the more powerful keys would have a great friend if she ever came across them. She brought a pen and paper from under the counter and passed it to Lucy.

After having written down her address, and the address for Fairy Tail just in case, she passed it back to Ms. Yama. Man, I was really hoping she would have a key. My rent is paid (miraculously), and I have some extra Jewels saved up just in case I find one… Lucy dropped her eyes to the items on the counter and the little lady took the opportunity to ask a more personal question.

"Lucy, dear, have you gotten the courage to tell that destructive partner of yours how you feel?" she asked the young woman and chuckled as Lucy's head shot up to stare at her wide-eyed.

"I-ah… How did you…" she stammered. Play it cool, Lucy… There's no way she could know. "You must be mistaken," she attempted a lighthearted laugh as she threw one hand behind her head—a habit she had picked up from a certain pinkette.

Ms. Yama gave her a level stare that told Lucy she wasn't an idiot. "Dear child, I have been on this planet for many years, and I think I can tell when a woman is in love. The first time you came in here with that… boy… you may have been screaming your head off at the damage he had caused, but when he apologized the look in your eyes said it all."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ms. Yama," Lucy replied. She looked away and fought to hide the tears welling in her eyes. Ever since Lisanna's return from Edolas, Natsu had been different. They were still partners and best friends, and she still harbored feelings for him that only she, her mother (through her letters), and Virgo knew about. The only reason Virgo knew was because she had picked up an unfinished letter on Lucy's desk when helping her organize and saw it. Lucy harbored no ill feelings toward Virgo for it, because it was an honest mistake. If anything, she felt slightly relieved that she had someone to talk to about it.

"Would you like to tell him?"

"Yes… but, I'm a coward." Might as well tell the truth, she seems to have figured it out. "I've tried to tell him before, but then things got… complicated."

The old woman gave her a gentle smile of understanding and held up one finger as a sign for Lucy to wait. She hopped gingerly off of her stool and grabbed her small, knobbed cane, then slowly walked into the back room through a beaded curtain. After a few minutes, she came back with an envelope and handed it to Lucy.

"Open this when you're at home, dear," she said, still holding the smile on her face.

Lucy accepted the envelope and nodded. With that, she said her farewell and left the small shop.

"Silly girl. Sometimes young women just need a little pick-me-up to tell a man how they feel. I just hope he reciprocates her feelings…" Ms. Yama mused as she returned to the tome she was previously reading.

Once at home, Lucy sat down and opened the envelope.

"Dear Lucy," it read, "I know exactly how you feel, and I believe this gift will help you in your endeavors. Within a week, you will receive a package with instructions. If the feelings are mutual, it will help you express yourself. I wish you the best of luck. –Y"

"Well, that was a little cryptic… Hm, I wonder what it will be," Lucy said to the envelope.

~~~~..~~~~

Inside of the box was a vial filled with a glittering blue liquid. Lucy gently placed the vial on her table and read the enclosed note:

Glitterlove Soak. Directions: Pour this bottle into the bath and soak for at least 30 minutes. Then, go get 'em. Effects last for 24 hours.

Looking up at the clock, Lucy let out a shriek when she realized that it was already 11:00. She was supposed to meet Natsu and the team at the guild at 12:30 and usually needed at least 45 minutes for a good bath. Well, might as well get it over with. She gathered the bottle and a fresh towel from her linen closet and started the bath. When the water was just the right temperature, she put plugged the drain and let the bath fill while pouring the bottle in. As the steam rose and filled her senses, she noticed that it smelled like vanilla and honey, just like her own soap. A sense of calm washed over her as she sank into the steaming water. After what felt like only a few minutes, she looked at the clock in her bathroom, bought specifically for when she was bathing and had somewhere to be, and saw that her time was up.

Sighing, Lucy emptied the bath and toweled herself off as she walked into her bedroom. Inspiration hit her as she perused her clothes and she decided to wear her new purple croptop with black capris and her black boots. She dried her hair and put it into pigtails, grabbed her keys and whip, and made her way out the door.

Summoning Plue, Lucy hummed a soft tune to herself and jumped on the ledge by the river. He did his little shaking dance and they both balanced as they made their way. Confidence filled Lucy as the men in their boats stopped to tell her "Be careful, Lucy!" and "Wouldn't want to get soaked!"; she just waved and said hello.

As she stepped up to the doors of the guild she looked up into the blue sky and thought, This is it. This is the day. Sending Plue back to the spirit world, Lucy opened the doors and was greeted by a brawl and flying furniture. Quickly ducking under a table that would have hit her head, she made her way to the bar.

"Here you go, Lucy. One strawberry milkshake with whipped cream!" Mira said as she turned around, passing the blonde her favorite drink.

"How do you do that, Mira?" Lucy asked, chuckling, then taking a sip of the decadent fruity drink. "Oh, have you seen my team? We were supposed to meet up and possibly pick out a mission today."

A sympathetic look fell over Mira as she quickly glanced off to the right. There, at a table against the wall was Lisanna and Erza. Apparently, Natsu and Gray were somewhere in the dusty battle in the center of the guild. Lucy smiled and hopped off her stool, then walked over to her friends. At the sight of Lucy, Erza widened her eyes and Lisanna flushed slightly. Lucy just let it pass as she sat down and greeted two of her best friends.

Even though she was scared that Natsu and Lisanna were getting close, and that she had lost any chance of being with him, Lucy couldn't help but bond with the youngest Strauss. They had a lot in common, and both agreed that it wasn't too surprising that Natsu had grown so attached to Lucy in Lisanna's absence. Now, with Lisanna back, there was no question about the team dynamic. It was still Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Erza, and Gray. Lisanna accompanied Elfman and now Evergreen on missions, and Mira would join them occasionally. Every once in a while, Lisanna would tag along with Team Natsu, but she just fit right in. Sure, taking a little extra cut in pay sucked for Lucy when her team destroyed everything in sight, but getting to bond and hang out with a great new friend definitely compensated. The girls all watched the fighting die down as Gray and Elfman got knocked out, and Natsu was thrown by Gajeel into the wall next to their table.

"How ya doing, Natsu?" Lucy asked, smiling at her partner's antics.

"That metalhead is gonna pay!" Natsu roared as he stood back up.

Erza levelled him with her standard glare of disapproval, and he instantly stopped what he was doing.

Throwing a hand behind his head and putting on his signature grin, Natsu said, "Just kidding. Maybe I'll challenge him to a game of chest later!"

"Natsu, it's Chess," Lucy said, sweatdropping.

"Do you even know what Chess is?" Happy said as he lowered down from his safe place in the rafters.

"Hmm… Nope!" Natsu smiled. Then he paused, and looked at Lisanna, and his eyes softened. Lucy saw every motion he made.

Now or never, she thought. "Natsu, could we—"

"Hey," he said to Lisanna. He walked slowly over to where she sat, his eyes never leaving hers. He slowly wrapped his arms around her from behind, and kissed her neck.

Lisanna sighed contentedly, "Hey, you. I think Lucy was trying to—"

Erza gently placed a hand on Lisanna, getting her attention. When she looked at the redhead, she could see sadness in her eyes—a look rarely seen gracing Titania's face. Slowly, Erza shook her head and glanced at Lucy.

Lucy sat in shock. How could this… How could he… they… Her mind was reeling and she could hardly breathe. She looked from Natsu to Lisanna and back trying to figure out if this was some sick joke. When Natsu moved to sit across from Lisanna, and that was when Lucy saw it. The mark. They were mated. Tears welled in her eyes and threatened to spill.

Natsu had explained to her what the mating was a while ago, when they were on a mission and pulling the night watch. He had said that Dragonslayers were only granted one mate, of fate's choosing. When they found their mate, they would be inseparable—even before actually performing the ritual. He didn't give her a lot of details, saying that it was only supposed to be known by Slayers and their mates, but he did say that when they finally mated, the female (or male, in Wendy's case) would bear a mark that was associated with her (or his) mate's element. Lucy looked at Lisanna's neck again; there it was, the size of a leaf, a glowing flame. It almost looked like a magical tattoo, and seemed to pulse with Natsu's proximity.

She looked at Erza who only gave her a nod, her eyes also showing a deep sadness. Erza had known from the beginning that Lucy felt something for Natsu, but they had never talked about it. One day, she had left Lucy a note saying simply: "I know. We don't need to talk, if you don't want to. I'm here for you if you need me, though." The redhead, while being one of the most frightening members of Fairy Tail, had also taken Lucy in as a sister. Though Lucy hated training, Erza had convinced her to at least go on "jogs" with her three times a week—more like full-on sprints, Lucy thought.

Lucy's eyes travelled next to Lisanna, who had gone silent. She was sure that Lisanna had tried to say something to Natsu, but she had still been trying to absorb the sight before her. Lisanna's eyes were downcast, and shame and guilt wafted off of her in droves. Why does she feel guilty? She's done nothing wrong. Of course Lucy didn't blame her. That niggling voice in the back of her mind had always said that those two would end up together, and although Lucy had taken it only as negativity, she had accepted long ago that if it should happen, then it was meant to be.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" Natsu asked, looking around at the three women across from him, confusion marring his boyish face. "Lis? Lucy? Everything okay?"

"Um-" Lucy cleared her throat, trying to make her voice sound normal. She put on the best smile she could manage, and felt it quickly turn into a grimace when she looked into his onyx eyes. Those eyes… They've never looked at me the way they did with Lisanna. She cleared her throat again. "I'm not feeling too well –sniffle- I think I'm going to go home and rest." Inside, she felt like an idiot. An absolute idiot.

"Huh? But you just got here."

"Natsu, let Lucy rest. We want to make sure our favorite Celestial mage is at her peak physical condition if we're to go on a mission any time soon," Erza stated, effectively cutting Natsu's questioning off. Lucy gave her a grateful smile as she stood up and turned to leave.

Before she could take a step, though, she realized Lisanna still hadn't said anything. She turned back and leaned down to give Erza a hug. "I'll be okay, just give me some time," she whispered, fully aware that the boy across the table could hear every word she said whether he wanted to or not. Erza hugged her forcefully back, and gave her a sharp pat on the back. When they separated, she turned to Lisanna, who slowly raised her eyes to meet Lucy's.

She leaned down and embraced Lisanna with all the emotion she had been holding back. "You're a lucky woman," she said through tears and a smile. Her walls were starting to crack, and she needed to leave before anyone saw her cry herself into oblivion, but first she had to make sure Lisanna understood. "You're still my best friend. It's fate. One day, I'll find someone that looks at me the way he does you, but until then…" She stopped. Drew in a shaking breath.

"I understand. I hope you feel better soon, Lucy. Take all the time you need, and we can talk some more when you're feeling up to it," Lisanna hugged Lucy back, thankful that she had befriended such a wonderful person. No wonder they call Lucy the heart of Fairy Tail, Lisanna thought. She's the embodiment of everything we stand for.

They let go of each other, and as Lucy walked away she patted Happy on the head and told him she was out of fish and wouldn't be buying more until she was better. His little ears dropped and he started to bawl, wailing "Lucy's SO MEEAAAANNN!"

She chuckled lightly and kept her head high as she left the guild. Once outside, the bright and cheerful day seemed to have disappeared, with dark clouds moving in from the East. Well, I guess I should get back home. Lucy slowly made her way down the now emptying streets, all of the townspeople going inside to wait out the impending storm. Lucy wandered down the streets on auto-pilot, too wrapped up in her own thoughts to care about the rain that was starting to pour down on her. She thanked the rain for hiding the tears that were streaming down her face.

At the sound of thunder that crashed around her, she looked up and realized she was nowhere near her home. She looked around, and saw a line of small, quaint houses, all perfectly symmetrical. She looked up at the street sign, Anima Avenue.

Had she been paying any attention, she would have realized there was someone walking behind her for the past four blocks. He stood several hands taller than her, and when she stopped to look at the sign, he bumped into her. With her thoughts scattered, she assumed she was being attacked and pulled out her whip, instantly catching her assailant off-guard and upending him right there in the intersection.

"What the—" the man said as he fell to the ground.

Small objects flew around Lucy, saying, "What! What! What!"

Realization hit her as she looked at the wooden totems that were iconic of only one person. Bickslow. Lucy looked down and saw him sitting in a huge puddle, completely pissed off, and without his helmet. Those eyes… I've only seen them a couple times… They're so strange, she thought as she zoned out again.

He stood up and flicked her in the forehead.

"OW! What was that for?!" she screamed.

"I asked you first! What the hell, Cosplayer?!" he screamed back, unaware that he was not under the security of his helmet.

"Cosplayer! Cosplayer!" repeated his babies.

"… I'm sorry, Bickslow," she replied, looking down and wiping away the tears that had continued to fall through their meeting.

"Whoa! I didn't mean to make you cry!" He backed away, looking frightened. "Shit, I'm sorry. Don't cry… I don't…"

"Don't cry! Don't cry!"

Lucy looked up, confused. "Make me cry?"

He stared. Is this chick for real? She's standing here in the rain and crying…

"Bickslow, I'm fine. I'll just head home now… Once I figure out how to get to Strawberry Street…" she looked around, utterly lost and confused.

Hmm, she looks kinda cute like that… Wait, what?! Bickslow thought. Another crash of thunder accompanied crackles of lightning travelling across the sky. Lucy jumped and covered her ears, starting to shake uncontrollably. Shit, she's scared of storms? "Cospl—Lucy, you're about 5 miles from your house. Mine is right here," he gestured to the house they were standing in front of. It had a small cobblestone walkway that led up to a creamy white house with a red door. Two patio chairs and a table were arranged just off to the side of the front door.

"House! Right here!" the totems echoed.

She glanced from Bickslow to his house, and back again. Did he just call me Lucy?

"Come on, before we're barbecued!" he chided.

Just as she was about to say she would be fine to walk home, she felt her hairs stand on end as if she had rubbed a balloon on her head. A sense of unease swept over her and before she could think on what it might be, Bickslow grabbed her around her waist and leapt onto his porch just as lightning seared the very spot she was standing.

So, what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it. Yes, Lucy is understanding of the NaLi-ness. It breaks her heart, and she'll have to cope with that, but I don't feel like she would take it out on them- she would be happy for them.Also, what's gonna happen with Bickslow? Who knows?... Not me... .