Final

"We're going back to the guild hall?" Lucy repeated, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. She had been hoping that Natsu had some kind of romantic date planned where she could flaunt her new outfit.

But what was the point of getting all dressed up if we are just going back to the guild? Lucy pouted.

Natsu glanced over at her, taking note of her sulking expression. He squeezed her hand, "We don't have to stay long. Erza just told me to be sure to make a stop back at the guild before sunset. She said there was something she wanted to tell us."

"Oh. She did?" Lucy cocked an eyebrow. "I wonder what it is…"

"I asked, but she was being pretty secretive about it. It's probably another lecture."

She sighed, "Just what we need."

"When we're done there," Natsu pulled her into his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "We can do whatever you want, okay? You name it, and we will do it."

"Oh?" Lucy's heart sped in her chest. "Hm… I guess I'll start thinking then…"

HAVE SEX WITH HIM! the irrational part of her brain screamed.

Call it making love. It sounds more mature, the rational part interjected.

Neither of you are helping at all, Lucy informed them.

When they finally reached the guild, Natsu pushed the door open and pulled Lucy inside.

"We're back!" he called.

Usually the guild hall was bustling around this time of day. But instead, only Gray, Gajeel, Loke, Cana, Mirajane, and Erza stood inside.

"Hm?" Natsu cocked his head to the side. "Where is everybody?"

"Why are you three wearing matching outfits?" Lucy asked the women. "Such formal dresses… Oh I love that color…"

"Get him," Erza snapped the command.

Gray, Gajeel, and Loke dispatched. They lunged across the hall towards the couple. Lucy wrenched her hand from Natsu's just as they attacked. Gray grabbed the dragon slayer's left arm while Loke grabbed his right. Gajeel gripped his ankles and they turned and dragged him to the back of the hall and through the door to the infirmary.

"What was that all about?" Lucy said. Erza, Cana, and Mirajane were suddenly in front of her.

"Uhm…" Lucy took a step back. "What's up?"

Their eyes glinted and slow grins spread across their faces.

Lucy gulped. I have a really bad feeling about this…

"What are you jackasses doing?" Natsu struggled wildly. "Let me go!"

"Just quit fighting and let it happen!" Gray demanded.

"Let what happen?" he roared. "Don't be creepy, Man! I'm gonna burn you all to a crisp if you don't start explainin'!"

They heaved the fire dragon slayer to one of the infirmary beds. Loke grabbed a bag off of an adjacent bed and opened it.

"We just need to give you a little makeover, that's all," he said as he pulled out the white tuxedo.

"Haah?" Natsu stared at the clothes with wide eyes. "What the fuck for?"

"C'mon, Salamander," Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Are you seriously that dumb?"

"What the fuck is going on here?" Natsu leapt to his feet on the bed, holding up his fists defensively.

"Surprise bitch," Gray said. "You're getting married."

"Now shut up and take your punishment," Loke snarled as they all lunged in.

Natsu yelped as Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Club slammed him down on his back on the bed. Loke and Gray instantly started stripping him, dodging fireballs as he writhed.

"No one told me nothin' about a wedding!" Natsu hollered, kicking at Loke as he struggled to pull the plaited pants up his bare calves. "Lucy's gonna kill me!"

"Quit complainin'!" Gajeel commanded. "You sayin' you don't wanna marry her?"

"That's not what I fucking said!" he sent a swirling vortex of fire from his mouth at the fellow dragon slayer. "There's nothing I want more than to marry her!"

"Then why are you fighting this?" Gray landed a punch in his stomach, stilling his struggles just long enough for Loke to get the pants all the way up to his hips. He buttoned them and jumped back triumphantly.

"I never asked her to marry me! What if she doesn't want to?"

Loke leaned over him, leveling him with a serious stare, "What if she does?"

Natsu's fight slowly lost steam as he considered the possibility.

"Do you really think the risk isn't worth it?" Gray added. "If she says yes…"

"I could make her Mrs. Dragneel," Natsu whispered, eyes glazing over.

"That's the spirit," Gajeel grinned.

Gray yanked Natsu's jacket off, enticing an angry, "Hey!" from him.

"Oh shut up," he shook the jacket and something slipped out of the inner pocket.

All four men watched as it bounced and rolled across the floor before stilling at Gajeel's feet.

Natsu's cheeks flamed as the others stared in stunned silence for a moment before falling to devious grins.

"Well, well, well," Gajeel chuckled. "Isn't that interesting?"

"But what are you doing this for?" Lucy pulled at the rope tied around her wrists. Mirajane and Erza were braiding flowers in her long blonde hair as Cana powdered her face.

"Don't worry about a thing Lucy!" Mirajane giggled.

"That's right," Erza added. "We have taken care of everything."

Taken care of everything… Lucy let her mind drift over what she knew. First, the shopping trip. A dress, shoes, and a necklace… Lucy frowned and closed her eyes when Cana demanded it. She started dusting eye shadow over the woman's eyelids. Natsu insisted the dress be white. And Erza told him to be back at the guild at sunset. They dragged us off to different rooms and are now doing my makeup and hair… Lucy's eyes popped open and Cana accidentally jabbed her with a stick of eyeliner.

Lucy squeezed the stinging eye shut and gaped up at the drunk.

"You're not seriously planning a wedding."

Cana grinned, cocking her hip to the side, "Wow. As smart as you claim to be, it sure took you way longer to figure that out than it should have."

"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?" Lucy started writhing against her binds. "I— I— we can't! We've only been dating for five months! This is crazy! Ooooooo I'm going to kill that idiot!"

"Don't blame Natsu, Lucy," Mirajane said. "He didn't know, after all."

"But the dress! He picked it out and said it had to be white… Are you telling me that that was just a coincidence?"

"Of course not," Erza scoffed. "Naturally we had to implant the idea into his head."

"He was concerned because he thought you were mad at him," Cana said. "So we told him that taking you shopping would cheer you up."

"Then we took turns raving about how pretty you would look in a white dress," Mirajane added. "And it was really up to Natsu after that. We put a lot of faith in him, actually. He could've turned up with an electric pink tutu."

"Who knew he would deliver so fantastically?" Erza said proudly. She ran her finger along the silk, braided strap over Lucy's left shoulder. "The dress is absolutely fabulous."

Lucy scowled, "So that whole shopping trip was just a ploy to make me not mad at him? The dress… the necklace…"

"We said nothing about a necklace," Cana cut in. She leaned down and stared at the fire opal pendant around her neck. "We only talked about a dress. Anything beyond that was all Natsu, Sugar."

Lucy gulped. "So… he doesn't know about this at all?"

"He would never play along if he knew," Cana leaned back.

Hurt stung Lucy's heart, "Don't think so… huh?"

"Close your eyes and let me finish your makeup. Everyone is waiting," she lifted the eyeliner.

Lucy did as she said, but muttered under her breath, "There's no point. You just said Natsu wouldn't play along if he knew. There's no way he's going to want to follow through with this ridiculous—"

"I guess we will just find out for ourselves," Erza smiled, lowering a circlet made of white flowers onto her head.

"I guess we will," Lucy whispered.

"Hey Gildarts! Catch!" Gajeel tossed Natsu across the courtyard to where the man stood under the floral arch.

Gildarts caught him on his shoulder, "Thanks Gajeel. I'll babysit the brat. He won't be running anywhere."

"Put me down, old man!" Natsu beat on his back, fire bursting from his mouth.

"Shush your mouth, you child," Gildarts lowered him down for a short second before switching his position and locking him against his side, arm around his stomach, lifting him just barely off of the ground.

Natsu kicked his feet, "Lucy's gonna be so pissed at me! Why didn't you tell me this was your guys' plan? Oh shiiiiiiiiiiit," he held his head in his hands. Then he caught sight of the courtyard. His mouth hung open. "How long you been planning this?"

"Just today," he replied. "Everyone pulled together to set this up for you two. You should thank everybody later."

Natsu was silent.

Gildarts cocked an eyebrow and looked down at him. His eyes near about popped out of his head when he saw the moisture in the young man's eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YA?" he said. "DID I SQUEEZE YA TOO HARD?"

"No," Natsu rubbed his eyes on the white sleeve of his jacket. "No. It's just… really nice. That's all."

Gildarts smiled.

"Natsu!" Happy flew over to them. "Are you excited?" The cat was dressed in a miniature black suit, complete with green bowtie.

"Happy, you were in on this too?" Natsu whined. "My own best friend! How can you betray me so easily?"

"Oh, lighten up. As if this wasn't the direction your relationship was going anyway?" he rolled his eyes. "Might as well do it now while you're still young and Lucy can kind of fit in a dress."

Natsu grumbled and looked away, "You look ridiculous in that suit…"

"Places everybody!" Elfman shouted in the center of the aisle. "The sunset is happening! We have one minute!"

The guild members all ran around excitedly, rushing to their places either in the seats on either side of the aisle or next to the archway. The ground rumbled as the Celestial Spirit King sat on the roof of the guild hall, stroking his mustache.

Natsu stared up at him, "Mustache! What are you doing here? You're too damn big!"

The Celestial Spirit King grinned, "You really think I'd miss the wedding of my old friend?" his mouth didn't move as he spoke.

"Lyra!" Levy led the music spirit to the wooden stage near the back of the courtyard. "Can you begin playing?"

"Certainly!" she took the seat Levy offered and leaned her harp against her shoulder. She immediately plucked sweet, serene notes from the strings and the gentle music filled the courtyard.

Happy, Gray, Gajeel, and Romeo lined up behind Gildarts.

Macao stood in the center of the arch, holding a book in his hand. He breathed deeply and smoothed his hair over to the side. "Man I wish I had more time to practice this," he popped the book open to his marked page and quickly read over the words. "It's been forever since Bisca and Alzack's wedding…"

Erza, Mirajane, Cana, Levy, and Wendy lined up on the other side of the archway, wearing identical mint green dresses. Each woman clutched a bouquet of flowers in their hands. They giggled and squealed with delight, bouncing excitedly.

"Shhh, shhh, shh!" Elfman hissed and ran off to his seat. "She's coming!"

Natsu perked, still in the firm grasp of Gildarts' steel grip.

The back door of the guild opened slowly and Lucy stepped out, escorted by Makarov.

Everyone stood and stared as the celestial spirit mage walked out into the courtyard holding a large bouquet of flowers.

Natsu's eyes widened. She was a vision in white. His heart halted in his chest. His breath caught. Heat blazed fiercely under his skin, coaxing a thin layer of sizzling flames to the surface. Gildarts flinched at the sudden fire, but didn't release the dragon slayer. He glanced down at him and instantly grinned. Natsu's mouth hung open, his eyes were practically glittering with awe. In fact, Gildarts noticed more moisture rising, forming into small tears in the corners of his eyes.

"NATSU DRAGNEEL!" Lucy suddenly roared across the courtyard. "I WON'T TAKE ANOTHER STEP UNLESS YOU TELL ME THAT THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT!" her face took on a fierce expression. "If you don't make me believe that you truly wish to marry me, then I will turn around and leave this very instant!"

"Gildarts," Natsu nudged the man. "Put me down. There's something I gotta ask Lucy."

Gildarts set him down on his feet.

Natsu walked down the aisle confidently, never taking his eyes off the woman opposite him. She clenched her jaw, glaring at the fiery man that approached her.

As soon as he was directly in front of her, he knelt on one knee, enticing gasps from everyone all around.

"Oh my God," Erza whispered, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"How unexpected," Mirajane added.

"SHUT UP!" Lucy snapped.

Natsu reached out and took her hand. She gasped at the touch of his flames, but didn't pull back. The fire was warm, but didn't hurt as it licked at her skin.

"Lucy Heartfilia," Natsu whispered, eyes staring intently up into hers.

She gulped.

He reached into his pocket with his free hand and lifted a small silver ring with a glowing sunset colored opal.

"Will you marry me and never leave my side for as long as you live and eventually have thirty-three of my babies?"

Lucy let out a sigh, trying to hide the tears that rose in her eyes, "That again?"

"If you say yes, I'm willing to negotiate on the number of babies," he added, grinning.

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, "Well… I guess that doesn't sound like such a bad idea."

"Is that a yes?"

"Yeah. I guess it is…"

Everyone let out a cheer as Natsu slid the ring on her finger and stood once more.

"Shit," Macao flipped through the pages of his book. "He put the ring on too early… what do I do in this situation?"

Gildarts grabbed the book and tossed it over his shoulder, "Just wing it."

Natsu turned and ran back up the aisle to take his place, proudly this time, under the arch.

"Shall we continue?" Makarov asked, smiling brightly up at Lucy.

She bit her lip, "If I have to."

They finished the walk up the aisle and Lucy crouched down to deliver a kiss to Makarov's cheek before he took his seat in the front row next to Wakaba and Laxus. Lucy straightened and turned to Natsu. He instantly reached out and grabbed her hand, running his thumb over the new ring on her finger.

"Ah…" Macao scratched the back of his head. "Oh jeez… I uh…"

"Loosen up, man," Gildarts shoved a flask in his direction. "This'll calm you down."

Macao took the flask and twisted the top off, instantly downing whatever liquid was left inside.

"Daaaad," Romeo whined.

"Aaaaaah," Macao replaced the lid and handed it back to Gildarts. "Alright. Let's do this." He turned to the couple. "You've been skipping steps so we will just have to make it up."

"Can we make this short?" Happy asked. "I'm starving over here."

Everyone mumbled their agreement.

"Shut it and let me do my job," Macao snapped. He cleared his throat. "Alright. So… I don't remember the vows exactly. So let's go with this… Lucy?"

She glanced at him, gulping as her heart sped.

"Do you want to marry this guy?"

She gave a short nod. "Y-yes."

"And will you promise to cherish him?"

"Yes."

"And clean up his messes, even when he wrecks an entire city?"

"Well I mean, that's really the responsibility of—"

"Yes or no."

"Yes."

"Do you promise to stay by his side through the worst of times?"

"Yes."

"Do you promise to never leave again?"

Tears filled her eyes. "Y-yes."

"Do you promise to love him until you part from this world?"

"I'll promise to love him longer," she whispered, meeting Natsu's eyes.

Macao nodded and turned to the dragon slayer, "Natsu. Do you want to marry this woman?"

"Fuck yeah."

"Do you promise to protect her for as long as you are able?"

"She don't need me to protect her," he grinned. "But I promise to lessen the load."

His validation of her strength stunned and amazed her. Her mouth dried up and she squeezed his hand tightly.

"Do you promise to try your best at holding back and not destroying entire cities?"

"I'll try."

"Do you promise to not only want and cherish her every day of your life but to also make her feel wanted and cherished every day of her life?"

"You bet."

"Promise to love her forever?"

"Fuck yeah."

Macao nodded. "Okay. Lucy, do you take this guy as your husband?"

"I do."

"Natsu, same question."

"I do!"

"Okay. Now kiss so we can go eat."

Lucy tossed her bouquet over her shoulder and wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck as he captured her around the waist and crushed his mouth against hers. His flames grew and enveloped her but they didn't burn. Their warmth surrounded the newly married couple, lighting the courtyard like a beacon.

Everyone leapt to their feet and cheered boisterously. Especially Erza, who had spiked her own bouquet to grab Lucy's from the air and was now waving it around triumphantly.

Natsu pulled back and turned to the courtyard, "ALRIGHT! NOW LET'S PARTY!"

"Natsu, I think Lucy is drunk," Happy said.

"What makes you think so?" Natsu said, voice strained as he arm wrestled Gajeel.

"Well, she's riding Sagittarius around the dancefloor, using her whip to make him go faster.

Gajeel slammed Natsu's arm back as the fire dragon slayer exclaimed, "What?"

"Gi hi," Gajeel flexed. "You lose, Salamander."

"It's my wedding day," Natsu snapped and then grinned. "There's no way I lost."

"Well… you just did. Because I beat— hey! Where are you goin'?"

Natsu stood, "I'm gonna go dance with my wife before she gets into too much trouble."

He turned and jogged off.

"I'll be your opponent, big guy," Gray took the dragon slayer's place and propped his elbow up on the table.

"Gi hi… let's do this."

"Lucy!" Natsu glanced around as he moved across the courtyard through dancing bodies. "Where ya at?"

"Natsu!" Erza appeared before him. She grabbed his hands, "You performed excellently today! Who would've thought that you'd have a ring at the ready? Brilliant!"

"W-Well…" Natsu smiled sheepishly. "When I was buying her that necklace… I saw the ring and it had the same kind of fire rock on it and so I just thought…"

Erza hugged him, enticing groans from his bones. "The ceremony was beautiful! I couldn't have asked for a better wedding."

"You mean… even if Lucy and I knew about and spent time actually planning it ourselves?"

"Just absolutely perfect in every way!" she ignored him.

"Okay. Hey Erza, can you let me go? I'm looking for Lucy. I want to dance."

"Dance you say? Don't mind if I do!" Erza pulled back and suddenly Natsu was spinning.

"Wahhhhhh!" he hollered as the woman whirled him around like a top. "I'm gonna barf!"

"C'mon Natsu! Where's your stamina?"

"Erzaaaaaaaa!" Natsu whined. "I wanna dance with my wife! Not you!"

"Yee haw!"

The sound of the new voice drew their attention. Erza stopped spinning Natsu, holding him with an arm around his throat as they turned.

"Moshimoshi," Sagittarius said.

"Don't greet the enemy, Sagittarius," Lucy commanded from her place on his back. Asuka higher up, arms around the spirit's neck.

"Get 'em, Lu-Lu!" Asuka cheered.

"Hiyah!" Lucy sent her whip in Erza and Natsu's direction. "Disappear, fiends!"

"Gack!" the whip wrapped around Natsu's chest and yanked him from Erza's grip.

"Natsu has been kidnapped!" Erza exclaimed. Her body burst with light. When it faded, she was wearing her Adamantine Armor. "I shall terminate the offender!"

Natsu's soul threatened to flee his body. "Is Erza drunk too?"

"Spirits unite!" Loke jumped in front of Sagittarius, hands glowing.

"Alright!" Scorpio flanked Lucy's left side.

"I'm so sorry!" Aries took her right.

"Piri piri!" Gemini floated up above her head.

"Mooooo! I'll protect you Miss Lucy!" Taurus joined Loke.

"As will I," Capricorn walked up, tugging on his jacket sleeves calmly.

"Princess!" Virgo burst from a hole next to Loke. "After I protect you, would you like to punish me?"

"Yeah, Ebi!" Cancer snapped his scissors. "Can I interest you in a haircut, Miss Erza?"

"Aquarius," Loke called the spirit lounging in a chair across the courtyard. "Your mage requires your assistance."

"Eh?" she turned her head towards him, eye twitching. "Does it look like I have the time for that?"

"I'll take you all on!" Erza roared and attacked.

"FOR LUCY!" the spirits clashed with the requip mage.

"WHEEEE!" Lucy tumbled off of Sagittarius's back, hugging Asuka against her chest.

Natsu wrenched out of the hold of her whip and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Again, again!" Asuka cheered.

Lucy gazed up at Natsu, brown eyes hazy, "Natsu Dragneel," she murmured drunkenly, "You're my hero…"

Makarov chuckled from his spot on the roof next to the Celestial Spirit King. "They sure are lively, aren't they?"

"I believe they are all drunk," the king replied.

"What about you, big guy?" Makarov started to grow and stretch into his giant form. "Drunk enough to tangle with an old fart like me?"

"Why, I thought you'd never ask." The Celestial Spirit King stood and the two giants faced off.

"Oh dear," Mirajane held her cheek in one hand as a warzone broke out. "I sure hope we are able to cover the costs of the repairs…"

"QUIT YOUR BLABBERING MAN TALK!" Gajeel shouted and sent Elfman flying into his older sister. The Strauss siblings crashed to the ground.

"Big sis!" Elfman rolled off of her. "Are you okay?"

"P-Perfectly…" Mirajane suddenly morphed into her demon soul. "QUIT FUCKING AROUND!" she flew towards Gajeel, who let out a much more feminine scream than he'd like to admit, and ran the opposite direction.

"GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia lunged at the ice mage. "MARRY ME NEXT!"

"Back off! I ain't got time for you right now!" he chased after Loke. "Hey, stop playin' around with Erza and fight me you idiot!"

"Gladly!"

"Lisanna," Wendy said, voice quivering. "I'm scared."

"Weddings are terrifying, indeed," Carla agreed from the little girl's arms.

"It's okay, you two," Lisanna said with a smile. "It's not a Fairy Tail party if there's not a little friendly battling."

"She's right," Levy said. "As much as I hate to admit it."

"Ugh," Cana glared out across the warzone. "Can't I just drink in peace for once?"

Bisca wrestled her way through the fighting drunks and emerged upon Asuka, Lucy, and Natsu, still huddled in the worst of it.

"Alright, Sugar Pie," Bisca lifted the little girl from Lucy's arms. "It's gettin' too hot for a tiny thing like you. "How about we turn in for the night?"

"Yes Mommy!" she waved fervently at Natsu and Lucy. "Bye bye!"

"Bye bye!" Lucy waved back.

They left.

Lucy turned her eyes to Natsu. He was glaring all around at the mayhem around him, holding her protectively against his chest.

"I like that tuxedo," she said, tugging on the lapels of his jacket.

"You do?" he looked down at her.

"You look very dashing."

He grinned, "Then I'll wear it every day!"

She laughed and put her arms around his neck. "But you always look dashing to me."

"You always look beautiful to me."

Lucy rested her face against his neck and sighed. "Natsu, I'm your wife now. How did that happen? We've only been dating for five-ish months. Are we crazy?"

"I'd be crazy to not want to marry you as soon as I could," he whispered.

"Mrs. Dragneel," Lucy murmured, sending a thrill down Natsu's spine. "Mrs. Lucy Dragneel… hm… I think I like the way it sounds."

"I love the way it sounds."

She leaned her head back and stared up at him. "I'm your wife now, Natsu Dragneel. You may do with me as you please."

Heat blazed across his face, "Wh-what are you talking about?" he cleared his throat. "J-just because we're married… it don't mean that I can just d-do what I want." He looked away. "It's not like you gotta do everything I say or nothin'." He gulped. "You still get to tell me no whenever you like."

"I'm not saying that being married gives you the right to rule over me," she whispered, leaning up to nibble gently on his earlobe. "I'm giving you permission to rule over me."

Natsu nearly passed out. His head swam and his heart thundered against his ribcage. Chills rampaged over his skin and it took every ounce of self-control he had to keep the flames of his desire down.

"Natsu! Lucy!" Happy flew down to where they sat in the middle of the courtyard. "Why you just sitting here? Laxus just challenged Gildarts!"

"Happy," Lucy said, reaching out and taking one of his paws seriously. "You're gonna have to find somewhere else to sleep for the next week, okay?"

An explosion went off in Natsu's brain and his eyes glazed over, steam rising from his ears as his mouth hung open.

Happy grinned, "Alright! I'll go tell Erza!" he flew off.

Lucy giggled and turned back to Natsu, who was still dazed, on the verge of unconsciousness.

"Natsu," she tugged on his nose.

His eyes came back into focus and he met her gaze.

"What are we waiting for?" she whispered, leaning up. She kissed his lips tenderly. "Let's get home."

He didn't waste a second. He was on his feet in half an instant and sprinting through the battling bodies at top speed, Lucy clutched tight in his grasp. She hugged him around the neck and laughed as they soared across the courtyard and down the hill towards home.

They practically fell through the front door, tangled in each other's arms, mouths glued together. Natsu closed the door behind him, trying to keep up as Lucy yanked him backwards into the house. When they were far enough inside, she started tearing at his jacket, pulling back from their kiss.

"Off, off, off," she said, pushing at the shoulders.

Natsu shook the jacket off, coming back in to capture her mouth once more.

Her fingers went to work on his shirt, ripping at the buttons, sending a couple flying to the floor. Once the shirt was completely open, she thrust her hands inside, exploring the heat of his chest.

Natsu shed the shirt, tossing his scarf after it. He kicked his shoes off, reaching up to hold Lucy's face in his hands. She stepped back, pulling him along with her until the backs of her knees hit the bed and she fell onto it, Natsu coming down on top of her. He held his weight up on his elbows, knee in the mattress between her thighs.

Lucy pushed at his shoulders until he broke away from her mouth and sat up. She pointed down at her feet.

"Shoes."

Natsu stood shakily, panting slightly.

Lucy lifted her left foot up to his chest, dress falling up her thigh. Natsu took her ankle in one hand and then dragged the fingers of his other up to where the ribbons were tied in a bow under her knee. He took his time as he untied the bow and unwrapped the ribbon from her leg. When he finally pulled the shoe from her foot, he dropped it on the floor and trailed his lips up her shin bone, hands on the softer flesh of her calf. He kissed her kneecap gently and then moved his hands to the sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh.

Lucy clenched the sheets of the bed in a death grip. Before he could get too far, she thrust her other leg up, drawing attention to her other shoe. Natsu's eyes met hers and she panted wordlessly.

He reluctantly released her left leg and moved to the right, doing the same as he had done to the other. But instead of allowing him to tease the inside of her thigh this time, Lucy grabbed his hair and pulled him up to her face. She kissed him eagerly, enticing a growl from the back of his throat. She pushed up on her elbows suddenly, forcing him to his feet as she stood. She grabbed his hips and turned him before shoving him down on the bed. She used her right foot to nudge his legs up so that he stretched out completely on the sheets, staring up at her expectantly.

She hiked up her skirt and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips. She reached down and touched his bottom lip with her index finger. He closed his eyes, body quivering beneath her. Lucy smiled and dragged her finger over his chin and down his throat, just barely brushing the skin, drawing shivers to the surface. She teased his chest with her fingertips, traveling lower and lower until she was making circles around his belly button. The muscles in his stomach tensed, and he covered his face with his arms, smothering his moan.

Gaining confidence, Lucy moved her fingers down to the waistband of his pants. She lightly dug her fingernails into the sensitive skin above the pants and then slipped them just inside.

Natsu's hands flashed out. He grabbed her wrists and held her arms up. He lay gasping, sweat lining his brow. His eyes met hers and he muttered, "You're killin' me."

She grinned and tugged her hands from his grasp. She leaned over him and gently kissed the tip of his nose.

"Dear husband," she whispered. "Might you lend a hand undressing your sweet wife?"

He gulped, eyes growing wide. She took his hands and lifted them up to her waist.

"I can't seem to untie these laces all by myself," she pouted, mischief glinting in her eyes.

Natsu sat up slowly, moving his hands to her back where the white dress was laced up. As his fingers found the knot, his lips found her collarbone. Lucy closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck as he loosened the corseted bodice, covering her skin with hot kisses. When he reached the bottom, he bunched his hands in the skirt, leaned back, and lifted the dress up and over Lucy's head, surprising a gasp from her.

He tossed the dress to the side and spent a moment admiring his wife's body. He grabbed her wrists before she could hide any part of her from him. Her skin was smooth and pale, except for the flushed coloring under her neck that proved she had been drinking earlier.

She was perfection.

Natsu released one of her wrists and slowly dragged his fingers along the lacy material of her bra, starting at her side and moving over her breast lightly. Lucy shivered and his eyes flicked up to her face. Her brow was furrowed, eyelids squeezed shut, bottom lip between her teeth.

He leaned forward and kissed the place over her heart.

"You're shaking," he whispered.

"I don't want you to stop," she said, voice quivering.

"Then I won't," he released her other wrist and then explored her body with his hands.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his hair as he pulled the strap of her bra down from her shoulder and lightly bit the skin there. She squeezed his hips with her thighs, digging her nails into his shoulder blades. Natsu found the clasp of her bra and worked it.

Lucy gasped and held her breath. Long seconds ticked by and Natsu started to grumble under his breath as he struggled with the fastener.

She laughed and sat back.

"No! I can do it!" he snapped before she could even open her mouth.

She stared at his disgruntled expression, warmth spreading through her chest. She leaned forward and kissed his muttering mouth, stilling his complaints for a moment.

"I love you," she whispered. "Thank you… for always making me laugh when I seem to need it the most."

He gazed at her for a breathless second.

"Could you help?" he finally asked, cheeks turning red.

She laughed again and reached behind her back. She flicked the clasp and it bounced off.

Natsu scowled and looked away, "Well… I loosened it up for you…"

"Sure you did," she kissed him sweetly. He kissed her back and soon, they were shaking with desire once more.

Natsu pulled the bra off of her arms and tossed it to the floor. Lucy quickly pressed against him, hugging him around the neck. He broke off their kiss and stared into her face. Her cheeks were bright red and she avoided his gaze. He smiled.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I… I know…" she gulped. "It's still… still…"

Natsu kissed her. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and lifted off of the bed. He turned and placed her beneath him, covering her body with his.

Sudden fear spread over Lucy's face as she stared wide-eyed up at him.

"N-Natsu…"

He held himself up on his elbows, "What is it?"

"Y-your flames… what if you…"

He silenced her with a kiss. "What do you think I've been doing these past five months?" he grinned. "I've been training. I'll never hurt you again." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "From now on… I control what gets burned."

She pulled him down to her again, taking full possession of his mouth once more.

"Oh God that was such a lame line."

Natsu and Lucy froze.

"SHHH! God damn it, Cana!"

Natsu jerked his head up. His eyes fell on the window across the room and four faces instantly darted away. He turned quickly to the other window and three more faces squeaked and disappeared.

Lucy took three quick breaths and then let out a bloodcurdling scream. Natsu grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her body as he leapt out of bed, flames licking his skin. He kicked the door open and burst into the night, roaring,

"THAT'S A PRETTY BOLD MOVE COMIN' ROUND HERE YOU GODDAMN BASTARDS!"

"Natsu, please calm down!" Erza called as the others bolted down the hill. "We were only worried about Lucy being drunk and—"

"SAVE IT FOR MY FIERY JUSTICE!" He swiped his arms in a circle, bellowing, "CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!"

Erza yelped and dove to the ground to avoid the torrent of flames that flew at her.

Lucy ran out of the house, wearing the bed sheets. "GET DOWN, NATSU! I'LL FINISH THEM OFF!"

She threw her arms out wide, "URANO METRIA!" Giant orbs of light dropped from the sky, erupting as they smashed into the ground, taking Gray and Cana out. Gajeel was hit as he pushed Levy out of the way. Gildarts cackled as he dodged the orbs.

"AH YOUTH!" he shouted to the sky as he high-tailed it down to the city.

"GET BACK HERE!" Natsu roared. "I NEED TO KILL YOU FOR PEEPING ON MY WIFE!"

"Oh dear," Mirajane said, holding her cheek in her hand from her spot on the sidelines. "This guild sure it troublesome, isn't it?"

"Aye," Happy floated down next to her.

"You two get the fuck out of here!" Lucy screamed.

They ran off.

Natsu stomped back up the hill, fire streaming out of his mouth as he grumbled.

"C'mon Lucy!" he grabbed her and tossed her onto his shoulder. "We can still continue where we left off!"

"You bastard! My wedding night is ruined because you don't own curtains!" she beat on his bare back with her fists but her anger was short lived. Soon she was laughing uproariously.

"What's so damn funny?" he went into the house and slammed the door behind him.

He tossed her onto the bed and glared down at her, arms crossed over his chest.

Lucy covered her mouth with her hands as she continued to giggle.

"It's nothing," she said. "Just… I really love this guild."

Natsu's scowl fell away and he grinned.

"Yeah… me too."

"How about we get started on making the next generation?"

"Fuck yeah."

Lucy woke with a start. She sat up, gasping. The room was cold and dark, like usual. She coughed and wiped the sweat from her brow. Another dream. She sighed. An especially long one this time. Complete with accomplished revenge and the convenient survival of... She squeezed her eyes shut. No. She wouldn't cry anymore. She refused to give in to the pain. She gulped and moved to the side of the hammock, careful not to wake Happy. She buried her nose in the scarf around her neck and inhaled the scent there for a moment. It had been a week since Kieran had shown up back at the guild. She remembered the sadness in his eye.

"I'm sorry," he had murmured, tears streaming down his cheek. "If only I had arrived sooner... I could've... maybe I could've saved him..."

Lucy had forgiven him, naturally. It wasn't his fault. It was no one's fault but Solomon's that... that Natsu was dead.

The dream came back to her. "A wedding, huh?" she stood and went to the window. She peered out into the chilly night. She thought of the image of Natsu kissing her, closing her eyes.

Someday. She would see him again. When her life was done and her soul decided to move on-

Lol jk. Can you imagine?

AUTHOR'S FINAL NOTE: Well guys. This is the end! I know, it's not great. Endings are hard. And I'm too gungho about the future to dwell on it. Sorry to those people that were hoping for some sexy sex. That's another thing I'm bad at. Not that I can't write a mean sex scene. Cuz I can. I just don't like to because it embarrasses me to no end. Don't ask why. I don't even know. I can (and do) talk plainly about sex in real life but as soon as I need to write it down? EeEkkk! So I'm moving on! Now, some of you have been asking a few questions about my next project. So I'll give light details right now.

I'll probably go on hiatus for a little while just so I can get a couple chapters written ahead of time because even though it is going to involve the same characters... they're in a different story and I need to feel out the new personalities and the new atmosphere. Some info though: It's going to be an AU. NaLu of course. And I'm considering involving much more GaLe and Jerza in it, (and obsessive Gruvia) but don't expect too much because NaLu is my main priority. As for a summary on what it's about? Uhm... well... school? And uh... fire swallowing? Hauntings? Smashing ice sculptures with sledgehammers? Ex boyfriends? Convicted arsonists? Firehouse babies? Death? Fights? Funny business? Intrigue? Mystery? AAaaaaaand cats. Maybe some dogs. Who knows.

So if any of that strikes your interest, be sure to check it out! I don't know what I'm gonna call it yet... Hmm...

Anyway. As a parting gift, I want you guys to check out these stories as a favor to me. They are stories that I've been immersed in and I want to share them with you. They are all Fairy Tail, so don't worry. If you guys check them out, be sure to leave them loving adoring reviews because that is the way of the fanfiction reader, right? I want you to love others always. ;) I myself have been lacking in the review gifting department because I'm a shithead and just want to run headlong into the next chapter without wasting the time to write a review and... I know. It's a bad habit and I should stop it. I'll get better. I promise. ;P

"War of the Star Dragon" by DarksaberX

"Mindless" by KissJupiter

"The Blind Date" by Bloophearts

"Paper Moon" by somewhat intriguing

"Soft Storm" by Lovex1

"Connected Hearts, Conflicted Minds" by artistofthemind

Alright! So please go check them out! I haven't finished every one of them, so I can't vouch for all of the endings yet... but they are so good and deserve lots of love! I'm counting on you!

Lovey Dovey Tracks for this Final Chapter:

"I Just Knew" by Better Than Ezra

"Sparks" by Coldplay

"Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band

"Woodland" by The Paper Kites

Omg you guys this has been a ride. Thank you all soooooo much for all of your support! It means so much to me! I love you all so much! I'm so sad that it's over. But then again, Fairy Tail never ends, right? I'm so happy to have been connected to all of you, even if only distantly. You are the best people ever. If we don't meet again in my next story, I want you to know now how truly special you are to me. If I'm feeling down, or doubting my abilities, I check my email, see a new review, and immediately start smiling. You're too kind to me. Your excitement fueled my own. You are the ones that make writing fun. So thank you. Thank you thank you thank you.

I love you all! Remember that you can PM me for any reason whatsoever! I will always reply! Especially if I'm taking too long to post the first chapter of my new story, yell at me! I can take it, I promise. ;)

Thank you all.

Love forever and always-Moo

PS- Let's go on another adventure.