Hi there everyone! So, this is my first attempt at writing for this site. I've always loved to write but sometimes I have trouble getting across what I want to say. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to give me some constructive criticism. The story is AU as I've changed things around a bit. I really hope you enjoy it!

It is rated M for future situations of both blood and violence as well as Lemon goodness.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Sadly.

Chapter 1

The dragon whipped his tail around on a loud roar. His every intention to kill the slayer that had come for him. The man dodged the attack a split second before a large spike dug into the ground where he had been standing. This dragon had eluded him for months, destroying small villages and leaving destruction in it's wake. The slayer had finally found the beast, and he meant to put him down. He had no manner of weapons to speak of, like so many other slayers did. No, he was different, trained by a dragon himself; that was why he was sent after this one after all. It was old, strong, and had killed three other slayers sent before him. The slayer drew in a deep breath as he prepared to fight, as he did so he yelled.

"Fire Dragon... Roasdoighh;"

The ringing phone scared the crap out of her. Coming back to reality she looked around her apartment and blinked. The phone rang a second time and her eyes went back to the page she had been writing, then down at her phone. Seeing the name on the display she looked at the clock she winced. She was late, and about to get an earful. With a sigh she picked up the phone and hit the talk button.

"Hi Levy"

"Where are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago! There are lines of people waiting to see you and they're getting pretty restless. Even the manager of this place is getting mouthy" She sounded a little annoyed. It was directed not only at her but at said manager.

"I'm so sorry Lev, I was working on the new book and I got a little caught up in it all" The blonde haired woman stood up, cradling the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she hit save on her computer and then shut it off. Her slippers made a shuffling noise against the wood floor as she walked back into her bedroom and began rummaging through her drawers for something to wear.

"Well I guess that's something, but you really need to get over here. I know you have a thing about public appearances but this is your hometown. Everyone here is so proud of you for what you've accomplished and they want to see you themselves."

She sighed heavily, "I know, I'm getting dressed now. I'll be there in 15 ok? Tell them I'll pose for as many pictures as they want and sign anything, within reason. That should make up for it."

Levy grumbled a bit but then she conceded. "Fine, but from now on I'm picking you up! Just be glad this is your last stop. After this you can get lost in your work all you want. See you in 15."

The call disconnected and the blonde smiled. She loved her manager, but sometimes she got a little high strung. She pulled a blue blouse and her favourite pair of jeans out of her dresser and slipped them on in place of her tank and shorts. Quickly putting her hair into the side ponytail she loved she headed for the door.

Lucy Heartfilia had always loved to write, had been doing so for as long as she could remember. Of course not all of it had been on the level she was writing now, but that hadn't stopped her from creating her own worlds. As soon as she could she had talked her parents ears off about her imaginary friends and the worlds they came from. Though the first one she remembered was when she was 8, she had written about a little blue cat that hatched from an egg. Her parents had tried to explain that's not where cats came from but she had only shrugged and said. "This one did."

Her parents had been so supportive of her, listening to all her made up and crazy stories. They had bought the writing supplies she needed to get all of that imagination down on the page, encouraged her to enter contests and even sent her to a summer camp for young writers. She knew they had been proud of her, Jude and Layla Heartfilia had been the best parents she could have asked for. She couldn't believe it had been so long since she'd lost them. Both gone from her life before her second book had been published. At least they had seen their daughter achieve her dream.

Hurrying now Lucy walked through her little town. Magnolia, the same name she had given the main village in her books. It was small enough that most people just walked everywhere, but large enough that it had things like movie theatres and big box stores. It wrapped around a large bay and she loved to make sure she spent at least part of her travels through the city along the canal that wove through the streets. Normally she would have taken the time to hop up on one of the stone walls but she was in a hurry, and hurrying down one of those would probably have her taking a swim. She really didn't have time for that. She waved at people she knew as she hurried along, most calling out that they were proud of her or that they were glad she was home. To be honest she was too.

She didn't have a lot of friends, never had, the people she knew in school found her to be a little off putting because she was always buried in a notebook, writing about the latest adventures of a pirate or a princess. She tended to insert them into conversations the people around her were having, they didn't understand that to her they were real. The closest people to her now were, her manager Levy McGarden, and her tarot card reader Cana Alberona.

She arrived at the bookstore with minutes to spare, a little embarrassed by the huge sign displayed outside the doors. "Book signing today with our own Lucy Heartfilia! Best Selling Author of the Dragon Slayer series!" She was proud of her work. Loved the stories and every single person in it, but the praise she got for it had always made her a bit uncomfortable.

Levy met her at the door with a smile. "It's about time! Are you ready? Remember, after this it's over and you can take a break, get back to writing. I hate to ask... But have you figured it out yet?"

Lucy shook her head, "I'm still stuck. I've written four other books and never had a problem, why is this one so hard?"

Levy shrugged, "This one was your pet wasn't it? The one all the others led up to? Maybe now that it's finally here you're just... Not wanting it to end." The blue haired woman grabbed her hand and tugged her inside. "Come on, your fans await."

3 hours later Lucy was finally done, the signings always drained her. She was glad for her fans, grateful to them for loving the people in her books as much as she did, but so many of them at once was overwhelming. Heading back towards her house she walked at a slower pace this time, even hopping up on the wall and using her arms to balance out so she didn't fall. Just like always, some boaters called out, "Be careful Lucy!" She smiled at them with a wave and continued on.

Her mind was on her latest book, her last book, and she once again wondered what she was going to do. The first four had been fun to write, almost easy. The story and the people flowed like water, but this last one... She didn't know where to go with it. The main character had been in all the other books, the strongest slayer of them all. He helped out his friends when they needed it and provided much needed comic relief. Natsu Dragneel was her favourite creation. Her books were labeled fantasy romance, each story having a hero and heroine that eventually fell in love. Of course they had their issues at first but what couple didn't? The problem with this one was she had the hero... But no heroine. Lucy just couldn't figure out who to place as the opposite to someone who was so strong, at times scary, but also full of energy and childlike humour. It was frustrating to no end.

Stopping in front a windowed store she stared inside. The bright fluorescent tubes proclaimed, "Tarot card reader". She wondered if Cana was home, the open sign was off but that didn't mean she wasn't upstairs in her little apartment above the store. She had first gone to Cana for fun, had always been interested in things like Astrology and fortune telling. The woman had been immensely competent, not like those ones you hear about on TV. Her readings had always come true and Lucy suspected she was the real deal. Stepping up to the door she knocked loudly, calling out, "Cana! You in there?!"

It took a minute but finally a woman appeared from the back of the store. She was tall with brown hair that fell to her waist and wore a blue halter and black capri's . A smile played on the fortune tellers face as she saw who was banging on her door after hours. The locks twisted and the door opened on a groan, the building was old but it had so much character.

"Lucy Heartfilia, somehow I knew I'd see you tonight." Her eyes danced with amusement and it made Lucy smile. She was hinting at premonition, but it was more likely the fact she that whenever Lucy returned home she always managed to find her way to the little shop before the day was through.

"Hi Cana, it's nice to see you again." The older woman stepped back to allow Lucy inside, she loved this place, it was so cozy. The floor was wooden and there were candles set up all around the room as 'ambiance' for those clients who really got into it. Large drapes covered the walls in varying shades of purple and blue, a black one thrown in for contrast. In the middle of the room sat a table and two chairs, a stack of cards in the middle. Those cards brought people joy and excitement, but sometimes pain and sorrow. They walked across the shop and through a wooden door at the back, it was much brighter here and held a staircase leading up to the apartment Cana had.

The apartment was a drastic contrast to downstairs. It was light and modern, the floors were linoleum and well taken care of, the walls a wine red. Her table was classy with a glass top. Cana loved her little apartment and it showed in the cozy way it was set up. The only thing that looked out of place was the tapped keg in the corner, with a few more behind it. She had a drinking problem, but it didn't interfere with her work so Lucy never said anything about it.

On the kitchen counter sat two plates and two glasses, both filled with the dinner Cana had made. Lucy laughed at the sight and the other woman grinned, "I told you I knew you were coming." Each woman grabbed a plate and sat down at the table where Lucy started telling her all about the book tour this year, from the really sweet fans who had drawn her pictures and given her hugs, to the ones who had also drawn pictures... That were a little too graphic for her peace of mind; despite the fact she wrote vivid scenes depicting these very things. Her stories tended to be graphic, in both the fight scenes as well as the ones in the bedroom. She had a feeling it was why her books did so well, she wasn't afraid to write all the gory details.

All in all she was glad to be home, glad to be back where she was comfortable, with friends close by. The topic eventually turned to her latest book and she once again voiced her frustration. "I have no idea who I'm going to pair with him. I know the way I want the story to go, but until I come up with the heroine I can't settle down on any details. I'm basically stuck writing his fight scenes until I figure this out because it's the only part she won't be in." Her voice was laced with frustration and Cana could see a slightly tormented look in her eyes.

She had read all of Lucy's books, found them fascinating, and since she knew the author personally she also knew Lucy was attached to this world like she hadn't been with any other of her writings. It was as if she actually longed to be in the world she had created. Cana had never asked her about it before, because she didn't want to put the woman on the spot, but she did so now.

"You really love this world don't you? I can tell by the way you described even something as small as the meadow outside of town. The people you always wrote about them with such care and familiarity."

Lucy could feel her cheeks heating up at the woman's questions. "I do, this series has been everything I've imagined since I was a child. I just never knew how to get it all onto the page before. I've been imagining these people and their lives, their struggles and triumphs for a very long time. Even the places they live."

Cana looked at her thoughtfully before she asked, "Would you ever want to live there? The Magnolia in your books?" The answer was what she expected. The blonde's face lit up and with a smile she said,

"Oh yes, If it were a real place I'd live there in a heartbeat. Maybe even be friends with the people in my stories. I would never have created a place I didn't love."

The older woman stood up and went to a wooden box in her living room, when she came back she held a little pouch that jingled when she walked. Laying it down on the table she turned back to Lucy, "Sleep with these under your pillow tonight, they'll give you inspiration."

Lucy smiled at her friend and took the pouch, tucking it into her purse. They spent the next few hours laughing about clients Cana had and watching the latest action movie. They both enjoyed picking it apart and laughing at all the ridiculous things that would never happen in real life. When Lucy finally left it was approaching midnight. She waved goodbye to her friend and made her way home.

Dropping her purse by the front door she took out the small pouch, inside it were several keys, a few silver and a few gold. Pulling one out she wondered what magic they held. She had always suspected Cana had real magic and she was curious to see what they would do. She had never gotten a gift from the Tarot reader before and she was excited to find out the secrets they held. Undressing for the night she slipped on a pair of loose pj bottoms and a tank top, taking out her hair she wrapped the tie around her wrist. A habit from childhood since she was always loosing them. Placing the keys under her pillow she laid down, her mind whirling about her latest and last book. Who would she pair with Natsu? What kind of person would be his perfect match? Her eyelids grew heavy and soon she slid into sleep.

A while later she was woken by something prodding at her shoulder. She lived alone so as she came too it was a bit disturbing. The prodding was insistent and when she sat upright and opened her eyes, her jaw dropped open. This was not her bedroom. It was a one room home with wooden floors and stone walls. The drapes were scrap pieces of material that barely covered the windows. There were clothes draped over chairs and dirty dishes piled by a tub of water, still foaming with soap. A cast iron stove stood in the corner, a fire licking at the wood inside. A noise came from the foot of the bed and her mouth dropped open when she saw a small cat sitting there, he was blue with tiny white wings protruding from his back.

What... Was happening?

She reached out towards the cat, as if it were an illusion. It was then that she heard a voice, it was a man demanding, "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" She looked towards the voice and nearly passed out. The pink hair, the white scaled scarf, the black vest and white billowy pants. Sitting in front of her was the very man she had been thinking of as she fell asleep. Before she could call it back she said.

"Natsu!"

There you have it! The first chapter! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time to have everyone read this. Please leave me a review if you liked it or have any suggestions for me. I'm always open to improvement!

Lillith Mey