A/N I just can't wait anymore! I'm too excited!

There is no place to post a prologue without messing up chapter numbers, so this chapter is a bit longer than most will be.

The prologue will take you through the events leading up to the current story.

I've tried to make it as easy to follow as possible.

Immediately after, Chapter 1 gives us a glimpse of our current characters.

Please note: the spoiler that was posted at the end of Angel of Oops does not happen in Chapter 1 (the one between Lark and Wendy),

but rest assured, that scene will come later in the story. :D

I hope you'll enjoy this chapter

Please remember to comment!

Chapter 2 release: TBA

~ShanaHollows~

PROLOGUE: ANGEL OF OOPS 2

Almost 3 years after the events of Angel of Oops (pre-epilogue)…

Mavis's tears flowed freely down her face as she smoothed the small boy's blonde hair out of his eyes. He was sleeping peacefully, and she cast an extra amount of presence over him to ensure he'd stay that way for awhile.

"Do I really have to…?" her voice trailed off as she turned to her companion, her anguish evident in her facial features.

"You know you have to," Layla said softly, touching her shoulder, "There's no choice."

'Because he will find us,' Mavis reminded herself.

The reminder did little to console her.

"I need a minute," Mavis told Layla.

Layla nodded, ushering the Heavenly escort back from Mavis and the small boy to give her room.

Mavis closed her eyes, tears gushing down her face, as she remembered the first time she'd seen him. She had had no idea she had a son. He was created without her permission and through no fault of her own. Still, she loved him with all of her heart. She didn't want to give him up…even if it really was the best option for him.

She leaned over, kissing his tiny forehead lightly, then lost herself as she burst out into tears. She picked the tiny boy up and hugged his body to her, her own body convulsing in sobs.

"Madam," a hulky Angel warned her, "We need to go. It's not safe."

She nodded, laying the tiny boy down again and waving her hand over his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Layla asked.

"Erasing his memories," Mavis whispered, "Of Heaven…of our time together…of me."

The little boy stirred slightly. She placed her hand on his forehead, comfort flowing through it into him.

"Be good, my little Larcade," her voice choked as she forced herself to get up and back away from him, "I will always love you."

Nodding to Layla, she walked away with her head held high. Her pace was brisk and she did not look back. She couldn't. She would lose her resolve and keep the baby with her regardless of how dangerous it was for him. Layla rushed to catch up to her friend, noticing with pain in her heart, the trail of tears that Mavis left behind her on the ground.

1 year later...around 4 years after the events of Angel of Oops

Natsu rolled over, extending his arms around his wife's waist and pulling her close to him.

"Happy Anniversary, Baby," he whispered.

She stirred, leaning back into his arms. He took it as encouragement and continued administering kisses to her neck and ear area, letting his hands wander.

"What anniversary is it today?" she asked lazily, sucking in her breath as he pinched her a little too hard on her breast.

"Four years ago today," he grinned into her neck, letting his hold on her go slightly in order to allow her to turn onto her back so that she could face him, "was the day you agreed to be my permanent roommate."

"The day we moved in together," she giggled.

He grinned, "Yeah."

"You were so nervous," she remembered, picturing how he dropped the box of dishes he'd brought from his place. They'd all broken.

"But it only took me a day to realize you didn't want me to be anything but myself," he remembered, "Moving in together didn't mean we had to change…it just meant that I got to hold you in my arms every night," he kissed her neck, "And wake up with you every day."

She giggled, "One day, I'm going to find out how you keep tabs on this stuff."

He kissed the crook of her neck, moving over her body, "I will take the secret to my grave."

She returned his kiss, both of them feeling the heat between them…when there was a knock at the door.

"Momma!" a little voice called out.

"What is it, Aki?" Lucy called back.

Natsu continued kissing her neck lightly. Her arms encircled his back as he trailed kisses down her chest.

"I'm hungry!" Aki replied.

Natsu groaned as his wife pushed at him to get off of her.

"Tonight," she promised, kissing him softly, "Put some boxers on. I'm going to open the door."

He feigned a groan as he complied with her wishes, but the truth was, there was only one other female on Earthland that could successfully tear his attention from his beautiful wife…and that was his little Aki. He adored her and one of his favourite Saturday morning past-times was cuddling with his two best girls in bed.

Lucy opened the door and the 2, almost 3-year-old tumbled into the room, bounding immediately for the bed and her father's open arms. She settled into the crook of his arm, sighing happily.

"I thought my little Aki was hungry!" Natsu teased, kissing her forehead.

Lucy settled into the crook of his other arm.

"I am," Aki replied, "But I like cuddling too."

"I'll make pancakes in awhile," Lucy promised, "Let's just stay here…for a few minutes."

"When the baby comes, will we still cuddle like this?" Aki asked, reaching over and patting her mother's barely showing baby bulge. She spoke extremely well for an 'almost 3 year old', as Aki called herself. That was a product of Lucy's hard work with her.

"Definitely," Natsu promised, "No matter how many brothers and sisters you get, we will always love you. There will always be room to love all of you."

Aki looked up and down the Queen-sized bed, then up to her father with wide eyes, "We're gonna need a bigger bed!"

Natsu's cell began to ring on the night stand beside the bed. Natsu's furrowed his eyebrows, wondering who would be interrupting them at this time of the day. It was barely 7:00 in the morning.

He grabbed his cell, moving little Aki to his lap as Lucy sat up on the bed too.

"Dragneel!" he answered.

Lucy disentangled their daughter from Natsu's arms as his eyes grew wider. Something was wrong.

Natsu got up, heading for a fresh uniform that hung on their closet door.

"I'll be right there," he promised, hanging up and tossing the phone to the bed.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, Aki nestled in her arms.

"A fire," Natsu replied, doing up his shirt, "It's bad. They need every available officer."

Lucy kept Aki on the bed with her as Natsu raced to get dressed, tripping over Plue on his way through the door. Happy meowed in protest as Natsu tripped over him as well.

Lucy heard the door slam to the apartment as Natsu left. Both she and Aki moved to the window, watching him jump into a squad car that had just roared to the curb, lights and sirens on.

"Daddy is s'posed to be off today," Aki mumbled.

"Daddy has a very important job," Lucy said softly.

She looked in the direction of Magnolia, alarm coursing through her veins. She could see the black smoke billowing. A foreboding feeling washed over her as she prayed for the safety of her husband and everyone else involved.

The fire raged by the time the police cars screeched to a stop outside the Magnolia Orphanage. The flames at the front of the building were stretching 10 feet above the top floor now. The stench of the burning building wafted, forcing everyone to grab masks to wear.

"What have we got?" Sting yelled to the fire chief, who was just organizing hoses to combat the blaze. Some of the officers were already being assigned to help steady hoses. Others were busy pushing bystanders back from the scene, closing off the entire city block.

Sting, Gajeel, Natsu and Rogue joined the small group that was organizing the plan of attack on the fire. The director of the orphanage was crying hysterically and they were having trouble deciphering her words.

"Top two floors are completely gone! Bottom three floors are on fire and it's spreading. We could be looking at a total building collapse!" the fire chief, Rob Zeeself, yelled over the roar of the fire.

"What about the kids?" Rogue yelled.

"9 kids accounted for!" Rob informed him, "But there's still 3 in there!"

Natsu glanced over. He could see the Orphanage Caretaker screaming as two firemen held her back. She was trying to break free of their grasp, desperately screeching the names of her lost children. A second worker was bawling, completely broken.

"The babies are in there!" she screamed, "I have to go back for them! Let me GO!"

Natsu's eyes widened, glancing at the kids that had managed to get out of the building. They were crying hysterically, holding on to one another. One little girl with light blue hair caught his eye. She was Aki's age…she was just a baby herself. She stared at the fire, tears running down her face.

Without a second thought, he took off, crashing through the back door of the first floor where there was heavy smoke, but no fire…yet.

"NATSU!" Sting screamed, "IT'S TOO UNSTABLE!"

"Lucy's gonna kill him!" Gajeel yelled, taking off after Natsu, "And then Levy's gonna kill me for not stopping him!"

He grabbed a hose on the way, bursting through the door after Natsu.

"DAMN IT!" Sting yelled. He turned to the other firemen who were setting up hoses around the edges of the building, "We've got to keep the fire contained to where it is! Two of our men have gone after the children trapped in the building!"

"Leave it to us!" Rob saluted him, then directed his men as to where to aim their hoses.

Inside the building, Natsu wrapped the black and white scarf he'd received from his wife for Christmas around his mouth and crawled up the stairs to avoid the heavy smoke. He could hear the children screaming, but it seemed far away yet. They must be up on the 2nd or 3rd floor.

"KEEP SCREAMING!" he yelled, "My name is Officer Natsu Dragneel and I'm coming for you! But I need to know where you are!"

He could hear coughing. He knew he didn't have much time. He went up the second stair case.

"Here!" he heard a crying voice say.

Natsu double-timed it up the stairs, running instead of crawling.

"Where are you?" he yelled again.

He was in a bedroom, used for the orphaned children. He heard crying and waded through the smoke to get to the closet. It was empty.

"Make noise for me!" he yelled over the roar of the surrounding fire. The flames licked at his feet, "I have to find where you are!"

He heard thumping, following it at a break-neck pace. In the other bedroom, the closet door was closed, but Natsu could clearly hear the screaming and thumping from within it. He slammed the bedroom door closed behind him, trying to contain the flames to the other room.

He pulled the door open, sighing with relief as he realized all three children were together. A tiny blonde boy no older than three held two smaller babies close to his side. They were all crying.

"My name is Natsu," Natsu said, stooping down to the little boy's level, "We need to get out of here, okay? I have to carry the babies…can you be a big boy and follow me?"

The tiny boy nodded, tears streaming down his face.

Natsu handed him his wallet, which was connected to Natsu's belt by a chain, "Hold onto this, okay? Don't let go…no matter what."

Again, the tiny boy nodded and Natsu began to move, one baby clutched in each arm. He left the bedroom door, heading for the stairs again. Gajeel was at the top of the stairs now, spraying everything down with the fire hose.

"Gimme one of those kids!" he yelled, dropping the hose and grabbing the little girl.

"You're gonna scare them even more!" Natsu yelled back, "You're big and freakin' scary!"

Gajeel ignored him, covering the small girl with a blanket. He tossed another blanket for Natsu to cover his children with. The entire building groaned.

"We've gotta get out of here!" Gajeel yelled.

Natsu scooped the little boy up in his arms and all five of them started for the stairs. The babies were coughing and Natsu was starting to feel his lungs burn. They were about to enter the stair case when a section of the room above them collapsed, blocking their route.

"SHIT!" Gajeel glanced wildly for a window, "We're trapped! I can't get the hose out from underneath the debris!"

"The bedroom window!" Natsu yelled back. They went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Gajeel put the little girl down long enough to stuff some clothes at the bottom of the door to prevent smoke seepage as best as he could. Another section of the ceiling caved into the bedroom, narrowly missing Natsu, who turned his back so that if it did hit, it would hit him and not the children he carried.

The children were screaming now as the fire started to spread in the bedroom.

"Do you trust me?" Gajeel asked, looking Natsu dead in the eye.

They'd been partners for a couple years now. Natsu trusted Gajeel with everything he had. They'd been in more than one situation where Gajeel beckoned Natsu to trust him. He couldn't always explain the sequence of events following, but Gajeel had never let Natsu down.

"Yeah! What are we going to do?" Natsu had to yell now in order to be heard over the fire.

The window was stuck, but they had no time to panic. Gajeel broke the bedroom window with his elbow, clearing the glass, then breaking the frame to make it large enough for them to escape. Natsu wondered briefly why Gajeel's arm wasn't bleeding, but there was no time for wondering. Natsu held the babies close to him as he joined Gajeel at the window.

"FOLLOW ME!" Gajeel screamed back to him. He grabbed the little girl, planting him firmly on his lap.

"What?"

"JUMP!" Gajeel repeated, bailing out of the three-story window with the baby girl safely tucked in his arms.

Natsu glanced out the window, watching as Gajeel and the baby girl fell into a gigantic pillow. Natsu was bewildered – how did they know to set up the pillow there? How did Gajeel know it would be there? Gajeel picked up the little girl and rolled off the pillow. Firefighters he didn't recognize ushered Gajeel and the baby girl back from the pillow, then turned to beckon Natsu.

"There's no time!" Gajeel screamed at him, "JUMP FOR FUCK'S SAKES!"

Natsu positioned himself with the two children on his lap.

"Scared!" the little boy buried his face in Natsu's chest.

"Hold onto me," Natsu told him, "I won't let go no matter what…I promise."

The little boy anchored his nails into Natsu's shoulders. He could feel leftover glass from the broken window cutting on his arms. It hurt like hell, but Natsu made good on his promise…he would not let go. He took a deep breath, both children screaming wildly.

He jumped.

Natsu landed in the pillow, safely bouncing in the middle, both children saddled to his sides. Quickly, he slid off the pillow, collapsing to the ground.

"Get up!" Gajeel ordered, "We have to run! This building is coming down!"

Natsu gathered up both children and ran after Gajeel. Debris started falling from the top. He vaguely noticed that the firefighters who set up the giant pillow did not follow them, but waved as Gajeel pushed him onward.

As they rounded the corner, they could see that police had herded the bystanders even further away, cordoning off the entire city block and then some. The orphanage director burst into tears as she realized Gajeel and Natsu had her 3 missing babies. They were covered in black from the smoke and they were coughing really hard.

"It's coming down!" someone screamed.

There was a rush of panic as a gigantic roar filled the air. The ground shook and all personnel, including firefighters and police, began to run from the building. No sooner had they crossed the street to safety when the entire building collapsed. The sound was deafening as debris sent a fiery wave out from the building. Natsu and Gajeel set the children down, shielding them with their bodies. As soon as the initial blast subsided, Natsu felt himself being herded down the block again, finally being allowed to rest at a park picnic table.

The director came to Natsu, her arms held open, "Lark! Haru! Aimi!"

Lark clung to Natsu, refusing to go to her. He was bawling his eyes out, terrified at his ordeal.

"It's okay," Natsu told her, "I'll keep holding them if they want to be with me."

She smiled gratefully, moving over to Gajeel and the little girl that Natsu assumed was Aimi. Aimi reached for Natsu too, so he took her, cradling all three on his lap as emergency personnel rushed to check them over.

Sting and Rogue hurried over.

"Natsu, you pig-headed buffoon! What the fuck were you trying to prove right then?" Sting bellowed. He stopped in his tracks, noting the three children curled onto Natsu's body.

Rogue placed a hand on his shoulder, "Looks like he was busy being a hero."

"All I could think about was Aki," Natsu coughed, "And how I'd feel if it was her trapped in there."

"He and that big guy over there saved their lives," the woman from the orphanage cried, throwing herself into Sting's arms, "Thank you! Thank Mavis for your policemen…so brave."

Sting patted her back lightly as she bawled into his shoulder. The other 9 children from the orphanage were gathering around, followed by the other orphanage worker.

Gajeel was brushing the soot off of his shoulders, watching the three children cuddle with Natsu. His eyes fell on a small girl with light blue hair. Tears streamed down her face as she sat beside him, looking up into his big, dark eyes.

"Hi," Gajeel said gently.

She didn't say a word. She just crawled onto his lap, throwing her little arms around his neck. Gajeel reeled back at first, but then settled into her embrace.

Lucy threaded her way through the crowd, tears cascading down her face as she finally found her husband. He had an oxygen mask on his face, as did the three tiny faces around him. He was coughing and covered in black soot.

"Natsu, you idiot!" she scolded.

"That's what I said," Sting mused.

But Lucy and Natsu were in their own little world, as usual.

She ran to him, throwing her arms around Natsu and the three children.

"We're okay, Luce," Natsu promised.

She sat back on the ground, studying her husband, "I had this feeling. I knew something was going to happen. I couldn't ignore it."

"We're okay!" Natsu promised again as Lucy's eyes widened in alarm, seeing the blood on his arms seeping through his uniform shirt, "These are cuts from the glass on the window. I'm fine, Luce."

She threw herself back into their hug, unable to contain the tears that cascaded down her face.

The tiny girl opened her arms, beckoning Lucy to pick her up. She didn't hesitate, holding her close. She noted the way the two little boys clung to Natsu, both of them crying.

"We have to go to the hospital to be safe," Natsu told Lucy. He placed his hand on her tummy, "I hope we didn't stress you out too much.

"The baby is fine," Lucy promised him, laying her hand over his on top of her stomach, "Aki is with Levy. I had this feeling… She doesn't know yet that Gajeel followed you into that building. She might be really mad at me for leaving Aki with her. He's okay, right?"

He nodded, glancing over at the large man. Gajeel held a tiny girl in his massive arms, whispering to her gently. Both Lucy and Natsu gawked for a moment, knowing that although Gajeel liked children, most kids were terrified of him because he was so big.

She kissed Aimi's face, soothing away her tears and dirt.

"They're orphans, Luce," Natsu stated, "They can't be far from Aki's age…what if it had been Aki?"

Lark hung off of his neck, the tiny boy named Haru cradled in his other arm. Both boys exuded their fright through their eyes.

Lucy didn't need to ask what he was trying to get at. She nodded to him, understanding passing between them.

Two hours later, Natsu was discharged from the hospital. Remarkably, he had very little inhalation damage. His arms were bandaged and he'd required some stitches, but he felt so relieved that everyone was okay, he really didn't care. He and Lucy wandered down the hall to the Children's ward after a long discussion with the orphanage caretakers.

They knew now that Aimi and Haru were twins and they were almost 2. Their parents had died in a car accident and they had no other living relatives.

Lark was around 3 1/2 to 4. Both Natsu and Lucy had frowned when the orphanage lady, Giselle, had said 'around 3 1/2 to 4'. Didn't they know how old he was? Giselle had gone on to explain that nobody knew Lark's past. They didn't know where he came from, or who his parents were. The only thing from his history that was known for sure was that he'd shown up on the doorstep on a church in Onibus just over a year ago with a note that contained a single word – "Larcade". He was sleeping peacefully when the pastor arrived on the morning he was found.

Lark spent some time as a foster-child in the pastor's care before he was moved to another home…then another. In just over a year, Lark had had four foster homes, eventually ending up at the orphanage in Magnolia.

"We want to adopt Lark and the twins," Natsu had said to Giselle.

"The twins should not be a problem," Giselle had said softly, "We've been waiting for a good home that will take both of them. But maybe you should have a trial period with Lark first."

"Why?" Lucy had asked.

"Larcade," Giselle had sighed, "is a bit different. Nobody really keeps him for long. Foster parents tend to think he's strange."

"Why?" Lucy had asked again. Her husband put a hand on her shoulder.

"He has a very active imagination," Giselle had said simply, "You really should take him home for a few days first."

"I don't understand," Lucy had said slowly.

"He has imaginary friends," Giselle had said finally, "He calls them 'Angels'….well, some of them anyway. He's always brought back to the orphanage after a few weeks. People get tired of hearing about it. Sometimes he can be oddly descriptive – like about people covered in blood that no one else can see. It's creepy. But he's a good boy…and I want him to have a chance with you. If you're willing to give him a trial, I hope he finds his forever home with you."

Natsu had shaken his head, "He's a human being with thoughts and emotions. We'll adopt him and we'll take what comes with it. No matter what reason he has for an active imagination, he probably just needs to be loved. All kids need to be loved."

They arrived in the Childrens' Unit, both of them still replaying the conversation silently in their heads. But there was no doubt in either of their minds. They wanted to adopt all three of the children.

The hospital staff had put Aimi and Haru in the same room so they'd be close together. Natsu and Lucy had a long cuddle session with the twins until finally, both nodded off to sleep.

Lark laid alone in the next room, tears dribbling down his cheek when he saw Natsu and Lucy at the door. They entered quietly, each taking a side of the bed and holding one of Lark's little hands. Lucy slid onto the bed completely, pulling Lark onto her body and holding him close. The little boy curled into her, fresh tears sliding down his face.

It was not a question anymore. Natsu and Lucy both knew.

"Lark," Lucy said gently, "Do you want to come home with us?"

Lark looked up at her, his dark eyes questioning her. He was still just a baby himself and there was no telling how much he actually understood.

"Mommy," he whispered, cuddling deeper into her.

A tear ran down Lucy's cheek as she exchanged glances with Natsu.

"Daddy," Lark whispered, reaching for Natsu.

Natsu sat down on the bed, pulling both his wife and Lark into a hug, "That's right, Lark. Mommy and Daddy."

It was state law that adoptions were not permanent overnight, but the next week, all three children went home with Natsu and Lucy for the official short-term. Aki was thrilled to meet her potential new siblings, forming an immediate bond with the younger girl, Aimi.

As Lucy's pregnancy progressed, it became obvious a larger house would be needed. They purchased a 6-bedroom house on the outskirts of town shortly after the new children arrived.

It was the third week when they started to notice the strange behaviour Giselle had warned them about. Lucy had the four children at the park. The girls played in the sandbox with Haru while Larcade sat on a bench by himself, staring at a spot in the corner of the park.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked him, plopping her pregnant body beside him, "Don't you want to play?"

"I'm watching the Angels," he replied.

"The Angels…" Lucy repeated.

"Don't you see them?" Lark asked, "That little girl has one watching her."

He pointed to a little girl playing with Aki in the sandbox, "And that man walking by the street," he turned pointing at a man who was walking away from the park.

Chills vibrated down Lucy's back as she regarded the tiny boy, only possibly in his fourth year. He spoke remarkably well for his age and seemed to have no problems comprehending things.

"Sweetheart," Lucy said slowly, "There's nobody there with those people."

Lark cocked his head, analyzing the woman who wanted to be his mother, but didn't respond.

Lucy studied his face, trying to decide if he was being serious or playing with her. His face was expressionless, his blonde hair, tousled all over the top of his head. It had to be his imagination.

"What do they look like?" she asked finally, "Are they beautiful? I would imagine Angels are very beautiful."

"The one in the sandbox is a beautiful woman," Lark told her, "She has really pretty blonde hair that goes all the way down her back. The guy has a boy Angel. He's…just like a guy 'cept he's not wearing much clothes."

"Do they have halos?" Lucy asked.

Lark shook his head, "Naw. Angels don't really wear those. They don't have wings either."

"Do you see Angels often?" Lucy asked.

He was cuddling into her stomach, drawing circles on the top of her baby bump. Lucy wondered if anyone really spent time with Lark…really listened to him. He was doting on the attention she was giving him. Maybe he wasn't creepy, as Giselle had suggested. Maybe he just made stories up because he craved the attention.

He looked into her eyes and it struck her just how sweet and innocent he looked. Lark had a very calm personality. He flashed her a rare smile, like he was confiding a large secret to her. She felt herself melt.

"Every day," he told her, "I don't know why I can see them and no one else can. But there's all sorts of Angels out there. It makes me feel good to see them. I don't feel so alone."

She returned the smile as her heart broke again, hugging him close to her. The twins had settled into life at the Dragneel residence with no problems. Lark had taken a long time to warm up to Lucy and Natsu…like he expected them to take him back to the orphanage at any moment. But he was a sweet boy. He was kind and gentle with the younger kids…and he had such a way of melting Lucy's heart.

"Lark…do you want to live with me and Natsu forever?"

He paused, looking up at her with his big, dark eyes, and nodded, almost as if it were too good to hope it to be true. She held him into her side, kissing the top of his head.

"I want that too, Lark. I want you to be my little boy."

That evening, Lucy told Natsu almost word-for-word about the entire conversation, finishing with an affirmative, "I don't want to chance him going anywhere else, Natsu…I love him."

The next day, Natsu and Lucy visited the Orphanage to arrange for the permanent adoption of Lark and the twins.

5 years after Angel of Oops…the opening of Fairy Tail Earthland dinner (epilogue to Angel of Oops). Lark is now about 4 ½. The adults were in the main room, preparing the feast and toasting to the new business venture. The children were in the playroom.

Sora Redfox approached Lark, who was sitting in the corner by himself.

"Come and play with me!" she beckoned.

Lark flashed her a smile, his dark eyes lighting up, "I thought you were playing with Aimi and Aki."

She shrugged, "I was…but you're here all alone. Let's go see what Daisuke is doing."

Just as they went to join Daisuke, the adults called them for dinner. Lucy took the baby, Hansuke, from the daycare worker's arms, then reached for Lark's hand. The twins went with Natsu, but Lucy was going to bring Lark and Hansuke through the line to get their dinner.

Lark glanced over, noting the table of people sitting there, away from the main table. The therapy he'd been receiving argued with his eyes. He knew they were Angels, but logic and common sense told him they must be regular people.

He glanced up at the picture on the wall, noting the beautiful blue-haired woman in the picture was the woman sitting at the table, playing with the dark-haired man's fingers. Beside him was a blue-haired man with a red tattoo on his face. The woman beside the blue-haired woman had bright red hair.

"Mommy," Lark said thoughtfully, glancing over to the corner of the restaurant.

"What is it, Baby…would you like some spaghetti squash?" Lucy asked, balancing his plate in one hand. Hansuke took up her other arm.

"Aren't we going to ask those people to join us at the table?" Lark asked, pointing to the corner.

The four adults at the table stopped their conversation, eyeing the child with curiosity.

Lucy glanced to the empty corner, smiling at her little boy as she stooped to his eye level, "Lark, we talked about this. There's nobody in that corner. Please don't make up pretend people."

"But I'm not pretending!" he exclaimed, "I see two men and a lady with super-red hair and that lady in the picture!"

Lucy paused, frowning slightly.

After intensive therapy, Lark tried harder not to see the Angelic beings everywhere he looked. He really wanted to stay with Natsu and Lucy, so he'd stopped pointing them out. The therapist had even convinced him it was in his head. After awhile, he'd stopped seeing them as often. Or, perhaps he was getting better at ignoring them.

But the lady was in a painting, so she had to be real…right?

Lucy's gaze followed his little pointed finger to the picture hanging on the wall, her eyes widening in shock.

"Sweetheart," Lucy said softly, "That's just not possible. Miss Juvia in the picture passed away."

"But she's right there, Mommy!" Lark insisted, pointing back to the corner.

"Larcade, that's quite enough," Lucy said sternly, "Now…would you like some spaghetti squash?"

Lark didn't respond, not really wanting the lecture from his mother. She only used his full name when she meant business. As soon as she wasn't looking, he waved at the Angels, then followed his mother back to the table to enjoy the incredible food from 'Juvia's Kitchen'.

Lark glanced back at the table of Angels as his mother settled him into a chair, setting his food in front of him. His mouth watered. It smelled delicious. One of the Angels was missing, he noted. Forgetting about it for the moment, Lark dove into his food…starting with the spaghetti squash.

END OF PROLOGUE

Chapter ONE – 12 years later

The Dragneel children sat outside in a circle with their parents under the magnolia tree in their yard, most of them with tears streaming down their faces.

Natsu held the box in his hands, his own tears dripping as he lowered it into the ground. The entire family of 10 were dead silent as 16-year-old Lark stooped to help Natsu cover the box with dirt. It would take a good few minutes. The hole was 6 feet deep.

Their task completed, father and son stood back. The rest of the family stood. The silence continued for a moment. 15-year-old Aki started sniffling louder, reaching into her pocket for a Kleenex. Lucy held the shoulders of the youngest children, 9-year-old Connor, and 7-year-old Brielle.

"I'd like to take a moment to say a few words," Natsu said solemnly, "Happy…I met you when you were just a kitten. You welcomed a total stranger into your home to have his wounds cleaned up and we've been best friends ever since. Thank you for being my best little buddy. I'm going to miss you."

His voice cracked at the end, making Lucy abandon her post with the two youngest to go hug her husband.

"Happy, you were the entire family's best friend," 14-year-old Aimi said, her voice choking with her unshed tears, "And I've never been in this home when you're not somewhere nearby."

She started to full-out cry, her twin, Haru, taking her into his arms to comfort her.

Hansuke, who was 12 ½, offered Aimi a Kleenex. She took it, still too upset to say much.

Mieske had just turned 10. Yesterday when he came home, he'd found the family cat sitting in his spot on the porch like he always did. At first, he didn't think much of it, but then he realized Happy wasn't moving. At all. He couldn't bring himself to say anything at all, but laid a pretty flower on top of the freshly dug grave.

"Happy was a tiny little kitten, found at the back of an alley one lonely, rainy night," Lucy said softly, "I took him home and at first, Plue wasn't sure what to think."

She sighed softly at the memory. It was fuzzy now. It was so long ago. Plue had passed away 6 years ago, but most of the children were too young to really know or understand what happened. The whole family was attached to Happy.

"However, Plue and Happy grew close over the years," Lucy continued, "And Happy was there to welcome every last one of you into our family, starting with your father."

Tears dripped down her face as she realized just how long she'd had the beloved animal.

"He was 17," Aki smiled, "Which is rather old for a cat. Happy was correctly named…because he was the happiest cat I've ever known. He grew with the family and he will forever remain in our hearts."

"Kind of crazy he was older than all of us kids," Mieske commented. They all chuckled a bit.

The entire family fell silent.

"You didn't say anything, Lark," Natsu said softly. Of all the kids, Happy spent a lot of time with Lark. He always sought him out after school and curled up on his bed at night.

"What's to say," Lark grunted, whirling around on his heel, "He was just a stupid cat and now he's dead. Nothing I say is going to change that."

He stomped off toward the house. The other children wailed, completely blind-sided by his cold comment.

"Lark!" Natsu yelled after him.

"I'll go," Lucy said, placing a hand on her husband's arm, "I think it's really bothering him. Let me talk to him."

Natsu nodded, kissing his wife before letting her go. He turned, now concentrating on his duty of calming the other children from Lark's thoughtless comment.

Lucy tapped on the door of Lark's bedroom once, then a second time a bit louder so that he'd hear her over the music he was playing on his guitar.

"Don't wanna talk, Mom!" Lark called.

She opened the door anyway. She didn't come in any further. She didn't talk. She just stood still, allowing a single tear to stream down her face as she looked at her son.

"I said I don't wanna talk!" he yelled.

She stood still, watching him take off his guitar, slamming it on the bed.

"Quit looking at me!" he screamed, "Just go away! I don't care! I don't care about the stupid cat. He was just a cat!"

Lark's eyes welled with tears and an undignified sound escaped his throat. Lucy closed the door, crossed the room, and gathered her son into her arms just as the dam burst.

"It's okay to hurt," she told him, patting his back as he sobbed into her shoulder, "Happy was not 'just a cat'. We all know you don't really feel that way. But you don't have to bottle your feelings, Lark. We're family. And family loves each other through hard times. You don't have to be strong just because you're the oldest."

He nodded into her shoulder, his body convulsing with the tears he was trying not to shed.

"I love you, Lark," she said softly after a long moment.

He didn't reply to her comment. He never did when she told him she loved him.

"Thanks, Mom," he said finally.

Lucy took the cue, standing up and heading for the door, "I'm going to get lunch ready now. 20 minutes."

Lark nodded, putting his earphones on and picking up his electric guitar again. Lucy smiled slightly, then shut the door behind her as she left the room.

Lark couldn't bring himself to strum the guitar again. Happy's death meant a lot more to Lark than just losing the family pet. Anxiousness permeated through him.

Honestly, he didn't even understand why the loss hurt so bad. He knew better. He had watched the Angels come to get Happy. Not that he could admit that to anyone.

Lark had 7 siblings and 2 parents that cared about him…but they didn't understand what he did about life and death and he couldn't tell them without expecting 'the lecture'. And so, he felt the feeling of being utterly alone once again.

He put the guitar down and laid down on his bed, sighing deeply. He wondered where the Angels took Happy. More importantly, he wondered how long it would be until he saw him again.

As if on cue, Plue appeared on his bed, nuzzling Lark's arm. He pet the dog-like creature, who now looked more like a snowman than a dog, before nodding off into a fitful sleep.

Mirajane Strauss approached the Gates with a smile on her face. She was there to meet someone special. Normally, Heaven didn't greet pets into Heaven. They had their own designated Heaven. But this particular pet was not a normal cat. He was an Exceed - an animal who was specifically sent to a particular family to be their comfort and support - and he'd been placed very purposely with his family in particular.

She scanned the crowd, her face lighting up as she spotted him.

"Happy!" she exclaimed, waving to him.

Happy the Exceed grinned ear-to-ear as he flew with his new wings toward Mira, tackling her for a hug.

"Didja miss me?" he exclaimed.

She nodded into his soft fur, "You know I did! Did you miss us?"

Happy looked into her eyes, his own eyes wide with excitement as he let out an emphatic, "Aye sir!"