I'm coming home
I'm coming home
Tell the world I'm coming home
Diddy - Coming Home

Lucy stayed away from Fairy Tail a year. In that time she worked hard with her spirits and deepened her understanding of them and their connections to one another, just as they are bound to her she is bound to them. Not that anyone of them really minded this connection, regardless of how Aquarius acted. Lucy knew she would never be as strong as Grey or Erza or Natsu but honestly, she was okay with that, because she wasn't them, nor was she simply Lucy Heartfilia heir to all that her father was, she is Lucy of Fairy Tail. A girl who loved her friends and her spirits as family and would fight to her last breath to save any of them. Despite her training, she may not have grown vastly in physical or magical strength but Lucy felt more at rest with herself, more sound in the mental and emotional states.

It hardly felt real as she stared out the window of the train carrying her home again. She wondered if this was a dream and she'd wake up tomorrow back in her tent just before sunrise to summon Loke and begin the morning's workout. 11 months ago she'd finally stopped crying at the thought of Natsu because even if he isn't with her she could be happy knowing that he is happy. 9 months ago Aquarius threatened Juvia into coming to see Lucy and when Juvia left again Lucy didn't cry, she felt better. The water mage had only stayed a week, just long enough to convince Lucy to write her heart out and seal it in a bottle to throw into the sea, and since they were in a forest Juvia offered to be Lucy's sea and carry her burden for her. Lucy let her heart leave tucked safely inside Juvia's body and set back to training with a fire lit in her soul. 6 months ago Lucy sent Loke to Fairy Tail to let them know she was alive and well, and also sorry for running away like she had without really talking to anyone, she needed time to sort herself out. If Lucy found it strange that both Loke and Juvia spoke of everyone but Natsu when they told her how the guild was she never voiced it.

She stood and stretched with a small sigh as the train pulled into the station. She had no luggage to worry about as Virgo offered to hold it in the celestial realm when Lucy told her spirits she was returning. Lucy pulled the hood of her cloak over her long hair that Cancer had insisted on restoring if she was returning. A smile crossed her face as she thought of how happy her spirits had all been to hear she was going home and the smile held on her face as she exited the train and made her way through town to stand before the guild hall. Fear flashed across her face for a moment, no one knew she was coming, what if they didn't want her back? She shook her head trying to rid herself of such thoughts and shoved the doors open before she could change her mind. As the doors banged against the walls of the hall all eyes trained on the cloaked figure in the doorway, some looked suspicious, others merely curious but no one moved for a moment just studying the cloaked person. Lucy ignored the stares mostly her eyes flicked to each face taking in the changes in each of her family a smile crossing her face again until her eyes met dull green eyes that were almost onyx in color presently, but she knew those eyes shone emerald in mirth. She frowned wondering what could have changed in him in her absence.

Mira was the first to move going to greet this cloaked person still standing in the doorway and it seemed to snap everyone out of their trance. People went back to what they were doing even if they kept one eye trained on this unknown person. Though Mira was the first to try and approach it was Juvia who seemed to catch on first practically running to hug the clearly feminine form and whisper loudly "Have you come to leave more of your heart with Juvia?" Gajeel narrowed his eyes at this exchange having heard it with his dragon hearing. He'd tried to place how he knew this person's scent, he knew this person, but he couldn't figure it out even as they hugged Juvia back and shook their head with a laugh. Gajeel knew that laugh too, but he couldn't place it but a glance at his fellow dragon slayers told him they were on the same page, except Natsu who looked like he'd been struck by Laxus. Realization settled over the iron dragon slayer taking in the change in Natsu's usually sullen demeanor. Lucy was home, and if he smiled at that fact well, it'd been a cold day in hell.

Natsu staggered to his feet, he knew that laugh, he knew that scent. He didn't know why they were clinging to Juvia or about Juvia having their heart, but he knew that was Lucy. That was his Luce. He stood there, his mouth slightly gaping at them, he debated with himself what he should say or do. A strange look crossed his face as he set his mind and stormed toward the two still standing in the doorway. All eyes were trained on them again as Natsu gently tore Lucy away from Juvia's arms trapping the still cloaked blond in his own arms. His mouth sealed over hers not leaving time for her to protest. He tried to pour all his love for her, all his sorrow for her leaving, all his happiness for her return into the kiss not sure how else to convey his heart to her. Nothing felt more right to him in that moment and nothing else mattered to him then the blond mage in his arms, his Luce. Neither of them heard the shocked gasps or saw Juvia's knowing smile both too caught up in each other. When they broke apart for air Lucy smiled at him and lowered her hood pecking him on the lips briefly before turning to Juvia "I don't think you'll have to carry my heart anymore Juvia."