Lucy looked at her surroundings. The little cottage was definitely becoming a place of amenity and tranquility. When she had tried to sit down and write in the past week however she generally fell asleep at the desk instead. A few times she woke up with her fountain pen in hand, nonsensical scribbles on a piece of parchment, and she would grimace at a wet mark where she drooled on the paper. But today would be different. She felt invigorated this morning and was determined to get a couple things accomplished she had planned to do when the week began. She pulled out her first piece of parchment and sighed.

Dear Mom,

I know that this is a silly thing to admit but this letter has been one of the toughest for me to write. I write to you because in my heart it reestablishes a connection with who you were to me and what you mean to me. I could never really put it properly into words. But, I guess it mends a part of my broken heart.

The past week I have picked up a pen and a piece of parchment and tried my hardest to think of where to begin. But I would exhaust myself and fall asleep before even beginning.

Perhaps it would just be easier to admit to why I am exhausted. The last time I wrote you I admitted I was getting married. I admitted to being in love. Well, of course that progressed to my current status. I feel bad as labeling it as status it sounds so formal and detached, but anyway...

Mom, I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant and there is such a huge myriad of emotions swimming through my mind right now. I wonder how you would take this news. I mean you might think, 'she's too young to start a family at this time in her life.' Or you could think the opposite, 'Aww, I get to be a grandma!' But I don't know how you would feel at the news and that rips a new hole in my heart to worry over that. I'd like to hope you would be happy.

I can't help but also worry about my children. Will I be a good mother? Will I have that maternal instinct that some mothers are just born with? I wish you were here to help me when they are born. I wish you could guide me along the way.

I miss you mom. I miss you so much. I...I hope to be as good a mom as I remember you being.

Love,

Your daughter,

Lucy

Lucy sighed as she sealed the letter, and put it in the basket with the others. She sniffled away the urge to cry. Because the next thing she would write needed to be more happy then sad. At least she hoped it would be. She grabbed another piece of parchment and began to write again.

To my unborn children,

I know you. I don't know your names. I don't know your abilities. I don't know your personalities. But I know you. I know your hearts. They beat inside me and connect to my own.

I write you because I want to in a way further that connection with you. I want to embrace the idea of who each of you will be and what you will become. I know my ideas may be far off the mark from reality. But that would simply mean I would have to come to terms with the fact that I am wrong.

That's one thing I wanted to say. I may be your mother but I don't know everything. I don't want you to expect me to be this all knowing being. I have flaws. You will come to learn this as time progresses, and hopefully not resent me for my mistakes.

I grew up losing my mom at a very young age, and my father didn't let me in when I was little to develop that same connection I had with my mother. So hopefully I do right by you.

I want to heal you when you are sick. I want to comfort you when you are hurt or sad. I want to rejoice and play with you when you are happy. I may be selfish to want it all. But I do because in my mind that is what it means to be a mother.

That doesn't mean I won't scold you when you have done something wrong. I will punish you when need be, but I hope those times won't be a massive amount. I'm sure your father will get scolded right along with you at times.

I know already your father will be a great father. I have seen him with younger children and how they look up to him. You will probably hear stories from Romeo and Wendy on why they look up to "big brother Natsu." But your father will probably get in as much trouble as you will sometimes. It makes me laugh just imagining it.

I don't know how many of you I carry with me. I don't want to worry over that. But I do want you to know I never could count a single soul out. If there be two of your or five. I love you all equally and can't wait to meet you all.

Your mother

Lucy had winced when she wrote the number five but she felt she had to write an extreme number to cover all possibilities. Even if that possibility made her go cross eyed. She sealed this letter and put it in a new basket beside the other. She leaned back in the wicker chair and let her mind wander over the idea of her children again.

She sighed as a diverse sight of children filtered through her mind. She saw boys and girls. She saw pink hair, blonde hair, red hair, black hair, the different pictures in her mind were endless. She wished she had the gift of foresight to know her children before they arrived. But then again, in a way, she felt she already did.

A light knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. Natsu opened it before she answered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I thought you might have had the same issues as before. I didn't want you to get the same kink in your neck."

"So my dragon is also my knight in shining armor?" Lucy asked him batting her brown eyes at him.

"Pssh, screw the knight! A dragon is better then a knight any day." Lucy nearly laughed aloud but refrained and merely shook her head at her husband.

"You're lucky this damsel happens to prefer dragons."

"You aren't just a damsel. You are equal parts hero as well." Natsu held his hand out to her. "We have been holing up here too long. I think it's time we visit our friends."

Lucy smiled and nodded. They weaved their fingers together and left for the guild hall.

Natsu could have taken a short cut to get to the guild hall. But he missed this. He missed simply holding her hand and walking along. True they hadn't done it much in their minimal courtship. But it was pleasant. So, instead of the shortcut Natsu took the long way to the guild hall.

He looked at his mate, his wife, the woman who was the center of his universe. Her nausea the past few days wasn't as bad as it originally had been. He was thankful for that. Not because he disliked taking care of. No, as crazy as it sounded, that he enjoyed. It made him feel needed. No, he was thankful because when she was sick it caused a twinge of agony in his heart. He disliked when she suffered. His dragon tendencies to protect were quite different when she was sick versus in trouble. Lucy had been in trouble enough times to know how his dragon side would react to that. But this had been harder for him to deal with. But he knew that it wasn't over and he would have to be patient. He could hear his guild mates laughing at him at the thought of being patient but he growled and pushed that from his mind.

Lucy caught Natsu staring. "Do I have something on my face?"

"The only thing you would have on your face would be crumbs from breakfast. If that were the case I would lick it off of you."

Lucy tried to contain her blush but didn't succeed. Natsu laughed. "Remnants of my breakfast would consist of dry toast and saltines, Natsu. Not exactly appetizing."

Who said that's the flavor I would be sampling?

Lucy glared at Natsu. Not because of what he was thinking. But because it was affecting her and they were only a block away from the guild hall.

"I love you, be good." She stared him down. Her normal fierce determination not as potent as it was before they were mated.

I can be very good, Lucy. I think I proved that already.

Lucy growled at him aggressively. She pulled her fingers from his hand and entered the guild hall.

Everyone greeted them as if they saw them the previous day. Not any "where have you been" or "are you feeling okay?" Nope, just a normal everyday greeting.

When they seated themselves at their normal table the door creaked open again. When everyone turned this time several whispers rose in the guild hall. The couple that entered the guild hall would be the new subject of gossip.

Laxus laced his fingers with Rory when the door of the guild hall closed behind them. When the whispers started Laxus glared fiercely at the faces of the crowd.

It was not anyone's business why Rory was wearing his clothes. It was not anyone's business why they were holding hands. No one needed to concern themselves with his business.

He went to the table of the thunder legion. "We are going to start planning on helping out Rory find her brother."

No one argued with him. They saw the mood he was in and merely nodded.

When he started to escort Rory away Bickslow muttered. "Gee, you would think getting laid would put a guy in a good mood..."

Mira pulled out a notebook she had behind the counter. She flipped it to her page of dragon slayers. She wrote down 'Rory' next to Laxus. She grinned at all the couples lining up nicely. But then she frowned at the two names left on the list without a name in the second column.

She had heard the two dragon slayers from Sabertooth were actually butting heads a lot lately. There was rumors they were fighting over a certain female. Mira would bet money that said female was Yukino.

If only there were another female to occupy the others time.

But, who would be the perfect match for the quiet, sweet, celestial wizard? The stoic dark but kind hearted Rogue? Or the antsy, spontaneous, fun loving Sting?

Yukino could thrive in either relationship. With Rogue she could create a new light in his shadowy heart. Frosch was now the cornerstone of Rogue's heart. It would be nice to see him warm up to another person like he warmed up and took care of the exceed. With Sting she could find a silliness in herself she suppresses. Seeing Yukino grow in that sense would be a welcome change to the quiet demeanor she currently favored. Mira sighed. Yukino was the one subject of her matchmaking schemes that wasn't mapping out itself.