FLASHBACK SOUNDS FLASHBACK SOUNDS FLASHBACK SOUNDS!

Construction stretched everywhere throughout the city of Magnolia. Very few homes had not been destroyed during the horror that had been Tartaros. It had been two weeks since the demon guild had been vanquished and two weeks since anyone in the Fairy Tail guild had seen Lucy Heartfilia. They all understood she was mourning after the destruction of one of her spirit keys and nobody wanted to disturb her, not even her best friends the pink haired dragon slayer and his exceed partner. Lucy Heartfilia believed that that day would be the same as any other day as she arose from her bed; however, she had not been expecting the recurring knock on her apartment door.

"Lu-Chan! I know you're in there. Everyone is worried sick about you." Lucy knew only one person who called her by that name and it was her fellow friend and bookworm, Levy McGarden. Unknown to all her friends, Lucy had other reasons for locking herself up in her house, and she was not ready for any of them to know those reasons. Lucy pretended to still be asleep as she heard Levy open the door to her apartment complex.

"Lu-Chan?" her tiny voice rang through the room. When she saw Lucy still in bed, she marched over and yanked the blankets off her body. Lucy scrunched her eyes.

"Levy-Chan, I'm not going to the guild today. I-I doesn't feel well." It hadn't been a total lie, she didn't feel all that fantastic, but she didn't want Levy digging around in things that did not concern her. Lucy began to feel something bubble in her stomach, but she tried to ignore it, hoping she could get Levy out of the house before she emptied the contents of her insides. However, Levy shook her little blue head.

"No way Lu-Chan. It's been two weeks and everyone misses you. Natsu and Happy won't stop complaining." Lucy could no longer hold it in. Completely ignoring her friend's presence, Lucy jumped out of her bed and bolted to the bathroom. Levy could hear as her friend regurgitate whatever she had eaten last night. Feeling sympathy for her, Levy walked into her friend's restroom and held up her blonde hair. The two of them sat there, Lucy vomiting and Levy rubbing her back, for about another two minutes. When Lucy was finally done, she wiped away anything that could be lingering on her lip and stood shakily off the ground. Levy was about to do the same when something in the wastebasket captured her eye. Her brown eyes widened at the sight of the object. Lucy had already left the room, fixing her and Levy some tea. When Lucy looked up to see Levy exiting the bathroom, her eyes caught sight of the little stick in her hands. Levy held up the object for Lucy to see.

"Lu-Chan, What is this?" Lucy could only tremble with fear, the fear of her secret being revealed. Scared it would shatter because of her constant shaking, Lucy placed the teapot on the counter.

"Please don't tell anyone," she whispered. Levy held up the little stick accusingly.

"How could you not tell anyone you're pregnant?" This was not what Levy was expecting when she had made the trek to Lucy's apartment. She expected pulling a reluctant Lucy from her bed and dragging her by her feet to the new guildhall, but no, she just found out that her best friend was pregnant. Now, only one question remained.

"Whose the father?" Lucy debated telling Levy a lie, saying it was just some random guy, however, she knew Levy would never buy something that stupid and Levy knew Lucy well enough to know she wouldn't just do it with a random guy off the street. With a jittery breath, Lucy answered.

"Natsu."

Levy had half expected this. The two of them had been inseparable since the day Natsu brought Lucy to Fairy Tail, it was only a matter of time before Lucy fell for the man. Levy drifted over to the counter where Lucy was standing and placed the little stick in her hands on top.

"Mind telling me when this happened," said Levy as she crossed her arms over her tiny chest. She was shocked to see Lucy burst into tears.

"I didn't mean for it to happen! We just had a little too much to drink at that party to celebrate Tartaros' defeat and I don't know, it just HAPPENED!" Lucy collapsed on the floor. Levy hastily rushed to her side and took her in her arms. She let Lucy cry into her shoulder as she rubbed her arm comfortingly. As the tears died down, Lucy was able to form coherent worlds.

"H-He doesn't remember o-of it. I don't know w-what to do anymore." Lucy continued to cry as her friend evaluated the situation. She never expected any of this to happen and Lucy was clearly distraught. Levy pulled Lucy back slightly, looking into her teary, brown eyes.

"Lucy, you have to tell him," she said, purposefully not using her little nickname. Lucy's crying stopped as she tried to process Levy's sentence. Lucy stood abruptly, walking into her living area.

"Are you nuts!" she yelled, throwing her arms in the air, "I can't tell him. He'll hate me." Levy sighed sadly. She DID expect this. Levy rose from her seat on the floor and crossed the apartment to Lucy. She calmly placed a delicate hand on her shoulder.

"Lu-Chan, Natsu could never hate you. After all you two have been through together, do you really believe he would hate you over something like this." Lucy cast her eyes down to the floor. She really loved Natsu, more than anything, and she didn't want to ruin their chances of becoming anything more than friends, but deep down inside, she knew that she had to tell him. It was only fair for him to know. Lucy tilted her head over her shoulder to give Levy a sad smile.

"You're right, Levy-Chan. He has a right to know. I'm just, really scared." Levy smiled and pulled Lucy into a comforting hug.

"You have nothing to worry about Lucy. Think of this as a new adventure, one that has a new member joining your team." The two friends giggled as they separated. Levy went and took a seat in the living room while Lucy went to the bathroom to fix herself up and get dressed. When Lucy was finished, the two friends left her apartment together, heading for their home away from home, Fairy Tail.

"So," Levy said, breaking the tension, "When are you going to tell him."

Lucy sighed, "I'm going to do it today. The sooner the better, right?" Lucy asked shooting Levy a glance.

"Right." The two friends continued their walk in silence, simply admiring the scenery. Lucy couldn't help but marvel at the new guildhall as it came into view. Since she had locked herself in her house like a crazy hermit, Lucy hadn't been there to see the progress on the new guildhall. It didn't look too much different than the old one, but it did look bigger, shinier, and definitely new. Levy grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her through the doors of the building. The two friends were greeted by many "Hello's" and "Good mornings" and Lucy had received a few "It's good to see ya's.

Levy scampered off, probably to find a certain iron dragon slayer, while Lucy searched around the guild hoping to spot a mess of pink hair. She was cut off from her search however when the great Erza Scarlet approached her, clamping an armored hand on her shoulder.

"Lucy, it's good to see you. It's been a while."

Lucy nodded her head in agreement, "It certainly has been a while Erza. Sorry, I was just dealing with some stuff." Lucy didn't go much further in detail. The redhead simply nodded her head in understanding.

"That's quite alright Lucy, everyone else felt the same way. I would like to ask if you want to go on a mission though. Requests just started coming back in and I though it would be fun to take Team Natsu back into the field."

Lucy liked the sound of that. It had been a while since she had gone on a mission without everything going totally hectic and life or death on her, and she would get to spend time with him again. Lucy nodded her head ecstatically.

"Sure Erza, that sounds fun. I am running low on rent money." Erza chuckled before patting Lucy heard on the back. As she walked away, Lucy concentrated her attention on the bar, where a lovely, white haired bar maid stood cleaning some mugs. Lucy wandered over to the bar counter, smiling happily at her nakama.

"Hello Mira, how are you doing this morning?" The barmaid looked up from her dish and smiled excitedly.

"Hi Lucy! I'm doing well. It certainly has been a while since you came in."

"Yeah it has. Hey I was wondering have you seen Natsu? I need to talk to him." A large smirk appeared on Mira's face, which did not bode well with Lucy. Lucy shot her a "It's not like that" look and Mirajane went back to her regular, smiling self.

"Yeah, I asked him to take care of some crates in storage. He should still be in there." Lucy thanked her, before heading toward the storage room. Lucy could see the room as she walked down the dimly lit hallway. When she was a few feet away, she could hear Natsu's voice, but it sounded like he was speaking to someone else.

"So, what did you wanna talk about, and did we have to talk in the storage room?"

"W-Well, y-yes we do." That sounded like Lisanna. Lucy couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation. What could they possibly be talking about?

"Well Natsu, there's something I-I wanted to tell y-you since we were young." Lucy strained her ears as she tried to listen to Lisanna and Natsu.

"I-I, I love you!"

Lucy's heart stopped.

No. This couldn't be happening.

"I have since we were little, and I always hoped that we would become a real husband and wife and start a real family. So, I guess I'm trying to say, will you be my boyfriend."

Lucy could no longer take it. Without a moment's hesitation, she ran down the hallway and bolted from the guild. Levy had called out to her questionably, but she ignored it. She couldn't stand the pain.

As the guild doors closed behind her, she could hear the cheering and Lisanna yell,

"MINNA, guess what? Natsu and I are dating!"

Hearing the confirmation only made her run faster.

She couldn't do this. Now that he was in a relationship, how could she tell him about the baby, heck how could she even FACE him! It wouldn't be fair to force him into something he wouldn't want to do. As Lucy reached her apartment, she threw the door open and sped to one of her storage closet. She opened it and grabbed the first suitcase she could find. As she brought it into her room, she could feel a significant amount of magic drain from her body. She recognized it but ignored it, walking over to her dresser.

"What do you want Loke?" she asked as she dug through her clothes.

"Lucy, what do you think you're doing?" the lion spirit said in frustration. Lucy walked past him with a handful of clothes and began packing the suitcase.

"I'm leaving the guild, what does it look like I'm doing?" Loke couldn't believe his ears. Lucy, the person whose main goal in life was to JOIN Fairy Tail, was going to run away. Loke marched up to her and grabbed one of her wrists. Lucy tried to pull away, but the man was much stronger than her.

"Why would you leave without so much as a word? These people are your family! Do you know what they would do if they found out you just ran away? Do you know what Natsu-"

"I'm pregnant with Natsu's child. And he's dating Lisanna"

Loke was speechless. The pressure he had applied to Lucy's wrist ceased and Lucy was able to pull her wrist out of his grasp. Lucy's bangs covered her eyes, but Loke could see the tears that were dripping down her cheeks.

"Now do you understand? Do you see why I can't stay?" Lucy looked Loke in the eyes, the tears making his figure blurry to her, "I can't tell him Loke. I can't force him to help me with this baby, not if he is in love with someone else. I have to leave. It's better this way, for both of us."

The apartment filled with silence as Loke and Lucy just stared at each other. Lucy was startled when Loke closed her now full suitcase and zipped it himself.

"You're-You're letting me go?" she quivered. Loke ran a hand through his orange locks.

"I can't say I approve of what you're doing. If I was in Natsu's position, I would want to know if a woman was carrying my child." Loke lifted the suitcase off of the bed and placed the handle in Lucy's hand, "but you are my master, and if this is something you want to do, then I will respect that, as your spirit, and as your friend."

Lucy dropped the suitcase and ran into Loke's arms. She could always count on him when she needed a friend. After letting them have their moment, Loke pulled away and lifted Lucy's chin so she was once again staring into his eyes.

"But please Lucy. It's not fair to just leave your family without a goodbye." Lucy nodded solemnly. Lucy pulled out of Loke's hold and walked over to her desk. Taking out three sheets of paper, Lucy wrote a letter to the guild master, to Team Natsu, and to Natsu individually. Lucy placed them all in envelopes before giving them to the lion spirit.

"When I get to my destination, you can give these letters to Master. By the time they receive them, Natsu won't have scent left to track." Loke nodded in agreement as he placed the letters in his jacket pocket, "Do you know where you will go?" he asked. Lucy sighed.

"I don't know. Somewhere no one in Fairy Tail can find me," she said as she gave Loke a sad smile. Lucy reached back for the suitcase she had discarded and adjusted it correctly. Staring into Loke's eyes, Lucy sniffled.

"Thank you for understanding Loke." Loke gave her a reassuring smile. Loke began to revert back into golden dust.

"Be careful Lucy." He said just before he completely disappeared. With that, Lucy stood tall and walked out of her room, giving it one final glance. She spoke with her landlady about it and she wished her luck. Lucy thanked her one last time as she walked out of the building, heading toward the train station. Once there, she searched for a location to begin her new life. After choosing a pretty remote location, Lucy waited for the train to arrive. As the train finally pulled into the station, Lucy boarded and took her seat. Staring out the window as Magnolia slowly vanished, a stray tear fell from Lucy's eye.

"Goodbye, Natsu," she thought once her home finally disappeared. Lucy began to absent-mindedly rub her flat stomach.

"It's going to be okay. Mommy's here, and she'll always be here."

Lucy was very ungracefully thrown into a dirty cell. It had mold on the ceiling and filthy water leaking out a broken pipe sticking out the wall. Lucy laid in her position, too weak and hungry to move. The white haired man stood at the entrance, fiddling with the glove Lucy had worn everyday for the last nine years.

"I'm sorry for the horrible accommodations," he said, throwing the glove beside Lucy's head, "we don't intend to keep you here long." The man slammed the door behind him, causing some dirt to fall from the roof.

Lucy sat in the silence of her cell in pain. She wanted to scream, she wanted to fight, she wanted to curl up into a ball and cry like a baby. Instead, silent tears began to trickle down the side of her face as she thought about her poor, baby girl, lost and alone out in the world.

"P-Please. Please be safe."

🌟FAIRY TAIL🔥

Nashi tried to sleep as the wagon rocked back and forth on the bumpy road. She had spent three days trying to reach Magnolia. She spent most of that time walking, but when her little legs could no longer carry her, she decided to hitch a ride on a wagon. She hadn't gotten much sleep that night because of the tossing and turning, and just before she could finally relax, she heard a really scratchy, old voice and the wagon had come to a halt.

"Hey, you little punk, I don't take hitchhikers! Now get off my wagon before I throw you in the river!" said the old man who the wagon belonged to. Nashi stumbled as she tried to pull herself up and out of the wagon. She landed with a thump on the dirty road. Nashi stood and rubbed her injured bum.

"Sorry, I was just trying to get to Magnolia." Nashi was about to continue on her way when the old man yelled at her.

"Are you blind kid?!" Nashi didn't understand what he was implying.

"What?"

"I said are you blind?!" He repeated.

"No, I'm not blind." Why did this guy think she was blind?

"This is Magnolia you little urchin."

Nashi turned around and was met with a large city. Her eyes grew largely as she tried to take it in all at once. It was so beautiful. A large, fanged smile spread across her face. She had finally made it. She couldn't believe it. Without a moment's hesitation, Nashi began running toward the direction of the city, completely ignoring her sore legs and the old man still yelling at her.

Don't worry Mommy; just wait a little longer.