Family Ties

Welcome home! Plus the past.

It's been a few weeks since the party and the guild has gone back to its crazy old self

"Okay so you guys know the plan right?" Jackson said to the small group of friends (Erza, Gray, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel, Wendy, Cana, the thunder legion, Mira, the group of kids (except Nashi), and the Exceeds. Natsu is trying to make things better with Lucy and Jackson sent them to get something.) "Yeah we know. This is going to be a great surprise for the both of them." Erza said as they looked at the plan. As they planned out the finer details a smaller group was following Natsu, Lucy, and Nashi.

In the middle of town Natsu and Lucy were at the market. "I don't know why he had you come with me I can get this stuff myself." Lucy said as she and Nashi picked up what was on the list. "I don't know but I don't mind this will give us time to talk." Natsu said as Lucy threw a sack of potatoes. "GAH!" Lucy turned around and saw the sack crushing Natsu. After some pushing and pulling the sack was off of Natsu and in a big cart full of food. "Mom I'm going back to the guild lets go Jethro." Nashi yelled as she ran off with the dog close behind her. Lucy just watched as she ran off leaving her their with Natsu. "Can we please talk. You've been avoiding me for weeks now." Natsu said as he grabbed her arm and brought her to the side of the street. She retched her arm away and stared at him. "We will talk but not here or now. I'll tell you where and when ok?" Lucy said as she picked up the handle to the cart and was about to pull it when it stopped. She turned around to see Natsu with his foot on the cart. "Fine. But I'm pulling the cart." With that they started to head back to the guild.

"This is the away team one target should be at the guild eta two minutes the other two should be back in ten minutes maybe fourteen because of all the food they have with them. 'Alright. you should head back now to get ready. See you soon Romeo.' Yeah you owe me for this one." Romeo said as he launched himself towards the guild with his fire. He arrived the same time as Nashi did. "Hey Romeo what were you doing?" Nashi asked after he landed. "I was practicing." Romeo said as looked at his watch to see if they had enough time before Lucy came back with Natsu. Just as he did that Natsu showed up with Lucy. "What are you two doing just standing out here?" Lucy asked as she looked at the two. Natsu walked past them to the door and saw a note. "Seems like Jackson wants to see us at this location. Lets go." Natsu said taking the cart heading towards Jackson's house.

"Hurry up they should be here any minute." Jackson shouted to the people mentioned earlier. The were all lined up outside with a sign. "Alright when I give the signal you guys know what to do." With that he backed out of the ruins and was looking at an open field. "Hey Jackson what are you doing out here?" Jackson turned around to see Lucy standing with Nashi. He looked behind them to see Natsu and Romeo standing their with the food. "Well I'm standing here for this." As he said that he dropped his hands and then the ruins disappeared to reveal all of Lucy's friends with a sign saying welcome home but that wasn't the surprise. The surprise was behind them.

"What is all this? Did we get a new neighbor?" Lucy asked very confused as to the new home sitting not far from Jackson's. "This is for you. We built you and Nashi a house and I sent you guys out to get the food for the welcoming party." Jackson said as a couple of the others took the cart and went to start the food. Lucy just looked at her brother who was standing their grinning. "I just thought that you would want to have a house for you and Nashi and possible your future husband. So do you like it?" Jackson said then Lucy ran up to him and hugged him. "I love it thank you." After their little brother/sister moment the party was in full swing. The grills were cooking people were laughing kids were playing. Except for two people. "Alright Natsu follow me we need to talk." Jackson said as he pulled Natsu away from the food towards the cliff by the house.

After they got far enough away from the rest of the people Jackson sat down on the edge of the cliff and gestured for Natsu to do the same. "So what do you want to talk about?" Jackson just took out a couple of old pictures. One was of him, Lucy and Nashi as a toddler after she learned to walk. While the other was way before they left. "Look I know you still have feelings for Lucy. I also know what you did when you found out she was pregnant." Jackson said as he looked at him then continued. "Just know that even if she is avoiding you she still cares about you she's just scared that after you find out who Nashi's father is you'll end up leaving her." Natsu looked at him. "She still cares? And why would I care who her father is I love Lucy and Nashi is a great kid I would do anything to protect either of them." Natsu all but yelled. Jackson looked at him and smiled. "Good... Also if you do anything to hurt them just know you will answer to me." Jackson said as he stood up and grabbed Natsu's hand and cracked it as he shook it.

Just as Jackson was heading back to the party Natsu sat on the cliff watching the sun set when Lucy sat down next to him. "Alright. So what do you want to know?" Natsu didn't look at her. He just kept looking out over the water. "I just want to tell you something. Luce I know what I did was awful not just to you but also to Jackson and I just want to apologize. I know you have every right to hate me. But I just want you to know the reason I freaked out was because... I love you and finding out that you were pregnant I thought that I had lost you to someone else." Natsu was spilling his guts out when he heard a sniffle he looked up to see Lucy crying. "You are one of the biggest idiots I know. But your my idiot." Lucy said as she kissed him with which he returned. "Also I wanted to tell you who Nashi's father is. Do you remember that night in Crocus, the night we won the games?" Natsu nodded his head. "Well you were drunk and I carried you up to the room and well one thing led to another and boom baby." Lucy said using her arms to exaggerate an explosion. "Wait so you mean to tell me that Nashi is..." Natsu looked at Nashi as she played with Sarah and the other kids. "Yes Nashi is your daughter. I didn't tell you back then cause I was scared then after the whole incident...." Lucy looked down a the ground. Natsu just hugged her when Nashi ran up to the two. "Whats wrong mom did he hurt you?" Nashi said getting ready to punch Natsu. "No honey. But I do need to tell you something. Nashi I'd like you to meet your father Natsu Dragneel." Lucy said as Natsu sat down in front of Nashi. She looked at him and tears formed in her eyes. "Daddy?" She ran into his arms and started balling her eyes out. Then Lucy joined the two and then her eyes started to water and lastly the oh so strong Natsu broke down with his family.

Jackson just sat and watched with a smile. He looked around at everyone with their happy families till his eyes landed on Cana who was drinking a barrel. After he looked at her he got up and walked away till he was far in the woods. "Keep dreaming man. Even if she did like you you've done horrible things. You don't deserve someone like her." Jackson said to himself as he punched a tree knocking it over. "You know people would think your crazy if they heard you talking to yourself right?" Jackson turned around only to be met with Cana. "Yeah I've heard." He sat down on the tree he knocked over as she then joined him. "So you hear anything I was saying before I knocked this over?" Jackson asked hoping she hadn't heard anything. She nodded her indicating she had heard everything. "Yeah. I just want you to know something." Jackson looked up and then Cana kissed him. "You may not think your good enough for me. But your wrong." Cana said hugging him. "You know what I've done how can you say that?" Jackson asked as he looked at her. "I don't care you are one of the kindest people I know." Cana said as they sat their for an hour.

As Cana and Jackson walked back to the house they saw Natsu carrying Nashi who was asleep. "Guess we missed the party." Cana said as they sat back at a table. "Nah just some father daughter bonding to the extreme." Lucy said as she looked at a couple of scorch marks on the ground. Then she see's Cana and Jackson's hands intertwined. "I see some other stuff happened today." Jackson laughed. They all had a conversation that lasted late into the night and when everyone went to there homes only Natsu, Lucy, Jackson and Cana were left. "Alright it's getting late come one Luce lets go to bed." Natsu said dragging Lucy inside. She tried protesting but was only met with Natsu carrying her inside. "Come on Cana you can stay at my house. You can take the spare bed." Jackson said as they walked to his house. "Oh no I'm sleeping next to you. Their could be some monsters just waiting to get me once I'm alone." Cana said as she ran inside the house and jumped into Jackson's bed. Jackson just laughed and climbed in next to his new girlfriend and went to sleep.

Little did they know that Cana's joke about monsters wasn't a total joke. Just outside the window sat an owl with the Blue Dragons guild mark on its back.