To Protect and To Serve

Chapter 4

The next day Natsu took Nashi to the park. They had a playground that she loved to play on all the time. Climbing the monkey bars, going down the slides, and swinging on the swings, to her it was the most fun thing in the world. Her laughter was music to her father's ears and her smiling face was the most beautiful sight in the world.

"Watch me Daddy! Look at how high I'm going!" She cried excitedly as she swung.

"You're like a bird sweetie." He said.

"Look Daddy a doggy!"

Nashi pointed over to a little white dog.

"Hey buddy where did you come from?" Natsu asked as he reached out to pet the dog.

"He's so cute. Can we keep him Daddy?" Nashi asked.

"I'm sorry honey but he has a collar which means that he belongs to someone."

"Oh...I want a pet Daddy, can I have one?"

"I'll have to talk to your mother about it. Right now let's see if we can get this the dog back to his rightful owner."

"Plue? Plue! Plue where are you?"

A woman was calling out a name. The dog barked excitedly and ran to his mistress. She was a pretty blonde who was around the same age as Natsu.

"Oh Plue there you are. You had me worried." She hugged the dog close to her.

"Is this your dog?" Natsu asked her.

"Yes. Thank you so much for finding him. I swear the minute I turn my back, he runs off to God knows where. He can be such a handful."

"If he's too much trouble we can take him." Nashi said.

The blonde giggled.

"Well as tempting as that offer is I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to say no. Plue is difficult but I love him too much to give him away."

The young woman smiled at Nashi and then at Natsu. When she got a good look at his face her smile faded.

"Natsu? Natsu Dragneel?"

"Do I know you?" He asked her.

The minute he saw those dazzling brown eyes, recognition hit him like ton of bricks. This woman was his ex girlfriend Lucy.

"Lucy?"

"Yeah."

"Wow I...I uh...I didn't expect to see you here."

"Daddy who is this lady?" Nashi asked.

"She's old friend of mine. Listen Nashi why don't you go play with Plue  while I talk with Lucy? That is if you don't mind Lucy."

"No not at all." She said.

"Okay, come on Plue."

Nashi ran toward the playground with Plue chasing after her. For awhile Natsu and Lucy just stood there, looking at each other without speaking a single word. Finally Natsu decided to break the ice.

"So...You look good."

"Thanks. So do you."

"Really? I was worried that I had put on a couple pounds over the years."

"Still a big eater?"

"Not as much as I used to be."

"Is that little girl you're daughter?"

"Yeah her name is Nashi."

"She's beautiful."

"Thank you. Do you have any kids?"

"No. Not yet but I'm hoping to be a mother someday."

"Are you married?"

"No what about you?"

"I am."

"Oh who is she?"

"Remember that waitress I slept with?"

"You mean the one you cheated on me with?" She said with irritation in her brown eyes.

"Yeah listen I'm really sorry about that Lucy. Really I am. What I did was stupid and dumb and I've always regretted it."

"It's okay I've long forgiven you for that."

"That's a relief."

"So you married that waitress?"

"Yep. After you dumped me I found out that I had gotten her pregnant with Nashi and we'll one thing led to another."

"You don't cheat on her do you?"

"No. Never."

"Good because she's not just your girlfriend, she's your wife and the mother of your child so it would be pretty low of you to cheat on her."

"I know. So I heard that you ran into Juvia at the market the other day."

"Yes and it was so nice to see her looking happy again. You know after she and Gray lost their baby, all the happiness was pretty much drained out of her."

"Same with Gray. For five years the man hardly slept a wink, he was just so busy trying to find Winter. He would drink a lot too but he's better now. They're both better."

"They're having another baby aren't they? I mean Juvia's belly had gotten bigger when I saw her so I assumed that she was pregnant but I was too scared to ask."

"Yeah she's pregnant. They're both so excited, you should see how they fawn over Nashi. You can tell that they want to be parents again so badly."

"Well wouldn't you be the same way if you had lost your little girl for all that time?"

"I don't know. I think I would take it way worse than they did. If somebody took Nashi away from me I don't think that I could go on living."

"You really love her huh?"

"I love her more than anything in the world. I'd give up anything and everything for her."

"Wow Natsu, you've changed. I never really took you for the fatherly type."

"Well time changes people."

"That's true. Is Nashi you're only child?"

"Yeah. Touka talked about having more kids but during Nashi's birth something went wrong and she had to have a hysterectomy. She can't get pregnant again."

"Oh I'm so sorry. Did she take it hard?"

"For awhile but eventually she came to the realization that one child is better than none."

"That's for sure." She sighed. "Listen Juvia and Gray have been asking me to hang out so you might see more of me. Is that a problem?"

"No. We can be friends. We were friends before we started dating, we can be friends again."

"I'm glad you feel that way because I've really missed them and you. Platonically that is."

"Of course."

"Also Plue seems to have taken a liking to Nashi."

The two smiled as they watched Nashi rub Plue's belly.

"You ever think about getting her a pet?" Lucy asked.

"It's come to mind but I'm not sure if she's ready and my wife is allergic to dogs."

"Then get her a cat or something like that."

"I'll think about it."

"Well I have to go, it's getting late and I have to get up real early tomorrow for work. Come here Plue! Time to go home!"

At her call, Plue ran toward Lucy and let her put a leash on his collar.

"It was nice to meet you Nashi. I hope to see you again." Lucy said smiling at the little girl.

"Bye Lucy! Bye Plue! Come and play with me again!"  Nashi waved to Lucy who waved back before leaving with her dog.