Does Love Last Forever?

Chapter 16

"She doesn't hate him. That's good, right? But she told me she didn't know if she loved him, either. Mira, what do we do?"

Mira laid a comforting hand on top of the blue exceed's head. "You came to the right person, Happy. We'll figure something out," she sighed. "Let me think on it and I'll put something together."

"Thanks, Mira," Happy replied. "I'm going to go check on Natsu, make sure he doesn't do anything else dumb." With that, the exceed flew out of the guild.

Mira drummed her fingers on the bar, thinking.

"I see the steam rising - what are you thinking about, big sister?" asked Lisanna, setting a tray down on the bar. She slid into a seat and faced her sister.

"It's Nalu," Mira sighed.

"Nalu?"

"My pet name for Natsu and Lucy," Mira answered absentmindedly. "Of course, Nalu won't happen if I can't figure things out. The baby should make things easier, right? I mean, Lucy can't keep Austin away from his father."

"Well, yes," Lisanna began, "but she's also been hurt. Getting them back together is going to be complicated. If we do this the wrong way, she could Lucy kick him across the continent!"

The two sisters sat silently, Mira still drumming and Lisanna softly humming - what she did when she was trying to solve a problem.

"Is this where I sign up to join the band?" Cana joked, sliding in next to Lisanna. Both sisters looked at her, confused. Cana waved her comment away. "What's up? What are we scheming about now?"

The two sisters looked at each other, then back at Cana. "Ooh, creepy - Strauss ESP!" Cana reached behind the bar and grabbed a bottle. "Spill it, ladies."

"We're trying to figure out how to get Natsu and Lucy together again," Lisanna finally said.

"Are you sure that's what Lucy wants?" Cana asked after taking a long drink.

Both sisters frowned. "They're a family, they need to be together."

Cana shrugged. "As much as I don't want to see Natsu a deadbeat Dad like my old man, you can't force things to happen. Instead of sneaking around and scheming, why not ask the two outright to meet and talk? Maybe in a neutral place but private. Like, the park or something."

Mira straightened up. "That's perfect! Cana, you're a genius!"

"I am, aren't I?" Cana bragged, then waved her empty bottle around. "How about getting the genius a refill then?"

"So, Lucy," began Mira, later at Lucy's apartment, playing with Austin. She looked up from where she was sitting on the floor with him. "Have you thought about formally introducing Natsu to his son?"

While she had never come out and named Natsu as the father, Lucy knew the guild had figured it out. She found herself blushing, then sighed, answering, "I don't know. I mean, being in the same guild, it's unavoidable and now that he's back, it would be cruel." She looked up at Mira, teary-eyed. "I just don't know, Mira. It still hurts."

Mira leaned over to her friend, giving her a comforting hug. "It's okay, Lucy. No one expects you to run to him with open arms. We just want to see you happy." She paused, then decided to go for it. "What about if you met him say, like at the park? That way, you wouldn't have the noisy members of the guild watching and you also wouldn't be somewhere private, like your apartment. Somewhere public, maybe even chaperoned, if you need it."

Lucy sighed, thinking. The dread kept growing the longer she put it off. Maybe Mira had a point. She didn't have to be with Natsu for him to be a father to Austin. Being in an open space, in a public space, would make things less awkward, she supposed.

"Okay," Lucy relented. "But I only want the four of us there - Austin, me, Happy, and Natsu. I can call on my spirits if I need anything."

"Would you like me to arrange it then?" Mira asked, trying to hide her excitement.

"How about tomorrow at 1 at Magnolia Park?" Lucy could feel butterflies rioting in her stomach.

"Sounds good!" Mira chirped, smiling at her. "It'll be fine, Lucy. Don't worry!"

Lucy sighed again, then looked at Austin, who was babbling to Mira like they were having a conversation. She couldn't help but smile. If it wasn't for Natsu, she wouldn't have Austin, she told herself. The least she could do would be to meet with him.