Lucy squinted, looking at the Request Board.

"There's nothing good in here!"

Natsu was sitting cross-legged on the table closest to the board. He yawned. It was half past seven in the morning, and the Guild Hall was almost empty. Mira had just come in and was starting to get breakfast ready.

"It's been like a week since our last job, Luce. Take a break."

She bent forward, looking at a request.

"Today is...Sunday? It's been fifteen days- that's two weeks- oh, I think Levy would like this. I'll save it for her. Maybe I could go along." She carefully unpinned the notice and put it in her bag.

"Okay, but why do you need to go on a job all of a sudden? You have enough money, don't you?" Natsu asked.

Lucy sighed and sat next to him. "I just need...a distraction."

"Is this about Robin?" He asked, watching her. She put her head in her hands.

"No." Her voice came out muffled. It had been nine days since Robin had moved in with Kinana. And it had been three days since Lucy had seen him. For some reason, this little boy she barely knew, had a tremendous impact on her. She knew he belonged with Kinana, but she felt possessive of him.

Natsu had woken up that morning in Lucy's room, only to find her sniffling on Robin's old bed. Lucy herself had packed all his toys for him, and the room was now bare. Natsu had tried to get her to go back to sleep, but she'd dragged him to the guild, instead.

"You can vent if you want."

"No." It came out softer still.

"You two are up early!" Mira called, startling Natsu. She slid next to them, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Did you stay at Lucy's place last night?" She asked, smirking. Lucy groaned into her palms.

"Yes, but it's not what you're thinking, Mira," Natsu said. Mira chuckled.

"I haven't thought of anything. And did you want a job, Lucy?"

"Yes," Lucy said, looking up.

"No," Natsu said, looking at Lucy.

Mira stared, then smiled. "I'll leave you two to decide. Tell me if you do want something though. Even if you want something for breakfast." She disappeared into the kitchen.

The door of the Hall opened, and Erza came in. She walked up to the breakfast counter, her armour clinking. Natsu jumped down from the table, pulling Lucy with him, and slid onto the seat next to Erza.

"-and a glass of orange juice, please, Mira," She was saying. She turned to Natsu and Lucy.

"You're up early, Natsu. Did Lucy drag you here?" She asked.

Natsu nodded. "I'll have pancakes, Mira. With lots of syrup. And Lucy wants a cheese toast."

"No, I do not. I feel a little queasy. I don't want anything."

"You ate nearly nothing last night, Luce. We don't want your amenia acting up again."

Erza raised an eyebrow. "Anaemia, Natsu. And you were at her place last night?"

"Yeah, I slept there."

The door opened again, and I sauntered in, holding Juvia's hand.

"Morning, you two," Erza said, smiling at us. I was surprised - she was usually bitter when she saw us together, and often said that it was 'unprofessional'. She acted annoyed, but I knew that she was sad about how she could not have an open relationship with Jellal, what with him being a criminal and all. This was just her way of coping with her feelings.

I climbed onto the seat beside Erza, and she smirked at me. I raised an eyebrow.

Before I could say anything, Master Makarov walked in, followed by Wendy. We stood up, and Mira bowed, acknowledging the Master.

"Morning, Gramps!" Natsu called. Master Makarov grinned at us, then went back to his conversation with Wendy. They were headed for the second floor. Suddenly, Master paused on the stairs and turned around.

"Erza!"

The redhead, who'd sat down, stood up immediately.

"Yes, master."

Gramps smiled down at her.

"Relax, child. It's nothing bad. Wendy's going to Porlyusica's place on the eighteenth, and that woman has shifted her house further into the East Forest. You know how dangerous the forest is, don't you? And I don't mean to doubt Wendy's abilities, but I want you to escort her to the forest. That is fine, yes?"

Erza nodded, then paused.

"Master, Lucy was saying how she didn't find a job, and that she's bored. Maybe Lucy and Natsu can take her? Besides, eighteenth is the beginning of Christmas week, and I think I'd be of better help here, with the decorating....if that's fine, of course."

Master beamed, and Natsu sighed.

"I'm alright with it. Just try not to blow up the forest, Natsu?"

Natsu grunted, and turned to his pancakes.

Master and Wendy went on upstairs, still talking. Erza sat down, patted Natsu on the back, and looked at me, her eyes gleaming.

"I'm going to win this bet, Fullbuster."
_______________________________________________________________

After breakfast, Natsu seemed to be in a rush, and he dragged Erza with him. He left Lucy with Mira, and asked me to go along with him. He cornered Levy, who was at the gates of the guild hall, and forced her to go with him, too, and he took us all into a shed near the guild.

"Okay, guys, I need a favour."

"Oh god, did you get someone pregnant?!" Erza asked.

"What?! No! This is about Lucy."

Levy chuckled a little. She'd been on Erza's side, ever since we told her about the bet.

"What about her?" I asked.

"Can you try and stop her from going on jobs for the next four days?" He asked, his eyes pleading.

Erza sat on one of the many crates in the tiny, cramped shed.

"Okay...why?" Her tone was serious.

"I can't tell you," Natsu said.

"We can't help you," Levy shot back. Erza and I stared at her. She was usually a cute, gentle little soul, who never raised her voice. Lately, she was starting to get a little snarky - which wasn't a bad thing, but it wasn't like her. Then again, she'd been hanging out with Gajeel a lot.

She blushed when she saw us staring.

"Sorry, was that rude?" Even her blue hair looked apologetic.

"No, it wasn't. Levy's right. We want to know why, Natsu."

The shed door burst open, startling Erza. She fell off the crate.
A tall, buff guy walked in, his long, dark hair swinging a little behind him. His piercings gleamed in the sunlight.

"Gajeel!" Levy said, in a rushed whisper, and pulled him inside. I closed the door. The small shed was pretty cramped now.

"Oh, fuck you," Erza growled, getting up.

"How'd you find us?" I asked.

"I followed Levy's scent. So what's going on?" He said.

"Natsu doesn't want Lucy to go on a job, and he wants us to help him, but he won't tell us why," Levy said quickly.

Gajeel looked at Natsu. "That isn't fair, Dragneel."

"Levy, Lucy's found a job for you, and she's got the request notice with her. Once you go into the guild, she's gonna ask to come along with you. I need you to somehow try and tell her just you and Gajeel want to go on this or something."

"Okay, Natsu, but why?" Levy asked.

Natsu groaned.

"You better speak up, or we're leaving this shed right now," I said, my hand on the door.

"Alright, wait. So, uh, once a month, Lucy kinda starts getting mood swings, you know? She also starts smelling a lot like blood, and she turns really pale sometimes." He was speaking fast, his eyes glued to his shoes.

All of us were staring at him in disbelief.

"And when we go on jobs, she sometimes faints, or just refuses to move, and sits inside that clock of hers. She's really, really tired when she comes back, and doesn't talk to me a lot, either. I found that this happened nearly the same time every month, and since Lucy won't tell me anything, I asked Levy. You know, cause she's smart and reads a lot."

We turned to Levy, who'd turned beet red.

"That's why you asked?!"

Natsu nodded, his expression serious.

"Well, so for the past few months - maybe a year, I think, I've tried to not go on jobs during these specific days. Of course, there was the whole Tartaros thing, and something else before that, so we couldn't really help it, but I tried my best. And I found out that her health is significantly better when I don't take her out."

"And then she fainted on the Greenthorne thing, and she had these weird red marks on her neck, too."

Gajeel looked like he was about to cry.

"And she has the amenia, so I'm really worried for her health. It's the...tenth, today, right? She was supposed to get the blood thing on the sixth, or seventh, and she's super down in the dumps today, so I'm pretty sure she's feeling bad. It's why I stayed at her house last night, and there's the whole Robin thing, so I thought I'd take her to play with him or something. Can you please try, at least?" He was looking at Levy, and his face was completely serious - it looked borderline pained.

We stared at him, not knowing what to say.

"You...copied her period schedule?" Gajeel asked quietly, breaking the silence.

Natsu nodded.

"Creep," I muttered under my breath.

Erza stood up.

"Uh...I think it's sweet that Natsu considers Lucy's health, and took...certain measures to try and ensure her well-being," She began.

"Yeah! I just want to make her feel good!"

Gajeel and I snorted. "Don't put it that way, Flame Brain."

"And," Erza continued, shooting us a dirty look,"He wants our help with this. I thought it would be a little more serious, but okay. Levy, you're alright, with this?"

Levy shrugged, although she looked a little flustered.

"Also, I think we need to be a little more free about discussing periods and women stuff. Everyone gets it, the boys might as well know about it. Maybe we should organise awareness classes," Erza said, her hand on the shed door. She opened it, and sunlight filtered in.

"And Natsu," She said, stepping outside. "Don't tell anyone else about these plans of yours. They're terribly personal, so just us is fine."

"Yes, ma'am," He said. He looked a little happier now, that we'd agreed to help.

We all went outside, squinting because of the sunlight.

"I'm gonna check on Robin," Natsu said, and ran off in the direction of Fairy Hills.

Gajeel, Levy, and I stared after him.

"He really likes her, doesn't he?" Levy asked, smiling.

"Yep. You know, Gray, I was pretty sure they wouldn't get together by Christmas, because Natsu is a numbskull. But seeing all this...I just might switch to Erza's side."

Looking at the shed behind us, I wasn't so sure, either.

_______________________________________________________________

"Why can't I come?"

The blonde was visibly frustrated, and seemed indignant, as well. She did not expect Levy to ask her not to go with her.

"Not so loud, please. Well, Gajeel and I... we've been planning on going for a nice job, alone, you know. Just us. Maybe, for some...privacy?"

Levy had turned really, really red. Lucy's eyes widened a bit, and she nodded immediately.

"Oh, uh...sure. That's fun. Wait, have you...?" Her voice trailed off.

"Yes." It came out in a whisper.

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"It was the day you all went on that job, and you've been down ever since and - you know, the Greenthorne job!"

Levy and Gajeel knew about The Night, because Erza and I'd told them. They were sort of a different team, but they knew everything that happened in our team, and we knew everything that they did.

So the day we were in Greenthorne, Levy had made a beautiful candle lit dinner, and Gajeel had been surprisingly gentle with her.

Lucy didn't know that they knew about The Night, though.

"Oh, don't remind me. Mira, can I have some cheese toast to go? If you're free?" She called, feeling hungry, all of a sudden.

She turned back to Levy.

"That's fine, you go have fun, alright? Be safe, though. And try not to break any bedsteads."

Gajeel, who was sitting a few tables away, and could hear everything perfectly, choked on his drink.

Lucy patted Levy on the head, grabbed the packet Mira had kept on the breakfast counter, and headed for the door. Levy gave Gajeel a thumbs up, and he winked in response. He moved, and sat down next to Levy.

"Privacy, huh?"

She blushed. He gave her a little peck on the cheek.

Lucy pushed open the guild door, and her stomach grumbled. She was extremely hungry, all of a sudden, and the smell of cheese was driving her crazy.

"Lucy!"

The blonde looked up to see a little wine-haired boy running up to her. Natsu followed him, walking slowly, trying to see Lucy's reaction.

"Robin?"

The boy put his arms around her waist, and gave her a tight hug. Her face broke into a grin, and she hugged him back.

"I've-" She began.

"I've missed you so, so much!" Robin said, interrupting her.

She knelt down, and he gave her a little kiss on her cheek.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to visit. Ma's feeling sick, you know. She's better today, and Cana said she'll look after her well! Fairy Hills is fun, but I miss the lake in front of your house, and your house is so much bigger than our room, but there's so many people and-"

The boy went on chattering excitedly, and Lucy nodded, interjecting from time to time, trying to listen to everything he said. She looked up for a second, and saw Natsu standing a few feet away, grinning. She stood up, and he came forward. He picked Robin up, and put the boy on his shoulders.

"I say, Luce, let's go have some fun, huh? The three of us?" He said.

She smiled at him, a smile that warmed him right down to his toes.

"Yeah."
_______________________________________________________________

"Yay, let's go swimming!" Robin exclaimed.

Natsu backed up real fast.

"Uh, maybe not swimming, but yeah, something that's fun and does not require much running about or movement," He said.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, but laughed when she saw his face.

"Let's go to the cherry blossom hill, then? It's not in season, so it's going to be empty, and we can buy a ball, maybe? And we'll have a picnic!" She said.

So, Lucy went to her house and got a picnic blanket, Natsu and Robin went and got snacks, and Happy was nowhere to be found.

Lucy watched Natsu and Robin play ball, munching away happily on her cheese toast. Her stomach didn't feel quite alright, and the cheese probably wouldn't do it any good, but her tastebuds craved the lactose.

She got up, finishing the last of her toast, and jogged up to the boys. Natsu paused, the ball in his hand.

"Luce, go sit. You're not well. You felt queasy, right? And your amenia-"

"I'm alright, Natsu. I'm playing. And Robin and I are going to take you down."

Robin cheered, and Natsu shrugged.

"I'm not gonna go easy on you," He said, smirking.

"We don't need you to," Lucy said. She put her hands on Natsu's shoulders, and forced him onto his knees.

Natsu found himself staring at her midriff, all of a sudden, and his forehead heated up quickly. He was starting to feel weird, just as he had on the day Lucy moved.

She pulled off his scarf, and his breath hitched.

What was she-

She tied the scarf around his forehead, and grinned down at him.

"Thank you," She whispered. Then, she turned around to face Robin.

"Alright!" She called. "We're gonna put the ball away now, and play a different game, okay?"

Robin bounded up to them.

"So Natsu's gonna run, and we're gonna chase him, okay? We've gotta remove the scarf from around his head, and if we do it before sunset, we win."

It was afternoon already, and their picnic had been sort of a brunch.

"But what are the rules?" The little boy asked.

Lucy thought for a second.

"Okay, the rules are, no magic, don't go off the hill, and always keep both feet on the ground - that means, don't go climbing trees. The whole hill is ours today. Is that cool?"

"Yep," Robin nodded. "What's the game called, though?"

"Catch the Natsu!" Natsu yelled.

Both teams stood on opposite ends of the field. Natsu let out a piercing whistle, and ran down the hill. Lucy and Robin followed, screaming bloody murder.

They ran all about the hill, for a half hour, stopping only to drink a bit of water. Natsu didn't just run, he teased. He tugged at Lucy's hair, crept up behind Robin, and pulled off one of Lucy's shoes.

Lucy was getting tired, and she called Robin.

"Chase him to that big clump of trees, okay? I'll ambush him from there."

The boy nodded seriously. This was life or death.

He chased Natsu, screaming, and Natsu ran straight into the trees, laughing. Lucy was waiting behind a tree, and just as Natsu passed, she stuck a foot out.

He tripped, and Lucy pushed him down immediately, and sat on his back, forcing him down. He screamed in mock pain, and Robin ran up to them. Lucy pinned both of Natsu's hands down.

"Take the scarf, Robin!" She yelled, and the boy tugged at the scarf. Natsu screamed again, pretending to be hurt. Robin got the scarf off, and waved it around.

"We've caught the Natsu!" He yelled, and jumped into Lucy's arms, which meant he jumped onto Natsu.

This time, Natsu shrieked in actual pain.

"Oh, no, sorry!" Lucy said, and got off him.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in relative peace, as they had more lunch together, and both Robin and Natsu curled up for an afternoon nap. When it was sundown, they wrapped up the picnic, and took Robin back to Fairy Hills.

Kinana, who looked weak, opened the door.

"Hello, Lucy. Has Robin been a bother?" She asked, as the boy ran into the room.

"Oh, no, he's great. We had lots of fun," She said, placing Robin's shoes on the rack next to the door.

"I didn't," Natsu groaned, rubbing his back. Lucy laughed and elbowed him in the ribs.

Kinana smiled at them.

"He's known you for a very short time, but he's super close to you, you know? He doesn't stop talking about you at all. I can't thank you enough for looking after him, and bringing him back and-"

"Kinana, don't thank me, I don't find it to be work. Robin's my friend, and I'm more than happy to hang out with him. Natsu finds it the same way too," Lucy said, holding Kinana's hand.

Kinana was older than Lucy by a lot of years, and she wasn't very close to Lucy either, but she was sweet, and tried to be friendly to everyone. Lucy felt that she was insecure, because of her memory, and felt the need to reassure her that she wasn't a burden to anyone.

"Seriously. I don't mind. I actually had fun today. Take care of yourself. I'll come over if you need any help, okay?"

Kinana nodded.

"You're gonna be a great mom, Lucy," She said, smiling.

That was on Sunday.

On Wednesday morning, Lucy got out of bed, headed straight for the bathroom, and retched.
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EHEHEHEHEHE.
:)
Shoutout to Fungame767 for all the support. Thank woo!