"This is cute!" I hold up a grey newborn onesie, it having star patterns over the chest and a cartoon-y fairy figure working its magic.

"I know right?" Mira giggled, happily grinning as she sipped her cinnamon tea. "Since we don't know the baby's gender, I figure I'd do neutral colors."

"That's thoughtful, " I hum appreciatively. "Thank you, Mira."

"Don't mention it!" She replied cheerfully, taking another gift to give me.

"I don't know where I'm going to put all this!" I chuckle humorously. "Yukino's got my storage locked for days."

Hearing her deed, the white-haired woman ducks down and blushes a deep red. She attempts to hide her embarrassment by covering her face with her hands.

"Ah, it's nothing, really!" She stutters. "I only wanted to do something nice for her."

I laugh, but my smile drops when there's a sudden discomfort in my abdomen. My baby was active again, I wince. I tenderly rub the now sore spot. I feel totally helpless, day and night. Whenever I'm relaxed or comfortable, my baby becomes active. How unfair it is.

"So...Lucy, " Mira clears her throat, a smile arising on her pretty face. "Have you decided the godmother of the baby?"

"Eh?" I look at her.

"Hmf! Still on about her choosing you? Pitiful." Erza said eerily calm from her spot as she ate her cake."It's obvious who she'll choose."

"Oh, please don't fight--" I try to intervene.

"Not you, " Mira scoffed coldly, her eyes shadowing over, crossing her arms over her chest. "You couldn't be the baby's godmother even if you were the most powerful mage in Earthland! You'll never be qualified!"

Erza tensed up, eyeing the silver-haired woman and her challenge. "Oh? Then you must think you're qualified. Don't make me laugh, Mira Jane."

Uh oh, here we go. I wince, preparing myself for a fight as the tension in the room became heavy.

"Why don't the both of you be the godmother?" Midnight twists his braid around his finger as he breaks the intensity, "All this girlish fighting is a pain."

Both of the women turn their attention to the relaxed convict, "Nonsense! There can be only one!"

"Then how will fighting help? Seems to me it's making your candidacy less considered."

He's not wrong, I inwardly agree. Mira and Erza fighting over a title are a little more than competitive. It's also unnecessary, but I suppose I understand their worry.

"That's right!" Sting intervened with a giant grin. "If anyone deserved to be the Godmother, it should be Yukino! She takes care of Lucy and ever bought her all that baby stuff!"

"Sting!" The white-haired woman burst, reddening with embarrassment. "Sit down, and eat your food!"

I practically facepalmed. Of course, Sting would try to get a hold of the situation and add fuel to the women's fire.

"But, Yuki--"

"What did I just say?" The woman said.

"Yes, Ma'am..." Sting deflates into his seat.

"Impressive, Yukino, " Erza smirks, looking at the said woman. "You've tamed a Dragon Slayer."

"I'm not tame!" Sting retorts, jumping to his feet all the while clenching his fists and glaring at Erza, unamused by her comment.

"Then, should I say whipped?" Erza's smirk widens.

Mira suddenly claps her hands, grinning with a fantasizing blush. "Isn't this lovely? There are so many possibilities of what your babies will look like! Blonde-haired babies with brown eyes, white-haired babies with blue eyes! Maybe heterochromia eyes! Maybe dual-colored hair! Squee!"

"Aw, Mira, you've got them all embarrassed!"

~

Several hours later...

It was the evening when Lucy and her convicted prisoner children left.

The Fairy Tail maidens stayed behind in the restaurant to clean up from their little party. They had told Lucy to go home since it had gotten colder outside, and they worried about her health, so they made her leave. Most of the Fairy ladies had hitched a ride on the train back to Magnolia, leaving Erza, Wendy, Carla, Mira, Lisanna, and Levy to clean up.

"Do think she would've told us?" Levy asks suddenly, picking the dishes up from the tables they had occupied.

Knowing what she meant, Erza was the first to reply, "Perhaps one day. The thing about trauma, Levy, is no being wants others to know of it. Whether it be a witness or a victim. What Lucy has gone through, I'm a little surprised she came out with it today."

"But I'm glad she told us, " Mira says, running a damp rag over the table surfaces. "It'll be a while before she rests easy, but at least she has us to help her guide her through the healing process."

"I don't understand, " Wendy speaks, a bit puzzled. "If she needs healing, why didn't she ask for my help?"

"No, child," Carla chastised her human. "The healing process is recovering from mental trauma as well as physical trauma."

"Oh. That makes more sense." Wendy taps her chin.

"I wondered when she would tell us about her assault, " Erza says while she collects the discarded gift boxes from earlier. "I truly didn't think she'd tell us."

"You knew about it before she confessed?" Levy blinked at the redhead in disbelief.

"Yes."

Both Lisanna and Erza share identical glances.

"Does that mean you know attacked her?" Levy didn't mean to sound to prying, but she wanted to help Lucy, well, hurt the bastard who hurt her friend, but who has to know that?

"I do..." Lisanna averts her attention to the floor.

"Who?!"

"I...well...there's a reason my wedding is off..."

"E-ehh?" Levy and Wendy are beyond in shock.

"Are you saying Natsu is the babys' father?" Mira narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brows.

"I knew you had cancelled the wedding, but...was it really because he raped Lucy?" Levy gaped at Lisanna in horror.

"Natsu-san raped Lucy?" Wendy asked, horrified.

"It was a strange night," Lisanna coldly remembered. "I try not to think about it much because I feel like it's my fault he hurt her."

"What's that supposed to mean, Lisa?" Mira asked, looking at her baby sister.

"Well, firstly he was acting strange for a few days and then the night he...well...he wanted us to...you know...and I told him I wasn't ready, that I couldn't do it. We got into a yelling match and he tried to grab me. I got away from him and told him to get out," Lisanna grimaces. "Lucy told me not to worry about. That it's not my fault."

"Actually, now that I think about it, Gajeel left for the month, " Levy pursed her lips. "Something about needing isolation."

"Oh! You must be taking about the Season!" Wendy blurts. "When ripe dragons go into heat at summer's end, they search for their mate! Grandeeny told me all about it and---what?"

The women look at Wendy as if she'd grown a second head.

"A mating season? Like Spring time for birds?" Mira tilts her head.

"Exactly like that. But I've been told dragons only mate with someone they have or had strong bonds with. She also said the male's inner dragons can really be a menace their partner while mating," Wendy explains and then adds, "Possibly violent if they try subduing their instincts. It's why Gajeel left, he didn't want to hurt his mate."

"That explains a lot." Lisanna crosses her arms over her chest.

"About you, Wendy? Did you forgo this season?" Erza looks at the young girl.

"It's quite different for female dragons, actually," The blue-haired dragon slayer blushes sheepishly. "Female dragons give off a hormone so other male dragons will come to her."

Mira and Erza tense up protectively. "Have any dragon slayers come for you, Wendy?"

"A-ah, well that's the thing, " Wendy blushes harder. "The hormone goes away if the female dragon has found her mate."

"Ooooohhh~ Have you found your mate, Wendy?" Mira smirks slyly.

The girl twiddles her thumbs, avoiding Mira's playful gaze. "M-maybe?"

"Wendy..." Lisanna speaks nervously. "What would happen if a dragon didn't have a mate?"

"Hmm..." Breaking from her embarrassment, Wendy hums. "I'm not sure. I don't think Grandeeny went into detail about it. But from what Gajeel told me, it wouldn't be good."

"And Lucy experience the side effects of the Season," Erza frowned, feeling murderous intent rear up inside her. "When I get my hands on Natsu..."

"Not unless I get to him first!" Mira glowered at the redhead. "Not only has he hurt Lucy, he tried to hurt my sister!"

"If you can find him." Levy says dully.

"What's that mean, Levy?"

"I heard Master Makarov and Master Bob speaking over a lacrima call. He sent Natsu to Blue Pegasus for a mission, but he never arrived."

"That doesn't help his case at all."

"No, it doesn't."