Nightmares

There wasn't a trace of light to find in the house. Everyone was, after all, asleep. Gajeel rather comfortably, while he was at it. Until, suddenly, his eyes shot open.

Someone was watching him.

"Wh- It's just you," he grumbled as, when he turned in his bed, he found his three year old standing there, in the doorway to his bedroom. "Baby. What are you doing?"

She came closer then, at his notice of her, rushing to his side of the bed.

"Scared."

"Of what?"

"Scared."

That got a growl from the slayer before he grumbled out something about getting into the bed then. Happy, as she'd gotten what she wanted, the little girl moved to climb right in, scaling him so that she could be in the center of the bed, between him and her mother.

"Now what are you scared of? Huh?" he asked as the little girl quickly got under the blankets and cuddled up to him. Gajeel just rolled over to face her with a frown. "Gaia?"

"Just scared."

Grunt. Then, he said, "There ain't nothin' to be scared of and you know it. You got me around! How could anything ever get ya?"

"Mmmm…still scared."

"Wha's goin' on?" Levy slurred from her side of the bed as she sat up some, rubbing at her eyes. "Gaj?"

"Nothing," he told her. "Baby just had a bad dream or something. That's all."

"Not a baby," Gaia complained as Levy just reached over to snuggle the girl closer to her.

"Stop whining," her father said as he shut his eyes again. "And go to sleep. You ain't scared anymore, right? So go to sleep."

"Gajeel," Levy complained as, regardless of his harsh tone, her daughter shifted out of her grasp to get closer to the man. "You could be a little more sympathetic."

"Why?" he complained s Gaia snuggled against his chest to sleep. It was just way safer there. "There's nothing wrong with her. And I'm tired. I have to get up and train in the morning. You hear that, baby?"

"Not a baby."

Nuzzling his head against hers, he grumbled, "Shut up."

"Gajeel!"

"Shut up," the three year old giggled back to him as Levy just shook her head and rolled onto her other side, giving them her back.

"You two are impossible," she complained as Gajeel glared at the toddler, Gaia being oblivious to this (or rather enjoying it) as she patted at his face. "Honestly."

Gajeel was so close to sleep then that it wasn't hard to get right back to it. Besides, he felt even better, with Gaia being right there (although she kept poking his face and that was rather annoying), where he could be for certain she was safe. Not that he was stupid enough to actually think there was something in the house. No, Lily had probably been moving around the house, as he was quick the night owl recently, and disturbed her. That was all.

Sleep didn't come nearly as easily to his daughter though. She honestly had been scared and though she felt better being around Gajeel and Levy, that didn't alleviate her completely. It was still dark in the room and, without any light, most anything could start to look menacing.

Even Gajeel…

Especially when, at some point in the night, he started sneering in his sleep, it quickly turning to a deep scowl. He looked angry.

"Gaia," Levy sighed as she felt the girl wiggling on the bed. Rolling back over, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Get 'way," she said as she slipped out off Gajeel's grip so she could cuddle back against her mother. The woman only yawned again, smothering it against the toddler's hair as she snuggled her closer. "Daddy."

"Mmmm?" The woman peeked an eye open then, staring across the bed at her husband. He seemed fine. "What's wrong?"

"He's mad."

"He's sleeping, that's all. Why? Does he look mad?"

Yes. Very much so. And the fact that she'd only just had a dream about something in the dark coming to take her from her bedroom wasn't helping anything.

Whining some, Gaia tried to convey something to her mother, but when she was scared some times her words ran together and got all jumbled. Still, Levy only gave her a kiss on the head.

"It's just Daddy," she insisted as she shut her eyes. "And he'd never ever hurt you."

Of that, she was sure. He was just a big guy that grumbled a lot and played her all sorts of songs on his guitar. And he made the best food in the house (by which she meant that he gave her ice cream practically whenever and was always down with feeding her whatever she wanted).

Only, that sure didn't look like her father at the moment. He looked dark and creepy and he was practically snarling.

"He just sleeps heavy, is all," Levy told her soothingly. "See?"

The woman reached out then, across the bed to where her husband laid, before moving to gently stroke his head, brushing back some of his tangled locks. Slowly, the slayer's face relaxed some and his sneer lost its viciousness. Levy just moved then to cup his cheek, if only for a moment, before retracting her hand. Having seen that though, there was no way that Gaia wasn't giving it a try.

"Don't wake him," her mother scolded as the toddler scooted back over there and, with no real grace, just started petting the man's face. "Gaia-"

"What," the slayer growled not soon after, "are you two doing? It's late! Go to sleep. And why is she touching me?"

"Because she loves you."

"Shrimp."

"She does."

He just opened his eyes though, glaring at the toddler who, at the moment, was stroking the side of his nose, giggling at the feeling of the studs pierced there.

"Gaia," he grumbled as she giggled. "You're being bad. I said you could sleep in here. Not bother me in here. So sleep! You brat."

"Gajeel."

"What? She's bein' a brat, I can call her a brat."

"She was scared of you."

"Of me?" He frowned. "Why would you be scared of me, baby?"

She only made a face back at him in the dark, pulling back her lips to show off her teeth.

"Grrr."

"Now what's she doin'?"

"You were grimacing in your sleep," Levy told him before rolling onto her stomach. "She's mimicking you."

"Well, knock it off, baby!"

"Nah!"

"Don't you make noises at me, you little-"

"I'm sleeping," Levy called out to the two of them. Not that it made any difference. When they got started, it was hard to get them turned off again. "Seriously, Gajeel, can't you guys go sleep in her room or something?"

"And what? Give you this whole bed?"

"It sounds nice, doesn't it?"

"For you."

"That's who I'm kinda thinking of, right now."

"Hear that, Gaia?" He looked back down at his daughter then who was focused on his piercings again. "Told you before that I'm the only one that's got your best interests in mind, haven't I?"

"Grrr."

"Stop growling at me!"

That made her giggle then. "Daddy."

"Just sleep. Alright? I mean it. You're disturbing the shrimp. And me, but I don't think you care about that, do you?"

Not in the slightest.

"Lily," she told him then. "He sleeps in here too, huh?"

"No. He doesn't. And he's not going to tonight either, so don't get any ideas!"

But she couldn't sleep without him. Not now that she'd thought of him.

"That stupid cat," Gajeel grumbled. "I still think it was him that probably gave you a bad dream to begin with."

"Gajeel, Lily's not even in here," Levy complained. "Could you not be jealous of him for one minute? Please?"

"Jealous?" Snort. No way. Of what? The way that his daughter clearly loved the cat more than him? That wasn't anything to be jealous over. And even if it was, he wasn't, so there. "And I thought you were sleeping, shrimp?'

"I'm trying, but you keep talking about Lily and-"

"I mentioned Lily once! Once!"

"Stop yelling. You're-"

"Did I hear someone mention my name?"

Great. And then the bedroom door was opening and the cat was coming into the room, arm full of kiwis that he'd no doubt been in the kitchen getting.

"Get out," Gajeel growled. "And-"

"Lily!"

"What's Gaia doing in here?" The Exceed came to get into bed too. "And here. Would you like a kiwi, Gajeel?"

"No, cat, I wouldn't. Now get-"

"Come get in bed," Levy sighed, scooting over even more. "And don't get kiwi juice all over the sheets. Again."

"You do something one time," the Exceed complained.

"No. No way." Gajeel frowned as Gaia threw her arms around the cat. "I'm dealing with the kid. Not you, cat."

"I never asked to deal with anything. I was just up, getting a snack, and heard my name. I thought perhaps you needed me."

"Needed you to what? Waltz in here and sleep in bed with us?"

"Your bed is most comfortable, after all."

"After all," Levy sighed.

Lily just popped another kiwi in his mouth as he snuggled down into the bed between Gaia and Levy. "Why is Gaia in here anyhow?"

"Nightmare," the woman said.

"Ah. Yes. Those are most scary, aren't they?" Lily grinned as Gaia snuggled up to him. Gajeel just frowned though.

"I already fixed the problem," he said. "So-"

"Oh, Gajeel, not now. Be jealous in the morning or something."

"I'm not jealous, shrimp!" He frowned over at her. "I just-"

"Night, Lily. Night, Mommy." And then, especially, Gaia turned to look back at her father before leaning over to kiss his nose. He just stared at her for a moment. "Night, Daddy."

Then he blinked and, slowly, settled back into bed.

"Goodnight," he grumbled as Levy only grinned. "Baby."

And as annoying as they all were (especially when Lily, once more, got juice stains on the bed), Gajeel had to admit, there was nothing better than going to sleep and knowing his whole family was right there. Gaia, who was snuggled up between the slayer and Exceed, very much so had to agree.