Gajeel/OC and Natsu/Lucy

Taken place just before the battle with Phantom Lord.

Change of Fate

Lady Countryrose

Ch. 1

A woman opened the doors of the guild, glancing around and saw many to look her way. She noticed that the person she was hoping to find wasn't there. Causing many men around to whisper to each other of who she was and why was she there.

The woman had auburn hair with copper, gold highlights. With blue-green eyes. She walked with grace and purpose as she made her way across the massive hall, making her way towards the bar.

One of the men, who wore a green hunting look coat with white fringe and sunglasses upon his face. Came upon her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, leaning into her. "Hey, babe, doing anything tonight?"

The auburn haired woman sighed before she reached for his hand and turned to where she twisted his wrist. Causing some of his bones to pop. Her eyes flashed towards him, a hiss leaving her lips, "Do that again or I won't be so nice." She let him go, before shooting him a small flash of light that healed his wrist before making her way to the bar again.

A voice called out, "What did she do, Loke?"

The man rubbed his wrist. "She healed me," with a shock sounding voice. "Does that mean you LIKE ME?"

"Not a fat chance," she called out, as she glanced over her shoulder.

When she reached the bar, a bubbly sounding woman with white hair came up to her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes," the woman sighed, closing her eyes to control the anger that she wanted to let go. She could never handle the happy go, lucky women. They were just a nuisance at times. "I'm looking for my sister, Lucy."

"LUCY," yelled everyone within the guild. "IS YOUR SISTER?" It was loud enough to cause her to have a bit of a headache. She had been traveling far and wide, having a short leash on her tolerance levels.

"Oh," called the barmaid with a smile upon her lips. "You must be Grace that Lucy has told me about." She placed a finger upon her lips for a moment. "She said that you might show up one day but didn't know when."

Grace sighed, she knew that everyone within hearing distance was listening in. "Can you please tell me where I can find her? Before she and I had lost sight of one another, her plan was to come here."

A short older man, who was sitting at the bar glanced over. "She is out on a job with her team." Grace closed her eyes, as she leaned on the bar. "From what I see, you're pleased to know that she's well. I can assure you, the people that she's with have been taken well care of her."

"Thank you, sir." She allowed a couple of tears to leak out of her eyes. "It's a blessing to hear that she has finally had found happiness, knowing that our past was full of darkness."

The guild was quiet before, became intensely so. They were hearing something more. Than what they had known about the cheerleader sounding blonde. Someone that they have learned to care for others than her own self at times. At least from what they have learned from her teammates.

The barmaid smiled, "I believe I have a spare key that Lucy said for me to hold. I believe she wouldn't mind you using it. Since you are her sister and all." She glanced around her workstation. Placing her fingers back to her lips before a flash of light came to her eyes. She then reached for the key that she hid under the bar. She brought it out and gave it to Grace. "My name is Mirajane but please call me Mira."

Grace glanced up after being handed the key, with a warm smile of her own. "Thank Mira."

The older man spoke up again, "The name is Makarov Dreyar, the master of this guild."

Grace glanced towards the man with raised eyebrows. "Are you related to a man, who once was a treasure hunter by any chance?"

The older man chuckled, scratching behind in head. "Not many know of that knowledge, but yes I am. He was my father."

Many voices across the guild have sounded shocked. The new woman; who happened to be Lucy's sister, knew something that not many within the guild knew about. A couple of the older men believed that she might be dangerous to allow loose across the land. Without her being part of Fairy Tail that is.

Makarov chuckled, "You might as well join Fairy Tail. Not just because of Lucy, but because you've caused many to become nervous." His eyes raked across the hall. "It might be enough to get most of them to do some work."

Grace smirked, "I think it's wise to be nervous once in awhile." She glanced around the guild hall. "I will think about it but I would like to talk to my sister before making a decision."

"Understood, but regardless of anything. Our guild is open to you, no matter what the future holds." His speech caused her spine to shiver; not in a bad way, but in a way to make her feel like she was home. "No child should feel like they are not wanted or needed. Our guild is built by the bonds we made, not from blood that makes us family." He took a drink from his wooden tankard. "As a father of these hooligans, I would be honored to have you and Lucy as my honorary daughters."

Tears leaked out of Grace's eyes; she did not know what was coming over her, sure she had a hard life; along with her sister. After their mother died, it seemed that part of their father had also died with her. They were left with servants to take the place of their parents. Sure it wasn't all bad, but it was never enough for the two of them. To have a man who had openly say that he would be their somewhat father, was enough to render the strong woman to tears.

"Where can I find Lucy's place," she gasped out, trying to find her true voice again.

Mira wrote something done a piece of paper and handed it to the nearly broken woman. "I can always get you a meal to go if you would like. It sounds like you've traveled long ways."

Grace sighed, "You can say that." She laughed that sounded hollow. "But I don't have money to pay for anything."

"It's on the house," stated Makarov. "Anything you want."

"I'll pay when I can," stated Grace with fire in her eyes. "I was raised to pay for any debts that I have." She glanced towards him with a soft smile. "But thank you all the same, sir."

"What are you doing Gramps," called a husky sounding voice from upstairs. Glancing up, Grace saw a well built blonde male, full of cockiness and electric energy. "This isn't a charity guild."

"Not now Laxus," the master called out.

"So, this is the blonde bombshell's sister." He licked his lips. "She is as curvy as her sister. But her bust size is a bit smaller and knows how to cover herself to leave a man with an imagination." He stood up from where he sat, to where he crouched on the railing. "Let's see if she even knows how to fight." He pushed off aiming his body to land near Grace.

What no one saw coming was Grace, shoving herself away from the bar and stood in the middle of the guild. Changing her shape into that of a massive white tiger. Seeing the claws, long and sharp. Her shoulders rolling as she waited for the attack from the male that provoked her.

"Kitty has claws, let's see what else she has." He pulled back his arm and ran towards her, ready to punch. But the tigress had other thoughts. She launched herself into the air, higher than the man. Moved her body to where she was able to embed her claws into the flesh of his back. Causing the man to fall onto the floor in massive pain.

After a moment of realizing that he was not going to get up, but tried to electric shock her to let go of her hold on him. She turned back into a human but allowed the claws to stay in him. "Now listen good," her voice became harsh but alluring. It was something that she learned to get into male's heads. "If you can stop with the electricity and you can act calmly. I will let you go and then heal you. But you must leave the guild until you're calm enough to come back."

"NO, THIS IS MY GUILD."

"ENOUGH LAXUS," the short man yelled towards the pair on the floor. "She's right, you need to go calm yourself if you want to come back. I had it, boy, if you want to be apart of this guild. You gotta show some self-control."

When the blonde gave a nod, Grace took her claws out of the man. Shrinking them back into her human nails. She climbed off of him and raised her hands, causing a flash of blue-white light upon his back, making the man purr. Which brought many within the guild to have surprised looks on their faces.

Laxus had gotten upon his feet, gave the new girl a glance. "I might want to fight with you more. Knowing that you have a calming way of healing," giving the girl a smirk before making his way out of the guild.

Grace glanced at Makarov, "If that was an initiation to the guild, I wonder how Lucy is alive?"

The man gave a dark look. "We don't do things like that in this guild. I can't say for the others but here we don't cause harm to one another." He gave a sigh. "My grandson has his own beliefs thanks to his corrupted father. I've been asking myself, where did I go wrong with my own family?"

Loke came up to Grace with a rag for her bloody hands. "Please," she sighed in weariness. "No more pickup lines or declaration of war."

"No," Loke smiled; a true one from what Grace could see. "I brought this to take his blood off of you."

"Thanks," she gave a worried smile before taking it. She scrubbed her hands until her hands became pink from the scrubbing. Once she realized that she was clean, she burned up the rag.

"Tell us, sunshine. Why didn't you bite into him," Loke asked with a hummer in his eyes. It had caused many within the guild to laugh.

Grace shook her head, as she made it towards the bar again. "I was raised by my teachers who believe that blood is the life force of people's life. If you truly want to kill someone, take their life force from them." She glanced over her shoulder seeing the shock on the man's face. "He didn't deserve that kind of fate." She then sat at the bar, hoping that she would be done with people's pestering.

Mira smiled, "Thank you for putting Laxus in his place and not killing him." She placed a bowl of rice and stew. "I figured this will help, knowing that you have spent a lot of energy with him."

"Thank you, Mira." Grace could see why her sister stayed; except for Laxus, these people were better than she had hoped for, for Lucy. "Can you please tell me about my sister's teammates? I would like to know who they are?"

Mira's smile brightly, causing the whole room to be brightened by it. It was enough for Grace to want to stay, even without Lucy being there. She would have stayed.

"Well; there is Natsu, Fire Dragon Slayer. Gray, an Ice Maker Mage. And there is Erza, an Equip Armor Mage. All four together make a powerhouse team . . ."

As Mira spoke; even while the guild listened in. It was enough to let Grace know that her sister was safe with these people. She heard about the dangerous missions that they were on. Enough to want to go out there and hunt her down but stayed to listen. Grace found that between the two men; Natsu and Gray, they took turns to keep Lucy out of harm's way. Even though they may have provoked the issue.

" . . . they should be back tomorrow," Mira had ended.

Makarov glanced over towards the calm woman, who had managed to eat most of her food. He saw and felt many mixed emotions about the adventures that her sister had gone through. What stood out the most was the feeling that she wanted to be there for Lucy, from the very beginning.

"Child," causing Grace to look at him. "Even though you may worry about Lucy, just know that she is in great hands. Her friends will see to it that no harm will come to her." He saw that he had gotten to her, for her shoulders sagged down from the tension that she had. "Sorry if this old man is asking too much, but why are you different from Lucy?"

Grace laughed, "I had wondered that for years." She felt the room become tensed, for only a moment and knew she should keep talking. "She's younger than I am, but she had gotten mother's looks and power; while I got something else." She shook her head. "No one could tell me anything. Just that I'm the elder daughter and I somehow had gotten my great-grandmother's abilities."

She turned her stool to where she was looking at Makarov. "I'm far different from an average takeover mage." She took a breath. "I'm a shapeshifter, something old and unruly; as father put it. I can turn into any creature that I have ever read." Causing many to grasp. "I can also heal those that I turn if I wish and animals that come to my aid."

"Druid magic," stated the master with a far away look in his eyes.

Mira asked, "Druid magic, master?"

The man shook his head, "Druid magic is something that I've only heard about but never seen. It's when someone was born by a certain bloodline that allows them to become the creatures of nature. Also having the ability to heal in the same way." His eyes glanced around the room, glaring at all of them. "No one and I means no one, is allowed to talk about her or her abilities outside of this guild. It's dangerous for anyone to know about her. People have tried for years to have this kind of magic, enough to where nearly all of them had died out."

Grace sighed, "That would explain how far my father had to go to find a teacher for me." Her eyes closed, trying to rein in her emotions. " . . . and here we thought that he didn't care."

Makarov grumbled softly, "No matter what had happened child. A father will always care for their children, regardless of how they act on it."

Grace nodded; she picked up the paper with Lucy's address and the key, "I guess I'll see Y'all tomorrow." She got up and walked out of the guild. Once outside, she heard many voices within. A smile graced her lips, 'Glad to see a guild trying to keep their eye out for their friends.'

She took a left, believing she was heading the right way. When a shadow came to her side, "Do you know where you're heading, sunshine?"

Grace did not need to know who it was, thanks to the fact that he had said the same nickname before. She gave a small smile, "What you do you want, bright eyes?"

Loke chuckled while making his way next to her. "Knowing Lucy, she would not be happy if someone didn't try to help you to get to her place." His eyes moved over her. "Tell me, why did you break my hand and then heal it?"

Grace gave a real smile, "That isn't your real question. Why would I heal Laxus, knowing that he may have tried to kill me afterward?"

"Okay, good point. So why did you?"

"My mother," Grace spoke with a far away look in her eyes. "She was the kindest hearted person, who was willing to give people more chances than they should have. It would have been a poor memory if I hadn't tried to be like her." Her eyes found their way to Loke. "Don't give me wrong, I do have my limits; unlike Lucy. I am only human and I've lost a lot of trusts when it comes to people."

"What about me?"

Grace smiled, "When I had pictured for a brother, I had pictured someone like you." Causing Loke to trip on his feet. "Someone; who even though he's hurting, is trying to show the world that it's worth living each day, as if it's the last." Loke stopped in his tracks with his jaw hitting the ground. "I don't know what life was like for you, Loke. But from the smell of stardust, you would be talking to my sister."

"H. . . how?"

Grace turned with predatory looking eyes; the same eyes of her tiger that she had before, "Like I said, smell." She turned around, hoping she was going the right way.

Loke had shaken himself out of his daze and helped Grace to find the apartment that Lucy lived. After that, Grace had seen the man walk around the river, seeing him deep in thought. 'I hope I hadn't broken the man if he's even a normal man that is.' Once inside the apartment. She noticed the whole place had exploded in pink. "Sis, you're not a little girl anymore." She made her way through her sister's place to find the bathroom, where she took a long hot bath.