I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters or locations; I'm just playing with them for my stories.

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Chapter 1 Welcome to Magnolia

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Magnolia is a small desert town that belongs to the land of Fiore. It is smack dab right in the center of a large desert with only a single 300 mile stretch of road extending from one end of the desert to the other. About 130 miles going down either end of the road will lead you right into the heart of Magnolia, that road is called Old Fairy Tail Road. Back in the day the town of Magnolia was a main tourist attraction. Once having a beautiful large lake that surrounded the town on the north side, the lake was once named Fairy Tail and the road that was built right alongside it shared its name shortly after being built. After all the only reason anyone had to drive down Old Fairy Tail Road was to get to Fairy Tail Lake.

The town it's self was built after the road to cash in on the attraction that was the lake. It was a large lake that spread over 40 miles of land and had the most beautiful magnolia trees that framed the lake. And when the flowers bloomed and fell from the trees the lake looked as though it was taken from a story book as the white flowers danced across the surface. So people would drive the hundreds of miles to make a trip to the see lake and even swim and fish in it. Because of this a small pub and grill was one of the first businesses to be built here. Followed by a small inn and grocery store and soon after the rest of the town emerged around the main road.

However after the town of Magnolia hit its prime the drought season became worse and worse. So much so that the Fiore Government had built a dam to cut off the river that fed water to the great lake, so that they could save as much water as they can. 7 years past and the lake by then had fully dried up and the town slowly died with it. Now the town of Magnolia is only a few thousand strong instead of the near hundred thousand it once had. A lot of the buildings are worn with disrepair and the town's people lost a handful of great men and women. But most of those who were born in the town of Magnolia stayed put and tried their best to keep the dream that once was alive.

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Gajeel Redfox was one of these citizens. He was born and somewhat raised in this town. His mother stopping at the hospital when she went into labor while driving through town, sadly shortly after his birth she had slipped out of the hospital and resumed her way out of town and out of her son's life. The only thing she left him was his name to be placed on his birth certificate. So without a family or home to call his own, Gajeel was raised alongside a group of orphans with similar a fate. He was rotten child growing up, planning to ruin all the lives he would come into just as his mother in his mind, ruined his.

Gajeel had earned the title Kurogane in his teens when he joined a small gang called Phantom Lord. His title referring to his black clothes and iron studs that he pierced his face arms and legs with. While in the gang he would break into homes and shops and trash the place, as well as attack and threaten any who crossed his path. After a few years of being in the gang a small group of people had moved to Magnolia. They had been friends since childhood and even preformed in a circus together for many years before retiring to the still bustling town of Magnolia.

The trio had no family to claim and just went by there first names, Metalicana, Igneel, and Grandeeney. Metalicana was once a Strongman and Lion Tamer; he was a large man standing 7 feet tall and was built with thick muscles and tanned skin that was calloused and scarred over the many years of rough labor. He was quick to anger and had little patience for pests and annoying fools; however he was great with his hands and knew a lot about cars. So shortly after moving to town he had turned an old firehouse station into a garage and apartment home for himself.

Gajeel was interested in the large man, seeing him as a perfect target to screw around with. His teenage mind thinking if he could beat this man he would be unstoppable. Of course the teen's plan quickly back fired when Metalicana caught him breaking into his shop and home. Metalicana had beaten the living shit out of the boy before dragging him to his friend Grandeeney to patch up. The woman was a soothsayer and created elixirs and potions to cure common ailments. Grandeeney had created her own business she ran out of her home selling her elixirs. She was a small woman compare to her large friend but she as well was great with her hands and quickly patched up the boy and sent them back to the garage.

When Gajeel had awoken he had found Metalicana looming over him with a look that could kill and got the boy right to work in his shop to pay off the broken window he had come in through. Even long after the window was paid off, Metalicana still expected the boy to show up at his shop to work and after a few months he had brought him upstairs and showed him the room he would use from now on. Metalicana, if asked, would just claim that his reason to give the boy a place to stay in his home was so that he could be sure Gajeel would show up on time, however if where to ask Grandeeney or Igneel they would have said it was because Metalicana saw himself in the boy.

This went on for many years and over time the two found a way to live with one another. They still fought like cats and dogs and would often end up on Grandeeney's porch with busted faces and bruised ribs. But after their time together dragged on each of the two guys' life changed with it. Gajeel had left the gang and cleaned up his act, he stopped harassing people and stealing from others and became a great mechanic under Metalicana's apprenticeship. He even went back and finished high school and got his certification to work as an auto mechanic. Metalicana had learned to become more patient and even learned to better control his temper around others from being around the brat so long.

Gajeel had saw him as the father he never had, even calling him Pops and Old Man from time to time and seeing how the older male had yet to knock his teeth out for calling him such things, Gajeel assumed the large man felt the same kind of bond as he did. But of course that was around the time the lake began to dry and soon after the population dwindled don.

Igneel was becoming restless at the now emptying town and proposed to his friends that it was time to leave for a new home with new faces. In the time they spent in Magnolia, Igneel had become the school's basketball coach and owner of a local gym as well as preforming his arts to the town in front of city hall. He was an amazing fire performer, eating, dancing and jugging with flames and was also a tightrope walker back in the day. Even Igneel had found a lost child to take in and care for as Metalicana and even Grandeeney did, but his soul and feet where restless and they couldn't afford to take three more aboard their travels.

He, Grandeeney and Metalicana all planed in secret and left the town 7 years after the drought began on the morning of July 7th. Each leaving behind a note and plan for their foster children so they would have something to take care of themselves with, along with a promise of seeing them again in the future whenever that may be. Metalicana had left his shop and home to Gajeel to take care of and the others did the same with their children.

Gajeel was heartbroken at losing his only family but remained strong as his Pops taught him. It has been 12 years since the drought started and 5 years since the trio left a now 25 year old Gajeel was making his daily trips down the long stretch of road that extended across the desert land. He would often do this during the summer months to catch some business from the broken down cars that one could find on this desert road. The heat alone could kill any car that wasn't in tip top shape and it would take hours before a wrecker from the towns over to make their way out this far.

Most days he would come up empty handed but fate was smiling on the gruff man as a beat up orange slug-bug could be seen smoking and puttering on the side of the road. He pulled up in front of the stalled car and stepped out of his wrecker and examined the small form that was leaning into the open engine compartment. It was a small girl with short white shorts and tan strapped sandals in a denim vest. From what Gajeel could see from her turned back was that she sported a fluff of blue hair on her head along with a yellow cloth that hung from the side of her head. He watched with amusement as the girl had yet to notice him even though he had pulled up in a rather loud and large vehicle.

His amusement quickly turned to astonishment as a black cat standing on its back legs hopped out of the car with its face deep within the car's manual. The cat had round ears and a scar across its eye and also wore green pants and small wraps around its waist. The cat was the first to notice him as it dropped the manual and stared wide eye at Gajeel.

"Uh Levy we have company." The cat spoke and began to paw at the girls small legs.

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"Huh what do you mean Lily?" Levy looked up from the inside of the car and turned to face a tall muscled man with piercings. He was wearing torn jeans and steel toed boots along with a greased up white wife-beater and orange headband to keep his hair back. He stood crossed armed with an interested look on his face as he watched Pantherlily move about. Levy wasn't sure how to approach the situation until she caught sight of the wrecker that was parked behind the large man. With that in mind she quickly scooped up Lily from the ground and walked up to the man with a bright smile.

"Hello! I'm sorry I didn't notice you earlier, my name is Levy, Levy McGarden and this is Pantherlily. And yes he is an Exceed and no you cannot buy him from me. But I was wondering seeing how you have a wrecker if you could tow my car to the nearest town?"

Levy only hoped that the man would in fact help them and not try and bum her cat off her. Exceeds are a rare breed of cat that actually, humans know very little about. They somehow have to ability to talk and feel emotions as humans do and even stand up on their back legs. There are only a few dozen or so around in Fiore and Levy was lucky enough to have found one that wanted to stay with her.

That seem to have broken the man's trance as he looked her in the eye before breaking out into a creepy (to her at least) grin.

"Well that was the plan Pipsqueak, Gihihi."

To Levy the world seemed to stop momentarily for her to process the statement the man just said. A second later she glared up at the man and puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"HEY! Don't call me that! I have a name remember its Levy, LEEVY!"

One thing she couldn't stand was someone picking on her for her height. The man just grinned at her and walked past her to her car and started to examine the engine. Lily had took this moment to jump from Levy's arm and hopped onto the front of the car watching the man as he worked.

"You never told us your name stranger, it is only proper even if you insulted my friend."

Lily met the red eyed gaze of the large man and watched as his mouth broke back out into a grin before he lowered his head back down to his work.

"The name's Gajeel Redfox and it seems like it to me 'Levy' that yer engine is shot to hell. This rust bucket anit gettin' anywhere fast now."

"It's not a rust bucket! It just has character!" Levy knew her car was a little banged up and was pretty old but it was hers damnit and it got her where she needed to go. That was until they hit this long stretch of unforgiving desert road.

"Well look shorty from what I'm looking at it's time to say good bye to the orange terror that you call a car. No way in hell I could fix this piece of shit and I'm the best mechanic around for a good 500 miles."

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Gajeel lifted his head from the car and turned to face Levy while he leaned back against her car and wiped his hands off on an old rag. He felt bad for the girl as she let her shoulders sag in defeat. He of all people knew the kind of attachment you could have with cars, seeing how he has a soft spot for Metalicana's old pickup. The cat jumped down and ran up to the sadden girl and rested his paw on her leg. Seeing another Exceed in Magnolia was mind blowing to Gajeel however. He knew of only two others, a dumb blue one and a snooty white one. Gajeel had to admit he like this black one the best.

Then he heard something that made his skin crawl with fear. The bluenette had begun to cry into her hands and Gajeel mind ran a million miles an hour to figure out how to stop her from crying. Way long ago Gajeel had made the young girl who stayed with Grandeeney cry. Shortly after he was pulled from the room, dragged back to the shop and brutally beaten by Metalicana. He couldn't remember which was worse of a beating that one or the first time he met the Old Man. Pops instilled in his head very quickly that making a woman of any age or size cry was the most unforgivable thing in the world. Ok ONE of the most unforgiveable things.

"H-hey look stop crying ok! I'll take yer POS back to my shop and see what I can do alright just quit it with the water works ok!?"

He watched as she picked up her hands from her face and quickly wiped her eyes and grinned wickedly at him. Gajeel just looked at her with a blank face as he realized her trick. She just grinned at him and handed him her keys to the car and stood back with a now smug looking cat in her arms.

"Ready when you are Mr. Redfox!" The pocket woman chirped at him with a bright smile.

Gajeel let an annoyed sigh bleed from his lips as he began to hook up her car to his wrecker. After the slug bug was hooked up he walked up to the driver side of the wrecker and climbed in and let out a snicker as the small girl struggled with the cat a bit to reach the seat. She responded with a burning glare and promptly stared out into the desert. That seemed to calm her down as she hummed to herself and watched Gajeel as he drove them towards Magnolia.

It would be a 30 or so minuet drive till they reached town and Gajeel was already becoming annoyed by the sprite as she stared at his face. He let his head rolled to the right as he met her eyes, her cheeks flushing at being caught. He answered her unasked questions.

"Yes they are real, yes I did them myself, no they are not a gang symbol or at least not anymore and no I'm not going into that with you and no I not going to hurt or steal from you." Gajeel couldn't help his smirk as the girl glowed bright red and instead of looking at his face she turned her attention to the purring cat in her lap.

"I'm sorry that was rude of me, I shouldn't have stared at you, but I didn't think they were from a gang or anything you know!"

"Yah sure yah didn't Shrimp."

"Shrimp!?" Levy had quickly raised her head back up to glower at Gajeel, which he replied with his signature grin and laugh. He found out very quickly that he enjoyed teasing the small woman sitting next to him.

"Yah yer as small as one so I'm gonna call you Shrimp, after all you owe me for that trick earlier."

"Ugh! Well I had to do something ok! No one was stopping to help they just kept on going like a bunch of jerks! And when I called for a tow truck they just laughed and said sorry you're too far out to go get. They acted like this road was a death trap or something and I thought you were just going to leave me back there."

Gajeel glanced away from the road to watch her as she gave her speech. He knew that it was his fault that the other wreckers refused to help her after all he and Metalicana made it very clear that Old Fairy Tail Rd was there bread and butter. So of course you can't argue when two large rough looking men come to your garage looking as they did. Gajeel flicked his eyes back on the road.

"Don't worry Shrimplett I wasn't gonna leave yah out there even if yer cars ah lost cause. I'll figure something out for yah."

Levy looked up at Gajeel and let out a small smile at his words, before her eyes focused on an old worn down sign as they drove past it.

Welcome to Magnolia

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So I hope yal are gonna like this story! It will be fluffy and cute and make you all gitty! Maybe lol. Also this will be the first story that I will flesh out more. Like you may see some other ships an such, this won't be 100% focused on Gajeel and Levy, maybe 90-95% cus it still is there story. I'm actually excited for this AU story so I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter!

Thanks to all that read, review, fav and follow myself and all of my other stories! Makes me happy to see that so many people enjoy them. So I hope you all have a great day and I will see you next time!

-Paint