Rain pounded on the roof of the stationhouse. Red eyes followed the streams of water sliding down the windowpane, droplets winning and losing mini races created in the man's mind. His chin rested heavy on his hand, breaths coming out as deep and long sighs. He hated days like these; days when the rain was merciless and the sky was dark and angry. They reminded him too much of another time—a time when he was as merciless as the rain and as dark and angry as the sky. Lightning streaked across the clouds, a loud crash of thunder following shortly after, causing someone beside him to yelp. Tearing his eyes from the sky, the man turned to see a small woman behind him.

"Sorry, Gajeel!" the woman chirped. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just thought you might appreciate a cup of coffee, since it's so chilly today."

"You didn't startle me, Shrimp," Gajeel mumbled back, turning back to the window. He could practically feel the woman bristle slightly without needing to see her, and he had to fight back a small smile. Teasing his new partner was just too easy.

"Well," she huffed, "I guess you don't want this then…" She trailed off, and Gajeel heard the scuff of her heels as she turned to leave. Wordlessly, he reached behind him, asking for the cup. Levy stopped, and for a moment nothing happened. Gajeel turned toward her slightly, just enough to send her a sideways glance.

"I never said I didn't want it," he said gruffly, following up with a mumbled, "since you went through all the trouble to make it."

Levy made no attempt to hide her smile as she carefully passed Gajeel the mug. She pulled a chair away from a nearby desk and got settled in. Her gaze followed his out the window.

"What are we looking at?" she asked softly, eyes darting around for anything unusual. Gajeel turned away from the window to take in the woman beside him. Over the last few months, he had shut her out, put her down, left her behind…and she had no idea why. She had asked, demanded answers for his shitty behavior numerous times, and he had always brushed her off, yet somehow…somehow, she was able to sit next to him—to be kind to him. Her brown eyes turned concerned as she turned her gaze back to him. "Gajeel? Are you okay? Is it your head?"

"Nah, my head feels fine, Shrimp." Gajeel turned back to the window once more. The head injury he'd sustained from his previous partner hadn't bothered him in at least a week. The doctor had given him a clean bill of health just yesterday. "Just thinking."

"Penny for your thoughts?" Levy prompted softly. It wasn't a demand; it was an offering. An opportunity for Gajeel to share whatever was burdening him. After a few tense moments of deliberation, he decided to take it.

"I bet you're probably wondering why I've been so awful to ya," he began. Levy opened her mouth to respond, but Gajeel cut her off. "Well, it's probably about time I told ya. You probably won't wanna talk to me afterward, which I understand, but I think it's about time I told you the truth." Gajeel took a deep, calming breath, turning his eyes back on hers.

"It was years ago, but this isn't the first time we've met…"

Lightning lit up the sky, followed shortly by an angry crash of thunder. Sixteen-year-old Gajeel huffed as he stared out the window of the rundown shack that served as headquarters for Phantom Lord, the most fearsome gang in Magnolia. Gajeel's chin sat heavily on his hand, his elbow resting on the windowsill. In this part of town, it always seemed to be raining, no matter what. Juvia, the young girl that followed Gajeel around—she wasn't his friend, no matter what she claimed—always stated that the persistent rain was her fault, but that girl could be shoved by someone and find a way to blame herself.

"Gajeel!" a random gang member—Gajeel never bothered to learn any names. There was no point—called, gaining the teen's attention. "Master's lookin' for ya!"

A smirk made its way across his face. The Master would request meetings with different members on occasion, to check up on them and make sure they weren't ratting to the cops, but Gajeel was always requested for a different reason. See, when Master Jose found out about a rat within their ranks, he called on Gajeel to…remind the filthy rat what happens when weak men spill their weak guts. Making his way upstairs to Jose's "office," which was really just the master bedroom in the house, Gajeel wondered which poor sucker would be feeling the brunt of his lead pipe this time. He hoped it was that skeevy kleptomaniac that joined a few weeks ago. Gajeel owed him for lifting Juvia's lunch money last week. His smirk turned downright sadistic as he imagined just how satisfying it would feel to knock out a couple of the little shit's teeth.

Stopping outside Jose's office, Gajeel knocked and shifted his weight, impatiently waiting for the go-ahead to enter the room. Gajeel may have been the brawn of the operation, but he remembered what happened the last time he entered the room without knocking. He had accidentally interrupted a "business transaction" between Jose and a woman whose father owed Jose money. Gajeel could still feel the phantom pulses where his jaw had been dislocated and his ribs had been fractured. He couldn't feel entirely bad about it, though. The woman managed to gather her clothing and get out the door before Jose could stop her.

"You may enter," a shifty voice called from the other side of the door, causing Gajeel to shudder. He'd always hated the sound of Jose's voice. It had a way of crawling across your skin, the whisper of a touch, just enough to make you feel like you were in desperate need of a shower.

Taking a deep breath, Gajeel opened the door and did as he was told, closing the door behind him out of habit. Sitting at a desk on the other side of the room was Jose, his purple and black suit looking out of place in the dingy room. His black hair had been slicked back into a ponytail with so much grease that it looked practically white under the glare of the overhead light. It took everything in Gajeel's power not to cringe in disgust. He didn't hide how he felt about most people, but Jose was not someone you wanted to snub.

"Ah, Gajeel," he crooned, causing Gajeel's very skin to crawl. "Glad you could join me. I have an assignment for you."

Suppressing a full-body shudder, Gajeel squared his shoulders and forced himself to slouch in faux relaxation. "What kind of assignment?"

Jose let out a laugh. "One you'll enjoy, I'm sure." Gajeel cracked a smile as Jose shifted to grab something from the desk behind him. "There's a little problem I need snuffed out."

Easy. Someone was probably starting shit within their ranks. Gajeel just needed to go rough 'em up a bit, and that would stop right quick.

"What kind of problem?" Gajeel asked, not really caring. Jose heaved a heavy sigh.

"A…do-gooder problem," Jose sneered, his lip curling over his yellow teeth in disgust. "There's a man who has taken it upon himself to cause unrest amongst our ranks. He needs to learn that you don't mess with Phantom Lord."

This was unsurprising. Gajeel had done this quite a few times. He shrugged internally. It didn't matter to him whether the rat was a member or not; their bones all broke the same.

"Okay, so I'll go…pay him a visit. Who am I looking for?"

"Oh, it's not the do-gooder who you'll be visiting." This was a surprise. Gajeel lifted an eyebrow, waiting for Jose to continue. "He isn't one who will learn his lesson firsthand. No, you'll be visiting his wisp of a daughter." Jose handed Gajeel a manila folder, which he assumed held information on the girl.

While unusual, Gajeel didn't think much of Jose's request. Gajeel didn't care so much about hitting girls, as long as they had it coming, but something about Jose's body language and tone didn't sit right with him. Shrugging it off, he turned to leave, opening the folder as he walked. Inside sat a picture of a small girl with blue hair and bright brown eyes. Her short, curly hair was pulled back by a sash serving as a headband. Gajeel opened the door, preparing to leave, but was halted by Jose's voice.

"Oh, and Gajeel?" He turned. "I want to make sure that the message is received loud and clear. Make sure that they'll have a hard time identifying the body."

Gajeel was unable to repress the full-body shudder that ran through him. Jose didn't want him to send the girl to the hospital—he wanted Gajeel to send her straight to the morgue.

"You were sent to kill someone?" Levy demanded, eyes wide with indignation. Gajeel refused to turn to her—refused to see the disgust on her face. Disgust with Jose; disgust with him. There was a moment of silence before she shifted uncomfortably. What she said next caused his blood to run cold.

"Did you ever…you know…" she asked, voice so soft he almost didn't hear her. He rounded on her.

"Of course not. I was a terrible person—that's true—but I wasn't a complete monster," Gajeel defended himself, bristling. Taking a deep, calming breath, he prepared himself for the next bit of information he was about to give. He was about to offer it willingly, but Levy beat him to it.

"Who…?" she hesitated, unsure if she really wanted to know. Gajeel pulled in another deep breath, turned to look at her dead on, and squared his shoulders.

"You."

Gajeel had been following Levy McGarden for two months, and he kind of hated her.

Not because she was a bad person, but because she wasn't. She was an honors/AP student at the local high school, worked part-time at the city library, and even volunteered at a safehouse for battered women. In between all of these activities, she still made time to tutor other students, go out to lunch and movies with friends, and read at least fifty books a week. She was taking two language classes at her high school, French and German, along with a Latin class at the community college. For a seventeen-year-old girl, she sure was busy. At the end of the day, she would return home to the warm, open arms of her parents. In the eight weeks that Gajeel had been stalking (what? It's exactly what he was doing. He called it like he saw it) her, he'd never seen Levy McGarden so much as frown. And that's why he hated her.

He hated her because after all this time, he couldn't bring himself to so much as lay a finger on her. He'd had plenty of opportunities. She walked home alone after dark, after all. It would've been all too easy to grab her and pull her into an alley. He knew the specific alley he would drag her down, too. No one would see a damn thing. It would be so easy, and yet he couldn't do it. And the answer for why pissed him off even more.

She didn't deserve it. She was such a good person. Gajeel couldn't even fault her for being judgmental. She was the least judgmental person he'd ever encountered. If there was one person in the entire world that deserved to live a full, successful life, it was Levy McGarden, because she could make a difference. Hell, she already was.

His mind made up, Gajeel made his way back to headquarters, only to stop short. He couldn't just go back and tell them he couldn't do it. Gajeel would be killed, and then they would send someone in his place who could actually get the job done. No, he needed to get help, and he knew exactly who he needed to get that help from.

But could he really do it? Could he go to the police? He'd be a rat, and he knew exactly what happened to rats. It wouldn't be a matter of having the hell beat out of him—no, they'd kill him. No matter what he chose to do, he was going to die. And what would happen to Juvia? With her weird quirk of referring to herself in the third person, no one else gave her the time of day. The only thing stopping Jose from trafficking her was Gajeel. With him gone, she'd…

Gajeel was unable to suppress the full-body shiver that racked his body. No, he couldn't let that happen to her. Juvia was the only good thing in his life. She was practically his little sister. He wouldn't let Jose sell her body. She wouldn't survive it.

Turning back in the direction of the McGarden house, Gajeel shoved his hand in his pocket and felt the iron knuckles Jose had given to him for his thirteenth birthday. They were he go-to weapon. Gajeel would kill the little girl—for Juvia. As the house came into view, Gajeel's resolve dried up. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself up the steps to the front door, lifting his hand to knock. It would be so easy. The parents were out for the night, the girl the only one home. All he had to do was rap his fist against the door.

Tears built up in Gajeel's eyes at his hesitance. He couldn't do it—not even for Juvia's sake. Turning quickly, he took off down the street, knowing exactly where he needed to go. He would go to the cops, but first, he had to find Juvia. Gajeel didn't give a damn about what happened to him, but he knew the cops could offer protection for his sister. He was out of breath by the time he came up to her run-down apartment. Banging on the door, he was surprised when it wasn't Juvia that answered.

"What do you want, Black Steel?" Bora, the smarmy klepto, sneered. He was standing in Juvia's doorway in nothing but a pair of low-riding jeans, his hair a mess, a smug look on his face. Gajeel's blood began to boil.

"Bora? Who was at the door?" Juvia's sweet voice called out from within. A moment later, she appeared in the doorway, securing a robe to her body. Seeing her curls tangled this way and that, Gajeel lost it.

"Get the fuck out," he growled at Bora, leveling him with a glare that could make a boxer piss his pants. Bora hesitated for only a second before dashing back into the apartment, grabbing his discarded clothing, and fleeing. Juvia didn't call him back.

"What the fuck was he doing here?" Gajeel ground out, clenching his fists. Juvia crossed her arms tightly, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Master sent him here," she began, voice small. "He said that Juvia owed him a debt, and that Bora would come by her apartment tonight to collect. Juvia thought it was money, but she was wrong."

Juvia tried to hide it, but tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them. A strangled sob slipped past her lips, shaking her entire body, and Gajeel saw red.

"Get dressed. We're leaving," he ordered, storming into her room and grabbing her suitcase from under her bed. Juvia sat there for a moment, staring.

"But Gajeel, we can't—we can't just—just leave," Juvia whimpered out between sobs. "Mas—Master will fi—find us."

"No, he won't," Gajeel promised, closing her now-full luggage. Juvia looked at him incredulously.

"Where are we going, Timbuktu?"

"No, worse. We're going to the police station."

Juvia's reaction was immediate and intense.

"It took me a good two hours to convince Juvia to come with me, but I wasn't leave without her," Gajeel said, holding his now-empty coffee cup between both of his hands. "When I finally did, we went straight to the Captain. I swore he was gonna arrest me on the spot."

"Why didn't he?" Levy asked, sounding subdued. Gajeel raked his hand through his fringe, heaving a heavy sigh.

"Because I promised that I would help take Jose down, as long as they put a protective detail on you and got Juvia the hell out of Dodge. It took a few months, but I was finally able to collect enough evidence to arrest him. By then, my eighteenth birthday had just passed, and I was about a week away from graduation. Yes, I finished high school," Gajeel teased, chuckling slightly at the red flush that painted Levy's cheeks. "The Captain came to graduation and offered me a place at the police academy. A chance to clean up my act. I took it."

Levy was quiet for some time. After a too-long silence, which had Gajeel twitching uncomfortably, she finally spoke.

"Thank you for telling me."

She then raised herself from her seat. Gajeel stiffened, convinced he had damaged what small friendship Levy had offered him, only to jump when she rested a hand on his shoulder. She looked down at him with a warm smile for another long moment before she collapsed onto him, holding him tightly.

"Shrimp?!" Gajeel squeaked, hands waving around the air, unsure what to do with them. A sob ripped from the small woman, causing Gajeel to panic even more.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, tightening her arms around him. "I just…you saved my life, and you look like you're expecting me to hit you."

"You're not going to?" Gajeel asked, insecure.

"Of course not, stupid!" She pulled back slightly to look at him. "I'm not going to lie to you; this is a lot to take in. I can't say I'm fully comfortable with it yet, and yes, you've done some horrible things. But I forgive you, and we'll work through it together."

That was all it took to open the floodgates. Gajeel pulled the small woman back into his arms, crushing her into a hug as his heart constricted. Those words, I forgive you, were all he needed to hear. The only other person to have ever fully accepted him was Juvia, and she mostly did because she shared some of his fucked-up past. Levy had absolutely no reason to forgive him, and yet she did anyway.

And if Levy McGarden could forgive him and care about him, maybe he could forgive himself one day, too.

Sup, y'all. Believe it or not, I've been working on this since Begin Again ended. This one shot takes place about a month or two after Lucy kills Dan. I mentioned (briefly) in the last chapter that Levy and Gajeel were working through some stuff from their past, but I never actually got to talk about what their past was. Gajeel's past was actually one of the first things I outlined for Begin Again, but it just never made its way into the story proper.

Originally, after Natsu and Gray left to go check out the lead, Gajeel was supposed to talk about his past with Lucy. However, it flowed better to have them talk about Dan and Natsu instead.

Y'all have my beta for Talking It Out, Yaruhi, to thank for this little nugget. Gajevy is her OTP, and she helped me brainstorm this.

Speaking of Talking It Out, I'm sorry it's taking so long to publish the next chapter. The chapter is done, but Yaruhi is out of town at the moment and isn't able to review it just yet. I hope this little piece will appease y'all for a little while longer. I'm working on the third chapter right now, so hopefully I'll be able to post those at around the same time.