A/N: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters.

Chapter 1: Something Doesn't Smell Right

It had been several weeks since Fairy Tail's infamous male dragon slayers had returned from their suspicious absences. When they came back to the Guild Hall after their unexpected furlongs each had a new mate. Natsu had returned hand in hand with Lucy much to the delight of everyone who had bet on the partners becoming more than just friends. And while the reaction was not as immediate or universal, Gajeel and Levy also seemed to be well accepted. Each couple had their way of being around the hall that left room for no questions as to the validity of their relationship.

While the pink hared slayer and his blonde companion had always been close they were clearly more than just partners now. They were very rarely apart and when they were there was always piercing stares from across the room, each always seeming to know where the other was. When they sat together it was often with her in his lap while he held her around the waist. When they were at the bar it was usually her seated while he stood behind her wrapping his arms around her slim figure. More than once he was seen resting his chin on her shoulder causing her to blush intensely.

When the pair had immerged as a couple for the first time it was after Lucy had been 'sick' though everyone knew it was just a cover for whatever happend between the two. Many of their guild mates had noticed that she now had two very discreet tattoos on the sides of her neck where it met her shoulders. Tiny red and gold flames. Many had asked her about her new decorations but each time she simply giggled and innocently asked, "Don't they look cute?". The more, shall we say nosier, mages had noticed that the markings seemed to grow brighter when her lover was near and even seemed to sparkle somehow when he would kiss them lightly when he thought no one was looking.

A similar mystery was revolving around the raven haired slayer and his blue haired mate. The script mage was never out of the iron slayers line of sight and even though they did sit together with team Shadowgear rather often the two were noticeably closer than before. Nothing as obvious as the other two, Gajeel was a subtle man. Jet and Droy in particular had noticed that periodically the larger mage would lift Levy's delicate wrist to his lips and kiss it gently right on top of what seemed to be a barbell style piercing.

The script mage had also returned with new body modifications just like her best friend only these were different. Rather than two discreet tattoos she had a small iron piercing on the underside of each wrist. Only the very nosiest of mages, mainly Mira, noticed that every time the new couple sat together the tiny metal study seemed to almost double in size.

"I wonder what that's all about…" The white haired demon barmaid was thinking out loud to herself when a very familiar voice caught her off guard.

"What what's all about Mira-nii?" The youngest Strauss sibling approached her elder sister with a smile as always.

"O, Lisanna! I didn't see you there. I was just wondering something about our newest couples." Tilting her head with her eyes closed and sporting a sweet smile that would make most think the take-over mage was innocent in her thought. However, to those that know her well it is the face of true evil.

"What are you plotting?" Gray's voice, gruff and low, startled both women as he sat on the stool in front of the suspicious woman. A certain blue haired water mage quickly filled the vacant spot beside him.

"Nothing. I was just wondering something about two of our newest couples." Her hands covered her cheeks as the eldest Strauss almost squealed with joy. "Have you noticed anything strange about Lucy's tattoos, or Levy's piercing?" She looked as innocently as possible at the now sweating ice mage while the other two women also stared, clearly confused. "You do know something don't you! Come on Gray tell us!" Leaning over the bar she propped her chin on her folded hands as she used her best puppy dog eyes.

"I don't know anything other than what that fire breath told me. Now that him and Lucy are 'mates', whatever that means, they've got some kind of connection through those marks but that's all I know. Ask somebody else, like HAPPY!" The Ice Make Mage's voice called out to the nearby Exceed as he took his bluenett companion by the hand and made his way out of the hall.

Mira, and everybody she had told…so everybody in Fairy Tail, already knew about the dragon slayer's season and its ending results. The only details she didn't know were about Lucy's severe injuries, Happy was her informant and he didn't wish to have his best friend and foster 'father' killed by a vengeful Erza, and the marks. As the little blue cat happily landed on the bar his eyes grew large as he was presented with a juicy fish. "If you tell us what you know about Lucy's tattoos and Levy's piercings I'll give you this on the house." The treacherous fur ball wasted no time divulging the secrets behind the mating marks to the guild's biggest gossip.

Within minutes Canna was announcing the news to the whole guild. "I say we celebrate; drinks all around!" It never did take much to start an all-out party. The guild's resident champion drinker walked over to the mages at the center of the celebration. The bluenette hung her head and sighed while the blonde had a mini freak-out. Both the girls faces seemed to be turning the color of the great Titania's hair.

"Cana, it's still morning and did you have to tell EVERYBODY?" Lucy shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her own waist. The celestial mage was hoping to avoid an over the top reaction from her friends but once Mira found out the details from Happy, who will soon be recovering from a severe Lucy-kick, there was no hope. "Leave it to you to make a big deal out of something that isn't anybody's business."

Levy placed a sympathetic arm over her best friend's shoulders. "It's not so bad Lu-Chan, see." The bluenette pointed to her recently acquired mate sat across the room in a darkened corner with his arms crossed wearing a smirk. "Even Gajeel is having a good time!" She knew he looked the same as always to everyone else but her new deeper connection to the raven haired slayer told her that he was pleased. 'I know he won't like all the attention, but I bet he's glad everyone is accepting us. And so am I.' Her thoughts were interrupted by the approach of her distressed friend's partner.

"What's up Luce? You look mad." Natsu appeared at the table opposite his lover, a worried expression plastered across his face as he began formulating reasons for her displeasure. 'Did I do something? I cleaned up the kitchen after I tried to make pancakes right? I bought her those new cloths to replace the ones I burnt up didn't I? Did I break the window again?' Nothing he could think of offered an explanation for her angry appearance.

"It's not you." She knew him very well by now and reading him had become easy over the last few weeks. "Cana went and told everybody about…you know… everything." Unconsciously the irritated spirit mage lifted a hand to cover one of her marks.

"So? Was it supposed to be a secret? It's not like you can hide these." Lifting a finger, the pinkette gently caressed the exposed mark on the other side of the blonde's neck sending a shiver down her spine as the flame shaped mark glowed brightly under her mates touch.

A death glare froze him mid motion. "I told you not to do that in public Natsu!"

Raising his hands in surrender he smiled his signature toothy grin as he backed away. "HaHa ummm an…anybody seen the snowflake? I haven't had a good fight in a while and I'm all fired up!" Gray and Juvia had been inseparable for weeks after a certain fire mage had accidentally bragged about claiming Lucy for a mate during a brawl. Rumors were running wild with speculation over the possibility of a secret relationship between the two.

"I think I saw him at the bar with Juvia and Mira earlier, but he left a few minutes ago." Cana pointed to the bar as she spoke when suddenly, as if on cue, said man entered through the oversized hall doors…alone.

Natsu stormed up to the newly arrived Ice Make Mage. "Hey ice stri..." The pink haired man stopped mid-thought and mid-stride holding his nose. "Damn Gray what have you and that rain woman been doing? Rollin around in the dumpsters?" Walking away, the fire mage lost all interest in fighting as he moved to guard his mate from the strange smelling man. 'Gray smells awful. Normally he smells like water and sweat, but now… pew! It's all pheromones and not the good kind. Where's Juvia? The two of them haven't been apart since she threw that fit about me and Lucy. ' Lost in his thoughts he missed the foot aimed straight for his head. "OWWww Luce, what was that for?"

"That was rude baka, and Gray doesn't smell. What's wrong with you?" The spirit mage put her hands on her hips as she glared down at the slayer lying on the floor clutching his hands to the noticeable dent in his crown.

"Salamander's right for once. That guy don't smell right." Gajeel appeared behind Levy as if materializing from the shadows. 'Somethins wrong with him, but what? I'm gonna get the Shrimp away from the frost queen til he smells right again.' Without another word the iron mage looked down at his mate. She smiled and nodded before jumping down off her stool and hugging her best friend goodbye. The two walked out of the Guild Hall followed closely by Lilly. Mates are the most precious thing in a dragon's life, and for slayers it is much the same. If ever they feel their mate is in danger their first impulse is to get them to safety. A friend that suddenly didn't seem right equaled danger in the slayers minds.

"Come on Luce, let's get outa here." His eyes were more pleading with her to comply rather than their usual demanding glint. That alone was enough for her to understand that leaving was important to him for some unknown reason. With another warm smile and a quick call to Happy, letting him know they were going, the two left for Lucy's apartment. 'I can't explain it, I just know that I don't want that slanty-eyed bastard anywhere near Lucy. Not smellin like that. I wonder if rail brain had the same feeling. Bet that's why they left too. What the hell is goin on with the stripper?'

… A Little Later …

"I do not know why, but I feel uneasy about the change in the ice mage. It was more than just his scent, which I assure you was indeed different. There was something about the look in his eye. I do not know how to further explain it except to say that something was odd about the way he looked at the fire mage. It was as though he did not recognize him as nakama. He looked at Salamander as though he were a stranger or possibly the enemy." Lilly, Gajeel, and Levy and been talking around the small iron table in the slayer's kitchen for almost an hour. Lilly had been the one to do most of the talking as the iron mage was uncomfortable with the topic but did not understand why. Levy hadn't noticed anything unusual at all but because of her new and closer bond with the brooding man to her left she had followed him out of what he obviously perceived as danger without question.

"He seemed completely fine to me. I do wonder what happen to Juvia though, those two haven't been apart from each other since she found out about Natsu and Lucy but when Gray came back just now I didn't see her anywhere. Not even skulking around the corner which IS a little odd. Maybe they just had a fight and it's like Natsu said: he fell in a dumpster or something?" Her words were unconvincing even to herself, but the boys were in such foul moods she had to at least try to lighten things up.

… At the Guild Hall…

"Are you sure nothings bothering you Gray? You've been very quiet ever since you got back." Laki had been trying to get the ice mage to help her practice maker magic since he reappeared an hour ago but he had ignored all of her requests.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired is all." As he smiled at the purple haired mage she couldn't help but find the gesture cold, and she knew it had nothing to do with his magic. As she reflected back over the last hour, she noticed that for the majority of the time he had been sitting at the table he had kept his eyes on Evergreen sitting with the Thunder God Tribe. The green haired fairy had been in an unlikely pairing with Elfman until yesterday.

It was midafternoon when the irate brunette had stormed up to Mira and ordered her to tell Elfamn to stay away from her from now on. "I don't know what kind of delusions he suffers from, but he is NOT my type. Tell him to stay away from me or I will turn him to stone and shatter him into dust." Ever's words were venomous but she had been crying as she spoke. All of Fairy Tail that was present was shocked by the very emotional and public display.

'Does Gray have a crush on Evergreen? That's suicidal, she wouldn't go for him. She likes Elfman…. Or she did until last night. That was weird. They went to all that trouble to keep their relationship secret and when they broke up she made it all so public. I don't think I will ever understand some people.' Laki's thoughts were cut short when she noticed the gem in the center of Gray's necklace appeared to be glowing. "Hey Gray, what's up with your cross?" She could swear she saw a hint of panic in his eyes as he looked down at the ornament hanging over his chest.

"O, that. It just does that sometimes. Nothing to worry about. I'm gonna head home for the night, see ya." With a halfhearted wave the Ice Maker Mage stood and left the hall. His gaze at the Thunder God Tribe broken only by the closing of the large doors.

Laki walked over to the bar and sat down next to Reedus. "Did Gray seem like he was acting odd to you at all today?"

"Oui!" The large painting mage showed that he too had noticed the strange behavior through his worried expression.

"I'm sure he's just a little stressed out, he'll be fine just you watch." Lisanna appeared as if from nowhere to reassure her friends with her warm smile. Reedus and Laki both relaxed a little and began talking about some new art for the hall. After a few minutes of debating the merits of a group portrait versus a large wooden sculpture they were interrupted by a familiar pair of mages placing food orders with the fill-in barmaid at the table behind them. A look of complete confusion overtook Laki's features as she watched Gray offer to pay for Juvia's meal.

"Gray-sama… your clothes..." The water mage's voice was soft and even though her back was facing the Wood Maker Mage, Laki could tell that the bluenette was blushing while still enjoying the view of the shirtless man.

'That's right, he was fully dressed all day too. Why did he come back so quickly? Did he run into Juvia outside or something? Weird.' Standing to address the confusing man she spoke inquisitively, unable to hold back her curiosity at the sudden change in his behavior over such a short period of time. "Hey, I thought you were going home. Didn't you say you were tired?"

"What are you talkin about Laki?" Grey stood facing the small purple haired girl as he redressed himself but receiving only a puzzled look in response he shrugged his shoulders and retook his place at his companion's side.

'What is going on here?' Reedus and Laki shared a concerned look.

A/N: Please R&R. Constructive criticism welcome and encouraged!