Well here we go again! Yes, I know I'm neglecting Me and My Cat, no complaints! Shush! As for this one, I warned you near the end of Geisha that this had an OC, so I don't see this being all that popular. Oh well. I'm dedicating this one to the handful of people that posted they'd read it. Love you guys! This one has a bit of Gajeel/Levy, but I was more focused on Queen Shagotte and Lily than I usually am.

The rough draft of the fic is finished, as usual, I'll be making changes as I go. Haven't yet written any omake, but I'm sure I'll come up with some before I'm done posting it.

It Falls Apart

Chapter 1: Big Hands

The ten year old girl staggered as she was shoved, falling in the gutter. Her butt hurt from hitting the cobble stones that didn't quite line up. Her shorts were even now soaking up something wet that she absently hoped was water.

"Get outta here, you little demon brat!" the barman bellowed, blocking out the light from inside the bar. "I told you already, we don't let kids in here!"

"I was just tryin' to get warm, you jerk!" the blonde girl shouted as he slammed the door shut in her face. Tanya, at least, that's the name she had been given by the mother that had abandoned her when she was a baby. She didn't think she fit the name. Even though she was so skinny you could see her ribs, her shoulders were broad and her hands large and knobby. She looked down at those hands, wondering what she was going to do now.

Slowly she stood, her tattered clothing hanging off of her body, her shoes too tight. They were worn over the toes, her toenails poking out. She reached one of her big hands up, shoving at the tangled, stringy mess of blonde hair that hung in her face. She would have to cut it off again, Tanya decided, trying not to wince as she started to walk. It was getting hard to see.

Magnolia. She had finally made it to Magnolia, right? She would find someone to teach her magic here. That's what Nellie had told her before the old woman died. "In Magnolia there are wonderful mages, mages that can do anything, go anywhere. They can help you with your little problem, I know it!" Nellie's voice whispered through Tanya's mind. It was what had driven her for the past year.

She whimpered as her foot slid on a stone that wasn't flat and her hand shot out to catch her before she hit the wall. That big hand that she had yet to grow into pressed hard against the concrete wall, her full weight (less than eighty pounds, she hadn't been eating so well this last year) pressing against it.

The wall crumbled under her touch, several inches of concrete falling as dust to the ground.

"Thank you for this," Shagotte said softly. "I couldn't think of a good excuse to come into town, but-"

"But you want to see Charle," Pantherlily said. The two of them sat at a table outside of a tiny cafe, drinking a cup of coffee. This wasn't how he usually spent his Friday nights, he thought a bit dryly, but he wasn't about to tell her that. "I understand, and I promise I'll arrange for something, Queen."

"Shagotte," she said. "I don't... I mean, you're not really one of my subjects anymore, are you?"

"No," he agreed softly. "I'm not. But I still think of you as Queen. It's a habit I could never really break myself of, even after I was kicked out." He didn't say a word when she winced, nor did he attempt to take it back. It was the truth after all. He hesitated, thinking over his relationship with the little white cat-Charle, that was. "She's a good girl. A bit bossy, though."

"I wonder where she got that from," Shagotte said with a slight smile. "Is she doing well? In the guild?"

"Extremely. She's got several people that adore her, and not just because of her precog abilities. She's smart," he said. "Hardheaded, though. Talking her into something she doesn't want to do is practically impossible if you don't know what motivates her. Which," he admitted, glancing up at the cafe, "is why we're here. She likes the cake."

"Oh? Really?" she asked, growing enthusiastic. "Can you tell me which ones?" She pulled out a little notebook and a pen, and he looked at her blankly for a moment before fighting a laugh.

"Sure, they're-" He stopped and turned as something caught his attention. A young girl was stumbling down the street, dirty blonde hair practically covering her face, her clothing hanging off a far too thin frame. "Excuse me," he said to Shagotte.

"But-" she said, looking at the human child with worry.

"On Earthland I can do this with no fear," he told her with a slightly bittersweet smile before he hopped off the chair and headed for the girl. "Hello," he said, stepping in front of her. She was more than twice his height in this form, but she was still a little girl to him. And she smelled of magic.

"I-um-" the girl started out, looking down at him blankly for a moment. "You're a talking cat?" she asked. Her stomach gurgled hungrily, so loud that even the humans around them could hear it.

"You catch on quick," he said gently, smirking slightly. "You hungry? I know a place that has good food."

"I-yeah," she admitted. "But I don't have any money. And-sometimes things happen," she admitted, turning and looking at something behind her. "You're better off going away now."

"Hey," he said, grabbing her hand. "Look at me when you're talking to me," he ordered. "What sort of things happen?"

"Things... they fall apart, okay?" she said defiantly. "It ain't my fault! But it's none of your business, either." She looked over at Shagotte, her eyes widening slightly. "It's okay, you got friends, right? You should go back to them." She stepped to the side, only to be blocked by Lily. "Oye! Get out of my way already, I got places to go."

"No, I don't think so. She's waiting for someone else, anyway," he added as he glanced over at Shagotte. "They won't miss me. Now come on, let's get you something to eat." He tugged on her hand. The magical force blew through his body, shoving him away from her and across the street. His back slammed into the wall of the little cafe he and Shagotte had been sitting at.

"I didn't-I mean-you shouldn't have grabbed me!" she said, her face as pale as the moon that was rising into the sky. "It's your fault-" She took a step back, then another, only to run into an immovable object.

"I don't know who you are, kid, but nobody does that to my cat."

Slowly Tanya looked up, swallowing loudly as a demonic looking man stared down at her. "Gajeel! Wait!" She jumped as she heard the cat speak, turning to see if he was still alive. The cat stood up, dusting himself off and popping his neck with a casual move. "She packs a punch," he added with a shrug. "But she's still a kid. One that looks like she hasn't eaten in a while."

Gajeel hesitated, scowling down at her, then glancing over at the white cat that was still watching them. "Go back to your date, I'll take the kid," he said, grabbing Tanya by the back of her shirt. He cursed as the material started to rip.

"Leggo, you jerk! Leggo of me!" Tanya bellowed, struggling to get free and accidentally finishing the rip of her shirt. She fell out of it, completely naked from the waist up. She wrapped her skinny arms around herself, staring up at the iron dragon as if he'd done something horrible.

"Well, shit," he muttered, shrugging off his own shirt and roughly pulling it over her head before anyone could see anything they shouldn't. Then he grabbed that shirt, both movements so fast that the young girl couldn't really follow. "I'm taking her to the guild," he told Lily.

"She's got magic," the Exceed said.

"Trust me, I picked up on that," Gajeel said, tossing the girl up so he could wrap his arm around her waist, carrying her under his arm. His shirt looked like a dress on her, hanging down around her thighs.

"She smells familiar, too."

"Yeah, I picked up on that, too," the metal dragon said before starting off. For a long moment Lily watched his partner carry the girl away, a slight frown on his face.

"He won't hurt her, will he?" Shagotte asked.

"No," Lily said. "But she might try and hurt him. Poor kid," he added, shaking his head.

"So which one are you worried for?" she asked him as he headed back to the table.

"Her," he said, a bit surprised that she even had to ask. "Of course," he added, as if there was no doubt. "Hitting him can be painful and she's just a kid."

"I see," she said, only to stop as she caught sight of Charle. "How do I look? Do I look alright? I spent an entire week trying to find the right outfit for this, but maybe I should have chosen the red one-oh, isn't she just the most adorable thing you've ever seen?"

"Yeah," he said softly, watching Shagotte instead of Charle. "Really adorable," he added.

"I wish I knew where she got her clothes, they're so cute!"

"Ask her," Lily said, feeling like a third wheel. Two beautiful females on a Friday night, he thought, and his only part in this was making sure they got along well enough to eat cake together.

"You didn't tell me she would be here," Charle said, giving Lily an irritated look.

"You-you come here often with Pantherlily?" Shagotte asked, looking worried once again. She looked over at Lily with a torn expression. "Are you two-"

"We're not dating!" Charle said before Lily could say anything. "Usually me, Lily and Happy come here once a month to eat cake and tea, because-"

"Because we're celebrating the fact that there's cake, and her favorite type of tea," Lily finished for her, trying not to laugh. It was true, but more honestly, he was giving Happy a hand. Charle didn't hate the blue cat nearly as much as she acted like. That and seriously, the cake here was great.

"That's a very good thing to celebrate," Shagotte said. "In fact, why don't we celebrate it now?"

"Well... okay," Charle said.

"She likes the Darjeeling Tea and the strawberry cake," Lily informed Shagotte shamelessly.