Finding a Way

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"Mom! Dad! Uncle Gajeel's here!" Alex chanted his gleeful announcement, mopping up the floor with his sock feet as he drifted around the halls towards the front door. He panted out his laughter as he barreled down the stairs, his baby sister stumbling around behind him with angelic laughter.

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Neirah poked her head out around the corner from where she was scrubbing dishes at the kitchen sink. "Be careful you two, running around like little demo-" Neirah gasped, dropping her dishes back in the sink as she watched Lyra take a tumble on the last step. "Lyra-!"

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"Is ok."

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Neirah heaved a sigh of relief and smiled to herself with the little girl's gentle squeak in reply. Just in case, her gaze continued to linger as she watched the dainty girl crawl to her feet, smooth her lengthy white-blonde curls from her face and collect Lucky before she chased her big brother down without a second thought. It was still unusual hearing Lyra speaking, but Neirah was thankful for it. After almost five years of silence, her daughter had finally found a voice capable of charming even the deadliest of beasts, and it was a magic all on its own. "Alex? Tell your aunt and uncle I'll be out in just a minute!" Neirah hollered after her son. "Once I've finished cleaning up after you little monsters."

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Levy and Gajeel were solemn as they waited by the door, Lilian close to their side; but as soon as it flung open, Alex was crashing into his uncle excitedly. Levy watched them tumble to the ground, her spirits lifting with the young Dreyar's enthusiasm. But the moment she turned her head and met Lyra's bashful little grin, her heart shattered.

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She slowly knelt in front of the girl, the droning of her husband and nephew fading from her comprehension. Levy reached out and stroked Lucky's twisted whiskers, the stuffed white cat comforting in the moment as she tried to keep her composure in front of the unsuspecting child. He was a reminder that they had been through worse. "Hey angel, are your parent's home?" Levy asked softly. She knew full well that Laxus and Neirah wouldn't leave their four and eight-year-old home alone under any circumstance, but she thought that asking politely would be better than barging in like she owned the place. They were family, not neanderthals. She smiled weakly as Lyra nodded with a soft smile, taking Levy by the hand to lead her through the hall towards the kitchen her mother was cleaning.

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Levy smiled and kneeled at the child's side again, stroking Lyra's kinky curls from her face. "Thank you," she murmured softly. She gently encouraged the girl towards the doorway to buy some privacy for the matter she needed to discuss with Neirah. "Can you go play with Alex and Lilian for a bit while your mom and I talk?" Lyra nodded with a soft smile before leaning up and kissing her aunt on the cheek, retreating with Lucky towards the yard to play with her cousin.

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"You know, believe it or not, she's actually talking now," Neirah crooned proudly. She wiped the suds from her forearms with a dish towel just before she removed her fluorescent rubber gloves. She smiled broadly as she turned to face her visitor, propping her hip up against the counter. "She didn't want daddy to leave last week and told him exactl-" Neirah's heart sank as she looked down into Levy's glossy hazel eyes, confused as to why tears slowly rolled over her cheeks. "Levy, what's wrong?" Neirah's eyes grew wide as Levy lunged forwards, throwing her arms around her friend with tears strong enough to dampen her apron.

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"We need to talk," Levy staggered out weakly. "Shads… something terrible is going to happen…"

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Neirah's brow creased in alarm as she watched a relatively sombre Gajeel shift his weight in the doorway, his gaze diverted from the women's. Her first thought was that something had happened to Fairy Tail's guild master, her husband. Then, after she let the moment of panic clear so that she could comprehend Levy's words clearly, her confusion deepened. Neirah caught her breath as Levy passed her the note she had found in the stream not far from where they stood. She cut her gaze from the damaged paper to where Levy stared back at her through her tears. "Wait… Did you say… 'going to happen'…?"

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That night, like everyone before it, it had never felt so good to come home. The weight of the day's events were lifted as soon as his hand touched the knob on his front door, but even as they left him, an ominous presence slipped through his comprehension as he opened it. It was still rather early for their son to be in bed, but the house was dark, save for the kitchen. He might have been able to shake the feeling of Neirah and Levy in grim discussion towards the light, but when his first step was retreating beneath the force of an iron dragon, he knew that something terrible had happened.

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He expelled a harsh and uncertain breath with Gajeel's assault on his airway, allowing the obviously furious man to pin him to the back of his own front door. It had been a long time since Gajeel had confronted him in such a manner, and his first thoughts were that something had happened to baby Blacksteel; that he'd allowed something to happen to Neirah. "What the hell's goin' on here?!" He kept his hiss of demand low, knowing full well that Lyra, if not both of his children, would be in their beds.

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"You listen up good because I'm only gonna say this once," Gajeel growled in warning. "If I EVER catch you runnin' around on my kid sister… she won't get a chance to kill you herself."

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Laxus' brow furrowed in utter insult, and moments before he parted his lips to offer his defence, their encounter had been interrupted. "Gajeel!" Levy called out angrily from the kitchen doorway. With an obedient grunt, Gajeel released Laxus' throat and stepped aside, allowing Laxus a glimpse at the diamond tears pouring from the heartbroken azure eyes of his wife.

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His lips parted with the uncertain hitch in his breath. "What happened…?" He forced his words out in a hushed breath, rushing a step towards his wife as his mind raced in terror. "Alex? Lyra? What the hell's goin' on!?"

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"They're fine… They're in bed," Neirah whispered weakly. She diverted her gaze to the note Levy had delivered and a soft whimper caught in her throat when she felt Laxus' hands rest along the sides of her damp cheeks.

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"And you?" He inquired uncertainly. He couldn't take the tension in the room, and to someone who valued their family above all else, he didn't think his heart would survive the scare of harm befalling them. "Come on, give me somethin'," he forced past heavy breaths. "These don't come for nothing."

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She leant into his touch as he stroked the tears away from where they leaked along the tattoos by her eyes. "Our daughter," Neirah started in a broken whimper. She raised her hands to his, wrapping her fingers around his hands as she encouraged him to take the note from their daughter. "She's contacted us… from the future…"

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Lyra cried out as she was tossed into a musty cell by the people who'd captured her, her wounds stinging with the impact. She shifted her exhausted gaze their way as they left her, muttering something about a hunt like she was some kind of animal. She quickly scurried into one of the darkened corners of her cell, drawing her knees up to her chest as she started to cry. Obviously, the Magic Council was imprisoning magic users so they weren't assimilated to the cause of either side of the war. Something that not even children seemed to be exempt from. She shuttered in betrayal as she began to release her tears. She was ready to spend the rest of her evening contemplating the reality that had turned her fairytale into a nightmare, and if fate had it, possibly the rest of her days.

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"Lyra?!"

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Lyra let out a shrill scream as she was suddenly embraced by someone who evidently shared her prison cell.

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"Lyra, it's ok. You're ok…"

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Lyra opened her eyes as teardrops fell to the top of her head from the eyes of the woman who had clutched her to her breast. She slowly tipped her gaze towards the woman, her heart racing with the familiarity of her voice, the familiarity of her scarlet coloured hair. "M-miss… Miss Erza," she stammered out weakly.

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"That's right," Erza whispered tenderly. She accepted the girl's shattered whimpers as arms were thrown around her damaged figure in comfort. Her smile was faint as she gently stroked Lyra's matted waves to the sound of relieved tears filling their prison. "I'm so glad to know that you are safe…" Erza's brow furrowed with heartache, feeling the delicate little girl trembling against her. "After Magnolia had been destroyed, I thought for sure we'd lost you…"

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"They came back," Lyra mewled gently. "Even after it was destroyed. They are taking away all the wizards that were hiding in the ruins so they couldn't join the war." Lyra turned her bright blue eyes towards Erza with a hopeful hum in her voice. "Wait… My brother," Lyra rushed out shrilly. "Have you… seen my brother? He left one day to find food and never… He never came back…"

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Erza tried her best to display a reassuring smile to the fragile soul threads from breaking before her. "I'm sorry, Lyra, I haven't." Her admittance was grim as she turned her gaze towards their imprisonment. "I was captured a week ago when I was caught trying to defend a city-turned-battleground with my magic." More tears rolled over her cheeks at the thought of her sacrifice, the cost of her capture was nothing to know that freedom had befallen those she loved. She lowered her gaze back to Lyra's as it trembled back at her. "But I haven't seen him cross this way." She gently stroked the girl's fair locks as Lyra cried silently in her lap. "Alex is strong," Erza offered in comfort. "I'm sure he's just fine…"

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"I'm so sorry," Lyra offered quietly. "For mommy… and daddy… what they've done. Please, please forgive them, Miss Erza. I know it's not their fault… I know it…"

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"Shh…" Erza lightly hushed. It was hard enough for Erza to consider that two of her dear friends had turned the continent into a chaotic mess. It seemed like the happiest family turned feral faster than anyone could comprehend, leaving the bystanders to scatter to the winds. But as hard as it was for Erza to picture the villains that Laxus and Neirah had become in the last few years, it was harder to consider that they could leave Fairy Tail's Angel behind to suffer the aftermath alone. "None of this is your fault. Nobody could have foreseen this…"

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"Somebody will…" Lyra silently promised. She slowly closed her eyes as she rested her tired head against her ally's lap. "I promise… somebody… somewhere… They will."

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"This is a joke, right?" Laxus demanded in outrage. "There's no fucking wa- How is this even possible?!"

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"Would you quiet down," Neirah scolded. "Alex, Lyra and Lily are sleeping. They don't need to know about this." She lurched forwards and silenced her husband's elevated raving. "It can't be a joke," she assured him sternly. "Laxus, you know I've been working on this sketch by night, but I've only barely started. Not only has it come to us completed, but stained with our daughter's blood!" Neirah threw her hand over her face to catch her agonised whimper. "Lyra, I swear to infinity if anything has happened to her…"

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Laxus reached out and tangled his fingers in his wife's long auburn hair, holding her tightly in his embrace. He narrowed his devastated gaze on their kitchen and pressed his lips to the top of her head. He understood now why Gajeel had come to assume that he had been running around on his wife. It seemed to be what Lyra was implying. "Neirah, I would never do anything to hurt you," he tenderly reassured her.

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She shook her head against his touch feebly. "Even if I could ever doubt you, I would never turn my back on Alex and Lyra for the sake of petty revenge," she argued sternly. "But Lyra didn't tell us the whole story. There must be something more to it… The only way we're going to figure this out… is if we talk to her ourselves."

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"That makes no sense," Gajeel defended impatiently. "The kid's not gonna remember somethin' that hasn't happened yet."

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"That is not the daughter I'm going to ask." Neirah turned to face Laxus, a determined flash in her gaze. "If what Lyra says is true, the only ones capable of stopping our future selves are our past ones. We have to figure out what happened in the future that caused us to snap off at each other and stop it from happening in our past."

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"Shadow, you have to be reasonable!" Levy defended heatedly. "There is no telling how far in the future this is! You two might be strong now, but if you've truly divided the continent in the future, it is clearly insane how powerful you've become."

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"She's a damn dragon, Levy," Gajeel reminded her feverishly. "The controversy alone almost divided the fucking continent."

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Levy flinched as Neirah held up Lyra's letter, her expression unwavering.

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"I know the scent of my little girl's blood," she forced out in disgust. "And I swear on my life, the me that did this to her is going to get what she deserves. Lyra may not talk much… but she's incredibly sharp." Neirah spun the letter around to reveal the scribbled date on the back of it. "This letter was written six years from now starting yesterday." She assured them, throwing the paper onto the kitchen table. "You must have found the bottle almost the moment she sent it through time. And I intend on wasting none."

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"A lot can change in six years," Gajeel warned her cautiously. He had to attempt to defend Levy's sound reasoning when they stood in front of two unstably furious Dreyars.

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"Obviously," Laxus spat out darkly. He nearly growled with the tension causing his fists to tremble at his sides as he cut his gaze to the blood-soaked picture. "Normally, throwing ourselves into harm's way is the last thing I want to see, but in these six years, something goes wrong enough to destroy everything we've known."

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"I'm not trying to break lines to fight ourselves or anything so rash," Neirah assured them certainly. She had to admit though if she did run into her future counterpart, mamma dragon was promised to go berserk. "We just need to find Lyra and get the full story. She must be close by if we were able to recover her letter so quickly. There must be a way to prevent this from happening."

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"I can think of one way…" Gajeel growled under his breath. He cut his sharp, peripheral glare towards Laxus.

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"Don't you two start this again! For all we know you started this, Gajeel!" Levy scolded sternly She turned to face Neirah with a confident look on her features. Surprisingly enough, Levy had countlessly proven to be the braver of most of the Fairy Tail wizards, something the room serious needed a boost in that moment. She took Neirah's hands in hers with a determined look on her gentle features. "Tell me what you need me to do, and I'll do my best to help."

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"Do you remember the Alra'Bekthian I taught you years ago?" Neirah started uncertainly.

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"Every bit."

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"Excellent…" Neirah took Levy's hand and rushed past their men. "My mother's journal still has content in it that I've never read. Obviously, that is where Lyra picked up this fancy little trick to get us her note. If my ten-year-old daughter is capable of sending objects through time, I'll be damned if I can't see people through it like my father."

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Neirah gently stroked Lyra's mass of white-blonde curls from her sleepy smile as the young girl clutched her mother's old stuffed neko. Lucky, the good fortune cat, had been through a lot in their family since the day Gajeel had gifted it to a Shadow. Because of this, he had become a symbol of hope and triumph for all of them. As badly as nostalgia wanted her to squeeze him, she left him in the arms of her precious angel.

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"Stay brave, sweetie," she whispered softly. "Mommy and daddy will be there soon…" She was still sitting silently by her daughter's bedside by dim candle light as Juvia laid her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Thank you for coming," Neirah whispered delicately. She leant into Juvia's shoulder for comfort as the rain wizard knelt by her side.

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"Of course," Juvia whispered kindly. "Juvia is happy to help her dearest sister, and Gajeel too." Juvia hugged Neirah to her breast with a soft and reassuring embrace between her shoulders. Neirah smiled with the warmth of the contact, but due to the severity of their situation, she refrained from reminding Juvia that she was the woman's only sister. "We are family… Juvia will take watch until our Shadow returns to us."

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"We won't be gone long," Neirah admitted gently. She heaved a settling sigh before taking Juvia's hand in hers. "Our magic is only going to allow us three days of travel. I just pray it is enough…"

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"Gray-sama knows that Juvia will be here for as long as it takes," Juvia assured her confidently. "He understands. He will take care of the baby in Juvia's stead."

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Neirah nodded with a small smile. "And I think the guild is in good hands while Laxus is away." She finally chanced a laugh for her wandering thoughts. "His shoes may be big but they're not much to fill. He barely does anything when he's there anyways."

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To this, Juvia giggled and gave her sister's cheek a gentle kiss. "Laxus is a fine guild master so do try your best to return him too, if it is not too much to ask?"

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Neirah smiled affectionately and nodded her agreement. "I would never be from his side again…"

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Laxus hated watching the night unfold in the manner it had. Even if he still had a hard time believing the truth of his own daughter's words, he ached to wrap his hands around his own neck for the actions that brought tears to his angel's eyes. "Take good care of them while we're gone," he rumbled softly. He diverted his gaze from his fretful wife and towards the man at his side. "Alex might say that his bedtime is ten, but it's not. Lyra will try and sneak treats from the cupboard while no one's looking… but try to tell those eyes no." He looked around sheepishly before adjusting his weight closer towards Gajeel. "I usually let her have one and put the others on top of the counter out of her reach…"

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Gajeel snickered lightly to himself before casting his gaze back towards Lyra's bedroom. "I'll pass it along to Juvia," he assured him swiftly. The suggestion forced Laxus' brow to furrow quizzically at the iron dragon's side.

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"You're not staying with the kids?" He murmured uncertainly.

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"Hell no," Gajeel admitted boldly. He rested his palm against Laxus' shoulder. "Any chance to openly kick your ass, I'm in."

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Laxus watched silently as Gajeel saw himself down the hall towards the main level of the house, and moments later, he was trailing him hesitantly. "You're coming with us…?"

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Gajeel scoffed with the insult he was offered in Laxus' hesitant response. "Levy thinks she can help Shadow cast some sort of super spell to get us all there for a total of seventy-two hours."

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"A unison raid then," Laxus observed silently. The two men walked in on Levy crafting a magic circle on the kitchen floor.

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"Of sorts," Gajeel admitted humbly. "Skippin' through time ain't no walk in the park. And I'm gonna be there to make sure the two of you get back to the kids you've got waitin' for you here."

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"So, if you're comin' with us, who am I gonna leave in charge back at the guild?" Laxus folded his arms over his chest with his casual dismissal of their worries.

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"Mirajane and Erza have agreed to look after things while we're gone," Neirah murmured softly while passing between the two men in the doorway.

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Laxus almost hit the floor with her admittance, but he settled for a derisive snort of amusement instead. "Remind me to tell you a story about those two and 'teamwork' a little later," he crooned.

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Levy slowly stood and dusted herself off with a heavy sigh. "Gee Shads, how do you get your floors so clean?" She purred lightheartedly with a soft laugh.

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"Dragon slayer secret art," Neirah hummed. She made her way across the floors in order to close up the sacks she'd packed on the counter. She threw one each into the arms of their husbands.

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"What's this?" Laxus started curtly as he joined Gajeel in the examination of the bags.

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"Oh? Didn't Levy tell you? We needed pack mules but husbands came cheaper," she instigated impishly. She snorted mischievously and approached Levy.

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Gajeel sighed and turned to face Laxus, who hadn't taken his narrowed glare off his shrewd wife. "Just like old times, huh, Sparky?" Gajeel mocked sinisterly.

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"If this were old times, you'd be coverin' your teeth for that," Laxus warned him grimly. "Both you and your sister know I hate that fucking name…"

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"Oh yeah… this is gonna be a blast…"

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"Well, it looks like we're about ready to go here," Levy mused in exasperation. "Let's hope I got this right and we all don't end up switching bodies half way through the jump."

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Laxus and Gajeel flinched in utter terror. "That ain't a possibility, is it?" Gajeel rushed out uncertainly.

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"What're you complainin' about?" Laxus growled impatiently. "That'd be a win-win for you."

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"Not from where I'm standin' buddy!" Gajeel defended with warming cheeks. "Besides, it'd be a little weird bein' married to my kid sister!"

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"A little?" Neirah crooned shoddily.

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"Oh please, you're not actually related," Laxus hissed.

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"Nostalgia, thy presence be known," Neirah serenaded. "Quit the quips, boys. I love you both dearly, but if I have to survive three of the olden days in the future, mamma dragon is gonna lose it."

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Levy laughed whimsically at their concern. "Really guys, have a little faith!"

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Neirah looked down at the lines solemnly, rolling her fingers over the curves. "I'm afraid that's all we're going to be running on for the next few days," she murmured ominously. "But we can't lose heart in the future we are about to see." She slowly stood and looked at the family surrounding her. "We are the only hope it has in being rectified… and I don't know about you three… but I'm not going to sit here and linger with the knowledge of my daughter's suffering in any time or world." She sighed softly as she approached Laxus, and when she drew near, she tipped her brow against his chest. "Stay close," she murmured softly. "I don't want to mistake you for another." She tipped her gaze back and looked up into his worrisome expression, her heart heavy with doubt. "I don't know what's happened between us in the future, but it hasn't happened yet. And I stand by my vow to love you until whatever bitter end."

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Laxus offered her a sheepish smile before taking her hand in his and raising her fingers to his lips. "Guess this is the worse to our better," he added dryly. "Don't worry, I won't hold it against you if you kick my ass. Kinda sounds like I deserve it this time."

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Neirah laughed at his sentiment and laid her freed hands against his chest. "You always deserve it," she teased playfully.

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Gajeel rolled his eyes with a disgruntled scoff. "God, you two make me sick," he grumbled. "Nostalgia would have you two at each other's throats. Here, I'll even get you started. Listen to me, you inconsiderate jerk. Make me, Little Lightning, oh wait, that's right, you can't 'cause I'm godly and yer just a-" Gajeel grunted with the impact of a pouty Levy's hand across his abdomen.

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"You could stand to learn a thing or two from this," she scolded impishly.

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"There's a difference between what goes on alone and what you flash in front of your damned friends!" Gajeel demanded fervently. He turned his agitated grumble away, a sulking blush in his cheeks. "That's still my kid sister!"

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Laxus snorted triumphantly as he returned to tower over his brooding companion. "The two little rugrats upstairs are a testament to what I think about that…"

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"Why you-!"

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"God, I already have a headache," Levy whined. "But I agree with Shads. We can't afford to split up knowing that the duplicates of us could be on opposing sides," she added sternly. "I think it's safe to assume that everyone's an enemy until they prove to be a friend."

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Gajeel scoffed impatiently. "Great… it's Edolas all over again…"

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Neirah drew Laxus into the circle, encouraging the others to follow suit. "That's enough out of you, Screwball," she taunted. She paced the enchantment to adjust them all into position, making sure everyone was clear of the magic circle's borders. "I've never done this before, so if you want all your limbs intact for the journey, I suggest you stay still while we're doing this."

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"You know..." Gajeel started awkwardly. "Babysittin' the guild's lookin' like a pretty good Plan B right about now."

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"Just shut up and stay out of the damn way," Laxus hissed impatiently. "If future Fairy Tail's in danger, that means Lilian is too."

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Gajeel ground his teeth with the force of a rage similar to the one Laxus was currently harbouring for the venture to come. "Yea… I get that," he rumbled slowly. His heart raced as he watched the circle illuminate between Levy and Neirah as they joined hands in its centre. "But even if she wasn't in danger, you know I'd still stand here."

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Laxus raised his gaze appreciatively to where Gajeel lingered by his side, a friendly smile curling his lips. The men had come a long way from the day they'd first met, something that he was humbly reminded of every now and then. There was a reason Gajeel stood as the best man at his wedding and it wasn't just because he was Neirah's brother. Gajeel was just as much his brother as he was hers. When danger was on either doorstep, the other was always quick to help.

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The men flinched with the expulsion of magical energy rattling the cupboards around them as Levy and Neirah expelled it in sync. "Jeez… did we have to do this in the kitchen?" Laxus uttered edgily.

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Neirah didn't open her eyes as she answered his question. "If what Lyra says is true and magic is banned from use in the future, we can't risk anyone seeing it being cast. Hopefully, like Lyra's spell, my magic will have us jump in time, but stay within the walls of our house in the future."

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Gajeel tied a band of fabric around his head with a decisive tug on either end, a sinister grin on his lips. "We don't gotta hold hands like that too, do we?" He grunted in pain with Laxus' stern jab to his ribs.

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Budddy.

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"Enough!" The girls demanded simultaneously, silencing their men with their passion.

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"Are you ready, Levy?" Neirah demanded over the howling of energy around them.

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"I am! I just hope I get the dialect right!" She added worrisomely. "Now!"

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"Saila sept vect'ail ru; fre'sul!" They chanted in sync, the language of demons on their lips.

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"Break fabrics of space and time for the wings of the infinite!" Levy demanded while watching light engulf the room through a determined expression. She expelled a laboured cry before throwing her arms out to either side, igniting the circle in a blinding glow of Alra'Bekthian runes.

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Neirah opened her golden, reptilian gaze throwing her palms down in front of her like she was driving her magic through the floor. "Dragon slayer secret art!" She growled through barred teeth, her body wracked with the force it took her to keep her magic from spreading through the entire house. She winced, checking on Levy quickly to make sure the woman was confident in her part of the casting. She remained unshakable in strained reserve.

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"Mommy?"

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Neirah's breath caught as she shot her gaze towards the kitchen doorway to where her little girl stared back at her nervously. Her expression immediately fumbled. "Lyra?"

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"Juvia is sorry!" Juvia rushed out apologetically upon joining the girl's side. "She heard the commotion and crawled from bed!"

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Neirah's heart sank as Juvia pulled Lyra towards her thighs, keeping the child far away from the light in which she marvelled. In her next breath, she felt Laxus' hand in hers, gently encouraging the task at hand. She sealed her eyes, knowing that the time they spent away would be an effort to save her daughter a cold fate. "Wings of the infinite's time rift-!" Neirah demanded, shaking the pained tears from her sealed eyes.

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Levy threw her arms down into the floor like Neirah's, the lines of dark language lifting from her skin to join with the bright runes in the air. "By the law of demon script!"

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"Kho'Misika N'Ahrai!"

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Juvia tried to keep from shaking with her disbelief as she picked Lyra up into her arms, her wide gaze trembling as she turned away from the emptied kitchen. "C-come now, Lyra… Your mother and father will return to you soon," Juvia whispered softly.

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Lyra silently looked over Juvia's shoulder to where nothing lay against the floor but the marks Levy had made on the tiles. Her whisper was gentle and sincere as she offered it against Juvia's dress. "Good luck, mommy…"