I don't own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Hiro Mashima and that's a good thing because I wouldn't be able to come up with such an amazing plot like he does.

Erik sat slumped in one of the chairs in the lounge of the strange place surrounded by his four pseudo siblings. Macbeth was laid out onto the couch, Sorano sat up straight and alert in a chair next to Erik's as was Richard, and Sawyer stood pacing. Sorano piped up, "Why are we here? We were caught weren't we? Shouldn't we be in the slammer?"

Macbeth, who was too suspicious of the situation to go to sleep, said, "I don't know, but I have a feeling that we would rather go to prison than deal with what's going on." He shifted to sit up on the couch.

As soon as Macbeth uttered those words, the door opened. "Well, you don't get the choice between this and prison." The quintet whipped their heads in the direction of the voice. It was Officer Makarov Dreyar, the person who ran the Fairy Tail police station and the person who was in charge of the team that caught him. Makarov walked in, shutting the door behind him, and sat in an empty chair. He continued, "So I assume you were not told what has been going down, right?" They all shook their heads. "Well, the city has decided that they believe you when you say that you only did everything because your father—"

Erik interrupted him with a vicious glare and coldly said, "We don't call him our father. Never have. He was always Brain or Zero to us."

Makarov nodded slightly and continued, "Right. Anyway, they believe you when you say that you only did everything because of Brain. They also think that you've grown too accustomed to your way of life and need a caregiver or counselor to help you get back on track with society. Even though you are all legal adults, you will be under this person's care."

Macbeth and Erik exchanged glances. That wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. Makarov continued his spiel, "We have a volunteer caregiver here. He actually sort of went through the same process, and now he likes to come and help other people. Come on in."

The door opened once again. Macbeth and Erik silently cursed under their breath, Sorano's breath hitched, and Sawyer's and Richard's eyes went wide as they saw the bluenette with the red tattoo under his left eye. "Guys, this is Jellal Fernandes and he will be your caregiver."

"No!" Macbeth jumped up and yelled, surprising not only Makarov but his pseudo siblings as well. He was normally the quiet one (not the shy type quiet person, more like the talk-to-me-and-your-dead kind of quiet person). "I refuse to go with this this abusive, sadistic bastard!"

Makarov's eyes hardened and spoke in a tone that told them not to argue, "Macbeth, like I said you have no other options here. Believe me when I say that this is what's best for all of you." Macbeth sunk back into his seat while grinding his teeth in annoyance and Makarov's eyes and voice softened again. "Okay, the deal is two years under Jellal's care. If you cause trouble, more time gets added, and you are in good behavior, time gets taken away. Now Jellal is also the legal guardian of a teenager who you will also live with. I hope this works out well for all of you." Erik and Macbeth scoffed, while Sorano rolled her eyes and Richard and Sawyer stayed silent. "Stay here while Jellal and I fill out some paperwork."

Makarov and Jellal left the lounge and Makarov sighed as soon as they got out. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked.

Jellal nodded, "I must atone for what I had done to them, to all the children in the Tower of Heaven Orphanage. This is the best way."

Makarov sighed and replied, "I've given up on telling you that what happened at the orphanage was not your fault. You haven't forgiven yourself even though Milliana, Shô, Simon, Kagura and Wally forgave you. Only Lucy and Erza can get that through your thick skull, and even then that only lasts for a few days. I hope they don't hurt you too bad in this process. Just remember, any signs of trouble and you call for Lucy, Laxus, Erza, or me. Actually, call Lucy every day. Just as status reports."

Jellal smiled at the worry of his pseudo grandfather. "Don't worry Gramps. I'll be okay. If it makes you happy, I will call Lucy every day and for good measure I'll talk to Erza too." Deep down, though Jellal would not admit it, he knew he would need these calls.

What the duo did not know was that the master of espionage Erik was listening to their entire conversation. What did Dreyar mean when he said it wasn't Jellal's fault? Of course it was his fault, thought Erik, He was our tormentor all throughout our childhood, and we will never forget that.

After Jellal and Makarov actually finished the paperwork, they went back to the lounge room and they all got ready and followed Jellal out quietly because they knew it was their only choice. The car ride, provided by Makarov, was silent and uncomfortable, for Jellal at least. He knew all they were all thinking was how much they hated him for the days back in the orphanage. Jellal could feel their glares on the back of his seat. He knew he should wait until they reached his house before starting a conversation.

Once they reached the house and the quintet got comfortable on the couch in the living room, Jellal cleared his throat and started, "So…um, this is where you guys will be staying for the next two years. We already went through everything with Makarov. We'll go shopping tomorrow, and today you can just get settled in."

Erik snorted and muttered, "Yeah, like we'll be able to settle in and be comfortable in your house, slave driver." Jellal pretended not to hear that, but a certain pinkette did not stay quiet.

"Don't call him that," Meredy snapped as she walked into the living room. She sat down next to Jellal on the couch opposite the one the others were sat in. "I'm Meredy and I'm another roommate of yours in a sense. We will get along as long as you don't call Jellal those types of things or always look at him in hatred."

Sawyer glared at the teenager. "Do you even know what he did to us?" he asked angrily.

Meredy nodded. "Actually, I do. I do know what happened in that orphanage. I also know what happened to Jellal and he had a rough time there too."

Jellal whispered, "Meredy don't. They have a right to be mad. After all I did to them…"

Meredy exclaimed. "No I will! They need to let it go. That was all in the past. They don't even know what happened to you!"

Sorano cackled, "Ha, like anything bad happened to him. The owners loved him. He was their favorite. He did their dirty work as their little bitch."

Meredy chuckled darkly, "You have no idea."

At that, Jellal's vision blurred as his legs gave out. His knees hit the ground hard as he clutched his head. It felt like his throat was closing up and he was having difficulty breathing. He could hear Meredy yell, "Quick, someone get me a phone or something!" He could hear everyone shuffling to do something.

Then his mind went blank as he lost himself in his nightmares.