Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any characters.

Chapter 4

"What happened exactly?" I heard myself enquiring.

Lyon began, "you see…"

25th December

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Even with Ur's skills and wrath when angry, I hadn't expected her to be able to convince Lyon to tell Juvia about the affairs – heck! I didn't even realise that Ur knew!

"Gray."

A voice brimming with accusation? Oh. Lyon. I replied, with what I thought was confidence, but in fact was a voice quick to succumb to meekness, "yes?"

"What… What should I do?"

A plea. From Lyon. Well that was unexpected, to say the least. But why should I help him now of all times. I responded with a haughty-like stance, even if I wasn't feeling it. I felt a glare pin onto me.

"Gray." This time a warning. Was I that out of sync? What was even happening?

"Gray." Shuddering breaths. This accompanied a reassuring hand on my back. "You're really out of it, aren't you? Calm down, okay? For me."

Natsu's voice this time? But his did succeed where the other voices had failed.

"Lyon, everyone… I'm sorry." This time my tone was a timid one. "I was surprised, to say the least," I prepared myself for what I was about to say, "Lyon… I wasn't expecting that. That goes against everything I've learnt from you growing up. I wasn't quite sure how to react. What changed?"

This time it was Lyon's turn to gape in shock. I guess he wasn't predicting me to say that either. I could feel the glare that I believe had been Ur's now turn into an expression of pity? But why? I was never the most stable person. Silver was largely to thank for that. Yet this pity angered me.

I turned my gaze to Ur, "what do you think about all of this?"

This caused her to gasp in astonishment, making an expression implying, 'Why are you asking me? I'm just as confused as you are!'

I noted this and turned to Natsu instead. After a moment in which I gave him a questioning look, he spoke.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what happened," he paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts, before continuing, "Lyon. Was this always on your mind at work?"

Lyon gave a hesitant response, "so you noticed."

I looked between the two speakers frantically. Just what was going on here?

"Of course I have," Natsu smiled sadly. "I'm very observant you know."

It's only like Natsu to end in such a light-hearted way; in attempt to dissipate any tension, but still letting you know he cares. He's golden.

Natsu continued, "while I'm sure this lovely lady here helped you somewhat," he gestured to Ur, who blushed slightly in appreciation of the complement, "I know that it wasn't just her that led you to tell," he hesitated, "Juvia about the affairs".

Lyon had an expression of mild confusion at Natsu's apparent reaction to Juvia's name. It would be safe to say that I was in a similar position to Lyon in this case.

Natsu spoke, shaking off what he was apparently feeling, now abashed, "so what happened?"

In attempt to cover up his prior reaction, Natsu gave Lyon a pointed look. "I recall there was this time during work in which, when you returned from your break, you looked… Scared? I think that was what struck me."

"Okay," Lyon let out a breath, "While I was somewhat convinced to tell Juvia by experiences within this house, since Gray left"

Accusation again? I spun to Natsu, seeking reassurance, feeling attacked, but instead saw him flinch once again. This caused me to ponder what it could mean.

Lyon spoke once more, "truthfully, something did happen at work; something that has affected me for a while. Here," he nodded at Ur, "was when the final trigger happened, enabling all other factors to fall into place. This was when… I got the nerve to tell Juvia," he let out a trembling breath, bordering on a mild case of hysterical laughter, "I suppose that I was lucky she responded so well, to how she could have reacted. I don't deserve how she reacted; I'm just so lucky!"

He was now starting to ramble, leading me to think that the situation with Juvia must have really torn him up, in many senses.

"Lyon, calm" Natsu almost ordered. "Tell us what happened that time."

Ur gave Natsu a look of awe, presumably at the effort Natsu was putting into solving this situation, despite not actually being a part of the family.

"Yet," Natsu whispered huskily, directly into my ear, causing me to shudder pleasurably, and blush furiously. "Mind reader, much? Anyway, back to Lyon, surely?" I raised my eyebrow, but then stuck my tongue out at him goofily, "we can talk about the other thing, later~"

He gasped at my sudden boldness, his initial face of shock slowly turning into a wolfish grin. I then realised what I had just said and hid my face, abashed. "But seriously," I affirmed, "Back to Lyon. Now isn't exactly the time to flirt, you know?" I sighed, mainly at the downfall clear on his face, "you're cute. Don't forget it." This caused him to smile joyously.

Natsu spoke once more, as if the occurrence that had recently passed, hadn't, and focused on Lyon. This time it was me who was in awe; at Natsu's social skill and benevolent; unconditionally caring nature. "What happened at work, Lyon?"

Fortunately, it seemed as if Lyon hadn't noticed what had just transpired between Natsu and I, but if the glare from Ultear; I had almost forgotten she was present in the room with us, because of the tension, was anything to think by, she had. This did cause me to feel intensely guilty, but I had missed Natsu so much in the months we were apart. That didn't give me an excuse though.

No matter how I feel about it, Lyon is family. I should try to make the most of it.

"Reitei," Lyon's voice broke, causing him to subsequently heave for breath, "it was him." His eyes were glassy, almost as if he were possessed by a distant spirit. This caused me to freeze. I didn't realise that the situation was this serious, and the fact that I was clueless as to anything about Lyon, it seemed, frustrated me. Ur seemed to know something about it though; if her gasp and wide eyes meant anything. I noticed Ultear throwing a confused look, eyes narrowed, at Ur, causing me to realise that I was doing the same. Not that I knew where that came from.

Lyon gulped, rushing, "to summarise: Reitei is almost like an alternative persona and he threatened to take my love, Juvia, away from me, if I kept doing what I was, with her; the lying, the deceit, the exploitation… All of it. It was unfair of me. Reitei reminded me of that. I suppose I have to be grateful to him for that at least," he let out a short, broken laugh, before continuing, "he threatened to take her away from me. I was scared. I had hurt her enough. I didn't want for her to be hurt further."

I could barely keep up with the pace of Lyon's speech. I could recognise the pain and fear in his voice though. That was unmistakeable. Ur chose this point to intervene, the concern laced within her tone apparent, and understandable considering Lyon's current circumstances. "After the… um, misunderstanding in the house, which caused you to leave, Gray."

So like her to try and soften the blow of what actually happened. It is understandable though; I don't want to remember it either. And I don't think that Lyon is in that good a place. Maybe he couldn't control himself? But I don't want to grant him a free leeway either. He hurt me, and even more awfully, he threatened Natsu. That's not something I can forgive. Not right now at least. But perhaps if Natsu were to forgive him, and he clearly seeks positive things for this family, I can manage to, as well?

She continued, a guilty look appearing on her features, "I lectured Lyon, quite brutally, if I'm honest. I just don't want my children to fight, and, I mean, Gray's still your brother, Lyon!" She stumbled somewhat with her speech, reflecting her current state of worry. "There's nothing wrong with you, Gray. You are perfectly natural. Lyon was most certainly in the wrong here."

Lyon closed his eyes briefly, seemingly absorbing what had just been said. After a moment, he opened them, and stared directly at me, anguish flashing within the orbs. He spoke, once again starting slightly hurriedly, as if what he was preparing to say was scarce for him. I mentally prepared myself in advance for the verbal onslaught.

"Gray. I'm," he paused, slowly testing the oncoming word, as if it was uncommon for him to say, "I'm sorry. I was… wrong. It's not your… your fault. Nothing is. You're fine. This… Reitei was in control. That time and so many others. But that's no excuse, I'm sure. I should have controlled him." His voice became fragmented, and thick, with, oncoming moisture?

"That's so unlike you though," I narrowed my gaze at him. Speaking before I could control my words, I ignored my inner, very much passive voice, shouting at me to quieten. He shot a quick look at me before settling a stare on me. I could feel the others in the room doing the same, several of the stares holding warning. While I wanted to stop, I couldn't. It was as if all the bitterness and resentment from the past was bubbling up and spilling over.

"You. You expect me to accept that? I was so worried. So afraid, and so," I gestured between Lyon and Natsu, "angry," my eyes became slits, "you threatened Natsu. You threatened him. No matter what you say. That is something I cannot forgive. Natsu makes me complete; he makes me whole. And you threatened to take that away. You… you." I stopped, my chest heaving, and eyes brimming with unshed tears full of anger. Ur was similarly on the verge of tears, distraught at seeing her sons arguing. I could feel Natsu giving me a pointed scowl. I sighed. This isn't how I wanted things to turn out. I wanted to stay in control; to be the better person. What went wrong?

"But…" I took a deep breath, attempting to subdue my prior tone and fury. "That's not what I wanted to say… I'm sorry."

"No. Don't apologise. I… I deserved that. What I did was wrong. But… Can we please, please move past it? I want to have my family back. I don't want to have a relationship of hatred with you. Please, forgive me, brother" Lyon begged his view.

I gasped, the unshed tears starting to fall, but this time they were caused by wistfulness, sadness, but also joy. Not like the anger that they barely withheld before. "Brother?" I questioned unsurely, not quite believing that I was calling Lyon that, and he had called me it.. That was the first time in years we'd called each other as such. And to say this was significant… I cried softly, "Brother!"

All this time, I just wanted my brother back.

Lyon rushed towards me and embraced me tenderly. I spoke sincerely, "I've missed you so much. Where have you been this whole time?"

Before he could speak, we were rushed by Ur, Ultear, and a recently additional presence to the room, Meredy. They joined the hug quickly, almost as if the moment would disappear if they didn't. The joyous wailing of the family soon filled the room.

I spotted Natsu out of the corner of my eye, looking at us gratefully, also appearing to be near to releasing jubilant tears. I gestured for him to join, and after a moment's hesitation, due to him feeling as if he would be intruding on the moment, he did. Jumping into the blissful, and most importantly, mended, fray with utter elation.

This is where my family is. Within my heart. I will always value them, and we shall always be by each other's side, no matter what. We are… Unified. At last.

After a few sensational moments, that felt like a desired eternity, passed, the congregation was pulled apart slowly. Elated smiles facing each other all around. I knew at this moment what to do. I tapped where my heart was twice, and then pointed the same hand upwards, finger in the direction of the sky. This was the family tradition I had always known. The unity and connection of all family members, and the never-ending extent to which we would support each other emphasised. Hope. This caused Ur and Ultear to once more burst out in tears of happiness, and after a moment, in which this tradition was explained to Natsu, he similarly finally released those tears he had been withholding.

"This is perfect" I whispered, Lyon shooting me a grateful smile.

Who knew that we would finally be connected again, our family, after so long apart.

After a few more moments of the bliss, Ultear spoke, bringing us back to the now idyllic reality.

"Hey... How about some food? I'm sure we're all hungry, it is now the afternoon, and I'm pretty sure no one has eaten. What about a family meal, huh?" she smiled wryly, but also cautiously, seemingly testing the waters of the apparent new-found bond. No. The ever-existing bond, which had merely been utterly buried.

I grinned over to her, armed pumped in the sky for victory. My voice was admittedly exhilaratingly more victorious, then when I had first entered the house. "Let's!"

The house, once filled with frowns and foreheads etched with worry and concern, was now a bundle of smiles.

A few minutes later

I looked around slowly, absorbing the happenings in my immediate surroundings, a rare broad smile on my features. Not much had happened in the last few minutes, other than the family getting along! This made me excited. I overheard some snippets of conversation from around the room; it seemed that anything was being talked about. The conversation was there for the sake of the pure joy of it.

We were going to sort out the food's preparation; that much was true. But we hadn't quite left the current room. Too engaged in the bliss and happiness that came with the current setting.

I glanced over to Natsu, who looked similarly overjoyed. He grinned back at me, causing me to blush. Just like his grin to make me blush. … Forever, and always. I'll say that for all eternity, as that's the truth of the matter.

Ur started to call out about the food, and motion in the room was induced. I was still in my own world though. Natsu's voice brought me back to reality. He had waited until all had left the room, bar us two, and Ultear. He beckoned Ultear from where she was standing across the room, and she obliged.

He winked at me, shooting me a smirking glance, proceeding to utter, "Got a moment Ult – I mean, sis?"

I gasped slightly, not noticing that Ultear neared us in the recent seconds, and only being brought back to the situation at hand by a snap of Natsu's fingers and another smirk gracing his features.

Once Ultear had made the movement, he gestured between Ultear and I; a seemingly unseen communication transpiring between them. She mouthed an understanding; an expression of recognition forming. At least not one I could understand. She turned to me.

"Gray," she stated. I gave her an incomprehensible look, due to the lack of explanation. Why so serious anyway? "Natsu cared to tell me that when I winked at him, you got jealous."

I gaped, turning an accusing glare to Natsu, who merely shrugged unapologetically. I backed away slightly, utterly miffed, choosing to offer Ultear a slight nod, but refusing to maintain eye contact with her, due to embarrassment.

"You know I'd never deliberately hurt your feelings, Gray," she shot me a piercing look, her face instantly morphing into a half-sideways smile. "Natsu's not my type anyways. He clearly loves you, unconditionally."

Flustered at her bluntness of Natsu's feelings, but appreciative regardless, I spluttered out a forgiveness, as she walked away half-laughing at my apparent flustered expression. I could tell that she remained slightly sombre through, learning that maybe she chose the possibly wrong option of winking at Natsu, knowing that I would misinterpret it, due to my current instabilities, and my lack of attention to their conversation as well.

Before I had the chance to say anything more to her, my phone began to ring. My classical ringtone blasting out of my pocket.

Natsu raised his eyebrow at me, in enquiry, but also in clear enjoyment of the music playing. I hadn't discussed anything relating to my music tastes with him, so knew that was a possibly conversation to have with him. My heart leaped in joy at something new in common I could have with him. Shaking me out of my thoughts, Natsu gestured towards my pocket, reminding me that I had a call coming through. He made a move to head towards the kitchen, where everyone else had gone, to give me privacy for the phone call. I silently thanked him, watching him leave with an admiring gaze.

I turned my attention to my phone, and brining it out of my pocket, checked the caller ID. I gasped, and quickly checked my surroundings. Once I saw that I was alone in the room, I uttered, my tone subdued with apprehension, "… Juvia."

Author's notes: I'm really sorry about the late upload. T_T These past couple of weeks have been hectic. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can though, my aim is within the week, especially because I wanted to extend this chapter some more. My ideal is much quicker updates, so I'm going to try my hardest to update when I can.

Thank you so much for reading this chapter and I really hope you enjoyed it. The family scene, I feel, was the main part of this chapter; I'm hoping you liked it. While it may be difficult to forgive Lyon in the first instance, is it possible for Gray in particular to just let things go that easily - to forgive? Gray always wanted his brother back - his necklace symbolises it all. What are your thoughts on Lyon?

In response to follows, I'd like to thank AlexStar17 for following. Thank you so much! It means a lot.

I hope to see you all next time, which will ideally be very soon. I'll see you then.

If you have any questions or comments about the chapter; anything that came to mind, or any thoughts of it, please leave a review to let me know. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Constructive criticism is also welcome. I want to make my writing the best for the readers, after all. Reviews, follows and favourites are always greatly appreciated; they mean the world to me.