A/N: Another chapter! Yes! Anyways, I want to thank those who have reviewed this story. A couple I received feedback on and I'm glad for your input. When the time comes, I will go back and extensively edit the story. I did reread chapter one and there were a few things I want to change.

Enough of that! Here is the chapter! The next one will be next week for sure. From Chapter Six and beyond, chapter will be updated every other week. I hope you like this chapter. It's one of my favorites to write AND one of the first scenes I wrote for this series.

Enjoy! And please let me know what you think and if you see any mistakes, please let me know! Heart you!


Chapter Four: Siblings

"Gajeel," A low voice shook him from his sleep. Or more rather of resting his eyes as he didn't get much since the incident at the courthouse. His red eyes peeked open to see his dark room illuminated by the draw of the charcoal gray curtains, letting in the early morning sunrise. "It's time to get up."

"No," Gajeel rasped, grabbing the pillow beside his full size bed and plopping it over his face. He could hear his half-brother sigh in the usual frustration. "Don't you have class?"

"Not until ten." Rogue laughed, taking the pillow from his face and slammed the pillow back. Gajeel winced at the abrupt thud of the pillow, all his senses finally waking up. "We're going to be late." Gajeel took the pillow beneath his head and hurled it towards Rogue, hitting him in the back of his head.

"You gotta be kidding me." Gajeel glanced at the clock; 6:34 AM. "Shit, I only slept for one hour?"

"C'mon," Rogue told him. "You texted me to get you up for breakfast." He pulled his phone out, light from the screen illuminating his face. His medium length hair came to the top of his bony shoulders. "See?" Gajeel squinted at the bright light and read the message. Time stamped: 4:57 AM. "You don't want to make Wendy mad."

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel stifled a yawn.

"You can always come back and sleep." Rogue slapped his bare shoulder and headed towards the door. "We'll leave when you're ready."

Gajeel groggily sat up, feeling the chill of the overrun air conditioning pumping through the vents. His skin turned gooseflesh when he drew back the comforter. Only wearing his Calvin Klein boxer briefs he received for his birthday from his little cousin, Wendy. The loft was not the same since she moved out a few weeks ago. It was the start of the next chapter of her life as Wendy Marvel was entering her first year of Medical school, and she moved back in with Natsu since his house was much closer to the train station into the capital.

For September, it was an oddly brisk morning as the sun made itself present above the horizon when Gajeel and Rogue drove to the old style, old fair, 8-island Diner, located in the center of the west side of Magnolia. The location was not the best place to be in, but the fact that the diner was a usual cop hang out and operated by a retired commander, it made the place safer than the gold coast. Though, the exterior didn't look like it would belong; old brick building squeezed between an abandoned massage parlor that was disguised as a labor trafficking Establishment, and a rundown Chinese restaurant. Both the diner and the Chinese place proudly showcased their rickety neon signs and dingy aged stained windows, making the bright lights appear hazy through the glass.

"Detective!" When Gajeel and Rogue entered the diner and the jingle of the bell above the squeaky door, all the uniformed men and women looked at their direction and recognized him immediately. "Sergeant." Some would tilt their hats as Gajeel passed by and he would nod back in response.

"Black Steel." A female cop and strangely often times men would call him by his fictional alias that he learned to hate since that woman came into his life. Correction: Into their lives.

"Gajeel!" There was his reason to get up from his lack of sleep, getting up from the booth and giving him a great big hug. "My god, you look exhausted." She took a very good look at his face; eyes puffed and droopy under his eyes. She then set her hand on his shoulders and took a look at his large body, feeling the tension in his muscle and the way his shoulders were slumped over. Gajeel couldn't help but smile at his little cousin.

"Don't worry about me," Gajeel laughed. "Just be the best doctor, so you can take care of me." Wendy rolled her eyes and sat back down next to Natsu, who was wearing his Fire Inspector uniform. His white button shirt was unusually wrinkled free, silver badge pinned on the right pocket, sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows, barring muscular forearms. His pink hair was recently cut, noticing his hair not overlapping his ears and spiked ends dropping down like Rogue's hair. It made his scar on his neck stand out from his lightly tanned skin. A scar he received when he was fourteen.

"Maybe you should find a girlfriend who can do that for you." Wendy mentioned. Twenty-two and too smart and kind for her own good. She had beautiful large toasted chestnut eyes that were full of curiosity and wonder. Her long dark night blue hair was primly pushed back into a high pony tail and tied with a dark red ribbon, matching the headband he had on at that moment. "Almost thirty and no girlfriend. You can't be married to your job." No matter how many times she would lecture the men in her life, Gajeel would only see Wendy as the little girl in knee highs and pigtails.

"If he could, he would, you know?" Rogue added with a chuckle. Twenty-three and too stupid to realize how smart he was. Rogue was his half-brother from the same mother. After Gajeel's mother left him and his dad, she remarried and had a son with another man.

"I heard what happened in the courthouse." Natsu changed the subject, grinning at Gajeel. Too strange for the topic to be smiling as if he had an agenda. "Happy told me that you couldn't catch five guys."

"I shot one of them." Gajeel exasperated. "Bullet to the leg, nothing fatal." It reminded Gajeel of what kept bothering him all day yesterday. "Juvia and I got some info before uniforms from the 2nd precinct took him back to their chain of custody."

"Why did they take him back to the 2nd?" Natsu inquired, taking a long drag from his over sugared and creamed coffee. "He was aiding the escape of your guy."

"But, he killed three guys and injured two others in their jurisdiction." Gajeel exhaled out of his pierced nose audibly. "Makes sense for them to bring him back. Plus, Elfman is working with them."

"I hope you find him soon." Wendy wrapped her small hands around the warm mug.

"Here, here." Rogue held up his mug and the three of them met his mug.

Their food arrived and they enjoyed their breakfast and coffee in each other's company. Breakfast was the only time they could be together. Rogue was going to school for Forensic Science and Criminal Justice while he worked as a bartender at the Magnolia Legion a block from their loft. Wendy was now in medical school in the capital, occasionally staying there in Lucy's flat, but she couldn't resist returning home when the opportunity arise. Natsu was an Arson Investigator for the Magnolia Fire Department Station #7777, and engaged to the illustrious and beautiful Lucy Heartifilia. Although, Gajeel would consider her annoying, nosy, and immodest bunny girl who had an overactive imagination. As for Gajeel, his job was the only thing going for him now. Nothing outlandishly new like a wedding to plan, or a new career to obtain.

He was Detective Sergeant Gajeel Redfox of the 14th Precinct. He was content and he loved it.

"Romeo?" Natsu and Gajeel said in unison, both giving each other glances before returning it to Wendy. "Who's this Romeo?" They both said.

"Guys…" Wendy shook his head.

"Wait!" Natsu's dark eyes widen. "I work with a rookie named Romeo…"

"No—" Gajeel narrowed his eyes. Wendy stiffens in her seat, slowly shifting towards the edge of the booth.

"A firefighter." Rogue added.

"No way!" Natsu and Gajeel shouted, causing certain patrons to look in their direction.

"Like I was saying." Wendy sighed. "Anyways, we're not dating…yet." She said shyly, cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Though, I would like it if you guys meet him."

"Nope."

"I already did."

Natsu and Gajeel said respectively childishly.

"He's not so bad." Rogue reassured them. "Sting and I took a chemistry class with the guy. He's smart." Both of them shrugged their shoulders, mumbling something incoherent over their lukewarm coffee.

"I have to get going." Wendy looked at her watch and gathered her bag from under the table. "I need to catch the eight o'clock train."

"You should drive to the capital." Gajeel commented. "You know how I don't like you riding the train alone since Rogue or Sting ain't with you."

"Right!" She laughed. "Are you going to lend me that unfinished hunk of metal in the garage?"

"The truck." He pointed over his shoulder to the black pickup truck parked outside. "I can use my work car or another car from the motor pool."

"And are you willing to pay for gas?" Wendy waited for an answer and he said nothing. "That's what I thought. Nah, there is too much traffic going into the capital. The train is on time all the time."

"Don't worry, Gajeel." Rogue smiled. "I'll walk her to the station." Gajeel nodded and watch them get up from their seats.

"Be careful." Natsu shouted. It was the only thing they could do. The world was a cruel place and if their line of work didn't give them that perspective, it was their upbringing that made them paranoid about their younger family members. However, they had to remind themselves that those two including Sting had it even rougher growing up.

"Hey, Salamander." A nickname Gajeel called him since they were babes; little boy with pink hair collecting Salamanders from the window well and tried to raise them inside the bathtub, making his butch father screech like a little girl. "There's something I have to ask you."

"You? Asking me?" Natsu laughed. "It must be big if you're asking me something."

"I ain't gonna ask you if yer going to be like that." Gajeel huffed. "Now, listen to what I have to say. It's important that you don't say this to anyone."

"Got it."

"Not even Lucy and Happy."

"Just Lucy."

"Forget it then."

"C'mon, Black Steel!" Natsu begged. "I was kidding. It has to do with your case, right?"

"Yeah," Gajeel exasperated. "I ain't liking that name anymore. Stop calling me that."

"Hey," Natsu leaned back, resting his right arm across the back of the booth. "That's what I've been callin' you since you called me Salamander."

"Yeah, but blame your fiancée for ruining the name." Gajeel crossed his arms, looking down at his empty plate. "Anyways, it's about yesterday. The suspect that I shot told me something. Something that has to do with his employer."

"Okay," Natsu nodded. They stared at each other for a bit. Gajeel wasn't sure if he should share this information with him. It could be nothing, so he really had nothing to lose if he did mention it to Natsu. Though, it could be something big and the last thing he wanted was to drag his cousin into a mess he could not get out.

"Fairy Tale." Gajeel told him. Natsu's eyes widen, not blinking after that. After a few beats and a few officers walking by…

"How do you spell it?"

"F-A-I-R-Y-T-A-L-E?" Gajeel articulate each letter.

"Not tail?"

"I said tale."

"No, like the animal tail tail."

"Huh?"

"Forget it." Natsu shook his head. "What did he say about it?"

"Nothing." Gajeel mimicked him, leaning back, and arms remained crossed. "He said Fairy Tale and they took him away." He wanted to tell him about how he reacted after telling him about Fairy Tail. How after he said that to Gajeel, Jun turned into a prideful mercenary to a cowardly little boy almost instantly.

"I don't know much either." Natsu pondered for a minute. "I remember my old man saying something about it. He wrote it down too. Wrote it—" He pulled out his notepad and, "—Fairy Tail."

"Is that why you spelled 'tale' tail until you were in high school?" He smiled at his cousin, who blushed embarrassingly. Gajeel wanted to tease him further, but an obnoxious ring and vibrating inside his coat jacket interrupted them. He pulled out his cell phone and the picture of the MCPD seal and the Captain's name graced the screen.

"Redfox." Gajeel answered the phone after the third ring. "I'll be there in twenty." He said, hanging up and checking his messages. He stared at his inbox and Juvia messaged him shortly after with the address.

"Don't tell me?" Natsu asked.

"Looks like it." Gajeel deadpanned. A skill he learned over the last decade.

"Shit." Natsu hissed. "I don't know how you do it."

"Same way you do." Gajeel curled his lip slightly. Despite their differences, the baggage their jobs entailed was something they could relate to. The waitress dropped off the check and hurried off.

"I got it!"

"Got it!"

They both reached for the check and then glared at each other from across the table. One would think to not cause trouble in a diner full of police officers. However, when these two fight over the check, the officers present wouldn't even dare cross Salamander and Black Steel's path. The only one who could stop them was Wendy, who already left, and—

"Oi!" shouted the old man behind the counter and holding a pot of coffee in his hands. "You two wreck my diner again, I will contact your commissioner and chief!" They weren't listening like they always did. "Natsu! Gajeel!" He roared, and they both pulled their eyes from each other to look over to Yajima. He walked towards them in a slow pace and held out his hands, one in front of the other. "Enough and split the checks."

"Yes, sir…" They said simultaneously, reaching for the wallets and handing the even amount of cash.

"Jeez." Yajima scowled. "You ain't the teenage boys that would cause trouble in the dish washing station. You are Magnolia's finest. Act like it."

"Yes, sir!"


Rested Mornings was Levy's favorite.

The thing about being an officer in the robbery investigation unit was that she could get enough of it. If time wasn't an issue with paperwork or a certain case, she could get a full seven to eight hours of sleep. Unless if she was in the middle of a really good part of a book, then she could be up all night, though it shouldn't bother her. She was already use to sleeping four maybe six hours if she was lucky. One hour of sleep? Maybe not.

Now, Detective Levy trudged out of the elevator with her pumpkin spice latte (two extra shots of espresso instead of one) in hand, slowly making it towards her desk. She prayed on her ride to work that there wouldn't be any big robberies reported for her to leave her desk. After what happened last night, she knew that her wish would be very unlikely.

"Detective!" Bisca holstered her service weapon behind her and wrapped the badge around her neck. "We got a big one in the museum."

"We do?" She said hoarsely. Bisca noticed the reluctant smile and stifling yawn.

"Late night with your friends?"

"You can say that." She said after the yawn.

"You can ride with me." Bisca patted her shoulder. "The Cap is already there."


Murder never sleeps.

And neither did Gajeel apparently.

There he was approaching the building of his new case. Police cars and yellow barricades lined the numerous steps of the Magnolia Historical Art Museum. Pedestrians and news reporters lined the edge of the barricade, trying to get the standing officers anything about the crime committed in the building. Nothing came from their mouths, only when someone without a badge tried to get in.

"Morning, Sergeant." One of them greeted while Gajeel moved aside his leather jacket revealing his golden badge. He nodded and made his way up, marveling on the tarnished green copper lions on either end of the stairs.

He only been to the history art museum once and that was when he had to chaperon for Rogue's high school field trip. If they didn't had to walk so much, he would have fallen asleep on a bench or one of those majestic lion's back. Gajeel had no recollection of the museum's interior. Remembering none of it as it'd been over seven years since he accompanied Rogue and Sting with their flirtatious red headed teacher who he had no interest in.

Gajeel followed the bread crumb trail of patrol officers nodding at him as he passed them. He would glance at the art hung along the hallways, not really taking an interest in any of them. Abstract art, impressionism from the 1500's, sculptures that exposed as much as a corpse in a corner's cold metal slab, and the weird mess of tangled paper clips sitting on a pedestal with a single spotlight shining down on it. He didn't understand art.

Until he saw her again.

Lady Justice was in a painting, and he didn't like it one bit. Her sword was held weakly in her fingers, letting the tip of it rest beside her feet. Ropes entangled her limbs, restraining her wrists, waist, arms, neck, causing crackling in her marble robe clad body. The scales that were held at the level of her covered eyes were overflowing with money and imbalanced, though one thing remained was her harden smile and her blindfold. For some reason, Gajeel wanted to rip the painting off the wall and tear the canvas into million pieces right then and there.

"Gajeel!" Juvia approached him with a paper cup of coffee. "You just got here?" Gajeel snorted and grabbed the coffee from his partner.

"Thanks," Gajeel nodded. "Yeah, I was at the west end with Wendy and the others."

"That's nice." Juvia smiled. "How are they? I haven't seen them in awhile."

"Busy." Gajeel coughed, not because of how hot the coffee was.

"Something we understand, right?" Juvia chuckled. She noticed that Gajeel stopped a few paces behind her and was looking at the exhibit sign about the hall they had to get to. "Something wrong?" He didn't show it, but his eyes weren't blinking, staring at the sign above them. It couldn't be a coincidence. How everything unfolded yesterday, and his chat with Natsu. This couldn't be what Jun had warned him about.

"No," Gajeel deadpanned and moved on, striding to catch up with Juvia and she followed in step with him as they moved towards the Fairy Tail exhibit.