Chapter Four

AN: This chapter of Dance Through the Pain is dedicated to Inked Siren and all my other readers who fell in love and are waiting anxiously for the next installment. I LOVE YOU GUYS! I will continue to thank you all and dedicate the following chapters to you amazing readers! And for any who are interested I am also adding a 6th Fanfic to my list. Gajeel and Levy are still my main characters, but it's called Bellakatra. Thank you all!

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"Move in?" Levy blinked, confusion filled her eyes. "Where would I sleep?"

"The room ya woke up in can be yers."

"Gajeel, that was your room."

"Shrimp, I usually sleep on the couch, anyways. Natsu leaves for Crocus in two months for school. I'll take his room once he's gone."

Levy took a moment to think. Lucy was moving to Crocus as well at the end of October. Levy had no way to pay for the apartment on her own. This was probably the best offer she had, but she needed to wait and analyze her options completely.

"I need to think about it."

"Ya got time, Short-stack."

"Gajeel," Levy kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

Without thinking, Gajeel pulled Levy into a kiss. Her lips were softer then a rose's petal and sweeter than anything he could ever imagine. When the blunette didn't pull away, but instead wrapped her slim fingers in his hair pulling him closer, Gajeel groaned in delight. He pulled Levy up onto his lap and slid his tongue into her mouth. She sighed as the taste of her mouth mingled with his own taste. Then, as quickly as the kiss had begun, it was over and Levy was across the room from him. She had abruptly jumped away as it had begun to get deeper.

Levy curled around herself. Her head reeling with thoughts of heart break and abuse. Would he be the same as Emmit? Would he lead her to believe he loved her and then attack her? Would she die this time? Was her taste in men that screwed up? Fear wrapped around her heart tightening its hold until she couldn't take it anymore. Tears fell from her eyes and formed a puddle in front of her. Her nails, chewed and uneven, bit into her flesh as the darkness began to swallow her.

Suddenly, warmth spread around her, engulfing her in its soft embrace. Two large arms wrapped around her pulling her against a broad chest as a pierced chin rested on her head. Hot, salty tears fell into her hair on onto her pale face. Levy's gentle brown eyes met the hypnotic gaze of those crimson red orbs. His eyes were soft, but a strange anger lie hidden within there comforting gaze. She reached up to wipe away the tears from his face.

"Gajeel?" her voice broke.

"Levy, I know yer scared, but I ain't going to hurt ya," Gajeel sighed. "I'm gonna be completely honest with ya and ya can judge me from that, okay? Just hear me out. If ya still don't want me to kiss or touch ya after that, if yer still scared, I'll walk out of yer life as fast as I walked into it. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I've never been in love. Wasn't my thing. I don't care for people and I never cared for helping others much. Somehow I fell into a position I didn't want. One where I was forced to help, forced to protect people. It got me in a lot of trouble. The apartment building I lived in before this one got burnt to the ground. I found this place a week later for a hell of a lot cheaper then I expected.

Ya should know I never wanted a woman or brats to come home to. I never saw that for my future. Then a blue haired banshee woke me up at three in the morning practicing her vocals. I burst into her room ready to bitch her out, but the look in her large, tear filled eyes froze me to my core. Such a delicate pixie of a girl held so much pain and fear inside her body that all I could do was back out and retreat. I don't know why but I began to work out a plan to free her from her hell. It started with a kitten and a few laughs. Gradually, I noticed the screaming had began to decrease.

Then, I show up to see my old man for a while and in a chair cowering like a kicked mutt sat a miniature version of the pixie, just as terrified as the one who woke me screaming every morning. I took her in hoping to save them both. Suddenly I was a bachelor with a child I never thought I'd ever have. I had settled her in at the apartment and was getting ready for bed that night and just as I went to lay down the pixie next door began to bang on the wall. Her muffled screams filled the air once again. Something was wrong, though, her yells kept cutting off part way through and the banging seemed almost desperate.

Looking at the clock, I realized the timing was off. It was way too early for her to be screaming from her nightmares. I headed towards her apartment, when no one answered my knocks I let myself in. I went straight to the small woman's door only to find the cat I gave her freaking out as she wrestled off an attacker looking to take what she wasn't willing to give. A fear I've never known filled me as I rushed the man. I felt anger and an overpowering need to protect the scared girl.

Since that moment I've come to understand that I fell for the hurting creature. I wanted a future with her. Then morning came and the same hurting woman rushed to the side of a screaming child she'd never met and sang her back to sleep. A couple of fairy tale movies later and the pixie was curled up against me sound asleep.

I woke up to the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen. My broken hearted pixie was smiling and dancing. As I watched she pulled not only my little brother but my adopted daughter into the living room to belly dance of all things. My little mismatched family felt whole and happy as I went to make them breakfast. My heart dreaded the moment when the pixie would leave and my family would go back to being broken and awkward. I saw Wendy smile a true and happy smile because of ya. Natsu calmed down enough to focus and learn to belly dance because of ya. Ya even lied to Bunny-Girl so she wouldn't worry about ya or feel guilty for leaving ya alone.

Today, I got to watch my family become whole with ya in it. I got to see ya smile for real and it was beautiful, Shrimp. Ya had everyone laughing and having fun. I couldn't tell any of ya were even hurting inside for once. I ain't ready to let it go. I ain't ready to see it end. I fell for the broken pixie from the apartment next to mine, but I fell even harder for the belly dancer who chose to dance through the pain rather then succumb to it. I want you to move in. I want ya to be mine. I'll protect ya. I'll show ya what true love is as I find out as well. Shrimp, never leave my side. Please," Gajeel pulled the girl closer to him.

"Gajeel," Levy called out to the man slowly crushing her to his own body. "I fell for you, too."

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Lucy walked back down the hall towards Gajeel's apartment. Levy Hadn't been home in a few days and the blonde was beginning to worry. Thoughts of the morning she had come home to find Levy's room destroyed and the apartment empty filled her mind as she walked. Levy had ended up staying the night with Gajeel the night Lucy left to help Lisanna. The following morning Lucy had found her friend eating breakfast with their neighbor and his family, smiling from ear to ear. Levy had lied to her and then promised to tell her the truth when she got home, but the small blunette hadn't been home in days. Coming to a stop outside of the apartment door, Lucy reached up to knock on the door.

"You're Lucy, right?" A small voice spoke from behind her before she had a chance to knock on the door. A small blue haired child stood at her back, looking up at her.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"You came to talk to Miss Levy a few days ago. Are you here to see her again?" the girl asked with a smile.

"So she's still here?" Lucy's voice was quiet as she spoke more to herself then the child before her.

"Gajeel says Miss Levy's going to be living with us from now on." the child grinned and slid around her to open the door. She walked in to the apartment with a loud, "I'm home!"

A deep voice answered the child with a loving tone, "Good cause dinners done. Wash up and get yer plate, Squirt."

"Oh, Miss Levy, you have a friend outside." the girl's voice drifted through the air.

"Thank you, Wendy. Make sure you hurry and get a plate before Natsu finds out there's food or you won't get any."

"Yes, Miss Levy."

A few minutes passed before a head of curly light blue locks popped through the door with a smile spread from ear to ear, "Lu, what's up?"

"Levy, where have you been? You haven't been home in days and I'm worried."

"Oh, Lu, I'm so sorry. I forgot to tell you I was moving in over here. With you moving to Crocus soon and Natsu heading that way in a few weeks, Gajeel offered me a place to stay."

"That's great and all, Lev, but are you sure it's a good idea?" Lucy knew her question would anger Levy, but it was a rational question seeing as she had only known Gajeel a month or so and his family even less. She watched as Levy tensed and sighed.

"Yo, Levy everything okay?" a head of pink hair came to rest on the girl's shoulder. "What did you say to Levy? Did you upset her? If you make her cry, you'll be dealing with me."

"Natsu, stop. She didn't upset me. I'm fine." Levy laughed. "Lu, this is Natsu, Gajeel's brother."

In the background, the blonde swore someone yelled 'step', but let it go. "I'm Lucy, nice to meet you."

"Wanna come in," Natsu asked before pulling the girl through the door.

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Levy walked Lucy to the door hours later, still smiling. The blonde watched the blunette interact with the family inside the apartment. She seemed so close to them already.

Natsu and Levy interacted like siblings, sticking up for each other and play fighting. She would argue with him over stupid things, play video games with him, letting him win to boost his self-esteem. She gave him advice on his school work and on girls, while taking his side when he got in a fight. She would even play-wrestle with him over the remote.

However, Levy was more of a mother to Wendy than anything else. She had helped the child with her homework, had her help clean up after dinner, and even made sure she showered, brushed her teeth, and cleaned her room before tucking her into bed and singing her to sleep. When Wendy woke up screaming a few hours later, Levy was the first one to her and had her calm and sleeping peacefully in no time. She had the girl's clothes and bag ready for school the next day and had started making her lunch so the morning would go faster for the small blunette when she woke up.

The blunette's relationship with the tall, brooding raven haired man, however, was more intimate. She would sit beside him at the table or on the couch. She took his side over everyone else. They would cook together, discuss Wendy and Natsu, the housework, and the financial issues in the house. It looked like at any minute the two would start kissing.

"Levy, what's going on between you and Gajeel?" Lucy asked, but her answer didn't come from the blunette.

"Glad ya asked, Bunny-Girl, I want ya both to know were I stand without any doubt." Gajeel said draping an arm around the blunette he had just appeared behind. "Shrimp's my girl. I fell for her and now I'm keeping her. No one will ever make her cry again. I'll kill 'em."

"Gajeel, calm down. I'm fine." Levy laughed, "Lu, Gajeel and I are a couple. He asked me to be his girl the afternoon after I stayed the night the first time. He also asked me to move in with him."

"Oh, Levy, I'm happy for you."

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Levy sighed as she sat on the couch. It was two in the morning and she couldn't sleep. Wendy went to sleep at about eight thirty and Natsu crashed at ten, shortly afterwards Lucy left and Gajeel wandered to bed just past eleven. Levy had spent the hours since then deep cleaning the apartment and baking treats for the morning. Deciding she needed a break, she sat down and turned on Beauty and the Beast. As she watched Belle teach the Beast to love and the Beast teach Belle its whats on the inside that counts, Levy began to smile, Gajeel's words echoing in her head.

"Hey, Shrimp," Gajeel's voice filled the air, stealing her attention. "What're ya doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Come on. Lets go lay down."

"Okay." Levy got up and followed the large man into the bedroom they'd been sharing since he asked her out.

Gajeel lifted the small girl dressed only in his over sized tee shirt onto their bed. She looked like a tiny pixie as she nestled into the bed and began to get comfortable. He slid into the bed and pulled her close to him. Her body was small and fit comfortably against him as her chilly skin cooled his side. She sighed as she leaned her head against his chest. A few minutes later he heard her soft snores fill the air.

Mind wandering, Gajeel could feel all her curves and softness against him. He had yet to touch her, yet to feel her warmth around him as he filled her. He hadn't so much as kissed her since that day almost a week ago when she had panicked and he had come clean.

Now as she lay drifting further into sleep, he felt the urge to show her physical love. He looked down at her now resting face and knew she needed her sleep. He would wait, it wasn't hard to when he knew she was worth waiting for. Not just for this but for everything. He could wait a life time for this girl so long as she smiled at him or laughed for him. He leaned over and kissed her forehead then closed his eyes to drift off to sleep.

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AN: Well, there's chapter four. Hope you enjoy it.