I must say I'm loving all the support I'm getting on this story. You guys seem to really like it as well which makes my heart feel all warm and cuddly. so with that I give y'all chapter 4.

Chapter 4

~ Three months later ~ Heart P.O.V.

I'm crouching on a rooftop watching a small warehouse when Natsu comes over the com. "Heart, do you have the target in sight?"

I quickly reply, "Negative, Salamander. Titania, can you see him?"

Three seconds then, "Negative, Heart, the crew is here but he is not."

"I have eyes on the target." I look in the direction of where Gray is sitting. "Well?"

"He just got out of the limo and is approaching the doorway now, Heart, he should be in your line of sight any second." Gray says, and I can see his skin flash in the street lights.

"Roger that, Ice, I see him. And, instead of trying to give us away, how about you put on a shirt?" I say as I watch the target approach the door.

There's swearing over the com and then Erza says, "I see the target he has entered the building."

I look through the windows of the warehouse and can see Erza hiding on the catwalk. "Titania, can you take the shot?" Natsu asks from where he's watching the opposite side of warehouse.

"Negative, Salamander, we may need to do this as Heart first suggested. There are too many people for a simple shot." Is the reply.

Then Gray says, "Heart, give the okay and we'll move."

I stand up slightly and survey the scene before ordering, "Ice, cover the east; Titania, give us cover; Salamander, you take the north and I'll take the south. Ready?"

Once I receive an affirmative from my teammates I give the command and jump to the ground below. I rush the door on my side of the building as Gray moves in from my right.

I kick the door in and can already hear screams as people are being taken down by Titania's swords, but I focus on taking down the group in front of me. The fighting goes on for a while but soon we manage to take down the crew and our target.

After the fighting is over, I stand there trying to catch my breath and when I see Natsu walking over I smile at him before I black out.

Natsu P.O.V.

After the battle, I start walking over to Luce, but when she sees me she smiles just before her eyes roll to the back of her head and she starts falling.

I run and catch her before she hits the ground and shake her gently but when she doesn't come around I say to Gray, "I'm taking Heart back to base to get checked out, can you clean up this mess?"

Gray nods and Erza says, "I'll warn them you're coming and stay back to help out."

I nod and pick Luce up before taking off out of the warehouse and towards base.

When I get to base, Mira and Ghost are in the lobby and when they see me they hurriedly call the elevator while Ghost asks, "What happened?"

I shake my head, not knowing myself, and we ride the elevator to the infirmary. When the door opens Porlyusica orders, "Lay her on one of the beds." After I lay her down Porlyusica turns to Mira and Ghost. "Get him out of here while I look her over."

Crossing my arms, I glare at the doc. "I'm not going anywhere." But the girls hook their arms through mine and start pulling me towards the elevator. When I swing an arm around to clock Mira, she catches it and throws me into the elevator.

I cross my arms and Mira gives a sad smile. "Sorry, but Porlyusica doesn't want people in there when she's taking care of someone." I huff and just stare at the elevators doors.

Finally, Ghost says quietly, "She'll be alright, and once Doc looks her over then you'll be able to be with her, but for right now you may want to take a shower and clean up a bit."

I look down and sure enough I'm covered in everything from blood to mud from sitting on the rooftop so I nod, and when we reach the top floor I walk down the hall to our room and grab a change of clothes before hopping in the shower.

Getting out of the shower I walk into the playroom to see Happy and Plue playing tug-of-war with a rope as thick around as my arm. When they see me they drop the rope and tackle me, and I hug them back while laughing.

"Hey, guys, did you miss me?" I say, running my hand over Plue's head and scratching Happy behind his ears. Plue licks my face while Happy tries to sit on me. I laugh and push Happy off saying, "Okay, okay, I guess you have missed me."

I play with them for a little while longer until there's a knock at the door and I look up to see the sisters standing in the doorway.

They both have a small smile on their face as Mira says, "Porlyusica says you can go down now, she wants to talk to you." I nod and quickly get up but turn and order Happy and Plue to stay before running to the elevator.

When the doors open to the infirmary I step out and look over to see Porlyusica sitting at her desk so I walk over. "How is she, Doc?"

She looks up from her papers and stands up, walking over to the bed where Luce is lying. "Other than being exhausted and overworked, she's fine."

I sense there's there's something else she wants to say so I say, "But..."

She looks at me with accusatory eyes. "Did you know she's pregnant?" My heart stops and it takes a few minutes before I remember how to breathe.

"Pregnant?" I whisper, not quite able to wrap my head around the news.

She nods, still wearing the disapproving expression. "She passed out because her body couldn't take the extra stress, and, once the adrenaline from the fight wore off, her body chose to shut down to save energy."

I look at Luce and the doc says in a commanding tone, "She'll wake up in a few hours but you need to keep her from stressing so much, if there's a repeat of today she could, very well, lose the baby."

Taking my eyes off of Luce and looking at Porlyusica, I nod and she adds in a softer tone, "Natsu, she'll be okay but you have to stay with her, if you don't she'll work herself to death."

I look at her in surprise but quickly wipe it away. "Don't worry, Doc, I ain't leaving her." She nods and walks back to her desk.

"Take her up to her room so that she's comfortable and when she wakes up let me know so I can talk to her."

I pick her up and make my way up to our office and to our room. After I lay her in the bed, I grab the chair that sits in front of her writing desk and park it next to her side of the bed. When I sit I grab her hand and rub circles on the back of it with my thumb.

Heart P.O.V.

When I come to I open my eyes to find I'm in my room and it's daylight out. Then I notice that Natsu is sitting by my side and holding onto my hand like a lifeline. When I go to sit up Natsu looks up and smiles saying, "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

I frown. "What happened?" He pauses for a second.

"Hold on," before turning on his mic and saying, "Doc, she's awake."

"Natsu, what's going on?" I ask, a little confused at what's going on. But he just shakes his head.

"Porlyusica will explain when she gets up here, but for right now Happy and Plue want to see you."

Then he gets up and opens the door letting out a whistle, and not two seconds later Happy and Plue come running into the room and jump on the bed.

"Hey, guys, did you miss me?"

Both rub their heads against me before laying down on Natsu's side of the bed.

After five minutes there's a knock on the door and Porlyusica walks in with a small bag. "Hello, Heart, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good, Doc, but what's all the fuss about?" She looks me in the eye and says,

"How much sleep have you've gotten this week?"

Again, I look at her in confusion and say, "Not much, maybe a total of twenty hours, what with all the work I've had to do." She tsk tsks and shakes her head in disapproval.

"Lucy, you can't be doing that anymore." She chastises.

Glaring at her I ask coldly, "And why can't I?"

She looks at Natsu and he says, "Because, you're pregnant."

I feel all the blood rush from my face as I take in what he said.

Instead of replying, I hide my face in my hands while trying to come up with a plan. Nothing comes up so I take a deep breath and decide on a course of action.

"Doc, how far along am I?" I say, to make sure I have time for what's planned. She looks at me with narrowed eyes.

"About two months."

I nod before looking at Natsu and saying, "I need She-Devil, Ghost, Titania, and Ice up here and I'll explain more."

Then I look back at Porlyusica. "I'll spread my responsibilities but only a few will know so can you please not tell anyone?"

She looks at me with a thoughtful frown before saying, "You know they'll find out eventually."

I nod before saying, "I don't want the wrong person hearing. We already have enough to deal with what with this new crew moving in. Until I'm far enough along to where the baby will be safe, I want this kept under wraps."

She nods and gives me a bag saying, "These are vitamins you'll need. Take one everyday until you're out of the first trimester, then come back and see me." And she turns and walks out the door.

I sigh and run my hand through my hair before looking at Natsu. "What are we gonna do?"

He grabs my hand and grins reassuringly. "Easy, we're gonna rely on family to help us. Even if only a handful know right now, you just have to promise me that once you hand out the responsibilities you let them take care of it."

Looking at him I raise an eyebrow and ask testily, "And what if I don't?"

He growls. "Then I'll lock you in here until the baby is due."

I smile and say, "Aye, sir," causing him to grin.

We look up when there's a knock on the door to see the four people I had requested earlier walking in. All four look worried and Erza says, "Heart, what happened at the warehouse?"

I look at Natsu and he gets up and shuts the door before I say, "Porlyusica has basically put me on bed rest for the next seven months."

One by one the statement goes through their heads and their faces light up in understanding. Mira jumps for joy while Ghost grins, Erza looks like she's about to murder someone and Gray is patting Natsu on the back saying, "Congratulations."

Then Mira calms down and gets back to business, "So, what do you need us for?"

After he sits back down Natsu explains, "She has too much piled on her shoulders right now and the doc said that if something happens like yesterday she could lose the baby, so she's dividing the responsibilities until after she has the baby."

They look at me and I nod. "But no one else can know for the time being, so I'm trusting you four to keep it underwraps until we get closer, and then I'll tell the rest of the family."

A confused look crosses their faces and Ghost asks, "Is it because of the threats you've been receiving?" I nod in affirmation.

Erza says, "Don't worry, Heart, we'll handle it. But who gets what jobs?"

I smile. "She-Devil, you're taking control of the crew, Titania, you're handling the company, just remember if someone pisses you off you can't run them through, Ghost and Ice, you're gonna be partnering the teams, there are still a few that need to be fitted right so I'll leave that to you. Everyday at dinner time we'll meet in my office to discuss how things are running."

They nod and start to file out the door but Natsu says quickly, "Oi, when the date comes closer do y'all want to help set up the nursery?"

They turn and yell out simultaneously, "Aye, sir!" before continuing on to take over their new responsibilities.

"Natsu, what will we do if one of our enemies catches wind of me being pregnant?" I ask with a frown, unable to get the worry off my mind.

Natsu grins and grabs my hand again. "Then we'll take them out like we've taken any other." He leans forward and hugs me. "Luce, you are one of the deadliest women in the city. Even if someone manages to get past the assassins, the sharpshooters, the fighters, and Titania and me, they still won't be able to catch you."

I smile at his compliment. "Yeah, you're right." I look at the clock on my nightstand and make a decision. "Want to get out of here for a little while? There's something I want to show you."

After he nods I get up, grab a change of clothes, and grab a shower before calling Happy and Plue to come along. While we're in the elevator he says,

"So, where exactly are we going that you need to bring Happy and Plue?"

I shake my head. "You'll see."

"Oh, okay, so then where are we going?" He repeats.

I glare at him as we enter the lobby and say testily, "You'll see when we get there but first we have to stop somewhere."

Natsu pouts but remains silent as we walk out the building and down the sidewalk towards the flower shop. When we stop in front, Happy growls and I scratch his head before commanding them to stay and walking inside.

"So, you just leave them out front while you go in?"

I nod. "No pets are allowed in here, plus it keeps any onlookers from bothering me while I pick up my order."

"And what exactly is your order?" He inquires.

I grin and walk up to the cashier and when he looks up I say, "Order for Love." He nods and disappears in the back.

When he reappears he has the half dozen roses and half dozen lilies already wrapped up.

"Okay, so you pick up half a dozen roses and lilies. Now will you tell me where we're going?"

"No, I told you, you just have to wait and see." I reply, ignoring the impatience in his tone. He groans and I sigh. "Relax, the hike will cheer you up."

He perks up and as we continue walking down the sidewalk says, "So, we're going on a hike?"

I tap my finger on my chin and nod. "Yeah, it's a two hour long hike, though, so no complaining."

He huffs and cockily states, "Please, I can do two hours in my sleep."

I smirk. "Then let's go."

After two hours we finally reach the hill where my parents are buried and when we reach the top he falls to the ground, panting. "What the hell, that wasn't a hike, that was a fucking climb."

Scowling, I walk up to the graves. "No cussing around my parents." I chastise him.

He gets up and finally notices the graves. "Sorry, Luce, I didn't see them at first."

Natsu P.O.V.

After I apologize she huffs and sinks to her knees saying, "Hi, Mama, Hi, Papa. I'm sorry I haven't been up here in awhile. What with the crews merging, and business with the banks picking up, I've just been really swamped. But I have great news. Mama, now I'm gonna be a mama and I'm gonna raise my baby just like you raised me."

I walk over and say, "Mrs. Layla, Mr. Jude, I promise I'm gonna be by Lucy's side during the whole thing and I'm gonna make you proud of me as a father."

Luce looks up at me and I meet her eyes. "Yeah, Luce, you ain't getting rid of me that easily. We're gonna do this together or not at all."

She jumps up and hugs me with tears of joy in her eyes. "Luce, I love you with all my heart and I will never let you go."

She sniffles and says, "I love you, too, Natsu."

I grab the flowers off the ground and gesture towards the stones. "Wasn't your dad's favorite flowers lilies?"

She nods and I divide the flowers up, laying the roses on Mrs. Layla's stone and the lilies on Mr. Jude's.

I look at where the sun is in the sky and say "Come on, weirdo, if we're gonna make it back in time for that meeting we have to go."

She nods and whistles, calling Plue and Happy out of the woods, and we walk back down the trail.

When we get to the bottom Luce leads the way back explaining, "Along this way I usually find a group of grunts roaming the alleys looking for women, so to let Plue and Happy have a little fun I sick them after the group. Wanna see?"

I nod, wanting to see what Plue and Happy are capable of, and sure enough about five minutes after we get inside the city limits we find a group of Light and Shadow grunts stalking a couple of women that have just left a club.

I hang back in the shadows as Luce calls out to them."Hey, boys, why don't you mess with me instead of those ladies."

As one, the group turns around and the guy in the lead says, "Well, well, a woman out walking her dogs, don't you think you should be at home behind locked doors?"

Luce laughs. "Please, I can kick your sorry ass any day of the week. Besides, my friend here isn't a dog." Then she lets out two short whistles and Happy and Plue jump forward almost too fast to follow.

When Luce whistles again the animals retreat and the two guys they attacked fall to the ground, dead, then she says, "You should probably think twice on assuming my cat is a dog but then again you won't be able to think again after I'm done with you."

Luce moves forward and before I can blink she has two guys down and the leader is hitting the ground. When she steps back I whistle. "So, that's why you bring them along?"

She nods. "They can get bored being cooped up in base all day so if I don't run them on the treadmill I take them on a hike up to see Mama and Papa."

As we start walking again I suggest, "Why don't you let them roam the upper ten floors more often? That may help with the boredom and let them meet some of the members that just moved in."

She gets lost in thought for a second before whispering, "Behind us, hiding in the alley, do you see him?" I look in the glass of a window shop and can see a boy with black hair that looks to be about Wendy's age.

"Yeah, what about him?" I ask in an equally low whisper.

She stops in front of a jewelry store and says, "He's been following us since two alleys after we took down that group of Light and Shadows."

I nod and say, "We'll dive in the next alley and I'll tackle him. Don't let those two at him." Pointing towards where Plue and Happy are sitting and watching us.

Instead of replying she starts walking again and we dive down the alley, where she hides behind a dumpster with Happy and Plue while I lean against the wall and wait for him to appear.

When the kid does, he's holding a knife in a shaky grip and his attack stance is so off that I'm sure if I scared him he would fall over. While we stand there I get a better look at him.

His hair is filthy, he's covered in dirt and grime, and is only wearing rags. He has no shoes on and his rags cling to him like curtains. I'm jolted out of my observations when he shakily threatens, "Give me your money or you'll regret it."

I softly laugh. "Really, kid, you think you can do something to me?" He falters for a second before jumping forward and trying a down slash. I easily avoid and grab his arm, forcing it behind him.

He starts shaking hard and pleads, "Please, sir, let me go, I need the money."

I narrow my eyes and grab the knife before spinning him around and asking curiously, "Why do you need money so bad?"

He gulps and replies quickly enough, "I found a snow leopard kitten that I'm trying to take care of but I have no money to afford food."

When I go to say something Luce steps out and says, "Do you have a home?" The boy looks at her in surprise before shaking his head. I look at her and already know what she's going to do.

"Listen here, kid, we'll take you and the kitten in on one condition." I say, knowing if I don't give him the option I would be in hot water with Luce.

He looks back at me and then Luce and ask cautiously, "What is the condition?"

Luce gives a small smile and says simply, "You join our family."

To say the look on the kid's face is shock is an understatement. "But, if you join our family, you have to follow our rules, once you join there is no backing out. You'll receive the best care, the best clothes, you'll have a roof over your head and food in your stomach. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I say, to make sure he knows what he's getting into.

He nods and says, "I'll do anything for Carla." Luce perks up and says,

"So your kitten's name is Carla?"

Again he nods before saying, "If you'll let me go I can take you to her."

We share a look and Luce calls Happy and Plue to attention as I wave a hand at the entrance of the alley, "Lead the way"

While we walk he says, "By the way, my name's Romeo."

I grin. "Salamander, and the one with the snow leopard and monster dog, is Heart."

He looks back and says, "I don't think I've heard those names before."

Luce looks at him in shock but quickly hides it and says, "So, Romeo, how old are you?"

Romeo looks at the ground as he walks and says, "Seventeen."

"Where are your parents?" I ask, keeping an eye out as we near Fairy Tail.

The boy shrugs. "My mom died in childbirth and my dad died in a gang fight between Dragon Force and Light and Shadow when I was ten."

I do the math and ask, already sure of the answer, "Is your last name Conbolt?" The boy freezes in front of an alley he was getting ready to turn into.

"How do you know that name?"

I smile gently. "Your father was a good friend and mentor to me, I was there that day when he fell to an underhand blow but I got revenge on the one who did it. If I had known he had a son I would've invited you in sooner."

Just as he turns I can see a tear fall but when he stops in front of a box his eyes are clear. When he opens the flaps of the box a ten month old snow leopard kitten can be seen writhing in discomfort.

I pick the kitten up and Luce says, "Come on, I know a fast way to get to base." And we take off, running for home. Surprisingly, Romeo is able to keep up with Luce and I even though he has no shoes on his feet.

When we get to a side door of the building Luce punches in a code and holds the door open while I rush in with the kitten. Luce calls over her com to Porlyusica, letting her know the situation as we get in the elevator.

When the door opens Porlyusica looks up from her desk and quickly walks over to a bed. "Lay her here." When I put the kitten down I turn to Romeo

"While she works let's get you taken care of."

Romeo frowns but Luce cuts off any protest. "Porlyusica doesn't like people watching her as she works."

The boy nods and we walk back into the elevator. When the door shuts I ask Luce, "So, which room are you gonna put him in?"

She thinks for a second before calling over the com for Mira to meet us on the 28th floor with a room key. I look at her and she says, "He's better off next to Ice and Metal who can keep him in line."

Romeo looks at us and says, "I won't be much trouble, I just want to know how Carla is."

I smile. "It's not that, you have a lot of potential and Ice and Metal are the best at honing that potential. Plus, they're my second in commands."

He looks at me in awe and Luce says, "Close your mouth, bugs may fly in." We walk off the elevator on the 28th floor and make our way down a hall to see Gajeel sitting outside his door, grumbling about something.

"Oi, Metal, did Bookworm get on you again?" I say, joking with him. He glares at me.

"Shut up, Salamander, at least your girl doesn't get pissed when you drop a book."

I grin and point to Romeo. "This is the new recruit, Romeo, guess who's kid he is."

Gajeel looks him over and says in disbelief, "No way, I didn't know that ass had a kid."

I nod. "He's agreed to join but he has a snow leopard kitten in with the doc right now so we brought him up to get situated while the kitten is taken care of."

He nods, pushing to his feet. "Welcome to the crew and the family. I'm guessing if these two brought you up here Ice and I have to train you?"

He looks at us and we both nod while Romeo asks, "Were you a friend of my dad's as well?"

Gajeel snorts. "Yeah, you can say that. Anyway, let's get you situated and then head down for dinner, then we can talk to Virgo about getting you some clothes."

When Mira walks up with the key she hands it to Gajeel and the guys disappear in the room while she turns to Luce. "Since the meeting is in a few minutes, want to walk up together?"

Luce nods and we walk back towards the elevator. "So, who's the kid?" She asks once the door closes.

"The son of an old friend of mine that fell in battle a few years back." I say absentmindedly as I dive into the memories of Romeo's father teaching me how to fight, wield a weapon and how to talk shit.

I chuckle at the memory and Lucy looks at me. "What's so funny?"

I wave my hand and say, "Memories with Romeo's father." I look at Luce who raises an eyebrow. "Tell you later." She nods and gives me a look like, 'I'll-hold-you-to-it'.

When the door opens Erza and Ghost are already sitting in the office while one door is propped open, waiting for the rest of the group to show up.

"Hello, Heart, Salamander, how was your hike?" Erza says, jumping straight to the point as Luce and I take our seats. In the last three months since we started merging things have really changed around base.

Now, Lucy's office is our office, and while the guys have had a bit of a time getting used to the ladies, and there's been times when we've had to sweet talk the ladies to keep them from killing one of the guys, things have been going pretty smoothly.

While we sit down Erza takes her seat on the side of the desk while Mira and Ghost pull up seats. "Anyone seen Ice lately?" I ask, as I watch the light over the elevator move between floors.

"The last time I saw him was before you came back with the new kid." Mira says, as she toys with a miniature throwing knife that makes up the pendant around her neck.

Erza perks up. "Really, a new kid has joined the ranks?"

I nod. "His name is Romeo and he's the son of my mentor."

The sword-wielder looks at me in confusion. "Didn't your father mentor you?"

"Actually, my father mentored me in how to run the crew, it was Romeo's father, Macao, that taught me how to fight, wield a weapon, and how to talk and handle shit in the everyday world." I explain, as I look at the swordswoman.

She nods but before anything else is said the elevator dings, and Gray and Porlyusica walk out. Gray grabs a seat, apologizing. "Sorry for being late. Minerva almost killed Bacchus when he spilled liquor in the lab."

We nod and I look at Porlyusica. "Is there something wrong with the kitten?"

She nods and replies sternly, "That kitten is very ill, and needs a doctor that specializes in big cats. Fortunately, I have a friend who can treat her but he needs to be flown here in the next few days if the kitten is gonna have any chance at surviving."

"Have you already notified him of the situation?"

She nods. "He's expecting someone from the crew to pick him up in the next two days."

I look at Ghost and Gray and he says, "There is a pair we can send out but they haven't been battle tested yet."

"Who's the pair?" Luce says curiously, looking at the ice-wielder. Gray and Ghost share a look before Ghost simply states,

"Loke and Aries."

Luce leans back in her seat and looks thoughtful. "Those two should work very well together. Notify them and have them leave ASAP, we can't afford to lose the kitten or the boy."

I look back at Porlyusica. "Thank you, Doc, for letting us know. You can leave now." She nods and walks back to the elevator.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN RIGHT NOW?"

I flinch at Loke yelling through the receiver and I quickly turn my mic on. "Listen here, Leo, if you try to deafen me one more time you won't have to worry about Yukino poisoning you because I will turn you to ashes, do you understand me?"

He significantly lowers his volume on his response. "Yes, Salamander."

"As for the mission, you and your partner should be moving out even as we speak, and so help me if you fail to complete it you will regret it." I make sure to get my point across.

He squeaks out, "Aye, sir, we're already moving." I snort and turn my mic off before looking up and seeing everyone staring at me.

"What?"

Luce breaks the shock by saying, "I have never heard you threaten one of your men like that before."

I shrug. "Loke tests my patience more often than I care for, so when he won't listen I have to threaten."

They stop and think before nodding and Gray says, "Well, let's get on with this meeting."

Luce nods and looks at Erza. "Titania, how goes things with the company?" While the swordswoman goes into detail about the workings of the company I tune them out and listen to the chatter going over the com.

When I feel someone poke me in the side I jump and look to see Luce trying to hide a laugh, and Gray grinning like a madman. "Oi, Salamander, where were you?"

I wave my hand. "Nowhere, now what were you saying?"

Gray looks pointedly at me and picks back up where he left off, "As for pairings we've figured out that Levy, Gajeel, Jet, and Droy work well together. Then there's Bisca and Alzack, those two seem to have really hit it off on the relationship level as well."

Me and Luce share a look and I bring up the point everyone most wants to know. "Any partners that have not worked so well?"

He looks away and Ghost says,

"Juvia almost drowned Bickslow and Freed."

I lean back over my chair and pull my hands down my face when a light bulb goes off. "Have you tried Evergreen, Bickslow, and Freed as a group?" I suggest as I sit back up.

My commander is thoughtful and Ghost has a frown on her face but she says haltingly, "That could work, I mean they handle each other pretty well at base. We would have to send them on a test mission to see how they react in a fight but it should definitely work."

Luce nods and waves a hand at Mira. "Alright, She-Devil, what's the crew news?"

This time I listen intently as the assassin states, "We have a bit more information on the crew that is invading, and we've recently found out that Light and Shadow have gone back into hiding after losing one of their main members in a three-way fight between us, them, and this new crew."

"She-Devil, do you have a name for the crew?" I say a bit impatiently.

She looks me in the eye and says, "I can do you one better. The name of the crew is Tartaros, and the leader is Mard Geer. The target you took out yesterday was one of his commanders, who goes by the name of Ezel."

As I soak this all in Luce asks, "Any way we can take Mard Geer out?"

Mira frowns and shakes her head. "No, you have to take out the rest of his commanders before you can take him out."

I look at Ghost. "Who's the best spy we have besides you?" They think for a moment and then she says, "That would be—"

"Minerva."

Tearing my gaze away from Ghost I look at Luce and raise an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

She grins. "Of course I'm sure, the only reason she works in the lab is because she's the only one that can understand Yukino's mutterings, but she's also excellent in the intelligence gathering department."

We nod and Gray says, "We'll update her on the news tomorrow morning."

I look at the clock and decide to call the meeting to a close. "Well, this meeting ran a bit later than expected. We'll call it quits for tonight and see you tomorrow?"

They nod and quickly and quietly leave, some of them looking relieved. I stand, helping Luce up and when I wrap my arm around her I can already feel her baby bump.

"Hey, Luce, what do you think it'll be?" I ask quietly as we walk back to our room. She hums in thought and as we walk in the bedroom she says,

"It doesn't matter to me what gender the baby is, as long as they're happy and healthy."

After we climb into the bed I wrap my arms around her and she locks her gaze with mine. "What would you want?"

I kiss her forehead and murmur. "It doesn't matter to me, as long as they're happy and healthy."

She lays her head against my chest and eventually falls asleep, myself not far behind.

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With that said.

Grizzly out for the night.