SUDDEN THOUGHTS
CHAPTER SEVEN
Before Gajeel woke, he smiled her lilies. Levy had been in his room. Turning over he noticed something on the pillow, he saved for her. A paper? That got his attention. A picture of baby Makarov lay on her pillow next to Gajeel. His unruly brown hair and her big chocolate brown eyes. In his arms a toy version of Gajeel. With a smile on the doll's face. Levy's dainty hand layered with Mak's and Gajeel. Their first family photo. On the back was today's date, the Redfox boys.
"Fuck, I love her." There was a knock. Cold mint ice. The second person void of smell held iron and ink. "Yeah?" Gajeel sat up reaching for a shirt. He had been living at the guild since they started guild hunting. Partly because home still reminded him of her. Partly because dark guild hunter was a full time gig. A special branch was created for the guild hunters and crew. Makarov lead the team while Erza ran the guild. Erza had been feeding them some information for a while now. Now Gajeel knew where Erza got all her information from.
"It's Gray." As if Gajeel didn't know. Levy knew everything. The only person that would get this much info would be Jellal or Levy. The fear that she was going on those missions again shook his heart. She could die without him there to protect her. Sure Levy was strong but she didn't know the dark guilds like he knew them.
"Come on in." Gajeel stood to pull up his pants. Loke was there with the baby. Sleeping baby Makarov looked just like Levy. "Why did you bring Mak here? Shouldn't he be with Levy?" Carefully Loke passed the child to his father.
"Levs is going back, deep undercover. She thought that maybe you would like to hold your son before going into battle." Loke said. "Was she wrong?"
"I wanted to hold her and our son before I go into a battle that could possible kill me." Had Gajeel not been there for the birth, he wouldn't have believed this was Levy's child. Other than his eyes there was nothing of Levy. Yet there Mak was in his arms smiling in his sleep as he heard his father speak. "He is smaller than I remember."
"Just less blankets." Loke looked to Gray. "Juvia got Silver packed yet?" Gajeel snickered. Juvia and Levy were two sides of the same coin.
"Please she is the worst first time mother ever. Aries is probably getting a lecture." They laughed. "Silver is only a month old so I am not surprised." From everything that Gajeel had heard Levy had been the ideal first time mom. She didn't freak out and wasn't too over protective. Even if the only people Levy would let look after him were the spirits and Lucy.
"Bunny girl and Flame brain better get on this. We are all going to be old men when there is the next generation of fire dragons." Gajeel said kissing his son. "Or is he as wigged out about losing her as Levy is?"
"It's getting worse. He went on his last three missions alone so neither she nor Happy die." Loke sighed. "He has loved her longer than she has been in the guild. Now he realizes that he will not have her forever. It's better to leave her than to face the thought of her dying as he watched helplessly. He watched future Lucy die. It almost drove him to dragon form."
"Igneel raised him to be a pussy." Gajeel said. His son yawned. "Yeah, your Mommy is as beautiful as she is brilliant. When she dies you will be the proof that she lived a happy life. If I die you are the proof that I gave her that happiness."
Loke suddenly frowned then sighed. "I have to go. Natsu is home. They are waiting for him. If you can keep Mak for a little while."
"Take your time." Gajeel said taking his son to the war room. Sting and Rogue sat talking. Sting's jaw dropped seeing Gajeel with his child. "Is Levy still here somewhere?"
"She is prepping the magic vehicles." Rogue said smiling. "Gajeel, she may not come out of her mission this time." The Iron dragon slayer growled glaring up at younger slayer. Sting pulled his friend back. "Its alright."
"Let's go say bye to Mommy." Gajeel looked back at Rouge. "A few years ago I would have glared at a baby in my arms. Honestly I never thought that I would get the joy Levy gives me. I will never let that be taken from me."
Gray followed Gajeel. "I am smiling about the fact that when we win this battle Levy will come home. She will have forgotten why she left." Juvia and Aries met them at the garage doors. "Ready to go love?" Aries took Silver away.
"I'm worried about Silver." Gajeel took his best friend's hand. "How do you do it?"
"Easy, I know that he is in the best hands I could ever ask for." Gajeel spied Levy then. She gave commands as if she was back in the council's rune knights. "She is fierce, smart and worth more than all the iron in the kingdom but sometimes you have to let them go. I was the start of her grown up life. She never really got to know what kind of adult she was. Until we were disbanded."
Gajeel had left only to find her ahead of the game and waiting for him at the council training camp. There he watched her bloom into someone he could never live without. Then she left him. Now she was the perfect mate. Strong both mentally and physically. Beautiful beyond anything he could tell her. Still caring as the day he beat the tar out of her. Nothing was going to stop him taking her to their home.
Levy saw them standing there. Gajeel holding the blanketed bundle she had left with Loke. Part of her wished he could hold Mak forever but the rational part of her said he needed to give Mak back to Loke. "Redfox!" Gajeel rose at the use of his surname on the lips of his Shrimp. When had she ever called him by their surname? Mak had woken up at his mother's angry voice. Gajeel just smiled. His heart burst with love just knowing Levy got that reaction from both her men. "Mak is supposed to be with Loke." Levy stomped over to them. Gajeel sighed inwardly. This version of her was sexier.
"Don't care. I have him now." The dragon slayer pulled the baby away from his mother. Levy made her annoyed face. "Ooo Mommy has her game changing face on. You better not be like me, Mak. Mommy's face is scary." His son giggled. Before she could protest Gajeel took her into his free arm kissing her. His hand still reached the full span of her shoulder blades. Her skin still soft though he could feel the scars on her back. This was not a quick kiss. The bones melting kiss he used to give her before the book. "There." He gihi-ed down at his Shrimp. She was still effected by him. "The dreaded Mommy monster has been slain." The baby cooed.
"Gajeel-" She sighed.
"Levy, shut up and let me play with your Shrimp." He took his son away. "What does he eat?" She smiled at her slayer. If life was going to be like this then she shouldn't have left.
"He is still on milk. Some solids but that happens at real meal time." She pulled them into the closest office. Locking the door she closed the blinds. "Heard his belly rumble?" Levy folded down her halter top. That was when he noticed that her perfect breasts were larger. Not by much but she was even more gorgeous.
"Mak made your hungry face." Gajeel watched their son hungrily take her nipple. His heart smiled. This was his family. He had his own personal family. Not just the guild and Lily. This was his mate and their first child. "Levy when this is over you two are coming home."
Gods she wanted to. Seeing them side by side nearly destroyed her. If he knew how far this had gone someone would die. Never mind her part of the mission. "Not yet, Gajeel. I have made a new home for myself. You are dear to me but I will not see you watch me die."
"How could I ever regret this or you in my life? What I would regret is not dying with you so we could be reborn to find each other again." That was an odd thing to say.
"Spending a lot of time with Cana, I see." Gajeel was amused at her frown.
"Ha. You are jealous of Cana. Now you know how I feel." She looked up at him, glaring the little glare that he once was scared of. One of the images he craved from her. "Cana at least doesn't run away when things get hard."
"You didn't read what I read." She looked back to their child. Levy could feel her throat closing. It had been a full month since she felt strangled talking about her and Gajeel. Now he was making her remember how much she missed him. Her choice was clear. She would save him.
Gajeel's hands clenched the arms of the chair. "You wouldn't let me. Short of the message he left for me to start that week from hell."
"Your father warned me away from you. Your own father wrote that I had to give up her life to break the curse he put on you at five." She might as well tell him everything.
"What were the exact words Levy?"
His angry voice snapped her into defensive mode. Every time. Levy didn't want to argue. She wanted Gajeel to kiss her, forgive her and take her home. If this was going to be the last time that she would ever seem him they would be loving each other. "You are doubting my translation?"
"You got loved one wrong." She cast her steel plate word. He took it from mid air and bit it in half.
"Get out Gajeel." Loke was on the other side of the door as the slayer left. "He doesn't understand."
"Let him read it then. Just not out loud." She smirked. Loke looked away as Levy adjusted her shirt. "What harm would it do?"
"He could prove me wrong. Based on the new information, I don't think I was wrong." Loke took Makarov from his mother. "I made the discussion rashly, out of fear. I don't need him to prove that it was foolish."
"If you know it was foolish why not go back? He evidently still loves you as he once did and knows more about you and his son than you give him credit for." Levy sighed.
"Problem is, if this is to work, the one who destroys the Dark Mavis will most certainly die. The link magic is more powerful than ten times what Laxus used. The only ones that can get through the boundaries are going to be script mages."
"Have you told Freed?" How many times must she tell people that she wouldn't sacrifice Freed to save Gajeel?
"Nope. He and Cana just started dating. I will not put that kind of strain on them. Gajeel will still be here for Mak when I succeed."
"Gajeel is going to freak when he finds out. Dead or alive."
"That is why only Mavis, you, Rogue and, I know. No one even knows they have a Dark Mavis let alone where it is. If I can get this done before the battle Gajeel's team will breeze though the capture mission."
"He will find out. After the battle."
"I know. I will take his 'kill me with kindness' act. Then I will see if I can live in this world without him. That is. If I live at all."
