Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.
"Levy... I think you should come in here," Lily frowned, disappearing back into the house.
If Lily was telling her that it was okay to go in, then Levy knew that it was safe... but why did he look so serious? She held the Peanut a little more tightly, letting Lilia grasp at her neck and cling as she had been for the past day.
The baby tried not to seem too scared about what happened, but Mommy and Daddy could tell that she held them just a little more tightly than normal.
"Gajeel? Lily?" Levy asked, peering into the house, "Where are you?"
"We're up here," Gajeel called from downstairs, in the far back where Lilia's bedroom was.
"Is it okay to come up...?"
"Uh..." there was a little silent hesitation while Gajeel thought about it, then relented, "Yeah, it's fine. Come on."
"Stay right here, okay?" Levy whispered, setting the baby down and shutting – and locking – the front door.
"Mommy?" Lilia started to suck on her fingers, looking worried.
"It's okay!" Levy assured her, bending to give her a kiss on the forehead, "Don't worry, Mommy and Daddy are going to be right upstairs!"
Leaving the baby in the kitchen, Levy ran up the stairs to follow her husband and Lily. She slowly made her way down the hall, opening the door to Peanut's room.
"... BEEF!" she shrieked, clasping her hands over her mouth.
He was curled up under Peanut's bed with Lily and Gajeel crouched down, trying to get him to come out. Neither were successful, and the boy just kept going farther under towards the wall where they could not reach without grabbing him and – painfully – tearing him out.
"Beef!" Levy dropped down to the floor, opening up her arms, "Beef, please come here, honey! It's okay!" she sniffled, eyes watering up. She couldn't see anything under the dark bed except for the shape of Beef's body, but she knew she shouldn't have left him all alone for long!
"Why're ya here?" Gajeel asked, and Beef gave a little shriek from under the bed. "Ehh!?" what did he do!?
"Gajeel, I'm REALLY sorry I didn't tell you!" Levy sniffled, "I just didn't really know what kind of people his parents were, and I know you overreact, and-"
"... The hell are ya tryin'a say?"
"PLEASE don't kill him!" Levy begged, shaking her head, "It's really not worth it!"
"Beef?" Lilia, having heard her best friend's name, came bounding into her bedroom. "Beef!" she located him under her bed and crawled in after him, wondering why he was all cooped up in her house when she wasn't even there!
After a long, hard, sorrowful while, Lilia and Beef came crawling out from under the bed.
"Mommy!" the baby smiled, "Beef looks like me now!" she squished their faces together, giving Beef a big hug to show off their bruises and bumps.
"Okay, baby, that's enough," Levy shook her head and scooped up both of the children into her arms, giving them each a kiss on the forehead and a tight hug. "Lily... did Gajeel...?"
"He'll be back later," the cat crossed his arms behind his back, closing his eyes with a little nod.
"Oh... I see..." in the mean time, she could get the kids something to eat, and something VERY sweet to drink! She didn't mind spoiling them... JUST for today.
It was late when Gajeel finally got back from wherever he was. By that time Wendy had come to visit and help Beef, and the family minus Gajeel had sat down in the living room to watch The Littlest Wizard, one of Beef and Lilia's favorite movies.
The door opened and Gajeel, looking particularly calm, walked in carrying a large trunk on his back. "Mmmh."
"Gajeel!" Levy jumped up and ran to hug him, "Gajeel, I hope you didn't do anything stupid!"
"'Course not," he grinned, grabbing her nose and tilting her head back and forth, "I just went to have a talk with someone, and to pick up a few things."
By 'talk,' Levy knew Gajeel probably meant 'beat the crap out of.' She didn't really mind, though. Not this time!
"What did you pick up...?"
"Just a few things!" he unsnapped the latches of the trunk and peered inside with Levy, and Lilia who had come over to see while Beef stayed on the couch.
"Hey! Daddddyyy!" Lilia pointed inside the trunk, "That's Beef's backpack! And those are all of his clothes and his toys! And those are his shoes and that's all the stuff I gave him for his birthday! How come that stuff's here?" she asked, tilting her head all the way back.
"D'ya like Beef, Peanut?" Gajeel crouched down low.
"He's my BEST friend, Daddy!" she insisted with a cute pout.
"What about a brother?" he grinned, taking her chin in a fingertip.
"G-... Gajeel!" Levy flushed red.
"What!? Ya don't think we could do it!? We did a great job on the first one!" he pointed to Peanut.
"YEAH! YEAH! A GREAT JOB ON ME!" Peanut threw her hands up in the air and started hopping up and down.
"But... but that's!"
"Okay then... I guess I'll just take all his stuff back, and take the kid back to his house. I mean, he used to have a house, but it don't look like much now, an-"
"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" Levy shook her head and threw herself on her husband, squeezing him tightly, "I didn't say that at ALL!"
Three Years Later... (Eight Years Old)
"Kids are real mean at this age," Gajeel frowned, sounding very stern, "Especially the boys. They like ta pull girls' hair, and push'em, and they like to say mean things. Ya gotta keep a real eye on 'em or else they'll move in like VULTURES! Ya get me? So I want ya to keep yer eyes open. Siblings gotta protect their other own, right?"
"Right, Daddy!" Peanut grinned, "I'll take GOOD care of Beef!"
"That's my girl!" he grabbed her tightly, swinging her back and forth.
"Now, Beef!" he pointed to his son, furrowing his brow, "Ya make sure yer sister doesn't forget her homework again, don't let her punch any more kids, and if she walks out of the bathroom with the toilet paper hangin' outta her skirt again, ya tell her BEFORE she gets to class!"
"Got it," Beef smiled, reaching into Gajeel's monster hug.
"..."
"Oh, Daddy, don't do that NOW! You're EMBARRASSING us!" Peanut hung her head, taking Beef's hand and walking with him to school.
"Gu-... Gu-..."
"Quick, go faster!" Peanut urged as the children broke into a run.
"GUHUHU! GUHUUUU!" Gajeel sobbed, covering his eyes with his wrists and still trying to look as manly as possible in a school yard of children.
"I love you, Daddy!" Peanut called back to him.
"I love you, too!" Beef called, both giving him a wave as they left inside the school doors.
"I-... gu... guhu, I LOVE YA, TOO!"
Author's Note:
This story was very sad. But I think it was appropriate for the family. I want to be able to show this family in bad times and in good, because there aren't going to just be good times, y'know?
I have been setting up Beef's story since his introduction; he doesn't talk much, didn't smile much, didn't seem to like people.
TO BE CLEAR: Beef had an abusive father. Levy didn't want to tell Gajeel earlier because she wasn't sure if it was true, and she didn't want him to overreact. So Gajeel went and "straightened things out" and took his things and effectively adopted Beef! I'm sorry that it was really vague, I just wasn't comfortable going too much into detail and turning the story into something horrible.
I wasn't sure whether or not to have Levy and Gajeel have another baby even though, as a dragon, Gajeel would want more than one. I decided it would be best for them to adopt one, since Gajeel is adopted and it pays homage to his past. It has been my intention to add Beef to the Redfox family since his introduction!
Hope I didn't lose too many readers :( Back to the happy things?
Lastly, you may have noticed that I haven't updated as often... it's Christmastime, sorry!
