A/N: Writing this story makes me so happy! Thank you for all the reviews, it means so much to me and gives me the extra encouragement to keep going with this story - I hope you all like the new chapter, and there's plenty more to come.


Chapter 8: Histories, Pt. II

Levy sat in the dark and chewed her fingernails, the basement lit only by her computer screens. She watched police updates flash on the screen, counting down the minutes until their arrival at Phantom Lord. Now that she'd wormed her way into the police communication system, she had access to the current locations and conversations of everyone on the force. Her attempts to break into the full database were continually thwarted, but this was good enough for now – or so she hoped. She had spent the last half hour sending Erza email updates and chewing her lower lip, waiting for the all-clear. It still hadn't come.

"Hey, Levy?" a girl's voice called down the stairs. "I'm taking you shopping. No arguments."

"Wait, what? Lucy, I don't think you understand – "

The blond fairy bounded down the stairs, the hem of her tiny skirt ruffling, and skipped over to Levy, patting her head.

"Laki's gonna take over the computers for a few hours, it's all sorted out, don't worry."

Levy's eyes widened, "But Gajeel and the others are on a really dangerous mission, I can't just leave! If you recall correctly, your boyfriend's on the mission too, maybe you should be more worried."

"Natsu's not my boyfriend!" Lucy shrieked.

"You just keep telling yourself that."

"Anyways, that's not important right now. Like I said, Laki can take over – "

Just then, a sweep of lavender hair and a pale face appeared in the doorway at the top of the stairs. "It's no problem at all, Levy, dear. You've been teaching me how to work those programs for emergencies, and I've been studying up on my own, too. It'll be fine, I promise," she beamed.

"But this isn't an emergency, I really don't have to leave for any reason at all," Levy protested.

Lucy pouted in response. "Oh yes you do!"

"Really," Levy answered dryly, "this is an emergency."

"Yes. Master Makarov's birthday party is coming up, and we both need dresses. Don't you have anyone on your mind you want to impress?"

"Well…hey, no way!"

"I knew it," Lucy beamed, grabbing Levy's hand and dragging her out of her worn office chair, the throne of her digital kingdom. After a hurried explanation to Laki about the state of events and what exactly she needed to do, Levy let Lucy pull her up the stairs. The warm glow of the kitchen greeted the girls as they stepped out from the basement's gloom.

"Oh perfect! Gray!" Lucy exclaimed, as she caught hold of the icy fighter's arm with an iron grip. "We're going shopping, and we need a man's opinion."

"Sorry, Luce, but I am not going shopping with you. No freaking way."

"Oh yes you are," the blonde singsonged. "But first you need to put on a shirt. And some pants."

Levy just sighed, a defeated expression gracing her features. "There's no point, Gray. Just give in," she advised. Gray shook his head sadly, muttering something to himself about worst nightmares. He grabbed his clothes off the couch and began to dress himself again. Lucy beamed.

Mirajane waltzed into the kitchen, white hair swishing behind her, white dress billowing around her knees. "Oh, Lucy! Good, you've found everyone. The bus to the city centre leaves in ten minutes, we should get going if we're going to catch it in time."

"You're coming too, Mira?" Levy asked.

"Of course! I need a dress too…" she trailed off, blushing.

"Something…electrifying?" Grey smirked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, hush!" Mirajane was positively red with embarrassment. "Come on, everyone," she said, hurrying the little group out of the kitchen and through the lobby to the front doors.

The short walk to the bus stop, punctuated by laughter and small talk, ended with Levy feeling slightly better about leaving Laki in charge. After all, she was a capable substitute, if not a prodigy like herself, and there wasn't much left to do except send updates on the police arrival time. Grey's jokes, Lucy's smiles, and Mirajane's reassurance easily took her mind off the mission. The squad were excellent fighters, and able to take care of themselves – well, Laxus and Juvia and Erza, at least, and they'd keep an eye on Natsu and Gajeel. Those rascals couldn't stay out of trouble if they tried.

They'd been waiting at the bus stop for almost thirty seconds before it whooshed to a stop before them. Levy paid her fare and walked to the back of the near-empty vehicle, taking a seat on the long bench at the rear. Lucy, Grey, and Mirajane squeezed in on either side of her, and the bus rumbled on towards downtown Magnolia.

Levy had started to worry about Gajeel and his team again, and the creases on her forehead alerted the others to her fear.

Grey nudged her with his elbow, saying, "Levy, take a load off, they'll be fine. I promise. They've faced way worse than this."

"That's why I'm so worried! What if Gajeel provokes a fight or something, and gets arrested, and – "

Mirajane smiled softly. "That Iron Dragon may be a raging idiot, but he wouldn't do anything to put the others in jeopardy. We may not have known him for long, but we can trust him to keep his head on straight for Fairy Tail's sake."

Levy heaved a sigh. "You're right. I'm sorry to be such a bother. It's just kind of scary to be away from my computers and not know what's going on."

"Hey Levy," Gray asked, in an obvious attempt to make her feel better by changing the subject, "how did you get into all that crap anyways? We don't have that kind of high tech stuff in the slums, so…."

Levy laughed, "You're going to hate me for this. There's a reason most of the people at Fairy Tail don't know much about my past."

"Why?" he asked, seeming genuinely curious now.

"My dad built the security systems for every single government agency in Fiore."

Her statement was met with shocked silence from Mirajane and Gray, and a knowing smile from Lucy. The blonde had cracked Levy's code long ago, and knew her every secret. She loved that Levy spent most of her time trying to break down the digital fortress built by her own family; she said it sounded like a great plot twist in a novel, the kind of intrigue she loved to both write and read.

She continued. "Yep, and I went to Magnolia Prep until I got kicked out for hacking in and changing every failing student's grade to an A."

Mirajane let out a silvery laugh, and said, "Sounds like the spirit of Fairy Tail, alright."

"After that, my parents were so mad that they kicked me out, too. Said I was a disgrace to the family and I needed to learn my lesson. They called me the next day and told me I could come home, but I'd already stumbled into Fairy Tail…and there was no going back."

The bus bounced along, out of the slums and into the crowded hum of Magnolia City, stuck in traffic under the shadows of skyscrapers.

"I remember that night," Grey said, "Lucy found you wandering the alleys and brought you back. You looked like one of those troll dolls caught in a windstorm, the way your hair stuck up," he teased.

"Wow, thanks for the compliment," Levy scowled.

Grey continued, his tone more serious, "I got there just a few weeks before, actually. My sensei, Ur…she had died to protect me and her other martial arts student from the police during a raid on our neighbourhood. I had nowhere to go, so Makarov took me in and said I could put her training to use and avenge her, by going up against the police force with the rest of the fairies."

Levy nodded gravely, "Makarov said something similar to me – he said I could do some real good for the world here, with everything I knew, and if I wanted to help the people who needed it, this was where I belonged."

"I grew up in Fairy Tail," Mirajane added, "I don't remember a time when it wasn't my home. I'm not much of a fighter these days, but I do my best to help everyone in Fairy Tail do their best!" she smiled.

"Fairy Tail would fall apart without you, Mira, you're our mama bear," Lucy giggled, giving Mirajane a tight hug. "You feed us and clean up after us, and give us kind words whenever we're down – and you can kick some serious ass when you want to!"

"It's been a long time since I was in a fight," she sighed, but then a smile graced her lips, "But I don't mind. I have my hands full with all of you."

Lucy grinned and replied, "I remember when I got to Fairy Tail, you made me the best hot cocoa in the world and told me that I never had to marry anyone if I didn't want to. You always know exactly what to say."

Grey cocked his head at Lucy, "Is that why you came to the slums? You didn't want to get married?"

"Yeah, my parents are pretty high up there in society, and this old guy asked them for my hand in marriage. That's kinda how things go. But I was fifteen! Luckily, Natsu was on a mission in Magnolia proper; he saw me crying on the doorstep of my house and he dragged me back to Fairy Tail with him without a second thought," Lucy's eyes were dreamy, lost in the memory. Levy knew she was thinking about Natsu, the hothead who probably stole her heart from their first meeting. He probably wiped away her tears and told her stories of a ragged family fighting for justice, something Gajeel would never do.

Gajeel was all steel spikes and cigarettes, too tough for a vulnerability like a heart. He wouldn't even give her the time of day if he wasn't forced to work with her, and only so he could pay off a debt. Even though he decided to stay in Fairy Tail, it sure wasn't for her sake. But why the hell did she care if he thought of her as a pathetic piece of trash?

Levy clasped her hands together as the bus fought traffic and her friends chatted away about past misadventures and moments of triumph. She would not let this Iron Dragon worm into her ribcage – she'd take a leaf out of his book and forge a metal cage for her sentiments, never set them free. He'd only end in heartache, leaving nothing but rust covering weak pulses.

Except she knew her resolve would last up until she caught another glance of him, at which point she'd melt, she'd do anything to help him. Because opposites attract like magnets and she was too tiny to fight against physics.

Levy felt unbearably pathetic. She had a crush. She had a stupid, raging, schoolgirl crush on a hardened criminal. And she could feel the blush flooding her cheeks as it dawned on her. She couldn't believe it took being worried sick about him, out on that mission, to realise it. She wanted more than partners in crime, more than guildmates, more than enemies turned reluctant friends. And she knew exactly what she was going to do about it.

She was going to shove her feelings a far as they would go down her throat, swallow them up. She would pretend she felt nothing, and the rumbling sound of his voice would go in one ear and out the other, until her feelings faded like the sunset into the velvet calm of night. She would fight it, because Levy Mcgarden did not pursue boys so far out of her league they might as well be in outer space. And a humiliating rejection at the hands of Gajeel Redfox did not appeal to her in the slightest. Although she was small and crowned with wild hair, she still had some pride, she was still a lion inside despite the sweet smiles. She had a tough side, and she'd put up every defence against iron.

"Levy. Levy!" Lucy nudged her. "This is our stop, silly."

"Oh, yeah, right," Levy said, blinking at the sudden withdrawal from her thoughts. The group stepped out of the bus into the sparkling city centre. Gleaming buildings rose high above them. The plazas were clean and full of blooming flowers, and well-dressed people flooded the pavement. Levy pulled her signature flannel shirt close around her. It had been so long since she'd been to this side of the city – it was the same, but she had changed. No longer a little rich rascal messing with the system, but a full blown rebel bent on taking it down, Levy rolled her shoulders back and started forward into the crowd. She carried herself with confidence she learned from fairy friends and binary triumphs.

"Where are we going?" Grey asked, baffled by the high street with its multitudes of shops. "The stores all look the same to me."

Lucy shook her head, muttering "Boys!" under her breath.

Mirajane stopped in front of a gleaming marble building, the glass windows displaying everything from toasters to party dresses. "Here we are," she chirped, gliding towards the double doors. The others followed her into the store, crowded with high shelves and racks and counters selling everything a person could need.

Grey mumbled, "What kind of store even is this? They have everything!"

"It's a department store – and no, we are not going to the freezer section," Levy groaned as Grey edged towards kitchen appliances.

"We need a new freezer…"

"No, we don't," Mirajane said, "We'd have enough room for our frozen food if you stopped taking naps inside it."

"Dresses are this way," Lucy called back to them, already far ahead on her mission for the perfect outfit.

Finally arriving in the women's section, the Levy and the other girls were soon lost in racks of glittering fabric, buried under heaps of options to try on. Grey sat on the floor, looking infinitely bored, and multiple sales assistants had to ask him to please put his shirt back on.

Levy, too, was growing bored. None of the dresses fit her quite right, and while Mirajane and Lucy looked stunning in everything, she felt like a stubby runt by comparison.

She was at the point of giving up when a swatch of pale gold caught her eye. Hidden behind the flashier dresses, a simple sunrise-coloured dress hung limp on the hanger. Levy grabbed it and hurried to the dressing room. Once she had it on, she chanced a look in the mirror. The soft fabric hugged the curves of her chest and waist before flaring out over her hips and falling gently just above her knees – low cut, with short sleeves that fluttered over her shoulders, she felt beautiful.

As she twirled in the mirror, a gruff voice cut harshly through her bliss.

"Oi, where's Levy?" it sounded through the dressing room door. Lucy's voice squeaked "Dressing room," and not four seconds later the door was yanked open so hard the lock shattered.

Levy yelped. Gajeel stood before her, forehead creased and eyes glaring. But a moment later, he softened, whispering something that sounded like "thank god" to himself, before turning on her.

"What the hell do ya think yer doin', leavin' Fairy Tail like that? I've been lookin' all over for ya!"

Even quaking in fear, Levy boldly defended herself. She clenched her fists, glared up at him, and said, "I left Laki in charge, and she's perfectly capable of keeping watch on the mission, and I deserve to do something fun every once and a while, and – "

"I don't care about the damn mission, Levy, I care about you!"

Her eyes widened.

"The Sabertooth Squad have some sort of evidence against ya fer hacking, and I'm a fucking idiot and pretty much confirmed it for 'em on accident!"

But he cared about her. He said it. Out loud. Then maybe…

"Shrimp, are ya listenin' to me?"

"Yeah, yeah of course. Sabertooth have evidence against me – oh, shit," she cursed as it dawned on her.

"Yeah. So get changed –" he looked her up and down, and his eyes widened this time. "Ahem," he tugged his collar, "get changed, we'll buy that dress, and then you're comin' with me."

"So you like the dress?" Levy asked innocently, a simple question with a lot of complicated answers. She hoped his response was the one she wanted.

"It's, er," his cheeks blazed red, "it looks nice on ya."

She grinned, "Thanks, Gajeel."