"Levy…Levy…" Levy heard her voice being called, but she was so comfortable and warm and asleep. "Miss Levy!" She felt small hands pushing on her shoulder, shaking her. She growled low, a warning to whomever it was disturbing her rest. "Not you too," She heard an exasperated sigh. "Miss Levy!" She opened her eyes, annoyed at the small creature that dared wake her, turning with murder in her eyes.

Pantherlily stood behind her with a stern look on his face, his hands on his hips. "Finally, she wakes." He said sarcastically. Levy blinked, confused for a second. She turned back around to see skin—a lot of skin. Where…? She tried to work backwards to figure out what was going on, taking inventory of her body. She was so comfortable and warm; that meant she had to be curled up with her dragon slayer because she could not relax this much in the arms of anyone else. She wasn't wearing that tease the girls had bought for her, but something soft and worn that smelled like sex and smoke. She smiled—Gajeel's shirt. She was naked under that. The night rushed back to her at once, and she groaned as an uncomfortable ache formed in the pit of her stomach. She squeezed her thighs together tightly as a flood of warmth broke over her. Levy sighed and began untangling her limbs from Gajeel's, slowly so as not to wake him up. She wanted a chance to talk to Lily before she broke his peace. She sat up and stretched her arms over her head, combing her hair with her fingers. Only then did she turn to the Exceed.

"How are you feeling, Lily?" She asked softly, voice still wrapped with sleep.

He rubbed the back of his head absently. "A bit sore, but it could be worse. I believe someone must have snuck up on me." He was pointedly keeping his eyes away from her, and Levy swore she could see a blush on his cheeks.

"Hey, Lily, do you mind stepping outside for a sec? I just need to get dressed and then I will come talk to you, promise. He nodded and stepped out of the tent. Levy turned to dig into her pack, sifting through outfits in her head. They would be on a boat for a few hours, and she just knew that Gajeel would take advantage and throw her into the water, and she had packed a swimsuit with just that in mind. She slid on the new black bikini, grinning at the thought of Gajeel seeing her like that. This was bought again at the girls' urging. The bottoms were simple black. The top though was a small bandeau with a knot in the center of her chest, and padding to make it look like she had cleavage. There was also a matching mesh dress cover-up for the suit that Levy passed over this time, instead grabbing a black halter dress that was shorter than what she usually wore. When she spun, the skirt lifted in a pretty way. The stitching on the dress was crimson, the same exact shade as Gajeel's eyes, with silver vines climbing up one side of the dress, roses the same shade of red blossoming as the vines spread out. This dress, she had designed, just for him. She slid back into the black boots and left the black bandana in her hair. Once she was satisfied she was presentable, she checked that Gajeel was still asleep and stepped out to where Lily was poking at the embers of their fire. She spared a glance to the man who was now sitting in his runed prison watching her cautiously. She felt a fierce satisfaction at seeing that fear in his eyes.

"I know you have questions," She said as she settled cross-legged next to the exceed.

"I assume, given your attire, that you two are an item now?" He said bluntly, making Levy smile. He had never been one for beating around the bush.

"You assume correctly, Lily. We are mated." That seemed to surprise the black cate, making him jump.

"I just figured…I never thought he…congratulations to you both, then." He said. "I guess that means I win one bet and lose another." He sighed.

"What was that?" Levy said with an embarrassed tone. Bet? Holy Mavis, had the guild been wagering on them? "You know what, never mind. I don't want to know." She shook her head. "You are aware of the mating process, then, and everything it entails?" She asked, and he nodded in response. "Then you should know that there was a…complication." She said blushing until her face matched her dress.

Gajeel snorted from the open flap of the tent, making the two at the fire turn to him. He saw Levy's eyes light up when they caught his. "Complication, shrimp? Really? That whatcha call that?" He was a little grumpy, after waking up cold and alone, no Levy, no cat. He followed their scents, catching sight of his woman in a dress that made him groan internally. Was every outfit she brought made to drive him mad? He walked over to them, sitting behind Levy and pulling her into his lap, his chest still bare. She did not complain, resting her hands over his as he wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Yes, complication. It is a pretty damn big complication," She muttered, "but a complication nonetheless." He nodded, and she returned her attention to an amused Lily. "You see, we, uh, didn't…finish," Levy said, not meeting his eyes. "We were attacked by a guild—Mercury's Hammer—and they had attacked you, and you were hurt, and they threatened us, and…we didn't finish."

Pantherlily's eyes went from Gajeel to Levy, noticing for the first time the black marks creeping along their skin. "So," He said slowly. "You finally grew a pair and claimed her," Lily ignored Gajeel's growl. "And you…started. But then got attacked and never…finished?" They both nodded, and Lily rested his head in his hands, shoulders shaking with laughter until he could get it under control. "So until you do 'finish,' I can expect…?"

"Crazy, possessive, dragon-Levy and grumpy, feral, horny Gajeel." Levy said simply, making everyone blush.

Lily just shook his head. He knew that they wouldn't do anything with him around, if they could help it, or if they had other responsibilities. He jerked a paw at the cage and the mage inside flinched. "I take it he is one of the Mercury's Hammer members?"

"Yes. I put him in a rune trap that can only be opened by a member of Fairy Tail or the Magic Council. I was going to call Duranbolt while we were packing to come pick him up." Levy said as she relaxed into Gajeel's warm chest, wiggling a little to get comfortable.

Gajeel placed two firm hands on her hips and stopped her moving, gritting his teeth uncomfortably. He brought his mouth close to her ear. "Shrimp, ya might wanna stop movin' like that." He growled. She froze and bit her lip. "Unless ya want me to take ya right here?" He phrased it more like a question, as if he would be more than happy to if she let him. Levy almost couldn't say no to the hunger in his voice. Before she could make a regrettable decision, she slipped out of his embrace and stood, smoothing her skirt and walking back to the tent to start packing everything away, making him smirk.

Lily felt as though he was trapped in a bad sitcom, shaking his head.

Duranbolt had picked up on the communication lacrima quickly, excited as he heard the news. He and a half-dozen rune knights appeared in the campsite just as the three finished packing up. Levy smiled and shook his hand. Despite his betrayal on Tenrou, she had grown close to the mage, bonding over a mutual curiosity for rare magics.

"Oi, Mest!" Gajeel grunted.

"How many times do I have to remind you, Redfox? My name is not Mest, but Duranbolt." He shook his head as the dragon slayer shook his hand as well. "It is good to see you both again, Levy, Gajeel. And you, Pantherlily. Levy tells me you apprehended a party-leader from Mercury's Hammer?"

"That was all the shrimp, gihi." Gajeel crossed one leg over the other, his arm resting on Levy's head despite her mildly annoyed look. At Duranbolt's surprised look, he continued, "My woman's fierce." Like it needed no other explanation.

Levy led them to the rune trap where Fender cowered. He flinched as she pulled out her light pen, erasing the locking mechanism. He made no move to escape, his eyes on Levy. Duranbolt looked at her incredulously and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him to his feet and snapping on magic-blocking cuffs. "Well, uh, thank you for your assistance in this, Ms. McGarden."

He turned to leave, but she thrust out a hand. "Wait! I actually wanted to talk to you about our mission as well, while you are here." He nodded and handed the criminal over to the Rune Knights. They disappeared leaving only Duranbolt with the team. "We have been commissioned to break some seals on the ruins on Claw Island and retrieve and translate a scroll hidden inside."

Duranbolt's eyes widened. He knew of the scroll they were talking about. The Magic Council had done their best to keep it out of enemy hands, but had been unable to break the seals. "Who hired you? What is their interest in the scroll and the ruins?" His questions were rapid-fire and harsh, but stopped when Levy held up her hand.

"Our client is confidential at the moment. He is an archaeologist interested only in exploring the ruins. He wants us to drive off the thugs keeping everyone away and to turn over anything dangerous, including the scroll, to the Magic Council, which we fully intend to do. I have my own suspicions about the scroll, and I don't want to see it in the wrong hands any more than you do. So, when we do have it in our possession, I would like to call you. I know Gajeel would prefer it if a few Rune Knights were protecting me while I translated it, in case something goes wrong." Gajeel stiffened in surprise at her words. She was taking his feelings about her into consideration.

Duranbolt was looking between them, just starting to notice the lack of distance between the two, the way they were leaning closer and closer together almost instinctively, and the black wings stretching over their arms. He shook his head with a smile. He owed Mirajane 50 jewel… "Of course. We want that scroll behind protective spells that we can control. We would be most appreciative of your translating it, so you will have guards. Just contact me once you have it." He shook her hand, pausing before he left to look back over his shoulder at them. "Be careful. A lot of others have tried taking the ruins before. There is a reason they haven't." And just like that, he was gone.

Gajeel grumbled something about stupid boats and stupid dragon slayer motion sickness as they walked through town towards the docks. In the bright morning light, they gained several curious looks, especially with the new tattoos the two didn't even attempt to cover up. The walked with their fingers laced, Levy humming quietly as Lily sat on Gajeel's shoulder. They looked serenely happy. Only someone close to them would have been able to see the tightness in Gajeel's shoulders and the occasional flash of pain or confusion that crossed Levy's face. They were both starting to feel the strain of the unfinished bond, and Levy was starting to get flashes of other, stronger senses. She would catch a scent, or see a movement too fast to have noticed otherwise, or hear something from far off. It was disorienting, especially since it wasn't constant. It came and went in waves. They ate in the same café as before, ravenously, and kept on, reaching the docks as the sun was at its peak.

Sure enough, as soon as they were away from the docks, Gajeel 'accidentally,' shifted his weight enough to knock Levy overboard. Expecting it, she pulled him with her, and they both ended up laughing and splashing each other. Lily even joined in, canon-balling in between them and spraying water everywhere. After a while, they made it back to the boat; it had drifted a bit while they'd played, but they had no trouble getting it back on track. Gajeel had a very keen sense of direction.

Levy, trying to look innocent, like she wasn't watching Gajeel's every move for his reaction, stripped out of her dress, leaving her in just her bikini. She wasn't disappointed. Gajeel froze, and she could feel the heat of his skin from the other side of the boat. It was a mistake to look over to him. His eyes caught her, and she was compelled to walk into his arms, an urge so strong that she didn't even try to ignore it. He pulled her onto his lap and shifted so that the bulge in his pants was pressed against her covered folds. His hands cupped her smaller breasts gently.

Lily quickly took to the sky, flying far ahead. He didn't want to be anywhere near them for what he just knew was about to happen.

Notes

Seriously, I need to work on fixing these cliffhangers…or maybe not…I am updating pretty frequently, so you shouldn't have to wait too long friends.

As always: Favorite, follow, review! I love to hear from you all.

Beautiful but dangerous – You're too sweet. So glad you are loving it so far. I think I am too. :)

c00lkatt – I know, those pesky intruders, right? They just ruin everything. Glad you were getting into it.