Disclaimer: Mashima-sensei owns Fairy Tail minna! :)

Warnings: Shounen-ai, Language, Potential OOC-ness

Lyon watched his younger brother out of the corner of his eye as the raven spoke with Ultear on the phone. No matter how well the two seemed to get along, Lyon never thought that Gray would willingly let the boys stay over at her place for the week. Of course Gray wasn't so cruel as to not let his ex-girlfriend to see her sons, but with his health being the way it was…he would have to part with the boys at any given moment; he knew that Gray knew that fact very well. The silverette closed his eyes briefly and let a small smile spread across his face before turning back towards the TV; Gray was definitely a much braver man than he could ever hope to be.

He momentarily tuned out his brother as his eyes focused on the strawberry blonde who was on the screen; his blue tinted glasses slightly askew. He would be lying if he said that he was able to keep his own against Natsu; when the flame head was that pissed off, no one would win… and yes, he believed that that included Erza Scarlet as well. Loke Regulus: the resident playboy who played anything that moved and had a skirt; it was no surprise that he never took notice. The strawberry blonde was too busy trying to win Lucy Heartfilia's affections to see that there were others in front of him that were willing to give him everything.

Lyon grimaced faintly before shaking the thought out of his head; what the hell was he thinking? He had long ago given up on his dreams and wishes to obtain what he truly wanted; it wouldn't have worked anyway. He wasn't Gray…he didn't, couldn't, hold onto the childish obsession he once had when he was a teenager; he has long accepted the fact that Loke would never notice him…they just weren't meant to be. Unwillingly, he found his eyes travelling over to Gray once more as the conversation between Ultear and him started to draw to an end. Despite that, he couldn't help but want what Gray had; the strength to continue loving even if the future looked bleak…

That was just one of the many differences between them he guessed.

Lyon found himself pulled out of his musings when he noticed Gray staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Only then did he realize that his brother had finished his conversation with Ultear; it had been a long time since he zoned out like that.

"What do you want Lyon?"

The silverette blinked at him owlishly for a moment before laughing softly; he pushed all previous thoughts out of his mind. Now wasn't the time to think of the 'what ifs' and the 'not a chances'; he had to focus on the here and now.

"It's amazing how well you get along with your ex; you know that right?"

The corner of Lyon's lips twitched in amusement as Gray's cheeks took on a slightly red tint. However, as quickly as it was there for the world to see it was gone; unsurprisingly, a roll of his droopy deep blue eyes took its place. It was one of his brother's many defense mechanisms; Gray didn't even half to respond to his question because Lyon already knew what he was going to say.

"You know that it was a mutual split…"

And there it was…one of Gray's 'subtle' ways of saying that he and Ultear split because both Ultear and himself knew that he was still in love with Natsu. Lyon smirked deviously as he punched the raven across his shoulder playfully before ruffling his messy hair. Even though Gray's eyes narrowed at him dangerously, the silverette's smirk seemed to widen as he laughed and smugly poked the raven's cheek as Gray tried to bat him away. He dove off the couch as Gray jumped at him and had to stop himself from laughing out loud when Gray's face became buried in the sofa cushion.

"We both know why the split was mutual," He raised an eyebrow mockingly, "She knew that your heart would always belong to him Gray, so don't deny it."

Lyon was almost out of the room when he heard Gray's mutter of 'whatever'. He chose to pretend that he never heard it and continued on his way to the door. He silently slipped on his shoes as he grabbed a hold of the doorknob and yanked it open. He was about to step onto the doorstep only to be halted by a pale fist landing on his chest. His eyes trailed up from the small fist to the person holding it; anger and hate immediately igniting in his veins like a roaring fire.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

The blonde woman standing in front of him stared up at Lyon with wide brown eyes; the corner of her lips twitching slightly. Lucy Heartfilia stood before him as if she didn't have any care in the world; as if she didn't realize there was a volatile silverette on the verge of explosion glaring at her darkly.

"Answer me." He spat harshly, "What are you doing here?"

Lucy continued to stare at him before a smile graced her features,

"I was told that Gray lived here; I was in town so I figured that I would drop by and say hi."

Lyon clenched his fists at his sides; he didn't trust that smile at all. He may not have known her well since he had only transferred to Fairy Tail High in the middle of his junior year, but he knew enough about her and what she had done to his brother. He opened his mouth to launch his tirade when a cool hand pushed against his cheek and effectively moved him out of the doorway. His glare immediately shifted from the evil beast standing in the door to the insane ice head with messed up priorities.

"Gray…" He growled.

"Lyon," The raven cut him off, "Do you think you can go pick up the boys for me?"

The silverette froze midsentence and stared at his brother with wide eyes. He did not just say what he think he did. Lyon opened his mouth to say as such when he noticed the familiar, fiery determination burning in Gray's deep blue eyes. He looked him up and down for a moment before sighing loudly.

"Fine," He folded his arms across his chest, "Are they at the restaurant?"

"Yeah," Gray stated absently, "Ul said that they were with Jellal."

"Alright."

Lyon clasped Gray's shoulder briefly before shoving his way passed Lucy and onto the street. His anger was still present and soundlessly thumping through his veins; he hoped that the blonde demon would leave Magnolia as fast as she arrived. But he knew that things wouldn't work out like that; when had his life ever gone perfectly.

He growled under his breath as he walked slowly towards the restaurant; he really should've listened to his instincts when they told him to take his car to Gray's house the night before. Of course, he preferred to walk more than anything and the restaurant wasn't too far from his brother's house, but he knew that Haru wouldn't be able to walk too far; he really didn't feel like carrying his nephew around today. Normally he would've just taken the boys back home since it was a shorter distance than it would be going to his house, but he didn't know how long the blonde haired bimbo would be there; he didn't want to expose the boys to her demonic impurities.

He really hoped that Gray would be able to handle himself around her; she had a way of twisting words and taking advantage of people in order to get what she wanted. Lyon shoved his hands deep in his coat pockets; this wouldn't even be happening if Natsu hadn't returned to Magnolia; Gray was getting along just fine without that pink haired loser in his life. Lyon paused in his steps for a moment; who was he kidding?

For the past ten years, Gray has been acting like he was fine; he has been acting like his illness hasn't been kicking him down and acting like Natsu leaving hadn't left a large hole in his life. Not to mention his eye sight getting worse and worse as days go by and the threat of the social workers and court taking the boys away because he won't be able to take care of them by himself any longer; or at least, that's what those close minded assholes believe. The scary part about that whole thing was what would happen to Dallin; simply due to the fact that Ultear hadn't officially adopted the older boy as of yet, leaving him without a guardian…

He would become a ward of the system.

That was definitely something Gray wouldn't want for Dallin; especially after the brief time he spent in the system before Ur found him in the alley that day and for the even briefer time after Ur died. He along with everyone else knew that Dallin would not be able to handle leaving Gray alone very well; the young blunette was the glue that held Gray together for a long time before Haru was born and will continue to be that glue until the end of time. Without Dallin in his life, Lyon didn't even want to think what Gray would've ended up like after Natsu had left…

"Uncle Lyon!"

The silverette jerked to a stop and stared at the front of the restaurant with wide eyes; he was so deep in thought that he hadn't even realized that he had gotten there. He smiled softly at the two boys standing next to Jellal outside the restaurant; Dallin was sitting on the edge of the flower bed with his chin balanced in his hand while Haru was practically vibrating on the balls of his feet.

"Hello boys," He chuckled as he stopped in front of them, "Did you have a good morning?"

Dallin shrugged dishearteningly,

"It would've been better if we could've spent more time with Mama."

Lyon reached out and ruffled the blunette's hair playfully,

"Well, I have some good news for you then…"

The silverette nearly tripped over his feet as Haru's small body connected with the front of his knees; the small raven's thin arms wrapped around his lower thighs as he stared up at him with wide blue eyes. Lyon couldn't help but wonder if Gray was this cute when he was kid; the silverette was much too bitter and focused on Ur in order to pay proper attention to him back then.

"Is it a surprise?" Haru cheered, "Are you gonna tell us?!"

Lyon patted his head,

"You're going to stay at Mama's house for the rest of the week to make up for this weekend; how does that sound?"

Haru cheered loudly and ran over to Dallin; yelling animatedly in his older brother's face. Lyon could see the look of disbelief on the elder's face, but it quickly became a visage of contentment and excitement; after all, it was rare that they could stay at their mom's house during the week. Lyon felt chills creep down his spine causing him to turn away from the boys only to see Jellal watching him with an intense yet confused look on his face. The silverette moved closer to the detective so that the boys would be least likely to overhear them.

"Hey Jellal," Lyon raised his hand in greeting, "What's up?"

The blunette tilted his head to the side,

"Ultear said that Gray was going to be picking them up…where is he?"

The silverette pinched the bridge of his nose,

"He had a surprise visitor this morning and asked me to get them in his place."

Jellal's hazel eyes widened in surprise before he became thoughtful; it was Lyon's turn to be confused. The blunette tapped the bottom of his chin contemplatively as he leaned in closer to the silverette.

"Was it Lucy?"

Lyon coughed as he choked on the very air in his lungs,

"How did you…"

Jellal stared at him pointedly,

"She showed up at our house this morning as well."

The slightly younger man's eyes narrowed in disbelief; now there was something he wasn't expecting. Despite Lucy coming to Magnolia to see Natsu (or so he thought) she had yet to actually go hunt him down; instead going for Erza who could scare anyone into doing anything and then for Gray.

"She wanted to make sure that Erza was on her side." He muttered.

The blunette nodded solemnly,

"That's what I thought and the fact that she ended up at Gray's house…"

"It didn't end well." Lyon finished.

Jellal grimaced and the silverette couldn't help but agree with him; if Lucy had managed to piss the great Titania off…well, the world was bound to end. Lyon smiled reassuringly at Jellal before turning towards the boys. Haru was still talking Dallin's ear off and completely oblivious to the world going on around him while Dallin himself seemed to be watching them with interest.

"Hey," He called out to them, "Are you guys hungry? I'm sure Hibiki and the others would love to serve you guys your favourites."

Haru's eyes lit up,

"YEAH!"

Dallin nodded his head enthusiastically and latched onto his younger brother's hand before pulling him inside the building. Lyon chuckled at their antics before turning back to Jellal and waving him off.

"Go check on our armoured demon will ya?" He teased.

Jellal laughed; though the smile didn't totally reach his eyes,

"I'll let you know if I survive."

FTFTFTFT

Natsu slumped pitifully in the metal chair with his arms sagging at his sides. The only sound around him was the annoying buzzing of the fluorescent lights and the rumbling of his insatiable stomach as it demanded for the breakfast that he was deprived of. At this moment, he couldn't help but think he would've been better off staying in Edolas; nothing seemed to be going his way at this point. It was bad enough that Gray was pissed at him, but now Loke and Lucy were also back in Magnolia; he could see this ending very, very badly.

All he wanted was a chance to start over and move on from his blonde haired ex-girlfriend. It was the first time in eleven, almost twelve years, that he had been single; he wanted to get away and find himself again. Of course, he never thought that finding himself would be finally admitting that he was in love with Gray and he had been for a very long time. One of his first memories of childhood was meeting Gray; he will always remember how much the feisty raven annoyed him. But at the same time, he just couldn't leave the slightly older male alone; it was so much fun bugging the raven until he burst.

Natsu didn't know when his taunting and teasing of Gray changed, but he knew that it did. Although it was fun to bug the raven and irritating when he retaliated, it quickly became a routine more than anything; they did it only because that was what their relationship entailed. Sure, they could've done without all of Erza's threats and the bruises that resulted from her punishments, but he couldn't have been happier with what they had. He never knew that their constant bantering would lead to him inevitably falling in love with the raven and that's why he never acknowledged the feelings that rested within him. He couldn't help but think that he might've used Lucy to hide the feelings that he had for Gray and that made him feel disgusting inside.

The pinkette looked towards the door when he heard the sound of hinges interrupt his awkward silence. Ultear stood in the opening with her arms folded across her chest; her brown eyes narrowed dangerously. Natsu gulped audibly as she stormed into the room and slammed her hands on the metal table in front of him. He jumped up into the air and straightened in his chair immediately with his hands placed formally on his lap.

"Natsu Dragneel." She hissed.

He chuckled nervously as sweat dripped down the back of his neck,

"Hi Ultear…"

The raven raised an eyebrow,

"That's Detective Milkovich to you."

Natsu sighed sadly and slumped as if the world had suddenly fallen on his shoulders; at least he now knew where Dallin got his imposing attitude from. He prayed that Haru would never end up like this; he was quite happy having the little popsicle on his team thank you very much. He glanced up at Ultear and tried to smile at her, but even he felt that he was screwed.

"Look," He began, "I'm really, really sorry that I ruined your day with Dallin and Haru; if I could go back in time and prevent that stupid perverted lion from ever being born I would."

He couldn't stop himself from cheering inside when she saw the corner of her lip twitching; however that hope quickly faded when he saw a thoughtful look cross over her face. He watched her nervously as she pulled the chair across from him out from under the table and sat down. He tried to look her in the eye, but he found that he couldn't do it; it was scary how much Ultear and Erza resembled each other sometimes.

"How do you know about Dallin and Haru?"

Now that was a question that he didn't see coming,

"Huh?"

Ultear smirked,

"Come on Natsu, don't act like the person you portray."

The pinkette's eyebrows furrowed in confusion; was that supposed to be an insult? Or was it some kind of twisted compliment? He couldn't understand for the life of him why girls had to be so goddamn confusing; life would be so much easier if they would just say what they mean and mean what they say. He huffed loudly and crossed his arms over his chest nervously as he watched the older raven suspiciously.

"I met them at the park one time when I ran into Gray." He mumbled.

He raised an eyebrow as Ultear nodded her head thoughtfully. That was the one thing that he didn't like about Ultear; she always made him feel uneasy…it was as if she was planning something 99.9% of the time. She tapped her fingers on the metal table rhythmically before a mischievous smile spread across her pale face.

"Did you ever end up getting that medical degree that you went to school for?"

Natsu frowned,

"I don't see what this has to do with me 'disturbing the peace'…"

"Don't be an annoying smart ass Natsu," She interrupted sternly, "Things might not go well for you."

A sharp chill travelled down his spine,

"Yes ma'am."

She smiled at him demonically and he shrunk back in his chair fearfully. He never thought that he would get the chance to know someone who was as scary as Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss rolled into one. How Gray had managed to date a woman like this was beyond him; let alone have a son with her. Now he really, really hoped that Haru wouldn't end up like his mother; Dallin's personality was terrifying enough at times.

"So, did you get that degree?"

Natsu stared at her evenly,

"Yeah, but I haven't actually gotten around to getting a job here yet…"

Ultear smiled broadly; she actually smiled…the world had to be coming to an end,

"That's perfect; you can watch over Gray and help him keep custody of Dallin and Haru."

Natsu once again found himself speechless in her presence; she actually wanted him to get back together with Gray? He laid his arms on the table in front of him so that he could get a better look at her facial expressions. Although the raven haired woman was next to impossible to read, he was pretty confident in his ability to read others; of course, he was bound to make mistakes…Lucy being the prime example.

"What are you talking about?" He scoffed, "Gray doesn't want anything to do with me; you must know that considering you're one of those people who know everything."

The corner of Ultear's mouth pulled downwards,

"Natsu, he's hurt, but he loves you very much; and he needs your help."

The pinkette averted his gaze,

"He already told me that he doesn't need me in his life."

"That's because he was hurt," She reiterated, "The whole time we were 'together' he was thinking about you; everything in his entire being is in love with you and he always will be."

He was silent as the words left her mouth; he wished that was true, but he knew how well Gray held grudges. Suddenly he felt a fist pound into the back of his head and swore loudly; his voice reverberating throughout the room. He rubbed the sore spot rhythmically and glared at the angry woman who was now towering over him.

"I knew you were stupid Natsu, but honestly you're even surprising me right now."

"Hey!" He whined, "That's not fair."

"Think," She hissed, "Gray loves you and now he knows that you love him…"

Natsu's face turned red,

"How did you know that?!"

"He would tell you to leave him alone because of one or two reasons," She continued; ignoring the embarrassed pinkette completely, "One, because he was legitimately hurt; which he has every right to be or two, because he's trying to protect you from being sucked into his hell; something he has tried before."

"Ultear," He began.

"Natsu, he's losing his sight and if that happens he loses his kids." She interrupted him again, "Do you want that to happen to him?"

The pinkette felt the blood in his veins freeze,

"What?"

She fell back into the chair and pressed her fingers to her temples,

"I wasn't able to gain custody of Dallin when I filed for it due to my job; the courts aren't even sure if I should have custody of Haru if anything happens to Gray even though he is my biological son. Dallin would end up in the system and you of all people know how that worked out for Gray."

"Doesn't Dallin have any other guardians?" Natsu asked, "Like godparents or something?"

Ultear sighed,

"He was never able to assign the godparents because he wasn't able to get a hold of the person he wanted to be the godfather; not to mention that he was shell-shocked after Juvia's death."

"Back up," Natsu's eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean he couldn't get a hold of the godfather?"

"He wanted you Natsu," She stated stiffly, "And he refused to pick anyone else; he said that if he could trust you with his own life, then he could trust you with his son's despite everything that happened."

"Me…" He whispered, "He wanted me to…"

Ultear smiled slightly as she pushed herself out of the chair and made her way towards the door once more,

"You're free to go; besides you have a job to do."

TBC

Hey Minna! :) I'm so sorry for the late update; I skipped a week! I've been busy with Relay for Life last weekend and then I've been crazy busy with work and stressed all week, then yesterday I was at a family reunion which was fun as hell! My family is super insane; a bunch of party animals I'm telling you! :P I've also been suffering from major writer's block with this story hence the reason why this is mostly a filler chapter :( Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it! Waiting on your awesome reviews! :)

-sktrgrl

PS. If you guys don't like Loke/Lyon I apologize! It was just a little test and I don't know if I'm gonna expand on it or not yet! :)

Answers to your reviews! :)

There are fourteen of your super lovely reviewers! You guys are amazing and I'm so happy to have all your support :D Also a huge thanks for those who favourited and reviewed!

AsDarknessSpreads: Yeah, Gray is a very popular guy XD And it's Magnolia so they're looking for any kind of news, especially if it's members of Fairy Tail lol! And who knows, Loke just might be tempted away from the dark side!

Luvscookie: You were right :) Here's a new chapter for you!

DreamscomeTRUEEE: I'm happy that you think the characters are okay; I always worry about that! And hey, maybe you have a little sadist in you after all :P there's nothing wrong with basking in the drama :P

6purplecats: Loke and Lucy are not this cruel…ever…lol I just wanted to have fun with making them the baddies in this one :P I'm happy that you like the story nonetheless! I'm hoping to have more fam bonding time with Natsu, Gray, Dallin and Haru especially since it seems that Natsu is finally prepared to inject himself into Gray's life :P

Mgluvsbl25: You got your wish; there's officially some Loke/Lyon angst though, I don't know if I'll make it something more for them or not so you're gonna have to wait ;)

LindyLinn: I'm so happy that you liked the Loke/Natsu fight! I was really, really worried about that! And cliffhangers are badass, don't even deny it ;)

Scarlet Huntress: Here's a new chapter for you! Sorry for the long wait; enjoy!

Guest: Neither can I… and I'm writing it :P

Guest: Yay, you love it! Glad that I haven't disappointed you yet and I hope I continue to make you happy! Here's the next chapter!

Yaoifornow: Lmao! I really worry about your violent tendencies sometimes, but hey I'm on your side! Lucy is a really big buttface in this story and I'm happy that I'm able to make people hate her so much :P

AUehara: Yay! You liked the fight! :) It honestly worried me so much that I didn't want to post it! As for me, I hate a lot of female characters too; but Lucy just gets on my nerves -.- I have no problems with the other females of FT though (I even like Juvia to an extent…just not when she get too stalkerish you know? For example, I like her a lot in this new arc of the manga!)

BeautifulWonderland256: Glad that you like the confrontation; worried me so much! Here's a new chapter for you and I hope you enjoy it! :)

Guest: Sometimes I hate being right :'( though in a sense I'm also wrong because it's not ACTUALLY Gray's dad…it's Deliora using Silver's body. Why can't Deliora leave my poor Gray alone; I really hope he doesn't die :'( On the upside, I'm happy you like the story!