As always - Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima and everything Pradesh belongs to Desna and the Holy Grail belongs to Monty Python.

A/N - I haven't had much time for review and edits, so hopefully this isn't a mess. :)

"Lets keep this between us for now," Kaleb suggested. As much as he felt Zen had a right to know, assuming the child was his based on everything so far, it would definitely escalate the possessiveness of both he and Laxus and probably the celestial spirits as well. Rubbing his temple, he knew the impending migraine would be a killer. "Cris, you have reason to check on her health periodically. Keep myself and Bix updated on the status. Bickslow, I need you to let Xally know and swear her to secrecy. Use blackmail if you have to. She can keep an eye out for any signs we might miss since she's worked with more pregnancies than Cris has. I will have Beck come out and inform him of the situation. With so many dragon souls around he may be useful. Now go get Laxus some food before anyone becomes suspicious. Cristoff head back in and keep an eye on things." Once the two left, Kaleb addressed the empty room. "I trust you understand the need for silence Vander?"

"Not thrilled about it, but yeah. I'd rather be excited about being an uncle, but I understand. Want me to ping Beck for you? I feel somewhat useless here at the moment."

Kaleb shook his head, "I need to head to the guild so I can arrange some time away anyhow. Do what you do best and distract them, especially Zen. He has been through a lot in a short time and his feelings for Lucy run deep. He has some heavy mental walls built up so I can't get anything specific without being blatant. However, his emotions are coming through loud and clear. Keep him from fighting with the slayers, get him to feel a part of the family. He is unsure of his place here and honestly his concern for Lucy is mostly what is keeping him from backing away."

"Will do." Vander started to head back to Lucy's room, but stopped and looked over his shoulder at his brother. "You know, this is definitely less than ideal but I can't help be excited to get to know both of them." Whistling he shifted back into the room to appear next to Zen and winked at his father. "Hey Dad, can I be the first one to take Zen to a bathhouse?" he asked grinning wickedly. Both Arman and Farron rolled their eyes, Xally face palmed, while Emzadi and Cristoff laughed.

"Why would you want to get me a bath?" Zen asked confused causing Vander's grin to expand and his eyes to sparkle.

"Oh, my dearest brother. I have so much to teach you."

After a lecture from his father about less than appropriate timing, Vander seemingly pouted in the corner while Farron and Arman gave a very confused Zen a brief overview of the Boscan culture. Distraction successful. By the way, I'm so going to be best uncle out of us. I will be the fun one! I will teach him or her so many things. The guildmaster of White Sea sighed and rubbed his temples again. Yes, that migraine was not going away anytime soon.

Bickslow returned with a few trays of food for everyone. When he was leaving to get drinks, Vander suggested some aged Boscan Gold rum to celebrate Zen's return which earned him a few sighs, a frown from his father, and a wholehearted agreement from Laxus. Bickslow took Xally with him and they returned with glasses, a pitcher of iced tea, a pitcher of lemonade and a bottle of rum and served everyone. Laxus inhaled the scent of the dark gold liquid slowly before sipping and closing his eyes in enjoyment. Zen looked at his lemonade and then back to Laxus. "I'd prefer what he's having." Vander smirked, quite pleased with himself.

Even Arman had to admit the rum was a good idea. After Zen requested some everyone joined in and the tension in the room lifted. Zen and Laxus stopped trying to murder each other by looks alone, and the siblings started to just get to know their brother. Zen brushed off questions about his childhood and particulars about being a gladiator, mostly just discussing the fights. He avoided pointed questions about his stay with Lucy and Vander helped him divert to easier topics. He could tell Vander was helping him refrain from discussing anything personal about their time together. He didn't know why, but he was thankful. It would probably come to a time he would have to talk about it, but he'd rather do so with her permission and some of it was hard to explain.

Farron watched the interactions carefully. He could tell Vander was up to something as he seemed to steer the conversation at times and he would definitely corner his brother about that later. He also noticed how frequently Zen looked over to check on the blonde. She was still snug in the slayer's arms as he chatted with his teammates who arrived not long ago. Eventually Laxus started yawning which quickly became contagious. Farron decided to declare it a night. It had been a long day for them all. Emzadi and Xally both offered to share their rooms with Evergreen and Bickslow offered to Freed, Laxus having already declared he would be staying with the celestial mage. Zen refused to leave as well, which caused a bit of a quandary. Eventually, they moved the couch next to the bed so that Laxus could stay where he was and Zen was close enough to touch her. Tomorrow they would sort out a better arrangement Arman declared, especially considering how many slayers were going to arrive at some point. One by one they hugged Zen and said their goodnights.

"You know, for a time I was afraid if I took my eyes off of him he would disappear," Farron told his father as they left the room, "but there is no way he would leave without her. I don't know what happened between them, but it was significant. I only hope we can help her."

"We will. For both their sakes."

In the morning, Farron and his father decided to convert the parlor into a lounge with a harem style cushion and pillow arrangement in the middle. That would allow for the number of people they were expecting to be near the celestial mage until she awoke. Bickslow and Vander were moping due to having been denied any of Mr. Elan's pastries for an entire day over the pillow fight they started while the room was being arranged. Otherwise things were fairly calm at the Pradesh estate.

They woke Laxus and Zen and moved the trio downstairs to the new room and everyone piled in and ate breakfast together. Arman smiled as he could see Zen warming up to his siblings quickly. Zen even smiled and laughed a few times when one would tease another over something. It warmed his heart to have all of his children together. Farron left shortly after breakfast as he had some work at the Embassy to attend to that could not wait. The iron slayer was expected within a few hours or so with Cobra in tow, and they had been informed by Levy that Wendy, Rogue and Sting were on the way and should arrive within a few days. Bickslow had to threaten Xally with total destruction of her shoe collection to ensure silence, but she was on board. Due to having a dragon slayer for a sister she had researched quite a bit about dragon slayer pregnancies as well as having completed a full rotation in obstetrics during her residency. She used her water magic to ensure Lucy stayed hydrated while Cris checked her out. There was no change in her status. For now, hydration was key, but if they couldn't wake her up soon they would have to arrange to artificially feed her.

Kaleb had to leave to handle a few more guild items before he could take leave for the rest of the week. He left Cristoff in charge of the slayers and left Vander in charge of running interference when needed. Freed was busy adding protection runes to the grounds, mostly for Natsu, and Evergreen and Emzadi planned a shopping trip when Lucy woke. Virgo checked on her key-holder and explained that Capricorn would be coming later. At one point, when the pink haired spirit was bent over checking her Princess, Vander decided it was a good time to cop a feel. Without turning, Virgo grabbed his hand and twisted his fingers backwards to the point of breaking bringing him to his knees momentarily. She let him go, turned and explained she would be more than happy to punish him properly when her Princess was able to allow it and disappeared in a shower of gold sparkles. At which Vander sighed dramatically, "If she wears that outfit, she can punish me all she wants." Bickslow pictured Virgo's much larger form in his head and just fell into a fit of giggles on the floor. "What? Who doesn't want a pink haired dominatrix in a maid's uniform?"

"You don't want that one Van, trust me."

Things were calm again by the time an anxious Gajeel and Cobra finally arrived. Laxus handed her to the iron slayer and asked the seith to fill them in. He needed to clean up and walk around a bit. His dragon was calmer knowing more of her kin was there.

"Fuck. How do you always manage to get into this shit Bunny Girl?" Gajeel asked the girl in his arms after hearing the details. Levy was a wreck when he left and had wanted to come with, but she was heavily involved in a mission to take down a dark guild that was kidnapping children for nefarious purposes. She would come when it was over. She blamed herself for telling Lucy about the rumor of the key in Seven. Gajeel had tried to convince her that she would have found out one way or another eventually and it wasn't her fault but she wouldn't hear it.

Cobra sat near them on the cushions as he just listened to her soul. "She's in pain, but she is comforted by us being here," he explained. "She can feel us. The dragon is scared though."

"You can hear the dragon?" Bickslow asked. His father and Farron were both sound mages and didn't pick up on anything.

"Yeah some. She's scared the joining will fail. She never wanted to hurt Tink."

"Can you talk to her?" Xally asked quietly.

"I can hear her, I'm not a fucking soul whisperer. Talk to the knight who says Ni over there," Cobra waved at Bickslow.

The seith mage sighed. "First that's not how my magic works, and second I have not nor will I go around saying Ni."

Cobra winked at Xally - or blinked, it was hard to tell with only one eye - "You just did. Now tell me, just what do you k-niggits do with those nice shrubberies anyhow?"

"Oh, I like this one," Vander purred. "Sexy and witty. Toxic too right? Downright delicious."

"I don't roll that way man, but I appreciate the sentiment."

After Laxus returned and the two new slayers were caught up on the information at hand, they situated Lucy so that she rested comfortably between them. Bickslow checked and again her soul was calmer and the grip of the dragon soul seemed lighter. It was hard to gauge, but he was pretty certain. The tiniest light of a child's soul was still there as well. He informed the group of the adult and dragon souls, while he sent a mental message to Kaleb about the child.

It was a calm afternoon, the former Fairy Tail mages catching up on each other's lives since the disbandment. Arman somehow convinced Zen to leave to for a few hours to the palace to get the formalities over with. Bringing someone back from the dead officially and legally was complicated. Farron and Kaleb returned shortly before dinner. Beck, the guild's resident beastmaster, would be coming in the morning to see if he could communicate with the dragon.

With little to do, the family decided to break out some board games for the evening's entertainment. "Monopoly?" Farron suggested.

"Not with you and Dad involved." Emzadi shot back.

"Clue?" Xally prompted. Kaleb and Cobra grinned. "Nevermind." The next suggestions of Life and Operation were quickly shot down as "Boring!" and "Vander always cheats with that one.".

"Sorry?" They thought about it for a bit before deciding there were too many players.

"Uno," Laxus suggested, followed by several devious grins and a yes from most of the group.

Zen merely shrugged, he didn't know any of the games anyhow. Vander put an arm around his big brother's shoulders and told him, "It's easy. All you have to do is be as mean as humanly possible to the person after you."

Xally groaned as the cards were being dealt. She could never win this game.

Nuryev glanced up from the dossier to the head of security in front of him, "You are certain?"

The man stood nervously in front of him, not making direct contact. He knew any mistakes would mean his life. "Yes, sir. Vander Jerico Pradesh. Former Bloodhunter for the Boscan Steel Council, currently a White Sea mage. The few witnesses were able to give enough of a description along with his skills in combat and stealth it is a certainty. One slave was even able to account for his well known proclivities." Nuryev raised a brow at this and waited for the man to continue. The security chief cleared his throat. "He flirted with her sir."

"Hmmm, and this girl is she still available for questioning?"

"No, sir. She did not survive the interrogation."

Nuryev shrugged. "A pity. The other man?"

"We were unable to positively ID him, but it was most likely his former partner from the Bloodhunters, an energy mage."

"That would explain how they managed to rupture the power generator." He flipped through the files in his hand. "This is all the intel on this Vander we have?"

"Yes, sir. This includes all information we have on his family and friends as well, including what we know about the White Sea mages."

"I see. An interesting family it seems, ambassadors, dragon slayers and the only known shadowquip. I trust you are taking measures to ensure this sort of breach cannot occur again?"

The mad nodded affirmatively. "Good. Good. Keep me updated on the progress of the security upgrades and in the meanwhile send a message to Hollis. I have need of his services again." The security chief left as he continued to read about the Pradesh family. Dealing with the aftermath had been unpleasant. The King was unsurprisingly furious. He was able to appease him with news that the tests run on the bed sheets indicated they did indeed fully mate and the girl was most likely breeding. The Pradesh family would be difficult to get past, but he just needed to get the celestial mage back and Zen would surely follow.