Finally! I'm back with an update! I love love, you guys comments! They keep me going! Well I hope you guys enjoy the new update!


"Thanks again for carrying the box, Erza." Levy sheepishly smiled up at the redhead who smiled down at her, as they entered the castle.

"It's no problem. You seemed to be having trouble when you walked into the restaurant and everyone was staring at you. I could tell you were getting embarrassed."

Levy's cheeks tinted a slight pink as she remembered the stares she got when she walked in with Lily by her side. She felt his body tense up, ready to defend her again and that made her feel a little safer from the eyes that bore down on her. Especially when she sat down beside the small queen and her smiling bodyguard. Levy stroked the panther's head using him as an emotional anchor as she tried to ignore them.

"Levy?" A small voice asked pulling her out of her thoughts, reminding her where they were headed. "Are you ok?" Wendy asked, Gajeel's office coming into view.

"I'm ok." Levy nodded her head, eyeing the door that seemed to come forward increasingly fast. She wasn't ready to see him. She wasn't ready to put on a smile and pretend everything was ok. She needed to clear her head and fast. "Um, Erza? Do you think you can deliver that to his highness? I have a few chores I have to get done before dinner."

Erza faced flashed with worry as she nodded her head. Levy thanked her before turning in the opposite direction, with Lily hot on her heels. Lily tried to ask her where she was going but he was only met with the sound of her rapid footsteps as she hurried out of the castle and into the back gardens.

She took a deep breath, expelling it slowly as she tried to calm her frazzled nerves and overwhelming thoughts. Taking a step into the garden maze, she looked down seeing Lily ready to follow her wherever she went causing her to stop.

"Lily, can I have a moment alone?" Lily, shook his head, a rumble in his throat telling her, he would rather go with her to make sure she was safe. Shooting him a sympathetic smile she rubbed his head reassuringly. "I'll be ok, promise. I won't go too far and I'll scream if I need you."

Lily shot her a hesitant look, which Levy quickly put on her sweetest smile saying, please. Shaking his head he huffed out a defeated sigh, knowing it was hard to say no to her. He and his old friend seemed to have that common.

"Thanks, Lily. I'll be just a few minutes." She cheered, hugging him before turning to head into the gardens.

She watched him lay in the front of the garden's entrance, letting her know he'll be there when she gets back. A smile danced across her features before sliding back down into a frown as she walked aimlessly with no real direction or destination in mind. The stares and whispers seemed to surround her as the seamstress words echoed loudly in her mind. She was used to the derogative words but for some reason, having Gajeel's name attached to her made her heart ached. The thought of Gajeel's reputation being at stake because of her was what hurt the most. He was only helping her and here she was ruining him.

"I'm sure he doesn't care, but still…" she whispered aloud to herself, guilt and sadness filling her. Why did she have to like him so much? If this was someone else she wouldn't feel so defensive. Gajeel deserves more than this, more than her. "I can't stand by his side…" her words trailed off into the wind as her mood soured even more.

She was so lost in thought she didn't realize exactly where she was going or where she was. The sound of a hard snap under her foot caused her to jump and look around at her surroundings.

A groan escaped her lips as she surveyed the tall trees instead of the clean cut edges of the garden hedges. She somehow wounded up in the forest instead of getting lost in the garden like she thought she would. Spinning around in a slow circle she tried to decide which way she should go, before giving up and just walking. Running her hands through her now damp hair, she started to get nervous as she walked deeper into the woods.

"I should've listened to Lily," she whined, feeling the heat of the summer getting to her. It didn't help that she was walking through town earlier and now this. The tall tree tops block out most of the sun providing cool shade, but that didn't stop the shade from still being way too warm for comfort. Beads of sweat accumulated on her skin, letting her know how long she's been in the heat.

A loud rustling sound caused her to stop and listen. It got louder and seemed to get closer to her. Without hesitating, Levy ran not wanting to see if it was a harmless bunny or territorial boar. Better safe than sorry, right? The unknown creature chased after her as she ran, the small woman cursing under her breath as rocks and large roots dug into her feet. A cold chill of panic ran through her as a loud growling sound made her feet go faster. Looking behind her she couldn't see anything but she could hear it, whate\ver it was, gaining on her.

When she looked forward she knew she was too late, she was moving too fast to slow down and realize the ground angled downward towards a large riverbank. It seemed like she was floating for a split second before her body crashed onto the ground. She rolled down the bank, before finally landing with a splash into the muddy river. Luckily, she was in the shallow end as she sat up quickly, sputtering water out of her mouth and wiping her drenched hair out of her face. A soft splash caught her attention to her left, eyeing familiar black hair.

"Lily," she breathed watching the black cat approach her with a displeased look on his face. She knew right then, that he was the beast chasing her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go this far and for running away from you." He inspected her for wounds, before leaning in to rub his head against hers, purring softly as she giggled rubbing his neck. She could tell he was glad she was ok, but knew she was going to get an earful later.

When she stood up, she winced when she put weight on her right foot instantly using Lily to balance herself. The lake water was too murky to see through so she couldn't observe her ankle. Lily helped her out of the almost knee-length water, as she limped towards the muddy shore.

"Well, it doesn't look broken." She said turning her foot, wincing slightly. She's had a broken ankle before and it definitely didn't look or feel like this, so she was sure she was ok. Lily on the other hand wasn't too sure. Using Lily again for balance, Levy made it up the incline and halfway out of the forest. It took them a long time with her being so far from the castle and the slow pace they set, that the sun started to set behind them.

"You think we can sneak into the castle like this?" Levy asked, looking down at her now damp dress that was riddled with dirt. Her skin itched from the drying lake water and the sweat that re-coated it. She smiled when Lily huffed out an unamused sigh and shook his head. They were almost out of the woods when they heard loud rushing footsteps. They both knew who they belong too and Levy felt the need to turn and run. She didn't want to face him, not yet. She wanted more time to wallow in her guilt, but alas luck wasn't on her side and neither was Lily as he growled loudly alerting their presence.

She heard the footsteps move faster and she tried her best to turn and run in the opposite direction, but Lily stopped her, putting himself in her way causing her to trip and land on his back. The panther seemed unfazed by her weight as she scrambled to stand up and try running again.

"Levy! Lily!" Gajeel exclaimed, eyeing them both. She saw the anger clear on his face as he watched her struggled to stand up. She averted her gaze to the cat below her, silently begging him to let her wobble away. Lily just kept his eyes forward, refusing to meet her pleading eyes.

"What the hell happened?" Gajeel yelled, causing her to jump and look back at him, noticing how close he was now. He stood in front of her with crossed arms waiting for a response. Levy wanted to cry, she wanted bury her head in the sand and just cry.

"I-I got lost, I'm sorry your majesty. Lily tried to come with me but I stopped him and I should've took him with me but I was too stupid not too. He had to find me and bring me back. I'm sorry." She rambled, bowing her head in shame, tears burning her eyes ready to stream down her face.

She didn't see his features soften but she did hear him suck his teeth. "I can take it from here Lily," Gajeel stated, picking up a surprised Levy, holding her princess style.

"Your clothes! They're going to get dirty!" She argued, as Gajeel took long strides towards the castle.

"I'll change them." She wanted to argue back but received a hard glare from him daring her to continue. She gulped dryly, returning her gaze to her lap as she tried to ignore how fast her heart was beating from their proximity. He was angry with her and here she was trying not to blush like giddy school girl.

When he opened a door, she noticed that they were in his room walking towards his bathroom. Her face blossomed a bright red as she looked up at Gajeel in fear. He didn't look at her, but she could see a faint smile on his face.

"Don't worry shorty, I won't be joining you, unless you can't stand."

"I-I can stand on my own." she stuttered out, as he gently stood her up on the tiled floor. "I can also take a shower in my own room."

Nudging her slightly towards the glass door he shook his head, "Just get in the damn shower shorty. I'll bring you a change of clothes in a minute." She softly let out an ok, as she watched Gajeel leave to give her privacy.

As the water warmed up she quickly undressed before stepping under the hot stream. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt the water relax her muscles, the steam fogging up the glass door. His scent surrounded her as she used his soap and hair products, not hearing Gajeel come in to leave her a change of clothes.

Once she was all done she dried off wrapping the clearly over sized towel around her as she walked towards the vanity style sink that had folded fabric sitting on it. A set of undergarments that made her blush profusely as she thought about Gajeel touching her stuff and a dress. It was a light blue dress with a sleeveless halter neckline with a flowy knee length skirt. She admired her reflection in the mirror thinking about how well it fit, smiling as she played with the bottom of the skirt. It made her want to twirl circles, but refraining since she already hurt her ankle.

When she exited the bathroom she saw Gajeel in a new set of clothes sitting on the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. His demeanor relaxed when he noticed her, looking her up and down with a smirk of approval.

Moving towards her, he picked her up and placed her on the edge of the bed. "Hey! What are you doing?" she squeaked, as he sat down on the carpeted floor, picking up her foot.

"I'm examining your ankle." His touch was gentle as he examined her, putting pressure here and there. "Well, it's not broken or sprained."

Cocking her head to the side, she stared at the top of his head asking, "How do you know?"

"I've broken enough bones to know what one feels like, plus my pops always taught me simple first aid." He grunted out, staring at her the irritation back in his eyes. He was still upset with her.

Lowering her head, she fiddled with her fingers, "I-I'm sorry your majesty, I-Ow!"

He flicked her in the forehead causing her to squeak and glare at him in confusion. "What was that for?" She frowned rubbing the spot on her forehead.

"You're not calling me by my name."

"What?" She asked clearly confused by his actions, but earning a raised pierced eyebrow. "You looked so angry earlier and now, and I'm sure it's because of me. So I felt like I didn't deserve-"

"Well, I'm angry because you had Erza bring my package and you went walking on your own just to come back hurt." He easily interrupted. "What if something happened before Lily got there? You're usually smarter than this, so of course I'm upset, because something is clearly wrong."

Levy sat there with her mouth agape, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. I just wanted some time alone to think."

"What happened?" he demanded. "I know something happened, Lily didn't say anything but his body language was tense when he told me he went to find you."

Levy gaze went back down to her lap as she chewed on her lower lip, unsure if she should tell him or not. She didn't know how he'll react or what he'll do. Of course he wouldn't accuse her but she didn't want to get anyone in trouble or hurt. If they wanted to call her names and be mean to her that's fine, but she knows Gajeel wouldn't take too kindly to her saying that. She was debating what to say when Gajeel flicked her again in the forehead causing her to jump and yelp.

"Will you stop that?" She pouted, rubbing the sore spot she was sure was going to be red.

"You were overthinking and I stopped you." He said, sighing as he shook his head. "Look, I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I'm here if you ever need it."

He was angry because he knew something was wrong, and instead of coming to him she went out on her own and got hurt. Even though it was a few bumps and bruises, he was right in saying it could've been worse if Lily didn't come find her when she was taking a long time.

"Thank you, Gajeel." He shot her a devilish smirk that made her smile in return. "Thank you for the change of clothes too. They fit very well."

"I'm glad you like them, they're yours."

"Wait, what?" Her confusion putting an amused look on his face. He stood up, walking over to the couch that held the box, picking it up with ease. He placed it on the bed as she moved closer, so she could see what was inside. "This is for me?" she asked, bouncing her eyes from the box to Gajeel's sparkling ones.

He nodded his head as she dug her hand into the box pulling out the fabrics. There were a few pants, shirts and even some simple dresses she could wear when she's not working. She ran her fingers over the fabrics feeling the expensive material under her fingertips. She's only felt material like this when she picked up Master Everlue's clothes.

"I noticed you didn't have much to wear so I got these for you whenever you're not working or when you're outside, supervised of course."

Putting the clothes gently back in the box, she pushed it aside and moved so quickly Gajeel didn't see anything but a flash of blue as she attacked him in a tight hug wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, again." She whispered.

He hugged her tighter her buried his face into her hair smiling to himself as her feet dangled a few feet off the ground. She didn't want to let go, but knew she had to when a soft knock came from the door. Gajeel softly placed her on the ground, patting her head with a smile before going to see who it is.

"Hey, baby dragon." Gajeel teased letting Wendy into the room as she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm guessing you're here to check up on Levy?"

Nodding her head she spoke, "I heard she hurt her ankle, so I wanted to make sure she was ok. Plus, Erza said she needs your help with something."

Gajeel sucked his teeth, groaning with a roll of his eyes. "Fine, I'll be back and don't leave this room." He said, pointing a finger at Levy causing her to stiffen. Damn it, she was still in trouble?

Wendy giggled lightly, shaking her head. "He's not going to let you walk, unless he's 100% sure you're ok."

Levy watched patiently as Wendy examined her ankle, wincing a little when she pressed down on it. "Sorry. Good news is you'll be ok, you just rolled it and bad news is Gajeel probably won't let you walk on your own" she said easily switching to the common tongue.

Levy sighed shaking her head and Wendy giggled. "He can be overprotective and rough around the edges but that's how he shows he cares. I remember I fell off one of my horses while learning how to ride and it took almost everyone to convince Gajeel it was part of the process of learning."

The two girls laughed as Wendy shared more snippets of Gajeel's over protectiveness. "Pretty dress, it looks new." Wendy awed, as Levy picked up the skirt to play with it.

"Thank you, Gajeel actually got it for me. That's what was in the box and other clothes."

"Interesting," she smiled wide a twinkle in her eye. Wendy was about to say something else when the door slowly swung open a black cat slowly walking in as not to disrupt girl talk. "We will talk about that later but for now I promised Ms. Carrie I will help her with dessert." Wendy smiled wider as she scurried away, patting Lily on the way out. Levy was taken aback by the action and her words, a slight blush on her cheeks as she was unsure about what they were going to talk about later. Well, more like in denial.

The room was quiet as Lily jumped onto the bed sitting in front her, staring at the woman causing her to let out a breath knowing what was about to happen. Wendy didn't just leave, because she had to help Ms. Carrie.

"Go ahead and lecture me." She smiled, as he immediately let out a string of growls and rough meows. His face was serious and she felt like a little kid being berated by her father. Lily clearly didn't appreciate her going so far and her getting hurt.

When he was done he was out of breath and she sweetly smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you Lily. I'm sorry I broke my promise. It won't happen again." he leaned into her touch purring softly. "I love you too" she giggled.

When they separated he looked at her with a smile then at her outfit. "You like it? I have others." She announced motioning to the box which Lily perked up at. She saw his interest divert to the cardboard, knowing exactly what he wanted.

She took the clothes out of the box which Lily quickly tried to get in to. He placed all four paws into it before trying to sit down. It felt like she was holding her breath as she watched the box stretch from his weight, before one side finally gave out causing the Panther's top half to spill out.

Gajeel could hear the laughter from outside his door and the grumpy meows of Lily. When he opened the door he didn't know what he was expecting but Lily laying on a halfway broken box and Levy stretched out on his bed clutching her stomach wasn't it.

Her laughter filled the room as Lily tried his best to curl up in the broken box, a look of content on his face when he was comfortable. His heart fluttered at the sight of her, his earlier irritation fading now that she was smiling again.

Clearing his throat to catch their attention, he chuckled as she tried to contain herself. "Let's go eat." He announced, motioning his head towards the door. Quickly sliding off the bed, he chuckled when she let out a small squeak when he picked her up.

"I can walk, Gajeel, I just rolled my ankle."

Adjusting her in his arms so he could close the door behind them, he prayed she didn't feel how fast his heart was beating as she wrapped her arms around his neck looking up at him with those big brown eyes.

Walking at a leisure pace to savor in the moment, he shook his head. "I was told that you have to be careful or you'll hurt it more, so you're not walking."

She pouted, mumbling, "fine," as she got comfortable in his arms leaning her head against his shoulder. Even though he was sure she would be fine if she walked on her own, he didn't want to risk her making it worse. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this gave him an excuse to hold her. Nope, not at all. He was completely, 100% doing this for her own good.