"Okay so spill," Mira said excitedly as she took the seat next to Lisanna in the booth. It was loud and crowded but this restaurant was their favorite place to go for dinner when Mira came to visit her in the city. Lisanna needed to tell Mira about Bixlow and she hoped that being surrounded by a big crowd might help keep her sister's large personality under check. She still wasn't sure if the news would lead to crazed excitement or fiery rage.

"Who said I had something to spill? Maybe I just missed your company," Lisanna replied. She concentrated hard on the meal on the table in front of her, avoiding her sister's questioning gaze. Couldn't they have finished their food first? Why did Mira always have to have a sixth sense about these things?

Mira laughed, "Sure. . .you came into town last weekend and didn't even drop by for one minute. You really must be missing my company."

"Well I'll have you know I did miss your company, just something happened and I had to get home." Lisanna grimaced and dropped her french fry without taking a bite. "Oh Mira, I did something very stupid."

Mira's eyes went wide, "Something stupid? But you never do something stupid! You're the only one of us who doesn't!"

"I know!" Lisanna exclaimed, cupping the sides of her face.

"You're killing me here, what did you do?"

Lisanna took a deep breath, then muttered, "I kissed Bixlow."

"You what!" Mira shouted.

Lisanna giggled and covered Mira's mouth. "Shhh! We're in public Mira!"

Mira waved her hand, "Oh who cares about them, let them stare. This is so exciting!"

"No it's not!" Lisanna whined.

"Why not! You always had the biggest crush on him and now you guys are going to be like a thing! We could go on double dates!" Mira exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air with glee.

"Mira, he turned me down," Lisanna said at a volume just above a whisper.

Mira's smiling face turned to rage, "He did what!"

Lisanna waved a finger, "Now don't you do that. I'm not telling you this so you can go protect me. I'm a big girl now. Don't try to fix it, I just want to vent."

Mira pouted. "Just a little kick to the nuts?"

"Mira! No!" Lisanna exclaimed with a laugh.

"I don't understand, why did he turn you down? What happened?"

"Well . . ." Lisanna drooped. "Oh god this is so embarrassing . . . we were up late talking at the pizza place, so he said I could just crash at his place so I wasn't driving late."

Mira nodded, "Very responsible."

"And he looked so cute, it was like all those old feelings came pouring back."

Mira sat forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "So you attacked him in his bed?"

Lisanna shook her head. "No, I was in the bed. He took the couch . . ."

"Such a gentleman!"

"I know, it was annoying. I really wanted to kiss him so I decided to take it in my own hands so I came out to the couch . . ."

"Oh my god!" Mira covered her mouth and bounced excitedly, she smacked Lisanna on the knee.

"And I told him I used to like him, then I straddled him. . ." Lisanna paused for a long swallow.

"And attacked him with your mouth!" Mira shrieked.

"Mira not so loud," Lisanna giggled, glancing around them with a bright red face. "And yes, I kissed him, but then he stopped me and sent me to bed like some naughty child."

"I bet he did you naughty girl," Mira teased.

Lisanna rolled her eyes, "Sister . . ." she groaned.

Mira bounced back in her seat. "Okay, okay, I'll focus. What did he say to stop you?"

Lisanna covered her face, trying to hide the bright red of her cheeks. "He said I was drunk and I didn't know what I was doing."

Mira squealed loudly.

"Mira! Volume!" Lisanna hissed.

"I'm sorry it's just so adorable. Who knew Bixlow could have such restraint?"

Lisanna frowned, "It wasn't restraint it was just an excuse. I wasn't that drunk, he just didn't want me."

"Oh please," Mira scoffed, dismissing Lisanna's statement with a wave of her hand.

Lisanna pouted and crossed her arms. "It is so true! I'm a Strauss, he knows that we can hold our booze! He knew I was still capable of making decisions. We always drink like that." Maybe, sort of.

"Maybe . . .but what was the kiss like?" Mira asked with a large smile.

Lisanna furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"When you kissed him, did he act surprised and pull away immediately? Or did he really get into it?" Mira scrunched up her face for emphasis.

Lisanna wrinkled her nose at her sister's ugly expression. "I don't know, I mean he didn't pull away right away?"

"Okay then how did he touch you? Was it just like barely there?" Mira put her hands on Lisanna's shoulders. "You know like a quick touch?" She moved her hands down and hugged Lisanna, "or was it more like tear your shirt off, squeeze your thighs can't get enough touch?" Lisanna felt her sister tug tightly at the back of her shirt.

Lisanna looked over her shoulder at the boys at the next table who now stared at her and her sister with their mouths wide open. "Mira stop! You're giving those boys a heart attack!"

Mira let go and pulled away with a little frown. "Oh am I?" She turned and wiggled her fingers at them with a big smile while mouthing "sorry." Mira turned back to Lisanna. "Stop stalling chica, answer the question."

"Well . . ." Lisanna's cheeks flared red. "He did squeeze my thighs . . ."

Mira clapped her hands quickly, "He totally wants you!" she squealed. When Lisanna rolled her eyes, Mira just smiled. "Stop being so negative, what has he said since then?"

"Well at first he tried to text like usual, he asked if I'd be back to help Yajima any time soon," Lisanna grimaced, "then he said we needed to get together because we needed to talk."

"What did you say?"

Lisanna sank into the bench,"I never responded."

"Lisanna! Don't be rude! He probably really wants to talk to you!"

"He does," Lisanna sank deeper, "he's called a few times too."

"Lisanna! How can you say he doesn't like you!"

At this point Lisanna was practically under the table, but she weakly defended, "Mira, we were friends! Of course he doesn't want to leave things like they are, we have to see each other, at least every once and awhile."

"Even if he isn't interested, you shouldn't leave things like they are." Mira took a bite of her sandwich and hummed happily.

"I know, I know, I'm just not ready for him to treat me like a kid again. He's going to give me the whole 'it's cute that you like me but I'm just not into you' speech."

"Or he'll take you in his arms," Mira pretended to hold someone, "and say 'Lisanna, I can't live without you' then kiss you senseless!"

"You've been watching too many movies sister," Lisanna sighed. "Besides, I'm not sure this is what I want either. It might have just been one of those heat of the moment type things. I mean, I'm an hour away and our work schedules are like completely opposite. It's a terrible idea."

Mira smiled, "Well only you are going to know what you want to do, but I think you guys would be the cutest. Either way you have to talk to him! If you leave it like this it will be so weird next time we're all together." She sat a little bit closer, "If you don't do it, I'll go talk to him."

"Ugh fine, I'll catch him before I go work with Yajima this week." She just had to see him in person, this was a talk that needed facial expressions. She pulled out her phone and started typing, "see I'm telling him now that I'll help Yajima on Friday after work."

Mira leaned on her shoulder, "What's he saying! What's he saying!"

"Relax, it's not like he's waiting . . ." Lisanna stopped when her phone alerted her of a message. She looked down and read slowly, "Great, I'll see you then."

Mira went back to her food with a smile, "I told you he's totally into you."

Lisanna sighed, "You're hopeless."

The front door of the bakery swung open, bells clanging urgently. Lucy dusted her hands on her apron and wandered to the front, her face turning up into a pleasant grin at the sight of Levy, looking extremely tired and flustered, with one baby strapped to her front and another to her back.

"Somebody needs an extra large coffee this morning," Lucy said. She immediately turned back to the espresso maker.

Levy sighed, "I don't know that extra large is going to be enough! Do you think I can have two?'

"You can have as many as you like! Everything okay?"

"Just cranky, sick kids today." Levy motioned to the twins. "This is how we're going to spend most of the day, every time I set them down they cry and my ears just can't take anymore."

Lucy began heating the milk. "I guess it's not a good day for Gajeel to take them to work since it's going to be so noisy tearing out those cabinets with Natsu."

"Yeah, I don't think the twins would appreciate a kitchen demo. Although, I suppose that means Gajeel wouldn't be able to hear the screaming?" Levy laughed weakly. "It will be fine, Lakia is coming around two so I can just do a half day today."

"Here you go lady, an extra large mocha with extra chocolate," Lucy handed over the drink with a smile.

"You're the best, did you know that?" Levy said, taking a large sip.

Lucy grinned, "I did, but it doesn't mean that I don't like hearing it." She turned back to make herself a drink as well. "Are you going to hang out for a bit? Do you want a seat?"

Levy frowned at the table, "I do suppose I could try." She walked over to one of the chairs and started to lower herself. When she got halfway to a seated position, both twins started to wail. She stood up straight and they stopped. She tried again, a little bit faster this time, and had the same results. With a tired sigh, she shrugged. "I guess I'm standing today."

Lucy laughed. "Then come to the back, maybe we can bribe them to give you a rest with a bit of shortbread."

Levy padded after Lucy into the back where Yukino looked up from decorating her cake with a happy grin. "Hey Levy! How are you?"

"You know, not bad but not good," Levy laughed. She attempted to sit at a stool and the twins wailed again. She grimaced at Lucy, "I hoped they would like the higher seat."

"Let's try this," Lucy said as she grabbed two plain shortbreads from a tray. She handed them over to the twins greedy grasps and both babies immediately shoved the cookies in their mouths. Seeing they were distracted, Levy attempted to sit on the stool again, smiling widely when there was no protest.

Levy sighed as she relaxed into her seat and took another sip. "Thank god your cookies are magic!"

"Maybe I need to pack you a bag of them for the day," Lucy said.

"I hate to give them so much sugar, but it might not be a bad idea to have a few as a last resort," Levy said.

Lucy threw a few in a bag and set it next to Levy. She washed her hands and returned to her table where she was cutting out sugar cookies. "Oh!" Lucy lifted her head quickly and looked at Yukino, "You should ask Levy about this weekend! She would know Minerva."

Levy tilted her head, "Minerva?"

Yukino frowned down at her cake, her cheeks turned slightly pink, "Yes, well, tomorrow Sting and I are going to Rogue's for dinner. Minerva wants to cook for us apparently."

"Wait Minerva? Like the Minerva Gray dated five years ago?" Levy turned to Lucy in shock. Lucy nodded. Levy laughed, "Oh my gosh that's so crazy! I can't believe Rogue is dating her, what a small world!"

"Yeah, I'm kinda nervous, I don't know what to expect. Sting didn't really have the nicest things to say about her when they worked together in Crocus but then all of a sudden he's asking her to join their company? She can't be that bad then right? What was she like when Gray was with her?" Yukino asked.

"Awful," Levy answered immediately. When she saw Yukino's grimaced she back pedaled with, "At least around us. Gray always insisted she wasn't bad when it was just the two of them."

"That's promising . . .I guess," Yukino laughed. "I mean, if Rogue likes her she can't be that bad. Rogue is the biggest sweetheart."

"I would hope that she's matured by now. She was in college when we first met her and she had been home-schooled with private tutors all her life. She basically thought she was some sort of princess and that we were all beneath her. Everything was 'daddy says this' and 'daddy says that.' It was pretty unbearable. She and Erza did not get along at all." Levy grimaced, "I'm not helping very much am I."

"No, it's fine." Yukino sighed. "Sting says she's been completely crushed by this thing with her dad. The fact that he used to be her entire world makes a lot of it make sense. He sounds like he's pretty terrible."

"Yeah, it's a real shame. All those women are coming forward and he's playing the victim." Lucy shook her head. "He's really disgusting."

Yukino nodded sadly. All three women sat quietly for a moment then Yukino turned back to Levy. "Sting has said that Minerva jumped right into work with them. I bet it's a good distraction. She's currently looking for an office space for them and she's already collected the money to buy in. She's even spoken with her former administrative assistant about coming over and working with them as well." Yukino smiled. "Sting and Rogue's company has really grown this year and it looks like having Minerva on board is going to help them finally get organized. I was starting to worry that Sting would never have time for me again, but with her to share the workload it's giving Sting a break."

"That's great!" Levy said.

"I guess I'll just try and go in with an open mind. She's basically living at Rogue's now, she's not going anywhere anytime soon," Yukino said with a forced happy tone.

"That's the spirit!" Lucy cheered.

"Yeah, don't worry, it will be great!" Levy added. "You're so easy going, I can't see anyone having issues with you. Besides, I bet you're bringing dessert aren't you."

"Well, yeah, I was going to bring a pie," Yukino admitted.

"So of course you guys will get along," Levy smiled and sipped her coffee. "The stuff you guys make is magic."

Lisanna practiced her unaffected hello the whole way into Magnolia. She had left work early so she could get to the pizza place at three o'clock. It was the restaurant's least busy time so if Bixlow did want to talk, they would have time before she worked with Yajima, but if he didn't, she would see if Yajima could work earlier and she could go drown herself at Fairy Tail. Though, truth be told, Lisanna was hoping more for the workout, she wasn't ready for this talk. She was just going to do her best to walk in there as if it had never happened and follow Bixlow's lead.

She opened the door and found Yajima easily as he sat in one of the front booths. His face lit up with a smile the moment he saw her, "Lisanna dear! I promise I've been working hard since you left!"

"That's wonderful Yajima, I can't wait to see your progress!" She looked around the store and frowned. "Is Bixlow here?"

Yajima laughed, "I'm afraid not, he's out with his babies. He always makes time for them."

Lisanna paled, "His babies?"

Yajima nodded. "Yes, you'll find them over at the recreational compound. You can't miss them."

"Oh okay," Lisanna said. She smiled nervously, "If you want we could start your therapy now since he's busy."

"Oh no dear, I gotta stay available for all the youngins in the back. They need to know I'm here. When Bixlow gets back I could take a break, I just prefer to have one of us on the floor."

Lisanna smiled tightly. "Of course. . .and how long does his time with his. . . babies take?"

Yajima shrugged. "Two hours I suppose? He's usually back by five."

"Okay, I'll be sure to be back by five."

Yajima smiled, "I'll see you then dear." As she walked away she heard him mumble, "Lucky Bixlow surrounded by all these pretty girls."

Lisanna flew out the front door. She felt hot and flustered and angry. Babies, what the hell did babies mean? Girlfriends, children? How did she not know about this?

She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed her sister's number. Mira's voice came on the moment Lisanna sat in the front seat of her car. "Hey sweetie!"

"I can't believe you sent me in there! This was a terrible idea!" Lisanna huffed.

"Why? What happened?"

"His babies? Does that ring a bell?"

The was a moment of silence over the phone before Mira burst into uncontrollable giggles.

"Why are you laughing at me?" Lisanna whined as she put the key in the ignition.

"You've never heard about the babies?" Mira snorted, "He's such a weirdo calling them that."

"Obviously not or we wouldn't be having this conversation! All Yajima said was to go see them at the park!"

"Oh my god! You have to go, you have to see!" Mira exclaimed.

"Mira. . ." Lisanna whined, "I don't want to. . ."

"Actually come get me, I want to see you see it."

"Mira. . ." Lisanna pulled out of her spot and turned onto the street.

"Hurry or I'll tell Cana you kissed him," Mirajane threatened.

"Ugh you are so unfair!"

Mira just giggled. "Are you coming?"

"Of course!" Lisanna snapped, then she hung up the phone and tossed it into the seat next to her.

Jellal shut the door behind him and called "Erza?" The silence that answered him was music to his ears. Not that he didn't want to spend time with his wife, it was just that lately she was insatiable in the worst kind of way. He just wanted a few minutes to sit with a book and a beer and relax for once.

He should have known it would be like this. When Erza wanted something, she achieved it by any means possible. Still, he just couldn't understand the rush. What was wrong with taking their time and letting nature take its course? Other than actually getting her pregnant, he didn't know how to get the demanding schedule to stop.

Jellal had just put his feet up and opened his book when the door came crashing open. Instead of saying hello, Erza made a slight nod and said, "Good, you're home. Bedroom, now."

Jellal threw his head back and tried to release his frustration with a long breath. It didn't work. He took a sip of his beer and settled further into the couch. He returned his attention to his book and simply said, "No."

Erza stopped midway through the room and stared at him for a few moments. She cocked her head, "What did you just say?"

"I said no my dear," Jellal said, turning the page. "I just settled in to relax after a long day, I'm going to need a bit." He looked up at Erza, "You didn't even say hello."

Erza looked shocked. "No?" she repeated dumbly.

"Look I love you, but I can't do this anymore. I'm not a machine Erza." Jellal sighed when he realized she was still staring at him with that confused expression. He marked his place and closed the book, then stood and walked over to her.

"Do you not want a baby anymore?" she asked.

"Well I certainly did not say that," he said with a tired grin. "I still want a baby I just don't want it like this." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "You have to stop trying to control this, you have to let this happen when it happens."

"But . . .but . . .the plan! What if this takes too long? What if . . ."

He shushed her with a finger on her lips, "Stop. There's no such thing as too long in this. It will happen when it happens."

She looked up at him, slightly fearful. "What if it doesn't happen?"

His lips formed a tight line, he hadn't expected that question. He took a long, deep breath and smiled slightly when he went to push her hair behind her ear. "Erza it's only been a few weeks, it's a little soon to start worrying about that kind of thing."

"But still, what if it doesn't happen? What am I going to do?" she whispered.

Jellal wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. "Is being a mother that important to you?"

"Yes," she sighed into his shirt.

He hugged her tighter. "Then we'll find a way for you to be one." He gently pulled back and looked down at her face, "But for now, it's only been a few weeks Erza. I need you to stop treating this like a job."

She looked down and bit her lip. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, I've been inconsiderate."

Jellal studied her face, she looked so vulnerable in that moment, so beautiful. It was a side of her he rarely got to see. He placed his hands on the side of her face and when she lifted her eyes to him he kissed her softly. She returned his kiss desperately, her hands pulling roughly on the front of his shirt, her body pressing tightly up against him.

He found his sweet kiss quickly gaining fire, all exhaustion was forgotten. When his hands found their way down to her rear she teased between kisses, "I thought you wanted to relax. This doesn't seem like relaxing."

Jellal shrugged then pushed her against the wall and kissed her neck. The sound of her gasp made him feel alive. "This is letting it happen," he murmured in her ear before returning his lips to hers. He could feel her lips tip up in a smile when she kissed him back. He nipped her bottom lip and lifted her in the air, she wrapped her thighs around him and kissed his face and his throat.

When he lay her gently on the bed she smiled warmly up at him. "I think I could do this 'letting it happen,'" she murmured with a happy hum.

"It's just over this way," Mira said as she dragged Lisanna up the hill.

"Mira! This is so weird! Why can't you just tell me where we're going?" Lisanna protested, fighting the urge to run back to the car.

"The surprise is so much more fun!" When they got to the top of the hill, Mira clapped her hands and pointed. "There they are, isn't it just the most adorable thing you ever saw!"

Mira pointed in the direction of the baseball field. It was currently filled with little girls, all who appeared to be somewhere between eight and ten years old. There was the crack of a bat hitting a ball. The girls in left field started to go for it but when the ball came close they changed their minds and ran away with squeals and screams.

"What the hell are you guys doing? We'll never be ready for the game if you keep running away from the ball!" shouted Bixlow's voice. Lisanna found him by home base with a bat in hand. He was dressed in a simple t-shirt and long shorts with dark sunglasses and his cap low.

"Now watch," he pulled a ball from his pocket, tossed it up in the air, then hit it out to right field. The girl there watched it carefully and adjusted slightly. The ball landed right in her mitt and she cradled it tightly to her body.

"Yes! See? Catching the ball didn't hurt at all!" Bixlow cheered.

Without realizing it, Lisanna had drifted all the way to the fence on the side of the field. One of the girls noticed her and pointed, "Who's that?"

Bixlow turned to her and his jaw dropped slightly in surprise. Then he smiled and Lisanna couldn't remember what she had planned to say. He dropped the bat and sauntered over to her, not noticing that all the little girls were sprinting after him like lost little ducklings. By the time he made it to fence they were crowded around his legs, looking up at her with wide, curious eyes.

"Hey," he said simply, leaning over the fence.

"Mr. Bixlow, is this your girlfriend?" Asked a little girl with blond pigtails.

Bixlow smiled at Lisanna. "No, this is Lisanna, she's a friend of mine."

"Good," A little girl with green hair said, crossing her arms. "She's too pretty for you."

Bixlow jerked his head in the girl's direction, feigning hurt. "That's a little harsh, even for you," then he slowly turned back to Lisanna and smiled softly, "but you're probably right."

A little girl with dark pigtails tugged on his shorts. "Aren't you going to tell her our names? My mom says it's impolite not to introduce your friends."

Bixlow frowned slightly and scratched his head, "Oh? Are we friends? I thought we had more of a work associates type thing going on."

"Mr. Bixlow you're so weird," groaned the girl with green hair.

"Well Lisanna, these are my friends apparently." He pretended to be confused "umm let me see," he pointed to the girls one after the other, "Pappa. . .Pippi . . . Poppo . . . Puppu . . . Peppe. . ."

"Hey! That's not our names!" cried the little girl with the dark pigtails.

Bixlow scratched his head again, "Are you sure? I think I would know the names of my babies."

The green haired girl rolled her eyes, "Guys, he's being dumb again, let's get back to practice or we'll be here all day." Then she stomped away and the rest of the girls followed reluctantly with tiny waves for Lisanna.

Bixlow grimaced as he watched them leave. "That girl kinda scares me, but she's our best player."

"They're all so cute!" Lisanna exclaimed. She watched the girls pick up a few balls and start playing games of catch in the outfield.

"I've been trying to reach you all week," Bixlow said, drawing her attention back to his face. His mouth formed a tight line, it made Lisanna want to shrink into a tiny ball.

Lisanna felt her face burn bright red. "I'm sorry, it's been a very hectic week for me."

"Oh," Bixlow looked back at his team and then to Lisanna. He seemed torn.

"You get back to practice, I'll talk to you later. Mira and I were just passing through and thought we'd say hi," Lisanna explained weakly.

Bixlow grinned and looked off behind her, "Mira's here?"

Lisanna turned, her sister was nowhere in sight. Lisanna wanted to die right there of embarrassment. Here she thought her sister was right there behind her, supporting her, instead she had deserted Lisanna the moment she was distracted.

Bixlow grinned wider. "Oh there she is, in the bushes." He waved and shouted, "Hey Mira!"

Mira crawled out with a nervous smile. "Hey Bixlow." She stood and dusted herself off, "I'm sorry, I dropped my phone in here and I was having trouble finding it." She pulled a sprig of leaves from her hair.

Bixlow laughed, "You Strauss girls . . ." he spared a glance at Lisanna, "always surprising me." Then he winked, "I'll just catch you tonight after you help Yajima." Then with a wave he was running back to his team.

As soon as Lisanna reached Mira she had a death grip on her arm. "I can't believe you left me on my own like that, I looked like an idiot."

"Were you drooling? I think I saw you drooling," Mira giggled. Then she cried, "Ow! Lisanna you're hurting me!"

Lisanna loosened her hold and sighed, "Mira, I can't do this!"

"Can't do what honey?"

"Have this talk with him! Every time I talk to him my brain shorts out, it's embarrassing! Have I always been like this with him?"

Mira smiled, "Sorry sweetie, but yeah."

Lisanna hurried into the driver's side of the car then hit her head on her steering wheel. "Stupid, stupid Lisanna."

Mira grabbed her by shoulders, "Sister! Stop!" When Lisanna looked up at her, Mira had the sweetest smile. "Lisanna it will be fine, it's Bixlow! He's like the easiest person to talk to ever!" She giggled slightly. "It's just so cute how he looks at you now, who would have thought."

"How does he look at me?"

Mira got out "Like you're a dessert he can't wait to rip into," before collapsing forward in laughter.

Lisanna put the car in gear and rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I ask you anything."

Lisanna tiptoed down the back stairs, hoping to make her escape out the back door. She finished with Yajima early and knew that Bixlow should still be working in the kitchen. Dinner would be hectic for another half hour so she could probably sneak out without Bixlow noticing she had left.

She knew she owed him a talk, but after three hours of agonizing over it, she just couldn't handle it tonight. This weekend was the big move to the house for Mira, so Lisanna couldn't run all the way home, she would have to see him at least one more time. She could talk to him then. Better to have this talk after a good night's sleep, when she didn't feel so jittery.

After thinking about it, she had almost convinced herself this wasn't going to work. Their time off just didn't match up and she lived an hour away, they would never have time for each other. Also what would happen if they had some horrible fallout, it would make everything completely awkward for everyone. It would be better this way, just left at a kiss. She had it all out of her system, she could move on.

She slipped out the back door quietly, sighing in relief when it clicked closed behind her. Then a voice said, "Trying to run away from me Lis?"

Lisanna opened her eyes wide and slowly turned her head to the right. Bixlow watched her with a teasing grin on his face, leaning up against the building with a cigarette in one hand and the other hand in his pocket. Lisanna frowned, she had forgotten about smoke breaks. Another reason this was a terrible idea, Bixlow smoked, she hated smoking.

"I wasn't running, I just came out to get some fresh air," Lisanna said.

Bixlow grinned wider and raised a brow, "Oh yeah? I guess this back alley is pretty scenic too. You can watch for roaches and mice while you breathe in the scents of trash and car exhaust."

Lisanna crossed her arms. "Look Bixlow, I know we need to talk but I'm tired. I think I'm going to just go back to my sister's and we can talk tomorrow. Is that okay?"

Bixlow made a show of considering it while he put out his cigarette on the brick exterior of the building. He dropped it into an empty soda can on a crate next to him and said, "No."

"No?"

"I don't think it's a good idea to wait until tomorrow, because you'll probably be tired again." He took a step closer, "Or you'll have somewhere you have to be . . ." another step, "or you'll have some emergency work thing . . ." another step, "or some other excuse . . ."

He stopped right in front of her so that Lisanna had to crane her neck to look up at his face. She stared at him, transfixed by something she couldn't quite grasp in his eyes.

"You afraid of me Lis?" he asked with a tilted grin.

"Of course not," she said quietly. He bent slightly and she found her gaze drawn to his lips. Even with the slight smoke smell she found herself wishing he would bend just a little bit lower, that he would kiss her up against this wall.

He grinned wider, "You know Lisanna, I have an idea."

"You do? What's that?" she asked, not removing her eyes from his mouth.

"I don't think you and I do enough stuff just the two of us, when really, I think we'd make a pretty good team." He placed an arm above her head and leaned in a little bit closer.

"You think so?" she squeaked.

"Yeah, and this is something that should have been done a long time ago," he said leaning in just a little bit more. He was so close now she could feel his breath on her lips. That had to mean he wanted to kiss her, why would he get this close if he wasn't going to kiss her?

"Oh yeah?" she whispered, closing her eyes.

"Yeah," he chuckled lightly and she sensed him pulling away. She opened her eyes and he was now standing tall with his arms crossed. "We're going to make Evergreen and that brother of yours finally man up and admit what everyone's known for the past ten years."

"Oh?" Lisanna wrinkled her nose. Wasn't he just about to kiss her? His mouth had been right next to hers! Why the hell was he talking about her damn brother!

"Yeah, I think we need to do some kind of intervention," Bixlow said. He went for the door. "You were in a hurry to get outta here though, so I won't keep ya. I'll give you a call this week." He paused before entering. "You are going to pick up if I call, right?"

Still flustered from his previous action, Lisanna shouted "of course!" a little more angrily then she meant to.

Annoyingly, Bixlow just smiled wider, "Alright then, I guess I'll see ya Sunday when we move in Mira." Then with a wink he went back into the restaurant.

Lisanna frowned at the door. What the hell was that? Was he teasing her? Part of her wanted to go in and yell at him, but the other part thought that would be giving him exactly what he wanted. She wished she knew what she wanted, that would make the decision much simpler. Finally with a sigh she turned in the direction of the car. If he was going to tease her she'd just have to tease him back. Let's see who would give in first.

Mira pulled out yet another ball point pen and set it with the others. How could there be so many of them in one drawer? Every time she looked for one in the past, there wasn't a pen to be found.

Cana let out a dramatic sigh behind her. "Why do you have to organize the junk drawers? Can't you just dump the whole thing in the box, label it junk drawer, and then dump it in another drawer at the new house?"

Mira frowned at a button. Where was it from? "No Cana! I want to give us a nice clean start. I have to make sure no trash makes it over with me."

"I don't know, if you ask me this is the cleanest apartment I've ever seen. I doubt Laxus' shit at the house is put away this nicely." Cana placed the last wrapped dish in her box and taped it closed.

"You'd be surprised, Laxus is a very tidy person," Mira said. She picked up a broken hair tie and tossed it in the trash.

Cana chuckled, "No way, his room always looked like hell when I lived with him."

"His apartment was pretty neat as I remember," Lisanna added from where she sat on the floor, packing up the books from Mira's book shelf.

Cana put a hand on her hip. "His truck is a shithole though, I've been in it recently so you can't lie to me about that."

"Yeah, the truck is pretty bad," Lisanna frowned down at one of the books. "What the heck is this Mira?" She held up a novel that had a majestic looking man staring into the sunset while a woman pulled desperately at his pant leg.

"Oh set that aside, Erza leant me that. I should return it." She pursed her lips, "it was a little . . . over the top for me."

Cana grabbed it and laughed as she skimmed through the pages. "Her burning ache? Seriously? It sounds like the title of a pamphlet on STDs."

"You would know," Lisanna teased with a snort.

Cana grinned, "Aww is the little one getting testy because of the long dry season? Weren't you seeing that doctor? What ever happened to him?"

Lisanna returned to placing books in the box in front of her. "It was only a couple dates and it was awful. We couldn't go anywhere without him checking himself out in the mirror, or the windows, or random people's glasses."

"Sugar boy!" cheered Mira.

Lisanna covered her face and shook her head. "Oh god, that stupid nickname! Let's not talk about it anymore it's bad enough I still run into him at the hospital."

Cana fell back into a chair with the book in hand. "Aww no worries girlie, living downtown like you do there's hot guys around every corner. I'm sure you'll find a new one to make that sugar boy a distant memory." Cana laughed. "Oh my god, 'His sex sprang free like a prairie dog from its hole, curious and cautious.' Who writes this stuff?"

Mira laughed and shook her head, but she noticed that Lisanna seemed preoccupied. She hadn't said a word about what happened at Yajima's last night. It was killing Mira to not know but she was doing her best to give her sister the time she needed. Lisanna would talk when she was ready.

Mira tried hard not to get her hopes up about the idea of her sister dating Bixlow. He was so set in his ways here, it would be hard for Lisanna, but the idea that someone might give Lisanna a reason to move back to Magnolia was Mira's dream. She knew with one word from herself Lisanna would return, but it had to be her sister's choice so Mira kept her sorrow to herself.

It was ironic how much she hated that Lisanna didn't live down the street, since Mira's encouragement was probably the reason Lisanna moved to the city in the first place. As a disenchanted teen, Mira had always wanted to get out of Magnolia and she had pushed that dream onto Lisanna when she realized it probably wasn't in the cards for herself. It had taken a lot of years of working multiple jobs and careful budgeting to get Lisanna a degree that would allow her to live and work wherever she pleased. Now she found herself almost wishing she could take it back.

"Hey, earth to Mira," Cana called.

Mira shook her head and looked to Cana, "Yes?"

"You were staring off into the distance with that sad look in your eyes. Don't worry, you'll get Laxus to the altar, you just might have to get accidentally knocked up first," Cana said with a snort.

"What?" Mira exclaimed.

Cana raised a brow. "Lisanna and I were saying how weird it was that Natsu is going to be married. . . Did you not hear that?"

"No!" Mira exclaimed.

"Then what were you sad about?" Cana asked.

"Yeah, is everything okay sister?" Lisanna looked up at Mira.

Mira looked at Lisanna and Cana smiling nervously. "I'm fine! I was just thinking about what I still needed to do here." Then the full meaning of Cana's comment hit her, she jerked her head towards Cana. "Hey! I don't need to trick Laxus to have babies!"

Cana snorted, "And I don't need to drink an entire handle to get drunk."

"If I wanted babies he would give me all the babies I wanted," Mira said, sticking out her tongue.

"Oh yeah? Prove it," Cana challenged.

"Cana!" Lisanna exclaimed.

Mira just shook her head and returned to her drawer. "Cana, I'm not having a baby because you dared me."

"Aww you're no fun," Cana whined but her attention was already back in the book.

Mira looked up at Lisanna and they shared a smile. Mira returned her attention again to the drawer. She would have to tell Lisanna about Laxus soon. He wasn't ready to tell people yet but she worried that the longer they waited, the harder it would be to tell. The secrets were starting to pile up and while Mira knew she could hide her desire for Lisanna to return, the secret of her marriage felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket.

Yukino had a death grip on Sting's arm as they climbed the stairs to Rogue's building. He patted her hand when they reached the top. "You have nothing to worry about, I think you guys will get along fine. Besides it's not as if I'm gonna disappear on you."

Yukino removed her hand and grinned nervously. "I know, it's just this is a big deal and I haven't heard the best things." She went through the front door and walked over to the elevators. When Sting pushed the button she grimaced at her feet. "What if she hates me?"

Sting laughed as they entered the elevator. "If she can tolerate me, she's gonna to love you. I wouldn't worry about that." He looked down at the dessert in her hand. "What you should be worried about is her being jealous of your amazing baking skills."

Yukino smiled and kissed his cheek. His eyes went wide and then he smiled. "You know, if you're really worried about this we could go back home." He rested a hand on the back of her neck and traced his finger along the skin. "I can think of another way we could spend the evening."

The doors of the elevator opened. With a giggle, Yukino brushed his hand away and then escaped into the hall. "You're incorrigible. I'm pretty sure blowing off dinner would be a surefire way to make Minerva dislike me."

Sting groaned, "That skirt's been killing me since I picked you up. You sure we can't go back. . .just for a little bit."

His hand found its way to her rear. Yukino turned and went up on her toes to kiss him firmly. When she pulled away Sting looked happily startled. Yukino grinned and went to knock on Rogue's door. "Later," she said with a wink. It still amazed her how much her kisses affected him. It made her feel powerful, alive. It made her want to do it often.

Sting scowled. "That wasn't fair, now I'm not going to be able to think of anything else tonight," he grumbled. When Rogue opened the door, Sting pinched her butt, making Yukino squeak in surprise. "That was just the start of payback," he whispered in her ear.

Rogue watched Sting with a bemused expression. "You're ridiculous." He turned to Yukino with a smile and took the pie from her hands. "Here let me take that since Sting seems determined to make you drop it."

"Hey, I wasn't trying to make her drop it," Sting protested.

"I don't want to know what you were trying to do," Rogue replied as he turned to walk back into the house.

Minerva waited for them in the living room; her expression tight, her makeup flawless. Her outfit was clearly expensive and perfectly put together. Yukino found herself feeling slightly self-conscious about her own skirt and tank top. Next to Minerva she looked like a little girl.

Minerva smiled and held out a hand. "Yukino, it's so nice to finally meet you."

Yukino took her hand and smiled, "It's nice to meet you too Minerva."

There wasn't much more said between the two. Wine was poured and Sting and Rogue's easy camaraderie made things feel less awkward. Yukino noticed Minerva was quiet and seemed to have more trouble jumping into the conversation than Yukino did herself. Yukino worried that it might be her fault. Sting said Minerva felt right at home when they all worked together and that she was a vicious tease, but Yukino had yet to see any of that.

After about half an hour, Minerva stood. "Dinner should be ready. I'll go check," she said stiffly before turning towards the kitchen and disappearing.

The guys barely noticed, they were wrapped up in their own conversation. While Yukino waited, she heard a slight crash and hissed cursing come from the kitchen. Sting and Rogue stopped and looked in the direction of the kitchen. Yukino stood and smiled, "I'll go see if she needs any help."

When Yukino walked into the kitchen, Minerva peered over the counter at her with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, there's been an accident," she said in a halting whisper.

Yukino tilted her head and rounded the counter. There was her pie on the floor, broken in a million pieces, and Minerva was on her hands and knees, clearly attempting to put it back together.

"I went to take the roast out of the oven and I knocked it on the floor," Minerva sniffled. She went back delicately returning the pieces to the pan, "But I can fix it, I swear I'll fix it!"

"Minerva. . ." Yukino sighed.

Minerva's movements became more frantic. "I'm so sorry I wanted everything to go perfectly and now it looks like I'm some sort of jealous cow who threw your pie on the floor!" she sobbed.

Yukino knelt next to her and smiled. "Minerva stop, it's fine. I don't care about the pie, really. We can throw it away."

Minerva turned her head to Yukino and frowned. "How can you be so relaxed about this? Rogue said you were very nice but I thought surely nobody is really that nice. . ."

"Minerva it's just a pie! If we really need dessert we can find something else to make."

"Are you sure? I don't want to make you make something. I'll run out to the store and get one." Minerva stood and set the pie on the counter.

Before Minerva could slip away, Yukino stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "No silly! I don't want you to have to go anywhere. Didn't you say the roast was done? Let's have dinner. It looks delicious."

The guys came into the kitchen, they glanced at Minerva and Yukino, then at the pie dish full of crumbled mess, then back to Minerva's tear stained face. Sting grinned, "Geez Yukino, I know you can't wait to get me home, but sabotaging your own dessert seems a little extreme, don't you think?"

Yukino rolled her eyes. "Oh for goodness sakes."

Rogue drew his brows together in concern. "Minerva what happened? Are you okay?"

Minerva wiped her face and straightened her skirt. "I'm fine, I just accidentally knocked the pie on the floor. . ." She looked at the mess in the pie tin and her lip began to quiver slightly, "and ruined the evening."

Rogue nodded his head. "Most people just drink a little wine to break the ice, but I suppose throwing a pie on the floor was worth a try."

"Are you teasing me? I can't believe you're teasing me!" she exclaimed.

Rogue shook his head, "Of course not, I would never tease you."

"Honestly the two of you!" Minerva shooed them away. "Go back to the living room, Yukino and I will eat dinner without you."

"Hey! That's not fair! I'm so hungry!" Sting pouted. "I'll eat the floor pie. If I can't have dinner, can I at least eat the floor pie?"

"No! Nobody is eating the floor pie!" Yukino took the pie dish and dumped the mess into the trashcan. She pointed in the direction of the dining room. "Go to the table, we'll be along shortly."

The guys grumbled but left the room. Yukino turned to Minerva who was plating the roast. "How can I help?"

Minerva pointing to the pot on the stove. "Can you put the green beans in the serving dish I set out?"

"Of course," Yukino said. She went to grab the pot.

Minerva sighed, "I'm so glad you're actually nice."

Yukino giggled, "I'm so glad you dropped my pie."

Natsu was all set to go. The grill was set up, his meat was perfectly marinated, now to just get the perfect fire going to make these ribs right. Then, just as he bent to blow gently on the fire in the smoker box, Gajeel set down his own grill with a loud bang.

Natsu stood and scowled at the metal monstrosity in front of him. "What the hell are you doing man?"

"Well Levy told me that you make the best ribs she's ever tasted and that just won't stand."

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"Natsu asked.

Gajeel stood tall and crossed his arms. "Because I make the best ribs."

Natsu laughed. "There's no way your ribs are better than mine. I've been working on my recipe from the first day gramps let me man the grill!"

"Oh yeah? I've been working on it since before I should have been manning a grill, since my old man was never home and I could do whatever I wanted."

Natsu chuckled and returned to tending his fire. "Cooking bugs and burning yourself doesn't count Gajeel."

Gajeel scowled. "I was not burning myself."

"I bet you were, probably why your arm is so badly scarred up," Natsu teased.

Gajeel threw open the grill lid. "Oh yea? Just you wait, everybody is gonna think your ribs are shit the second they bite into mine."

Natsu shrugged. "Whatever man, you aren't even started. Everyone will be full on my ribs before yours are even done cooking."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes. He bent down and reached into his bag and pulled out lighter fluid. He dumped charcoal into the grill smoker box and doused it without removing his eyes from Natsu. "Slow and steady doesn't win the race."

Natsu raised a brow. "No way! You can't light it like that! The heat's gonna be all wrong!"

"You're just worried cause I'm the man of steel and this grill is gonna bend to my will no matter what fire I put in it!" Gajeel exclaimed as he doused the charcoal with more fluid. He lit a match, grinning at Natsu's angry head shake. His fire lit with a fwoop, blazing wildly in the smoke box. Gajeel laughed, "Whatcha gonna do about that fucker? Now that's a real fire. Give me two minutes and this grill is ready."

Natsu raised his brows. "Real fire? You wanna see a real fire? I'll show you a real fire!" He grabbed the fluid from Gajeel's hand and turned to his grill.

Gajeel's grin disappeared when he realized Natsu's intention. "Hey, wait, you can't do that!"

"Too late asshole, this human torch is gonna show you the meaning of fire!" Then with a maniacal laugh, Natsu dumped the rest of the lighter fluid into the fire already blazing in his smoker box.

"Oh my god Lucy, you look so beautiful!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Yeah, who knew all that working with Erza could make you such a sexy beast" Cana added with a grin.

Lucy smiled at herself in the mirror. The dress fit perfectly, now if she could just maintain this for the next four months. "Thanks guys!" She turned to Mira, "are you sure I can keep storing this with you?"

"Of course sweetie!" Mira sobbed. She fanned her eyes. "Sorry, you just look so beautiful!"

Lucy turned back and straightened her skirt while looking in the mirror. "I really appreciate it, Natsu just has no impulse control. It would be too tempting if I left it in my closet."

Mira fell back on her bed with a sigh. "Well now I have lots of closets! So many closets that your dress gets its own closet! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yeah, I'm almost a little. . ." Lucy stopped when a massive ball of fire burst into the air outside. "Oh my god! Natsu!"

She ran for the door but Cana stopped her. "Girl, the dress?"

"Oh my goodness! Thank you!" Lucy began stripping quickly. "I can't believe him! He promised me he wouldn't go crazy!" She handed the dress to a waiting Lisanna and started to storm outside.

Cana caught her again. "As much as it kills me to say this, you might wanna put some clothes on first."

Lucy looked down, she was in a bra and underpants. Not an appropriate outfit for shouting at her fiance outside in front of all their friends and family, even if it was warmer than typical for the time of year.

With a huff she went back and grabbed her shorts and tank top. "I'm gonna kill him," she growled as she stumbled into her shorts. She pulled on her shirt as she stormed down the hall. "One weekend with everyone where he doesn't have to destroy something, is that so much to ask?"

Cana chuckled as she followed. "Well it would certainly make things a lot less interesting around here."

When Lucy got outside both Gajeel and Natsu were completely soaking wet, with a panting Juvia holding a lightly dripping hose. Gray was bent over with laughter behind her. Laxus appeared to be in the middle of lecturing both Natsu and Gajeel as if they were little boys who threw a ball through a window.

"What the fuck is the matter with you two! I finally get this damn house finished so that my wife can have the home of her dreams and you're just gonna burn her dreams to the ground. Have you two lost your fucking minds!" Laxus shouted.

Gajeel frowned sullenly at his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. Natsu, on the other hand, was grinning ear to ear and Lucy could just see the mischief in his eyes. He had caught Laxus' Freudian slip and Lucy just knew he wasn't going to let it go.

Lucy saw Mira come out if the house behind her and mouthed sorry. There just wasn't enough time to stop Natsu's words.

"Wait man, did you say wife?" Natsu asked.

Laxus paused and his face went white. "So what? I said the wrong damn word. Don't try and take the attention away from what you did!"

"You hesitated," Natsu said taking a step closer. "I think that means it wasn't an accident. I think it might have to do with a certain night at Akane beach."

Laxus' face went from white to red. "You little shit. It's none of your damn business but since that woman was stuck with me I figured I'd make an honest woman of her and yes that happened back at the stupid beach. But my marital status does not get you off the hook for nearly lighting my house on fi. . ." His speech was interrupted by Mira running over to him, jumping into his arms, and taking his face in her hands to kiss him for all she was worth.

Makarov began tearing up in his lawn chair. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"I don't even know who he is anymore," Cana sighed, but she watched them with a happy smile.

Lucy noticed Natsu looked pretty pleased that his diversion had worked but she wasn't done with him. She crossed her arms and scowled at him. His eyes met hers and he grimaced. He sauntered towards her with the expression a puppy gets when it chews on your favorite shoes. "I didn't mean it Lucy, I swear."

Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "You really expect me to believe that? You promised me! You said you would keep the fire to a manageable level!"

"Well that was before I knew metal face was gonna turn this into iron chef!" Natsu motioned wildly to Gajeel. "What was I supposed to do? Just let him win?"

"Yes! His food probably would have just tasted like crap anyway!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Hey!" Gajeel shouted.

"Don't you start with me to!" Lucy snapped.

"I'm gonna go find Levy, she probably needs help." Gajeel slipped away.

"Why does Gajeel get a free pass?" Natsu whined.

Lucy really wanted to smack him on the head. "I'm not marrying Gajeel!"

Natsu snorted, "Thank god, that would be gross."

Lucy shoved a finger in his face. "Natsu stop trying to distract me! I am still mad at you!"

Natsu grinned and held his arms out to hug her. "Aww you aren't that mad. Come on Luce let's see a smile."

Lucy took a step back, not excited about to prospect of hugging her soaking wet fiance. "Don't you dare," she warned.

Natsu feigned insult. "What? I can't lovingly embrace my fiance?" He reached out and snatched her, pulling her close and rubbing his wet hair into her neck.

"This is not a loving embrace!" Lucy whined, she tried to pull away. That was when the tickling started.

"Look! You're almost smiling! You love me so much," Natsu teased as his fingers dug into her sides.

"Stop," Lucy laughed frantically, "or I'm going to make you stop!"

Natsu raised his brows but tickled on. "Are you now?"

Lucy grabbed Natsu's hands and twisted them around his back. Natsu only grinned, grasped her arm and twisted her to pull it under his armpit. She tried to pull away so he kicked a leg over hers and trapped her head in his arms, she was suddenly tightly restrained. "Well now you've gone and started it. You're gonna have to say uncle and apologize."

Lucy grunted, and with a quick jerk forward, flipped him over her back. Her intention was to slam him into the grass but he managed to take her with him and they tumbled around, scrambling to get an upper hand. Somehow she ended up in his lap. She shoved her thumbs in the sides of his mouth and pulled, but to her dismay he only did it back.

"Aww see now you're really smiling," Natsu said through clenched teeth.

Lucy had enough. With a growled she shoved him down, grabbed and arm and pulled it through her thighs. She pulled and exerting more and more pressure on his arm until he rasped "Okay I give up! I'm sorry, I'm sorry for making the big fire. I won't do it again!"

"That's better," she started to release him and was met with a large splash of water in her face. Now both she and Natsu were soaking wet.

Lucy looked up to Juvia who grimaced. "Gray-sama said I should get you two off each other . . ."

Behind her Gray was laughing so hard he couldn't stand. "She had you so good!"

With a sigh Lucy released Natsu and stood. Then she pulled Natsu to his feet. He followed the momentum and hugged her. Then he whispered in her ear, "Is it weird that I'm super turned on right now? I wanna do that again . . .naked."

Lucy laughed and shoved him away. "Oh stop."

"No seriously," Natsu said with wide eyes.

Lucy pointed to the grills. "Seriously fix the grill Natsu, everyone's gonna be hungry. They were counting on you."

"Alright, alright." Natsu started to walk away but he stopped and turned back. He looked Lucy up and down.

Lucy looked down at shirt which was now completely wet and leaving little to the imagination. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop ogling me and get back to work!"

Natsu winked, "I'm totally getting you back later."

Lucy hurried back to the house, hopefully Mira had a dry shirt in one of her many closets.

Thanks for reading!

Special thanks to my reviewers!

FairyTailLover04, CelestialMageLucy, 6661, CrimsonLink310, PrincessSarahDragneel, Dragon Baller(Yes! Cana could totally be gay or maybe bi?, I apologize for leaving that out. If there's anything we know from the manga/anime it's that Cana has a deep appreciation for the female body, specifically the top half lol), kurovox2, katiekat2001, JayScriptMage345, Lodemai04(oh man, those recent chapters have been stressful, I'm worried there won't be real resolution for weeks! , fictionalhearts, .kawaii(for me Minerva is now at the redemption part of her character, like after she was saved from Tartaros by Sting and Rogue. So she'll be more learning how to be a friend and be part of a team), katthecat12, and guest