There definitely won't be a chapter next week. I will be going on my first plane trip in 8 years next weekend so for most of the week I'm going to be a puddle of anxiety. It's not the planes that bother me, but the airports, I really hate airports. On the plus side, I'm heading somewhere sunny. I get to wear a pretty dress and eat a lot of fancy food, and hopefully my childhood friend's over-the-top wedding will give me lots of writing inspiration for the chapters to come. :)
"I can't believe I spent my day off watching little kids play softball," Cana fell onto the table with a groan. "Who am I anymore!?"
"Oh don't be so dramatic," Lisanna chided as she pushed Cana's hair away from her side of the table. "It was the championships, it was an important game! Also don't be so loud you're being rude."
"I thought it was cute!" Mira grinned and took a sip of her soda. She patted her still flat belly and said, "I wonder if our little one will play baseball."
"Ugh, I hope not. You'll probably make me watch that too." Cana pushed away from the table and fell dramatically back in the chair.
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. I bought you nachos and multiple lollipops, you were not a cheap date. And don't forget that flask I saw you sneaking sips out of. I really think it meant a lot to Bixlow that we were there. He worked really hard with those girls this year." She smiled fondly over at her boyfriend who was currently teasing a smile out of one of the girls who was looking sullen. Lisanna felt strangely proud when the little girl gave in and started laughing with a shake of her head. Bixlow really had a gift for making people smile.
Cana laughed, "Don't kid yourself, the only one he cared about seeing there was you, he probably didn't even notice we were on the bleachers next to you. Plus, some hard work, they lost!"
Lisanna held up a finger, "But they did make it to the championships! Bixlow told me that last spring only one player could catch a ball. Making it to the championships is big for them,"
"Yeah, yeah," Cana groaned. Their server set a massive, hot pizza down on the table surprising Cana into an upright position. Her eyes went wide, "Oh you sweet, sweet boy. I could kiss you on the mouth!" she exclaimed. She pulled off a slice of the pie and put it in her mouth instead of on her plate.
The server smiled awkwardly and slowly backed away with a squeak of "enjoy!"
"Did you know that my baby is now the size of a lime? Isn't that wonderful!" Mira sighed. She patted her belly again, "I think I'm starting to show a little."
Cana tilted her head to look at Mira around the pizza. "Hate to break it to you Mira but you're still just as skinny as ever. Are you sure you're actually pregnant? How come you aren't puking and looking nauseous all the time like Levy?"
"Don't know," Mira replied with a shrug. She pulled a piece of pizza onto her plate. "Just lucky I guess. I mean, I think I'm a little bit more tired. Last night I went right to sleep, I didn't feel up for fooling around at all! It was so weird." She took a big bite of pizza and chewed it with a happy hum.
Cana snorted, "Laxus must be loving this whole pregnancy thing."
"He doesn't mind," Mira said with a big smile. She leaned forward and whispered, "I had already worn him out earlier in the day."
Lisanna grimaced, "That is way too much info sister."
"You must have really done a number on him. He's asleep already. What is it like two?" Cana motioned over to the corner of the restaurant where Laxus was currently snoring at a table with Freed and Evergreen.
Mira shook her head with an amused little smile. "He got too much sun this morning."
Cana chuckled, "I'm pretty sure he slept through the game too."
Bixlow draped himself over Lisanna's shoulders and grinned at the table. "I'm so glad you guys were able to come today." A handful of little girls peaked out from behind them.
"You mean you're so glad Lisanna came today," said the little girl with dark pigtails.
"It's nice to see you again Miss Lisanna," said the blond on his other side.
Cana grabbed her chest, "Holy shit it's like children of the corn."
The little girl with green hair sniffed Cana's shirt and then wrinkled her nose with disgust. "You smell like mommy smells when she kisses me goodnight after a night with the girls."
"Oh yeah? Well you smell like . . ." Cana's insult was stopped by Lisanna's hand on her mouth.
"They're children," Lisanna hissed. Cana stuck her tongue out at Lisanna but returned to her pizza without another peep.
Bixlow kissed the top of Lisanna's head, "Having my beautiful baby there was like having a good luck charm."
"More like bad luck, we lost!" the green haired girl cried.
"That's not very nice," the blond whispered.
"I still think we did better than expected," Bixlow said with a shrug. "That was a tough team."
"Yeah, we did better than expected," the dark haired girl parroted.
A taller girl lamented, "They were really tough."
"We were only behind by a couple runs," the blond added.
"Whatever, this is stupid. The pizza's getting cold we should get back to it," the green haired girl said with a pout and she stomped away. The other four followed after with a sag to their shoulders and timid waves.
"She seems really upset," Lisanna observed. She frowned as she watched the little girl angrily shove too big a bite into her mouth.
Bixlow stood up straight and looked in his team's direction. "Ahh, Pepe will get over it, she's tough. This will just make her try even harder." Bixlow had a gleam in his eye when he added, "that girl could go far. She's really talented."
Cana snorted, "There is no way her name is Pepe."
Bixlow grimaced and scratched his neck. "Well, I can never remember their names. Unless they have their uniform shirts on and I can read it, I'm lost. They've just kinda accepted that I'm gonna call them something else."
"Bixlow!" Mirajane exclaimed. "You've been coaching them for a year now! How can you not know their names!"
"It's not my fault! They all have like the same name! Caitlin, Madlyn, Evelyn, Rylyn, Dylan, Ashlyn . . .how the hell am I supposed to know which one is which! I tried the first week but I kept messing it up so I just gave up." Bixlow chuckled at himself. "They call me a weirdo but I think they like it."
Lisanna looked up at him with a grin, "I like that you're a weirdo too."
He smiled back and leaned down to kiss her. "Well that's all that matters to me."
"Gross," Cana muttered into her pizza. Mira rubbed her belly with a happy grin.
Meredy pushed the golden hooks through her earlobes then pulled away from the mirror with a smile. She looked great, though she still felt overdressed in the dress Sorano loaned her. She ran her hands down the emerald green fabric smoothing imaginary wrinkles. She hadn't been to a play since highschool when Ultear was determined to be a star on Broadway and took every role she could get her hands on. She chuckled at the memory of Ultear on stage as an old man. The mask had been too big and Ultear had accidentally knocked over the background then declared that she had sent them all back in time in an attempt to salvage the play. This play Lyon was taking her too would be much more highbrow, she wondered if she would like it as much. There probably wouldn't be any musical numbers and definitely no knocked over sets.
Her phone buzzed and Meredy lifted it, fully expecting a text from Lyon saying he was out front. Instead the screen read Rusty's name. Meredy frowned, she unlocked her phone and read "Hey there." Her frown deepened.
It had been two weeks since she had written him a book on her feelings and the first thing he decides to say after two weeks of radio silence is 'hey there.' Meredy's frown turned to a glower as she sharply typed back "what?"
She set the phone back on the dresser and stepped into her heels. She paced back and forth in the room to get a good feel of them. At least she could count on Lyon staying close by, she hoped she could hide any stumbles by grabbing his arm. Meredy smiled, the sap would probably like that. She wondered if this counted as a date. Their friendship had blossomed into lunch multiple times a week, concerts on the weekend, and a few phone calls at the end of the day when her work had been particularly rough. He was quickly filling a roll that used to be Jellal and Ultear's before they both started really living and accidentally left her behind. Meredy was still unsure about whether or not Lyon wanted to be more than friends. His flirting was rampant but he never tried to make a real move. Even if he was interested, Meredy wasn't sure if she was ready for the kind of commitment being with Lyon would involve. Still, she was very pleased to have someone give her a reason to get out of her sweats on a Friday night and he made her smile. Sometimes it was just so nice to smile.
Her phone buzzed again. This time Rusty asked "what are you doing tonight?"
Meredy wrote "I'm busy." Then she danced away on her heels singing "I'm too busy and important to waste time on you." She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, maybe she should have been on stage.
"Work?" The phone buzzed next.
Meredy made a noise of disgust and typed "no", then she roughly turned her phone all the way to silent and shoved it in her clutch. Rusty was not going to ruin her evening. Meredy was going to see a play in a fancy theater with a fancy gentleman and not think about the man who deemed it beneath himself to give her what she deserved. She returned to the mirror and started her eye makeup.
When she was just about finished, the doorbell rang and Meredy froze. For a moment she thought maybe Rusty had come to her door. How awkward that would be? Then she regained her wits and realized it was probably Lyon. She made one more swipe of mascara then grabbed her clutch and hurried to open the front door. Lyon looked so handsome her breath caught. She was relieved that he didn't notice her strange behavior, he was too busy frowning as he returned his phone to his pocket. "I tried texting you that I was outside like you asked but you weren't responding."
Meredy grimaced and lied, "Sorry, I had already put it on silent so I wouldn't forget."
He finally looked up at her and a slow, dopey smile grew on his face. "You look nice, are you ready to go?"
It felt like the phone was burning a hole in her purse. If she had missed texts from Lyon there was a good chance she had missed texts from Rusty as well. She was dying to see how Rusty handled her turndown. She almost put her hand in her purse but Lyon said "Meredy?" and her brain returned its attention to the man in front of her. With sudden clarity she realized it didn't matter what Rusty wrote because Rusty was trash. After all Lyon was the one in front of her wasn't he? He deserved her attention right now. So she smiled and said, "I'm ready if you are."
Lyon's smiled widened and he stepped out of the way to let her come out into the hall. She pulled the door closed behind her and turned to lock it. When she was done, she looked up at Lyon and caught him staring. She raised a brow and asked "what?"
Lyon held out his arm for her to take and said, "You know I think nice was an understatement, you look radiant."
Meredy took his arm and made a tiny snort. "Oh stop it. . ." Then with a giggle she fluttered her lashes at him and joked, "just kidding. . .you were saying?"
He started to lead her down the hall. "Really, I need to take you more places with a fancy dress code. I'm going to have trouble paying attention to the show and I don't mind in the least." He stopped and with his free hand pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Simply stunning," he murmured.
Meredy immediately flushed. "You're too much."
"Hmmm? Maybe." Lyon pulled his hand away and flexed his fingers before returning it to his pocket. Then he turned back towards their exit at the end of the hall. He smirked, "but you don't seem to mind too much."
"Well lucky for you I'm a very tolerant person," Meredy quipped. His laughter was music to her ears. By the time they reached the car if you had asked her if she was concerned about Rusty's response, she would have replied with 'Rusty who?'
Erza blinked and looked back at the first sentence on the forensic report again. She had attempted to read through this paperwork three times now but still nothing was registering. She needed to get her head back in the game, she was starting to let her personal life affect her job again. It was absolutely unacceptable.
It seemed that no matter what she did, the doctor's words kept ringing through her head. "For the most part you are perfectly healthy Mrs. Fernandez, you have borderline hostile cervical fluid but we'll try a few vitamins and keeping you hydrated for a few months. For some of us these things just take time."
He wanted her to give this six months. SIX MONTHS! Then if she wasn't having results they could retest her fluids and discuss more extreme ways to treat the issue and a few of the more invasive tests they could try. It was so frustrating! Shouldn't there have been a pill, a test, a procedure? Some simple solution? She always stayed hydrated and other than being a little high on the sugar side her diet was very well balanced. Well, maybe not well balanced but she always took her vitamins. Cake couldn't be the culprit, cake never let her down.
He had also warned that her issues might be stress related. The idea that she could decrease the amount of stress in her life was laughable. The only way would be to quit her job and switch to something like yoga instructor or cake recipe tester. Knowing her, she would probably still find a way to make doing those things stressful. Vacation was out of the question. Even the idea of taking a month off made her blood pressure spike. There was no way she would ever be able to just leave all this to Kagura.
Erza took a deep breath and then a large sip from the massive water bottle she purchased on her way back from the doctor's office. Just as she was about to start another attempt, the papers were snatched out of her hands. "Go home Erza."
Erza looked up at Kagura and scowled. "Excuse me?"
"You've been staring off into space like some flake ever since you got back from your appointment. You're clearly worthless today, go home."
Erza took the papers back. "I am not worthless today, I will not go home!"
Kagura grabbed the papers again. "Quit being stubborn. You never take a day, get out of here. Your sighing is distracting." Kagura looked away with a pout and added, "plus your husband is worried about you, you haven't been getting his calls or messages."
Erza drew her brows together and slowly retrieved her phone from her belt. She had forgotten to take it off of silent at the end of her appointment. Two missed calls and ten missed texts.
Kagura cleared her throat. "He asked me to tell you he loves you and he's worried about you. Also not to worry about dinner he'd pick something up on the way home."
Erza smiled at the pink in Kagura's cheeks. Her partner was trying very hard to be pleasant. Maybe going home would be a good idea, at least there she could work in peace. "Alright, fine. I'll go tell the Captain I'm cutting out early."
Kagura snapped her face back in Erza's direction. "And tell Jellal never to call me again. I'm not his errand girl!" Then she popped out of her chair and ran away.
Staring off in the direction of Kagura's escape, Erza stood slowly. When it became clear that Kagura would not be returning, Erza began packing her things for heading home. A half day wouldn't be so bad, she did need to run to the pharmacy to pick up her vitamins. If even her socially awkward partner was starting to worry about her, then it was definitely time to call it a day.
Evergreen walked through her parents' front door and called out "mom?" even though part of her was hoping she had walked into an empty house. This morning she had been determined to come clean with her mother, but now she was starting to think another week or so wouldn't be all that bad.
"I'm in the kitchen!" Her mother called back and Evergreen's heart sank, there was no getting out of this now.
She found her mother at the kitchen table, reading glasses on and newspaper in hand. Her mother smiled up at her when she walked in the room and said, "So happy to see you my love! Do you want a cup of coffee?" She pulled her glasses to the edge of her nose and squinted over them at Evergreen. "Maybe something to eat? You look so thin! You must be working too hard, you should keep snacks at your desk."
Evergreen gave her mother a patient smile and leaned down to hug her shoulders and kiss her cheek. "I'm eating just fine mom. I would like some coffee but please don't get up, I can help myself." She was so nervous she wouldn't have been able to eat anything anyway but the coffee, Evergreen desperately needed the coffee. Today was going to be the day, today had to be the day. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a mug.
Her mother smiled and after adjusting her glasses lifted her paper again. "You know I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and her son just finished his divorce. . .". Her mother trailed off, the suggestion left hanging in the air.
Evergreen wrinkled her nose as she filled her mug from the full carafe of coffee on the counter. "Please . . . Please don't tell me you're trying to fix me up with some divorcee," she groaned.
Her mother waved off her concern. "No, no Evergreen, this is a good one. The wife had an affair so you see, it wasn't his fault. Plus he's a cardiac surgeon. This one's a very good one."
Evergreen chuckled and brought her coffee to the table. "And I'm sure he was the perfect husband at all times, she only strayed because she was a horrible person," she said dryly.
Her mother ignored her tone. "She really was, that's what he gets for marrying some little trophy. All that time playing tennis at the club and having her nails done, she couldn't appreciate that he worked so hard to give her those things." She reached over and grabbed Evergreen's wrist. "But you my love, you would understand because you work so hard too. You would never expect him to be home every night for dinner."
Evergreen grinned and teased, "You aren't exactly painting a pretty picture for this relationship mama."
Her mother shook a finger "Now, now my little Evergreen, you may still be beautiful but you aren't getting any younger. The pool of men is shrinking, you might have to settle for a less desirable catch or else you'll be stuck going hungry."
Evergreen grimaced, "Who said I was hungry?"
Her mother rolled her eyes, "Everyone is hungry Evergreen, be realistic." The she cut her eyes back to Evergreen and considered her shrewdly. "Unless of course you've decided to go vegetarian. Maybe the fish won't fill your hunger."
Evergreen sighed, "You're on a roll with the metaphors today mama."
Her mother squeezed Evergreen's hand and pleaded, "Just one date, for your mama? I'm worried about you."
Evergreen swallowed deeply, then drank a sip of coffee and savored the time it took to hit her stomach. "About that. . ." Evergreen took a deep breath, "I'm sorry mama but I can't, I'm actually seeing someone. . ."
Her mother went pale. "Oh my god, it's true," she gasped.
Her mother's response made Evergreen feel sick. Was Bixlow right? Was her mother already aware of Elfman? Had she just been in denial all this time? "Mama, I swear he's not that bad!"
Her mother covered her face and exclaimed, "Not that bad? Not that bad! He has no degree and no desire to work! He plans on lounging around your house all day while you work yourself to the bone! He does not respect you! That is not husband material!"
Evergreen froze, "Wait. . .What?"
Her mother moved her hands to her heart. "And oh! Saying that children would be a hassle for his style of living! I cannot agree with this, he seemed like a nice fun boy when he was just your friend, but Bixlow is not an appropriate person to spend your life with."
Evergreen nearly knocked over her coffee. "Bixlow! Did you just say Bixlow? Why in the world would you think I was dating Bixlow?!"
Evergreen's mother dropped her hands to the table and tilted her head. "A few months ago he called and said he wanted permission for your hand. He told me he knew it would mean marrying a cold-hearted cynic but that he finally realized he would never find a better free ride and at least he loved your house."
Evergreen made a fist and growled, "I'm gonna kill him!"
Her mother fanned her face as if a hot flash was coming on and continued, "He said that I shouldn't expect babies any time soon because they were such a buzzkill and would ruin your rack. He actually said your rack! Can you believe it? To your mother! I thought it was just another one of his silly pranks but now you tell me it's true!" She grabbed her chest again, "Oh my heart, my heart is breaking!"
Evergreen threw herself across the table and grabbed her mother's hand. She looked her straight in the eye and said, "I am NOT marrying Bixlow."
Her mother didn't look convinced, "But. . ."
"I am not seeing him, I have never and will never be seeing him, he has never been more than a friend to me and at the moment even that status is questionable."
Her mother frowned, "Then who are you seeing?"
Evergreen flopped back in her chair and rubbed her temples. "Elfman mama, I've been seeing Elfman," she sighed.
"Elfman?" Her mother shot out of her chair. "Elfman!"
Evergreen cringed, this was not going quite like she had planned in her head. "Now mama. . ."
Her mother slapped a hand on the table, "How long?"
"What?"
Her mother leaned towards her and practically shouted, "How long have you been seeing him?"
Evergreen frowned. How long had she been seeing Elfman? Did she include all the years of on and off? Did she just say how long this last stint had been? Did she invent a new number? "Four years?" she answered cautiously.
Her mother's mouth dropped then closed sharply. Next thing Evergreen knew, her head was being smashed into her mother's bosom. "Mama?" Evergreen gasped.
"I'm just so happy it isn't Bixlow!" her mother exclaimed.
Evergreen groaned, that wasn't what she wanted at all. Her mother wasn't supposed to like Elfman because he wasn't someone, she was supposed to like Elfman because he was himself. Her mom pulled back and smiled down at her. "Elfman is such a good boy too. He always eats everything I put in front of him, very responsible and respectful too. He owns his own business right?"
"Yes?"
Her mother returned to her seat and with a deep sigh she said, "It's a shame I didn't get to know his parents better though." Her face lit up, "but that means we'll be the only grandparents! You can spend all the holidays here!"
"Mother I don't know about. . ."
Her mother leaned closer, her bright smile widening, "And he could convert too. Do you think he would convert? If he really wants to be my son-in-law he'll convert."
Evergreen knew Elfman would probably do that for her, especially if it meant getting her to marry him, but she felt like her mother was getting ahead of herself. "Son-in-law? Mother we aren't even engaged yet!"
"Yes but four years? He has to be at least considering by now. . ." Her mother's smile disappeared. "You tell him he must marry you or no more milk!"
"What?!"
Her mother returned to shaking a finger and chided, "You aren't getting any younger. A year engagement, a nine month pregnancy, and that's only if you get pregnant right away. I took quite a while you know. Stubborn eggs run in the family."
Evergreen curled her lip and exclaimed, "Mother!"
Her mother frowned, "I don't understand, why doesn't he want to marry you? Does he think he's too good for you? I should call him and give him a piece of my mind!? What does he think he's doing stringing you along like that?"
Evergreen shot out of her chair. "Mother no! I'm the one, I'm the one who didn't want to get married! He's even asked already!"
"Why in the world would you do that?" her mother cried.
"Because I thought you wouldn't like him, I thought he wasn't quite up to what you guys had in mind for me."
"Why would you think that?"
"You're always trying to set me up with good jewish boys, you're always telling me to marry a good jewish boy, you're always talking about lawyers and doctors and stock brokers. Elfman just never seemed the fit the mold you were making for me."
"Yes, I do suppose he isn't exactly what I had in mind…" her mother winked, "but at least he isn't Bixlow."
"Mother . . ." Evergreen groaned.
"And your father isn't going to be happy but love he wouldn't be happy with any boy you brought home. You'll always be his little princess." Her mother chuckled, " At least Elfman isn't going to be intimidated by him."
Evergreen smiled, "At least he'll pretend he isn't."
"Now, that settles that." Her mother puttered over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "Let me get you something to eat, I can't look at you right now without feeling like a bad mother. You're so skinny!"
Minerva stepped out of Rogue's car and surveyed the property. "Natsu really picked a place in the middle of nowhere, didn't he."
Rogue closed his door and smiled, "It suits him."
Sting came bounding out of the back seat. "This is so cool! Yukino we should get a place out in the country too! What do you think he has in that garage? A wrestling mat? An airplane? An army of 4-wheelers?"
"Probably tools Sting, he does do carpentry," Rogue said, bringing his friend back down to earth.
Sting wrinkled up his face and stared at the garage, "Yeah, I guess that would make more sense." Then he smacked Rogue in the chest and grinned, "My ideas are way cooler though."
Yukino giggled as she rounded the car towards them. "It's his workshop Sting, sorry no planes or alien spaceships."
Sting took the cake carrier from her hands and started towards the house. "Now come on, I didn't say alien space ship. That would be ridiculous."
Minerva clung tightly to the bottle of wine in her hands. She hoped she had picked something they would like. Maybe she should have gotten beer. Natsu seemed more like the type to like beer. Would she have seemed condescending if she had brought something like that? She looked longingly at the cake carrier in Sting's hands. Dessert would have been a safer option to bring. She wasn't even sure if a red would suit the evening's meal.
"Are you ready?" Rogue touched her arm and she looked up at his amused grin. It made her a little irritated that he noticed she was nervous. She didn't need his help for this, she wasn't a child. Minerva breathed out loudly through her nose, then with a sharp nod she began marching towards the house. She could see Rogue put his hands in his pockets and his grin widen as he hurried to keep in step with her, but she just lifted her chin. She was not amusing, she would not be a social disaster.
Minerva wasn't quite sure what to expect of the night ahead. She met Lucy the few times she stopped by Yukino's work and she was completely lovely. She didn't know Gajeel that well but Rogue admired him quite a bit so he shouldn't be too terrible. It was Levy and Natsu who made her nervous. She hadn't been very nice to them when she dated Gray so many years back. Especially Levy, she had been so cruel to any girl who tried to be friends with Gray. There was no way these people could be so forgiving.
Not for the first time, Minerva wished she could go back and shake her younger self. Her father had really created a monster. How had she not seen that her selfish actions were making her so miserable and lonely? Why had she worked so hard for the approval of such a terrible person?
"Minerva?" Rogue asked drawing her out of her self-loathing.
"What?" Minerva almost snapped.
"Are ya gonna open the door or just stand there?" Sting asked from behind her.
Minerva frowned over her shoulder at him and found Yukino watching her with a concerned expression. She turned back and realized she was right in front of the door. Rogue came next to her and with a hand on her lower spine he leaned through her personal space to ring the doorbell. As he straightened, he stopped just long enough to kiss her cheek and murmur "You'll do just fine," in her ear.
Minerva bit her lip, she felt her face turn bright red. Rogue's hand was still on her back, it felt warm, comforting. With a sigh, she released some of the tension in her body and leaned slightly into him.
The door ripped open and before turning to them Lucy shouted back into the house, "Do not touch that grill Natsu, I'm serious! If you burn that chicken I will kick you in the balls!"
Lucy turned back to them with a wide smile. "Hey! I'm so glad you made it!"
"Thank you for inviting us," Minerva responded stiffly. She held out the wine and to her horror, began to bow slightly. She couldn't stop, so she tried to end midway and smile like a normal person, she was sure she looked terrifying. "We brought wine," she said with false cheerfulness.
Lucy grabbed the wine and cried, "You spoil us! I love this vineyard, I haven't had it so long!". There was the sound of a door behind her and Lucy's eyes went wide. Her head snapped back into the house. "Oh my god, did he really go out there."
Minerva heard Levy giggle, "Yeah."
Lucy looked back at Rogue and Minerva, her face tight with anger. "Please come in, I'll be right back." Then she raced to the back door grumbling, "Low and slow Natsu, it's supposed to be low and slow!"
Minerva felt pressure on her back from Rogue's hand. She glared at him before taking a few tentative steps in and out of the way. Rogue and Sting easily went to greet Gajeel and Yukino was hugging Levy the second she could get her hands on her. Minerva felt lost.
Eventually everyone was finished and it seemed like everyone turned and stared at her at the same time. Even the babies in their playpen. Minerva smiled and awkwardly adjusted the hem of her shirt. "Hellllooooo," she said. Then she cringed at the strangeness in her tone.
Levy smiled and walked over. She gave Minerva a big hug that Minerva was too surprised to return. "It's been such a long time! How are you?"
"Doing well," Minerva replied. She motioned to the playpen, "So those are your little ones?"
"Yes! Yajeh and Shutora!" Levy giggled at the way Yajeh bounced up and down and grunted at Minerva with his hands out. "I think he wants you to pick him up, you can if you want."
Minerva turned to Levy with a strange plastered on smile as she struggled with how to appropriately handle the situation. Pick him up? How could Levy suggest such a thing?! Minerva had never held a baby in her life! However, if she refused would that make it seem like she hadn't turned a new leaf? Would it look like she was being mean to the child? "Of course, I'd love to," she said woodenly. She turned to Rogue and she swore that bastard was hiding a smirk.
The walk to the crib was like slow motion. Yajeh blew a raspberry at her and spit dribbled down his chin. Minerva became worried that she might be sick. She leaned over the playpen and stiffly picked up Yajeh under the armpits and held him out in front of her. "He's so handsome," she said back to Levy.
Yajeh grinned wide at Minerva and said, "Mama!" then hit her chest with the rattle in his hand.
"Oh, have I done something wrong?" Minerva twisted back to Levy with an expression of panic.
Levy laughed, "No, he calls all women mama right now. It's not my favorite but what can you do? Don't worry you're doing just fine."
Minerva looked back to little Yajeh, he now had snot leaking from his nose. It was going to join the drool at any moment. What sweet hell was this? Minerva decided Levy had found a way to pay her back for all the mean things Minerva had done. She wanted to set him down but she wasn't sure if she would do it right, she also wasn't sure if she had held him long enough to be polite yet. Yajeh giggled at her agitated expression.
Rogue came over next to her and held out his arms. "Can I hold him?"
Minerva nodded and slowly handed Yajeh over gently, as if he might break if she sneezed to hard. It was a relief when she was free of him but she felt a little jealous of how easily Rogue pulled the small child to his chest. Rogue booped Yajeh's nose and smiled at his little grin.
Gajeel picked up Shutora and turned towards the back door. "I think we're eating outside. Should we go make sure Lucy hasn't killed Natsu?"
Sting barked a laugh that was much too loud, "Kill Natsu? I'd like to see her try!"
Gajeel looked at Sting and rolled his eyes, then he turned back and started for the door to the back patio. Levy quickly fell into step with Minerva as the group went to follow. "You're working with Sting and Rogue now right? How's that going?"
"Very well," Minerva replied, then as an afterthought she joked, "at least I hope so."
Levy giggled, "Must be very different from what you did before."
"It's been a nice change of pace. I definitely needed it," Minerva responded as they reached the back door. How had she missed how kind all these people were? How had she ever looked down on them? Since leaving Crocus it felt like she was seeing the world from another person's eyes. She wondered if she would ever recover from the trail of fire her former self had left behind.
Natsu had a good time with everyone but it was sweet relief to see their taillights pull out of his driveway. Lucy came to hug him on the front stoop and they watched the lights disappear down the street. With a happy sigh she said, "That was really fun, I'm glad we did that."
"I didn't see any devil horns, are you sure that was really Minerva?" Natsu asked.
She pulled away slightly and smacked him playfully on the arm. "Oh stop it. She's turned a new leaf, she's trying to be a better person." She hugged him tightly again, "Gray is really okay with her coming to the wedding with Rogue?"
"He said he didn't care. He's moved on, she's moved on . . .I mean I don't think they're all gonna double date anytime soon but they can be in the same room and play nice."
"Good, good, I didn't want to upset anyone with them being there." She burrowed her head into his shoulder and started to rock him side to side.
Natsu laughed and kissed her head. "My family has always been weirdly forgiving. We're always giving people second chances. Just look at Gajeel and Jellal. Although. . . .we do usually punch them in the face before we forgive them, so I can't promise Erza will behave."
Lucy jerked her head away from him. "Oh my gosh! Do you think she'll fight her in the middle of the wedding!"
Natsu laughed harder, "Nah, I was just kidding." His smile softened and he cupped her cheek then ran a thumb across the soft skin. "Are you ready to head in?"
Lucy's eyes searched his before smiling back and asking, "Could we go watch the stars for a while? I'm not ready to call it a night yet."
"Sure," Natsu answered in a whisper with a gentle kiss on her lips.
"Sorry, I thought you were messing with the grill earlier," Lucy murmured.
Natsu chuckled, "Luckily you're super hot when you're angry."
Lucy laughed and pulled out of his arms to take his hand and lead him around the house. "Am I now?"
"Yeah, I must have a thing for blood shot eyes and bulging veins," Natsu teased. When Lucy made a sound of exasperation he continued on with, "or maybe it's the screeching tone your voice gets. Just sets me on fire!"
"Naaaatsuuu," Lucy groaned.
"You also get all muscley like a tiny hulk, it's adorable." Natsu went to pinch her butt and Lucy shoved him back into a lawn chair on their deck. He fell with an "oomf," but recovered quickly with a wide grin for Lucy who was climbing into his lap.
She kissed him hard and then scolded, "Shut up and watch the stars."
"'Kay," Natsu responded then he gave her a little squeeze. She smiled at him and with a sigh, settled into his chest. Lucy looked up at the stars in the sky, but Natsu was quite happy gazing at the one in his lap.
Thanks kccb16 for looking things over for me!
Thanks for reading until next time!
Thank you, thank you reviewers!
katiekat2001, OneWhoCharms(the Mavis idea is really cute! and shhh stop telling my secrets lol), FairyTailLover04(I hope I can get back to a regular schedule too, life has been nuts!), talkitivejaguar, crimsonlink310, kiarikano( it's Risley Law from mermaid heel, she was Levy's OB as well. Dr. Law sent Erza to a fertility specialist), katthecat12(ain't it the truth!), quite-a-riot