Well wish me luck as I am going to try and get a lot of writing done for this story and hopefully get close to finishing it (no jinxes) during the July Camp Nanowrimo session! Last boring-ish chapter until things will pick up a little in the story. There are quite a few character views in this chapter and I hope that does not make it hard to follow.

As always, I do not own Fairy Tail it belongs to Hiro Mashima and I thank him for it's use in my own creative expresssions *bows*

It was just after seven when Erza glanced up at the clock on the wall, she had been over every file at least three times but was still getting nowhere. She knew that Zoldeo's death was the catalyst and the incidents at the hair salon and apartment building where just results of whatever happened in that alley although since they couldn't find either Redfox or the blue haired girl to get their statements they couldn't be sure what those connections were. She put down one of the folders with a sigh, without more information or another incident they were just chasing their own tails.

Erza heard her phone start to vibrate from the corner of the desk and the muted sound seemed much louder in the empty office, her heart skipped a beat. It was the third time it had gone off in the last half hour and she was sure she knew who it was but the thought of checking her messages made her feel almost nervous. She leaned back in her chair to think, there was no reason to stay at the office since there was nothing more she could do tonight but she still didn't want to go home. She needed someone to talk to and there was only one person that popped into her head. Picking up her phone and ignoring the three missed call notifications Erza quickly typed up a message and hit send, the reply came back less than a minute later and she smiled as she read it. She left the file folders on her desk and stood up to put on her coat, tonight she had a different situation she needed to work out.

As they pulled up to the safe house Levy absentmindedly rubbed the spot just above her breast bone for about the third time in the last few minute. She could still feel the phantom pressure from Gajeel's hand and it was making her itch but if she didn't stop rubbing her chest it was just going to get worse. As soon as the truck stopped she opened the door quickly and fled back to the house; partly because she was embarrassed about what happened and also she wanted to catch Lucy before she could disappear. Lucy was right behind her as they came into the kitchen but then kept going into the hallway and up the stairs to their room so Levy followed.

"Lucy." She shut the door even though it wasn't likely anyone could hear them. "I'm so sorry for arguing with you before, I get why you're mad and I don't want to fight."

Lucy sat on her bed and carefully took a sleeping Plue out of her purse, laying him on the pillow.

"Why was Gajeel in the alley?"

The quiet question took Levy by surprise. "He was following the guy that got killed for a case he is working on."

"He didn't tell you he was set up to be there?"

"What?"

"He was set up; I heard some of the other guys talking about it. Levy, they aren't telling you everything because they don't trust us."

"What are you talking about? Who told you he was set up?"

"No one told me, I heard them arguing them about it in the hallway and they didn't know I was there. The Cobra guy thinks that we were a part of the plan to set Gajeel up, whatever that means."

"So? That guy is a total jerk, who cares what he thinks."

"I don't care about what he thinks but why would he say that?"

"They don't all think like that Lucy, we can trust them." Even as Levy said it she knew that Lucy didn't believe her.

"We agreed to stay here until tomorrow and then go to the police. I'm leaving, you can go home with me or you can stay here, it's up to you."

"Wait, it isn't safe to go home."

"It isn't safe to stay here! Why don't you see that?" Lucy pushed past her and Levy heard her stomp down the hall and the bathroom door slam.

Gajeel couldn't help but notice that when the truck stopped in front of the old man's house Levy couldn't get out fast enough. He told Sting and Rogue to go home and that he and Natsu could take it from here, by the time they walked into the kitchen the girls had vanished.

"We should do a walk though just in case," he told Natsu.

"Pfft," Natsu laughed and started rummaging around in the cupboards; it was like that guy never stopped eating. "Everything is fine; nobody will look for them here."

"You know Cobra is right, one day your attitude is going to get you in trouble."

Natsu found a bag of chips in the pantry and popped them open. "Like I care what that guy thinks, or what you think either. Do you agree with him that we should have left them in the apartment as bait?"

"No." Gajeel crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "But I can see his point." He had more in common with Cobra than any of the other Dragons, he understood where the guy was coming from but the man had an ego as big as Ishgar and no filter on his mouth.

"So what do you think is going to happen with the Dogs tonight?" Natsu stuffed a handful of chips in his mouth.

"I have no idea," Gajeel admitted. "I've been going over and over it in my mind and I can't think of why they would go after Zoldeo like that, or anyone in Grimoire Heart."

"Has to be a set up then." Natsu asked, echoing Gajeel's thoughts. Just then a door slammed hard upstairs and they both looked over to the hallway. "That can't be good," Natsu continued and Gajeel grunted in agreement.

"Sounds like quite the party." They turned to see Cobra walk into the kitchen, Gajeel hoped he hadn't been listening to their conversation long or else it was likely to cause another brawl.

"What are you doing here already?" He asked, according to the wall clock it was just a little before seven.

"Kinana went out with the other girls for a while and so I thought I would come in early."

"Great," Natsu mumbled with a mouthful of chip crumbs.

Cobra stiffened just slightly and Gajeel wanted to bang his head in frustration. "You heard Laxus before, cut it out! You, take outside watch and you, go do whatever it is you do all day." Gajeel walked passed them back toward the front door.

"Where are you going?" Natsu asked.

"I'm going to make sure my cat is still alive," he replied "Wait, don't you have a cat too?"

"Lisanna is feeding him for me, there's a cop sitting on my place right now."

"Surprise, surprise."

"Hey," Gajeel warned. "There better not be any more bullshit." He sounded like a second grade school teacher and before they could continue or reply he was back out the door.

"Ye-owch." Natsu crumpled up the empty chip bag and tossed it in the trash. "What's eating him?"

"You don't see it do you, he obviously likes the girl."

"Which girl?!"

"Relax, the blue-haired one." Cobra picked up the radio box from the kitchen counter.

"Levy? I don't think so."

As if right on cue Levy came out of from the hallway with a large scowl on her face. "Where is Gajeel?" She demanded.

"He just left but he'll be back tomorrow," Natsu replied.

This obviously wasn't what she wanted to hear. "Ok." She turned to go into the living room but stopped and faced Cobra again. "And you can bite me," she muttered before walking away.

Instead of getting angry the man just smiled an almost menacing grin. "And I think she feels the same way."

Yomazu and Kowazu were not having the greatest day; because of the botched break in attempt on the apartment they had found nothing in their search for the missing girls. They knew they were running the risk of making their boss very angry and since they had nothing else to lose they decided to check out where the Dragons lived to see if there were signs of any visitors. They had driven by their bosses place in suburbia first but before they could get out and poke around a jogger with a baby carriage ran past their parked car and suspiciously stopped to check them out. Not wanting to draw even more attention from the cops they had sped off cursing all paranoid housewives and moved on down the list. The next three were quiet, no one seemed to be home but then they got to Dragneel's apartment and noticed a police ghost car staking the place out.

"You think they are in there?" Yomazu asked his partner while watching the lone officer.

"If the police are involved Zancrow is not going to be pleased," Kowazu replied. "We can't go in and check without arousing his suspicion and we can't get caught again. How many more places are there?"

"Just one, and it's Redfox's."

"Hmm… It would almost be too obvious to keep them there."

"They could have stashed those girls anywhere."

"Well do you have any better ideas about where we should be looking?" Yomazu didn't reply.

If they had continued on their search and gone to Gajeel's apartment they would have seen him going into his place. Everything was as he had left it this morning; Lily was asleep on the old worn out couch and Gajeel resisted the urge to push him off and claim it for himself but he didn't have time for a nap. He hadn't really needed to come home and check on anything, that was just an excuse, he wanted to get out of there and clear his head from any distraction so that he could focus on the meeting he was about to attend.

He stripped out of his clothes on his way to the bathroom and took a cold shower, trying to get himself back into the character he had been five years ago before he had become a bleeding heart creampuff. He turned off the water and stepped out onto the worn linoleum floor, swiping one big hand across the condensation that had made it onto the mirror while towel drying his hair with the other.

He gazed at his reflection, the crisscross of old scars and pockmarks across his shoulders and chest from the old days and then there was the tattoo that he tried to keep hidden as much as possible even though he should just man up and have the damn thing covered already. It wasn't that it was ugly or offensive, at least to most people anyway; the dot inside an upside down crescent with two horns on the underside and curled tail would have meant nothing to most people but there were some who still knew what it meant and it was them Gajeel wanted to avoid. A part of him wanted to keep it, if only to remind him of where he came from and who he was before, the mistakes that he had made and how he was trying to make up for them now. The days of Phantom Lord were long behind him now but he was reminded about them every time he saw that tattoo and right now he had to get back to being that person, if only for the one night.

In his bedroom he found a pair of jeans that were just ratty enough, pulled on a blank tank top and then went to his closet to get his old studded leather jacket and matching boots. His long black hair was towel tussled and encircled his head like a lion's mane, he checked to make sure all his studs where still firmly attached to his skin and when he glanced at himself in the mirror again the person looking back at him was the old Gajeel. He transferred his wallet and phone from his old jeans and then threw them in the clothes hamper; he looked at the gun still in the ankle holster on his kitchen counter and hesitated before taking it and strapping it back on, he would take it off and hide it in his truck later. He checked on Lily's food and water but it was still good, he looked at the time and it was just after seven-thirty, show time.

One of the things that Gray both loved and hated about his job was the fact that it was unpredictable; it wasn't often that he got to be there to put all his kids to bed two nights in a row but he was glad when it happened. Tonight he and Juvia were sprawled out on the couch; she was half-sitting and half-laying in his lap while they watched one of their favorite movies for about the millionth time. The twins had gone to a birthday party for most of the day and were sound asleep in bed already, Lyra was curled up in one of her baby blankets on the smaller loveseat opposite them snoring away and Gage was sitting in his small play pen chewing on a toy that lit up and played 'Mary Had A Little Lamb' with every slobbery bite.

So when he heard the text message ringtone go off from his phone that was sitting nearby on an end table he wanted to groan. He reached for it but was confused when the message icon wasn't up on the screen.

"It is Juvia's phone." He watched as she fished it out of one of her housecoat pockets. Juvia rarely got texts from anyone but him and it was too late to get one from any of her parent friends from the twin's school so it piqued Gray's interest greatly especially when she broke out into a small smile while reading it.

"What is it?" He asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Oh, someone has asked for Juvia's help with something." She carefully disengaged herself from her husband's lap and stood up.

"Wait, what does that mean?" He called after her as she left the living room. When she came back in she was wearing a pair of jeans with a light knitted sweater, her hair had been pinned up and she had put on some makeup.

"Juvia has to go out for a while to help her friend," she replied mysteriously. "There is milk in the fridge for the baby and Gray can call if there are any problems; Juvia will not be gone long."

"Where are you going?" He called after her but she was already headed out the door. Gray sighed. "Well, I guess it's just you and me Big Guy," he told his infant son who had pulled himself up and was standing in the playpen watching.

Erza was sitting at the Honey Bone Bar and Grill and nursing a beer in a frosty brown bottle while waiting for Juvia to get there. In the past she would have never seen herself spending any girl time with her partner's wife even though they had known each other even before Juvia and Gray were married. Neither of them were naturally social people and when they had first met it had been as enemies but over time Erza and Juvia had developed a good friendship. She could have talked to Mira in his situation but it might have made things awkward since she was currently investigating her husband's organization. Juvia was in her own way an expert on unusual relationships.

"Erza, Juvia is sorry she made you wait." The blue haired woman came up from behind her, she pulled out one of the empty bar stools and hopped up onto it gracefully.

"I haven't been here long," Erza replied. "What would you like to drink? It's on me."

"Just water for Juvia please, with ice and lemon." The bartender went off to get her drink and the two women faced each other. "So what is the emergency? The text you sent Juvia said that Erza needed some advice."

Erza hesitated before answering, looking around at the half full bar but there wasn't anyone who seemed to by paying attention to them at all. Still, she thought it would be better to talk as general as possible. "I'm sure Gray has told you about my, ah, special friend in the mayor's office?"

Juvia nodded slowly. "Gray has mentioned it to Juvia yes," she replied quietly as the bartender set down her water. "Gray has also told Juvia about what happened before with Erza's friend, before she had met Gray and Erza."

"So last night I went to a fundraiser for the police department, and after it was over my friend and I reconnected." Erza started to feel the blush creep up her neck and on her checks, the spot on her collarbone that still had the faint red mark felt especially warm.

"Oh." Juvia took a sip of water. "Is this bad for Erza?"

"No… Yes… I don't know," Erza admitted. "It is very confusing."

Juvia looked thoughtful. "Does Erza care about her friend?"

"Oh course I care about him, we grew up together." And then he betrayed me, she added to herself. All of the old feelings came flooding back, thinking he was dead and then finding out he was alive; complicated didn't even begin to describe the situation that she was in.

"Erza does not choose love, love chooses Erza. Juvia can understand these feelings."

"But now what do I do? I'm not good at this kind of thing." Erza loved a good romance novel, the racier the better, but real life romance was a mystery to her.

"When Juvia met Gray it was in battle." She looked wistful for a second while thinking of the memories. "Juvia had always been alone her whole life and it was all she knew. Meeting Gray, even as an enemy, was like the light coming out behind the clouds that were Juvia's life. Erza will know this too."

They smiled at it each other, Erza felt her heart lighten for the first time all day. She wasn't convinced by Juvia's words that she would know what to do when the time came but getting it all off her chest helped.

"Do you mind if we sit here for a while?" She asked the other woman. "I just don't want to go home yet."

"Gray is with the children, Juvia can stay as long as Erza needs."

"That's a scary thought," Erza mumbled and they both laughed.

Gotta love a tender moment, next update soon with some "new" characters.