A/N: Finally got this chapter completed!

So a small explanation for a few things. First off, I think I ended up taking a small break after that challenge (obviously, lol). And then work had me a bit stressed out last week and I had some interviews going on, so I couldn't really focus on writing too much. But I finally sat down and started writing the next chapter once I decided that you all had done enough waiting, lol. (You're all always so patient!) So, this chapter originally started off by having a whole bunch of different scenes, even got the first two scenes written. And then…well I got into the scene with Team Aftershock and as I was really getting into it, I realized how long it was actually turning out. So eventually I just decided to make that scene it's own chapter just because it had turned out to be so long. It's a scene that was planned since basically the start of things and so much was going on in it. Things from a flashback, to meeting more of Quinn's family and seeing the dojo, to some major feels for Zander, that I couldn't just simply fly through it all. It pretty much took over my full attention and there was no way I was cutting out stuff just to make it shorter because…well…then it just wouldn't have been as good. So I just put it in a new doc and completely wrote the whole thing out until it had pretty much become its own chapter. So I greatly enjoyed working on it, especially since it was something that had been planned for so long, so I all hope you enjoy it too!

Phew!

Oh! And yes, I updated my profile pic again, lol! It's now currently Riddick. GAH! I just love all those movies! It's my favorite movie series ever! Fell in love with them the first time I ever watched Pitch Black! He's totally badass too!

Now the fun fact is gonna be just a little different this time around since it'll actually be about myself rather than the story…you might get those from time to time, lol.

Fun Fact #15: I have actually traveled to both Australia and New Zealand before and I have eventual plans of going back to both places. I went when I was 16 as a part of a program called People to People Ambassadorship. It was so awesome! We got to do all kinds of things! We swam in the Great Barrier Reef, did a couple home stays and a farm stay, visited the Sydney Opera House, went repelling down a like a 200ft cliff, walked through a volcano, went sand sledding. I mean all kinds of things! It was amazing! And I learned how to play rugby there too, lol. I suppose doing well in school paid off somehow, lol.

Oh! And we've hit over 500 reviews now! WHAAAAAAAAAT! That's more than I possibly imagined when I started writing this! That's just ridiculously amazing! As always, you guys are just so awesome! ^.^

Now onto those awesome reviews!

WaterDragonMaverick - Glad to hear that you liked Quinn's dad! He's so much fun for me to write! And I think he's a bit different in Thunder Stone than Undine's Cove since Quinn and Zander aren't married (not even dating yet) and he doesn't have those cute grandkids either, lol. So he's a bit more animated when it comes to his only child and daughter when it comes to her dating someone. And yeah, I figured the guild would need a hotel just for themselves, considering how they are, lol. Yeah, Evelyn has a huge affect on Zander. We'll actually get to see more of that this chapter. And Quinn will look out for her team for the most part when it comes to meeting her dad, especially Zander right now due to the situation that just happened with his sister. So I hope you like the chapter!

Zades - Yes, finally! LOL! The GMGs! Lots of things to come in this arc. And we'll be seeing other characters as well. I do have plans for Terran and his team in this arc, so not to worry there! Those plans should be pretty fun too! And I hope you all enjoy the new fights that were created as well as the new chapter!

Momochan77 - Glad you enjoyed that last chapter! And that Tada and Azielle moment! ^.^ And I'm glad you love Quinn's dad! He's super fun for me to write! And eventually yes, Azielle and Axel will see each other again here very soon. I haven't quite decided how he's going to react towards Tada since Axel is more of a laidback kind of guy, but we'll see. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Dreadburner94 - It still feels weird to be writing the GMG arc. Like I still can't believe we've gotten this far! But it's also such a great feeling too! To know that we have come this far, it definitely makes me feel like we'll continue to get to all the other arcs to come! But yeah, looks like things are being revealed for Zander now. Definitely way more to be revealed in this chapter too! He actually made me pretty sad this chapter, for good reason, but I actually hate to see Zander like that. It's just so different than what he's normally like that it's basically giving me feels as I'm writing those sad moment for him. So I hope you like how this chapter turned out since it's one that we planned for a long while!

Joshua1277 - Glad you enjoyed the new chapter and that opening for them, lol! And I'm glad you liked how Christopher turned out. We'll get to see a bit more of that this chapter. Yeah, Maddox had good reason to buy out that entire hotel, lol. And yeah, guilt is definitely something that weighs Zander down when it comes to his sister, but yeah, that reunion with his parents is right around the corner now and I'm sure that will bring up more feelings for him. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

halobeast - Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and it started things off for the GMGs! I believe I read the first chapter of your story. Once I get some time, I'll try to read more of it. But I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Blazingfire55 - I think poor Zander definitely explains that last part of the chapter. And yep! Maddox definitely knows his guild! And yeah, I think overprotective might be an understatement for Christopher, lol! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Benthino - Yep, Rey is definitely always getting himself into trouble! Sorry to make you wait a bit on this chapter compared to how they were coming out during the challenge, but hopefully it wasn't too long of a wait for you. And thanks again for the details on Samuel and everything else you sent in! And did you stick the landing on those back flips? LOL! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

The Baz - LOL, Diesel will always be like that I think. And you have no idea how excited I am for the Chaos Trinity Arc! I keep planning things out now and playing specific scenes in my head for it! I just can't wait! So I'm glad that you're excited for it too! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

SavageDischarge - Glad to hear that you're liking the story! And it's great to hear that you started your own story! I'll have to check it out once I get some time. But I hope you enjoy this chapter!

XLil MEkoX - Glad to see a new reader and reviewer for the story! Thanks for all of your reviews so far! It's definitely appreciated! And I'm glad to hear that you're liking the boys of Thunder Stone so far too! I hope you continue to enjoy the story as you continue reading and catching up to where it is now. And I'm glad that you're like the omakes as well! Hope you enjoy this chapter once you reach it!

Saiyan God.101 - LOL, I hadn't planned on someone yet for Planteggs for a romantic relationship, but I think I may keep Laxus in my back pocket for her since I'm kinda liking the idea right now since like you said, he would be able to understand her to an extent. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Credits

Tero Ryker - MyDearWatson

Lazarus Ryker - MyDearWatson

Jarrod Ryker - MyDearWatson

I don't own Fairy Tail!

Please enjoy!


Chapter 46: The Lohr Dojo

Team Aftershock was quiet as they walked through the busy streets of Crocus, Quinn easily maneuvering them around people until they reached an area that was less crowded. They had come to a far side of the city, almost being able to see the grassy fields and forests that surrounded the capital. It appeared that more homes filled this area with a few shops connected to those homes.

"So this is where a lot of the of the middle class of Crocus stays," Quinn explained after seeing the curious looks her friends wore, "There are a few shops here as well that are personally owned rather than being a part of a franchise. It's much easier to shop through here than in the main shopping district. A lot better produce and baked goods too…at least I think so. There's one café at the end of the street that my home is on that I'll have to take you all to while we're here. The owners of the place are pretty good friends with my dad and Jarrod, so I can usually get a discount price when I'm there. Plus, their food is really good."

"Are there more than just food shops here?" Walker asked.

"Oh yeah," Quinn smiled, "So along with our dojo being in this area, there are also many other specialized shops. Like ones for weapons, antiques and magical items. We get most of our weapons for the dojo from a blacksmith that lives a street over from us. He built a blacksmithing shop right in his house all on his own. He's a pretty cool guy. We used to get our weapons from the Kain family, but then…" she drifted off, looking sad for a moment, "Anyways, we still have some of the Kain weapons since they tend to last for a long time, but we had to find a new guy."

"So this area is almost like a separate community from the rest of the city then," Yuna said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Quinn said, "Ah! Here we are!" she added happily, running up ahead of the group slightly once they came to the last street in the area that was right next to the land outside of the city, "This is my street!" she grinned, looking up at a black, iron sign that read 'Plum Blossom Street' in white lettering. The group turned down the street with her, seeing a few large houses lining it. Though, what caught their eyes were three large buildings at the end of the street. There was a dojo styled building in the middle of the three buildings with a two-story house on either side of it. The houses were connected to the dojo by long and covered bridges, "Come on you slow pokes!" Quinn shouted, but smiled back at them nonetheless, "That's the dojo in the middle and my house is the one on the right!" she explained, running towards the large, blue house first, "Although, I suppose everyone will be at the dojo right now, so I'll show you all the house later," she said, moving towards the dojo instead while turning around to smile back at her team again, "Welcome to the Lohr Dojo!"

While most of the team admired the fixture of the three buildings, Zander stood frozen a few feet away from where everyone else stood. He suddenly remembered this place. He had been here before when he was just a kid, not that he actually went into the dojo itself, but he remembered admiring it from the outside. It had been one of the few places he had ever wished to venture into during his time growing up in Crocus. And as he looked over at the auburn haired woman of their group, he had remembered…

A rather young Zander wandered down the streets of Crocus, having never gotten the chance to explore much outside of his own estate. He supposed he should consider himself lucky that his father had decided to bring him into town that day. They had stopped at a blacksmith shop that was quite popular throughout all of Fiore. Zander vaguely remembered his father mentioning the name Kain as they had walked to it, but the young redhead hadn't bothered to properly remember it or even really care for that matter. He was more focused on the city around him. He was fascinated with the hustle and bustle of the streets that he never got to see. He watched as people laughed and shouted and simply looked happy. It was very much the opposite from what he was used to at his home estate. It made him frown at the thought that all these people were probably much happier than he had ever felt in all his life. Even as a young child, Zander understood that he was under strict rules and higher priorities. The life he had been given felt dull and boring most times and that had turned him into a more somber child with an almost ever present straight face.

So it wasn't surprising that when the opportunity presented itself for him to make an escape, he took it. Since his father was too busy talking with the shop owner, he didn't bat an eye when Zander had suddenly disappeared. The redhead stood outside of the shop for a few minutes, contemplating on which way to go. Finally, he opted to make a right and head down the street. He looked at the few shops he passed, his eyes ghosting over various items and foods, but never focusing for too long. He eventually found himself staring up at sign that read 'Plum Blossom Street' and seeing several men running towards a building at the end of it, shouting something about being late for class. Curious as to what was being taught, Zander quickly followed the men, watching as they made their way inside a large building that was in between two houses. He made his way to one of the wide, front windows and peered in at what was going on.

There he saw a group of kids his age practicing marital arts. They moved together as one performing punches and kicks, making sure to follow the moves of the man leading the class. As the group of men had ran past the group of kids, the blonde man teaching the class suddenly stopped and shouted at them for being late. He gave the group of kids a break while he moved over towards the men to scold them more personally. Zander watched as the kids broke off into groups to talk while they waited for their teacher to come back. He frowned even more at the picture, the kids looking like they were having a lot of fun. Since he was being trained in swordsmanship, Zander had taken a great interest in all kinds of fighting styles and weapons. He suddenly wanted to go inside the place and check it out, but he had no real reason to. It seemed a bit embarrassing to just walk into the dojo and ask to look around. It might make him look like a weird kid, so he stayed standing outside. Though, something did manage to catch his eyes.

Directly in front of where he stood, he watched a group of boys walk up to a young pair. The pair was made up of a blonde boy and an auburn haired girl. The two talked and laughed with one another before the group interrupted them. Zander couldn't exactly make out what they were saying, but it must have been something rude from the looks on the pair's faces. The girl scowled at the group while the blonde boy shouted something and tried to attack the group. The blonde was easily pushed out of the way before the group tried to gain up on the girl.

"Well that's totally unfair," Zander grumbled, not really liking where things were suddenly going, "It's not really fair to gain up on someone and a girl, no less."

The girl didn't look bothered by the situation though. Like she had been through the same thing before. She simply rolled her eyes at them before punching the ringleader of the group right in the gut, causing him to instantly fall to his knees while holding his stomach and coughing. The other members of the group quickly grabbed the boy and ran off to the other side of the room before the girl could try the same thing on them. Once they were gone, she walked over to the blonde boy and helped him back to his feet. In the process, the girl happened to look outside to see Zander staring over at her with wide eyes. Zander jumped back slightly at being caught staring and looked away quickly. The girl noticed that he seemed embarrassed from her catching him, but she also noticed a sort of sadness in his eyes at he stared at the ground. She mumbled something quickly to the blonde before running outside.

Zander's head popped up when he heard the front door open. He looked over to his right to see the girl he had been staring at standing in the doorway, looking right at him. He wasn't sure what to do or what to say, so he simply stood there as he looked between her and the ground.

The girl fully walked out of the dojo and right up to the redhead, looking at him with a quirked eyebrow, "Hi," she finally said with a smile.

Zander felt himself blush a bit at that smile. He hadn't ever seen such an easy-going smile directed at him nor such playful looking eyes. He finally managed to catch himself and bowed slightly towards her, "Hello," he replied in a polite and rehearsed tone.

The girl stared at him for a moment before she let out a snort of laughter, "You're weird."

"What?" he said, looking back at her with a straight face, "That's a bit rude, don't you think? You just met someone and you call them weird? I was simply being polite and answering your greeting."

"Yeah, definitely weird," she laughed again, "I've never met someone who bows in greeting…well, except for my training classes. But that's just the norm before a match starts."

"And I've never met a girl who could take out a boy with one punch."

"You saw that?" she asked with a proud smirk, "Pretty awesome, right?! I'm one of the best in the class, so some of the other guys get jealous."

"So you deal with things like that often?"

"You sound worried for someone who just met me," she said, smiling at the light blush that crossed his face again, "But yeah. My dad is the owner of the dojo, so they think the only reason I'm good and advance so quickly is because of him. But I work hard every day unlike those bums! I have the Lohr family honor to live up to!"

"And you call me the weird one," Zander mumbled, looking away from her.

She puffed out her cheeks in irritation to his comment, but before she could make a retort back, the sun glinting off something on his back caught her eyes. She saw a sword strapped to his back, being carried in an ornate white sheath with gold embellishments, "Ohhhh! You can use a sword?!"

Zander watched the excitement light up in her eyes. She seemed genuinely interested in his sword and what he could possible do with it, causing an unusual smile to appear on his face, "Yes, I can," he answered, "I'm currently training in swordsmanship. I've managed to master a few techniques so far."

"That's really cool!" she smiled at him again.

"Are you interested in weapons too?"

"Yes!" she answered louder and quicker than she had meant to. She laughed nervously at her own outburst before she continued, "I've always like weapons. All the history behind each of them and how they were made and how we continue to make them today. Really, they're meant to be a continuation of the body and its movements. I love watching the more senior students train with them! I've actually started to train with some recently. I wanted to try my hands at long ranged weapons like my dad, but I…uh…I only ended up smacking myself in the face with the bamboo staff," she laughed nervously while subconsciously rubbing her nose where it had gotten hit, "So I'm a bit envious that you can use a sword."

"You can't use a sword either?"

"Well…a little, but I found I'm much better at short ranged weapons. That and I think my dad feels better if I'm not going around hitting people with the practice swords…or swinging it around the house…or at him."

"I think you need to work on your control," Zander said as a sweat drop ran down his head.

"I don't need to hear that from someone I just met! Stupid boy!"

"Stupid boy?! Well…you're…you're just a troublesome girl!" Zander suddenly felt himself shouting in response. It wasn't like him to shout like that. He had never really responded like that in his life to anyone, but there was something about the girl in front of him that sparked something in him. It made him feel like breaking down that wall he had been taught to build up. She made him feel…well…normal.

The girl was suddenly smiling at him again, "Not the best comeback I've ever heard, but it's good to hear a normal response from you finally. So would you like to come in and check the place out?"

"Wouldn't that be somewhat intrusive?"

"Intrusive? See! There you go being weird again!" she laughed, "It's no big deal since I'm inviting you in. If you like swords, we've got a pretty decent collection."

"Yes, I would like to see them!"

"Great, come on in then," she answered, beginning to turn towards the entrance of the dojo, "By the way, my name is-"

"Alexander!" a deep voice shouted right before a hard whack was made to Zander's head. Zander rubbed his head before he looked up into his father's face, "What do you think you're doing? I told you to wait with me at the blacksmith shop, not go wandering off on your own. And here I find you socializing with the common people. Do you want to ruin your reputation so early on in your life?"

Zander simply stood there with a straight face, looking down at the ground in silence.

"What am I to do with you? Come, it's time to go home," he said before grabbing onto the back of Zander's shirt and dragging him away from the dojo.

Though, before they got too far, Zander managed to make eye contact with the girl again. They stared at each other for a moment, Zander seeing a concerned look on her face. He suddenly felt the need to wipe that concern from her face and so he did the only thing he could think of and stuck his tongue out at her. The girl was taken aback for a moment. Though, soon enough her eye twitched in annoyance before she stuck her tongue back out at him while pulling down an eyelid, not wanting to be outdone by him. After that she was soon pulled away herself by the older blonde man. Though, they both took one last look at each other before they each disappeared out of sight.

'Talk about a red string of fate,' Zander thought as he continued flipping over that memory. He wondered if Quinn remembered that day. He highly doubted it since she hadn't made any mention of it yet and she didn't seem like the type to hold something like that back for long. She probably had thousands of more memories here in Crocus than he did, so he couldn't really expect her to remember that one moment. Though, it made him a bit sad to think that she wouldn't remember at all. Had he been that dull as a kid for her to brush that memory aside so easily?

"…ander! Zander! OI! Are you listening to me?!" Quinn shouted, finally managing to bring the redhead out of his thoughts.

He shook his head and realized that Quinn was now standing right in front of him with her arms crossed in annoyance. He looked past her to see the rest of their group staring at him curiously as well. He then focused his attention back on the memory mage in front of him, "Uh…did you say something?"

"Seriously?!" she shouted, "We need to work on your listening skills!"

"Sorry," he mumbled while scratching the back of his head.

Quinn lost all her anger at that response. She had been expecting him to fight back like he normally did, but instead she had only received a lukewarm response from him. She sighed as she looked back up at him, "It's all right," she began, "I was asking if you were ready to go in."

"Yeah, sure."

She eyed him for a moment longer, as if she was trying to figure out if he was really okay with going into the dojo. Once she was finally satisfied that he was all set to go, she pulled him forward with her, "Now, I do apologize in advance for how my family will act. They're all a bit…uh…"

"Like you?" Diesel asked.

"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" she shouted as she kicked him.

"Well if your father was any indication about how everyone will be acting, then I think we're prepared," Walker said before an actual wrestling match could be started.

"Yeah…my father…about him," she said before pulling the door open, "I will not be held liable for anything he does."

"I thought you said you'd pull him off if he went too far?!" Diesel shouted.

"I will! But I guarantee he'll do something stupid before I'm able to do that! I just want you all to be prepared for it!"

"I think we'll be fine," Walker smiled.

"If you say so, but don't say I didn't warn you either," she sighed before finally opening the door and letting the others inside first. Before Zander could pass her though, she quickly shut the door and looked up at him, "I know it was my idea to bring you here and I made you come here, but are you really all right with this? If it's really too much to handle, you can just tell me so. It's not gonna hurt my feelings or anything," she said quietly but quickly, "My family is rather rambunctious and they like to test your patience…all the time. They're very good people, don't get me wrong, but uh…well…you saw how my dad was this morning and I don't-"

"Quinn, you're rambling," Zander said, smiling down at her softly.

"Sorry," she mumbled in reply, not realizing what she had been doing, "I'm just worried about you is all."

"You've been worrying over me a lot lately," he said, finally letting his usual smirk grace his lips.

"So?! I'm not allowed to worry about one of my friends?!"

"I didn't say that," he answered before his face turned a bit more serious, "But it is appreciated. We can talk if you want after you introduce us to your family."

"I'd like that," she said, smiling up at him, "So you're okay to handle this then?"

"It's important to you, so yes, I'll be fine."

Quinn continued smiling at him as she moved to open the door back up. She saw that the rest of their team was patiently waiting for them while watching a small class being taught in one of the front rooms for kids, "Shoes off," she ordered, motioning towards a an area that held several racks for shoes. Once everyone was either barefoot or in their socks, she began to lead the way through the dojo, "This hallway holds all the rooms meant for more taijustu styled training," she explained, throwing one of the sliding doors open. In it held a class of teenagers that were doing a few hand to hand combat exercises. They stared back at the group, though not many of them recognized Quinn right away. The few that did waved at her quickly followed by the instructor of the class saying a quick and happy hello before returning his attention back to the class. She slid the door closed again and continued down the hallway. After passing several more doors the long hallway split into two, creating a large circle that would eventually meet up again, "These hallways hold all the training rooms for weapons. Each room has a different type of weapon to work with, so anything from swords to spears to sai to daggers and so on and so forth."

"What does that door lead to?" Walker asked, pointing to the sliding door directly in front of them.

"I'll show you," she smiled, approaching the door and throwing it open like she had done to the last one. This revealed a large circular courtyard. It held several large koi ponds and a meditation area, but most of it was cleared away to form several different training and sparring areas. There were quite a few patrons out in the area, most of them turning to see who had thrown open the door.

"Quinn!" they all yelled at once, most of these patrons being senior students or even teachers themselves that had known Quinn for quite some time and even a few of them had seen her grow up until she left for Thunder Stone.

Quinn smiled brightly in return, "Hey guys!"

"Quinn!" a young boy's voice shouted as he pushed several of the men out of his way. Soon enough a boy of around seven popped out of the crowd. He had dark blonde hair that hung in messy spikes, covering up a bit of his onyx eyes. He wore a simple outfit of black shorts and a light blue shirt, being barefoot at the moment.

"Tero!" Quinn replied happily as she caught the young boy when he jumped towards her. She hugged him tightly for a moment longer before she pulled back to look at him, "You're getting too big! You're so heavy now!"

"Are you calling me fat?" he asked with a flat face as he pulled at her cheeks.

"No, just that you're getting older," she laughed, waving his hands away from her face.

He was about to say something in reply to her when his eyes fell on the group behind her, "Who are all those people?" he asked, ducking down below her shoulder slightly.

"You're still so shy too! So cute!" she grinned, seeing the embarrassed blush on his face. She then turned to face her team, "This is my team from Thunder Stone, so they're my friends. Guys, this is Tero Ryker. Say hello Tero," she said. Though the blonde boy simply stared at the group for a moment before hiding his face back into Quinn's shoulder, "He's just too cute!" she laughed, "Although, I thought he would have been out of this shy phase by now, but Tero is pretty much my little brother so if any of you mess with him I'll kill you myself," she said lowly with a dark aura around her as she stared her team down. They all quickly nodded at her with simultaneous gulps of fear, "Good, glad to see we're on the same page then. Let's go meet the rest of the family," she added, smiling once again, "Are they in the office, Tero?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly, "Laz got in trouble again, so dad and Uncle Chris are lecturing him."

"That's not surprising," Quinn sighed as they began walking through the courtyard and towards another door on the opposite side, "What did the idiot do this time?"

"He broke another wall in one of the training rooms," Tero answered, "Dad told him lots of time to practice using his staff outside, but one of the students kept making fun of him until he used it on them inside."

"Let me guess, he threw the guy through the wall?"

"Yeah and he almost get sliced with a sword!"

Quinn only sighed again as they had just come to the other door. As soon as she opened it, shouts coming from the back office could be heard. She quickly slammed the door shut and sat Tero on the ground, "Maybe you should stay out here for the time being."

"Okay, but you're staying for a while, right?"

"Yeah, we'll be here for a bit. Maybe even for dinner since I'm sure your mom will want to cook up a big dinner."

Tero smiled at her answer before wandering back off into the courtyard.

Quinn turned back to the door and almost wanted to cry at the shouts she could still hear coming from the other side of it. She took a deep breath and opened the door back up, letting her team into the hallway before shutting the door again. She walked across the hallway until they came to a modern looking door that they could now clearly hear the shouts coming from.

"How many times do I have to tell you to control yourself?!"

"That guy was asking for it!"

"Then take it outside! I'm not made of money! I can't be fixing walls every week!"

"Oh yeah, 'cause paper costs so much!"

"You little brat! Jarrod, do something about this son of yours already!"

There was a low mumble in response to the shout.

"I know I'm his teacher! But you're his father! Do something!"

"Can't handle being my sensei?"

"Don't give me that cocky grin! You've been nothing but trouble since Quinn left!"

"It ain't my fault she decided to leave! And how do you know I'd be any different if she was here?!"

"Because I'd be keeping your dumbass in line if I was," Quinn huffed after she finally decided to open the door.

Her team recognized one of the three men as Christopher, but they hadn't ever seen the other two men.

The first one they saw and assumed to be Lazarus was the younger man standing in front of one of the dark wood desks. The man stood at six foot even with lightly tanned skin. He had a well muscled build with broad shoulders. His platinum blonde hair was slicked back, reaching the nape of his neck with a few short pieces hanging in his face and stormy gray eyes. He wore baggy, dark khaki pants that normally covered heavy black boots and were held up by a black leather belt. He also wore a tight, black muscle t-shirt with a gray vest with multiple pockets and zippers and the edges of the vest appeared ripped. He had on black fingerless gloves along with a black leather holster attached to his back that carried a steel staff. Finally, he had a metal bar pierced through the top of his left ear and small metal studs in both earlobes.

The second man, who they guessed was name Jarrod, wasn't as tall as Christopher or as heavily muscled, but he still had defined muscle within his leaner frame. His skin was the lightest of the three men and he had platinum blonde hair like Lazarus, though his eyes were a dark onyx that held a bored yet sharp look to them. His hair was longer than Lazarus's as well, reaching his shoulders when it was down; he currently had it tied back in a ponytail. He also seemed the most laidback out of the three men when it came to clothing. He wore a simple outfit of a white t-shirt with baggy, dark blue cargo pants. He was currently barefoot like most of the people in the dojo and he wore a worn out, black rope bracelet on his left wrist.

"Quinn!" the younger of the three shouted before running up to her and hugging her tightly.

"Still causing trouble I see," Quinn laughed.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too," she said in a softer tone as she hugged him back. Once they parted, she grabbed onto his ear tightly, "Your little brother told me about you breaking a wall."

"Ow, ow, ow!" he cried, trying to pull away from her, "Let go! Please let go! You're gonna pull my stud out!"

"I expected better from you of all people," she said lowly, "Don't make of wreck of my family's dojo! You idiot!"

"I'm sorry! Sorry!"

"And just so you remember to not do this again, you can pay for all the repairs!"

"Okay, okay! I'll pay for everything! Just let go already!" he shouted. Quinn finally released him and he instantly moved to rub his irritated ear. That was when he noticed the other people standing in the office, "Who the hell are all these people?!"

"More boys?!" Christopher suddenly shouted, jumping from around his desk and moving in front of all the newcomers, "Quinn! Why is it always boys?!"

"You should know that it's always boys," Quinn and Jarrod answered flatly, the older man not even the least bit fazed that she had brought some boys along with her. He assumed that they were from the same guild as her.

"Why are you always bringing back more competition for me?!" Lazarus shouted.

"There's no competition for you," Quinn and Jarrod continued in the same blunt tone.

Though, Quinn quickly felt herself losing her cool as her father and Lazarus continued shouting about the new boys. Soon enough she stomped a foot down and started shouting herself, "All right! That's enough! This is my team from Thunder Stone and I brought them here to meet you! You could at least have the decency to make a proper introduction! Yes, they're mostly boys, but that should be normal for you by now! And no, there's no competition for you, Laz, because we're not even dating in the first place!"

A silence passed through the group after her shouts.

"Mostly boys?" Christopher finally asked.

"Not dating?" Lazarus pouted.

A heavy sigh was heard from Jarrod as he moved to stand in front of Quinn's team. He looked down at Quinn with his usual straight face, "See what you go and leave me with for two years? It's a wonder that I've managed to keep my sanity."

"I'm sure Roxanne has help you keep that sanity."

"I'm pretty sure she's done the opposite of that," he retorted lowly before turning to look at her team, "So this is who you've chose to work with?" he asked, eyeing each member closely.

"Yeah," she answered with a smile, "There's Walker, Diesel, Ink, Yuna and Zander," she said, pointing to each one as she moved down the line of people.

"I see," he said, "Well, my name is Jarrod Ryker, co-owner of the dojo. And this is my son, Lazarus Ryker," he explained, motioning back towards the still pouting blonde, "And from what it sounds like, you've already met my younger son, Tero."

"Poor little guy is still so shy," Quinn laughed.

"Yeah," Jarrod sighed, "Still don't know where he gets that from."

Walker stuck his hand out towards Jarrod in greeting, "Nice to meet you," he said with a smile, though the only response he received was the man staring down at his hand before glancing back up at him.

Quinn laughed at the interaction, "Don't take it personally. That's just how Jarrod is. You gotta earn that handshake," she explained before grabbing onto the older man with a tight hug, "But deep down inside, he's just a big teddy bear!"

"Quinn," he sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"Awww, but I missed you too!"

A small, but quick smile finally appeared on his lips as he patted her head in reply, "It's good to see you again too."

"I still don't understand!" Christopher shouted, yanking Quinn away from Jarrod, "You said mostly boys, but all I see are boys standing in front of me!"

"I'm not a boy!" Yuna suddenly shouted, kicking the large man.

"I introduced her as Yuna," Quinn laughed, causing the three men to all wear looks of shock. They stood in silence a moment longer before Christopher turned on Yuna and easily picked her up.

"You're a girl?! An actual girl?!" he shouted, shaking her back and forth.

"Yes, dammit! So stop shaking me already!"

"But you're a girl! It's a miracle!" Christopher cried, hugging onto Yuna tightly.

"Let me go!" Yuna yelled, looking back at Diesel and Walker for some help. They tried to pull her away from the large man, but Christopher fought back.

"No! Don't take her away! I have so many questions for her!" Christopher shouted, "And I don't want you boys around my daughter! You look like an idiot!" he yelled, looking at Walker before turning his sights on Diesel, "And you look like some shady biker! No good will come of that for my baby!"

"Shady biker?! What the hell?! You don't even know me, old man!"

And with that, a large brawl had begun right in the office between the four of them.

"Zander," Quinn said, pulling him away from the wrestling group before he was caught up in it, "There's something I want to show you, if you don't mind, especially now that most of them are distracted."

"Sure."

He let her guide him towards another door at the back of the office. She made brief eye contact with Jarrod as if to silently tell him to not let anyone follow them for the time being. Jarrod nodded at her and looked over the redhead that followed her closely. He was a little surprised that she was taking him to the back. She hadn't even done that when she had dated Alpha. There was obviously something special about this boy and he would have to watch them closely just to see how special. He moved to stand in front of the door, quickly blocking Lazarus's way when he tried to follow them.

"You know she'll just punch you if you tried to follow her," Jarrod said lowly, only earning an annoyed huff in reply from his son.

Quinn pulled Zander down a small stair case and into a private garden that only the Lohr and Ryker families were allowed to go into. It had a large pond that a few koi swam around in, their orange, white and black scales shining in the sunlight that managed to filter through the trees and bamboo stalks. The click of a bamboo fountain falling when it got too heavy with water could be heard softly echoing in the area along with a few birds twittering. All the vegitation and flowers in the area were lush and green and brightly colored. There was a low table that was placed within the shade that was used for the families to sit at, being made from a dark cherry wood. Just a ways from the table were another set of stairs that were made from stones that led out into the openness of the forest.

"Quite a bit of the land in this area actually belongs to the Lohr family," Quinn said after she gave Zander a moment to take it all in, "It's been in the family for generations, so no one bothers us here."

"It must have been nice…growing up in a place like this," he answered quietly, looking down at the ground with a frown. Memories of his own family began to hit the surface again and he realized just how different his own childhood was from Quinn's. While she had gotten a loving family and a warm home, he had gotten coldness and distance and rules. He had wished he had been able to grow up in a place like this and being here now almost made everything feel overwhelming, causing Zander to bite down on the inside of his lip to keep himself from breaking.

Quinn saw the pain on his face and that made her frown as well. She hadn't meant to make him feel worse by bringing him here. She had simply wanted to see him cheer up, "Ya know," she began as she took a seat on the top of the stairs that led out to the forest, the heat from the sunbathed rocks sinking into her skin, "Looking like that won't help you during the games. The other mages might feel so bad for you that they won't be able to hit you."

"I suppose that would help us gain points, wouldn't it?" he asked, trying to smile in reply but it only came out forced.

"Come sit down," she said, patting the spot next to her. Zander didn't fight her demand and was soon sitting next to her on the rock staircase, "So…tell me about your sister then."

Zander was quiet for a long moment as he stared down the rocks under him. He sighed heavily before finally answering her, "So you were right about guessing I was from the noble family of Ealdwine. I'm originally here from Crocus too. I lived here until I was thirteen…until I was disowned."

Quinn looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to say something like that; but she didn't say anything in response yet. She was afraid that if she interrupted him, he wouldn't continue on with his story.

"My parents…well…they based everything on reputations and family bloodlines. So when I showed signs of being able to use magic at thirteen, my father wanted me to join the Rune Knights. I had other things I wanted to do with my life though. I wanted to become a mage, so I refused. I knew the military life wasn't for me and I didn't want to be forced into it. Because I chose a life outside of their mold, my parents disowned me and I had to leave home, so in the end I had to leave Evelyn too," he explained. He let another moment of silence surround them, Quinn taking in his story while Zander contemplated on what to say next, "She's my little sister, ya know, and I just left her there. I left her in that house, knowing what kind of parents she was left with. From the way she acted today, I doubt she really knows exactly what happened that day. But it still doesn't make it right that I left her…that I didn't even try to contact her, but I knew my parents would just have any letters I tried to send ripped up before she would be able to read them. And I didn't want my stigma hanging over her, so I let her be in hopes that her life would turn out better than mine in the Ealdwine estate. Today was the first time I saw her since I left home and I couldn't even look her in the eye."

"Zander," Quinn began in a calm tone, reaching out for his shaking hands that he had clasped together, "It's not your fault that these things happened."

As soon as he fingertips brushed against his hands, he pulled back away from her quickly, "But I'm supposed to be the big brother!" he suddenly shouted, "I'm supposed to be the one that protects her! Instead I just went and left her there! I left her there in that cold home to fend for herself! Dammit! She was just a kid!" he continued, his voice taking on a frantic tone as he stood up and walked down the stones to face Quinn, "How could I just leave her there, knowing what that place was like?! What if she had been disowned too?! I wouldn't have been there to save her from that either! I'm a horrible brother!" he yelled, pain and guilt clearly evident on his face now that Quinn could see tears building up in his eyes. His tone became much lower before he spoke again, his voice cracking a few times from the strain of holding back his tears, "She was just a kid…and I left her all alone," he said, his teeth clenching hard. He shut his eyes in hopes that it would keep the tears from falling, but he still felt them begin to fall. He tried to turn away from Quinn and pull his beanie down over his eyes, but he was quickly stopped.

Quinn hugged him tightly, her arms wrapping around his neck while one of her hands buried itself in his hair, "You were just a kid too," she said softly, "It's okay because you were just a kid too."

Zander felt his walls break at those words. He pulled her in close by her waist, keeping her locked in place as he hid his face in the crook of her neck. He finally let himself cry out all the feelings he had been holding in. All that guilt and sorrow he had felt for Evelyn came rushing out in that one moment. He felt such warmth and understanding in that moment that he allowed himself to pour his heart out. He hadn't meant to unload everything on Quinn like that, but her words and the voice she said them in had broken him down. Such a simple sentence had such a great affect on him, but those words had meant so much more than Quinn would probably ever know. It had been something he had waited so long for someone to tell him. That it was okay. That even though everything from that day had created so many problems, that it was still okay. That he had just been a kid that couldn't fix everything. Quinn had said those words so easily and so genuinely that he just couldn't hold himself together anymore.

Quinn stood quietly, but steadily for him, letting him take as long as he needed to in order to get everything out of his system. She had guessed that he hadn't let himself feel these emotions for a long time that it was now like a dam breaking from too much pressure. She clenched her teeth at his pain, making sure she wouldn't cry with him. It wouldn't do him any good if both of them were giant, crying messes; so she just gripped him tighter and waited patiently.

Eventually, Zander had finally calmed down until he was steadily breathing again; though he kept his face hidden away, feeling a bit embarrassed at what he had just done, "Sorry," he finally mumbled.

"You don't have to apologize," she answered before she gently pushed his face up so she could look at him. He attempted to wipe the wet marks from her skin, but she just batted his hand away. Instead, she wiped away the tears from his eyes, sending him a warm smile, "Ya know, I never thought I'd see the day that Zander Ealdwine would cry in front of me."

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it."

"I'll try not to," she said, continuing to smile, "But I'm glad you told me about your past some. I'm sure it's not everything, but it's definitely something. And for what it's worth, I don't think you're a horrible brother."

Zander stared at her for a moment before he finally smiled at her, "It's worth a lot."

Quinn's smile grew at that comment. Though, she soon realized that they were still standing so close to each other, still practically hugging each other. She blushed lightly at their proximity, "So, uh, will you be all right now?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, then, can you maybe…let me go?"

Zander felt his own blush cross his cheeks as he quickly released her from his tight hold, "Sorry about that."

"It's fine."

Another moment of silence passed through them before Zander spoke again, "Thank you, Quinn."

She smiled at him again and just as she was about to say something in response, a loud voice interrupted them.

"Sneaking off with my daughter?! Do you take me for an idiot?!" Christopher shouted, stomping right up to Zander. Though, he quirked an eyebrow at his red eyes, "Have you been crying?! And you call yourself a man?! You think that's how you're gonna win my daughter over?! By playing the emotional card?!"

"Uh…" was all Zander could respond with, a sweat drop falling down the side of his head. Thankfully, Quinn came to his rescue.

"Back off, dad!" she shouted, standing in between the two men and pushing Christopher back away from the redhead.

"But Quinn," Christopher pouted, "I don't want you to be taken away yet."

"What?! What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, your teammate…the one that looks like an idiot…he said…he said…"

"Just spit it out already!"

"He said that you were dating this beanie wearing bum!"

"WHAT?!" she boomed out right before Christopher hugged her tightly while crying and going on about losing his precious daughter, "WALKER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Suddenly Christopher's sights were set back on Zander in a hard glare, "I'm gonna take you out for taking my daughter from me!"

"Wait…there's been a misunderstanding! I swear!"

Though, no words were enough to stop the large man as he started chasing after Zander, the redhead having to make a run for it. Quinn normally would have stopped her father, but she was too busy chasing after her own target, which happened to be a laughing Walker.

The rest of the group stared at them from the upper part of the garden, Jarrod sighing heavily at the scene, "She always manages to bring home giant idiots," he mumbled, but another small smile appeared on his face, "Though, it's good to see the place so lively again."


A/N: There you go! I hope you all enjoyed it!

I'll have the next one up soon!

Please remember to review!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson