Please, please, please read the review following the chapter. I have an important announcement(?) I'm making.

Chapter 52

With the surplus of people that were there at the event the noise in the guild hall nearly rose to deafening levels. It didn't matter that most of those levels of noise were coming from some of the Fairy Tail members that were carrying on conversations amongst themselves.

Laxus was seated at the Thunder Legion's table holding Rory in his lap. Her stomach only slightly distended and still mostly hidden by her clothing. She had to of course ditch her armor as the breastplate was molded to her original form and was by no means comfortable. She had been rolling over the idea with her brother to possibly make a separate breastplate that they both would work together. Maybe make it work by shifting the metal with heat and expanding the metal around the belly area as she grew. Oric of course was committed to convincing her just to wear a looser fitting chain mail shirt for the time being. Laxus vetoed them both due the strain of the weight of the metal.

Now he looked down at the top of her head. He began to wonder how he had gotten so lucky to have found her so easily. Fate lent a hand and guided her his way. Slowly the two had talked with each other on their actually feelings for one another. It was hard for Laxus to admit his fears. It was hard for Rory to shatter her defenses and let him in. But once they did both realized that neither one had ever been this blissfully happy in their lives. Of course Oric was still stubborn about coming to terms with the idea.

Oric glared at Laxus' head, but only for a moment. He had almost given up being annoyed at someone for breathing in his sister's direction, let alone impregnating her. Granted the pink haired mage that was ascending the small set of stairs to the stage at the back of the room might have had something to do with it. I mean who could stay aggravated at anyone would they were tempted by such a beauty. He still hadn't worked up the nerve to ask her out or anything. But he was pretty sure a few of the times when he would smile her way her cheeks would slightly flush before she turned her head away from him. He looked up at her now and smiled at the outfit she selected for the festivities. The normal red low cut dress she wore was replaced with a long turquoise gown. The halter top hiding the swell of her breasts but still enhancing them in the way the bodice fit her curves. Oric wasn't sure which look he preferred though. They both heated his blood and made him uncomfortable in his skin as his body would awaken and make it's urges known.

Meredy nervously smiled out at the crowd around her. She wasn't uncomfortable being in the limelight. She just disliked when she wasn't entirely sure of what was going on. She smiled at Oric as he grinned her way. Over the couple of months that Meredy had been staying in Magnolia she had grown to like him. He was kind and funny. He was nervous and shy. It was all very sweet. Besides he was easy on the eyes too. His golden eyes were probably her favorite feature. They were so unique and yet so familiar to her. Before lingering her gaze too long on Oric she scanned the room towards Team Natsu's table.

Meredy smiled at the secrets regarding Lucy's pregnacy floated around in her head. She knew the babies magical abilities. She knew how many little ones resided in Lucy's womb. She even knew the sex of the babies. But no matter how often Lucy pressed for more info on her secrets she would never share what she knew. Not with any of the members of the guild because she was sure that any one of them would not be able to keep the information to themselves. Besides there was also that pesky dragon slayer hearing. Someone should tell the dragon slayers that eavesdropping was rude. She had debating telling Jellal just so she could share the news with someone. But she hadn't for fear that he may have whispered it to Erza at some point in the future. Okay, so convincing Jellal to just follow his heart was also part of the reason she didn't tell him. The two mages had still both been awkward around each other. Meredy was bound and determined to get Jellal to fess up. That was a taxing chore all on its own.

Lucy caressed her stomach as she leaned her head against Natsu's shoulder. "I am so glad not to be up there."

"Yeah, no more Mirajane meddling trying to get our hearts and minds to fall in line, huh?" Natsu smiled at her.

Lucy couldn't help but smile her full fledged smile back at him. "I almost miss Happy's egging on 'She liiiiiiiiiiikes you' comments."

"Those never really bothered me. But then again I never took it to mean what Happy was intending it meant. I mean you're my best friend so of course you would like me right?"

Lucy grinned back. Are other people as happy as we are?

Hmm, maybe the other dragon slayers of Fairy Tail. I mean look around you.

Lucy scanned the room. Being in her own little happy bubble she didn't really register the happiness of the other slayers so often lately. I mean Levy was a given because she was her best friend and they shared nearly everything with each other. But now she noticed how Laxus held Rory so closely and carefully. How he was subconsciously stroking her belly and smiling at the feel of her warmth underneath the pads of his fingers. She looked at the maroon haired dragon slayer. She noticed how Erik followed Kinana's every move with his eye as she served people in the crowd. How the corner of his mouth would lift up just gazing at her. How Kinana would feel his gaze on her, look up and smile back. She looked toward her friend despite the insight she already had on that relationship. She knew Levy was happy with Gajeel but right now she looked unsettled.

Every time Jaspar took Levy's ring to work on it her finger felt naked. Gajeel would take her left hand in his and cover it with the other. "Shrimp, you worry too much."

"But...it's just..."

"Only a month or two more of this."

Levy sighed. No matter how hard she tried to not worry about her ring and the future before her. She would always come back to it. What if the spell didn't take? What if after another month of waiting when the ring is magically set on her hand her body still decided not to fall in line with a mate's chemistry? It was all frustrating. It didn't help that there wasn't a book to guide her on this kind of magic. Jaspar was a unique oddity in his abilities.

Jaspar approached their table. He held the ring cupped in his hand and smiled. Gajeel had done well to select a setting made of black steel. It actually expedited the process of his magic's capabilities. He now held in his hand an Iron Dragon Euclase Gemstone ring. He had grown to really like the couple he was working for and was significantly hoping that he would not yet have to leave the guild. True he had missed his home in the mountains. But he never really realized how the seclusion affected him. Plus the guild offered him a level of protection that didn't drain his magic supply. Jaspar respectfully stopped his progress across the floor when he heard Mira begin to make an announcement on stage.

Mikayla shook nervously on stage. Her shoulders raised up, her spine curved, as if to hide herself from the audience. She really didn't know what she was doing up on stage. She kept peeking out at the doors beyond the great hall. Wanting to propel herself through the massive doors and far away from whatever all this was.

Mirajane stepped up and addressed the room around her. "Thank you all for joining us here today. I am sure you all are curious what is going on. Why all us single girls are up here and what is about to happen. Well let me enlighten you by explaining. For the remainder of the night all single males will be paired up with one of the girls before you. But the choice of who you pair up with is left in the hands of us ladies.

"However, we are not going to be deciding who with our eyes." Mira grabbed a basket of blindfolds and looked out at the males in the audience. "You boys will have to step up to the plate. Show us the power behind those lips. You will line up to the girls you might be interested in and proving said interest with the impact of your kissing prowess."

Mikayla sweat dropped. Okay really...what did she walk in on?

Okay so I kind of got this idea from Bachelor Pad and adapted it to suit my needs. I know I said we would go into her shenanigans this chapter and I apologize for unintentionally changing things up on you all. But I realized you needed to know where everyone in Fairy Tail was before just jumping in head first. Next chapter 'should' be the kissing fest itself.

Okay so I have a favor to ask. I did something a bit daring and it's stressing me out a little bit. Well a little bit bordering on a lot a bit. I got daring and posted the prologue and first chapter of one of my original stories on the sister (brother?) site to fanfiction, fictionpress. I used the same screen name there (won't be hard to find me). So I would ask that you look me up and review my story. I don't know if I will actually be posting the rest of the story there or not. Or looking into actually publishing it through kindle or something. Kind of depends upon the reaction I get I guess. I mean if this weren't fanfic and I was able to make money off of it would any of you pay money to read this? Gah even asking the question makes me nervous.

Thank you to my reviewers for Chapter 51: sabrina-luna-potter, kura, Erzatscarlett, and Ayrmed. Please continue reviewing!

Your reviews make me smile and I do a happy little excited dance every time I hear my tablet ping letting me know I have a new review, follow, and/or fave. So please continue to make me dance happily and continue follow, faving, and reviewing. :)

Again please, please, please take some time to go to fictionpress and let me know what you think about my story Storm Lash.