AA week had passed after the Battle of Fairy Tail. The city of Magnolia was calm and peaceful again. It was a shock to everyone when Master Makarov explained Laxus was expelled. Noone was more upset than Natsu, though. He wanted to be able to beat him without Alex interfering. He also thought it wasn't fair since Laxus just made a mistake.

Alex punched him in the head and told him not to be rude. Laxus had made a dangerous mistake, and the Master had to respond accordingly. She told him the Master didn't enjoy having to expel anybody.

Happy pointed out it was because Laxus turned out to be a Dragon Slayer. Natsu wanted to see who was the more powerful Dragon Slayer.

Master Makarov told them Laxus wasn't an actual Dragon Slayer. Instead, a lacrima was implanted in him when he was very young and sick.

The Master planned on stepping down from being Master to atone for his grandson's actions. Suffice to say; nobody was willing to let him leave. Freed even went as far as cutting off his hair and telling the Master not to worsen Laxus's punishment by quitting. He knew Laxus would never forgive himself if he knew his grandfather had stepped down because of him.

Alex managed to get the Raijinshuu to open up a bit to the rest of the guild, and they were starting to make friends with everyone. Of course, they still ended up following Alex around, which annoyed her to no end.

"I'm going on a job, Mira," Alex said, placing a flyer on the bar counter. It was a simple job of dealing with some bandits near Oak Town. "I should only be gone for a few days." She was wearing a blue tank top and a pair of black shorts with her hiking boots and knee-length purple socks.

"Alright," Mira chirped. "Take care of yourself."

Alex nodded and started walking out the door, only to be met by the Raijinshuu. "Are you going on a job?" Bickslow asked.

"Yeah," Alex smiled. "It will only take a few days, so don't worry about me."

"Why would we be worried?" Evergreen asked. "Of course, we'll be going with you."

"Excuse me?" Alex asked, confused. "Who said you were coming with me?"

"I think what Evergreen is trying to say," Freed said. "Is we would like to join you on your job." The others nodded. "It would be quicker if you let us help."

Alex winced at the thought of spending more time with the Raijinshuu. They tended to invade her house when she wasn't expecting them, occupying her table when she was relaxing; they sometimes interrupted her training sessions. "Great," She said, grinning. "That sounds like a good idea, except..." She turned to where Mira was telling Lucy a reporter from Sorcerer's Weekly was showing up. She brightened a little. "The reporter from Sorcerer's Weekly should be here soon. Don't you think the Raijinshuuj should be in this edition?"

Evergreen's eyes lit up. "He's coming today?" She asked. "I'm not ready!" She ran off to Fairy Hills to prepare for the reporter.

Freed looked at Alex while Bickslow laughed at Evergreen's reaction. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" He asked, uncertain. "We don't have to be a part of this issue, you know."

"I'm sure," Alex assured. "I'll be okay, I promise. Besides," She added, laughing. "Someone should keep Evergreen in check, don't you think?"

"Why don't you wait until tomorrow to go on your job?" Bickslow suggested. "Then, we can all go, and you can talk to the reporter with us."

"You know what?" Alex asked, looking a little nervous at the thought of dealing with the overly excited reporter. "I think I'm good. I'll go ahead and take care of the bandits, and you guys take care of the reporter." She started walking out the door. "Now I need to go, or I'll miss the train. See you all later!" She waved and left as quickly as she could.

Erza walked up when Alex disappeared. "Where is Alex going?" She asked. "The reporter should be here any minute."

Bickslow laughed, his tongue sticking out. "Sparky decided to go on a job today."

"It looked like she wasn't too enthusiastic about staying for the reporter," Freed said.

Erza nodded and crossed her arms. "I see. It's too bad. The reporter was hoping to get an interview with the Lightning Devil Slayer. She hasn't been in Sorcerer's Weekly since she was made S-Class." Erza shrugged. "He'll have to come back later, I guess."

Alex made it to Oak town with zero problems and managed to talk to the mayor. Since Phantom Lord was abolished, the bandits that lived on the outskirts of the town felt they could go back to robbing the citizens without repercussions.

Alex went into the forest to see if she could find the base. After five hours of searching and finding nothing, she went back into town to stay in the hotel room the mayor got her to use while she was there. While Alex was lying in bed, she received a call from Laxus. She smiled when she saw him. "Hey, Lightning bug," She answered the lacrima call. "How's being a nomad treating you?"

Laxus grunted. "Why are you calling me that?" He asked irritated. "I just called to see how you were doing. And I'm not a nomad."

Alex laughed. "I need a nickname for you," She said, sitting up and walking to the window. "I'm trying some out. What do you think?"

Laxus sighed. "It's terrible, and you should never call me that again. Are you on a job?" He asked, noticing the hotel room she was in.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, some bandits in Oak Town. Their hideout is harder to find than I thought. I'll probably get it in the morning, though." She tilted her head. "You still didn't answer me, though. How are you?"

"I'm alright," Laxus looked away for a bit. "I'm just taking some odd jobs here and there while I travel the country. How's the Raijinshuu doing?"

"They're fine," Alex smiled. "They miss you, but they're interacting with the rest of the guild members now."

Laxus nodded. "That's good." They spent a few minutes talking about everything and nothing before Alex decided she should get dinner before the restaurants in town closed.

"Take care, Sparkplug," Alex waved. She was answered with a very stern 'No' before she laughed and hung up on him.

Alex found a nice little diner near the hotel she was staying in and was happily eating some soba when a young boy walked up to her. "You're the wizard from Fairy Tail, right?" He asked.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Yes, what do you need?" She asked, curious.

"I know where the bandits hideout is," He said. "I want to help you defeat them."

Alex crossed her arms. "What's your name, kid?" She asked. "And why should I let you help me?"

The boy pointed to himself. "My name is Rogue, and I won't tell you where they are if you don't let me help."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. This was a good chance for her to get to know Rogue before the Grand Magic Games. "Alright, Rogue. Meet me here at Sunrise tomorrow, and you can take me to the bandits hideout."

The next morning, Alex and Rogue met outside of her hotel and started walking into the forest. "So, what kind of magic do you use?" Alex asked, even though she already knew.

Rogue grinned and pointed to himself. "I'm a Shadow Dragon Slayer." Alex nodded, and they walked on in silence. "Hey, Alex. Why did you just agree to let me come with you? Most people around here wouldn't even consider letting a twelve-year-old help them with a job like this."

Alex hummed thoughtfully. "I could sense your power," She admitted. "I don't judge people base on how old they are. I can tell you can help me, and I think it would be a good experience."

Rogue nodded and showed Alex where the bandits were hiding. They made quick work of the bandits, with Rogue being beneficial to the partnership.

Once the bandits were tied up, and they were on their way back to the village, Rogue decided to speak up. "Gajeel is a part of Fairy Tail now, right?" He asked.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. Why do you ask?"

"I use to follow him around when he was in Phantom Lord," Rogue admitted. "I guess I wanted to make sure he was alright."

Alex stopped walking. "You know, if you're concerned about him, I'm sure he'd be happy to see you. You're more than welcome to join Fairy Tail to be near him again."

Rogue shook his head adamantly. "I don't want to face him yet." At Alex's curious stare, he continued. "I'm not strong enough yet. I need to be stronger before I see him again. And I need to get stronger on my own."

Alex nodded and kept walking. "Alright. Well, I'll let him know I saw you. I'm sure he'll be happy to know you're okay."

"No!" Rogue shouted. She paused and looked back at him. "Don't tell him you've seen me. Let me get into contact with him when I'm ready to."

Alex sighed and nodded. They turned in the criminals and got the reward money, which she split with Rogue as he helped her. She also got him a communications lacrima. "Feel free to call me if you ever get into any trouble, okay?" She said, smiling. "The world can be a pretty big place, so it's essential to have friends you can count on to help you.

Rogue nodded and grinned. "I will." He waved at her as she got onto the train. "Goodbye!" He shouted. "I'll see you later!"

Alex smiled and waved back. "Take care!" She sat down and closed her eyes, ready for a long train ride back.

When Alex got home, she was met with an unusual sight. The guild was going crazy. The master was calling alcohol his rival, and Mira wanted to fight Erza. Alex started wide-eyed when Gray started chasing Happy around, challenging him. Alex raised her eyes in shock and started backing away slowly. "Maybe I should come back tomorrow," She said, shutting the doors.

Alex walked back to her house. She was about to walk in when she heard a loud voice. "Coooool!" It shouted.

Alex groaned. "Oh, no." She forced a grin on her face and turned to see Jason running up to her. "Jason!" She said with false enthusiasm. "What are you doing here?"

"Erza said you would be back from your job today, and I should come back if I wanted to get an interview with you," The man said happily.

"Of course she did," Alex sighed a little. Thanks a lot, Erza. "Why don't you come in?" Alex asked, opening the door. They didn't stay inside the house for very long, as Jason tried to take about a thousand pictures. So they held the interview outside near some of the trees. When Jason finally left, she sighed in relief and shut the door, ready for the day to be over.

A couple of days had passed, and Alex was relaxing in the guild with Lucy and Natsu. Lucy looked exhausted.

"Man," Natsu said, frustrated. "If only I had Virgo. I could have dug that up in no time." Alex looked over to him, curious about what he was talking about. She shrugged and went back to the book she was reading, deciding it probably wasn't necessary for her to know.

Lucy whined a little. "I could care less about that already!" Let's go on a job!" She sighed. "What'll I do about this month's rent?" She asked.

"Let's go on a job," Natsu decided, standing up.

"That's a quick about-face, Natsu," Happy said.

"You're finally in the mood to work!" Lucy cried happily. "Thank you!"

"Well, I've always been working..." Natsu defended. "Just here and there...Right Happy?" Happy responded with a cheerful 'Aye!' while Alex just laughed at the two.

Lucy was about to respond when she looked at the door in surprise. Natsu looked towards her. "What's wrong, Lucy?"

Lucy stared at the door for another moment before turning around. "Maybe it was my imagination. But lately, I've been getting the feeling like I'm being watched."

Alex looked up from her book in concern. "You're being watched?" She asked. That didn't sound good.

Lucy nodded. "It feels like it anyway."

"I heard about that!" Natsu said suddenly. "What was it called again, Happy?"

"It's called being overly self-conscious!" Happy cried, looking at a book.

"It's not that!" Lucy cried. "Sheesh!"

Natsu grinned. "I wouldn't worry about it, Lucy. If someone was following you, don't you think Alex would have told you?"

Alex glared at Natsu. "It's not like I remember every little thing, you know," She said, irritated. "I only remember a few things. And none of them involved Lucy thinking she was being followed." She looked at Lucy. "If you're feeling unsafe, you can stay at my house for a while."

Lucy smiled. "Thank you, but I think I'll be fine." She stood up and put on her jacket. "Alright, see you later."

"We'll meet up tomorrow at noon to go on a job, alright?" Natsu asked, waving at her.

Lucy smiled and waved. "Okay." She said, and walked off.

Alex closed her book and got up to join Lucy. "I'll at least walk you home, Lucy," She said. "I'll feel better if I know you made it home safe."

The two girls walked in silence for a moment. "Are you sure you don't remember anything about someone following me?" Lucy asked.

Alex nodded. "And that has me worried," She admitted. "it could mean I've done something to change the timeline, and you end up getting captured by some wack job. Of course," She added, seeing Lucy's concerned look. "It could just be, I forgot. It's been at least three years since I've watched an episode of this world. I'm not going to be able to remember every little detail."

Lucy nodded, somewhat mollified. They walked in silence before she spoke up again. "Do you ever miss your home?" She asked. Alex looked up in surprise. "You don't talk about your world much. Have you ever thought of going back?"

Alex smiled sadly. "I thought about it once," She admitted. "But then I spoke to a friend, and he told me I wouldn't be able to go back." Alex forced a smile on her face. "Yeah, I miss home, but there's no point in worrying over something I can't change. It's better to live in the now."

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Right!" They walked the rest of the way to Lucy's house in silence. Alex and Lucy stopped walking and turned around when they felt a presence behind them. A man in a cloak was hiding in an alley.

Alex growled. "Hey!" Get out into the light!" She commanded. She stood in front of Lucy while the man stood there. When the man stayed where he was, she stormed over to him and pulled him out. "Why are you following my friend?" She demanded, pulling off his hood. "Answer me!"

Lucy looked at the man in shock. "Father? What are you doing here? And... What's with those clothes?"

"Heartfilia Railways has been repossessed," Mr. Heartfilia said. Alex crossed her arms and glared at the man, not forgiving him for stalking Lucy like he did. "I lost everything...My company, my house, my money. All of the private property was used as collateral, see. Is this my reward for being a serious businessman all these years?"

"W-wait," Lucy stammered. "The house? That's where Mom's grave is!"

Her father gave her a slip of paper. It held the address to her mother's new gravesite. "I had it moved here." He looked to the sky. "It's not so much sad, as it is laughable. That much wealth, gone in an instant. All my long years of achievement, to zero in a single night...The money I worked so hard for, I even sacrificed my own family! It's laughable! What a farce!" The man started laughing, which only served to upset Lucy more.

"Why have you come here?" Lucy finally asked.

Her father looked back at her, surprised. "To see my daughter's face, Lucy."

"Why now?" Lucy asked irritated. "And I told you not to lay a hand on Fairy Tail!"

Mr. Heartfilia looked at his daughter. "I don't have that kind of power anymore," He admitted. "I only came to see how my daughter was doing." Lucy looked at him, her face full of doubt. "Please, don't give me that kind of look. I'm sorry about everything that happened. I don't plan to remain here long. I'm going to work at a trade guild in Acalypha and start all over again."

Lucy looked up at him, surprised. "Acalypha?" She asked.

"You'll see it soon is you travel to the West from here," The man confirmed. Lucy looked happy for him for a moment. "So, about that, Lucy...I'm going to need some money." Lucy's eyes widened. "One hundred-thousand jewel would be enough. Would you lend it to me?"

"T-That much money?" Lucy stammered. "There's no way I have that!"

"That much?" Mr. Heartfilia demanded. "It's just one-hundred-thousand! You're my daughter...I'm sure you have that much on hand." He started walking closer to Lucy.

Alex took a step forward. "You need to back up there, man," She warned. "She doesn't have the money.

Lucy put a hand up to stop Alex from coming closer. "What the hell are you spouting?" She demanded.

"Money!" The man shouted. "And I'm putting my pride aside to beg you for it! Yes, even I! Enough! Now, give me money!"

"I don't know what you're saying," Lucy said, after a moment of silence. "I told you back then, remember? What I want isn't money, or pretty dresses, of fortune, forced upon me. And the same goes for you, Father. You don't have any fortunes waiting for you! Leave!" She shouted before storming past him.

Alex calmly followed. "You better not be around in the morning," She warned the man. "You've hurt Lucy enough, don't you think?" And she calmly walked right behind Lucy to Lucy's home.

When they made it to Lucy's house, Natsu and Happy were standing guard. "Sergeant Happy, is everything normal?" Natsu asked.

"Aye, sir! Captain!" Happy shouted back.

Natsu looked at Lucy in surprise. "Hey, welcome home."

"Lucy, there's no one suspicious around here," Happy assured.

Lucy smiled a little. "Thanks..."

"Captain!" Happy shouted a little. "This private here lacks enthusiasm, sir!"

"Why am I a private?" Lucy asked, annoyed.

"Everything okay, Lucy?" Natsu asked, concerned. He turned around to see Gray hiding behind a fence without his shirt on.

"Captain!" Happy cried, flying over to where Gray was hiding. "I've spotted a questionable subject!"

Alex smiled when Natsu attacked him. She turned to Lucy. "I'll leave you here since I know you're safe." She hugged Lucy. "Don't worry about your dad. I'm sure he'll come to his senses." Lucy nodded, and Alex waved goodbye as she walked away. "Take care of yourself." She went home, took a shower and called it a night.

She was training in the woods when Natsu, Gray, and Erza ran up to her panicking. Lucy had gone to Acalypha to take care of some robbers on her own. She glared at them. "And you think she needs me to go down and help her?" She asked irritated. "She's perfectly capable of handling some robbers. Have some faith in your teammate," She scolded.

"I'm going to go make sure she's okay," Natsu said after a minute. "You can stay here if you want, but she's my friend. And I won't be able to relax until I know for sure."

Alex groaned with annoyance and followed the trio to their ride. "I can't leave you guys alone to do something stupid, so I may as well come with you." The three grinned, and they went on their way to help Lucy. When they got to Acalypha, they ran the rest of the way to the Love and Lucky guild. By the time they got there, Lucy had taken care of the robbers and saved everyone in the trade guild. The robbers were being arrested.

"We arrived just in time to give Lucy a ride home," Alex laughed. They gave Lucy a ride home as she told them all that happened and why she left in the first place.

"What was with you today?" Natsu asked, irritated. "We had to cancel the job!"

"Sorry about that," Lucy sighed. She told them what had happened.

"So, you were hoping to save your father?" Erza asked. She smiled. "That was very admirable of you."

Alex smiled. "That's great. But I'm ready to go home. I think we've had enough excitement for one day."

Hey everyone! So here's the few episodes between the Battle of Fairy Tail and The Nirvana arcs. I hope you liked it. I look forward to typing this next arc, as we get to meet little Wendy! I love that little Dragon Slayer. I'll see you next time, everyone!