"Wait...what?"

Mest, Cana, Gajeel, and Levy all stared at Belno in abject shock. She merely sighed, looking rather resigned and exhausted. She was staring out the window of the hotel room, her hands tightly wrapped around the window sill. Cana was drinking, sitting on top of the small desk in the room with Mest in the chair beside her. Lila and Casper were napping in one bed, with their parents sitting on the other. Gajeel's hands were badly shaking, and there was clear rage in his eyes towards Ivan Dreyar. Levy was sitting behind him on her knees, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and holding him steady from the back. Her head rested on one of her arms and her cheek was rubbing lightly against his. Belno remained silent for a good while, only speaking again after she turned around, crossing her arms.

"Yes, Laxus is my son," She said shortly. "This is not something anybody can know, especially him. Ivan made it quite clear that my telling anyone of this would not end well...but, then again, I am only confirming what all of you have already learned," She turned to Mest and Cana. "You said he thought you were Jade and Siegrain?"

Cana nodded. "Well, not Siegrain but he did think I was Jade."

Belno sighed heavily. "And he's in the city?"

"In the home of a psychic," Mest said, a cold edge to his voice. "I've already reported this to the Council. They're going to have the rune knights raid the home next week, once they process the paperwork."

"Still," Levy pressed, looking worriedly at her mother in law. "I don't understand why you and Ivan got involved in the first place? Were you already pregnant with Laxus when you two got married, or…."

"It was not like that," Belno said, a pained look flashing across his face. "Ivan, you have to understand, was quite charming back then and the abuse did not start until after Laxus had been born. Before that, Ivan had been occasionally...aggressive and had slapped me before, but I had taken that as him being drunk, or us struggling with money at the time."

Gajeel's hands began to ball into fists. "And he threatened you after you two divorced?"

"When I filed for divorce, citing grievous emotional and physical abuse, Ivan threatened me and demanded I withdraw the filing," Belno paused and then shook her head. "When I did not and the court ruled in my favor, he ran away, taking Laxus with him and, when I tried to come for our son myself, who was two at the time, Ivan threatened to kill me and harm Laxus if I tried anything. Afterwards, I gave up hope on the matter….and when I met my husband...well, Ryan Norwich was working for the Council as a Rune Knight, at the time, and eventually became the leader of the Hungry Wolf Knights, as you all, I'm sure, well know. We conceived Jade shortly after our marriage, and he was one of the few people who ever knew the truth of my first marriage."

Levy swallowed hard, looking upset. "That's all so horrible, Belno, I'm so sorry that happened."

"I'm going to kill him," Gajeel hissed, serious anger continuing to rise in his chest. "Ivan is more than a real creep now, he's a real piece of shit of a human being, and -"

"No," Belno said with finality, casting her adoptive son a sharp look. "Killing him will accomplish nothing, Gajeel, something I came to terms with a long time ago. I won't deny the thought once crossed my mind, particularly towards the end of our marriage, but it would be futile."

Mest nodded. "A reasonable assertion," He said mildly. "Though I do hope that when he is apprehended that you'll be able to come forward to your daughter and, of course, her half-brother with the truth once the threat is no longer out there."

"Agreed," Cana said, squeezing her husband's knee. "You shouldn't have to hide all of this because he doesn't want anyone to know about it."

Belno eyed them all for a few seconds and then, in resignation, sighed.

"I should hope that will be the case," She said, looking unusually dejected. "But, the truth is, I languished in a loveless marriage for years and will always have to be careful of my mistake. I should have left Ivan with Laxus well before we had descended to where we had...and, I'm afraid, the blame for that will remain upon my shoulders no matter what happens with him now."

"I can't believe she's my sister," Laxus kept pacing, holding his head in his hands. "God, I always assumed my father had done something to do with why no one would ever tell me anything about my mother, but to think that….

He paused, feeling Lacey's tiny hands start to tug on his pants. Shaking his head, he picked her up and ruffled her hair, quickly coming over to where Hisui was sitting in their bed, setting the novel she had been half-trying to read aside.

"We know now, though," Hisui said gently, resting a hand over his knee. "I can't believe it either, Laxus, but we at least can handle things as they are now."

"I know," He hesitated and then sighed. "It just...with his whereabouts still being unknown and, after what he tried to do to you, I'm terrified he's going to hurt more people in the family. Sounds like he's already done that before, and not just to us…."

"Daddy…" Lacey started climbing on her father, trying to blot off his silent tears that had started to fall with her little hands. "Why you sad?"

"I'm just worried about you and your mother, Lace," Laxus told her, forcing a faint smile and helping her back down, where she sat in between her parents. "And your aunt and grandmother, too."

Hisui reached over and cupped his cheek. "Laxus," She said gently. "You're always telling that, no matter what happens, things will be alright. I want you to believe that too."

He pulled her in close, and Lacey squirmed out of the way, giggling.

"I don't doubt that we can handle Ivan," He said quietly, his hands lightly rubbing her back. "I just hate the possibility that he could do even more to harm us than we already thought."

"I hate it too," She softly replied. "Though I think we are probably going to be fine, heeding my father's advice and whatnot. Jade and Sieg will be fine, too. It's not as if Ivan knows that they're aware, and, by the sound of it, I'm not convinced Belno is aware of it yet herself."

"If she doesn't know yet, she will soon," Laxus sighed. "Jade will definitely press her on it."

Hisui laughed weakly. "She always has been tenacious. Even when we were kids, she would do that. Drove my father - and even her own parents, sometimes - nearly stark raving mad."

Laxus smirked a little. "Are you saying, princess," He whispered, his warm breath tickling her neck. "That you never did anything that could possibly have driven your father mad?"

Hisui gasped, trying not to laugh. "I was only a bit distractible as a child!" She exclaimed. "I wasn't that bad! What could have possibly given you that idea?"

"Just a few stories Toma told me, comparing our little girl to you," Laxus shifted slightly to let Lacey curl up in her mother's lap, looking up at her parents with wide eyes. "Sounds to me like you were just as hyper as our little Lacey."

Hisui blushed. "I cannot believe he told you those stories."

"Don't be embarrassed," Laxus said, stealing a kiss. "I happened to find them cute."

Lacey began giggling again at this and her mother smiled, tickling her a little and getting the little girl to laugh even more.

"Momma silly!" Lacey excitedly babbled through giggles.

"Am I?" Hisui raised an eyebrow and Laxus nodded, chuckling a bit himself. "Well, you and your father both seem to think so."

"I'm sure our baby boy will too," Laxus added, pressing a gentle kiss to her baby bump. "I can't wait to meet him."

"You still have two more months until we know if you're right or not," Hisui reminded him with a faint smirk. "I wouldn't forget that if I were you."

"And you know full well that I love our baby either way," Laxus replied, giving her an affectionate squeeze. "I told you when I proposed that I will choose your happiness over mine every single time, and I'll do that for you and our children, 'Sui. That's not something you'll ever have to worry about or doubt."

"I know," Hisui said with a small smile. "And it's one of the reasons I love you so damn much, Laxus. You're always going to be mine, my thunder beast."

He grinned. "Good," He teasingly whispered. "Because the very same goes for you, princess...my Hisui Dreyar"

Still in the refuge of Cornelia, Ivan was lying in wait. He rarely went out, and when he did it was under the disguise of magic. He had not dared try to get near the palace again, well aware that his single attempt to do harm against the Queen had failed epicly. Of course, killing her had not been his intention there. It had been much more to inflict her with a curse that would greatly weaken her and make her fell sick day after day after day after day. A frown creeped across his thin lips, and he stood up, walking towards the window seat and sitting down, one hand drumming impatiently against the table beside it. He knew that he could see out the window though no one could see in, but the city was quiet tonight. Nothing had really happened, and he had not heard much interesting since his escape from prison. Only rumors about the royal family's paranoia, that was, something he had expected from the start.

"Here's an article that may interest you," Cornelia suddenly dropped a newspaper down on the small table nearby where Ivan was sitting, still staring out at the night. "Regarding what happened the other night with those people who came by."

Ivan raised an eyebrow and waited until she had left the room. Then, he took a look at the article. On the front page was the same formal portrait of his ex-wife that he had recalled seeing when she had been first placed on the Magic Council and when she had been presumed dead. The headline, however, was what shocked him. After Half A Decade, Former Ishgar Magic Council Member Belno Norwich Found Alive. Ivan's hands tightened around the paper and he immediately peered over the article, his eyes narrowing by the second. Within, he saw a few additional photographs, including one from just a few days earlier of Belno with a purple haired woman wearing glasses, Siegrain, and a young girl with bright green eyes. When he read the caption, a hint of rage rose in his chest. Norwich, pictured with her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter shortly after her return. It occurred to him the woman that had claimed to be Jade Norwich-Fernandes had not worn glasses and had dark brown hair, not purple, and her eyes were not so strikingly green, if that color at all.

"Who the hell was that woman, then?" Ivan growled, casting the paper aside and quickly storming out of the room. It was not long before he ran into Cornelia.

"Need something, Ivan?" She said, not looking up from her cards as she examined them.

"Did you know that the woman who came here the other night was not Jade Norwich-Fernandes?" He asked, violent fury clear in his voice.

"No," Cornelia calmly replied, calmly meeting his gaze after a few seconds. "I'm afraid I am not the one with whom you have anger. That would be whomever it was that fooled you. Likely someone on the Magic Council, though, so I imagine that narrows it down quite a bit for you."

Ivan glared. "That does not help me, Cornelia."

"Well," She said, completely unfazed. "Regardless, you have a great deal to address that has nothing to do with me. You just exposed your biggest secret to someone who may very well let it on before the royal family and God knows how many other people."

Ivan pursed his lips. "If Bella confesses to any of it, I certainly will ensure she does not forget it. I highly doubt she will, though."

Cornelia's eyebrows shot up and she chuckled lowly under her breath.

"What makes you so sure of that?" She asked, lighting some incense and spreading out her cards again. "No doubt she and everyone in her family will have a great deal of security, what with everything that has happened to them and specifically to her. You do have to consider that, of course."

Ivan stepped towards her and leaned forward to slap her, ensuring that she looked at him afterwards.

"She knows it was I who had sent for her murder those five years ago," Ivan sneered, his voice lowering into a hiss. "Not to mention that she knows, as well, that I was also responsible for the murder of her biological son and her second husband. Bella is no fool. She wouldn't dare breathe a word of it. She cares far too much about her own life, and she will never confirm it."

Cornelia considered that. "Perhaps," She mused. "I would hope, for your sake, that you are correct on that count."

Ivan smirked. "Believe me," He said darkly. "I am."