Glad to see you guys are digging where this story is heading! Hope enjoys this chapter as much as I did writing it!

Chapter 41

Kinana is completely still, not unlike a snake before it strikes, very shallow breaths are the only thing causing movement. She shakes herself out of her trance like stare and takes a deep calming breath, knowing she needed to quiet her mind.

Erik always admired the effort she made to ease her mind and in turn her thoughts. She knew the more upset a person became the louder their thoughts and actions tended to be, thus hurting his ears more. He wished she knew that would never be the case for her. For years he wanted nothing more than to hear her sweet voice. He wouldn't trade that sound for anything.

"We were orphans together, being raised by the church of Zentopia. Then they came; they burned down the church, killed all the adults, and took every kid they could find. Some of the bigger kids were fighting back…" he paused growling at the memory, "they used the smallest of us to make an example." He looked up at her then with the saddest expression she had ever seen on his face. "They cursed you into a snake."

Tears streamed down the violet haired girl as the strongest person she knew choked on her thoughts. "Why," he rasped, "why are you sad for me? It was you that was cursed?! And I …" He turned away.

She wiped away her tears and felt her lips twitch as his spine stiffened at her thoughts. "It's not funny!" he snapped, glaring at her trying to stay mad but definitely failing. He sighed then smirked at her, "only you would get upset that I had to remember such things but have no pity for yourself. It happened to you, not me!"

She smiled sweetly, "but I don't remember and I'm not a snake anymore. You are the one that has this eating at you. Erza mentioned her time at the tower once and it doesn't sound like something worth remembering. I'm only sad that I was too young to remember those first days with you. I can't force myself to be angry or sad about this I have no memory of. Especially when everything has led to this, to you. I know you feel guilty for holding onto my past and keeping it from me. I also know you and understand why you did it. Erik you can read everyone but we both know I can read you better even without magic."

She watched as tension left his face and his signature mocking smirk returned. "Well, if you can read me so much better then what am I thinking now?"

The violet haired mage blushed and smiles shyly, "that you're really glad I didn't take that potion."

Erik's smirk morphed into a downright devious grin, "I cannot wait to catch you."

Somewhere in the Celestial Realm…

Horologium bowed to a shadow hidden within a black void, "Sir I came bearing news of the utmost importance."

"Leave," a small sorrowful voice whispered.

"Sir Crux discovered," the clock spirit began only to be silenced.

"LEAVE!" the voice boomed.

Horologium turned to do just that but stopped, "Anna Heartfilia is alive and her sole remaining relative, my master, is the mate to the late Dragon King's Son."

"No, this cannot be…" a voice growled.

"They are the only remaining celestial wizards with the bloodline to summon you. So, what will you do old friend?" another voice boomed causing the clock spirit to look around.

The Celestial Spirit King made himself visible and stared into the darkness. "Will you let a second chance to set this right slip through your fingers."

Slowly the black hole expanded, growing, and growing until it was almost as big as the King himself. The realm shook with the power and force re-entering the physical dimension. A golden tipped claw separated itself from the darkness; scales as black as pitch seemed to suck the very light from the air surrounding Draco.

He eased himself out of his black hole cocoon with a speed that made the Celestial King sad to see, "you have spent far too much time in your self-imposed prison Guardian."

Draco's golden eyes flashed, and he snarled in rage, "it was self-imposed as you would not gift me the punishment I so truly deserved!"

Horologium looked up in awe, it had been almost 500 years since the guardian of the celestial realm had been seen. He would almost be an undefined blob of pure darkness, if not for the splashes of gold topping his limbs, and claws. Not to mention the flaming mane of the purest gold shimmering down his back. The clock spirits favorite sight, however, was when the dragon spirit was in flight. The membrane of Draco's wings are just as golden as his mane but when soaring through the air, he was almost like a fallen star.

"Horologium, I need you to take your leave. Now that Draco has decided to rejoin us, there is much to tell him."

"I haven't rejoined anything," Draco snarls.

"ENOUGH!" The Celestial Spirit King booms, "you may be the guardian of this realm, but I am the Creator and King. I have put up with your withdrawal until now. Lucy Heartfilia is a true friend to the celestial spirits she is contracted to and I consider her family. I intend to make her the Celestial Princess."

Draco looks completely shocked, and Horologium could not blame him. The King very rarely acknowledges humans, let alone calls them family, but to name one the Celestial Princess; it has not been done in eons. The clock spirit used the silence to make his escape and smiled at the thought of his master. It had been an exceptionally long time since a mage could use the silver keys to their fullest potential. If Ms. Lucy did accept the position as the Princess, it would open so many new doors for her and for the remaining Celestial Wizards. However, it was not without its draw backs such as attracting the darker things in all realms.

Back to our Slayers and Their Mates...

Mira looked around the beautiful log cabin she found herself in and smiled. It was like something out of one of Levy's fairytales. She got up, to look around, and found her favorite dragon slayer watching her from the stair well leading upstairs. "Well, I'm glad you like it so much," Laxus's voice rumbles, "I built this exact one for us back in Magnolia."

The blue-eyed beauty pauses at his words, then proceeds slowly walk towards him with a contemplative look on her face. Laxus starts to get nervous, not that he would ever admit it, but once she is within arm's reach, she proceeds to launch herself at him with a sweet smile on her face.

"I can't believe this is happening! I have wanted to move forward for so long, but I could not do it without him. This house is something out of a dream; this is the sweetest, most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me…."

"Slow down Mira, I know you're excited, but I can't keep up with how fast you're talking." Laxus chuckled wrapping one arm securely around her while rubbing his head.

He stopped rubbing his head at the shocked and elated expression on her face, "You didn't say that out loud did you?"

"Nope," the she-devil beams all proud, "now I'll know all the sweet soft things you think about."

"Like hell," Laxus scoffs sending the thought her way. "More like I'll have to endure your matchmaking schemes."

Mira tries to pout but only ends up laughing, "want to test this out and see how it works? What I mean is, when you're thinking towards me, I actually hear your voice in my head, but will anyone with this ability hear us or is it just us? And can we send images?"

"Slow down, Mira, it's starting to jumble in my head," Laxus softly bops her on the head. "Now, the whole nest should be able to communicate this way, but it'll probably be like Warren learning it for a while."

Mira winced, "we both remember how painful that was. His thoughts leaked everywhere and remember how you almost knocked out his teeth when he was thinking about all the girls!"

"No, I punched him for trying to look down your top," The lightning mage snorts. "I just said he was thinking of lewd thoughts of all the girls so all of them would beat the snot out of him when he woke up."

"At least he can't really do that now," Mira smiles sweetly with her darkness poking out, "let's see him try."

"That's my girl," Laxus growls wrapping both arms around Mira and squeezes, "now do you want to see the nursery."

Mira squeals and shoots upstairs but pauses on the top step, "how did you….?"

"I knew the moment you stepped into the guild the next morning, your scent changed. I knew I needed to have the house done as soon as possible. As much as I wanted to do it completely by myself, I called Laki and the Thunder Legion."

"That's why you disappeared these last couple weeks, Master said you were on an important mission," She smiles softly.

Laxus rubs the back head, "yea the old man gave me a good thump for not telling you I was going to be gone." A shocked look comes over his face and he froze, "you didn't think I left you, did you?"

Mira's laugh let the tension right out of his body, "with the old you, yes I would've thought that. This you, not a chance. Although, I am a little bummed I didn't get to surprise you with it. Oh well, I'll just settle for all the other little ones that'll be popping up after this." Laxus shivered at the manic smile gracing her face. "I know Levy didn't take the Pregnancy Prevention Potion and there are two others. My guess is one of them is Kinana, but the third is a tough one."

"I love you Mira, and I guess that includes all of your crazy schemes," Laxus chuckles and shakes his head. "Now, let's go and see the nursery. Ever and Freed were a big help in that area."

"Aw I wish I could've seen their faces when you told them!" The She-devil pouted

"How about I have you tell Gramps," Laxus smirked.

"Deal!"