I thought I was going to have issues writing this chapter, but to be honest, the last chapter was harder to write than this one. At the same time, I'm not too sure if I like the way this chapter turned out either. But whatever. it is what it is at this point lol. Leave comments!

(RAO HYUGA 18) I don't know if this chapter really turned out how I expected, but I hope you enjoy! also, I'm trying to work on incorporating more characters in my story, because I'm nearing the end of part one and in need of ideas for part two. I'm also toying with the idea of having gajeel and levy get together soon or if I should wait until part two for their lemon lol

Chapter Thirty-One

Lucy approached slowly, not knowing what to do or what to say. This was an odd situation; being reunited with a friend who died was weird enough. That friend who had it out for her lover and all other fallen angels. That friend who lived her final moments in despair and isolation all because of her 'friend's' poor choices. She questioned if she was even allowed to consider herself Levy's friend.

Not to mention the fact that she was fairly certain she had Laxus written all over her, knowing damn well she hated anything to do with the Fallen. How was she supposed to explain that? Knowing Levy, that'll be the first thing she notices and talks about. Should she even tell her the truth? Would she even be able to? She took a deep breath and continued forward. 'I really am the worst person.'

Levy stood there as Lucy made her way to them slowly; it was smart of her to come alone. 'She clearly must remember my strong dislike for those beings.' Her nerves grew the closer the blonde got and as if he sensed her distress, Gajeel put a hand on her shoulder for comfort. Why was she so nervous? It wasn't as if she had anything to hide. If anything, Lucy was the one who had some explaining to do.

"Relax, Shorty," he soothed, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. "Everythin' is gonna be okay. I'm here."

Her hand went to rest on top of his as she exhaled slowly. "Thanks."

'What's that?' Lucy was still a few yards away but saw their small exchange clear as day. How was she able to be so friendly with that goblin? She barely let anyone stand that close to her, let alone touch her! And so casually! What was the story behind that? Didn't Laxus tell her that the goblin that killed her stole the talisman? She had to have been planning some sort of clever ruse to get it back from him, right? Trying to get close to him so she could find the perfect time to take it, maybe? No. This was Levy she was talking about. She wouldn't go to great lengths to take back what was hers. She would have killed him instantly.

She turned around and looked at Laxus, who nodded for her to continue on. Taking a breath, she stepped forward. Why weren't those two moving? Was she really going to make her walk the whole way? 'Well, that's Levy for ya.' And that goblin… he looked sort of menacing, but she softened the light around him. Her blue-haired friend and her good vibes… Was she allowed to miss her this much?

Eventually, Lucy made it close enough for the wall around Levy's heart to crumble a bit. In the end, she was happy to be reunited with the only person that kept her sane most of her life. She knew Lucy wouldn't hurt her, and there had to have been some good reason why she was with a Fallen… she trusted her.

Levy stepped forward to hug her friend, her familiar embrace tainted by the Fallen's mark. "Lu… I can't believe it's you. I really missed you."

Not the reunion she was expecting, but it felt really good to be with her again. Perhaps there was hope in getting through to her. Shyly, she returned her hug, feeling unworthy of her niceties. "Levy… I'm glad it's you!"

They pulled away and smiled at one another, the awkward tension slowly dissipating. Where do they start? There was so much to say, so much to ask, so many things to catch up on. Lucy gave her old friend a once over; she hadn't changed a bit.

"I know you have a lot to say," the blonde said timidly, unable to look her in the eye. "So, I'll just come out and say it!"

A slightly confused look flashed across Levy's face, then understanding. Understanding that the more uncomfortable topic would be discussed first. "Are you going to tell me why you're with a fallen angel?"

"Yes!" Lucy's eyes lit up briefly at the thought of getting to prove Laxus' goodness, but she toned down her excitement remembering that Levy was a tough nut to crack. "I mean, yeah."

There it was. That awkward silence that they were both dreading returning with a vengeance. Levy took a step back and rubbed her arm in a nervous tick. "Well?"

"Well, um… I know he's here to kill Laxus," Lucy motioned at the goblin that was standing really close to her. "But you can't!"

Levy couldn't hold back her scoff if she tried. "Why not?"

"Because he's one of the good ones!"

"I find that hard to believe!" She was convinced that man had brainwashed her completely! "Has he done anything to you? Are you being held against your will?"

"Levy… no," Lucy took the initiative to step forward and take Levy's hands in hers, and she was actually surprised she let her. "He hasn't done anything to me that I didn't want."

"So, you willingly let him mark you." Her stomach dropped with the words she just heard.

Lucy wouldn't say she willingly let him, only because she didn't know he did it. Though, if he told her he was going to do it, she would have let him anyway. What else could she say but, "…yes."

"And how is that supposed to convince me that he's 'one of the good ones'?" Levy seriously contemplated walking away and never speaking to her again, but she knew Gajeel would never let her live it down, and honestly? Neither would her conscience.

"Because…" How could Lucy put this? She couldn't really say that Laxus saved her from the bunker because Levy didn't know about that part of her life. She was too busy worrying about explaining the mark than trying to find a reason to give her about being with him in the first place! She wracked her brain for anything she could come up with that didn't sound like a lie. Maybe she didn't have to tell her how they met.

"He's been revolting against the rest of the fallen angels! Trying to come up with a plan to stop them from destroying everything!" None of that was false. If she could just convince Levy that he was on the universe's side, then she wouldn't have to explain anything!

Levy crossed her arms across her chest. "That's the lie he fed you? Honestly, Lu, you can be so gullible sometimes!"

"It's not a lie!" The blonde defended her angel with everything she had. "I've literally seen it myself! It's to the point where they're targeting him!"

Levy thought for a few seconds. That did sort of make sense. It was rare to have a Fallen be targeted, and those that were being hunted were usually enemies of the rest of them. But she had to be honest with herself; there was no way in hell she ever saw herself understanding or even coming to like any fallen angel. Not a single one that she came in contact with was anything good, and she'd come across a lot. Even if by some fluke he just so happened to be 'one of the good ones', for her to give herself to one after knowing what they were capable of?

"Look, I know you probably won't open your mind for this one, Lev," Lucy said with a sigh. Even though she wronged her, in the end, they were on the same side, and she was certain once she found out the truth behind the talisman, she'd finally understand. "But you never knew what the talisman was for or what it did! We know why the angels are after it, and Laxus has—well, had… an inside connection, so he knows what their ultimate goal is!"

Levy really didn't want anything to do with the thing anymore, and she knew Gajeel felt the same way. On the other hand, she was weak for knowledge, and she wanted nothing more than to finally understand the high demand for this inanimate object. Should she talk to the two of them? 'I should ask Gajeel.'

"Lucy," her voice was just a smidgen softer, but still strong. "Can you give me a second?"

"Yeah, anything, Levy." The blonde gave a small smile, happy that she was at least listening to reason. "Do you mind if I bring Laxus to talk to you guys?"

The thought of having a Fallen that close to her made her skin crawl, but she'd bite. Just this once. "Sure, just give me a minute, okay?"

Gajeel stood next to Levy as Lucy walked away. He could tell by her unsteady breathing that this was hard for her. She wasn't used to facing problems head-on, but that's what he was there for. Also, he didn't really like the way the human hesitated when Levy asked why she was with him in the first place. 'I think she's hidin' somethin'.'

"Gajeel," Levy turned to him for guidance and as he always was, he was there willing to help. She was so grateful. "Should we listen to them?"

"Well, Shorty," he said, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into him. He seemed to be doing that a lot today, but what could he say? She needed it. "I know yer curiosity will most likely get the best of ya in the long run."

"Yeah, but my feelings won't change. I know I'll never believe that they're good beings, and I'll never understand why she chose to be so close to one."

"Mm. It sounds ta me like ya don't want ta understand or even try," Gajeel said in hopes that she would understand that she was being a bit stubborn. "But at the same time, ya have every right ta feel the way ya do. So, I guess the question is, do ya really wanna listen?"

"You're right. I don't care, nor do I want to." Levy didn't deny the fact that she didn't care to understand and showed no remorse about it. "But I want to know the big secret about the talisman."

"An' if I'm speakin' honestly," he continued from her thought, still holding her close to him. "I really wanna know what the fuck is goin' on with the damned thing, too. I wanna know why I lost my life 'cuz of it."

"Okay. Then we should probably go somewhere else," she suggested, unwillingly breaking from his warm acceptance. She wasn't sure the middle of the mountains was a comfortable place to have this conversation. "Somewhere we can all sit down and talk."

"Can't we just stay out here?" Gajeel whined. "Where I'm close ta my bike?"

"Lucy's human. The cold will affect her much more than it does us."

There's that sweet angel that he grew quite fond of quickly. Always so compassionate with disregard to her own feelings. He was glad things worked out for them, and the fact that they both felt as if they owed one another their being was really the sweetest. 'Lily would make fun of me 'til the end of time if he heard me say that out loud.'

His thoughts were cut short, and he hurried behind her when she started walking toward the pair. 'I guess we're walkin' ta those two.' With the way things turned out, he knew he wasn't going to be able to get his hands dirty. 'What a shame.'

"What's the deal with those two?" Laxus asked as the blonde made her way back to him. That goblin has been breathing down her neck the whole time and even hugged her as Lucy walked away from them! Were a goblin and an angel really in that type of relationship? 'How peculiar.'

"Yeah, they're really close, right?" Lucy had to get the story behind that, but when was a good time to ask? Was she even allowed to ask about her life? "He was standing right behind her the whole time! Like he was her bodyguard or something!"

"I highly doubt she needs a bodyguard," Laxus said, running a hand through his hair. "Especially one with considerably less power than her."

"Is she strong?" Lucy was curious. Levy always had this… kick to her. She was able to take down fallen angels as a human! It wouldn't surprise her if she'd still be stronger than Laxus if he were able to operate at full capacity.

"Strong is an understatement," he scoffed. "But what I can't figure out is her specialty. Every angel has one. Like, mine is lightning, Salamander's is fire. She used a weapon to subdue me when she didn't need to."

She was powerful, no doubt about it. She could have killed him instantly. Word around town was that the goblin was pretty strong, too. Suddenly, Laxus was glad he didn't have to fight. He had his fair share of brawls and decided to retire that side of him years ago. He just wanted peace. "Oh yeah, how'd it go?"

"I got her to talk to us!" Lucy was excited about the small achievement, and she didn't really expect anything more. "But that's really all I got her to do. Once I mentioned the talisman, she was willing to listen."

"That makes sense."

"I think I can get around telling her the truth," Lucy said, fiddling with a strand of her hair out of nervousness. "Unless…"

"Don't tell her. It'll only make things complicated," Laxus said, his attention being directed to the pair walking toward them. "Looks like they're headed our way."

Lucy spun around; surprised Levy was actually coming to her first! "The goblin hasn't said anything yet, so I don't know if he's nice or not."

"I don't really get a negative vibe from him, but that doesn't mean he's friendly."

"True," Lucy countered. "But Levy wouldn't be with someone bad or unfriendly. She's not that type of person."

"Just be careful." It was Laxus' turn to put a hand on Lucy's shoulder, offering her some comfort.

When the Fallen touched Lucy, it took everything in Levy to not kill him with no hesitation. But she remembered that she was doing this all by choice, and she was about to find the reason why. She glanced over her shoulder, Gajeel close behind her as usual. Should she introduce him? No, that would be weird, right?

"So, um," Levy found it hard to speak for some reason, and she was never one to stumble over her words. "We figured we could go somewhere other than the middle of the Scandinavian mountains to talk."

Lucy smiled, her friend's compassion never faltering. Unfortunately, that only meant her conscience was going to eat at her a hell of a lot more, now. She never deserved a friend as genuine as Levy.

"Oh, and this is Gajeel." She motioned toward the goblin who hadn't given her any personal space since they've been out there… not that she really minded. "Gajeel, this is Lucy. She's been with me since we were young."

Gajeel just grunted, not wanting to associate with the likes of them. He didn't want to tell Levy, but there was something about that human girl that he really didn't like. She was hiding something, but he couldn't figure out what it was. And the Fallen? He already hated him before they met. He hoped Levy wouldn't be blinded by an old friendship to see that something was fake.

Levy looked over at the goblin, wondering what was on his mind. "Do you have any ideas on places we could go to talk?"

"Other than Lily's bar, not really," he murmured, not feeling particularly vocal.

"What about you?" Levy asked, facing Lucy and the fallen angel. "Anywhere good to sit down and chat?"

"Hmm," Lucy shrugged, not coming up with anything. "That bar he was talking about sounded fine."

"I don't think you can go there, Luce," the blue-haired angel said with a small laugh. "It's in the spirit world."

"Oh, heh. I guess not," she looked over at Laxus, who was as stoic as he always was. She thought she remembered him saying something about coming here long ago. "Do you know a place we can go?"

"You hungry?" He asked, running a hand through his short blond hair. "We can go to a diner or something in town if you wanna eat."

"No, I don't really have an appetite right now," Lucy replied, giving him a sweet smile.

"Well, I doubt they'd wanna come to my island," he rattled off an idea, not even sure why he said that out loud. The last thing he wanted was for two beings that hated the Fallen so much, they were on a mission to eliminate them all to know where his safe space was. 'Yeah, fat chance.'

"Hey!" Lucy's eyes lit up at the idea. "That's actually not too bad of an idea!"

"Yeah, but—"

She turned to face a slightly annoyed Levy. "Lax has this really nice island that he built a cute house on when he fell. It's secluded and perfect for us to talk about the talisman!"

"I don't want to go anywhere secluded with him." Levy's voice was sharp and to the point as she crossed her arms. "And I don't think it's wise for me to know where he lives if you want to save him."

"Levy…" Lucy saw this side of her a few times when she was alive. It was scary, more now especially because she was stronger. "Please don't be like this. We just want to talk to you guys."

Laxus sighed a breath of relief when the angel said no the island idea. He'd kept that place safe for a few hundred years; he wasn't about to let his guard down now. "Look, I know you two want to kill me, but at least hear me out before you do it."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Levy tensed up. It was taking up a lot of her mental energy to be nice and give him the time of day. 'All you have to do is listen to them and walk away. That's it. You can do this.' As bad as it sounded, no matter the turnout, she didn't plan on pairing up with them at all. She didn't plan on rekindling any friendship or making amends. What was there for her to make up for?

"Shorty, I think we should listen." Even though Gajeel was one hundred percent sure the angel only said that because he knew Levy wouldn't kill him, he still gave him props for at least pretending to accept defeat. Aside from that petty fact, he felt like they actually had the information he'd been wanting for years.

He draped his arm around her and leaned into her space, feeling her relax a bit. "I think we can get some good info from 'em. Won't it be nice ta finally know what that thing's all about?"

'Shorty?' They really were close, weren't they? Lucy was just appalled. She never thought she'd see the day where Levy would be close to a goblin! But to be fair, she probably felt the same way about her being with Laxus. She watched their interaction unfold and realized he kind of calmed her down; after all, she was her best friend for most of her life and knew all of her habits and expressions.

Levy sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides. "Fine."

"Thank you, Lev!" Lucy couldn't contain her small burst of excitement as she hugged her long-lost friend briefly.

"Yeah, yeah," the blue-haired angel said, half a second away from shrugging the blonde off of her. Just because she agreed to listen to what they had to say didn't mean she was ready to be friendly again. She glanced over at Gajeel, who looked equally as annoyed as she was. 'Let's get this over with.'

"So, I have to know the story behind you two," Lucy gushed as she walked alongside her old friend.

They settled on going to a park in town, a neutral place where they didn't feel like they were being watched or in a place too small or crowded. Levy convinced Gajeel to meet them there with his bike while she left with Lucy and the Fallen just to give them a few minutes to talk alone. Levy knew she'd have questions about the goblin, so she just wanted to address the elephant in the room and get it out of the way.

Laxus walked a few feet behind them, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Not often was there a Fallen, an angel, a goblin, and a marked human together all at once, not to mention the talisman was somewhere on one of those beings. There was a lot of concentrated energy in one area and it kind of worried him.

He was surprised the goblin was willing to let Levy be alone with how up her ass he'd been the whole time. It sort of reminded him of Freed's weird obsession with him… without the sexual tension. He too was curious about how they became so…

"Well," Levy started, taking in the sights around her. She'd never been to this part of the world, and she was grateful to see a small section of Earth that wasn't overrun by those assholes. "He was the one that freed me."

"…and by 'freed', you mean…?" The story just started, and it was already crazy! Did she really mean what she thought she meant?

"Because of him I get to be free," Levy said with a soft smile, running her hand along the bushes that lined the path they walked.

"But I thought you didn't like goblins!"

"I don't, but…" Their story was complicated. She realized there was no good way to really explain it properly. "I think we were destined to meet."

Destined to meet? Wasn't this the same creature that stole the talisman from her? How could she forgive that? "Levy… coming from you?"

"I know, I know. It's hard to explain."

"He stole the talisman from you… didn't he?" Lucy wasn't sure if it was a tough topic or not, but she needed to know.

"Technically, I stole it from him first," Levy answered sheepishly.

"Wait… what?!" She remembered back to when Levy came home with this thing that helped her with the spirits. She remembered her saying that she took it from some guy on the street, and she kind of liked how he looked but she didn't want to stay and talk to him. "That's the guy you kicked down?!"

Levy laughed, the memories of that night coming back to her. Lucy poked fun at her for almost a week, saying she had the hots for this mysterious stranger. "Yeah, he was easy to take down."

"Wasn't he a human, then?" The blonde asked, trying to make the pieces add up.

A solemn look appeared on Levy's face, the guilt from her actions creeping up on her again. "That's the thing… The night I stole it from him was the night he and his family died because of it."

Lucy was at least able to piece together the fact that the Fallen most likely murdered him in pursuit of it. If Levy hadn't taken it, would he still be alive? Would she?

"Once I got it," she continued. "You know, they were after me for it. The night I told you I was gonna die, he showed up, but not as the same guy I stole from in the street a year prior."

"As a goblin…" Lucy mumbled under her breath. What an interesting turn of events! That still doesn't explain why she's so close to him. How did that come to be?

Laxus didn't know what to think. 'An interesting turn of events indeed.' So, was she just hanging around the goblin because she felt bad? Did she even want the talisman back? How did she feel about him killing her, though?

Levy blushed as she always did when she thought about her second encounter with Gajeel. She was already hooked by then and she didn't even know it. He looked at her differently, hungrily. And the way he looked at her now was the same.

Was Levy… still into him? Even though he killed her? Did something else happen that night before she died? "But he killed you, Lev."

"I was on the run, anyway," the angel defended. "I couldn't do anything I wanted to do. I was always afraid. Now I can do what I want. They fear me, as they should."

Levy found a bench and sat down; she was tired of walking around all day, and it was nice out. "After I died, I was reborn into an angel, and my goal was to kill all fallen angels for what they did to me. I wandered around the spirit world for a bit and as luck would have it, I stumbled across a beat-up goblin and I felt the urge to fix him up."

Lucy sat next to her and listened to the weird timeline of events that led up to now. It had to have been the talisman that made her find him, right? This was all too odd.

Laxus sat on the far side of the bench next to Lucy to give them a little space. So, they met twice before, then once officially? Was it the talisman that kept bringing them back together? After all, they both had some connection to it. 'But that's the mystery.'

"At the time, I hadn't remembered how I died or who he was, I just felt the need to… help him." Levy's face was currently a permanent shade of pink. Just talking to someone else about her feelings made her realize how strong they were. Was it alright to feel this way about him so soon? It felt like they've known each other their whole life.

To both Laxus and Lucy, it was clear as day that Levy loved that goblin. For what reason? They weren't really sure. But after seeing her talk about him, they weren't so sure the talisman had something to do with it at this point. If Levy could see the good in him and be with him, couldn't Lucy feel the same about Laxus?

"After we talked and got to know each other," she said, fiddling with the headband he put on her hair the other day. "I learned that he was after the Fallen for killing him and his family. That's when I had some sort of idea that we were supposed to meet, but I didn't understand it fully then."

"Lev…" Lucy put her hand on hers, happy to be close to her again. "Do you love him?"

The blush on the angel's face darkened and crept down her neck. She wasn't expecting to be asked that question! She hadn't even asked herself yet! She figured they had all the time in the world to figure out how they felt, why think about it now?

"Do you love him?" Levy motioned toward the fallen angel next to the blonde and watched her turn a similar shade of red. She already knew the answer; the fact that he marked her was proof enough.

"…what about the talisman?" Lucy caught on to the fact that it was a rhetorical question, and she was glad it was. She definitely didn't want to make things tense again by talking about her relationship with Laxus. She wondered if it even mattered to her anymore.

"Oh, that," Levy said, almost forgetting about it completely. Every time she thought about or was with Gajeel, she seemed to overlook all things stressful. "I have it, but I don't know what to do with it."

Laxus' eyes widened; she already got it from him? It was a good thing she didn't really seem to care for it which meant he had a good chance of convincing her to give it to him. Would she eventually accept him? Would she accept Lucy?

"Here he comes," Levy directed her attention to Gajeel, who was down the path headed their direction.

Lucy watched how Levy stared at the goblin as he walked toward them. She was practically undressing him with her eyes! It was to the point where she nudged Laxus to see if he was witnessing what she was. How amusing! Levy hadn't shown any interest in anybody since she dated Freed! It was interesting to see this side of her!

Laxus almost laughed out loud! She was into that guy? He was nothing to look at! And he was way too clingy. He already knew as soon as he came back, he was going to be all over her again like he was before. How could she put up with that? He watched as he approached and sat as close to her as possible.

"Gajeel! Scoot over!" Levy chided, frowning at his lack of personal space.

"Sorry, Lev, I was just worried 'bout ya," he said, giving her barely a few inches of space.

"That doesn't mean you have to sit on my lap!"

"Any other time, ya wouldn't have minded," he said with a smirk, temporarily forgetting that they were with company.

'Good Lord.' Laxus had to stifle another laugh. They were so cheesy! Lucy, on the other hand, thought even though they were an odd pair, they were really cute, and they complimented each other nicely.

"There's a time and a place!" Levy was beet red at this point, and she was definitely going to pay him back for this one! "Can't you read the room, idiot?!"

"Oh, right! Gihi!" His laughter only annoyed her more and he knew it. 'She's gonna get me back fer this, I just know it.' He didn't mean to embarrass her; it's just that nothing else mattered when he was with her. But if he was already going to get in trouble, he might as well give one hundred percent and toy with her just a bit more. "I'm sorry, Shorty. Ya can berate me as much as ya want when we go back ta my place later."

Her eyes turned into saucers; why would he say that out loud?! "Keep it up, and there won't be a later."

'Ah, she's killin' me.' He held his chest in fake defeat. She had a point, there. "Alright, alright. Ya win."

Laxus and Lucy were speechless. What did they just witness? Why don't they just screw already! The sexual tension between them was obviously high! That explained why he was all over her and she was fine with it! If Lucy didn't know any better, she'd think the goblin wanted it more, but she knew her friend a little too well to assume that. Levy was not the innocent girl she appeared to be.

"So, what's the news 'bout the talisman?" Gajeel asked, ready to get this done and over with so he could be alone with his tiny angel. "What's the reason behind all the grief it's been causin'?"

"Well," Laxus sighed, sitting up straight. He could finally get to it and explain everything properly. When he told Lucy, she was a bit worried about the outcome, but he was certain if they worked together, they'd be able to figure something out. "The angels want it because they think it will get them back to Heaven, or at least to the Spirit World."

"That's why there was a Fallout in the first place, right?" Levy asked, using her general knowledge.

"Yeah, they got power-hungry," Laxus said, a hand running through his hair. "They hate the fact that they can only operate at half capacity. They feel like they've been down here long enough and would do anything to go back. That's why they revolted again."

"Those fuckers always wanna control somethin'," Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"So, they took over whatever they could, mainly the weaker areas," Laxus said, shaking his head. "To get any semblance of control on anything they felt they were able to."

"That's why they were trying to use me… as some sort of portal," Levy said, her voice soft.

"Right," he nodded. "But then, you gained the talisman, and they found a new goal."