Hestor sat impassively, watching Zen as the man argued with Xiao...Xiao was the High Priest of Set, leader of the church dedicated to the God whose magic the Evening Stars had been modeled after. He was already handling repercussions, but when Xiao had started to get after him...Kek-T and Abraxis had both appeared, glaring at the man and...to Hestors surprise...Xiao had backed down.

He was teetering...he knew he was, one minute he was pretty alright, in control, thinking clearly...the next thoughts would come to him...to do...terrible things. Already he'd felt pushed to claim Zen several times...just mate the Archangel...take him...use him for the power he needed to just go to Joya, destroy the High Warqueen and take the key he needed, take Farron back.

Farron had become something the whisperings used now, while at first they had told him to ignore the golden haired man, to use him and feel nothing, he was only a tool, now they acknowledged Farron loved him, sacrificed for him, was there for him when nobody else had been….and that bitch in Joya had taken him.

She didn't really want Farron, no, he knew that, she wanted Kaleb, she'd wanted Kaleb for years, how many times had she included handing him over when negotiations with Bosco for trade and peace had happened? Every. Single. Time. She knew Arman had adopted him, it had been her who had ordered him brought to Joya on a slave ship, likely her who had had Kalebs birth parents killed when he was child so she could own him.

No, she only wanted Farron because she knew he loved Hestor and she wanted to keep the things he needed from him….like Ma'ats key, and probably the only human being alive now that could become his One. He was furious when he thought about it, she'd wanted Kaleb, who he had felt the bond with, then, when Kaleb mated and that bond was gone, the only other person in the world he wanted...she wanted. The Bitch. Her and Heartfillia...he shook that thought glaring and stalking away, ignoring Zens call of his name. They had calmed the Pradesh family contacting them...Hestor had learned Farron had been allowed to contact his family as well...he was done listening to Zen try to convince Xiao that he didn't NEED training in his magic, he wanted to go home.

Xiao and the Temple of Set could offer Zen immense training and the education the man craved...if Zen relaxed enough to accept it and staying in Stella to get it, so Hestor felt no need to advocate for him, he hated arguing with his family, and Zens questions and accusations hadn't exactly made their talks comfortable, not that Zen was wrong, just that Hestor and his extremely touchy spirits were in no state of mind to be apologetic. Hestor found he was just...perpetually angry now.

Heartfillia was just an uneducated clumsy blundering fool...a shadow of the Celestial mage she could be if she had a real education in her magic, real training with people who could actually teach her about it...all things he had. She probably didn't even know what a "One" was, if she had she'd have felt Kaleb wasn't hers...wouldn't she? He growled as he strode into the library of the Temple, ignoring his cousins look as he passed the man. He lifted his hand and Abraxis was there, swinging a claymore and the lock on the door, the door handle...part of the door, that closed off the Temples relic books section of the library was gone, wards crackling over the spirit who strode right through them and Manuke was making a shocked noise and running toward them only to be blocked by Kek-T who held an ax to the mans throat.

"Let's not bother my keyholder...hmmm? You just stand right here." She purred and Manuke stood still, eyes wide as he watched Hestor march into the section of the Temples library...that was only entered during special ceremonies…

"Hestor...please...you could anger Anubis himself...those books are sacred." He tried and was answered by a scoff.

"I'm not much worried about deities right now cousin...the fates themselves mock me, so...Fuck them." Hestor responded as he searched through ancient books, treasures of Stella that had been protected for centuries. He was going to get some enlightenment even if he had to piss off the God of Death himself.

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"YES!...Oh Gods...more...please…" She was babbling, she knew she was, but she was consumed, every time better than the one before, he'd admitted it was his personal goal to her as she had climbed over him, kissed smooth skin, she very much enjoyed now kissing along the top and bottom edges of the gold choker he always wore, the skin was sensitive there, and the moans she'd get...sometimes he'd stammer out the sexiest little endearments, tell her she was beautiful in all sorts of different languages.

She was getting bolder, her tastes broadening a lot. Kaleb always encouraged her and Lucy was a woman who loved trying new things. Right now she was stretched out on the cool marble floor at the edge of the beautiful hottub sunk into it near the balcony, legs spread wide, Kalebs tongue swirling inside her sex as she pressed her palms against cool marble and tried to remember how to breathe.

He'd caught her off guard this time, waiting until she was nearly asleep then suddenly lifting her out of the water and plunging his face between her legs. Her body was already so relaxed and tired, she'd found some very nice furlined cuffs with long thick leather straps attached to them, and Kaleb had smiled one of his panty drenching sexy smiles when she had thought to him wanting to try them on him along with a few other things she'd picked up while out shopping with...of all people...Vander, who seemed to know where every kinky store was.

Christmas was coming, her first in Bosco, her first in White Sea and, her very first with Kaleb. Having someone...it made the whole season, that she already loved...wondrous. Shopping was just plain fun, it already had been, she'd always enjoyed it, but now she could take Vander, who was wicked fun to shop with, vocal and honest with his opinions and he'd helped her come up with some delicious things to try with Kaleb.

The trade off was her telling Vander which poisons were Eriks favorites and why, his favorite earrings, and...a few of his hang ups so Vander had been inspired to hit the sex toy shops so he could start pushing his mates boundaries.

Her other unexpected shopping partner, and by far the most thrilling, was Arman. The Ambassador mage took Lucy and Cana to other countries to shop, courtesy of Kittar, who was, Lucy discovered, a "Displacer" mage capable of teleports across the globe with upwards of 20 people at a time. Arman was helping with money conversions and soon they had quite the little group, Lucy, Cana, Arman Emzadi and Xally, though the studious little Pradesh doctor of the family had to leave to participate in a school trip to Minstrel, if Kittar was present collecting her for their fun "Girl days with Arman" was simple.

The Guildmaster Games would be coming with the spring and Kaleb was training and so was Lucy. Similar to the GMG in Fiore the games in Bosco included a top team from each Guild that progressed as their master did. So, if their master got knocked out of the competition, his guild did not progress either but unlike the GMG, the Guildmasters could recover points or carry the team higher with their matches. So if the team lost but the Guildmaster won with enough points, the team still advanced.

Bosco had designed their games to emulate how the guilds functioned, a strong Guildmaster could carry his guild to success or bring it down. The country also hosted on the years between the Guildmaster challenges regular wizard games, but unlike the GMG, those were not Guild limited, any wizard could participate, guilded or not, including the high powered mages of the military and Knighthood. It made Boscos wizard games far more competitive and they lasted for two whole months where the Guildmaster challenge was a 2 week event.

Kaleb pulled her from where she laid, he was still standing in the hot tub, but stepped onto one of the steps, pulling her lower body up and, once he'd lined himself up, thrust into her already clenching sex, getting a secure hold on her hips and starting to bring her up into his downward thrusts and Lucy screamed at the intensity of sensation he achieved with the unique angle, she was about upside down, shoulders resting on the padding that surrounded the edge of the hottub, arms spread nails digging into that pad as Kaleb started pounding into her, her breasts bouncing, her whole body overloaded as his long hard length hit her at an angle she'd never experienced before and dear gods it lit her up like a star exploding.

More than three hours she'd had him bound to their bed, playing with his body, denying him access to her and denying him release. When she had finally mounted him she'd driven the big blonde so far he hadn't been able to last long but then, Lucy had admittedly already cum herself once at that point, straddling one of his thick thighs and riding it while her fingers had driven her to a nice orgasm just like they had under his direction when they had been separated, he'd watched her get off and promised her he was going to make her pay for teasing him so hard.

This was his payback, snatching her up when she was already near boneless and taking her in this new way.

Gods help her the man was sex on legs, under his calm disciplined exterior he was easily as lusty as Vander and, very thoughtful, very very good at following Lucys creative swift mind and using her own wicked ideas on her.

"Kaleb! Ahhh!...nnngh! There...oh Gods right there!" She gasped out and he adjusted her just a little, his thrusts angling directly into what he'd only barely brushed before and on his second jarring drive into her her back arched and her whole body seized up as her orgasm slammed through her.

Kaleb hissed, managing to brace himself and not fall over as his own end took him with her, just the sight of her reaching her climax, mouth falling open, eyes squeezed shut, face clenched as it had hit her, that alone would have undone him but her channel clamped down on him in shuddering spasms that just ripped him over the edge and made his own breathing stop for a couple of seconds.

As it ebbed he pulled Lucy up and fully into his arms,stepping back down into the steaming water and smiling at her deep groan as the heated water enveloped her.

"Wicked man...destroying me like that...you're doomed now...no way you could do better...Gods...I'll fucking DIE if you do better but what a way to go…" She mumbled tilting her head so she could kiss his sweaty neck.

"Mmm, I don't back down from challenges like that you know. You won't die...maybe pass out. Maybe I'll beat Cobra and Vander in their little bet…" He chuckled and Lucy smirked up at him lazily.

"Vander is recovering. Come to think of it, I need to call Cana today and make sure she will be coming to the ceremony…" She said.

The Celestial Spirit King was going to meet them on Starblessed Island, one of the many floating islands on the Grass Sea, tonight she would be reunited with Aquarius.

There would be a ceremony and the King was going to bestow the mermaids key to Lucy, binding her to Lucy as he had done with Leo making both spirits hers and oneday...her childrens if she wished.

It was staggering to Lucy to think she, in mating with Kaleb, had gained a form of immortality. Their children would have it, would grow up and around 19-22 years of age, stop aging…..she would get to spend centuries with her family...raise she and Kalebs children, watching their grandchildren and their grandchildren's grandchildren grow.

Loke had shocked them both with the realization that they could keep having children of their own too, Archangels bore that level of fertility because the Spirit king had so wanted the magic to return to strength he'd gifted them with that. If Galasfriel were still on Earthland, he could still, at almost a thousand years of age, father and raise children.

They had also learned as parents while they would be protecting their children from the usual things parents protected their children from, they would also need to protect them from becoming slaves to people like Sorrano.

Raising Archangels was going to be challenging and Loke had finally confessed that the moment Kaleb had become one through mating with Lucy, the spirit king had ordered her spirits to cease her birth control.

It had pissed Lucy off, because she didn't want to have when she had children dictated to her, so she fully intended...once Aquarius was safely back in her family, to address that issue with the Stachefaced king. While her spirits apologize they also told her no matter what she tried, they had been ordered to thwart anything she did to prevent a pregnancy so that left abstinence...and damn it...that had been something she'd considered right up until Kaleb had returned from his office and inducting some new members to join her for lunch the day they had returned to White Sea and Loke had confessed about the birth control.

Things were...somewhat steady. They knew Zen was safe in Stella. Arman was fighting with Lady Hishiko, the Mother Seer and leader of the country, about getting him returned but he'd spoken directly to Zen who had grudgingly admitted he was fine, safe, being treated well and with respect. They also knew Hestor had been who had saved him from being lost to the voids, something that had startled everyone since the man was in the state he was in. Hestor refused to talk to any of them, though Zen said he did talk...just rarely and it often made no sense what he would say.

Farron had checked in, refused to tell Arman where he was, just insisted he was fine and they had to wait and he would explain everything when he got back. So, things weren't normal...the family was still worried, but..less so than they had been.

Just watching Kaleb walk across the dining room in his standard day to day guild attire, the butter soft white leather hugging him in all the right places and the way he'd looked at her, with his "We're having more for lunch than just that roasted chicken the kitchen sent up" look. Abstinence was out of the question, she wouldn't last a day, she'd become accustomed to her wake up orgasm courtesy of her grinning Morning Star who always woke before she did and would lure her out of sleep with gentle heated variety every day.

Lunchtime romps, sometimes hasty quickies wherever they could have them and then most nights falling asleep in a tangle of limbs made boneless by their combined need for each other having sparked some sort of heated play. It amazed her, they never tired at all of it, if anything, the need just kept growing.

She was happy though, very, and once her body started responding to requests again she positioned herself straddling her mate, resting her arms on his shoulders and smiling into his lazy lavender eyes.

"You said you had something planned for after the ceremony, that I had to pack for a few days and have Virgo hold on to my bags." She reminded him.

When Loke had told them about the Spirit Kings plans Kaleb had quietly told her the following day he wanted her to pack, that after the ceremony and the celebration following it, he was taking her somewhere.

He smiled at her "I said a week, pack for a week, warm clothes because it's almost December but also a few swimsuits." He replied and Lucy narrowed her eyes, for how much she loved surprises, she loved finding out about them before they happened even more, then acting surprised.

"But you won't tell me where we're going or what we're going to do when we get there?" She said and he shook his head smirking at her, the smirk deepening when she made a little attempt to prod at his mind.

You're adorable when you try to use my magic, you know that? Adorable, hot...sexy as hell when you try to get into my head….He was kissing her as the words came in and Lucy sighed into it, it was useless, she couldn't mindbend a Wizard Saint Mindbender and wring secrets out of him….and was considering maybe another round when there was a knock at the door, three taps...Thane.

She pulled back sighing and sinking to her chin in the steamy water as Kaleb chuckled.

"Come in Thane, we're in the tub." He called and a moment later Thane was wheeling in their usual breakfast cart and Lucy was assaulted by the smell of bacon, eggs, pancakes and coffee, her stomach rapidly kicking her libido to the curb, it had gotten its fill in this morning, now her empty tummy needed attention.

Thane placed the familiar lacrima tablet into Kalebs hands, pouring large mugs of coffee for the couple and setting them on a small tray with a little bottle of cream and various containers of sugar, cinnamon, cocoa and of course Kalebs jar of honey beside the hot tub.

Lucy moved over quickly grinning up at Thane.

"You're the best you know that right?" She told him and he winked at her.

"Don't let the Master know,he'll start giving me harder work to do if he knows how incredible I am." The man replied.

Lucy rested was putting sugar and cream in her coffee, noting Thane had included the vanilla bean and sugar mix she'd discovered at the Guilds cafe downstairs and beaming at him.

"Secrets safe with me, if he ever gives you grief you let me know, I'll give him hell." She said primly and Thane smiled, setting a bowl of freshly sliced strawberries down so Lucy could reach them and she again praised the Gods for her mates wonderful aid.

"Did you get Lucys...ahh...you did…" Kaleb started to say but Thane was already holding out a shiny new lacrima tablet toward Lucy who set down her coffee mug and wiped her hands on one of the fluffy towels by the hottub before taking it with a wide smile.

Kaleb had promised to start assigning her duties, as his mate, she was going to be expected by the Guild to start working with him. They had only been back two days, but he and Thane had apparently already gotten her a tablet like Kalebs and...it was now linked into the Guilds management system and programed with Lucys duties, a loose schedule for her, the events taking place at the guild with options for her select them and indicate if she would attend or not, there was everything, even her teams lacrima coms programmed in so she could tap their name and the tablet would call them or she could send them messages, receive them, all sorts of things, including where they currently were in the guild.

"Oh...oh I love this…" She breathed, she'd already been getting familiar with Kalebs tablet, and found every suggestion she'd made, everything she'd idly mentioned she'd do differently, had been set up to her desires on hers.

"Mmm, let me know if you want to change any of the functions, Thane can reprogram it somewhat but I can do it faster than he can since my magic can manipulate how it works." Kaleb said, sorting through his day and checking off what he would get to and what would be sent to others to get done.

The Raijinshuu had already been promoted with Lucys status in the guild. She wasn't officially the Guilds Mistress, but her team was already handling duties like Kalebs did. Something Freed was absolutely delighted with, loving his new expanded access to the guilds databases, Laxus was enjoying joining Beck and Cristoff to test potential new members and Bickslow had found he deeply enjoyed interacting with the visiting clans and merchants and had, thanks to his magic, the ability to discern intentions well enough he was working with Gaza and Vander in merchant screening, clan relations and security.

Vander and Presca were Kalebs ultimate security and investigation team, Cobra stepping into the work and adding his unique and exceptionally useful magic to the mix with ease thanks to Vander being his mate and Presca being a very adaptable man with a high snark tolerance. They were fast becoming a working team all their own. Now they were just letting Vander finish his recovery before heading out on a new job, so they would be at the ceremony.

She nibbled at strawberries and drank her coffee while going through her new tablet and doing pretty much what Kaleb was, handling her responsibilities before climbing out of the hottub toweling off and wrapping herself in one of kalebs shirts, since she prefered them over robes, and putting a plate together for herself to carry out onto the balcony and drop down into one of the chairs at the table out there so she could eat while she watched the practice rings below in the grand courtyard.

The Guild complex was behind a 20 foot high heavy white stone wall that had been built when the guild was just starting several hundred years ago. The main building they occupied had also been built back then and started out as the housing, market and everything for the first members. At first people flocked there and lived in tents within the wall but gradually the civilian population, drawn there because the guild provided protection from lawless clans, a market and law enforcement, allowed the population to grow and expand. The Guild kept things safe, so over time the city of White Sea had grown up outside the Guilds walls and now sprawled around it on three sides, the back of the guild was to the sheer cliffs that dropped off into the ocean.

White Sea had grown as well, with housing built out to either side of the original Guild building, Lucy really did love it now, she had wondered how she would adapt to life here, how she would feel in such a massive guild, and there was little doubt her Guildmaster had definitely made a large contribution to how much she'd come to love her new home but now months after Fairy Tail had disbanded and her friends abandoning her, she felt...happy.

Smirking a little she watched Kaleb emerge from the hottub, water streaming down his tall body, drops running along the lines and contours of his impressive physique, her breath catching as he lifted his arms up so he could reach up and pull the band holding his hair up in a high ponytail out and let his platinum hair fall around his shoulders. That done he toweled off, shrugged into his white silk robe, grabbed himself a plate and soon joined her, moving his chair to sit beside her so he could watch out over the courtyard too. She was quickly leaning on him, head resting on the side of his shoulder as she munched bacon and worked her way through her second cup of coffee while she watched Laxus put an applicant to task.

"That's Kinic Mallory, a wind mage,, Beck would have been the best to evaluate him since Becks magic counters his so well, beasts are strong against wind mages, but Laxus insisted he wanted to try him." Kaleb commented.

"Laxus loves challenges, he's been eating up this duty you've given him in between jobs." Lucy replied, her hand resting now, idly rubbing Kalebs thigh.

There was a soft buzz and she jumped a little, wide eyed looking at her tablet.

"Incoming call, just tap the screen and it will answer it." Kaleb said and Lucy reached out to tap the instrument, stunned when a familiar face smiled at her.

"Levy?" Lucy breathed.

"Hi Lu! Yeah it's me! I'm just checking on you girl! I realized I hadn't heard anything and Jet and I ran into Erza in Crocus yesterday and she hadn't heard anything either so I thought I'd check on you!" She said brightly.

Lucy blinked at her, noting Jet was sitting beside Levy with his arm around her...she was pretty sure Gajeel wouldn't like that…

"I'm doing great...are you still doing council work? Where's Gajeel?" She asked.

Levys smile fell as Jet huffed.

"Why would we know where metal face is? You know where Natsu is?" He asked and Levy elbowed him giving him a dark look that had the man's snide look gone quickly.

Oddly, the mention of her former partner didn't bring the sting it had for so long after Lucy narrowed her eyes on Jet.

"No JET, I don't know where Natsu is, he abandoned me, ran off and left nothing but a fucking note but Gajeel did NOT abandon Levy, while your ass was off somewhere Gajeel was there for Levy and helped get her out of Magnolia after the guild disbanded, how much did YOU help with that huh Jet?" Lucy demanded and the man's eyes widened, his face reddening.

"I...uh...Lucy..I don't know where Gajeel is, he and I split up about two weeks after we got to Crocus, he...he wanted more of a relationship and I didn't...Jet showed up and..well…" Levy held up her left hand and Lucy gasped at the engagement ring on her finger, not missing Jets smug look.

"I...well..congratulations Levy...I...I'm happy for you!" She managed worrying suddenly about was and always would be the Iron Slayers friend, his Bunny girl.

"Thanks Lu, the wedding won't be for a while, maybe next summer, but I wanted to see if you could be one of my bridesmaids?" She asked and Lucy smiled, nodding and forcing herself to try and be happy for one friend even while she was worried about another now...very worried.

Kaleb, always aware of Lucys state of mind, slid his hand over her back, rubbing a small circle there.

"That's great! Thank you Lu, hey, are you in touch with any of the others?" Levy asked and Lucy smiled.

"Laxus, Freed, Bixy and Cana." She said proudly.

"Cana is in Bosco!? Oh my God I thought she went with Bacchus!" Levy grinned.

"She did, Bacchus is in Bosco too...he's actually dating Bickslows sister now, left Quatro Cerberus and joined White Sea just a couple of weeks ago." Lucy replied.

"That's amazing! Is she there? I don't have her number do you have it?" Levy asked hopefully.

Lucy smiled, "Well, you won't be able to talk to her until next week some time, she's busy on a job and won't be able to answer until then but if you give me your contact info Lev I'll get her to call you as soon as she's available again." She offered.

"Ok, that works...uh...Lu...is someone there with you?" Levy asked when a breeze blew some of Kalebs hair across Lucys shoulder, her own was still piled on her head in a messy bun from being in the hottub and Kalebs was several shades paler and had a more silvery tone to it than her warm gold.

She smiled, holding up her right hand so Levy could see her promise ring and Levys eyes rounded, Lucy hadn't doubted her well read friend would know exactly what that ring meant.

"LUCY! Who is he?!" Levy demanded and Lucy pushed the tablet back a bit so Kaleb came into view, Levys jaw fell open.

"I...you...you're…" She stammered.

"Kaleb is my promised...and...my mate Lev...he's an Archangel mage and we...became mated a little bit ago." Lucy said softly, looking over at Kaleb, emotion welling up suddenly as she told one of her long lost friends about her new relationship.

Levy had dozens of questions once she knew Kaleb was an Archangel Mage, having believed them long extinct she was delighted to hear now there were two. Kaleb handled Levy's tirade with his usual calm grace, an arm sliding around Lucys waist, pulling her from her chair into his lap when he sensed her getting emotional and she leaned back into him.

Her old life was so far away behind her now, Kaleb was with her, they had a bright future ahead of them, she suddenly had this large loving invested family because of her mate, it all felt so good she was actually overwhelmed more by her own happiness than the pain of what she had lost anymore, but she still missed her friends, Erza, Gray...Natsu.

There had been a time when she had thought she and Natsu might one day be an item, but now, knowing better through Cristoff how all of that worked for Dragon Slayers, she knew better, Natsu had never wanted her that way, had never shown interest in her that way.

Kaleb on the other hand...she smiled at him, leaning to kiss his cheek as he talked with Levy, Kaleb from the beginning had been flirty and made her heart skip around with his open invitation to his bed and when the warm looks he gave her had taken on more heat...Gods the first time the sexy smirk came out she'd about orgasmed.

Kaleb had never left her wondering whether or not he desired her, and he'd never called her fat or shoved her back behind him like she was too weak to fight at his side. Gods she loved him for all of that too.

His arm tightened around her and she was brought out of her thoughts back to the conversation.

"So, you'll both come to the wedding for sure then?" Levy was asking and Lucy was nodding as soon as Kaleb smiled.

"Fantastic! Soon as I set a date I'll be back in touch, Lu! Make sure Cana calls me!" She said brightly and the link went out.

"You should call Erza." Kaleb said then, surprising her.

"She's with Jellal." Lucy protested, she hated imposing, interrupting people as they were busy with their lives.

"Word from a friend is not an intrusion or an imposition Lucy, and if nothing else, you should call her just to find out why she hasn't called you." Kaleb said, hugging her and kissing her nose then her lips, making the kiss a long soft one that left her breathless and smiling. Reminded nicely how much she was loved in that one moment she dialed Erza as Kaleb strode to the bedroom to get dressed, giving her privacy but staying close, if Levy made her emotional he knew Erza was a closer friend than Levy and he'd be damned if he let the love of his life backslide, not after she had come so far and was happy again.

Lucy was suddenly presented with a grinning requip mage. "LUCY! I was just asking Jason if he had heard anything on your whereabouts recently and he told me you were in Bosco!I had no idea Natsu was planning to train in Bosco, beautiful country, you will need to bring me a bottle of Ophiries Opulent hair conditioner, it is the best I have ever found and only sold…" She was saying.

"...at a booth in the grand market district in Pelerno, I have some in the bathroom Erza, Bickslow's sister Emzadi swears by it and I don't think my hair had ever been so soft." Lucy chuckled. Erza beamed "Excellent! I want 25 bottles of it when you return." She said firmly.

Lucy pressed her lips together "I'll just ship them to you, where are you getting mail?" She asked.

Erza gave her her contact information as well as the address where Meredy's Aunt lived, it was where all of Jellal's current group got their mail.

"I'll get some to you and send you some of their bath bombs, they're amazing." Lucy promised.

"Excellent, i shall look forward to trying them. Where is Natsu? I'd like to ask him how his training is going?" Erza asked and Lucy frowned.

"I have no idea Erza, I haven't seen Natsu since the battle with Tartaros. Just like you and Gray, he disappeared, left a note saying he'd be away training for a year and that was it." She said a little more harshly and with more bitterness than she had meant to.

Erzas eyes flew wide "You...he left you behind?!" She breathed.

Lucy narrowed her eyes on her former team mate. "Just like you and Gray did, without so much as a goodbye, without telling me where he was going, made it clear how much I didn't matter to any of you. But It's fine, Bickslow found me and I went with him, Laxus and Freed to Bosco and joined White Sea, I've made S-class too. Did you know Levy and Jet are engaged? Yeah...she abandoned Gajeel after he moved mountains to be there for her and I'm worried about him, it's why I called, have you seen or heard anything from or about where he may be?" She asked and Erzas eyes teared up.

"Lucy...I'm so sorry, I...I honestly thought you were with Natsu, I heard he had gone to train and I just...I assumed since you two were always so close and always together that you were with him…." She said in a shaky voice. "Please forgive me Lucy...I never would have left if I had thought you were alone." She added.

Lucy bit her lower lip, immediately feeling guilty for how harsh she'd been, a warm hand closed on her shoulder and she reached for it immediately, looking up over her shoulder to find Kaleb there.

You were not overly harsh Lucy, you let her know how you felt, it was the right thing to do, she can not apologize or even realize what she did to you if you don't tell her. He said gently.

But this is Erza, she's my friend and I made her cry...she mentally whimpered. Kaleb slid down into the oversized chair, shifting her so she was back in his lap and kissed her forehead before wrapping his arms around her.

She made you cry, she made you feel life wasn't worth living, a small taste of your pain will help her remember and not repeat her mistakes… He was kissing her lips softy, little featherlight kisses meant to comfort.

"Lucy...who...who is that?!" Erza was gasping and Lucy almost facepalmed, Kaleb had just walked over, only partly dressed in his standard white leather pants and had a white silk shirt on but not buttoned and he'd started kissing her right in front of Erza.

"This is Kaleb Erza...my promised…" She held up her hand showing off her ring then smiling back at Kaleb "and, my eternal soul mate." she added before kissing him lightly and looking back at the red head.

"Prom….soulmate! Lucy! Have you had intercourse outside the bonds of holy matrimony?!" She gasped.

Lucy smirked at her friend "Oh Gods yes, several times a day and every single night if we aren't busy with guild or family business. Kaleb, this is my friend and former guildmate Erza Scarlet, Erza...this is Kaleb Pradesh, Guildmaster of White Sea, fifth Wizard Saint of Bosco, and Bickslows older brother." Lucy introduced. Erza blinked in stunned amazement.

"I...it is a pleasure to meet you Master Kaleb...I...I did not even know Lucy was in Bosco until recently, please forgive my thoughtlessness, when I arrive in Bosco you may both strike me." She said bowing her head.

"We'll see, when should we expect you then?" Kaleb asked and Lucy was wide eyed.

Erza narrowed her eyes "I shall have to contact you back with the date, I have a few things to do before making the trip. Lucy...I will make this right, I swear it." Erza said firmly and Lucy shook her head at her friend.

"It's Ok Erza, your apology is enough." She said and her mouth fell open when Kaleb spoke up.

"Not for me. Complete whatever tasks you have set for yourself Erza Scarlet, I see the knights seal on your chest, Lucy may accept just a simple apology for your transgressions against her but you hurt her, deeply and I am not as forgiving as she is. As her mate it is my duty to protect her from pain and injustice, I will need to see your effort in making this right even if she doesn't feel it's needed." Kaleb said firmly, putting on his deep resonating edged Guildmaster voice that even had Lucy sitting up straighter in his lap.

Erza bowed, eyes narrowed, clearly...pleased. "Indeed it is your duty and I am happy to see you take it seriously, I will show you, Master Kaleb, how a Fioran knight delivers on their vows." She said firmly.

"Lucy, I will call you soon." She said and was gone, leaving Lucy staring, mouth hanging open at the tablet.

Kaleb smiled, pushing her chin to close her mouth before he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I like her." He said simply before lifting Lucy and setting her on her feet before pulling her by the hand into their bedroom. They needed to get dressed, the day was going to be a long one and there was a precious Ceremony once the stars lit the sky.