Chapter 44

Fight

Jade walked off in a huff, angry that it wasn't Levy who answered the door, not to mention, he spewed their business quite loudly; she wouldn't be surprised if Levy heard him. 'I wonder how she'll feel about me now,' she thought as she made her way through the woods. She was genuinely sorry, and deeply regretted her actions but she couldn't turn back time, and she couldn't make someone forgive or forget.

She really hoped he listened to her warning, or at least that he told Levy. Jade knew that she had no qualms toward her and would most likely take it into consideration. Everything happened for a reason, though, she supposed.

It was getting late and she wasn't sure what to do next. She could go back to her hideout in the mountains, or she could hang around Magnolia just in case the Tribe popped up. She thought about going back to the Tribe, but she wasn't supposed to return until Monday. They were sure to find it suspicious if she came back any sooner. Maybe she could get some more information on the Dragneel family.

At the same time, she didn't remember seeing any information on them when she looked over the files for 'Operation Phoenix'. Was this something new that they were adding to the plans, or was this something that has been a part of the plans and they just decided to not keep her in the loop? Either way, it was going to be hell for any parties involved.

Jade sometimes wondered if she should just keep to herself and forget the Tribe and forget about Levy and Gajeel and let them all fend for themselves. She knew helping them and playing sides would most likely come back to bite her in the butt, but this all stemmed from her wanting redemption. She was never an evil person, so the times she did wrong, her conscious usually kicked in and told her to do something to redeem herself. Kind of contradictory for a very skilled bounty hunter. Looks like she had a lot of repentance to do.

Eli had to admit; Ryn was brilliant at planning. Her plan was foolproof. Of course, they expected issues from the slayer, but they were already prepared for that. They would be ready and waiting by the time the slayer caught wind. Now, all they had to do was wait.

"Do you mind if we go over the plan again?" Ryn asked, eager to hear her ideas come together again.

"Why don't you go and tell the underlings what the plan is," Eli suggested. "Then I can come down and tell them what their jobs are."

"Alright," she said, equipping her mask. "See ya soon!"

He watched her butt as she briskly walked out of the room.

"Actually," he called, waiting for her to come back.

"Yes, sir?"

"You sit this one out, I'll go down and tell them the plan," he stated, standing from his chair. "I've got a more important task for you."

"What's that?" She asked, curious. She wasn't sure what could be more important than achieving their current goal, but she'd do anything for Eli, no questions asked.

"Go watch Jade."

She raised an eyebrow. "You really don't trust her, huh?"

"Not in the slightest. I want to make sure she does not ruin our plan. We need him, and she's a threat to our mission. At any moment, she could turn on the Tribe."

"Anyone could turn on the Tribe at any time," she said matter-of-factly.

"Is this going to be an issue, Ryn?" He asked, staring daggers at her with his burning silver eyes.

"N-no, sir."

"Then get to it. Come back before we move forward, please."

With that, he slipped on his mask, leaving the room, and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Sometimes he could be a bit intimidating. Hot, but intimidating.

Several mages sat around a large oval table discussing their next move. Eli walked into the room, taking a head count internally. He sat in his chair, going over the daily paperwork, which only took him about five minutes.

"Alright," he said, standing and putting his palms flat on the table. "It's time to move forward with 'Operation Phoenix'." He took a few steps away from the table and began pacing back and forth.

"We've been watching for a little over two years now, and I think now is the prime time to begin the first step."

He went on to explain the plan in depth, covering all aspects of it, big and small.

"But sir," a masked mage said. "We'll get killed!"

"That's why we send in our secret weapon," Eli responded.

The other mages looked at each other, mumbling in confusion.

"Don't worry," he assured them, causing the others to stop murmuring and face him. "Just trust me." He grinned devilishly under his mask, content with his foolproof plan.

"Each of you will pair up and go to your assigned position," he continued, handing everyone their own set of instructions.

"I've taken it upon myself to pair you up with the person your magic is most compatible with, as well as placing you in a location that is beneficial to you if you need to attack. Each set of instructions is different for each pair.

"This mission, folks, is what will make or break us. Some of us may not make it, but you knew what you signed up for when you decided to stay when I came aboard. I did not send you on those brutal hunts for the hell of it. I did not send you on those hunts for my health. This mission has been in the works now for almost two and a half years and I needed to weed out the weak.

"This dragon slayer will not show you mercy. The script mage is not to be trifled with either. I am sure I have the best group for this job and hopefully, we do not take any casualties. If everything goes well, we can complete the first part of the operation without any trouble at all.

"That being said, there will be a brawl, a huge one, if I'm being all the way honest. It's just a matter of when. We have not gone through the trouble of hiding our headquarters, so if we are able to complete the first step with no trouble, it will shortly follow. I suspect if all goes smoothly, we should expect the battle to be the day after. By then, we should be able to take them on with no issue at all."

He finished his debriefing and paused for a second.

"Any questions?"

"What do you mean she 'took advantage of you'? And she tried to kill you?!" Levy had so many questions, and she was getting angrier with each one.

"Levy—"

"And you were never going to tell me?! What the hell, Gajeel?!" She stormed off to their room to avoid waking Zeke. She knew it was a good idea to place silencing spells in the walls during their small renovation project a few years ago.

Gajeel followed, grabbing her wrist and stopping her.

"Get the hell off of me, Gajeel!"

So many things were swirling around in her head, she barely was able to comprehend her feelings.

"Levy, please, listen to me," he said as she snatched her arm back. "I was gonna tell ya, but…"

"Were you, Gajeel? Were you? Because we met Jade EIGHT YEARS AGO! That timeframe doesn't add up to me!"

"I didn't want to stress you out, Lev. You were pregnant, and—"

"Stress me out?! This woman was an ENEMY and not only that, she tried to have sex with you, and ALMOST SUCCEEDED, and here I am all friendly and inviting her around and whatnot!" She stood in front of him, her arms crossed tightly against her chest.

"I had it under control, Lev!"

"Did you?"

He didn't and he knew she knew.

"And to think…" she turned around shaking her head, trying to shake the tears away. "I befriended her... had her around our son… and you were never going to tell me."

She grabbed a travel bag and threw it on the bed, it conveniently flying open.

"Lev… please stop," the dark-haired man said as she threw an armful of clothes in her bag.

"To think… she had her hands all over your body and I… touched you right after… and you were never going to tell me."

He reached out to touch her, but she moved away from him.

"Please, Levy, don't leave." He knew she was just going to Lucy's, but he didn't want to be left alone. He didn't know if he could be in solitude with his thoughts, not in this mind state.

"I'm so sorry I kept this from ya," he said as he grabbed her by the waist and hugged her tightly. "Please don't leave me alone, Levy," he said into her hair.

"Get… off!" She struggled to break free, but he was too strong.

"You have Zeke!" She said, using her script magic to push him away. "You won't be alone."

She knew damn well what he meant, but she wasn't giving him the time of day.

"Levy, please, I'll do anything, anything ya want, just stay!"

"Who knows what else you've been keeping from me!" She exclaimed.

"Nothin', Lev, I swear!" He got on his knees and grabbed both her wrists, looking into her sad eyes.

"Levy, I know what I did was wrong and deceptive and ya have every right ta hate me, but I-I don't know if I can be by myself right now. I need ya here with me," he pleaded. "I'll even sleep out in the living room or somethin', I just need ta know yer home with me."

Levy almost broke, but he really screwed the pooch this time.

"You should have thought about that before you started keeping secrets and let me look like a fool," she said, taking her wrists back, grabbing her bag and leaving the room.

"Levy!" He darted down the hall after her, unknowingly waking Lily.

"I'm leaving, Gajeel," she said firmly.

He caught up to her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his body.

"Please, Lev," he said, holding her by her shoulders. "I love you so much, please don't go. It's the middle of the night, and I don't want you to get hurt out there."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

Levy could have pulled away, but instead, she looked into his crimson eyes that were begging, pleading for her to stay, for her to hold him, for her to tell him she loved him. Even though she was pissed at him, she still felt their electricity and passion, and a small part of her just wanted to melt into his arms and never leave them.

Gajeel noticed her hesitation and pulled her in tighter, hoping he could get her to stay.

"Levy…"

"No, Gajeel," she said, backing away. "I can't. I need some time."

She opened their front door, the vast darkness of the woods slightly intimidating. She looked back at a distraught Gajeel, who was near tears himself.

"Levy… please. I'm sorry," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "Please don't leave me."

"Goodbye, Gajeel," she turned around and left their once cozy home, the outside not as inviting as their cottage.

She shut the door behind her and used her script magic to provide light as she weaved through the trees and foliage.

"What was all that? What did you do this time?" Lily said, coming around the hallway corner.

"I…." Gajeel couldn't speak.

He sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands, fighting back tears.

"Lily…" He said. "Can you make sure she gets to Bunny Girl's safely?"

"Anything, Gajeel." Lily flew through the open window to find their script mage.

Levy woke up the next morning feeling like absolute garbage. Natsu and Lucy were kind enough to take her in for as long as she needed, and she couldn't have been more grateful. After Lily dropped her off, she and Lucy stayed up the majority of the night talking it over and Levy did feel a little better, but the bottom line is the fact that he kept something from her, and it was definitely something she felt it was worth sharing.

She understood what he went through. Back when she was kidnapped and almost raped, she didn't want to talk about it either, but she still told him, and she felt better when she did.

She missed Zeke. She didn't want to leave him there, but she couldn't very well wake him up in the middle of the night and haul him off to Lucy's with her. She also didn't want to do that to her mate. He was already devastated about her leaving, she could only imagine how he'd feel if she took Zeke, too.

She wanted to go to the guild to see him, but if Zeke was there, then Gajeel was there, and the last thing she wanted was to be around him right now. She was hurt. She felt there was some level of trust now lost. She needed time to get over it.

"How are you feeling, Lev?" Her blonde friend asked. "You look beat."

"I'm tired and depressed, but I'll manage," Levy said, burying her face in a pillow.

"You want me to make you something to eat?"

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed.

"Happy! I wasn't talking to you!"

"Awww, come on Luce!" Natsu said. "We're all hungry! Why is she the only one who gets to eat?"

Lucy shot Natsu a look that sat him back down.

"Sorry."

"Anyway," the blonde continued, rubbing her blue-haired friend's back. "What do you have a taste for?"

Levy didn't really have an appetite, but she was starving. She knew she needed to eat, or she'd get sick.

"Your call," she mumbled.

Lucy stood up, going to make her best friend's favorite breakfast; pancakes with strawberry topping.

Levy genuinely felt crappy. She'd never gotten into a fight so big with Gajeel before. She's stayed with Lucy before, but maybe only a day, if that. She wondered if she felt this bad because she was so far from her mate, but it's not like she was going to go back to him so soon, anyway, so she felt no need to delve deeper into the thought.

After maybe ten minutes or so, Lucy approached her with a plate of her favorite food.

"All done! Here you go," Lucy said, handing her the plate.

The pancakes looked amazing, but as soon as Levy smelled them, her stomach turned.

"Oh my god," Levy said, holding her hand over her mouth and running to the bathroom.

"Lev, you ok?" Lucy asked, concerned for her friend.

After a minute or two of her purging the contents of her stomach, she emerged from the bathroom looking worse than she did when she went in.

"Let's go see Porlyusica," she said, clutching the doorframe to the bathroom.

Lucy already suspected what was happening, and she was all for going to see the older woman.

"Come on, I'll walk with you."

Gajeel took Zeke to the guild in the hopes of running into Levy. He was sure she missed her son, but he was also sure she didn't want to see him either. Now, which one outweighed the other, he wasn't sure.

He entered the guild, praying she would be there and was saddened when he couldn't sniff her out.

"Hey, bud," he nudged Zeke's arm.

"Yeah, dad?"

"Go see if you can find yer mom. Once ya find her, come get me."

Zeke ran off in the direction of the library, where she most likely would be if she was there.

Gajeel groaned and sat at the bar, wanting to drown his inner thoughts. He wasn't lying when he said he couldn't be alone with himself. When times were rough, his thoughts tended to go dark and Levy was always the one to keep his mind clear and keep him from doing something stupid. It probably wasn't the brightest idea to get drunk from sake, but what else could he do?

"Where's Levy?" Mira asked, handing him a mug of beer.

"Don't. Know." Her asking him that question seemed to grind his gears even further.

"Is everything alright at home?" She asked, genuinely concerned for her fellow guildmate as it was unusual for those two to not be together.

"Peachy," he grunted. He didn't need or want anyone in their business, because then, they would try to help, and to him at the moment, everyone was a moron.

He downed the beer and asked for the biggest cup of sake he could stomach.

"Whoa, Gajeel," Mira said, pouring the drink into his empty beer mug. "You sure everything is ok? You don't typically drink this much unless something is bothering you."

He shot her a glare and downed his sake, coughing from the burning sensation in his throat and chest before setting Jewel down at the bar and walking away.

"Dad!"

He turned around, wobbling slightly as the alcohol started kicking in.

"Did ya find her?"

Zeke shook his head and ran off, presumably to find Nashi. She most likely wasn't there if Flame Brain and Bunny Girl weren't, but he'd let him find that out on his own.

Gajeel roared and punched a wooden beam, angry that she wasn't around, but more angry at himself for letting this happen.

Mira saw the whole ordeal, from him asking Zeke if he found Levy to Gajeel punching the beam. 'They must have gotten into a bad argument…' She thought as she continued wiping down the bar.

After the girls left Porlyusica's, they went back to Lucy's house.

"Why, why, whyyyyy?" Levy whined. "This was the last thing I wanted! I told you to remind me to take my potion, Luce!"

"Well, you passed out and I couldn't very well tell you then, while you were on the floor, could I? And besides, taking it now wouldn't have changed the fact that you're already pregnant!"

"You're right," Levy said, plopping down on Lucy's bed. "I must have taken last month's potion too late."

"Have you figured out how or when you're going to tell Gajeel?"

"Ugh," the script mage rolled her eyes, falling backward on the bed. "I'll tell him when I tell him. Right now, I just want to sleep."

Levy really only wanted to find him and run into his arms, but she was still too angry. Damn, did she miss him, though. She missed Zeke. She missed Lily. She'd not even been gone a full day and it felt like she'd been gone a week. She finally understood why she fainted in the sauna, and why she felt as bad as she did. She wished she had some of his iron right about now…