Change of Fate

Lady Countryrose

Ch. 17

The day after the party, true to Mira's word. She had gotten many people to work around the guild. As for Grace and Lucy, they were in Lucy's apartment. Staying away from Mira and her mad plans. They were also staying away from Gajeel and Natsu for the time being. Neither one of them were happy, once Mira had her hands on them.

"Are you nervous about the wedding, Grace." Lucy didn't sound excited, she sounded more worried.

Grace took a deep breath. "I'm okay about the wedding, Lucy. It's after...that I'm having a hard time…." The elder sister closed her eyes. "It was one of the main reasons I didn't want to marry whoever father wanted. It was because of what needs to be done…" A couple tears left her eyes. "I wish mother was here."

"You're not afraid of Gajeel, are you?"

"No," she smiled. "I'm not afraid of him… But him being a dragon slayer and knowing that they're full of power. You have to wonder, can they be gentle...in the bedroom?"

"Where is this fear coming from," asked Lucy as she leaned back on her couch. As she watched her sister, who was sitting at the other end. "I don't remember seeing you like this before."

"My fear comes from being tested for so long… Nearly a lifetime before I was adopted, Lucy." Grace closed her eyes. "You know, every time I close my eyes. I see my young self behind a cage. Fearing the next needle would do me in."

"You've read enough romance…."

"Romance novels don't prepare you for the real experience, Lucy. You know that as much as I do." Grace had gotten up and made her way into the kitchen. Where she grabbed something to make hot water will. "Plus every male character that I've ever read about, don't come close to Gajeel!"

She turned around and grabbed a couple of cups. Then turned to another cupboard and grabbed a couple different teas. She grabbed a couple of rosehip tea bags.

"No leading male, through the crisp pages ever described anything close to him. Tall, dark and handsome, sure. But nothing close to anything else I know of him."

"What, his rugged good looks? I'm sure I've read a few of them." She then looked towards her sister with a knowing smile. "Is it because he has an alpha attitude or something. It can be a turn on for most people."

Grace glared at her younger sister. "It has something to do with that. He is so rough, especially when it comes to people." She gave a small smile. "But there are those small moments that he shows his gentle side. I just wonder which side I'll see on our wedding night…"

"Well when you put that way," Lucy gave Grace a small smile. "I can see your point." When the water boiled, Lucy pushed her sister aside to serve them tea. "All I can say is that from what I've seen how he treats you. Even in public, he'll be gentle."

The two sat down at the table. Drinking their tea. Glancing at each other. Seeing one in a bubble of nerves. While the other was happy for the other.

"I know what I can do for you, Grace. I will tell you what he is, from a writer's standpoint. Maybe it'll help you with your quivering mess of anxiety."

Grace glared at the blonde before her. "You really think that would help?" She glanced towards the open window over the bed. She could hear people walking in the streets below. She took a deep breath. "I wonder do normal girls go through this?"

Lucy shook her head. "I guess neither one of us had a normal childhood." She glanced down into her tea. "I wonder what my future holds, just reading what my tea says."

The auburn haired woman leaned over the table, with her head in one hand. "Alright, what does your writer mind say about Gajeel?"

"Other than tall, dark, and handsome." She smiled. "He's protective, strong, and a stud."

Grace's eyebrow raised for a moment. "Because of the metal?" She had noticed all the studs that made his face more noticeable. She wondered if it somehow enhanced his looks in some way. For people to see his face better. It was something that ran through her head from time or two.

"Yep," Lucy smirked. "Gajeel is also very determined, for whatever crosses his mind." She leaned over the table, to look into the other woman's eyes. "He also is very stubborn… Haven't you met him really? He has a one track mind, especially when it comes to you, Grace."

A giggle left the young woman's lips, as she thought back to the man in question. "Oh, I don't think I've noticed…" She knew her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but she couldn't help it. Grace shook her head. "He did come for me...like a predator on the wind…" She smiled. "I don't know how to describe it. I somehow knew that he was coming but I kind of lost it for a moment."

"What do you mean?"

"Midnight," Grace glanced into her sister's big brown eyes with sorrow. "He can somehow get into people's heads." Seeing Lucy's sorrow eyes. "Being alone in that cave with him was the scariest moment of my life. Besides the scientists."

Grace smiled softly. "But as soon as I saw Gajeel. I knew that I was safe." She took a deep breath. "I knew that since he was there, I was able to fight back."

Lucy smiled with warmth. "Was that the reason you said yes to marry him? Because he made you feel safe?"

Grace smiled in return. "I think it was more than that. But it was one of the main reasons." She glanced toward the window. "He also made me feel like I was home. Even though you weren't there. I did feel at home with him."

Lucy smiled, "I almost want to write a love story about you and Gajeel." She glanced towards her desk. "Sadly, it might be a power struggle between the two of you. I mean you're an alpha female, while he's an alpha male. I also wonder who would win over who in a fair fight?"

"I would win," stated Grace with a wicked smile. "That is how we met after all. I did take him down and he starts spouting off about mates right on the spot." She giggled. "I almost thought he had lost his mind that day."

"He did," stated Lucy. "He fell in love with you." A giggle left her lips as she saw her sister's green eyes flash of understanding. "Isn't the time that we should head to the guild for dinner? Mira said that she wanted everyone there before the wedding to do a run through with everything."

Grace grumbled, "You're my maid of honor. Loke is walking me down…" She then glanced at Lucy. "Shouldn't we ask him to come out?"

Without much of a second had passed, when a flash of light came into the room. Showing Loke standing before them with a smile on his face. "Thinking about me, ladies?"

"Only that we may need you," stated Lucy with a half-heated glare. "We have to do a walk through on how the wedding should look like for tomorrow."

Loke glanced around, seeing that they were just sitting at the table in Lucy's apartment. "When were you thinking about leaving?"

Grace smiled, "We were thinking about leaving in a minute. I just wanted you out, before we left." She glanced up into his sunglasses covered eyes. Leaning on the table. "Seeing that we may need a big brother to see to our safety, before such wedding and all?"

A deep chuckle left the man's lips. "Oh Grace, you know what to say to such a lion like me." Then his eyes fazed out, showing the two girls that he was thinking about something. "I really didn't think about this before, but Gajeel's going to be MY brother-in-law!"

His outburst had caused the two girls to go into a fit of giggles. "That's all you're worried about," gasped Lucy. "You don't have to see him every day!" The blonde gave her ginger-haired guardian a glare. "I don't know how Grace will manage, but seeing him eat iron all the time is cringe-worthy." Lucy sighed, "He's going to be my brother-in-law, Loke."

"Yeah," he gave a soft sounding growl. "I'm her brother," he then turned to the blonde with a flash of light from his eyes. "While you're my love, my dear Lucy."

Grace smirked, seeing her lion of a brother wilding her sister up. Which she noticed that it was working. "Now, now," she stated softly. "Let's head towards the guild. Knowing that Mira would have our heads if we don't make our way there soon."

"You're right," stated the other two.

The group had gotten up, leaving Lucy's apartment before going towards the guild. Lucy was not in the mood to walk along the river bank, knowing that time seemed to be of the essence of Grace's wedding. Once the three had entered the guild. They noticed something that neither of them would have imagined. Erza sitting on Natsu, preventing the pink-haired male from moving from the spot that she had him in.

"Erza," asked Lucy with worry in her voice. "What's going on?"

"Preventing him from destroying the decorations before the wedding." The scarlet red-headed woman, growling out of her lips. Natsu was making a lot of noise from being under her. "He wouldn't…" she pulled out her sword from thin air. "..stop wanting…" hitting his head with the hilt on his head. "..to fight…"

THUMP!

"Er...zaaaa," cried the fire-breather. "It's...no fu...nnnn."

Grace grumbled before making her way towards the two with heat in her eyes. Once she was near Natsu, she got onto her knees and leaned into him. "Now Natsu, if you want to have an all-out war with Gajeel?" She saw the pink-haired male glancing up towards her with longing in his eyes. "You'll be going to have to wait until the day after the wedding…"

"Or," he asked with sorrow in his voice.

"Or I'll see to it that you wouldn't be able to fight with ANY dragon slayer!" She glanced around the guild hall, seeing that everyone was intrigued by what she had to say. "For I don't know, let's say about three months."

"THREE MONTHS," yelled Natsu with anger in his voice and eyes. "You don't have the power to do that!"

Grace turned towards the elder master with hope in her eyes. "Makarov?"

"I'll call every guild across Fiore," the master of the guild stated with warmth.

"NO," cried out Natsu, as he was trying to wiggle out from Erza. "Gramps!"

"Well Natsu," stated Grace, who saw that she had him where she needed him to be. Listening and compliant.

"Fine," he growled out with a bit of fire coming out of his mouth. "You gotta deal."

Gajeel, who had been listening and watching from his corner of the guild. Laughed out with deep roaring sounding echoes. "You got your ass handed to ya, Salamander!"

Erza had gotten off of Natsu, who glared at the raven-haired slayer. "Yeah, but you're marrying her!"

This caused the Iron Dragon Slayer to purr, "You're just mad that you haven't thought about marrying your own mate." His eyes flashed after seeing the pink-haired male glared at him. "Face it, fire-breather. I'm better than you for admitting things sooner than you've wished to."

Grace sighed before she made her way towards her husband-to-be and sat down next to him. "Is everything a competition for you?"

"Not just me, Goddess. All Dragon Slayers think this way." His lips pulled into a smirk. "It's how dragons have done for years. We show by our strength to claim a mate and leadership." He glanced towards Laxus, who was looking towards their table. "Even Dryer over there has those instincts without being raise around a dragon. His own instincts are embedded in him because of the lacrima."

"What about me," asked Grace with a thoughtful look in her eyes. "I wasn't raised by any dragon, nor was I given a lacrima."

"Well, my dear Goddess. You're the exception to the rule." Gajeel's eyes sparkled with something that even Grace had a hard time understanding. Was it because of lust or was it something more. "You were raised by scientists. Maybe one of them found another way around such things."

Grace had to give it to him. He would normally don't show many that he had intelligence. She would have to say the same with Natsu, but they were. He had even thought of things that she may have thought at the edge of her thinking but never really voiced them. Or she had, but not remembering.

'Or the time that I had spent with a dark guild? It hadn't help with my thinking.' It was one of the things that kept popping into her mind since being away from Fairy Tail. 'It could also be because of Mystogan putting me into a deep sleep like he did.'

She felt Gajeel moving towards her, feeling his nose raking across her shoulder. "Besides," he purred out. "Either way, you were meant to be mine." Causing her to shiver, as her spine felt coldness running down it. "Or it could also mean that since you embedded those claws into me...I've made you into one."

She pulled herself away from him, to where her greenish-blue eyes fixed him in place. She heard him sucking in air and holding it in place. She had no idea what he saw in her eyes but she wanted to hear what else he had to say. "Elaborate."

"Well," Gajeel gulped. Seeing her eyes focused on him with so much heat. He wanted to have the wedding that night and not having to wait another day. 'What would she be like in bed?' He knew that it had been on his mind too long when he saw the heat becoming more intense. "Maybe they didn't have the blood of a dragon slayer to turn you into one?"

Grace gasped at him, she couldn't think or speak. Something within her just froze up. 'Is something so simple as that could be the changing factor…?' Her head became rushing with information and images that she didn't know what to do with. 'Could he be right…?'

"Oh no," Gajeel grumbled. "Grace. Grace!" When he saw that her eyes were focused on him. "For a moment there, I thought I had broken you."

The young woman laid her head down on the table with a groan. "What's wrong with me?"

Lucy spoke up after sitting across from the two. "Nothing is wrong with you, Grace." Her voice called out to her sister with worry behind her words. "You're just like any average woman out there. Always wanting to the world's greatest mysteries that it holds." Her brown eyes shone brighter than ever before. "You just have one that is much closer to your heart than you know what to do with."

Loke then sat next to Lucy with a grumble. "Don't tell me that you're going to cry?" He shook his head, allowing his mane of hair to whisp around him. "Just tell me who to hit, so you can feel better."

"Okay," Grace raised her head enough to show her heated eyes. "Hit Natsu."

"Okay," brightened the lion spirit, as he had gotten up.

"What," called out Natsu from where he stood. He turned towards Grace with raise eyebrows. "Why are you making Loke hit me?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "You did cause a bit of trouble as I was walking in."

Gajeel chuckled, as he saw the spirit lion hitting the firebreather. He leaned down and rested his chin on Grace's shoulder. "I see that you're in a mood…" He chuckled some more as he felt her shiver as he spoke. "Can't wait for our wedding tomorrow," his spoke with a deep husky voice.

"Why," she asked with a slight high pitch. She turned her head, causing him to lean back to look into her eyes. "What wicked things to do you have planned?" She saw his red eyes darkened. 'Is that lust I'm seeing, or is it desire? I've read about dragons to know that they lust and desire for different things. What does Gajeel...needs are?'

He leaned into her, his whispered into her ear. Knowing it would be low enough to where not even the other dragon slayers would hear. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Causing Grace to quiver in his lap. Feeling hot liquid dripping out of her core. "I feel your heat," he whispered some more, causing his voice to go deeper than ever. "You have no idea how much I need you."

It was then that she felt something hard poking at her hip. Knowing the amount of need she was feeling from him. She almost wanted to have the wedding that day. But knowing that they couldn't, not without facing the wrath of Mairjane. "What do I need to know...before tomorrow night?"

Gajeel's lips pulled into a smirk. "Since I was raised by a dragon and become a dragon slayer. There are a few things that...you should be aware of…" Since his eyes had darkened. She never believed that they could be nearly black. It caused her to shiver even more.

He rubbed his nose across her neck, taking a deep breath of her scent. "We would have to be away from others for about a month." His chest vibrated, as he purred at her sweet smell of vanilla and lilac. "During the act of our...love. I would have to bite you, where your neck meets your shoulder. To let others know that you're mine."

Grace took a deep breath, quivering at such words that he spoke. She never thought that she would ever want someone as much as he wanted him. His words alone had sparked that need that was running through her body. She didn't realize that he had managed to sneak his hand between her legs. Until she felt his thumb caressing her jean covered core. She leaned back into his arm, trying to hold in the gaspy/moan from escaping her lips.

"Soon," he whispered. Taking a deep breath of his nose, "You'll be mine." He kissed her temple. "I smell you… I smell your need for me." He glanced around for a moment until his eyes were looking into Lucy's. Whom he had forgotten was sitting at their table. "What's wrong Bunny Girl, having too much of an overload of books or something?"

The blonde young woman gulped. "I...I never thought." She glanced towards her elder sister with a fond smile. "I almost jealous of you…" Her smile warmly at the green eyes woman before her. "To have the kind of love that nearly all women dream about...the kind of love that I would kill for."

Grace shivered, "I do…" She glanced towards Natsu for a moment, seeing that he was sitting taken hits from Loke. "...hope that love makes your way soon." She then focused her eyes towards her sister's brown eyes, seeing hope growing within them. "Because everyone deserves to have some kind of happiness; even you, Lucy."

Gajeel hummed, as he too glanced at Natsu. "The pink haired wild card of a dragon slayer… He's dense but he'll get his act together." He shook his head. "At least we all hope so...that is."

"Hay," cried out that man in question. "Are you talking smack about me?"

Gajeel huffed, lightly pushing Grace off of his lap before making his way to the hell-en. "What if I am…" Then the dark-haired dragon slayer picked up Natsu and dragged him outside. Allowing the two slayers to have a one-on-one fight.

Lucy and Grace laughed, seeing the two slayers trying to degrade each other with words. Both of the shaking their heads. Lucy asked, "Do you think that they'll ever change?"

"In a way, I hope not," smiled Grace. She glanced towards the sound of the fight from the back doors. "How else we would know predict them if they changed?"

"You have a point," giggled the blonde.

The two sisters sat at the table. Enjoying one another. Knowing that the next day would change their lives forever. While one is gaining a husband, while the other is gaining a brother-in-law.

'Who would have thought that Gajeel Redfox would be my brother-in-law?' Lucy thought back to the time that it seemed dark. The day that she met Gajeel during Phantom Lord. The guild that their father had sent to take Lucy back to him. 'Unbeknown to father, he had gotten Grace to find her husband.'

She closed her eyes for a moment, while another thought came to her. 'Or was it mother, who was behind it all…?' A sigh left her lips. 'No one will ever know.' Lucy glanced out of the windows of the guild hall. Not really seeing what was out there. Except for the wisps of images running through her head.