Still don't own Mashima's Fairy Tail or Desna's Pradeshes. Or anything else for that matter. I rent.

Reviews are always welcome and make me feel pretty. Enjoy. Note at the end.

The days drifted by, all of the Pradesh family settling into routines of being home and mourning Cristoff. Traditionally, there was a thirty-day mourning period in which the family of the deceased would all stay together, but Arman started to question that tradition halfway through. Though all of his children and Lucy were grown, Laxus returning and Presca, Vander's partner and begrudged best friend, joining them at the estate had sent the houseful of twenty-somethings into regression. And another was on an airship about to join them.

After the first week, most of his children had gone back to sleeping in their beds; Lucy, Vander, and Xally being the exception. Kaleb had taken up residence in his childhood room, working and managing the White Sea from there. Farron and Arman, similarly, were working from Arman's study with Joya on settling some new trade agreements via communications lacrimas and Kaleb's gift of lacrima tablets. Farron had been beside himself at the device, while Arman's heart swelled with pride at the inventions of his son. And while the Joyans understood their family's loss, their views on death and mourning made them unable to understand that everything was dropped for a month by the whole family.

Zen had thrown himself into his studies. Language and the basics of standard Boscan education he had missed. He worked religiously with a team of tutors and a Sudehpah, though he ran her ragged most of all. The Order had had to send someone who specialized in adults, mainly foreigners to replace the poor woman who wasn't prepared for the attention that Zen gave his studies. Even the well-seasoned woman seemed to have a hard time not forgetting herself in their sessions. The man, far from a novice, lacked the formal arts of pleasure that were taught to Boscan children in the hopes that they would appreciate their bodies, lover's bodies, and carry themselves as well rounded, sexual people. Stifling sexuality was as foreign to Boscans as open expression and embracing one's sexuality was to Fiorans. Zen took his Boscan education seriously to distraction. He became a man possessed.

Once Presca had arrived to stay three days after the funeral, Vander and Emzadi spent most of their time with him. Though it had taken months of groundwork, Presca and Emi had become lovers, frequent and uncommitted, though Lucy had been told otherwise by the dragon slayer. Presca was, Emi had explained, a potential mate. Emzadi adored the man. But years spent as a Bloodhunter for the Steel Council and the loss of his young wife and child as a teen had twisted and created the emotionally stunted man that she couldn't get enough of. Emi was determined to wear him down.

Xally had taken to studying most of her days, hell-bent to not fall behind in the pursuit of her medical degree. She was often spotted with Zen, the pair pouring over books. She seemed to have a calming effect on him and considered by everyone a good influence on education. Xally's mischievous streak, however, had also started to show the less uncomfortable they became around one another.

Bix and Laxus trained. Constantly. Without relent. When Arman had asked his son about the grueling schedule the two had established, Bickslow had hung his head for a moment before looking his father in the eye and replying, "Some things need to be processed through the body to help heal the soul." Arman felt tears well in his eyes. His son, young, reckless, and ultimately wild had somehow managed to add occasionally wise to his long list of qualities. He couldn't have been more proud. In his forties, Arman was no slouch of a man. He took care of his body with regular exercise, ate well thanks primarily to Mr. Ellan, the family's chef, cared for his mind and magic through daily meditation. But Bixy was right. Some things needed to be processed through to chip away the layers of pain and help the healing process start.

Arman wiped his arm across his forehead, finding it drenched in sweat. The fourth day that he joined Laxus and Bix in their morning routine of running, weight lifting, and in Bickslow and Arman's cases flexibility training, it disturbed him to find how out of shape he was. What disturbed him more was that he would go into the house, bathe and get to work, but his sons (he had years ago started to think of Laxus as his own, despite the man having his old friend Maki) would be at for hours. They had completed the morning routine, would eat, soak and be at it again.

The three men reached the stairs that led to a large back deck, where they could see Xally, Emi, and Presca standing, leaning on the rail waiting for them. "Having trouble there, old-timer?" Laxus asked gruffly, a sly smirk sliding onto his face. Arman leveled his jade gaze at the dragon slayer in front of him. Before he could answer, Bix interjected, "Aw c'mon, dad! It was just the warm-up to the warm-up." Bickslow's tongue lolled out of his mouth as his son grinned at him. His eyes narrowed. "I'm sure I'll recover fine," he said, his tone nothing short of pleasant. "But don't forget, boys, I have years of experience that all your training couldn't make up for. And I will gladly kick your asses."

Xally cackled softly as Emi howled with laughter. Even Presca had cracked a full smile, letting his stoicism go for a moment. Just as Laxus and Bix were about to respond, Vander appeared directly to Bix's left and tapped the underside of his chin with his index and middle fingers before disappearing into the shadows again. Bix yelped like a puppy as his teeth closed on his tongue. "Fucker!" he bellowed, tasting his blood faintly, as Vander appeared again on the deck right in front of the large double doors open to the house. He took the stairs two at a time, trying to close the distance between them. Vander cackled his wicked laugh again and bolted into the house, running down the gallery to the kitchen, Bix ten strides behind him the whole way.

Arman simply shook his head as his daughters broke into laughter again. Laxus and Presca looked at the girls, the screaming Shadowquip and Seith mages and then each other. "This place is a madhouse," Presca sighed. Arman placed a hand on his shoulder and grinned. "You have no idea."

Lucy heard screaming not uncommon she'd come to understand years ago. She crossed her ankles delicately and took another bite of the strawberry muffin in her hand as she turned the page in the book she read. Vander burst into the kitchen first, shouting over his shoulder, "Keep it up and you'll be picking glitter out of your all of a sudden luscious locks for a month!" as he bolted to the far side of the island and stopped, barely showing signs of having sprinted through the house. Mr. Ellan nudged him with his hip so that he could gain access to the second batch of muffins, pot holders on his hands. Vander complied and watched as Bix entered the room, barely registering the blonde, Mr. Elland or his breath, which he still hadn't entirely caught from the workout.

"Glitter bombs again? You're losing your edge, Van," he retorted, crouching slightly, moving his feet one over the other and side-stepping, stalking his brother around the island. He looked like a predator. When Vander dashed for the door, Bix caught him around the middle. The rules of the game were the same as they were when they were children. No magic, no permanent damage, no problems from dad. Bix tackled his brother to the ground, not hearing the book snap shut behind him and the coffee cup, freshly refilled, gently scrape the counter as Lucy lifted it.

Vander squirmed under the weight of Bix in the doorway, preparing to flip his brother. The pair suddenly stilled as one long, creamy white leg stepped over their tangle of limbs, followed by the other. They watched her walk down the gallery, golden hair swinging as she strode away and hooked the first right. The hall back to her room. The fight in them instantly gone, two pairs of crimson eyes locked with each other as they untangled themselves and sat back on their haunches. "How is she doing, Van?" Bickslow asked his brother, his breath starting to level out. With a sigh, Van scanned his brother's face. There was concern bordering on worry, understanding, and the slightest hint of pain. Vander had to remind himself that Bix was Lucy's family long before she had ever laid eyes on Cristoff.

"You know as much as I do. She still crops up in bed with me every night, Xally usually beats her to the punch though. And don't think I haven't noticed you sleeping on the couch either," he replied, his voice only taking a slightly joking tone as he confronted his brother for sneaking in and out and prodding him in the chest with one long finger. Bix shook his head, slightly exasperated. A glance at his brother's vibrant soul reassured him. He knew Van was going to be ok. What he had seen as a Bloodhunter couldn't have prepared him for what he had witnessed in Romell, but it helped take the edge off, and for that, Bix was grateful. And his soul was fine. Lucy's, on the other hand, was not. Bix started to climb to his feet, using his brother's head to stand, earning himself a small jab in the ribs and straightened his snug tank top. "I need to talk to dad," he muttered, jogging back toward their father, who was still on the deck.

"Kaleb, would you please join us in the study?" His father's request sounded in his mind as he scrolled through his agenda for the day. His lavender eyes closed briefly as he exhaled a long breath. He had been on edge for weeks. Being home with his family was helping to calm him, but he knew it wasn't a full solution. His cool exterior, his calculated decision making, and his overall calm had helped him get through the last few months, but as the war had raged on into its second year, he had found himself wearing down. He had his guild to run. He had people he was responsible for outside of his family. There were thousands of people that looked to his leadership every day. And yet, when his father wanted to see him, nothing else mattered to the platinum blonde. He'd know this little meeting was going to happen eventually. Frankly, he was surprised it hadn't already.

"On my way now," he replied, sliding off the couch in his childhood room, making a note to visit the bathhouse later. He could use a good soak and some distraction.

He traversed the halls of the home he grew up in at a leisurely pace. There hadn't been any urgency in his father's voice so he felt no need to rush. The air flowed through the house's open doors and windows. It was built to catch the breezes off the Grass Sea and the smell filled the whole house. It was soothing, welcoming, and part of what he loved most about being home. The large wooden doors that led to his father's study were half opened and inside he could see Bix leaning against the arm of the well worn and loved leather armchair his father occupied.

The position they were in brought a memory of them all as children screaming back. Bix standing where he was, leaning against the chair, grinning his trademark grin, his father sitting in it only looking slightly different than he did today, his hair completely black rather than streaked with occasional silver. Xally crying softly having punched Vander in the jaw, splaying his tiny body across the rug after he had glued her hair to her pillow the night before. It was his latest attack in a four sibling spree including Kaleb, Cristoff, and Farron. Bix, entertained that his brother was catching the heat, had done Kaleb's, not Vander.

A smile slid over his face. Being at home was making him think about how much all of them hadn't changed. Bix would still let Van take the fall, Van would still glue any of their hair to a pillow, and Xally would still punch any of them in the face while crying. Silently, he reached out to his brother. "Did dad ever find out it was you who glued my hair to my pillow?" Bickslow blanched and his eyes grew round. "I don't know what you're talking about" he returned. A small, low chuckle escaped Kaleb's lips as he shook his head. "It was worth it to watch Xally punch him." His brother grinning confirmed that he agreed. Being home was doing him good.

"We're just waiting on Farron to find Vander," their father remarked and took a sip of coffee from the mug in his hand as Kaleb took a seat on the plush couch that faced his father. And as if on cue, Vander and Farron strode into the room, Farron closing the door behind them. There were runes in place on the door. Once it was closed, it was private.

None of his sons spoke. None of them knew for sure why they had been called into the study to begin with, except perhaps Bix, but even he didn't know why his father had gathered them all. He had just shared what he saw when he looked at Lucy's soul and was told not to go anywhere as his siblings were gathered.

Farron looked around. This wasn't a dreaded family meeting. If that were the case, everyone would have been summoned and someone would be yelling by now. No this was something different. This was… It hit him all at once. They were the group that had met right before Lucy had awoken on the ship. Three of the four of them were in the room when she had. "Shit," he breathed. "Oh yes, son," Arman said smoothly, smiling gently. "The four of you are going to tell me what you know. I've been letting it go, hoping you would come to me. But you've been keeping secrets. And now, you're going to fill me in." Their father took another sip of his coffee as they glanced around at one another.

"What the fuck did you say, Bixy?" Vander asked, resting one leg on the arm of the couch that Kaleb occupied as Farron took the other cushion. Bix's face immediately took on a look of offense. "I didn't say shit about that," he snapped, unable to keep the pissiness out of his voice. Kaleb sighed and shook his head. Now they couldn't deny anything. Not that Arman wouldn't have gotten it out of them, but they could have at least tried to keep it to themselves for a while longer.

Farron saw Kaleb's mind working. "No point," he muttered to him, a sigh of his own escaping his lips. "He'll get it out of us," Arman smirked into the rim of his mug, watching an S-class level Seith mage, a Boscan ambassador, a former Bloodhunter, and a Boscan Wizard Saint crack. The power of a father wielded well could break men that could stand up to hours of torture, knowing that some of them had. "Start at the beginning, please," he said evenly. His son's glance around at each other again. "Don't make me pick," Arman said after another sip.

Lucy walked into Cristoff's childhood room and gently set the book she had been reading on the small desk. The wood felt warm under her fingers, welcoming almost. Today was the day. Loke would be able to come to her today. She hadn't seen him since his declaration aboard the Boscan airship and two weeks was excruciating. She didn't call him every day, but she didn't like not having the option.

Virgo had appeared to explain what was going on after Lucy had tried to call him on the family's arrival back at the estate to no avail. "Big brother is being punished," the pink-haired maid had said, not bothering to hide the twinge of envy in her voice. "He said things he shouldn't have. Was told not to. And now, he is unavailable for two weeks of your time." Lucy had shrieked in response, "What?!" Virgo beamed at the blonde. "Punishment, Princess?"

Lucy heaved a sigh. "No, Virgo. What if I need him in a fight?" she asked, the thought hitting her all at once. As a mage, she could find herself in need of her lion spirit at any time. "The King has informed me that if you need big brother to defend you or fight by your side, he can be summoned. But only then and only if Leo is the only one that can help. This is his punishment, Princess. He cannot honor his commitment to you." Virgo knew that wasn't his only punishment, but thinking about what Leo got to enjoy while she was ignored made her want to pout. As she looked at her mistress, Virgo saw a pout slide across her face instead. "Seems like I'm being punished too."

Lucy picked up Leo's key that was sitting next to her book and rolled in in her fingers, feeling the warmth coming from it for the first time in two weeks. He was available. "Leo," she almost whispered, not bothering to slice the key through the air or chant. He would come. He would come if she had thought of his name. And just as she had expected, the orange-haired spirit appeared within her personal space, sweeping her up into a bone-cracking hug. She felt the sting of dry eyes again as she held him back. She had missed him furiously. And he appeared to have missed her too.

She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms. But she knew that she wasn't ready to let go when he started to pull away. "Princess, you can let me go. I'm never going to allow that to happen again," he said gently into her hair. "You'd better not," she answered, her voice thick with emotion. She loosened her grip on him and they put space between them. He looked terrible. Bags under his eyes like he hadn't been able to rest the whole time he had been gone, his hair messy, not the intentional, controlled mess it normally was.

"I know you're going to want me to talk to you about everything, Lucy, but I need you to understand that I can't talk about it," he said softly, brushing her cheek. Gods, he had missed her. He had been made to watch her suffer, unable to do anything to comfort her. He hadn't even been able to attend her mate's funeral. Guilt wracked his being as he looked into the sad chocolate eyes that said more than anything, she had needed him. And he hadn't been able to be there for her. She stared back into his eyes. Her mind was running a million miles a second. He had a divine gag order and now knew what the consequences were for disobeying it. He never wanted to repeat the experience.

Her face twisted into anger. "So you can say something as simple as I don't have to die and then I don't see you for two weeks while Virgo tells me you're being punished. Then you turn up and tell me you can't answer the hundreds of questions I have." Her voice held all of her anger. But he knew it wasn't directed at him; he wasn't the root of the problem. Leo couldn't bring himself to speak, so he nodded. She grunted in frustration and turned away from him. "Is there anything you can tell me?" she asked, assuming the answer would be no.

"You will not be receiving celestial help with this," he answered slowly, choosing his words carefully. His statement to her that got him punished to begin with was enough to get her on the tracks, which had infuriated Cassiopeia and the others, including he could only assume the All-Mother herself. "I will be here to support you in any way that I can, but to make sure I can be here, I can't help you figure this out. You have to do it yourself." Leo watched her face fall. He knew she was lonely already. And now there was one more thing she was going to have to do without the loving support of her spirits.

Lucy propped her elbow onto the arm she wrapped under her bustline and tapped her chin with her finger. "I can't get celestial help," she muttered. But that left every human in Earthland on the table. Silence hung between them as her mind ticked. He couldn't help but smile softly. He was right. She'd figure everything she needed to out. Their Princess was brilliant. "I need to make a couple of calls. You look exhausted. Why don't you get some rest?" she said finally, reaching out and squeezing his hand. With a bow of his head and a barely audible, "I'm a thought away, Princess," he disappeared into a shower of gold.

Arman frowned into his mug, shifting the leg he had resting on his opposite knee. Kaleb had started with his private conversation with Lucy, why he'd roped his brothers in. The conversation they'd had with her the second time she'd 'spoken,' and finally what they had witnessed Leo say. He listened intently at Vander's deal and a thought strayed across his mind. He hadn't seen the lion spirit since the day she woke up, which was unlike him. He hadn't even attended Cristoff's funeral for Lucy. He suddenly felt frustrated with himself. Had he been so consumed with everything that had happened in the last couple weeks to not notice the absence of one of her favorite spirits? Apparently. Not that anyone but Arman himself would hold him accountable. He had taken the girl as one of his own, knowing both her parents were gone. She would always be his daughter.

"I want to make sure I understand," he said as his sons finished explaining. "Leo said that Lucy didn't have to die. That her fate wasn't tied to Cristoff's?" Everything he knew about dragon mating, and in turn dragon slayers, stated that mates and dragons were linked at the soul, an exchange between the two taking place when the mark was set. It bonded them forever. Not in just this life, but in every realm, in every space, always. "Well he didn't say the bit about fate, but essentially," Van answered him. The young men allowed their father to catch up. They had all talked briefly, quietly, over the last couple weeks, but had come to no conclusions, hadn't seen Leo, and hadn't been able to get Lucy to talk to them. She walked around the estate like a shell.

It had been eating at them all, bothering Bickslow and Vander the most. They were closer to her than Farron or Kaleb were and they knew better than anyone what she was going through, in Vander's case, and how she would handle things in Bix's. With a deep breath, Arman furrowed his brow. "Well, we all need to get on the same page. Everyone," he punctuated the last word of the sentence specifically. Vander groaned and Farron flinched. "Family meeting,' Arman declared. "I want everyone in the living room expressly after dinner tonight. And I mean everyone. Lucy, Laxus, Presca, everyone." The sweeping declaration made them all groan. Their family meetings all too often wound up with not-so-friendly sparring or no one speaking for a night.

Jade eyes moved over his sons. Family meetings were awful. But he needed everyone in one place getting all of their information pooled. Arman made a silent vow to make sure everyone was being taken care of. That was his role as their father when everything was said and done.

A/N:

I did say it wouldn't take too long.

Thanks to everyone reviewing, favoriting and following. It feels really nice to see how many people are enjoying this story or at least joining me in a cry once a week. XD

Special thanks to the folks leaving feedback and encouragement again and again. You know who you are.

I know this was WAY more light than any of the other chapters, but in my experience, even in the worst of times, people (especially ones that are close and care for one another) usually find a way to make it their new normal, break the mood for the better, or some combination of the two.

I'm a human possessed! Another chapter very, very soon.

WS: Couldn't agree more. The loyalty and wily behaviour ready just perpetuate one another. Thanks for another really nice comment.

Standard notice, it's me and Grammarly on editing this. If you see something, please say something. Constructive feedback is ALWAYS welcome.