He loved his son greatly, but Laxus would never again be asking for Xavier's help on anything. They'd come to Makarov's house three hours ago with the intent of packing up any remaining items, and yet the eight-year-old had done nothing of the sort. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, staring up at his great-grandfather and going through every detail of his job last week with Freed and Gale.

Laxus had tried for the first twenty minutes or so to get the boy to pitch in, but he was certainly more of a hindrance than help. It was easier just to do everything himself, he supposed. He was almost done, anyway. And then they could go back to the guild. Hopefully Kinana cooked up something good for lunch. He was starving.

Mira watched on from her spot on the couch, one hand folding up napkins atop her swollen stomach and other linens while the other gently brushed Zori's blonde hair, the toddler sniffling every so often as she fought through yet another cold. Laxus raised an eyebrow at her, and she smiled back with a little too much sweetness. Universal sign for I'm doing great, stop worrying and do your job, you big oaf. Well, maybe not universal, but he'd seen it enough throughout the last decade to recognize it.

"You'll come back for my birthday, right Gramps?" Laxus snorted when he caught sight of the puppy dog eyes and pleading face Xavier was giving Makarov. The old man had never been able to deny Xavier anything. He certainly wouldn't start now, begging or no from his great-grandson. Laxus rolled his eyes and his shoulders, focusing on fitting the remaining pans into a box.

"I'll do my best, my boy." Makarov's eyes, warm and soft, twinkled as he smiled down. "If I'm all settled in, next month, I'll come back. After all, it's not every day you turn nine."

"Oh, Makarov, you don't have to say yes to everything he says, you know," Mira scolded. She handed Laxus her folded napkins so he could slide them between the pans. "The train ride to your new home is over three hours long."

"I thought you were moving so you could finally get some rest and not have to worry about the chaos Fairy Tail always has," Laxus added, nearly quoting his grandfather word for word when he announced his plan to leave Magnolia nearly two months ago. "Coming back all the time kinda defeats the point, old man."

"I've spent my entire life in Magnolia. Forgive me for not wanting to leave right away." The eighth master folded his hands on his lap, looking the part of a curmudgeonly old man.

"Gramps, you celebrated your hundredth birthday two years ago. Enjoy retirement before you literally work yourself to death."

"You've been through enough, Makarov," Mira said, reaching out to rest her hand on top of the old man's. "You deserve a break. Besides, you'll only be a call away if anything happens. And Xavier is going to call you so much you'll wish Warren never invented them."

"Hey," Xavier said, pouting up at his mother. She winked at him.

"Can you see if there's any glasses left, darling? Your sister could use some water." Xavier sprang to his feet with a swift nod before trotting off to the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Mira turned her full attention to Makarov. "You don't have to go yet if you don't want to. But I thought you were ready."

Makarov sighed, gaze drifting over Mira and the restless girl at her side. "Oh, I am. You both know how stressful these last few decades have been. Ever since you brats grew up," he muttered. Laxus snorted again, finishing with the pans and shoving the remaining napkins into loose corners. Makarov sighed again. "No, it's not that I'm not ready. But making the trip back is nothing if it means I get to be a part of the children's lives."

"You're gonna miss things, so what? That's just what happens." Laxus shrugged. "I grew up here with you and there's definitely a lot you missed."

"What a way to make an old man feel better," Makarov said, one white eyebrow raising.

Mira chuckled, squeezing his hands. "What Laxus means is that you don't have to be here for everything. They know you love them. You know they love you. It's okay." Laxus grunted in confirmation.

Xavier slid back into the room. "No more cups, Mom. I can unpack one, though!"

"Don't you dare," Laxus said, grabbing his son by the waist and holding him against his side. Xavier dangled in the air, kicking his legs and trying to wriggle out of his dad's grasp. Laxus didn't flinch, only adjusting his grip on the boy. "All good, Gramps?"

Makarov shook his head with a smile. "Suppose I am." He snorted as Xavier wiggled even more, laughing as he failed to move Laxus's arm. Makarov met Laxus's gaze with a wink. "Laxus, take him away before he regales us again about his job last week."

"I'm with you on that, old man." With barely any effort, Laxus shifted his son up over his shoulder. "Mira, need anything?"

"Stop being such a mother-hen," she chided. "If I need anything, I'll let you know."

He rolled his eyes at her, and she narrowed her eyes into a glare as Laxus carried Xavier back into the kitchen to finish packing. Makarov tried hard not to roll his own eyes. Children. No matter how old they got, they would always be children. He remembered the days when he feared leaving his guild in the hands of his brats, and now, while he still worried, he knew Laxus and Mira would take good care of it. And in turn, the guild was taking good care of them.

This last decade had taken its toll on the couple, especially Mira. He saw it in the way she had moved like she was walking on glass since she learned she was pregnant again. He saw it in the way Laxus and Mira fussed over Zori when she came down with yet another illness. He saw it in the way Laxus stayed at home throughout Mira's entire pregnancy.

Makarov wished there was more he could do for them. While he had never experienced the same loss they had, he had to watch as his son turned away from him, almost bringing Laxus along. Makarov mourned for Ivan, but at least his son lived. With Xavier getting older, two miscarriages, a sickly child, and another on the way… Makarov was loath to leave.

But at 102 years of age, what help was he here? No, it was better to go and enjoy the time he had left. Mira was right; he was only a call away should anything happen. But he prayed to whatever being listening that nothing would happen.

A grumble from the couch drew Makarov's attention again. The little girl was stirring, rubbing her eyes and squinting up at her mother. Her little arms wrapped around Mira's thigh, jaw cracking in a yawn.

"Hello, darling," Mira said, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind the toddler's ear. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," came the response. "And hot."

"Well, it's August. Everywhere's hot." Mira helped Zori sit up, the three-year-old's blue eyes still a little foggy as she pulled herself back into the waking world.

"I might have some dish towels laying around if she wanted a cold compress."

"Oh, no, it'll be okay. Zori, dear, if you feel any worse, let me know okay? I'm sure we'll be heading to the guildhall soon. Maybe Wendy has something for you."

"Don't want medicine."

"I know, dear, but it helps you."

"Don't want it."

Mira sighed, hand coming to rest atop her stomach. "All right. But tell me how you're feeling, please."

"Yes, Mommy."

Makarov smiled at the little girl. "Did you have a good nap, my girl?"

She nodded enthusiastically, hair bouncing against her shoulders. With a complaint at the awkward angle created by her almost third trimester stomach, Mira managed to lift Zori into the air and deposit her into Makarov's lap. The girl giggled, hands already pulling at his mustache.

Makarov winced and gently pulled her hands away. "Enough of that, huh?" Zori pouted in the way that only toddlers faking it can manage. The old man chuckled, wishing for the first time in weeks that he could move his legs. Alas, it had been almost thirteen years since the War, and he had begrudgingly become used to the lack of mobility.

Mira groaned as she pushed herself to her feet, giving herself a moment for her balance to return to normal as she stood. "I'm going to see if Laxus needs any help." Makarov gave her a nod of understanding, and then she was moving slowly through the living room, hands propped against the small of her back.

Passing through Makarov's nearly empty house was an odd experience for her. When she joined the Dreyar family almost eleven years ago (Eleven! It felt like no time at all had passed), Makarov had welcomed her in with open arms, much like he had when she and her siblings joined the guild. Many afternoons or early mornings had been spent in this house, Xavier growing up and Mira and Laxus growing older.

She was only thirty-three, but god, sometimes she felt ancient. Her joints creaked and her knees ached and her back groaned. After a particularly long day of Laxus's never-ending paperwork and her never-clean bar, they would stumble home at nine and pass out almost immediately; she couldn't remember the last time she made it past midnight.

Oh, but she wouldn't change anything for the world. She loved her guild and she loved her magic, even if she didn't get to use it as much as she liked anymore. It was hard to beat the shit out of someone when she had to worry about the life she carried.

Mira found Laxus and Xavier in the kitchen, Laxus stacking the few remaining boxes with Xavier perched on the counter and once more rambling on about how cool Freed was. Every so often he would cut himself off in order to jump into high gear and tell Laxus all about how cool Gale was with her Solid Script magic and how much stronger she was and how he wanted to be the powerful, and please, oh, please, could Laxus train him again soon?

Mira leaned against the doorframe, one hand rubbing her back again. She should probably sit down, but she already did so much of that.

Laxus glanced over at her, little expression evident on his face yet so plain to her. Oh, how it made her heart swell with pride to be one of the few people who could read him so easily. A slight clenching of his jaw and a quirked eyebrow: If I have to hear this story one more time, I'm not responsible for what happens.

She bit her lip to hide her smile, yet she knew he saw it. He always did. If he was anything like the other men in the guild, he probably would have responded by sticking his tongue out or making a face. Instead, he rolled his eyes.

Mira snorted. That drew Xavier's attention. His face brightened and he jumped off the counter, slamming into her to wrap his arms around her legs. The breath whooshed from her lungs, and she placed a steading hand on the doorframe. "Careful, darling."

He pulled back with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Mom." Then he hugged her again. "Just thought you'd want a hug."

"Oh, I always want a hug from my favorite son." She ruffled his hair. "What I don't always want is to be tackled by a demon."

"I'm not a demon!" Xavier scrunched up his nose as she pat him once on the head. "Demons are bad."

"Not all of them," she reminded him. "Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza had an encounter with a town of demons a long time ago. Apparently they were pretty nice people."

"Happy said they were weird."

"Happy's the weird one," Laxus said, finally content with the state of the house. He started rolling his sleeves back into place, the taut skin of his forearms disappearing under purple fabric.

Mira swatted at his shoulder. "Oh, be nice. Happy's sweet, if a little much at times."

"But, Mom," Xavier said, pulling on her arm. "If demons are nice, then why do people say they're bad?"

"Because Zeref made a lot of bad demons that hurt a lot of people. None of them were good because he didn't want them to be."

"He made no good demons?"

"No, darling. But he's gone now, and so are all the demons he made. We never have to worry about them again."

"Yeah, besides, your mom is scary enough to keep them away."

Mira had very low standards compared to her husband. She did respond by sticking her tongue out. "I'll show you how scary I can be."

He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm just stating a fact."

"Hm, I suppose it's a compliment coming from you."

"Trust me, Mira. In a guild full of truly terrifying people, you can be the worst one."

"Aw, you really do love me."

"Ew, gross." Xavier hid his face in Mira's waist in an attempt to escape. "Do you have to do this when I'm here?"

"We were here long before you, bud," Laxus said, ruffling Xavier's hair. "We can do whatever we want."

Xavier pouted and pulled away from Mira, but she saw the laughter in his eyes. "Are we going to the guild soon? I wanna see Elwin."

"You two had a sleepover last weekend," Mira reminded him, fixing his hair even as he tried to squirm away. "And you see him every single day."

"Yeah, but I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"Oh, poor you."

Laxus rolled his eyes at his family, leaving the kitchen as his ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps. Makarov barely spared him a glance as he passed through the living room, the old man's entire attention focused on the toddler in his lap. Zori was attempting to tell a joke, every other sentence interrupted by a weak cough.

Laxus made a note to talk to Porlyusica. The girl hated taking medicine, but Laxus remembered how it felt to be sick and tired all the time as a child. Part of him blamed himself for his daughter's health. But he would never try and fix her like his father did to him.

Laxus pulled the door open before the knock could sound. "Took you long enough."

Wendy stood on the doorstep, hand upraised from where she had been prepared to knock. She flushed, hand dropping back to her side and almost hitting Krystal in the face. The girl squawked, ducking behind her mother's leg. "Oops. Sorry, Krys." She turned back to Laxus, blue hair swiping against her chin. "And I said give us 'til two. It's only 1:55."

"Yeah, yeah," he said with another roll of his eyes.

The Dragon Slayer put her hands on her hips. "Your eyes are going to roll out of your head."

"Are you gonna come in or not?" Wendy grinned. Then she tipped her head back toward the street behind her. Laxus snorted. "Ah. Brought the twin terrors?"

"Juvia was hoping this would wear them out."

"Good luck with that."

Wendy sighed. "I know. I don't know how she does it with all four of them." She turned, hands still on her hips as she raised her voice. "Sylvia Fullbuster, if I see any more magic from you before we get back to the guild, I'm sending you on jobs with Nab for a week!"

"But he doesn't go on any jobs!"

"That's the point, dummy," Storm said, ducking out of the way as she tried to punch his arm.

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

"That's not a good word!" Krystal cut in, staring up at her mom with a hopeful expression.

Wendy nodded encouragingly at her daughter. "That's right, Krystal, you tell them. Go on." Krystal grinned before she shot off, seemingly angling to tackle the twins who were nearly twice her age.

Wendy sighed yet again, looking up at Laxus. Sometimes she forgot just how scary she used to find him. Sure, he was definitely still intimidating. But after so many years, she prided herself on knowing him pretty well. Well, knowing him enough to be able to tell when he was joking or not. And even then, his deadpan manner really threw her off.

"Are you all ready to go?"

Laxus glanced behind him into the nearly empty house. "I think Mira's rounding them up."

Wendy cocked her head to listen as well. She frowned. "Zori's still got a cough?"

Laxus grunted in conformation. Wendy worked her bottom lip between her teeth. Laxus barely even noticed the hand she waved behind her, but he watched as Storm's fall halted enough that he tumbled gently to the ground instead of bruising himself. If it wasn't for the senses they shared, Laxus would've thought she had eyes in the back of her head.

"I'll go to Porlyusica when we get back," she decided. "Maybe we can make something better this time."

"Thanks, Wendy," Laxus said, the words quiet but sincere. She smiled gently.

"Anything for her."

"Wendy, dear, what are you doing here?" Laxus's eyes flicked to the side, and he stepped out of the doorway in time for Wendy to spot Makarov in the hallway, Xavier pushing his chair with some effort. Zori still sat in his lap, looking slightly more awake than the last time Laxus saw her. Mira waddled behind, shutting the door firmly as their family poured into the street.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long!" Wendy answered in a cheerful tone. "And the kids needed an adventure."

"Gramps!" Finally noticing the appearance of the rest of the Dreyar family, Sylvia peeled away from where she and Krystal had been needling Storm. She skidded to a stop before the old man's chair, breathing hard and grinning like a fool. "Hiya, Gramps! Look, Dad taught me a new spell before he left, and I think I got the hang of it!"

"Sylvia, what did I just tell you?" Wendy huffed, eyebrow raised as she looked down at the preteen expectantly.

She clasped her hands behind her back and smiled innocently. "That I could do magic?"

"That you shouldn't do magic until we're back at the guild," she said with a pointed glare. Even sweet Wendy had mastered the art of parental anger.

Sylvia wilted, mumbling out an apology. Mira bit her lip to keep from laughing. Give Sylvia an inch, and she would take a mile.

"Let's just go to the guild then, hm?" Makarov said, adjusting her grip on Zori to keep her steady. "You can show me there, Sylvia."

"Okay!" She bounced back immediately, all chagrin forgotten. Storm draped himself over her shoulders, grinning softly up at his twin. She dug her elbow into his side even as she beamed back. Krystal tackled Wendy's legs again Once more, Laxus found himself rolling his eyes. Oh, the logic of children. He would never quite understand. Though, he supposed he had been much the same at her age. Nothing kept him down.

His gramps always made sure of that.

"Everyone ready?" Mira clapped her hands together. Xavier nodded and started to push Makarov's chair into the street. Laxus glanced at his son for a moment before turning to Mira, subtly offering his wife his arm. She slipped her arm through his with a warm smile, his fur-lined coat nearly engulfing her back.

"I don't know how you're wearing that coat," she murmured as their group meandered their way through the streets.

"It's comfortable," he retorted, pulling her slightly closer. Mira snorted, leaning against his side and watching the town as they passed by.

Magnolia was bustling for no other reason than it being August. Storm and Sylvia had taken over pushing the chair, managing to work together for long enough to do so, and Xavier was now running up ahead with Krystal. Wendy walked by Makarov's side, a bounce in her step as she took in the fresh summer air.

"Wendy, do you happen to know when the rest of your team of troublemakers is coming back?"

Wendy laughed, hands adjusting her black skirt as it fluttered in the wind. "I'm pretty sure Lucy talked to Natsu yesterday. It shouldn't be too much longer. Apparently," at this she lowered her voice, quiet enough for only the adults to hear, "when it's just Lucy, Erza, and Gray, no buildings get knocked down. Who would have thought?"

Laxus snorted. "Natsu being the cause of the damage? Shocker."

"I think it's more that when Natsu gets fired up, Gray and Erza inevitably do as well, and then, well, there's not much Lucy or I can do to stop them."

"At least they get the job done," Mira said.

"Yeah, and they leave me ten piles of paperwork to do," Laxus grumbled.

"I hear you." Makarov sighed. Then he grinned. "Oh, but just you wait until these kids are all grown up. I have a feeling they're going to be so much worse."

"What's that supposed to mean, Gramps?" Storm said from his place behind the chair.

Makarov winced, glad the boy couldn't see his face. Wendy stepped in to save him, however. "What he means is that your mom and dad are both really strong, so a combination of them, which is you," she poked him in the shoulder, "and your siblings, is gonna be super strong."

"You think so?" Sylvia asked hopefully.

"I know so," Mira agreed. "You know your parents are pretty awesome."

"We used to hear stories about Dad all the time, but ever since he came home, we've heard all these amazing stories about Mom," Storm confided. "And I can't tell who's got the cooler powers."

"Gray's the one with the ice," Laxus said off-handedly. Mira bumped against him with a choked off laugh.

"Did you really just make a joke?"

"Me? Make a joke. Come on, Mira, be serious."

Mira tipped her head back and laughed. The corner of Laxus's mouth pulled up in a smirk.

"What's so funny?" Krystal demanded, looking over her shoulder from up ahead.

"Nothing, Krys. Nothing at all." Wendy smiled at her daughter, hands clasped behind her back. Krystal narrowed her eyes briefly before shrugging and running after Xavier, the older boy waiting for her to catch up. She turned to the twins. "Here, I'll push the master, kay? You two go play with the others."

Sylvia and Storm relinquished the chair without too much fuss, the twins racing after their younger friends in the busy street. Wendy grabbed the handles of Makarov's chair, ignoring the old man's flustered comments about how he was perfectly fine rolling himself, thank you.

"Daddy." Zori lifted her arms toward her father, evidently tired of sitting in her great-grandpa's lap. Laxus sighed, knowing the girl would find something to giggle at in his expression. She did.

With a boost from Makarov, Laxus swung Zori onto his shoulders. She clutched at his hair for balance, tiny legs kicking against his chest. Mira reached up to squeeze Zori's foot to make giggle even more. She did.

Fairy Tail rose up in the distance, gracing the skyline of Magnolia. Even after all these years, even after all the different outlines of the guildhall, even after all the tines that space had been so unnervingly empty, Makarov never got tired of this walk. He never would. Even if he was leaving tomorrow, he would return and wheel down this street again, family at his side and futures as bright as the afternoon sun. His house may be a few hours away, but his home would always be here. Always had been, always would be.


So what did you all think? I truly want to know what you thought!

A side note: unlike the last book, this book has not been prewritten and therefore it will likely not be posted as regularly as I would like. I have everything planned out, never fear, but I got absolutely no writing done over the summer like I wanted to. So I will attempt to have weekly updates, but please, don't hold me to that. I'm balancing sophomore year of college, working at a boba shop, a blossoming Star Wars obsession, wavering mental health, and reading (more fanfics than paper books but still). Anyway, got a lot on my plate if you can't tell. Don't worry though, this series will be completed. I promise.

Hope you all enjoyed! Until next time!