Family Matters

"Gajeel".
'No', was the thought resonating through his skull as a sweet voice called to him.
"Gajeel".
'Go away', he wanted to yell at the voice without opening his mouth. He was tired - exhausted, really - and ready to sleep for at least another six hours.
"Gajeel!"
"Alright, I'm awake!" He rolled over, grimacing at the sunlight pouring into the room. "How the fuck are yer so chipper right now? Didn't I wear yer out enough?"
"You wore me out plenty, I think I actually have a limp" Levy giggled, sitting on the edge of their bed right by his hip. "But you have to get up, sleepy head. Cousin Christmas, remember?"
Gajeel just waggled his eyebrows, choosing to ignore the last part of her comment. "Always up for ya, Shrimp". His innuendo earned him a snort, followed by a slap as she rose from the bed with an eye roll.
"Just get out of bed already, silly Gajeel".
He was half tempted to ignore her, to roll back over and bury his face in the soft darkness of his pillow, but then his eyes trailed down her curves and with a groan, Gajeel realised she was wearing those shorts, the lower curvature of her ass peeking from below the hem whenever she took a step, her gait ever so slightly unbalanced, he noted with a smirk. Finally noticing just how stuffy it was in the room, his own temperature seeming to have skyrocketed at the sight of his girl walking away - his Pop's had a saying about that, what was it again? Something about watching her leave? - he settled for running a hand through his tangled hair, hissing when his fingers caught on a tangle, and swung his legs out from under the covers, reluctantly standing and setting about helping his Levy set up for the dinner they were hosting that afternoon.


Levy paused at the top of the steps, looking down into the courtyard that was almost overflowing with her dearest friends - her family, she realised with a smile. The afternoon sun shone warmly down on them, blissfully protected from its rays where they sat under the shade sail, and the conversations that drifted to her ears were easy, unhurried, the kind of idle chatter that was born out of close relationships, and as Gajeel turned to smile at her, Levy finally knew she was home.
"Levy! Come down here, we gotta open presents!" Natsu called, bouncing in his chair with childlike enthusiasm as she skipped down the steps and dropped the ugliest Santa hat she could find on to his head.
"You brought it up, you hand 'em out" she laughed, perching herself on the arm of Gajeel's chair where she could watch everyone as Natsu got to work, studiously reading tags and cards, carefully passing out gifts until the pile under the Christmas 'tree' - which was really just a funny looking shrub Gajeel had haphazardly thrown tinsel on - was gone.
The only noise for a brief while was that of rustling paper and envelopes being torn before people were weaving their way around, delivering tight hugs as way of saying thank you. If there was one thing the Redfox-Dragnell-Marvell family was, outside of peculiar, it was huggers, Levy laughed to herself as she was caught up in yet another bone crushing squeeze from Wendy, the small bluenettes arms oddly strong considering her slight frame.
Gifts passed around, they settled back to enjoy each other's company, a quiet moment of respite after a long few weeks on the road, and ahead of the insanity that was Christmas Day, with all the drama that it invariably brought.


"Quit fidgeting, Shrimp. 'Sonly the family, ain't like yer meetin' the king or somethin'. Ya know Pop's loves ya." Gajeel reassured her as he helped her climb down from his car, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they made their way to the door.
"I know, I just... It's Christmas. I remember it being, interesting..." she chuckled nervously. The last Christmas Levy had spent with Gajeel and his family had certainly been eventful. As long as they made it through the day without someone throwing a carving fork again, it was bound to be an improvement. Gajeel laughed, remembering the same series of events as he pushed open the door, not bothering to know, sighing in relief that the air conditioning had clearly been running all morning, the house a significantly more tolerable temperature than outside.
"Oi, Pops, ya here?" The response came in the form of the clattering of pots, before a head poked out from the kitchen.
"Get in here an' gimme a hand, ya sack o' bolts." Levy had to bite back a giggle as she followed Gajeel through the swinging door and into the kitchen.
Metalicana Redfox, her soon-to-be father in law, was an imposing man, standing a few inches taller than his son. His long, once dark, hair was tied neatly back with a leather strap, the silver strands laying down his back in a far more orderly fashion than Gajeel's ever did. He had piercing red eyes and a strong jaw, and he still carried himself with the poise of a man who could kill you six different ways with a pencil, before you could blink. The visage of danger was ruined, however, by the tea towel slung over one shoulder and the pink apron tied around his waist. Former special ops soldier or not, no one could look intimidating wearing a "kiss the cook" apron with flour smeared on one cheek.

"Levy! Glad to see my moron of a son finally got somethin' right!" He smiled toothily, exposing the sharp canines that were a family trait, and opened his arms to sweep her into a hug that lifted her clean off the ground as she laughed, her nerves completely forgotten. Gajeel was right, his father really did have a soft spot for the girl, and Levy adored him right back.
"Oi, wouldya put my girl down Pop's? Yer squeezin' her ta death"
"Nonsense!" Metalicana retorted, setting her down anyway with one last squeeze. "Yer here early, for once."
"Blame th' Shrimp" Gajeel just rolled his eyes, leaning against the bench with his arms crossed.
"We thought you might need some help!" Levy offered brightly, smiling at the two men.
"No offense, little one, but I ain't letting ya touch anythin' we're plannin' on eating." Metalicana flicked her nose as he stepped around her, throwing his tea towel at his son. "You, on the other hand, boy, can make yaself useful and roast those taters." Grumbling about how it didn't make sense to have roast lunch in the middle of summer, Gajeel set about prepping the potatoes as requested. He might be a grown man, but his father still scared the daylights out of him at times.
Jumping up to sit on the bench by the sink, Levy started hulling strawberries - about the only thing she was allowed to do - as Metalicana rinsed crockery and loaded the dishwasher for the first load of the day.
"This seems like a lot of effort, even for you, Metalicana. Extra guests for lunch?"
"Little one, we're family, just call me Pop's like my brat does. An' yeah, ya could say that. Whole damn lot of 'em are comin'. Gonna get crazy in this big ol' house before too long" he laughed at the look on her face. "Why'd ya think yer all here fer lunch, not some place else? Ain't no one else got the room!"
Gajeel groaned as he dropped his utensils in the sink, ignoring the matching glares he got from his girl and his father, turning to pull two beers from the fridge, remembering Levy didn't really drink in the heat.
"When ya say 'the lot of 'em' d'ya mean all of 'em?"
"Even yer uncle 'Logia, so wouldya just behave yerself, boy, an' not embarrass us? 'Sides, it's yer fault anyway. Ya the one who went and proposed, an' ya know they're a bunch o' gossips". Gajeel just groaned, banging his forehead against the fridge door.


Whatever Levy had been expecting from Gajeel's extended family, it certainly wasn't this, she thought as she watched Igneel sulk after being forcibly removed from the kitchen. She had long ago grown used to the odd relationship Gajeel's father had with his siblings, Natsu's father and Wendy's mother. Looking at them from a distance, you never would pick they were related, but she supposed that had something to do with the fact that their long-dead father was the kind of man who would "sleep with anythin' that had a pulse" as Metalicana had once so eloquently phrased it. The real surprise for Levy, however, had been Metalicana's older brother, Acnologia. The second he walked in the room, she could tell they were related - Gajeel even bore an uncanny resemblance to his uncle, almost as much as he did to his own father. It didn't surprise her to learn he was also retired special forces, the pale aqua hair doing nothing to temper the aura of danger he carried - he was a man who killed people, and he didn't care if you knew it. Once she'd gotten over her trepidation - and been evicted from the kitchen, lest she kill anyone with her attempts at cooking - she found him to be a smart man, well read and well traveled, and easy to talk to, even if he did have the same gruff nature as his brother and nephew.
"I hear that brat finally got it right and proposed?" Levy giggled - one day she would find out why everyone called Gajeel a brat.
"Yeah, he caught me by surprise that's for sure."
"I'm surprised you put up with him. He doesn't even have eyebrows, for heaven's sake! He's lucky to have you, Lord knows we need some intelligence in this family."
"Quit flirtin' with me daughter-in-law, 'Logia. Lunch is ready."
Excusing herself, Levy went to find Wendy and their seats at the table, oblivious to the three sets of red eyes following her.
"Hate to see her go, but sure like to watch her leave, hey boy?" Metalicana nudged his son with an elbow, winking at his brother.
"How'd you ever get so lucky, brat?" Acnologia grinned, waggling his eyebrows which made his hair dance across his forehead.
"That's my fiancé, ya dirty old perverts".


"Hey, Gajeel?"
"Hmm?" He looked up from his lap at the sound of her soft voice, hands pausing in their stroking of Lily's soft fur as she held out a small white box, tied with a simple bow.
"Merry Christmas".
He took the gift from her hands, noticing the way they trembled slightly, and with a curious look at her face, which was carefully schooled into neutrality, he tugged on the ribbon, lifting the lid on the box. Pulling the tissue paper out, he frowned as he tried to work out what was hiding within. Levy felt like she'd forgotten how to breathe as she watched his face change, from quizzical, through confused and then, only when a smile started to spread across his face in understanding, did her heart kick back into a normal rhythm. Gajeel didn't say anything, just set the box and it's contents on the table before him, setting Lily off to the side as he stood, gathering Levy into his arms and swinging her around, kissing her like he'd never kissed anyone before. Lily just watched his humans acting strangely, stepping over to the table to smell the weird box, as if sniffing at it would make it so he could understand the word printed on the weird stick of plastic.

Pregnant.


The Christmas and New Year holidays passed by in a blur for Gajeel, he was so deliriously happy over the news he'd honestly never expected to be glad for, that time seemed to be standing still. Levy had doctors appointments set for early January, and save for the occasional spell of dizziness, and cramping that she tried to hide, it felt surreal to him to know she was pregnant when there were absolutely no outward signs. He went with her to the first appointment, and took an instant dislike to the obstetrician, who bore a terrifying resemblance to his aunt, Grandeeny. That was where the likeness started and stopped however, for Dr. Porlyusica was every bit as hard and abrupt as his aunt was gentle and polite. Levy didn't seem to mind her bedside manner - or complete lack of - and Gajeel figured she probably enjoyed the straight forward explanations and reading suggestions, knowing how her brain was. Levy was subjected to a blood test, and a brief physical examination, before she was handed a referral for an ultrasound in three weeks, and then they were sent on their way, with instructions to book a second appointment on the way out.

They never did make it to the ultrasound.

Two weeks later, Gajeel was home, enjoying the solitude of having the house to himself, Levy having gone off shopping with Lucy, the only other person who knew their news, when his phone rang.
"'Sup, Bunny Girl?"
"Gajeel, stay calm, yeah? It's Levy..."
He heard nothing else she said, the blood pounding in his ears as his vision started to blur. Shaking his head clear, he muttered a gruff "be there soon" before grabbing his keys, running on autopilot as he locked up and headed for the hospital.


"Lev'?" He kept his voice quiet as he pushed passed the nurse into the darkened room, rushing to her side when the sound of her sob practically broke his heart. "Oh, Kitten. C'mere". He sat beside her, wrapping his arms tight around her shaking body and holding her to his chest. The sound of her anguish had his throat closing and his eyes burning as he blinked back tears.
"I'm - I'm sorry."
"Levy, ya got nothin' to 'pologize for. 'M sorry I wasn't with ya." He turned to see Lucy carefully shutting the door behind her. "The doc been yet?"
"No, but it shouldn't be -" Lucy was cut off by a knock at the door, opening it to reveal a young woman in a white coat and glasses.
"Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Green. May I come in?" Her voice was gentle, and she waited for a nod before she stepped in, wheeling a machine behind her. "Levy, isn't it? And you must be the fiancé. My name's Ever. Levy, if it's okay with you, can I ask you a couple of questions?" She paused, waiting for the tiny nod before smiling reassuringly. "Have you been having a lot of cramping? It's okay, you can just nod. How about bleeding?"
"Only - only a little bit. Until today" Levy managed to squeak out, her voice wavering, sobs threatening to start again.
"And this morning, what happened?"
"I was... Fine, when I got up. Lucy and I went out for b-breakfast. Then it started hurting a-and when I stood up, I f-f..."
"She nearly fainted. I helped her out to the car, but when I saw the blood on her thighs, I brought her straight here." Lucy finished for her friend, Levy's eyes closed and she
focused on her breathing.
"I would like to do a couple of tests, if that's okay Levy? I'm going to chase up your blood test from earlier, but right now, do you think I can do a quick ultrasound?"
Levy nodded, laying back and lifting her shirt to expose her abdomen, flinching a little at the cool gel.
"I'm sorry, I know it's cold. So, I'm just going to have a quick look, I'm sorry, I know it's uncomfortable" she spoke softly as she moved the transducer around, occasionally prodding a little harder. "Okay, all done. You can wipe that goop off" she smiled softly, passing Levy some paper towel. "I'm sure you already know, so I won't say it. I know how much those words hurt. I do want to send you upstairs for a quick procedure though, we need to make sure there's no retained product, and I don't want to put you through this any longer than necessary. Does that sound okay?" Levy just nodded mutely, staring at her hands. "Okay, I'm going to organise that now. Mr Redfox, would you step out here to sign some paperwork?" She gestured to the door. Gajeel looked at Levy, how small and scared she looked, and hesitated.
"Go, I've got her" Lucy whispered, waving him away.

"Lev? I'll be right outside, kitten." With a kiss to her forehead, he turned, three strides taking him out into the hall.
"I'm sorry, Mr Redfox -"
"Gajeel. Name's Gajeel."
"Of course, Gajeel. I know how hard this is, for both of you. Your fiancé has miscarried, it's not uncommon for early pregnancy to end like this, but that never makes it any easier. Our concern now is making sure she passes all the tissues, anything left behind could cause an infection. I'm going to organise to send her upstairs for a DC procedure. It's a very short operation, low risk of any negative effects. I do need to explain them though, there is a change of bleeding, pain, infection, uterine rupture and infertility. They are very, very small risks, and I feel, in this case, the option of using medication would pose a greater risk to your fiancés mental state. You're listed as her next of kin, so you have the right to make this decision for her. Do I have your permission to organise this?"
"Oh, uhhhh, sure" Gajeel muttered, blankly signing the papers she held out for him. He could have been signing away anything for all he noted, or cared. He just wanted to be back with Levy, making sure she was okay. He stayed with her, holding her hand tightly in his own, right up until the moment they wheeled her into the pre-op suite to be anesthetized. It was then, and only then, that he let himself break down, completely unaware for Lucy beside him, pulling her phone out and making a call.


When Levy came around the first time, it was to the sight of Gajeel's hair strewn across her legs.
"Gaj?"
"Lev! You're awake! How do you feel?" He sat up at the sound of her raspy voice, hand gently cupping her cheeks below the oxygen cannula.
"'mokay, sleepy. Your eyes are red."
"My eyes are always red, ya goose. They got ya on the good stuff or somethin'?"
"No, you've been crying. Please don't cry about me." She trailed off, slipping back into sleep.
"It's okay, it takes a while for them to wake up properly" the matronly nurse reassured him as she jotted down notes in Levy's chart. "It's a heavy sedation, just let her sleep it off."

The second time Levy woke, it was Lucy's blonde hair laying over her legs.
"Lu?"
"Hey Lev. How you doing?" She asked softly, thumb rubbing circles on the back of Levy's hand.
"Tired. Where's Gajeel?" she rubbed her eyes sleepily, looking around for the man in question.
"He's just outside, think his Dad rang just before you woke. I can get him for you?" Levy shook her head, she knew he probably wasn't doing well - he always hated hospitals.
"Sorry for scaring you, Lu".
"Girl, I'm marrying Natsu. You're fine." Lucy joked, waving a hand dismissively. "Do you want to talk about it?" Levy thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Okay, I'll be here when you do. You should rest for now."
She fussed over her friend, adjusting the blankets and heat pack as Levy's eyes closed once again.

The third time, Levy awoke into full lucidity.
"You're not who I expected" she whispered at the sight of none other than Metalicana Redfox sitting in the chair beside her, glasses on and his attention focused on the book in his hands.
"I'd wager not. Better lookin' though, right?"
"Infinitely less morose than the last Redfox I saw. What are you reading?"
"Nothin' interesting, little one." He stood then, looking around the room. "Room hasn't changed at all. Nice ta see they patched the hole."
"Metalicana? What do you mean?"
"Haven't I told ya? Just call me Pops." He moved to sit on the edge of her bed then, scarred hand holding her own pale one. "Can I tell ya a story, little one? Long time ago, 'fore Gajeel was born, Emeline an' I were expectin'. Few times, actually. All of 'em, we ended up in this very room an' every time we went home with empty arms. See that funny spot on the wall? 'swhere I punched a hole 'cause the docs couldna tell us why."
"Gajeel never said..."
"'Cause he don't know. Not 'xactly somethin' ya work into the talk about sex with a teenage boy. Which wasn't ever a talk I hadta have 'til he met you, little one." He smirked at her warmly, patting her hand as the door opened with a knock.
"Levy, they told me you were awake. I'm just about to finish my shift, and I wanted to see how you're doing. May I come in?"
"Of course. Dr Green, this is my father in law, Metalicana."
"Pleasure, sir. The family resemblance is striking. Where is Gajeel?" She asked, shaking his hand firmly.
"Sent the brat home, shower, clean clothes, all o' that. Ya want me to wait outside, little one?"
"No, please stay, Pops." Her tiny hand shot out, grasping his wrist with a strength he wasn't expecting. Patting her hand with his free one, he smiled reassuringly as he moved to stand by her head.
"It's alright, sir, you don't need to step out. So" she turned her attention fully to Levy, pocketing her glasses. "Everything went really well. You're on some antibiotics in your IV just to be safe, and you'll probably be a bit sore and cramp-y for a few days, along with a little bit of bleeding. I'd like to see you for a follow up in two weeks before clearing you for anything penetrative -" she had to pause, smiling at the stifled chuckling coming from the older man. "I'm going to organise your discharge papers and some pain relief, and then you'll be able to go home in a couple of hours. The next OB on shift will go through everything with you in more detail before they let you leave." She smiled, rummaging in her pocket for a moment. "I also wanted to give you these. They're full of some very useless stuff, but I found Pink Elephants to be really helpful, if you want to talk to someone about this. This has all their details on it." She set a pamphlet down on the table before squeezing Levy's hand gently and leaving the room.
"Wish she was around all those years ago" Metalicana whistled lowly as the door clicked shut.
Levy picked up the brochure, opening it to find an appointment card with a handwritten note on the back - "It's alright to grieve the loss of everything that might have been". Yes, Levy definitely liked Dr Green too.


"Gajeel, I can walk the six steps into the house. The wheelchair at hospital is just protocol. You don't have to carry me!"
"Too late, Shrimp. Already inside. Ya want couch or bed?" he smirked, kicking the door closed with his boot.
"Couch. And a cuddle"
"Ya got it". He sat her carefully down on the couch, finding Lily and placing him on her abdomen. "Be right back". Levy watched him disappear out the front door, before returning a second later with the paper bag from the hospital pharmacy, followed in by a head of shining silver hair.
"Sorry kitten, couldn't get rid of 'im."
"Oi, watch yer tone, brat. I brought Thai, peanut satay. Still yer favourite, isn't it little one?"
"My two favourite Redfox men. You're so good to me" she joked, before her eyes filled with tears. "I don't d-deserve you." Gajeel was by her side in an instant, thumbs swiping away the tears that spilt over and ran down her cheeks.
"Don't say that kitten. Yer amazing." He sighed as she just shook her head, and shot a look at his father, who took three strides to kneel in front of the couple.
"Listen here, little one. Yer gonna be sad, of course ya are. We're all gonna be sad fer a while. 's normal. Em always said it wasn't losin' the babe tha' hurt the most, it was givin' up on all the dreams o' the future, just when yer was startin' to have 'em. So be sad, grieve over losin' that future. But don't you dare say you don't deserve our love and support, Levy McGarden. I will not stand for it!"
Gajeel and Levy just blinked, stunned. First at each other, and then at Metalicana who had wandered back to the kitchen to divvy up their dinner.
"What the fuck is he talkin' about?"
"I didn't think he even knew my name!"


In the week that Metalicana had been camped out in their spare room/studio, not once had he seen or heard either Gajeel or Levy have the breakdown he knew was coming. It was blatantly obvious to him that they each were stubbornly trying to be strong for the other - his eyes may be old, but they didn't miss the way Levy would wipe her face when Gajeel stepped into a room, or the way his son would step outside whenever his voice started to waver. Metalicana thought they were both being idiots. The only way he and Emeline ever began to heal and move on was by acknowledging what had happened and allowing themselves to grieve it. Even if that meant hours of wailing, or in his case, punching anything and everything within reach. As he watched them dance around their feelings, yet again, Metalicana growled to himself, and pulled out his phone. Firing off two quick text messages, he smirked, pleased with himself. If they weren't going to get it all out in the open by themselves, he was damn well going to give them the push they so desperately needed.

"Yer gonna be alright by yerself fer a bit, little one?"
"Hmm?" Levy looked up from the book on her lap, happily accepting the steaming mug he was offering her. "I'll be fine, Pops. Honestly, I'd like a few hours where he's not fussing over me every second."
"Thought ya might like some space. He cares 'bout ya, but he's so damn overbearin' even I'm feelin' stifled." He joked, ruffling her hair gently. "Oi! Brat o' mine! Git dressed, we're leavin'."
"Whatcha yellin' 'bout?" Gajeel called, stepping out from the bedroom already clothed.
"Say bye to yer girl, we're goin' out". Metalicana waited for him to kiss Levy sweetly, before slinging an arm around his son's shoulders and guiding him out the front. Lowering his voice, he stage whispered into Gajeel's ear once the door was shut behind them. "Trust me, boy. This house is about ta be descended on by a bunch o' women, an' we really don't wanna be here when tha' happens, ya know?"
Gajeel just gulped, nodding quickly. Suddenly, he wasn't feeling so bad about leaving Levy and, as his father pulled his car away from the curb, he saw Lucy's car round the corner and shuddered at how close he'd been to hell.


"I was gonna be a daddy!" Gajeel sobbed, eyeing his glass suspiciously when he realised it was empty. "Wh-who drank all my fuckin' vodka?" Metalicana laughed, pouring his son another healthy portion. It was 11am, his kitchen was full of men, and he'd successfully gotten his son plastered. So far, so good - his plan was working.
"Wha? What the fuck are you talking about? What the fucks he talking about Dad?" Natsu was, unfortunately, similarly drunk and completely oblivious.
"How the hell should I know? Gajeel, what are you on about?" Igneel rolled his eyes when he caught his brothers gaze - apparently neither of their offspring could hold their liquor, which was actually kind of the point. Gray seemed to be holding his own though, which impressed him.
"The Shrimp an' me, we was gonna have a baby. I was really fuckin' excited too, don't know why, be a shitty father probably. Don't matter anymore, not gonna be one." Gajeel glared at his glass like it had personally offended him, before draining it in one smooth motion, face screwing up a little at the burning sensation.
"How do you lose a baby before it's even a baby?" Natsu was genuinely confused, babies didn't make much sense to him as it was, even if Gray's son was pretty cute, but also nothing was making sense to him because it was 11am and he was wasted.
"You're a fucking idiot, Natsu" Gray shook his head, clapping Gajeel on the shoulder. "Sorry man, that's fucking rough. You guys doing okay?" Gray felt bad for the guy, he might be rough around the edges, but he was a good man and a good friend. He had been there for him and Juvia when they'd had a scar during one of their scans, and it sucked to know he was hurting, wasn't going to experience anything he had so clearly started dreaming about.
"Oh. Yeah, that sucks dude" Natsu nodded, his father having just finished a very quick explanation on pregnancy and loss. "Can't you just like, have another one?"
The entire room went deathly silent as Gajeel's tears stopped, his face darkening in fury. When he stood, Natsu had the good sense to make a run for it, stumbling as he skidded down the hallway, Gajeel hot on his heels.
"Jus' don't break the house!" Metalicana called after them, laughing quietly at the idiocy of his nephew and knowing a good fight would do wonders for his son's state of mind.


Lucy had walked in, taken one look at Levy, and immediately called for reinforcements. So, not more than ten minutes after Gajeel and his father had left, Levy found herself surrounded by her friends, including Mira and her sister, Lisanna, as well as Juvia and her son. Once Levy had explained just why she looked so miserable, and was hiding on her couch in the middle of summer, wearing Gajeel's pyjamas, poor Juvia looked aghast that she had just minutes before been trying to shove her infant into Levy's arms. She had honestly just been trying to cheer her friend up, baby cuddles were a wonderful cure-all in her mind, but now she couldn't believe she had been so insensitive.
"Juvia, it's okay! You couldn't have know. Please stop apologising, I'm not mad!" Levy reassured the fellow bluenette, happily taking baby Silver and cuddling him. It hurt in all kinds of new and terrible ways, holding this chubby little human, but Levy let it wash over her, and then let it go, finding in its place a new sense of calm.
By 11am, just as the boys were trying to kill each other across town, the women were down 4 bottles of wine and sobbing through the ending of The Notebook, because apparently when you were upset the best thing to do was put on a sad movie, drink an inappropriate amount of wine, and cry until your face hurt. Juvia had left halfway through, taking an increasingly cranky baby home, and had been replaced by Wendy, who had literally attached herself to Levy's side and hadn't let go, having heard the news from a very drunk Gajeel when he called her, slurring his way through a weirdly put together recount of events. Wendy was pretty sure that Levy wouldn't have had surgery and then gone to breakfast with Lucy, but she wasn't going to bother arguing with a drunk Gajeel. After sobbing her eyes out, Levy finally felt ready to talk.


Gajeel and Natsu lay sprawled out of the tile floor of Metalicana's back porch, sweaty and out of breath. Anger and alcohol had neither of them holding back, and they each bore signs of their fight - bloodied knuckles, a split lip, a graze across a cheek, and countless bruises that were sure to appear over the next few days.
"Sorry, man. That wasn't cool, what I said. Shoulda thought before I opened my mouth."
"Tch, whatever ash breath, ya never do so why start now. I blame my Pops an' yer old man. Them's the ones who schemed this an' brought out the booze."
"True. But I'm still sorry, Gajeel. It must suck losing someone you never got to meet."
"Yeah, fuckin' hurts man." He drew in a shuddering breath, and when he exhaled, all the hurt and anger came pouring out in gasping sobs. When Natsu reached over and grabbed his hand, Gajeel held on to his cousin like he was drowning, and Natsu was a life raft. When his cries finally died down, Gajeel shook himself off and stood, pulling his cousin to stand. After a brief embrace, and a look that said "don't tell anyone unless you plan on dying" the duo headed back into the house to see about exacting some revenge on the older generation. Unfortunately for Metalicana and Igneel, they hadn't had the sense to move from their spot at the kitchen island so they weren't hard to track down.
"Oi, Pops! This yer scheme, yeah?"
"Gajeel, I'm 'fraid I dunno what yer talkin' about" Metalicana held his hands up in pretend innocence, gulping when he saw both his son and his nephew stalking towards him.
"Dad? Why'd you bring the vodka?" Natsu caught on fast to the game.
"Uhhhh, can I plead the fifth?" Igneel stammered, getting up from his seat and backing away slowly.
"No, yer can't. Git 'em!" And with that, the boys pounced, grabbing and dragging their respective father's to toss them rather unceremoniously into the pool, Gray laughing at the scene as he sipped his drink.


"And I know it was just a cluster of cells, not really anything yet, but it just... It hurts you know? And Gajeel..." Levy trailed off into yet another fit of wailing, burying her face in her hands as her friends were cuddled up to her, Mira passing her a tissue as Lisanna patted her knee and Lucy stroked her hair where it lay across her legs.
"But to you, that was your baby." Erza had been a surprise addition to the group, having hesitantly followed Wendy in, having only just arrived in town to visit her partner, who also happened to be Levy's only known family. She smiled reassuringly, her usually stern face softening as she knelt in front of the couch and brushed a tear from Levy's face. "They say women become mother's as soon as they fall pregnant, so no matter how far along you were - zygote, embryo, fetus... You were already a mother, and you always will be. Some of us have angel babies instead, is the only difference".
"Erza" Levy breathed, sitting up and throwing her arms around the older woman. "I never knew."
"It's alright" she stiffly patted Levy's shoulder. Erza wasn't great with the right way to comfort people, even less so when it came to physical contact, but the group around her seemed to pay it no mind, welcoming her as one of their own from the second she arrived. "It happens far more frequently than anyone talks about, which is a shame. Women, and their partners of course, shouldn't have to keep this to themselves. You need help to get through it. But I can see you have lots of support, and I'm here for you, too."
That set the whole room off into a new round of tears, and Mira had the good sense to hide the rest of the wine, bringing out a pitcher of iced tea instead. No one needed the group of emotional women to be plastered as well.


"Hey Pops?"
"What, boy?"
"What'd ya mean the other day when ya was talkin' 'bout Ma?" It was mid afternoon, and Gajeel was laid on the couch in his dad's lounge, staring at the ceiling fan overhead as it spun lazily, blowing the chilled air around the room in a gentle breeze, Metalicana lazing on the couch opposite, reading. He set down his book and glasses on the table, leaning forward to stare at his son.
"We never did tell ya, but ya weren't our first go at bein' parents."
"Huh?" Gajeel rolled over and sat up, red pupils boring into his father's almost identical eyes.
"Well, 'fore you was born, yer Ma an' me, we went through what you an' Levy are dealin' with. Lots o' times, actually. There werrt a few times we thought we was home free, decorated the room an' everythin'. But then yer Ma, God rest her soul, she had ta go through the whole process o' givin' birth, an' we never even got ta hear a cry." Metalicana sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. It had been a long time since he'd talked about this part of his life, and it hadn't gotten any easier.
"Ya mean, you an' Ma? How..."
"Uhh lemme see, ten miscarriages an' two still births. They called it somethin' different back then though. You were lucky number thirteen, stubborn little shit ya were too."
"I never knew..."
"Yeah, well, it's not exactly what ya tell yer teenage son about when ya tell him ta practice safe sex." Gajeel snorted, stepping around the coffee table to set next to his father.
"Hey Dad? Thank you." His voice was quiet, but those four words were laden with emotions other than just gratitude, and Metalicana knew his son was thanking him for everything, not just sharing his story. Smiling, he leant his head against Gajeel's and threw an arm around his son's shoulders as the began to shake.


"Hey Pops? How did you and Emeline meet?" Levy's hands were in the pockets of her shorts, her pale skin almost reflective under the evening sun, blue locks blowing slightly in the gentle breeze as she walked beside him. She hadn't meant to ask anything quite so invasive, had been enjoying the comfortable silence during the nightly walk that seemed to have become their routine while Metalicana was staying with them.
"The brat never tell ya? Tch, useless." Metalicana lifted his sunglasses to rest on his head so he could look down at the woman who was to be his daughter in law.
"No, he never talks about her. He told me once, back in school, that his mum had died and he missed her, but that's kind of all he ever said".
"Boy's useless. We met in France, if ya can believe it. Was there on some mission or another, musta needed fixin' up at some point 'cause there she was, lookin' like a angel in her nurse getup. Was love at first sight, least it was fer me. Don't think she much liked me ta start, prob'ly 'cause I pinched her butt on me way out, but she still went out wi' me tha' night. An' 'fore I knew it, we was gettin' hitched. Thought it was so she could come home with me when I got stuck on desk duty, bu' turned out she grew up not four towns over from me. Jus' me luck, havin' ta go halfway 'round the world ta find the girl o' me dreams when she'd been an hour away practically me whole life."
"I don't know, most people would probably call it romantic." Levy giggled at the scowl forming on his face at the word. "What was she like? I don't even think I've ever seen a picture of her".
"She was the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on. Had this thick dark hair, pale skin, the greenest eyes ya ever saw. There's lots o' her in Gajeel, I see it in his face. More'n that, she was a beautiful soul. She hadda way o' lightin' up a room jus' by bein' in it. Em was a nurse, through an' through. She cared 'bout everyone, made ya feel welcome with jus' a smile, like nothin' ya could ever tell her or ask fer was too much. Ya remind me of her, little Levs. She was never scared to speak her mind, had a feisty streak jus' like yers. An' read, good lord did the woman love a book!"
"I would have liked to meet her" Levy said quietly, falling in step beside the older man as the house came into view.
"She woulda loved ya, little one. Prob'ly even more'n I do". Metalicana smiled, squeezing the tiny bluenette in a one armed hug.


Their two week check came and, apart from watching Dr Green yell at Levy's previous OBGYN, went without incident, Levy had been given a clean bill of health and cleared to resume full activities. There were no answers as to what happened, but Levy had resigned herself to the fact that sometimes, things just happen, and no one can tell you why. So for the last few days, she had been flitting around the house in surprisingly good spirits, despite the fact that Metalicana had gone home and Gajeel was still walking around the house with a frown permanently etched on his face. No matter, Levy had a plan to help him process everything, and today was the day she was going to put it into action.
"Hey, Gaj? Can you come help me in here?" She called, trying to fight off the giggles as her fiancé entered the room.
"Ya alright, Lev'? What'd ya need?"
"I think there's some boxes on the top shelf up there, can you get them down for me?" She smiled sweetly, edging towards the door the second his back was turned. As soon as he heard the door shut and the lock click, Gajeel knew he'd been had. There were no boxes in this room.
"Lev'? Levy, what're ya doin'? Open the door."
"Nope! Not until you talk to me about what you're feeling?" Her voice was muffled through the door, but he could still hear the laughter in her voice, and it made him smile just a little to know she was happy, even if it was at his own expense.
"Nothin' ta talk 'bout, Kitten. I'm fine, yer fine, now wouldya lemme out already? It's hot in here".
"You're not fine, Gajeel. No one expects you to be, I definitely don't expect you to be!"
"Maybe I don't wanna talk 'bout it, Lev'. Didya think 'bout that?"
"Yup! Which is why all your gear is in there so you can write, use it as therapy. I know you use your music to deal with things, why would this be any different?"
"Lev', jus' lemme out already!" Gajeel banged on the door, but it was useless - the door refused to open, and he no longer got any response. So, reluctantly, he threw himself onto the spare bed, a frame having magically appeared when his father had moved in for those two weeks, and opened his notepad. Once he got passed the initial awkwardness he always felt over writing his feelings down, Gajeel found the words coming thick and fast, and he was reaching for his guitar before he even realised it.

Having realised it was had been quiet for a little while, Levy set her book down on the coffee table and picked Lily up from his place on her lap, setting him on the back of the armchair as she stood and headed to unlock the door to the spare room.
"Gajeel?" She called softly, pushing the door open and stepping into the room, squeaking in surprise when a large chest collided with her, muscled arms wrapping tightly around her.
"I love ya, Levs."
"I love too, Gaj. Want to talk about it?" She felt him nod, arms loosening as he allowed her to pull him along to the couch where she sat curled up against his side, both their focus on his hand which was currently fiddling with her engagement ring.
"Sorry I've been such a fuckin' grump kitten. I know I shoulda talked to ya about how I was feelin', jus' didn't wanna put that on ya when yer rightly been processing everythin' yerself."
"Thank you for trying to be considerate. But I'm okay now, mostly. I think I'll probably always have moments where I'll get sad about it, but I've made my peace with it."
"How can ya be so calm? When I think about it, half the time I wanna cry an' scream, an' the other half I just wanna hit somethin'." Gajeel admitted, sighing a little. He never wanted to admit it, but Levy was right - music was how he'd always processed things, but having written it out, and into a damn good song too, had helped get his thoughts in order so he could finally have this conversation.
"I still want to cry, basically all the time, but I know I can't live that way. It's not who I am to just sink into the sadness and stay there forever. I just let myself be sad for a while, and then I focus on something else. Like how cute Lily's ears are when they twitch in his sleep, or the way the light makes your hair shine like silk." Levy wriggled closer, resting a hand on his thigh.
"It just, it really fucking sucks. I hated seeing ya goin' through that, I woulda changed places with ya in a heartbeat if I could. An' then I feel guilty, 'cause I think maybe it's a good thing? I ain't exactly ready to be a father yet, not a good one anyway. But then I think about what would our kid've looked like, an' I get sad all over again." Gajeel leant over to rest his cheek against her soft blue hair, breathing in the scent of oranges from the shampoo she had used that morning.
"I think it's really normal to feel like that, all of it. I just want you to know you can talk to me about it all, whenever you need. Or your Dad, or Gray... I don't mind, just promise me you'll keep talking, yeah?"
"Promise, kitten."
"Good. So, did you write anything good?"
"Kitten, everythin' I write is good."