Moving Forward

"God damn it!" Levy swore through gritted teeth. Taking deep breaths, she tried to focus on the hands on her shoulders instead of the pain that kept trying to steal her breath. "Lu?" She sagged as the moment passed.
"Yeah Lev's?" Lucy's head popped into view over her left shoulder, her hands resting at Levy's sides, as if to hold her steady.
"I can't do this".
"Kinda don't have a choice babes".
"Lucy is right. You don't really get to stop now, Levy. Keep pushing, okay? You're almost there". Dr. Green called from her stool at the end of the bed.
"I can't - fucking hell!" Levy swore, the burning sensation taking her breath away as she groaned through the pain.
"Hands down, Lev. One more and you're going to have this baby in your arms, okay? Push!" Levy let her hands be guided to the head currently crowning, helping her green-haired OBGYN guide the newborn out of her body, and up on to her belly, the crying starting almost immediately.
"Hi baby. I know, my love, I know. Oh, hello precious". Levy's voice was soft; she was tired, and a little awestruck at finally holding the baby she'd been dreaming of for so long.
"Congratulations Levy, she's perfect." Lucy kissed her friends sweaty cheek, gazing lovingly down at her newborn goddaughter.
"My Emme".


Three years. Three years since he'd heard from her. Three years, since that day he'd watched her fall apart. The day that still felt like a sucker punch when he thought about her blue curls running away from him and out of his life. The same blue curls that were sitting on a bench seat just ahead of him, turning at the sound of his boots approaching.
"Gajeel?" He felt himself smile involuntarily as she turned to face him, with the same smile he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. Time had been good to her, hair longer and face softer, eye's crinkled around the edges from a life of joy.
"Hey, Shrimp". He sat awkwardly at her gesture, fidgeting a little with the silence between them. "So, uh, been a while?"
"Yeah, sorry. I've been meaning to call, life just got a little crazy, you know?"
"Yeah, I get that. Ya been -"

"Mama!"

Gajeel's awkward reunion was cut short when a little girl with black curls, tied up in pigtails, came bouncing up and threw herself at Levy.
"Hi baby! Have you had enough of the swings for today?"
"Yup! I hungy now. Who dis?" Gajeel felt like he'd had the breath knocked clean out of him when the little girl turned and peeked under her mother's arm, because staring back at him was a miniature Levy, with the exception of curly black hair and his unmistakable crimson eyes.
"Uh, hey kiddo? Name's Gajeel, I'ma friend o' yer ma's."
"You remember we talked about mummy's friend? How he plays music and gave us Lily?" Levy spoke softly, hands holding her daughters as she kept eye contact with the little girl.
"Mama you right, he has funny eyebows". Gajeel couldn't help but laugh at that, the child's giggles a musical version of his own raspy chuckle.
"I like ya, kid. Ya wan' ice cream?"
"Mama! Eye keem! Peas?" Gajeel could have sworn the girls eyes grew three times their normal size as he got his first sight of 'puppy dog eyes' in action.
"Well, who am I to say no when Gajeel offered?" Levy laughed, swooping the girl up in her arms and swinging her around, and Gajeel would forever deny the tears the prickled at the corners of his eyes at the sight.


"She's asleep." Gajeel whispered, gently pulling the door almost closed behind him.
"She really took to you in a hurry, usually she just scowls at new people. Here" Levy held up a beer over the back of the couch. "Sit, ask. I can practically see the questions on your face."
"Think the ice cream helped. Yer always did know me too well, Levs. Ya called her Emme?" He asked, sitting heavily and swigging from his bottle.
"After your mum, yeah. Seemed to fit, I guess. Your Pops cried when I told him why."
"Pops knew the whole time? 'Course he did, bastard." Gajeel chuckled to himself. "Why didn't ya tell me, Levs?"
"At first, I didn't want to distract you. I knew you were struggling with everything, didn't want to make things harder for you. Then your dad said you were doing better, but I didn't want to shock you and put you back to square one. And then, well, life with a newborn is kind of chaotic and time kind of got away from me, and here we are." She shrugged, apologetic smile on her face.
"Fuck, I really made a mess o' e'rything, hey? I'm sorry, y'know? Tha' I weren't there fer yer, fer both o' ya. But, I wan' ta be, from now on, if yer let me?"
"Gajeel, look at me." Levy took his hands gently in her own, gaze demanding he hold eye contact with her. "I never want to keep you from you daughter, ever. But that girl? That girl is my whole world, and if I think for even a second that you might hurt her? Gajeel, I will rip her away from you and hide us both so well that not even your uncle will ever be able to find us, am I clear?"
"Yes, ma'am. Duly noted." Gajeel gulped, it had been a long time since he'd seen scary Levy, and she was even more terrifying in mama bear mode than she'd even been before. "Can I, uh, fuck this is weird, but can I hug ya?"
"Stupid Gajeel, of course you can. Come here. I've missed you." Levy set her drink down, opening her arms. Gajeel went to her, sinking into her embrace, his own arms wrapping tight around her shoulders, one hand twisting into her soft curls and holding her to him, afraid that she might suddenly disappear again. He swallowed heavily as she pulled back slightly, relaxing his grip as she levelled her face with his and, to his complete surprise, kissed him sweetly.
"I'm gettin' deja vu here, Levs".
"Wondered if you remembered" she giggled, bringing her hand up to gently cup his cheek. "Although, I think we were far more nervous and far drunker than we are now".
"Yer not nerv's? 'Cause I'm shakin' like a leaf ri' now".
"No, I'm not. So I'm going to kiss you again, and again, and I'll keep kissing you until you're not nervous anymore." Levy smiled gently at him, softly bumping his nose with her own.
"Ya do that, kitten, an' I ain't ever gon' leave".
"That a threat, or a promise Gajeel?"
"Depends which ya want it ta be". He smirked, before he had his arms full of Levy, kissing him fiercely. The shock of her all but throwing herself at him knocked him backwards, so she was all but straddling his lap as she controlled the way their tongues danced together.
"Levs, tell me ta stop". She pulled away to look at him, cheeks rosy and hair mussed from where his fingers had tangled in to the curls.
"I'll follow you, 'Jeel. It's been a long three years, but I'll wait forever if that's what you need".
Gajeel let out a shaky breath, thumb gently tracing her lips. "Been a long time fer me, too. But I wanna do right by ya, by yer both. I dunno wha' that looks like, bu' I'm pretty sure jumpin' straight inta bed with ya ain't it Lev. Much as I really fuckin' want yer".
"You're right, we should take this slow. I got caught up in the moment, but we need to do what's best for Em. It's late, do you want to stay? I can make up the guest room for you?" Levy smiled, squeezing his hands reassuringly as she slips from his lap and stood, stretching her back before picking up the days mess.
"Uh, if it's not weird, could I stay with ya? I mean, would tha' be okay? Kinda jus' wanna hold her" he muttered quietly, helping to clear the table and put the piles of picture books back onto their shelves.
"I'd like that." Levy smiled warmly as she set the dishwasher running. "But, fair warning, Em usually climbs into my bed at some point, and she's pretty terrible to sleep next to".

"Levs, does she know? Who I am?" Gajeel swallowed heavily, suddenly realising how weird it must seem to a small child, given how odd he was finding the whole thing.
"That you're her Dad?" Levy kept her voice soft, gentle. "She knows she's got one; that her Dad was sick and that's why he's not around, because he's trying to get better. She knows how excited her Dad was to have a baby. I've never lied to her, Gaj. She's terrifyingly smart, though, she probably figured it out about four hours ago when you ordered the same terrible combination of toppings on your ice cream". She squeezed his bicep reassuringly, moving passed him to lock up and flick on the light in the bedroom.
"Look, 's not my fault if ya got bad taste in ice cream. Least our kid got the good genes for that. The smart thing's all from ya, Levs".
"I feel like you're handling this a lot better than I thought you might. Want to cuddle and talk about it?" Levy asked, sliding in to bed and tossing him familiar a pair of shorts from her bottom drawer.
"Wondered where these were. Any excuse ta hold yer, kitten".


Gajeel had no concept of time, only that it was pitch black, when the door creaked and tiny footsteps came padding in to the room.
"Mama?"
"Hey, Em. Yer Mama's sleepin', everythin' okay?" Gajeel slid out of bed and onto his knees in front of the little girl.
"Gaheel? You here?"
"Yeah kiddo, I'm still here. That okay?"
"Good. Need cuggle". She looked up at him with sleepy eyes, arms held out in the universal symbol for 'pick me up'.
"Oh, uh, okay. Yer wan' here with yer mama? No, guess not" he grumbled internally, having no idea what you were meant to do with a needy toddler at 2am, when you'd met them just 12 hours before. "Okay, back ta yer bed it is". For the second time in his very short career as a father, Gajeel silently thanked Levy for having the foresight to put their daughter in an actual bed, even if the thought of sleeping practically on the floor already had his back screaming in protest. At least the mattress was comfortable, and the covers warm, so he resigned himself to an aching spine and settled his daughter in to her bed, stuffed cat plushie under her arm, as he curled around her, as per her demands. "Yer bossy, jus' like yer Mama" he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her sleep-tousled hair and smiling as she squeezed his arm tight.

When Levy woke the next morning, the sun was barely up and she felt suprisingly warm and we'll rested. Rolling over, she realised she was the only one in the bed, which explained why she still had pillow under her head and blankets tucked around her. The house was silent, meaning everyone else was still asleep. Which left Levy the question of where? Rolling out of bed, she wrapped her fluffy robe around her body, and padded quietly into the next room to check on her daughter.
Emme was still sound asleep, tucked in with her Lily plush, soft smile on her lips, and behind her was Gajeel, arms wrapped protectively around his little girl as he snored quietly. Levy pulled out her phone to snap a quick photo, before quietly pulling the door closed, deciding to enjoy the peace while it lasted and actually drink an entire coffee while it was still hot.


Levy loved the atmosphere of a huge stadium venue during bump-in. Everyone scurrying around, the noises, the yelling, the anticipation... Usually, she'd stop to take it all in, but today she was on a mission to locate a certain maroon-haired, one-eyed tour manager, all whilst doing her best to stay out of sight a certain lead singer. It wasn't that she was avoiding him, per se. Quite the opposite - she was, in fact, itching to see him again. The past eleven months had been wonderful, both of them putting the work in, rebuilding their relationship even better than before, figuring out how to parent separately, as well as together, and learning to be a family, albeit a very strange one. No, she was here to surprise him and she couldn't manage to pull it off if he spotted her now. Finally laying eyes on the very man she was looking for, she waved and, checking her path was clear, jogged over to greet him with a warm hug.
"Erik! Oh, it's so good to see you again! How are you?"
Levy, you are a sight for sore eyes! If I wasn't so behind publicly embarrassing Gajeel, I would stick you in front of him right this second - he is insufferable today!" He laughed, one eye crinkling at the corner, as if laughing wasn't something he did often. "No offence, but where's my favourite girl?"
"Having a sleepover with her Papa and her Uncle at the hotel. Gods help them both! She'll be here later, part of the surprise."
"I'm sure she's got them wrapped around her pinky finger, having tea parties and playing princesses?"
"She's more likely to turn a tea party into a diplomatic mission, and princesses is a very serious business involving commerce and peace treaties. It's exhausting!"
"Well, she definitely takes after her mother then!" Erik winked, elbowing her gently. "So, about tonight. You have an idea?"
"Yeah, and everyone else is on board. I just need to get you on the same page so we can really pull this off and properly surprise him. Three questions - do they still take a breather halfway through the set, is there somewhere I can be mic'ed up and ready to go, but completely hidden, and can we sneak Emme in after the show starts? Just so she isn't causing havoc back here for too long."
"The answer to all of those is yes, and I think I can see where you're going with this. McGarden, I like your style".


Gajeel knew he was being an ass. He couldn't help it, he missed his girls and it was making him short with everyone. Sighing yet another apology, this time to Wendy, he turned the corridor to find his dressing room and hide out, trying to avoid anyone else he might accidentally piss off. He thought he spotted a flash of wild blue curls turning the corner ahead of him, and shook his head. Shutting the door behind him, he pulled his phone out to call Levy, convinced he was hallucinating things from missing her so much. When her phone went to voicemail, he left a short message telling her he loved her and missed her, and that they were going on stage soon so he wouldn't get to say goodnight to Emme, but he'd call in the morning. Having done everything he could do, he pulled out his journal and made some notes - he really was trying with this new thing his therapist had him trying, but mostly all he ever wrote were lyrics or the occasional chord progression. He did his daily check in with his old man, and even managed a chat with his little girl - Metalicana said Levy was off having a girls night, or something, so he was revelling in his role as doting Papa. By that time, he was scoffing a light dinner as Erik stood in the doorway tapping his wrist, silently giving him the universal 'hurry the fuck up' signal.
"We all set?"
Just waiting for you, Redfox." Erik replied, ushering him out the door and down to backstage, where he helped get his ear piece set. Gajeel was too distracted, mind already back home with his family, until he saw what he thought was a shock of blue hair.
"Cobra, why'd I keep seein' blue hair 'round here?"
"Probably because plenty of people have brightly coloured hair these days, Gajeel. Would you please just focus and get out there already?" Erik huffed, nearly pushing him onto the stage as the lights came up and no one would have heard anything over the roar of the crowd.
Taking a deep breath, Gajeel fixed his usual smirk and strolled to the front of the stage like he wasn't wishing he was somewhere else.

"He-ey!" he sang, letting the crowd sing back at him. "Crocus! How ya'll doin'? Okay, alright, simmer down now. Lemme talk at ya fer a second." He gestured for a bit of quiet, Natsu strumming a soft rift for some background noise. "Can I jus' say how fuckin' incredible 'tis ta be back? We ain't been here in years, an we all jus' wan' ta thank ya fer stickin' with us these past few years. Fer stickin' with me. Now, I can't promise t'night is gonna be anything like the last show we did here, but we're gon' do our best ta show yer a good time!" As he yelled out the last few words, Natsu launched straight into the opening riff of 'Strike Back' - the high energy opening, and the fact it was one of their more popular 'oldies' had the entire venue pumping almost immediately. From there, they swung straight into "Tragedy + Time', followed by 'Sex on Fire'. When the cheering and yelling had died to a less raucous level, Gajeel gestured everyone up to the front of the stage.
"Figure we should pro'ly introduce ourselves 'fore we go any further, right? On th' end there, Ms. Wendy Marvell!" He paused, letting her wave and bow, playing it up to the audience. "On th' other end? Mr. Keys himself, Gray Fullbuster!" Another pause, another bandmate playing it up for the crowd. "Beside me here? The hot head, the flame brain, Natsu Dragneel! Nope, don't start, yer jus' gonna break somethin'." Gajeel teased as everyone moved back to their usual posts. "You're right, we are missin' someone. She's at home, bein' incredible an' waitin' fer us ta get back. Fer me, if ya can believe that. Hmm? Me? Ya'll gotta know who I am by now, right? No? Name's Gajeel Redfox, and I'm a recovering addict." He stated simply, almost staggering at the sheer wall of noise that always seemed to follow after his announcement. Without even waiting for the hollering to die down, they launched straight into a block of new songs, until both Gajeel and Natsu were dripping in sweat, and even Wendy was looking a bit damp.

Usually, they would get the support act up to do a song or two, maybe jam with them a little bit, but unbeknownst to Gajeel, and Gajeel alone, tonight was going to play out a little differently. When the lights went down, it was the chance Levy had been waiting for, and she snuck out with the support guys as the video screen behind them flashed up 'Can you keep a secret?' Halfway through the first song, she ditched her disguise, playing her violin along with their other instruments, to rapturous applause. When she got the signal from Wendy towards the end of their second song, she made the shhh sign at the audience, and ducked back off stage cheekily, waiting for the perfect moment to pull off her surprise. Gajeel, and the rest of the band, came back then, and jammed a couple of songs with the other group, even Gajeel admitting they were one of the best they'd had, and sent them off with a directive to find Cobra backstage. That done, he swung up his bass ready to play one of the latest offerings from their new album, but Natsu had other ideas, the familiar refrain of the opening to 'I Don't Wanna Know' ringing out from his guitar.
"Natsu! The fuck are ya doin'?" Gajeel spoke into his mic, clearly perplexed. "This ain't on the set list, ash fer brains. Lev' ain't here!"
Natsu just shrugged, as the whole stadium murmured and laughed, very obviously in on something that Gajeel himself was missing, as obvious by the fact his cousin just kept playing.

"Your eyes were covered with sunglasses, when they first met mine. I sat there and stared at you, you didn't seem to mind".

There was no mistaking that voice, clear and sweet, and Gajeel turned to watch her walk on stage with his mouth literally agape. He hadn't been going crazy, it really was her mop of curls he'd been seeing out the corner of his eye all day long, as she really was here. Walking towards him, wearing the same yellow singlet she'd had on the last time they were here, on stage, together.

"The awkward ways we meet".

She was standing next to him now, the audience drowning out every sound as Gajeel forgot about everything, and everyone, around him, pulling her into his arms and kissing her like he'd never kissed her before. Fortunately, Levy didn't seem to care, as she responded in kind, her hands twisting into his dark hair as she stood on her toes to press closer to him.
"Yer here?"
"Surprise!" The entire arena yelled as Levy just laughed and held him, her face against his broad chest.
"An' ya all knew 'bout this? Cobra! Git yer ass out here!" Gajeel laughed, hastily swiping away a few tears, as their manager made a brief appearance, long enough to flip them off before scurrying back into the wings. "Was everyone here in on this? What is it, prank Gajeel day?"
"Oh, don't be like that, babe. I made them all" Levy swept her arm around to gesture to the entire venue "keep it a secret, I wanted to surprise you!"
"Well, ya sure managed that! Come 'ere, kitten." He pulled her in close to him, and moved them up in front of his microphone. "So, looks like I was wrong earlier. She ain't home, waitin'. She's here right now! If ya make enough noise, maybe we can get her ta stay and sing with us?" He quirked an eyebrow down at her, taking her laughter as a yes. "Ladies an' gentlemen, Miss Levy McGarden!" He swung her up in his arms, kissing her again, smiling against her lips as they heard Natsu's cry of "the band's back together!"

With Levy up onstage with them, they threw the set list quite literally to the wind, and started taking requests from the audience. Luckily, Levy and Erik had planned for this and already had a runner down on the floor with a microphone, so they could actually hear what was being said. All in all, it was the most fun Gajeel had had playing a gig in a very long time, and he was in such high spirits, they'd even pulled a few audience members up on stage to play with them, all of whom were surprisingly good, and ushered backstage passes for an official meet and greet after the show ended. They finished the show up with Levy, and her rendition of 'Little Lion Man', the whole group laughing at the irony of ending this gig the same way they had started them all those years ago. The second they were off stage, it was clear they weren't going to get away without encores, so after a quick breather - in which Levy and Gajeel did more kissing than catching their breath - they were back out there.

"Uhh, this is awkward guys, but we got nothin' prepared for this!" Gajeel laughed, running his hands through his hair. "Somethin' new's gonna have ta do!" He yelled over his shoulder to the group, everyone beaming back with thumbs up - it was so new they hadn't even recorded it yet, the first song they'd all worked on together since their Tenrou tour, part of their own weird brand of therapy, writing together again. Levy stepped up to the stand first, taking a breath before she opened her mouth.

"For a moment I can wait, it's a fight I guess I'll never know. For a moment I can wait, I'm holding on to hope. And I know you're stoned, I can see it. The struggles getting old. For a moment I can wait." When Gajeel stepped up beside her, their voices harmonising naturally, Levy felt her eyes prickle with tears. It truly was such a personal song for them, for him, and she couldn't be prouder of what he'd overcome, where he was now in his recovery, and the man he had grown in to. She couldn't possibly ask for a better partner in life, or in parenting.
"Every moment I'm awake, it's a fight that you could never know. Every moment I'm awake, I'm clinging on to hope. And I feel so low, but I'm dealing. The struggle's getting old. Every moment I'm awake... But I'm getting sober. Trying but I can't get closer. Baby did you let me go? Baby did you let me go?" Levy looked so tiny next to him, eyes bright with unshed tears. Once, he would have panicked at the sight, but he knew from the set of her shoulders, from her arm around his hips and the look on her face that she wasn't sad. No, she was so happy she was crying, because of him, and his heart swelled to know that maybe, just maybe, he was done making her hurt.
"On and on we pray. Thinking 'bout time and our mistakes. Thinking 'bout time. Thinking 'bout time. It's about time."

As the last notes hung in the air, there was silence for a moment, quickly followed by a deafening roar, and the band just laughed, happy their fans were so supportive of everything they did. Before it died out, they swung straight into 'Vicious Love' and 'Hit or Miss'. The noise clearly wasn't dying down at all, so in a move that gave everyone deja vu, the cousin's huddled up to discuss a plan while Levy just shrugged at the crowd, making everyone laugh, because she had one more trick up her sleeve. When everyone took their places again, Gajeel quirked an eyebrow at the guitar around her shoulders, but she just winked up at him. He got his answer when, instead of the song they'd discussed, Wendy and Natsu began to play 'Angel's Wings'. And, sure enough, when they got to the second verse, Levy sang his words right back at him. Only, instead of kneeling and proposing when the music died off, she motioned to someone side of stage, and out ran his little girl in sparkly blue earmuffs and a t-shirt that said 'Marry my Mama?'
Scooping her up to sit on his shoulders, Gajeel had to laugh, and he pulled Levy to stand next to him as he dropped to a knee. "Guess it's a good thing I've got this in my pocket!" He pulled out the ring box he'd been given earlier that day - 'for nostalgia's sake' Erik had said - and slid the sparkling aquamarine and diamond onto her finger. Standing, he stood Emme on the stage, watching as she promptly ran to her 'Aun-y Wen-Wen' because she liked the noises her drum kit made, and then swept his girl into his arms, dipping her slightly as he kissed her tenderly. It was Gray, this time around, who made the call of "they said yes!" before the lights went out and the family made their way off stage, the cheering abating at a glacial pace.


Uhh, I kind of forgot to post this one? Oops! Anyway, I've done some edits so hopefully this chapter flows and makes sense? I'm still not sold on it, so it may change again in the future. We'll see.
Thank you all, so so much, for your wonderful reviews! Please please please, keep them coming! This story is honestly a nightmare sometimes, and your reviews are the things that keep me slogging away at it. Just know that I see each of them, and I do a little happy dance every time I get the notification, even if I have the attention span of a gnat and forget to reply to them, I love and appreciate each and every one of you!

Songs -
"Strike Back" - Dima Lancaster
"Tragedy + Time" - Rise Against
"Sex on Fire" - Kings of Leon
"I Don't Wanna Know" - New Found Glory
"Little Lion Man" - Tonight Alive
"Sober" - Bad Wolves
(shout out to BanRedfox for this AMAZING suggestion)
"Vicious Love" - New Found Glory (feat. Hayley Williams)
"Hit or Miss" - New Found Glory
"Angels Wings" - Social Distortion