Hey all, sorry for the long wait!

I've been held up due to writers block and two finals I have been studying for, pls forgive me. ;-;

Anyway, I've been going over this chapter, and I hope it doesn't feel like the plot has been rushed. And just to clarify, all content within this chapter is during the setting of Thanksgiving Day. Speaking of which, I hope you all had a great break! :D

Now, lets got this going! :P

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY REAL WORLD REFERENCES IN THIS STORY!

Key for story(More will be added IF needed):

BOLD - anger, attacks

Italic - thoughts, dreams, other end(s) of a phone call, singing and song titles


It didn't take long for Thanksgiving break to arrive, giving them time to come closer. And throughout the month, Zeref seemed to have stayed silent with his attempts to capture them. Lucy figured that he was being generous, but dismissed it considering his tendencies. They had planned on having a big Thanksgiving feast together, with the help of Principal Makarov. He suggested having Thanksgiving at his place, which Laxus seemed to like the idea of. When they arrived, they figured out an interesting fact about the principal and blond.

"Laxus!" exclaimed Natsu. "I didn't know you were fucking loaded!"

"Language, Natsu." sighed Igneel as he smacked him on the back of the head, causing Claire and Ryan to laugh.

It was true. The two lived in a mansion on the north side of town

"Oi! Quit it!" growled Natsu.

Speaking of Laxus, Lucy had originally thought he was a tough and curt guy, but she realized that was mainly just his outside look. He was actually a pretty nice guy, though he either was just silent like Jellal, or getting in on some of the other guys' shenanigans. Turned out he was also one of the football players for their high school, especially by the way Makarov began talking about him during an after school meeting. He could be seen smacking his forehead, probably wanting to punch his grandfather.

Natsu had continued to live with them, though Igneel wouldn't be far. As it turned out, Gajeel and his father lived farther up the street, making it possible for Igneel to come over whenever he wanted to see Natsu. Natsu and Gajeel were still confused at how they were related, as Metalicana and Igneel explained they were brothers once again. Gajeel had been crying in a corner after that, while Natsu looked like his head was about to explode.

"It's not that complicated, son." sighed Igneel.

"Uhhhhh…" muttered the pinkette, staring into space.

Sighing, he just sat down on Makarov's couch, which happened to be about ten feet long, with another extension at one end, of another eight feet. All the boys had climbed on the couch, turning on their large flat screen.

"Laxus, you really are privileged." commented Gray.

"Shut up." the blond grunted.

Suddenly the Levy burst into the room, waving her phone. "Hey guys! Check out what the new headline is!" she exclaimed. Everyone turned to her, curiosity consuming most of them.

"What are ya talkin about, shrimp?" asked Gajeel.

"Just turn on the news already! And I'm not a shrimp!" she pouted. Lucy snagged the remote from Igneel before he could say otherwise, and turned it to channel fourteen.

"-And now for the big topic today, we've got a story written by a witness to the incident a couple months ago, when the two human-like creatures cause a fright throughout the city." said the woman on the TV, picking a piece of paper up. "They said they watched the two fight, and apparently, she saw scales upon the fire wielder, almost like a reptile. He ferociously took down his opponent after freeing her and the other captives, and claims whatever or whoever it was, save her and should be considered a hero."

Lucy and the others could practically feel Natsu's ego begin to inflate, getting bigger from every word. The lady continued.

"The reason why we bring this back up," she said, putting the paper down. "Is because authorities have acknowledged the existence of this creature, which now dubbed as 'Salamander'-"

Pop. His ego was gone just like that.

"Salamander!? Are you serious!?" he yelled.

"Natsu! Keep it down!" whisper yelled the blonde next to him, trying to keep herself from laughing like the rest.

"- as a threat."

They all stopped laughing. Natsu had been officially named as a threat. "W-What?" he exclaimed.

"Authorities say that if anyone should see any trace of the Salamander, they should quickly notify them. If any other creature appears, similar to the Salamander, they encourage people to do the same, and get away as quickly as possible."

Igneel took the liberty of muting the TV. "Damn reporters." he growled. A somber atmosphere fell over them, especially the subject of the report. Natsu's eyes had widened, to where they looked as if they'd pop out any second. Igneel stood, excusing himself to go rage in solitude without being bothered, as well as not disturb the other adults at work preparing dinner. Gray snorted, causing everyone to look at him.

"Natsu, don't listen to them." he grumbled. "If you ask me, they can shove it. You saved those people and that's final."

The pinkette sighed and gave a small smile. "Thanks Gray."

Lucy and the others smiled and nodded.

"Anyway," Natsu said, "who's ready to eat that turkey?" he smirked.

"Oh we're not letting you get to the bird first, you weirdo." said Laxus. "You'd eat everything before we even got a chance to get anything on our plates!"

"Oi! What are you sayin!?" he growled at the blond.

"That you eat too much!" smirked Laxus.

"Wanna go, sparky?"

"Try me!"

With that, Laxus pounced on the pinkette, causing them to fall to the floor, tumbling around. Gray and Gajeel eventually grew bored of watching the fight and decided to join in. The girls attempted to break them up, but stopped when hearing the boys' laughter. When they finally split up from each other, their each of their hair was rustled up, but all four donned a smile upon their faces. The girls began laughing with them. Lucy wished they could always be this happy. But her mind drifted off for a second, on a topic she hadn't thought about in a whole month: Halloween, with Gray and Natsu's confessions.

Lucy felt her face getting hot and decided to excuse herself for a moment to calm down. She excused herself and made her way to the bathroom, hoping no one saw her blushing. Sitting on the toilet, she recalled turning Gray down, but never giving Natsu an answer. In all honesty, she didn't even know how she felt herself. Considering her relationship with the two boys, and her anxiousness around both of them, she wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. She found both of them to be attractive at first sight, despite each of their demeanors when she met them, and still did currently have the same attraction to them. She didn't know if it was love, or just lusting for a hot guy.

Both of the boys had athletic figures, but Natsu's tanned skin gave him the upper hand. The tan made his abs more defined, though Gray didn't have a bad set himself. She'd seen the two in action, in multiple of their sparring sessions, getting a glimpse of their bare upper bodies. On that note, Gray now had an odd habit of randomly stripping clothes off, even without noticing. Natsu on the other hand, if he wasn't careful, would accidently burn his clothes.

They were both handsome in their own rights as well. Natsu, now at least, had the most infectious smile in school now, causing anyone to see it to smile as well. He got questions now, along with his Gajeel and Laxus, about their irregular canines. She couldn't help but smile herself thinking about that grin of his. Gray, had a cool smile of his own. He gave off a simple cool aura, that she'd never seen in anyone before. He was probably one of the most popular kids in school to boot, though he was an ass to Natsu beforehand.

As she had been reminiscing, a loud knock came on the door, almost causing the blonde to fall off the seat.

"Lucy, are you okay?" called Levy's voice. "You've been in there for a while."

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." she replied, not wanting to worry her friend anymore. As she stood, fixed herself, and opened the door, she found a smirk on Levy's face.

"Was someone 'busy' in there?" the bluenette giggled.

The blondes face lit up red. "L-Levy!" she cried, causing the bluenette to giggle more. The two eventually returned to the rest of their group, just in time for the meal to begin. The food looked perfect in every way. Natsu could be seen, practically drooling, wanting to dig in already. After they said their prayer, each person saying what they were thankful for, they dug in. It was all a blur after she finished eating, remembering nothing but bliss.

"Ahhhh~" she sighed with a smile. "That was delicious~"

Lots of nods and hums of agreement came from others around the large table. Looking next to her, she noticed Natsu was fighting to stay awake, probably from the amount of turkey he'd eaten. As the adults began to converse again, Lucy and the others made their way back into the living room. Natsu had barely made it to the couch before he conked out. Lucy sighed as she watched not only the rest of the guys, but the girls as well, fall under the spell of the tryptophan. She yawned once more before following her friends' lead, closing her eyes with a smile.


Igneel was rather enjoying his time with the adults. He'd watched the Natsu, Lucy, and the others all pass out in the living room, chuckling to himself. Makarov suddenly stood, catching his attention.

"Igneel, Metalicana. Could you help me with something?" the elderly man said. Igneel looked at his brother, shrugging. The two men followed the short man upstairs, until Igneel understood that they were going to discuss the children.

"So, what's up Makarov?" asked Metalicana.

He was straight to the point. "I'm concerned with the situation the kids are in." he said.

"Well, you're not alone in that." added Igneel. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"It's just I feel…. Like something is off about the last month." he continued. "Zeref hasn't made a move in a while, and I'm also concerned with how the magic will affect the kids."

Igneel's face darkened. "So. You sensed it too?" Makarov nodded. "There's something strange going on here. And I'm sure that things are about to turn for the worst."

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Metalicana. The black haired man frowned. "They're dealing with magic for crying out loud!"

"Of course!" said Makarov. "But it's not just the magic they were given that concerns me!" he growled.

Igneel froze. Did he figure it out? He wondered.

"Something just doesn't feel right. The magic they possess is strong, and we will not always be around to protect them." the old man said. Igneel sighed.

"You're suggesting we train them to fight, aren't you?"

Makarov nodded. "Precisely."

"Have you told the others yet? And has she found a cure?"

"Unfortunately I must tell you no to the second question. But the answer to the first is a yes." Makarov sighed.

"Well," said Igneel. "Let's at least give them time to enjoy themselves. We shouldn't force anything more on them right now."

Metalicana nodded. "I agree. They seemed to be enjoying themselves." he smirked.

With a smile Makarov nodded. "Just be on the lookout for any movement from the enemy." he said. "We have to stop Zeref from achieving his goal, and taking any more innocent people."

With a nod, they began walking downstairs. Igneel, however, still had his mind on what Makarov had said. Has he, or has he not sensed that power yet? He wondered. There's no way he hasn't, but even if he did, it might take a while before he connects the dots.

He sighed. Maybe I'll pay Zeref a visit.


Zeref walked through the halls of his lab, checking on his plan's progress. Invel had assured him everything was in place, but he had to make sure it was perfect. The upcoming holiday, Christmas was coming, as well as New Year's Eve. Everything had to be ready by then. He glanced at test results, smiling to himself. He was close to his goal, and only a few had what little power could stop him.

He picked up some sample serums, glancing at the makeup of the formula, the simulations, and sample subjects. Everything but the subjects was going wrong. He growled in frustration, turning to a scientist.

"Why isn't it working!?" he snarled.

"W-We're not sure, sir!" the man said. "The subjects always ... burst when they receive the serum!"

Angrily, Zeref grabbed a syringe of the black serum, and stepped closer to the man.

"Well, figure it out, or I'll use you as a test subject!" he growled. He grabbed one of the other scientists, and swiftly injected the serum into the screaming man. Larger guards dragged the man as his body contorted in all directions, bumps rising and falling like something was shifting or exploding underneath the man's skin. His screams faded until he was thrown into the room in front of them. The man gripped his head, smashing it against the wall, thrashing about. He began tearing at his flesh, blood spilling over, until he burst, blood, guts and flesh staining the glass and walls.

The man next to Zeref shuddered in fear. "Y-Yes sir!" he began working furiously and Zeref sighed and exited. Invel came up to him.

"Was that nece-"

"Yes." Zeref said, cutting him off. The blue haired man watched as his boss walked down the hall. He sighed, and continued on his way in the opposite direction. The noirette entered his room, shutting and locking the door, sighing as he walked over to his picked up his phone, pressing one of the speed dial buttons.

"Hello?" said the voice on the phone.

"Put Acnologia on."

"Sure thing." the voice paused until a new one cam over the line. "What do you want?"

"I need you to do something for me." said Zeref.

"... Does it involve the dragons?" he growled.

"Kind of." said Zeref.

Ancnolgica grumbled. "You think I'm your little pawn? I only let you do your little experiment to gain power, so I could kill Igneel and the others. You understand that?"

"I don't give a damn!" growled Zeref. "I gave you that power, and I can kill you to take it away!"

"Try me! You ain't got the balls to come after me like you are now, you pathetic, weak little human!" Acnologia snarled. "I could wip-"

"Listen here." growled Zeref. "Either you listen to me, or-"

"You know what? I already have what I need. So fuck you." growled the man before he hung up. Zeref heard a loud crash from the floors below him, and watched as a large dark object soared into the sky. He growled before sitting down on his chair, rubbing his forehead. Why did this have to happen now? He thought angrily. He then turned his attention to his desk.

He just sat there, looking at the book in front of him. He smiled, wiping the cover gently, as if he applied too much pressure, it might break. The crimson hard cover had a gold trim, as well as three large black letters on it, spelling one word: END.

He grinned. "My greatest creation." he said as what was inside the book seemed to glow a faint red between the pages. "Don't worry. Your time is coming to reveal yourself, END." he said.

The glow grew more intense. "Easy. It seems that he's been rebellious, but he doesn't know the truth." He narrowed his eyes. "That blasted Igneel, and the other children are in the way, but don't fret. I already have a couple subjects on the case."

The glow grew more intense, then faded slightly, and Zeref finally opened the book.

"Zeref…..." groaned a voice.

"My goal will come to pass, whether they want it or not. He will see it soon, how foolish it is to defy fate." smirked Zeref.

"Blood..."

"Your brethren are anxious as well. They wish to wreak havoc, but one thing at a time." said Zeref. "You will soon be free to do as you wish."

"...DEATH…." the voice screeched before Zeref shut the cover. He sighed. Glancing at a picture on his desk, he smiled. "Little brother, Natsu. Lets see what you are capable of." He dialed the phone once more.

"Sir! It's not my-"

"Never mind that!" he growled. "Release subject group, O.S."

"Are you sure about that sir?" asked the man, startled at the request.

"Are you questioning me?" he warned. "Just do it."

"Y-Yes sir."

After hanging up, he opened one of the desk's drawers. Inside, were empty vials, all except for one. It had a portion left in it, similar to the serum Zeref had used earlier on the one scientist. He reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out another vial filled with the same black liquid from earlier. He pulled out a syringe, filling it with the black serum. An evil smirk appeared on his face as his black eyes followed the needle. He stabbed the needle into his flesh, injecting the serum into his body. He placed the empty vial into the drawer along with the syringe, and locked it. He felt pulse of energy rush through him, and he looked at his hand. He focused, but nothing happened.

"Damn it. So much for getting lucky." he growled to himself. "Seems like we still have more work to do." He stood smirking, and left the lab without a word to as what he had done, or what he was about to do.

Here I come, Natsu.


During the group's nice long nap, Lucy awoke to a rather strange sight. She was leaning on Natsu's back on the floor. She felt her face heat up as she shot up from her position.

Shit Shit Shit! She thought. She looked around at the sound of a light giggle.

Levy had a rather large smirk on her face.

"I-It's not what you think, Levy!" she whisper yelled.

"Sure, sure." she giggled again.

"L-Levy!"

A grunt was heard as head of black hair collapsed on the tiny bluenette, causing her to yelp. Gajeel, whom was still sleeping, had slid over, and landed on her. The poor girl's face was bright red as she squirmed, trying to get out from underneath the boy.

"L-Lu! Help meeee!" she squealed in a whisper, causing the blonde to start giggling.

"It's n-not funny!"

The blonde gave in with a smile and helped her friend out. Together, they left their sleeping friends and decided to explore the house. As they went to the second floor, Lucy thought for a second, concerning her situation with the boys once more

Maybe Levy has an idea on what I should do. She thought.

"Hey Levy?"

"What's up, Lu?"

"Well, um." she said. "I was thinking about Halloween. Mainly about…"

Levy grabbed the blonde's shoulders, surprising her. "Don't worry, Lu." she said with a smile. "You're thinking about this too hard. Just do what you feel is right. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Lucy nodded and smiled. However, she was sure not sure what to do.

As they kept looking around, Levy smirked to herself. I wonder how this will play out? She thought. Mira's going to have a ball with this!

The rest of their time at the Dreyers', the group enjoyed playing some board games, and listening to music. They were all laughing and having a great time together, leaving their troubles to float off into the wind. Even the grownups came in to join their little party. Natsu, like always had brought along his guitar as part of the entertainment, and began struming a tune.

I don't know about you

But I never could make it this far

On a Thursday before 10 o'clock

But I thought what the hell why not?

I don't know about you

But I never walk up and talk to

A stranger but when I saw you

I had to, I just had to

Igneel sat beside Natsu, tapping the table beside them to the beat. His grin matched Natsu's infectious one, forcing everyone to smile as well. Following the boy's lead, he too began singing.

Girl, I know your favorite beer

'Cause you told me

And I bought it

You can leave me sitting right here

But if you feel like talking

What's your name, what's your sign, what's your birthday?

What's your wrist tattoo bible verse say?

Tell me this, do you kiss on the first date?

Don't hold anything back

What's your dream job?

Girl, where's your hometown, yeah?

What makes your world spin round and around

Are you down to get out of here too?

Tell me everything 'til there's nothing I don't know about you

Once more, Lucy was taken to a state of awe at Natsu's talent, probably brought to light by Igneel. Every time he played, she felt all her cares, fear, worries disappear, and a sense of ease wash over her like a tidal wave. He always looked so joyful when he sang, she honestly wanted a part of that too. She thought for a minute as her eyes continued to stare at the boy. She felt her cheeks heat up a little, and her heart began to beat faster. While after the duo finished singing, she felt a question float around her head.

Eyeing the pinkette, she wondered, Do I love Natsu? She smiled for a second. Maybe...

Eventually they left Makarov and Laxus', heading for home, while she pondered about the upcoming holiday, Christmas. An idea formed in her head and she smiled.

I know just what to do.


Oooh, what's Lucy going to do? Also, what's going on with Zeref? What has he released upon our heroes now? So many questions, eh? Igneel seems to know something, but what exactly is it, and will he actually confront Zeref on his own? And just what will happen with Acnologia and the demon book of END? More developments, next time! Also, if you haven't noticed by now that I'm a country fan, well, now you know. XD

PLS REVIEW! I want to know how this came out, so drop any questions, comments, concerns, declarations, amendments... you get the idea. XD

P.S., for all those who've read my SAO story, I'll be redoing it based on some plot holes. Please keep in mind that I'm no pro at this, just your average amateur writer, just trying to spread my fanfics lol, so every comment helps! :D

Until next time, bye my friends and Happy Holidays! :D

Song(s) in this chapter:

- I Don't Know About You by Chris Lane

New character's ages in this chapter:

- Metalicana: 54

- Igneel: 53

FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A REVIEW OR A QUESTION IN EITHER THE REVIEW SECTION OR IN A PM, AND THANKS FOR READING! :D