'Twas the Night After Christmas...

Chimes echoed across the quiet room, signaling the midnight hour.

Levy glanced at the clock on the back wall and smiled. Focusing her magic, she created another small LIGHT and placed it over the clock so she could clearly see just how much time she had spent reading. A low groan came from the corner of the room and an answering snore echoed from the tables.

It was already the day after Christmas and not a single Fairy had moved to their room. The master had dimmed the lights hours ago, but it was still enough for Levy to see her family sprawled across the room. Fairies, big and small, reclined on chairs or lay in small, jumped piles on top of tables. A new sofa was pushed against a wall, several Fairies already claiming the area as their own. Their tiny bodies sunk into the thick cushions and their snores could be heard across the room.

Levy chuckled quietly, wishing she had a way to document all of the strange places her family collapsed in their exhaustion.

After dinner games had been played, songs had been sung, and the hall was filled to the brim with laughter and cheer. It had been a tiring, yet rewarding day and Levy couldn't help but be grateful for everyone in the room.

Her back grew stiff and she adjusted her legs slightly on the second new sofa the master had purchased. She was still amazed that the bottom of the sofa propped up to allow her to stretch her legs. Lily had taken full advantage of the extra room and snuggled against her feet.

Like dragon like cat, I suppose...

Gajeel lay fast asleep next to her, his new red pillow resting in her lap for a cushion. He curled into a small ball, swaddled in his new blanket that he refused to take off the entire night. Strands of dark hair pulled out of his hair tie and Levy stroked the soft tangled mess, remembering the first time he had rested against her all broken and bruised.

Back then it had been more of a necessity, a desperate cry for comfort and warmth, for someone to chase the shadows that haunted him. Now he snored softly and contently, an arm dangling off the side of the sofa.

"...don't wanna…"

The quiet murmur came from her lap and Levy leaned over to get a better look at Gajeel's face. His eyes moved rapidly behind his closed lids.

"...Not gonna…"

Levy bit her lip, choking on a bark of laughter. "What, Gajeel?"

"Don't wanna wear it…"

"Wear what?"

"...green monster."

Levy clamped a hand over her mouth, chest heaving. She took a deep breath and leaned forward again.

"You...you don't have to," she finally managed to rasp out.

"...ok."

A tiny smile lifted his lips and his dangling arm moved back under the warmth of the blanket. He burrowed deeper into his blanket with a sigh. Levy stroked the scales around his temples softly, finally in control of her laughter. She tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and thanked the mages for bringing him into her life.

Slowly, as to not wake the sleeping cat or dragon in her lap, Levy waved her fingers and moved a small LIGHT above her head. She carefully withdrew the book Gajeel had so carefully written and set it on the arm of the sofa. She stroked the cover, grateful that she had the master place a spell on the book to make it indestructible. Cana had said she was being paranoid, but with the destructive family she had Levy didn't want to take any risks with her most precious possession.

Tracing the title The Pixie Princess one last time, Levy excitedly opened to the first page. Gajeel's rough, familiar handwriting stared up at her and her heart filled to bursting when she read the slightly misspelled words:

"Once upon a time, their was a blue haired Pixi who found a lonely dragon traped insid a cold, dark cage..."

The End

Thank you for joining me for this random story that I decided to create for Christmas! Your reviews and words of encouragement were wonderful to read! If you just received the notification for a new chapter, please note that I posted 4 chapters instead of my usual 1 at a time. Head on back to Chapter 13 to continue the story in the proper order.

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! See you next time in whatever story my brain decides to come up with next. God Bless :D