Hey guys, sorry I was late.
Gajeel: You said you get this done two weeks after the last chapter.
I had writers block, okay. Anywho, welcome back everyone. Sorry it took me too long
First, I want to thank stephanieeichie10, SkyAngelus, Dravice2025, Someone's Bastard, Earth Dragon Arnighte, mikel97, Shadowwolf1997, Obsydian Mirror, Professor of Gallifrey, turn forever you and me, Sir Something, Shadow Cherry Blossoms, ligersrcool, Ray Akaba 210, Gemenisilverdragon707, and OneWhoCharms for being the first 19 people to favorite and/or follow the sequal to Alternate Tail.
I want to thank Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi, finch6, stephanieeichie10, Lieutenant Myst, Shadowwolf1997, Professor of Gallifrey, Sir Something, Jonas, Ray Akaba 210, and OneWhoCharms for their reviews. Glad you enjoyed the first chapter, especially with the return of our main cast. And yes, I will make sure to add some more details in my writing.
Anyway, with that out of the way, let's start
Levy: On it, DigiXBot does not own Fairy Tail.
Gajeel: All rights belong to Mashima, and all that.
A Fairy Homecoming
Gajeel turned from the others to face a black-haired boy with tearful red-eyes. "Yo, Ryos. Ya really grown, had ya?"
For the first time in what felt like forever, Rogue smiled as tears raced down his face. "Welcome back, Gajeel-nii. Welcome back, everybody!"
Minutes later, the fairies stopped crying in joy and instead started a rambunctious party in celebration of their comrades return. Lisanna and Kinana were serving drinks cup by cup (or in Cana's and Gildarts's case barrels) as everyone chatted with each other.
"Watch this!' Rogue said as Gajeel, Lily, Lyon, Natsu, and Happy sat by him. The boy scrunched his face as shadows traveled up his body, before taking the shape of two snake heads coming from his shoulders.
"Shadow magic," Lily said in astonishment. "That's quite a feat."
"I figured you would be a flame mage like your dad, Ryos," Lyon said.
"Call me Rogue," the shadow mage replied. "At first I tried learning purple flame magic, but it didn't work. Then I tried using metal magic like Gajeel-nii, but that also didn't work."
"Good, it's bad enough having one metal head," Natsu quipped.
"Excuse me?!"
"But while practicing different types, I learned that I'm gifted with using shadows magic," Rogue continued as the two slayers argued. "So I started practicing it."
Gajeel stopped arguing to look at Rogue. "There's something familiar about that magic."
"I learned it from Kageyama."
"Kageyama?"
"That's the shadow wizard from Eisenwald," Lily said.
"Not anymore," Rogue said. "He's been on parole as a wizard of Blue Pegasus. Apparently, Master Bob sponsored for him."
Gajeel and Lyon shivered in pity for Kageyama. "Poor guy."
"What's the big deal?" Happy asked.
"It's a long story," Lily answered.
"Looks like that magic's working well for you, Ryos," Gajeel said.
Rogue frowned. "Can you at least call me by my new title, Gajeel-nii."
"Ghi hi, where's the fun in that?"
"Anyway, Ryo-Rogue," Lily spoke up. "Have there been any words on Frosch's parent." He stiffened when he saw Rogue and Frosch frowning. "What it is?"
"Actually," Rogue said. "Frosch's parents didn't make it out of Edolas."
The others stiffened. "Oh, I see."
"That's why the queen let dad and I take in Frosch," Rogue smiled. "He's been a part of our family ever since."
"Fro thinks so too!" The green exceed said, causing the others to laugh.
"Ahhh!" Happy suddenly shouted as he grasped his face.
"What is it?" Natsu asked.
"I've been gone for seven years! Ma and Pa must be worried sick!"
"It can't be that bad. Exceeds live for centuries, right? So seven years probably isn't that much to them…"
"You don't get it Natsu! Ma gets worried if I'm not back home by sunset! And seven years is a lot longer than a day!'
"Don't worry, Happy," Lily said. "We can schedule a visit to the other Exceeds soon."
"They live in a village not too far from Magnolia," Rogue said.
"Thank goodness." The older Exceed sighed. "I have to let Shagotte know that Carla and I are alright."
"So," Makarov said to Macao as he drank a cup of sake. "You're guild master now?"
"I was only holding the fort till you get back, Master" Macao replied sheepishly. "You can take back the title if you want."
"Actually, you did quite a good job keeping the guild together. Plus, such a thing amuses me. Why don't you stay master a little longer?"
"M-me? As an official fourth master?" Macao gaped. To have the same honor that Mavis, Precht, and Makarov had. He felt a bright light filling his soul. A proud smile covered his face. "Of course! If that's what you want, then call me Master!"
"The others aren't gonna like that," Wakaba whispered to Makarov.
The Third Master smiled cheekily "That's the point!"
"W-wait?!" Erza jaw fell to the floor in surprise. "You two got married?!"
"Six years ago," Alzack answered proudly.
"That's right, Erza-san," Bisca said. "I was the one to propose! And after that-"
"That's, that's enough!" Erza interrupted with a red flushed face, before facing the floor. "I can't believe I missed such a beautiful moment."
"Don't worry, Erza-san," Bisca said sheepishly. "It was a simple Fioran wedding."
"Still… all that cake…"
"That's your first thought?" Mira asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you have any kids?" Lisanna asked hopefully.
"That's right," Alzack as he pulled out a picture of a dark green-haired girl. "Our little Asuka!"
"Did you two just combine your names?" Elfman blinked.
"I think it's cute," Lisanna smiled.
"You should meet her when you have the chance," Kinana said as she came over.
"Sure," The youngest Take-Over frowned. "Nee, Kinana-chan, do you by any chance remember anything from your past?"
Kinana hummed sadly. "Afraid not. But every once in a while I feel that someone is whispering to me, saying 'Let me hear your voice.' I just wish I know who it is. They seem like such a kind person. "
'Could it be Cobra, her old master?' Lisanna wondered, worried on what this connection could bring.
"Speaking of children!" Gildarts spoke up loudly. "I just found out Cana-chan's my daughter!" He wrapped an arm around an irked Cana.
"Keep your arms to yourself!" Cana shouted before Gildarts picked her up bridal style and tried to snuggle his face with hers.
"Cana-chan!"
"Let go!" She struggled to break free.
"Can they be more dignified?' Warren deadpanned.
Vijeeter added, "Guess they're not planning to keep it a secret."
Lily watched both Gildarts holding Cana and Alzack holding a picture of Cana close to him. 'Maybe someday I can a similar relationship with Carla…'
"Hey Lily!" he returned to reality when he saw Happy and Carla heading towards him with a picture. "Reedus drew some picture on what he thought we'd look like after seven years." He showed a picture of the three Exceeds. However, it was clear they were some creative liberties, with Happy having the body of a human body-builder, Carla's physic matching that of the other Fairy Tail girls, and Lily-
"Why is my fur grey?" Lily said dryly as he looked at a grey-furred version of his battle form with a long beard.
"It's not exactly anatomically correct," Carla added. She then turned to Kagura. "What about yours?"
"Reedus," Kagura asked as the picture shook in her hands. "Is this right?"
"Wie," Reedus said happily. "That's how I felt you would have looked like if you were awake the last seven years."
The picture of Kagura seamed flattering enough. It was a violet-haired woman wielding Archenemy like a fearsome samurai, including traditional armor.
However, Kagura's eyes were only on the woman's rather small breasts, which were no bigger than Levy's. "My chest…"
"It's not that bad, right?" Reedus asked with concern.
"You know," Mira said as Alzack shared Asuka's picture. "Your kid reminds me of Kagura. Tiny and adorable!"
Tears build up in Kagura's eyes as she ran off. "That's just cruel!"
The She-Demon called out to her "W-what did I say?!"
"Don't worry, Mira." Carla sighed. "It seems she's at that age."
"What age?" Happy asked.
"That'll be a handful," Bisca added.
"Seriously, what age?"
"Well, look who's still breathing," everyone turned and saw the wizards of Lamia Scale arriving: Gray, Sherry, Yuka, Toby, Jura, and a pink-haired child no older than Rogue. "Never thought that Fairy Tail will get this noisy again," Gray commented.
It was clear that age had changed the wizards of Lamia Scale as it has with Fairy Tail. Gray wore a green trench coat over his bare yet well-defined chest with a belt going from his shoulder to his waist. He also wore black cargo pants with gray legs and black boots.
"I welcome you back with love!" Sherry was wearing a black dress that opened at her waist up and showed the bottom of her cleavage and had her long pink hair tied into a ponytail behind black cat-headbands with hearts on the ears.
"None of you looked like you aged a day, let alone seven years." Yuka was wearing a dark-green robe over a light green shirt. A round green hat kept most of his blue hair hidden, save for a braided ponytail.
"Ooon!" Toby, while older, did not look any different than he had years ago, save for a pair of sunglasses over his forehead and a sock attached to his neck.
"I am glad you are all safe and sound." Jura seemed to have changed the most, with him now having a long black beard extending from his chin. He now wore a black robe and held a wooden staff.
"I'm glad to finally meet you," the smaller, pink-haired girl said happily. Her hair was tied into pigtails with orange ribbons. She also wore a blue mini-skirt, a pink top with detached sleeves and a blue torso, white gloves. On her legs were black stockings, white leg-warmers, and black-and-pink converses.
"What are you doing here?" Lyon questioned.
"Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus helped use search for you all right from the start," Rogue explained.
"In other words, we're in their debt."
"Don't worry about it," Gray said with a shrug. "Pegasus might have overtaken us, but we got way more powerful members."
"You sound so sure of yourself," Lyon scoffed.
"And now Lamia Scale has become the second most powerful guild in Fiore," Sherry added. "Too bad for you, Levy."
"So does that mean Blue Pegasus is number one?" Levy asked.
"As if!" Toby yelled. "Like that'll happen!"
"Calm down," Yuka reprimanded. "Anyway, Blue Pegasus isn't number one."
"What's important right now is that you are alright," Jura said.
"By the way, who's she," Mira asked, gesturing to the shorter pink-haired girl.
"My name's Chelia Blendy," the girl introduced.
"Blendy, so she's your sister?" Levy asked Sherry.
"Cousin, actually, and she is quite formidable, right Chelia?"
Chelia did not reply as she was entranced when she saw the Dynamic Ice Mage.
"Hi there," she pipped as she came over to him.
"Um, hi," Lyon replied in confusion.
"You're Lyon, Gray's fellow student."
"That's right," Lyon shrugged. "It's nice to meet you."
Chelia's heart batted faster as she smiled. 'Is this, love~?"
"Why is she so interested in him?" Merudy asked with a scowl next to Levy.
"Eh?" Levy asked. 'Jealousy?!'
"My, Chelia's first experience with love~," Sherry said.
"Did it had to be with Lyon of all people?" Gray grunted.
"Enough chit-chat!" Makarov spoke up. "Let's use up our energy for partying till the sun rises!"
"Yeah!" And with that, a new party started, with Gajeel singing (and people trying to get him off the stage), Cana and Gildarts drinking off, and Reedus painting the various scenes.
Levy watched the celebration fondly. 'It's like they want to make up the last seven years' She frowned. 'Seven years waiting, without knowing if we'll even come back..."
"Man!" Levy groaned as she made her way home under the night sky. "Three days of non-stop partying. So much has changed too. Well," she smiled. "I'm sure some sleep will charge me up!"
However, when she arrived in front of her apartment, she found a short and pudgy woman wearing a purple dress, a fox scarf, and glasses at the front.
"Mrs. Ooya?" Levy said, recognizing her landlady.
"I heard you came back alive," Mrs. Ooya said. "That's good to hear. But your rents another story. You are due six years and 3 months worth of rent, which means 5 million two hundred fifty thousand jewels."
" Fi-, fi-" Levy's jaw dropped. "Five million?!"
"And two hundred fifty thousand!"
Minutes later, Levy was on a box as a depressed aura covered her. "Over five million," she muttered. "There's no way I can get that much Jewels in time.
"And it's not just me. The guild right now is in shambles, and everyone else is probably in the same boat."
"Here's everything I have," Kagura said as she and Carla each placed a wallet onto a table already covered in Jewels.
"That's good," Lisanna nodded. "Add that with Mira-nee's savings and the tips I collected…"
"I got some earnings from the extra jobs I took for the S-Class Trials!" Elfman added, holding a large bag of money.
"Six years," Levy muttered. "Everything's changed. Ryos-Kun is older. Alzack and Bisca got married and have a kid! We've been thrown into a brave new world. A world ahead by more than six lost years"
"Mira," the she-demon was on her way home when Bisca spoke up. "There's something you need to hear, about Laxus."
"Hold on, Bisca?" Alzack cautioned.
Mira's eyes widened at the statement. "What is it?" she asked, fearful of the worst case scenario.
"You know about Ultear and Juvia, right?" Gray said to Lyon as the two sat on top of the guild's rooftop.
"What about them?" Lyon asked.
"I'm not sure if either you or Macao-dono will be coming to the guild conference, Makarov-dono," Jura said to the old master. "But I believe you must know of a certain guild that has emerged in a controversial light."
The next morning, Gajeel yawned as he and Lily made their way down the street. "Man, that was some party."
"Non-stop for three days," Lily added. "Quite enjoyable, though I rather forget that moment between Max and that broom."
"Ugh, stop talking about that!" Gajeel shouted, then frowned. "You sure she's here?"
"That's what Kinana said."
"Yeah, but here?" Gajeel said as the two stood outside of the Strauss home.
"Levy is good friends with Mira and the other girls, remember?" Lily replied.
Gajeel grunted as he banged the door with his fist. "Oi! Open up!"
The door opened to reveal a frowning Elfman. "You know Gajeel, real men actually ring the doorbell."
"Yeah, don't care," Gajeel said. "Is Shrimp here?"
"She was a minute ago," they heard Lisanna say from inside. Walking in, the two saw that Lisanna, Kagura, and Carla were at the table eating breakfast. Four half-full plates and two empty plate were present.
But also present were numerous cardboard boxes scattered across the room.
"What's with these boxes?" Lily asked.
Gajeel walked over and opened one of them, revealing a stack of books. "These are Shrimp's stuff."
"We're letting Levy-chan keep them here until she finds an apartment," Lisanna explained.
"What do you mean," Lily responded in confusion. "Levy already has an apartment."
"Levy-san was kicked out when she couldn't pay back the six years of rent she owned," Kagura said.
She and the others then frowned when she saw Gajeel's and Lily's jaws drop to the floor. "Didn't you two knew that?" Carla asked.
"Alright," Levy said to herself as she stood in the merchant section of the town, people walking past her as they headed to their various jobs. "I have about 150,000 jewels in savings. I just need to find a new and affordable apartment. Shouldn't be that hard."
"Credential-wise, you seem well off," a landlord for a small apartment located in the south section of Magnolia said. Levy was sitting in one of the rooms in front of him.
"Thank you," Levy replied in gratitude. "So I can sign up for residence?"
"Why of course, rent is 60,000 a month..."
Inwardly, Levy cheered.
"And a two-month deposit is required. So about 180,000 up front should suffice."
"...Oh."
"Well, you seem like a nice young lady. Where do you work?"
"At Fairy Tail, ma'am."
"... get out."
"As you can see, Miss Mcgarden, this apartment is the highest quality for a young lady like yourself."
"It's... small," Levy deadpanned as she saw the apartment. Or rather, a single room with half of the space taken by the bed, a shower faucet, and a tattered shower curtain filled with holes. The walls were empty with not a single window.
"I prefer, homey."
"..."
Meanwhile, a different type of business meeting was occurring at the Twilight Ogre guild hall.
Inside, Makarov was cheerfully sitting on a red velvet sofa as he ate one of the complimentary breadsticks from a tray, while Mira and Erza stood nearby. Behind them, the wizards of Twilight Ogre looked at the three with contempt as their "guests" spook with their master.
"That's what I've been saying, old man," said the middle-aged master with black hair and many clefts on his cleanly shaved jaw. His black hair was short and neat, and he wore a yellow pinstripe suit, orange sunglasses, and a purple cape held by a Twilight Ogre emblem. A still-smoking cigar was in his hand.
"There's nothing to discuss, just pay back the dough you owe us, and we'll call it even."
"As much as I want to pay you back, Banaboster," Makarov said cheerfully. "We are quite short on money right now, and it won't just appear to us like magic."
"What was that?!" Banaboster shouted as he leaped from his chair. "Ya trying to pick a fight with me?!"
"No, no! We will pay you back all the money we borrowed plus the proper interest. In due time…"
"Ya gone deaf?! I said I want the money now, not latter!"
"You shouldn't be so stressed," Makarov chided. "Why don't we talk about the interest rate…"
"You wanna talk stress?!" Banaboster roared as he gestured to Thibault and his gang, who were wearing bandages and casts from their meeting with Fairy Tail. "I sent my men to get my money, and they come back black and blue! This a matter of Twilight Ogre's reputation!"
"Oh," Makarov said. "It's about reputation now. Is that more important than money?"
"Ya damn right it's more important than money!" The other guild master kicked away the table, sending the breadsticks scattering to the floor
"Good," Makarov replied before a dark frown covered his face. "After all, your guild's creed is 'Return what is borrowed.'"
The ogres stiffened as a suffocating aura radiated from the three fairies.
"Six years of damage to furniture and property," a violet aura cloaked Mira. "Add it up and it weights what we owe you."
"To be accurate, it outweighs our debt," Erza stated as a red aura covered her body. "So now you owe us."
"Almost seven years worth of tears," Makarov growled as a golden light came from his growing body. Banaboster nervously took a step back. "Tears from my children that you tormented so relentlessly. Tell me, boy," he leaned towards the frightened Ogre's face. "Can you pay that back?"
Banaboster swallowed as he looked past Makarov, seeing Mira in her Sitri form and Erza donning her Purgatory Armor. His men were looking towards him with fear, praying that he had a way to get them out of this.
"H-hold on, Master Makarov," the man mustered out. "Let's talk-"
"Talk is cheap."
"Ehhhhhh!"
Outside the Twilight Ogre guildhall, Macao and Wakaba looked on as the building shook violently and screams of tortured men were heard.
"Geez," Wakaba said. "So much for settling with words."
Macao shook his head. "Figured this would happen."
"But," the smoke mage grinned. "Seeing this makes me feel we've gone back seven years."
"True," the Fourth Master smiled. "Let's hope it doesn't get that bad when we get back our guildhall."
Suddenly, they spotted a familiar figure walking towards them from the corner of their eye.
"Hey, it's Levy," Wakaba commented.
"Hey, Levy!" Macao called out. "Good news! We're not in debt to Twilight Ogre anymore! Isn't that-"
He stopped when he saw that the Letter Mage was a depressing white ghost and moving quite slowly. The two men were left in a similar state as she went past them.
"What was that?"
"No clue."
"Ahh!" both turned back to the building as they heard a high pitch scream. "Not the breadsticks! Not the breadsticks!"
As the sky was painted red and pink from the setting sun, Levy sat at a park bench in Magnolia Park, looking at the fountain as civilians walked carefreely. However, the same light hearted attitude could not be applied to herself.
"I made twenty visits, and I still haven't found an apartment," she said to herself.
"Oi, Shrimp!" Levy stiffened as she turned and saw Gajeel and Lily coming towards her. "We've been looking all over for ya!"
"Oh, hi," she said. "I was, you know…"
"Searching for a new apartment," Lily finished. "Lisanna told us."
She sighed. "Yeah, I figured she did"
"Can't believe you got kicked out just cause you can't pay for those years you were on Tenrou," Gajeel grumbled. "Crazy old bat."
"Don't be so rough on her, Gajeel," Levy said. "She did keep all my books safe without even knowing if I was still alive."
"As much as you like those books, you can't live in them."
"What about staying with Mira and the others?" Lily suggested.
"There are already five people staying there," Levy protested. "I can't impose."
"Fairy Hills?"
"I could barely pay my old rent. You think I can muster 100,000 jewels on time?"
"True."
"I just have to keep looking. They must be at least one apartment that's in my price range. I'll find one-"
"You can stay with us," Gajeel interrupted.
"Eventual-eh?" Levy and Lily turned to him in surprise. "Could you repeat that?" Levy asked.
"I said you can stay with us," Gajeel said. "You need a place to sleep for the night right."
Lily coughed. "Could I speak with you for a second, Gajeel?" Lily and Gajeel headed over a few feet away.
"Gajeel, I want to make sure that Levy has a roof over her head each night, but having her move in with us is far too sudden. It's not proper custom for an unmarried young man and woman to room together."
"She's our partner," Gajeel said. "Her problem is our problem. Besides, we got plenty of room anyway."
"Well," Lily took in his partner's words before sighing. "It's the only valid option we have. Of course, the final decision is Levy's," he turned the Solid Script mage, the shock from Gajeel's statement still on her face. "Levy?"
Levy shook her head and faced Gajeel. "You sure you don't mind me moving in."
"Course not," Gajeel shrugged. "We have enough room for you and your books. Plus, we live outside the city so we don't have to worry about rent."
Levy was silent for a few seconds before giving a weak smile. "Maybe we should check it out first."
The three went to Gajeel's and Lily's home, a small cabin in the woods nearby Magnolia. Opening the front door, Gajeel gestured Levy inside, and she was certainly surprised.
The house mostly consisted of a single room that was around the size of Levy's old apartment but seemed quite massive due to how sparse it was. The room only had a small kitchenette with a cabinet, an entryway at the back that led to a small bath, two futons, a sword-maintenance kit on a wooden table, and a stack of metal shards. Gajeel's guitar and white suit were hanging on one wall.
"It's, quite roomy," Levy said in surprise. "Though it make sense that you two would be minimalists."
"We based the design on Mira's home," Lily explained. "Of course, this was before we realized how few possessions we actually keep. So we end up with extra space."
"You guys built this?"
"Pretty much," Gajeel smirked. "Once Lily and I got enough money from our jobs, we moved out of the old man's home and built this from the ground up."
"With some help from our guildmates," Lily added.
"Amazing," Levy said.
"Course, ya gonna need some privacy," Gajeel muttered.
"I'm sure some curtains will help with that," Levy said happily. "Thanks again, guys."
"Don't," Gajeel replied gruffly. "Just doing my responsibility as a teammate. Besides," he smirked. "Now you can't complain about us breaking into your place, cause we live in the same place."
Levy frowned as Gajeel laughed. "Very funny.
That evening, after bringing in all of Levy's stuff and adding a new futon and curtains, the three headed to sleep. Levy stayed awake on her futon as she looked up to the ceiling.
'A brave new world,' she thought. 'New challenges will come. What happened today will probably feel so small and insignificant.'
She smiled as she turned to the curtain, where she knew Gajeel and Lily were on the other side. 'At least I won't face them alone.'
The next morning, Gajeel arose from his futon as he spread out his arms. Next to him, Lily was crouching down and stretching his back.
"What a night," Gajeel yawned. He walked to one of the walls where the curtain started and banged on it. "Ya up Shrimp?"
Silence was the only response. Shrugging, Gajeel pulled the curtains away, only to see a futon empty save for the sheets and a note. He walked over and picked it up.
"What does it say?" Lily asked.
"Meet me at the guild," Gajeel read.
The two arrived at the Guildhall, where their guildmates were starting their morning with drinks from Lisanna and Kinana.
"Hey, guys!" Levy said cheerfully as she came over.
"You could have at least waited for us," Gajeel grunted.
Levy rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry."
Lily then noticed the guild mark on the girl's shoulder blade. "You changed her mark."
"You bet!" She pulled the back of her dress down a little to show her guild mark was now black. "I figured that a new life means a new guild mark."
Both men were silent before Gajeel started laughing. "Ghi hi! Changing your guild mark over something like that? That's strange even for you Shrimp!"
"Hey!" Levy protested, before smiling. "Anyway, it's not that important," she pulled out a job flyer. "I already picked out a job for the three of us. What do you think?"
Gajeel read it over before letting out a grin. "A fighting job, huh? Nice choice."
"Perfect way to start our morning," Lily added.
"Got room for more, then?" Mira said as she and the rest of their team joined them.
"Of course. Won't be the same without all of you."
'We might be in a brave new world,' Levy thought as her teammates chatted about the upcoming job. 'But at least we can face whatever it throws at us head on together.'
Epilogue:
Many miles from Magnolia, an old woman sat in a stone throne within a shadowed room as a man kneeled in front of her.
"So," she said in a gravely yet intimidating voice. "The missing members of Fairy Tail have returned."
"That's correct, Chieftain," the man said. "And that includes three of his primary legacies. Gildarts Clive. Freed Justine. And his granddaughter, Levy Mcgarden."
"Did you protect them from your grave, Joseph?" The woman smiled. "It does not matter. Because whatever saved them, it brought us closer to Brigid than ever before."
Well, it seems that future challenges are in their path now. Of course, you'll have to wait till December to learn more...