Chapter 37

Last Time, on Guns and Roses...

"We gotta hurry, shrimp. You stay on my ass." he told her firmly. She just nodded and watched as he slowly opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. It was clear. He nodded to her once, and hurried into the hall. She followed quickly, keeping up with him as they ran through the empty halls. Around corners they ran. Gajeel pulled her down a smaller hallway, clearly knowing better than she did where they were going. Finally they saw a door leading outside, and Levy felt like they were finally home-free...

And then a large hand came up around her throat, pulling her back against a massive body. She cried out in shock before being silenced as the hand around her neck began to squeeze. "Silence, my dear. I wouldn't want to break that pretty neck of yours." a familiar voice brought frightened tears to her eyes. Gajeel was fast to turn around at the sound of her cry, only to freeze when he saw a very large man who matched Juvia's description of Phantom Lord's new boss.

Brain.

Gajeel aimed his gun at Brain's head, gritting his teeth furiously at the man who'd done harm to his family and put his girl in danger. He didn't know this man other than by his actions... but he knew he loathed him. He didn't see a weapon on the large man, which put him slightly at ease, but he did have Levy in a very compromising position.

"Let her go right now, you bastard!" Gajeel snarled angrily at the large, grinning man that had his hands on Levy. Levy was struggling to breathe, as Brain's grip on her barely allowed her any oxygen. It was just enough to keep her conscious.

"I'd look at who has the advantage before making demands, you little punk." Brain returned with an evil grin, tightening his grip on Levy's throat. The sounds of her choking and struggling for air made Gajeel's blood boil, but he kept his gun raised.

"You risked too much to get her, just to kill her." he pointed out, much to Brain's amusement.

"I risked nothing. Those men that died to get her were mere pawns. This whole guild... they're all just worthless pawns." he chuckled darkly. "And you presume too much to think the girl is essential to me. She's nothing more than a pawn, herself. I can do without her. Can you?" His grip tightened further, to the point Levy couldn't even inhale anymore.

She was starting to turn blue, her eyes filling with tears as fear and pain filled her being. Her vision was beginning to fade when she heard a heavy thud. Almost instantly, air rushed into her lungs. She gasped and coughed as breath returned to her, and her vision returned enough to see that Gajeel had dropped his gun, hence the thud.

"Don't hurt her." Gajeel's voice was vulnerable and pleading. Brain grinned wickedly, easing his grip on Levy's neck to let her breathe easily. He may not need her, per sei, but she would make attaining his goals much easier. He didn't want to kill her, if it could be avoided.

"That's what I thought." Brain grinned at Gajeel. "Now stand aside."

Gajeel grit his teeth as he stared at Brain and Levy. This wasn't like that time with Jose. This man was ruthless and smart, compared to Jose's arrogance and idiocy. He would be watching for surprises, and he would be keeping that tight hold on Levy's neck. There was no way to get the drop on this guy... which left Gajeel feeling trapped and Levy in extreme danger.

He looked to Levy, trying to assure her in some way that everything would be okay, that he'd think of something. But he was surprised to see her giving him a hard stare. She stared at him intently before glancing down and to the side purposefully, then returning to hold the stare. He glanced slightly, trying not to make it obvious, and fought off the urge to make his eyes go wide.

Levy still had her gun. He'd thought she'd been holding it the whole time, and dropped it when Brain grabbed her, but she'd tucked it into the belt of her dress. It was a small pistol, and a thick belt, so it was hard to see. But it was there. And Brain didn't know about it.

"I said, stand aside." Brain repeated with emphasis, once more choking Levy. Gajeel couldn't hold back his angry growl, but he obeyed, stepping to one side of the hall. Brain eased his grip, then dragged Levy past him slowly, always facing Gajeel. Meanwhile Gajeel was wracking his brain for an idea. Some way to get that gun or distract Brain. He just needed one second.

I've gotta have something on me. Anything. Fuck, Gajeel, think! he snarled internally. The only thing he had on him was Levy's necklace. It'll have to do.

Faster than he'd ever moved before, he grabbed the necklace out of his pocket and chucked it at Brain's head. It hit him square between the eyes with enough force to make his head toss back. Gajeel was instantly running towards them, but he realized to late that there was too much distance. Brain would recover way before he got there.

That's when something unbelievable happened.

The instant Brain's grip loosened even slightly, Levy managed to turn around in the big man's arms to face him, grabbing her gun as she moved. By the time Brain's head returned to its original position, there was a pistol just under his jaw, cocked and ready to fire. Brain's eyes widened in shock as he felt the cool metal of the pistol against his neck and jaw.

"Fucking shoot!" Gajeel couldn't stop himself from shouting at Levy. Fuck, he didn't want her to be the one pulling that trigger, but if she didn't kill him now, there's no telling how much worse things will get. This was their only chance at a surprise attack.

Levy didn't need him to tell her twice. She knew. She knew this man was too evil to let live. She knew this was her only way to return home with Gajeel. If Brain got the upper hand again, neither of them would return to Fairy Tail alive. She knew. It was him or them. She knew. She knew...

The gunshot echoed through her very being.

Phantom Lord was gone. Its members, killed or in custody of Fairy Tail. Its headquarters, a pile of burning rubble thanks to several bombs. Its leader, dead and left to burn. There were no more members who could rise up and cause history to repeat itself. No more crazed leaders wanting to start wars with Fairy Tail. There was no more Phantom Lord.

End of story.

Gajeel delicately carried his girl in his arms, holding her close to his chest as her arms were around his neck and her legs were around his waist. She'd hugged him and not stopped, once Brain's body hit the floor. She refused to let go. He was fine with that, and had adjusted accordingly to carry her this way, taking her far, far away from the burning building that had been her short-lived prison.

Levy was holding up fairly well, for having been through what she had. She'd cried only a little bit, for the horrible act she'd committed, but she knew it was him or her. Him or Gajeel. And he was far too evil to leave alive. She knew that. And she knew what being part of the mafia entailed. She'd been trying to hide from her new life in the mansion, surrounded by guards and loved ones. Hide from the facts. She was in too deep, knew too much, was too important... she was marrying the next Don. She knew she'd have to kill someone one day. She tried to deny it but she'd always known it was true. She always knew it would happen one day...

Now she clung to Gajeel, refusing to let go. He just held her close, knowing she needed his comfort more than anything right now. He carried her the entire way to the rendezvous spot with the rest of the family, Natsu and Gray with their wives walking just behind him.

As soon as the group was visible to the family, and it was clear all the former hostages were safe, Levy especially, loud cheers and cries rang out throughout the large gathering of Fairy Tail members. The sound startled Levy out of her stupor, and she slowly pulled her face away from Gajeel's neck. Her eyes widened and filled with tears as she saw hundreds of Fairy Tail members around them, all cheering with joy that their future boss and his fianceé were safe.

She saw Metallicana make his way through the crowd, members parting eagerly to allow the Don through. He stopped just shy of Gajeel and the group, giving them all a genuine, happy smile. She'd never seen his eyes so full of emotion.

"I am glad you are safe. All of you." he said firmly. "Our family is whole again. Welcome home."

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I'm soooo sorryyyyyy!

Guys I for real didn't forget about you! I swears! I was working all winter and then my laptop broke right as I got around my writer's block! It's still not fixed but I've at least got access to school computers now.

Please forgive me! T.T

And please lemme know what you thought of this chapter.

Updates will be more regular now, and I know it feels like we are getting towards the end but trust me, I've got more planned. This is just the end of one arch, if you will. What will our heroes face next?! Lol but for real, lot's planned. I just need to get it out of my brain.

Anyways, thanks for reading! With love!

-Everythingnerd12