Chapter 85

"Are you sure yer up fer this, Juvia? I can always find someone else." Gajeel told his long-time friend, who seemed a bit nervous about the role she was to play. With good reason. She was putting her life in danger for the family's sake.

"Mr. Boss is certain this will work?" Juvia asked hesitantly, looking between the Don and her concerned husband. Gray had been very hesitant to agree to this. But Juvia was a fighter, even though she didn't look it. She used to be one of the family's best silencers, before she decided to settle down and focus on building a family. Still, Gray was confident in her ability to defend herself and stay safe on this very important job the boss had for her. That was the only reason he agreed to let her do this.

"Positive, Juvia." Gajeel nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Trust me."

"Juvia trusts you." Juvia nodded firmly. "But she worries."

"You'll be watched closely the whole time, Juvia." Gray tried to assure his wife. "And you'll be back home with Mizumi and me in no time." He looked down at their three-year-old, who was holding tightly to her father's hand. Juvia nodded and gave her daughter a soft smile. Mizumi looked so much like Gray, despite having her blue hair and blue eyes. The little girl's face was a softer, more feminine version of Gray's. The little girl was a joy to be around, always cheery and carefree. She especially loved her father, but Juvia really couldn't blame her on that one.

"Juvia will do it. For the family." Juvia finally said, looking up at the Don with determined eyes. He grinned at her, happy to see that fire in her eyes, that fire he'd not seen since she quit being a silencer for the family. He knew he could count on her. With this, and with the tech he'd gotten from Freed, the family's technology expert and history keeper, the last piece fell into place on this trap.

They were going to get this serial killer once and for all.

And make him regret the day he decided to fuck with Fairy Tail.

Levy slowly eased herself down into the chair, giving Lily a sharp glare when he tried to help her. He quickly backed off at her fierce glare. She was already pissed off at him today, and he didn't need to make things worse. He went to stand by the door, crossing his arms with a small huff while his charge simply looked forward and gave a small smile to the two men in the prison cells in front of her. Jet and Droy looked like caged puppies to her, all sad and defeated. She hated seeing them this way... even though she knew there was a good reason for it.

"I'm sorry you guys have to stay down here." she told them softly, looking between the two.

"It's alright, Levy. We know why it has to be like this." Jet sighed, leaning against the bars of his cell. Droy just nodded silently in agreement as he sat on the stone ground close to the cell door. "Why are you down here? I thought the boss didn't want us near you." Jet questioned. The boss' decision hadn't changed on that. In fact, he seemed to want them as far away from Levy as possible now, thanks to this stupid serial killer mess. So he wondered why Levy was even down here? He smirked a bit at seeing his friend's eyes light up with determination and anger.

"Gajeel doesn't know I'm down here... and he's not going to know." she stressed, turning a stern look to Lily. His jaw clenched in his own anger but he met her eyes with determination of his own.

"I cannot agree to that, Levy, and you know it." he told her firmly. He'd been extremely against this idea from the start and had been trying to dissuade her since she brought it up... until she snapped at him and declared she was doing it. She was going downstairs with or without him. He'd had no choice but to follow her. It was the only way to protect her. Levy just huffed at his words. Whatever, she would deal with Gajeel and his over-protectiveness later.

"Levy..." Droy got her attention and he gave her a pleading look. "Please, don't make the boss and Lily worry about you more than they already do." he told her gently. He didn't want her visiting them to put a strain on her relationships with Gajeel or Lily. And his words made her realize that it might, actually, do just that. She sighed heavily and looked at her lap.

"I just... I haven't even seen you guys in so long... and then this happens. I just want to talk to you." she told them quietly, feeling tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "You guys are my dear friends a-and... I... I'll never get this chance again, you know... if Gajeel decides you guys are traitors."

"Levy..." they stared at her with depressed looks. She... had a point. If Gajeel decided they were traitors, they would both die. And that... it would crush Levy. They knew that. "We're not traitors." Jet told her with a gentle voice, trying to reassure her. Anything to keep her from crying.

"I promise, we're not." Droy added. "We would never betray Fairy Tail. We would never betray you, Levy."

"I... I want so badly to believe you." Levy sniffed, wiping at her eyes as she refused to let her tears fall. "But... but Gajeel told me not to get my h-hopes up. If I-I believe you a-and you're... you're lying to me... d-do you have any idea how badly that will hurt?" She told them sadly, watching as they both seemed to sag in depression at this realization. The realization that Levy couldn't believe them, even if she wanted to.

"Surely you can convince Gajeel we're innocent, right? You know deep down we would never do something like that to you..." Jet attempted to ease her mind, but she just shook her head slowly.

"You... you don't understand. I... I stand by my husband's decision... b-because I know his decision will be based on facts, not emotions." She told them, giving them sad looks. She didn't have that kind of will power. She couldn't separate herself from her emotions, from the situation. She couldn't just step back and look at the facts and nothing else. But Gajeel could and he did and he did it so well. That's why... no matter what he decided, she knew without a doubt it would be the right call. She trusted him to do that. Even if the result would hurt her deeply. Even if the result meant she would have to personally take her dear friends' lives.

"Whatever Gajeel decides... I will stand by him. If you are really traitors... you will die." she told them firmly, despite the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. They knew, then, that their fates relied on Gajeel and Gajeel, alone. Their friend could not and would not get them out of this. They just had to pray that the facts revealed they truly were not traitors.

"I... I didn't come down here to talk about all this." Levy sniffed, then, wiping at her tears again. "I just... I just want to talk like we used to. Won't you give me that, at least? Please?" she asked them with a pleading look in her eyes. Their eyes softened as they looked at her, and both men just gave solemn nods. They would do anything for her... to make her happy. Despite agreeing to that... an uncomfortable silence fell over them, as nobody really knew what to say now. Finally, Jet stepped up.

"So... how far are you?" he asked, looking pointedly at her stomach. Levy blushed lightly at this, but gave a gentle smile as she put a hand on her round stomach.

"Seven months. Her due date is Valentine's Day." she giggled softly at this, like she always did. It would be a wonderful Valentine's Day gift, if her daughter was born then. But she knew too well that due dates were wont to change and were very rarely the day the child was actually born.

"Her? It's a girl?" Droy picked up on that, giving a happy smile as he realized their best friend would be having a little girl.

"Yes. We're having a girl." Levy smiled with a nod. "And Lucy, she's having a little boy. She's about ready to pop, too."

"I heard she was staying here for the time being." Jet commented, earning another nod from Levy. "Are you going to deliver her baby?"

"Oh heavens, no." Levy giggled. "It's rather hard for me to move right now. Delivering a baby would be pretty hard. Wendy is on call, though, and she will be coming here once Lucy goes into labor."

"So, um... were we the only ones you didn't tell... about the baby?" Droy asked her curiously. Levy's smile softened a bit as she looked down at her stomach again.

"The only ones that know are you two, Lucy, Juvia, their husbands, Lily, and Metalicana." she told them quietly.

"Really? I would have thought you guys would make a bigger deal of it." Jet commented with a curious look in his eyes. "I mean, it's the Don's kid. I would have thought the family would be all over celebrating it."

"We're hiding it because it's the Don's child." Levy told them. "You know Gajeel has a lot of enemies. It... it would be really bad if they found out I'm pregnant with his child. His enemies would do anything to get a hold of me... to get to Gajeel." She shook her head with a soft sigh. "No, we... we can't tell too many people. It's too dangerous. So please... don't tell anyone."

"We won't." Droy promised her while Jet nodded. He moved to say something more, but the door opening had them all turning their attention to the frantic pink-haired man that just hurried downstairs. He looked around as if searching for someone, and then his eyes landed on Levy.

"Levy, it's Lucy! Something's wrong!"

Oh. My. GOSH! I'M SO SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG OMG

I really, really, REALLY did not intend to take this long on updating and I'm so sorry guys! Thank you so much for being patient! I can't believe how crazy my life has gotten this past month. I thought things were supposed to calm down, not get more stressful! What was the point of my vacation, then?!

Ug. I'm sorry. Really, I am. I still don't have much written out for future updates but hopefully now I'm back on my game. I won't take another month (almost 2 months) off again... probably... I mean, hopefully...

ANYWAYS

Thank you for sticking with me and being so patient. Please, please, let me know how I'm doing. It's been a while so my writing style might be a bit off for a little while. Will try to get back in the groove.

Thank you thank you!

-Nerdy12