Reviews are Nice; The pairings are NOT decided yet. I get people like Vander/Lucy, I like them too, they're adorable when she's sassy and keeps up with him, but...I really don't know if they will get together or if it will be a friendship...or how far this darkness is going to go.

I don't own Fairy Tail. Mashima Does.

I don't own the Pradesh Clan. Desna does (and thank you for them).

I own the Storyline. That's it.

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Arman smiled as he felt the house settle for the night. They were all relaxing, deciding to stay after a particularly aggressive game of Risk that everyone backed away from when Lucy, Farron and Kaleb got going. It was late and he smiled warmly as he recalled the cheering from the small blonde as she won.

The man sat with a nightcap, looking at the stars. His eyes searched until he found Draco, knowing she had the key when she had been living and he spoke softly, "They're all growing up...and...like you and Layla guessed, she is with one of the two.." he chuckled softly, "Though, our Troublemaker Vander snuck in there too." he raised his glass towards the constellation, "I miss you so much...and thank you, for convincing me that it was fine to be her godfather back when Layla barely knew she was pregnant."

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Three on Three Sparing training, Kaleb mused, put him, Beck and Rowan at a distinct disadvantage, despite working together for years. Against two Blood Hunters and an Archangel it was proving to be the challenge that he needed to work on to show White Sea that he was taking his training seriously.

Of course, with the myriad of Spirits at her disposal, Lucy was a force of nature all her own, add in to it that if something came for her, shadows were swirling around her, or Zen was right there to block it, the only chink in their teamwork was the raging blonde woman. The two didn't mean to do what they did, and they all recognized it within the first week, but that didn't make it any worse when she was hissing, spitting and being emotional.

Vander was at a loss, but Zen would bluntly point out that they couldn't help it. The end result when Lucy got fed up was, almost always, her crying in frustration because she did realize that they couldn't help it. The 'mating' as they were calling it, was more powerful and drove the two to protect her, just as her Spirits would cover their backs without her saying anything.

With the fact that Vander and Zen could sense where she was (roughly) and her emotional state, they didn't mind letting her out of eyeshot quite so often; however, whenever she was sparring one on one with someone, they always wandered out to watch. It was currently taking all they had to not actually get involved as she let out all her frustration and anger on Kaleb.

The Mindbender had found that when she was angry, she fought dirty. The fact that she could find five or six different plans of attack to fight at once didn't help. In fact, trying to figure out which course of action she was going to take was difficult. The shadow encased fist caught him off guard, but he grabbed her wrist and twisted, sliding around her and then pinning her to his chest. He waited as she panted, working to calm down as she breathed deeply through her nose.

"Feeling better?" Kaleb asked, wrapping both arms around her, both in a hug and a grapple, his chin on top of her head. He looked at his brothers and could feel the sheepishness in them. They had been trying to curb the urges that this odd mating had put in them, but it was still quite hard and they knew it.

It took a few moments of Breathing heavily through her nose for lucy to finally talk and then she mumbled, "...yeah. Sorry."

He chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head, "it's fine. Sometimes, you need to just let it out….so what, other than this magic issue, has you wound up?"

Lucy let her head loll to the side as she stood there and then mumbled, "The Hisui stuff...the Grandace stuff…" she mumbled, "we shouldn't file those promised papers until then…" Her voice was soft, "though...knowing Hygge…"

Kaleb nodded a bit as he stood there, letting her calm down a bit more, he glanced towards Zen and Vander and shook his head. It was well into the afternoon, so there was no issue with having a meal or retiring as he'd been training out in the open the better part of the day. "We're going to go talk." He gave them both a firm look, "she cares, you know that, she's just…"

"Confused and her mind is everywhere?" Vander said pursing his lips. He didn't like being able to not help her any more than Zen did, but they were still all new to this, they could sense her emotions, her feelings, reactions, but...they couldn't read her mind to help alleviate that or know exactly what wild thought was running through her head and making her feel that way.

Lucy's eyes looked at Zen and Vander after she lolled her head around, giving them both a soft, reassuring smile, then actually beaming when they rolled their eyes and made shooing motions. Zen arched an eyebrow at her and then took a step, grinning slightly as her eyes widened and Kaleb let the smaller blonde go before his brother moved again, twisting so that he didn't get in the way.

Lucy let out a squeal and tried to tear away, yelping as she saw the shadow and took a jump to not touch it, "no! No! Not fair!"

Zen chuckled as he grabbed her around the waist mid-jump, his longer legs easily making him able to catch up to her and he hugged her close. The man kissed the top of his head and murmured, "Go talk...and shoo us again…"He set her down and she turned to look at him.

The woman tilted her head, "and if I do?" Her features were questioning and curious, then her eyes went wide as he realized the next actions were half threat.

"You'll get a spanking." his hand came around and there was a sharp crack that filled the air.

Lucy let out a yelp and covered her ass, looking at Zen as he pulled his hands back and turned, walking towards the guildhall. The woman jumped and let out another squeal as Vander's arm wrapped around her, "and I'll help, Stardust." he chuckled and nuzzled her neck before he let her go and was jogging off after Zen, "wait up, bro!"

Kaleb shook his head and walked towards her, then snorted in humor as Virgo appeared, "punishment, Hime?"

Lucy let out another girly shriek and jumped, this time Kaleb steadying her and looking far too amused as the blonde blurted out, "I swear...if there's not a reason for this -!"

Virgo blinked owlishly and held out a bottle of water. Her eyes, though wide, were filled with mischief and Kaleb realized she'd scared the blonde on purpose. Lucy warily took the water and opened it, taking a deep drink before mumbling a very petulant 'thank you' to the maid spirit, who smirked and disappeared.

Kaleb chuckled softly and kissed the top of Lucy's head, "Alright, let's go up to my apartment, get cleaned up and talk, you look like you need it….I can hear that you need it…"

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Lucy was relaxing in the hot tub that Kaleb had, the mindbender next to her and she let out a soft sigh, "I needed this…"

Kaleb let out a non-committal noise as he watched her, tilting his head a bit to get a better view. He may have lost the chance for her affections, in fact, he was still drawn to her, something urging him to help her as much as he could. He knew he should be worried, but he wasn't. She always let him feel a little bit more free, a little bit more like he could relax around her.

Golden eyes rolled as Lucy slowly looked at Kaleb, smiling a bit and then moving to lean against him. She was quiet as she sat there, debating and then curled her nose "I...hadn't planned to….you know…"

"You're not the type to plan things other than something very long term...but...Yes, I know...you were very confused, you still are...is there…?"

Lucy shook her head as she sighed, splashing the water a bit. When she needed to talk, she could go to Emzadi or Xally, but...with Kaleb, there was no chance of being overheard. She knew that Vander and Zen could feel what her emotions were, but it was still a private conversation that no one could really listen in on, "Van...Van's always been there...you, Farron..and then Zen…the four of you, just...there was this confusing draw, where I didn't know...exactly who I would ever chose. I mean, no. not interested in adding more to the mix, it's confusing enough already…"

Kaleb chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "not sure you can 'add' anyone to this."

Lucy gave him a small smile as she chuckled slightly and curled against him a bit more. The blonde woman sighing as she closed her eyes, "probably not...but...I do feel a bit like I was pushed...I was so damn worried too, worried that I'd push Zen."

"Well, you did leave a lot of us hoping, praying and wondering."

Lucy blushed deeply as she sat there, then spoke softly, "...I didn't mean to, honestly."

Kaleb looked at her for a moment and then leaned down, lightly kissing her, "we know." His thumb gently ran along her cheek, feeling that strange urge to protect and covet rise to the surface, pushing it down. He would deal with it when he could figure out what it was exactly. He and Farron often, when they had a bit of extra time, discussed the light that they could feel from Lucy, how it seemed to reach out to them, but they couldn't figure out the why behind it, other than that they had feelings for her.

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Zen carefully landed on the balcony of Kaleb's quarters, arching an eyebrow as he realized Lucy was asleep as she nestled against Kaleb's chest on a lounge. He smiled softly though, shaking his head as he sat on the one next to it, "how is she doing?"

Kaleb looked up from his tablet, smiling softly, "Better, she'll get better as time goes. She accepts what is going on, Zen, but she also feels guilt. This was not the sort of closure she wanted to give anyone."

Zen carefully reached out, moving to gently brush back Lucy's bangs, "of course she didn't." he shook his head, "I don't regret it, Kaleb. It has to be done willingly, the want to fully open up to the other person, give yourself over to them."

Kaleb watched his brother and took a breath, "that's not something that can be coerced, even with a full moon, possibly being affected by Cris. most likely affected by Cris."

Zen nodded, "i want to be mad at the Xing Family, but...at the same time…"

The mindbender sat there, "at the same time, they could have made an educated guess something may have happened. Without knowing your hearts though...they wouldn't have been doing anything other than truly sharing that event with all of you." his fingers gently played with Lucy's hair as he sat there, the man's pale eyes watching her form. The chill in the air had required a blanket for both of them and robes, but he could still feel her closer than he was sure was good. He gently kissed the crown of the light hair, "you taking her home?"

"I was thinking I would, Van's doing something with candles and incense that she likes," Zen smiled softly as he watched the two. Part of him thought he would feel some sort of threatened by her still being as close as she was with Kaleb, but there was a bond there that didn't seem like it was going to go away. He wasn't resigned or feeling resentful, but grateful. The guilt could have easily eaten at Lucy and it would have eaten her feelings and mind, throwing her into something dark. "She needed to talk...and while we want her to confide in us...it's easier for her to talk to you." The archangel tapped his head, "A lot easier." he gently reached through their bond, "our bond isn't the same..perhaps in time, but...we've a lot of work on it to go."

Lucy let out a low sound, eyes fluttering beneath their lids as she shifted a bit and both watched the small woman. Her eyes slowly opened as she lay there, eyes rolling slowly and sleepily to take in the world around her before she let out a sound and tried to pull the blanket over her head with a mumbled "it's cold."

Both men laughed, which made her blink her eyes and peek out over the blanket. She smiled warmly as she saw Zen and blushed a bit, "hey."

The Archangel looked amusedly at her, "hey, ready to go home?"

Home. that meant so much more to her now and she gently kissed Kaleb's cheek, "mm, I suppose I should." She nudged the mindbender lightly and then sat up a bit more, stretching and letting out a groan as her back popped.

"Suppose?" Zen arched an eyebrow as he looked at her and watched her eyes dance as he stepped into her space, "now it sounds like you'd rather spend time with our brother than us.."

"Mmm?" Lucy looked up at him with Semi-innocent eyes, "me?"

Kaleb chuckled softly as he watched them, shaking his head, "off. Shoo. I need to eat and then work."

Zen smirked as he wrapped an arm around Lucy and nodded before his wings curled out and he took off with a squealing Lucy, holding her tightly as he relaxed and felt her do the same. They didn't talk, she didn't bring up that he flew once around the city instead of going straight to the flat they were staying in.

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The smell in the air was soft and she let out a low sound as the balcony doors opened for her and Zen, the archangel simply carrying Lucy inside. Her eyes fluttered and she quirked an eyebrow, "you got into my Stellan candles.."

Vander grinned as he finished lighting the last one, "I did."

Lucy nuzzled Zen lightly and let out a soft sigh, "mm, it's all…"

"Relaxing," Zen finished for her before he moved to gently settle her onto the large bed. His hand moved out, gently curling along her chin and then down her neck. His eyes showed the worry he had for her, the care, the love and he didn't regret showing it off to the blonde who'd never taken advantage of him.

Vander watched them and smiled softly as he carefully settled on Lucy's other side, knuckles gently curling over Lucy's cheek. He could see how the candles were affecting them and he almost swore they were giving him just a little bit of a buzz. "What problems are on your mind, Stardust?"

Lucy smiled at them both and then sighed as her hands moved, gently cupping one cheek on each man, "Grandace, Hisui…"

Vander's jaw clenched. He knew the first one, knew the thin ice they were treading on, there wasn't any way the man hadn't heard about the paperwork. His eyes went to Zen for a moment and then back to Lucy, "he can't touch Zen."

Lucy's nose curled a bit, "can't he? Look at what he did to Presca…" her features twisted a bit in grief. They felt it, it was easy to see at the interactions of the two that while she saw the Pradesh Family as her own, Presca was treated like they treated their siblings. Lucy truly never did that with the Pradesh Family Save Xally, Bickslow and the Dragon Slayers, there was always some other undertone that while the bonds were changing, she treated them as friends, confidants, everything but actual family, though she got close.

Vander leaned forward, lightly kissing her, "forget it tonight." his voice was soft as he looked into her eyes. Grandace had been an issue for them for a few years now. They could continue to deal with it, with him and they would find a way to take care of the man.

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Kaleb had chosen his team to take with him very carefully. Since he wanted Van and Zen, he had to take Lucy, or he'd get his ear chewed off; Beck, Gajeel, Juvia and Hestor rounded out the team. The last month, he'd been watching them spar against each other, learning how each other moved. He knew it was mostly to bring Gajeel and Juvia into the fold, the other five having actually sparred together often and, he guessed, Beck and Lucy had almost better teamwork than even she and his brothers, if only because of how long they'd been sparring. Hestor because there was a deep trust between him and Lucy and Kaleb could see how they worked flawlessly together, be it using their magic or using weapons, the fact that they pulled out a high end spell and then swirled other bits into it to make it a unison raid was a perk; the two were not typical Celestial Summoner Mages and he was proud to show them off.

Emzadi had thrown a hell of a fit, but the moment that she'd been caught eating pickles, bananas and chocolate cake, Lucy had drug her to get a pregnancy test. While he could be as Stubborn as his sister, Lucy's voice had cut through their arguing over why she should be out there with her mate yelling about Emzadi not doing anything to jeopardize her niece or nephew, causing the Dragon Slayer go to red faced in both embarrassment and anger because she'd said it from the doorway and loud enough that the entire guild had heard...which meant she had some 4200 plus mages that would fight her on this. Emzadi had just hung her head with a whine at being denied.

Kaleb was worried about Rowan, the Green mage having not been feeling well, and after the Mating in Stella, it seemed like the man had sensed something. Cris had checked quite a few times and all he could say was that it felt like what Nurem said a dragon slayer's mate would feel if they were away. The man wasn't Cris' mate, Emi was now mated to Gajeel and the only other Slayer the man had come into contact was Laxus, just a few hours before Laxus had been 'summoned' just over two years ago. It left a question to be answered, but nothing they could right now.

He was watching them as they were waiting to be announced, rolling his eyes at how Lucy was looking ready to burst as she was fussed over by Vander. His youngest brother, he found, was by far the more fussy when it came to Lucy, but then, looking back, Vander always had been. Always the first there when she needed something, something he and Cris often found amusing because they'd meet up to find her and there Vander was.

"I can really have Cancer do my hair…" Lucy huffed as Vander pulled her hair back, as if debating on how he liked it more.

In Fact, much like Lucy thought, Kaleb knew that Vander was debating which looked better on the blonde. The Shadowquip looking thoughtful before it was Zen that stepped in. He took the hair from Vander and the pins, twisting the bottom half of the long blonde hair and then wrapping it up and around, creating a ponytail in the woman's hair and then pinning it into place. The two tilted their heads and then nodded.

"You two suck," Lucy crossed her arms under her chest. She was falling in love with them, moving past the caring and attraction. Something they all needed to learn, but it helped that there had been a crush towards the blonde towards both of them. They were learning to work flawlessly together, but there were still chinks in that and it would take time to get them out. They had opened themselves up to one another, so the connection and intent was receptive to each of them, Lucy just felt sheepish and unsure about a lot.

She then let out a frustrated sound as the two went about straightening her clothes up. She started smacking hands which caused a little mini-scuffle that had Beck chuckling and leaning against the wall next to Kaleb.

The Beastmaster looked amusedly at the two that were getting smacked away from the blonde, "she's still sassy."

"I don't think that will ever change," Kaleb's features were soft as he watched, "they're good for her though." He knew how the beastmaster felt about him...and he knew that Beck knew how he felt about Lucy. The Guildmaster let out a faint breath and drew himself up, he couldn't give into the feelings of pain.

Beck could see a look in Kaleb's eyes he often saw in the mirror when he looked at himself: The want for something that he'd never have. His features looked towards the trio, even as Lucy continued to smack fruitlessly at Vander and Zen. He trusted Lucy and she'd shown just how much she trusted him years ago. His lips curled into a soft smile, there was a deep trust that wasn't necessarily needed for an induction, but instead of going through the Sudehpah to arrange it, she'd come to him personally, blushing and stammering over her words. It had taken a lot of courage, courage that he knew had been hiding beneath the Feral cat mask that she wore and she'd shown it then. It was one of those special memories that were carefully locked up, stored away; just with the first time he and Kaleb had shared pleasure; special ones that meant a lot to him. He watched what had once been like a feral cat with no attention span become a woman, mostly self-assured of herself with two very powerful men at her sides that refused to let her fall into a dark place...even if they pissed her off to no end. "It won't. Those feelings never do go away, but they change."

Kaleb knew what he wanted to say, but hearing the coordinator say that they were almost ready for the team, he cleared his throat, "alright. Stop riling her up. The last thing we need is for her to attack you on our way out there."

"Thank you," Lucy huffed as she stepped away from the two men, sticking out her tongue lightly.

Vander grinned, "Don't stick it out unless you intend to use it, Stardust."

Lucy's face flushed a bit before she leaned towards him and then licked his cheek, laughing as he yanked himself back and then bounced to Hestor. The other Celestial mage easily indulging her with a hug, "Hes, they're being mean to me."

Hestor rolled his eyes, patting the top of her head, "There, there. There, there." he grinned as she let out a frustrated sound.

Kaleb realized that it seemed that teasing the blonde had become a good team building thing, because while Lucy pouted, her eyes were soft and it was nice that they all found a common ground, even if it was at her expense.

Juvia chuckled softly, "do not worry, Lucy-san, we girls shall show them their place."

Lucy looked at Juvia and the golden eyes were dancing again before the woman tore herself away from Hestor with an immature sound and slung herself over the other woman's shoulders, "that's right, Girls Rule! And we'll show all you boys that!"

Any other conversation and ribbing was cut off as they were announced, "And our final Guild competing this year will be White Sea, Led by Kaleb Pradesh."

As the group walked out, looking relaxed, Lucy and Juvia walking straighter among the 'giants' of the rest of the group. The two women drew themselves up, Juvia looking a bit in awe, realizing this was much, much larger than Fiore's GMG and feeling a bit small until Gajeel put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled and nodded to the dragon slayer.

"Supporting their Master and Representing the large number of mages, White Sea, with its membership over 4200 mages, Beck Fasion, Hestor Kedanza, Gajeel Redfox, Juvia Lockster Vander Pradesh, Zen Pradesh, and Their Promised Lucy Heartfilia. Yes, folks, She's caught both men's hearts."

Lucy wanted to groan at the announcement, waving as she walked, but kept the smile on her lips. She'd been hoping they'd not say that, but, well, Hype was Hype and the crowd going wild as they moved was enough for her to forget what was just aired in a way that if Grendace didn't know before? The Man knew now. The walk was one of honor. She had given Kaleb a list of mages that worked well together and being put on the team had made her question it, until she realized how many of the team she worked well with, or had trained together over the years, save the now ill Rowan. She had to be honest, she had been looking forward to working with the Redheaded Green mage for this.

As they took their place, Kaleb at the Center and front, Lucy looked around then smiled warmly as she felt both Vander and Zen step behind her. She couldn't help but lift both hands and lean her head back to get a kiss from each man, which only made the cheering seem to grow louder. Both She and Hestor both looked towards Emerald Eye.

"What is it you two?"

"Something dark."

"Very Dark." Hestor's mental voice was wary, even as the group waved to the crowd.