*I do not own Fairy Tail!*

A/N: It should be stated that this story is not really based off of any particular arc in Fairy Tail. Rather it's along the lines of an AU, only damn close to Fairy Tail's Earthland, with a few differences.

Chapter 1 A Tale As Old As Time

"Levy….Levy!"

Blinking, the script mage lowered her book as she finally took notice of someone calling her name. Letting out a long breath, the blunette reached up rub her eyes, easing the slight strain from reading for too long before shifting her gaze to the blonde sitting across from her.

"Hi Lucy, what's up?" Levy asked, marking her place and setting her book down.

"Nothing much really, just bored. My writing is a bit stuck at the moment, Natsu, Erza, and Gray have gone out on solo missions, and I'm here. Sooo I thought I'd ask if maybe you'd be interested in going on a job with me. Nothing dangerous, just something to help pass the time." Lucy explained as she slumped across the table, resting her chin on her folded hands.

Snickering slightly, Levy could only shake her head. Team Natsu went on jobs so often that when they did come back many would think they'd take a day off. Nope. Typically they only way they stayed still for more than a day was when they were recovering from more injuries.

"You're in luck. Team Shadow Gear is between missions right now, so finding something shouldn't be too much of a hassle." Levy agreed. She couldn't help but smile when Lucy popped up in excitement.

"Sweet! I'll go see if I can find any that we can do and then I'll be back!" With that, Lucy hurried to the jobs board, leaving Levy to her books once more. Sighing, Levy picked up her book once more, smiling slightly as she traced her fingers over the title pressed into the leather. 'Beauty and the Beast' had always been her favorite book, though she wasn't entirely sure as to why. Maybe it was the adventures it held with a brave heroine. Or maybe it was the romance aspect with the heroine falling in love with the tough skinned beast who really had a heart of gold. As she traced her fingers over the title again, she blinked a little in surprise as a tingle shot up her fingers, warming her heart.

Well that was odd.

Unfortunately, Levy didn't have time to think about what had just happened as Lucy returned with a stack of papers for them to go through. Clearing her throat and smiling, the book was set aside and flyers were picked up.

A few minutes later the options were narrowed down to two, both of which could be taken since one was in the city, and the other was only a couple of towns over.

The one in town Levy didn't pay much attention to because it was simply running an errand for an elderly woman who had broken her leg. The second one on the other hand….

Nibbling her lower lip, Levy picked up the request for assistance at the near-by Cherry Town. Apparently there were some worries about a monster that was lurking around the borders of the town, and the roars and snarls that were heard late at night were making the townsfolk understandably worried. The pay wasn't much, but Lucy and Levy agreed that it might be good practice from them. It honestly didn't seem that difficult and the monster was probably just a wolf or something looking for something to eat.

Shifting slightly in her seat, Levy lifted and waved the paper at Lucy. "I think we'll be able to handle this one as well Lucy."

Giving the paper a quick glance, Lucy was able to absorb the information quickly. Cherry Town, monster that seemed to only attack at night, worried townsfolk, a hundred thousand jewel, and paid stay.

"Heh, we should be able to handle that. I'll let Mira know and then head home for the night. We can leave on the first train in the morning, that work?" When Levy gave an accepting nod, Lucy smiled and headed for the bar to talk to Mira. "I'll see you in the morning then, make sure you get some sleep!"

Giving an absent wave, Levy turned back to her books, smiling sadly as traced her book again. What she would give to go on an adventure and find love. She had the love of the guild she knew, but she had yet to find someone to spend her life with. To find love like Belle and the Beast had….that was a fairy tale that was sure to never happen for her.

*A small town over from Magnolia*

Red eyes glowed faintly in the shadows between a couple of buildings, watching, waiting, as a small group of men stumbled through the town. A long whip like tail twitched silently in agitation even as hands tipped in claws clenched. The smell of alcohol, and the lewd words of drunken fools drifted on the wind to tease this creatures senses, causing him to swallow back a snarl. All the creature had to do was follow them to make sure the group of men didn't do something to hurt someone.

It was like this night after night for the creature. Some were thankfully quiet and peaceful, allowing the creature to lounge on rooftops and stare at the stars. Other nights weren't as peaceful, and he had to step in to keep damage or worse from happening to the small town he called home. He could only hope that tonight was a night that all he had to do was follow behind and make sure the men didn't cause any trouble.

When the subtle smell of perfume and the light clack of high heels reached the creatures ears, he lifted his head, focusing on the street just in front of him. He hoped, oh how he hoped that the drunk men would ignore that woman that was walking down the opposite side of the street. When wolf whistles and cat calls suddenly erupted from the same drunk men, the creature let his head fall against the brick wall behind him with a slight thud.

"Oooh baby! You wanna come home with us? We'll show you a real good time!"

Rolling his eyes and thumping his forehead with the palm of his hand, the creature couldn't even groan at the predictable words he heard. Typical drunk male response to seeing an attractive woman.

"LET ME GO!" The womans' scream pierced the creatures ears and with a snarl he leapt out of the shadows he used as his refuge. It took a split second for him to see that the drunken fools were actually dangerous drunken fools. At some point the woman had been across from the men, and it seemed they had taken that advantage, quickly crossing the street to trap and pin her to the ground. Now the four of the five guys were standing around her and the fifth man pinning her down.

With a snarl the creature launched itself at the group, quickly knocking away those still standing before ripping the one on top of the woman away from her. It wasn't long before the men were bound together with a long piece of iron after being beaten soundly and the woman had dashed away. Looking after the woman as she quickly turned a corner, he knew that she'd probably have nightmares of him like he was now. And he was ok with that. The way he was, the curse he lived under, wasn't something he wanted others to connect him to.

Brushing his hands together as if he was dusting them, he paused as he heard footsteps quickly coming his way. Taking a quick sniff of the air, he smirked before melting back into the shadows, leaving the bound men to be found. Apparently the woman had been smart and called upon the local law enforcement.

Letting out another sigh as he rolled his head on his shoulders, he let his gaze dart to the horizon to see that the sky was beginning to lighten. It was time to head home. With one last quick sweep of his senses to find that everything was peaceful yet again, he leapt into the air, his wings unfolding from his back. With speed and agility that came from years of practice, he shot into the air, high enough so no one would see him, before turning towards home.

*Levys Dreams*

Dreams plagued her as she tossed and turned in her bed. An odd blend of her life and her favorite book. She dreamt of nights and of dukes; of fairies and of dragons. She shivered at the sight of glowing red eyes that both terrified and soothed. She gasped at the feeling of being carried as she flew high with the sky with the sound of wings flapping sounded in her ears.

She dreamt of kisses, of lifted curses.

She dreamt of a dance that could change everything.

She dreamt….of finding love under a beastly exterior.

She dreamt of a dragon falling for a fairy.