The next two months passed quickly, the snow melting, and the rain falling lighter and less often.
The days slowly grew longer, and the sun began to warm the people of Magnolia.
And, on the outskirts of the town, in a small cottage, the solid script mage was bored.
"Gajeel! Please can we go to the guild hall today. I'm sick of being cooped up here" Levy knew she was whining, but she didn't care.
The past two months, Gajeel had barely let her out of the house, and he'd never left her alone. When he'd gone on jobs, he'd left Lily behind with her, or enlisted Lucy or Wendy to look after her. He'd denied anything of the sort, saying he thought she'd like the company. But now the snow had melted, the sun was starting to shine stronger every day, and she was bored.
Gajeel looked up from his desk, quirking his lips into a half smile at her appearance.
Her hair had grown long, and cascaded down her back in loose curls. Her face was slightly flushed, pale skin radiant with the glow of expectant mothers. Her breasts were beginning to swell again as the due date drew closer. And her belly had grown so much that even his baggy shirts no longer fit, and she'd been forced into buying new maternity clothes. The grey dress she currently wore stretched comfortably across her bump, the shape of her protruding navel just visible under the fabric.
He sighed, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her. "Alright, Shrimp. But just for a little while". Her face lit up as she beamed at him, leaning in for a kiss. Tugging on his hand, she tried to pull him along.
"Hurry up, Jeel! Let's go now, before it gets busy!"
Chuckling, he stood, following her through to the front door, collecting Lily from the kitchen bench on the way.
He followed closely behind her, making sure she didn't fall on the walk into town. Her pace was slow, and they had to stop more than once for her to catch her breath, but she seemed in especially high spirits.
Arriving at the hall, Gajeel was pleased to find it still fairly empty. Steering Levy towards one of the rear tables, he called a greeting to Mira behind the bar, who quickly rushed over to visit.
"Levy!" She squealed as she drew close. "How are you feeling? You look about ready to pop!"
Levy just laughed at the blondes reaction. "I feel like I'm about to pop! But it's so good to finally be allowed out of the house!" She shot a pointed look at Gajeel, who just shrugged indifferently.
"Oh, he's just trying to take care of you! Now, you just relax and let me know if you need anything!" seeing the look on Levy's face, she shook her head. "No more jobs! For either of you. Master's orders!" and with a bright smile, she was off.
The rest of the morning passed in much the same manner - friends would stop by for a conversation, happy to see the pregnant mage out and about.
Just as Levy was about ready to go, a cheerful voice called out from the bar.
"Baby blue!" Canal came sauntering over, minus her usual barrel of alcohol. "Redfox" she nodded at Gajeel, sliding in opposite the couple as he returned the nod. They spoke companionably for a while, Cana catching Levy up on all the gossip she'd missed, before turning servious.
"Levy, babe, I hope you're ready. I think you'll be meeting that little one before too long!" She pressed a card into Levy's hand, standing up to leave.
Levy looked closely at the card in her hand - it was a communicator, 'Call Cana' printed on it.
Cana dropped a quick kiss on Levy's cheek. "In case you need anything!" She waved over her shoulder, making her way back to the bar.
"I think I'd like to go home now" the solid script mage looked up at Gajeel, stifling a yawn.
Standing, he helped pull her to her feet, one arm around her waist to steady her. "Sure thing, Shrimp".
Wendy made her way over to them. "Hey, guys. Can I walk with you?"
Levy reached out and took the young girls hand in her own, smiling brightly. Together they turned, Levy waving a goodbye over her shoulder as they walked out into the afternoon sun.
Gajeel trailed behind the two bluenettes, who were walking hand in hand as Wendy asked Levy question after question about how she was feeling, what she was doing.
"Heart beat is very strong - I bet Gajeel can hear it all the way back there".
"That's good" Levy rested her free hand on top of her bump. "She's not moving much at the moment though"
Wendy frowned, stopping to bend in front of Levy and put both hands against her stomach. Straightening, she smiled. "She's fine, just running out of room in there"
Gajeel let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, and they started their slow walk back to the cottage.
"Now, you remember the plan?" Wendy looked over her shoulder at Gajeel, who bristled slightly under the weight of her gaze.
"Yes. Send Lily to get you straight away, and then you can send for Porlyusica when you need"
She nodded at the large man, turning her focus to the very pregnant woman walking next to her.
"And you, Levy?"
"I'm to take it easy. Plenty of rest, and fluids. Don't use any magic, at all. And tell Gajeel as soon as it starts - no heroics" she recited.
Happy, Wendy nodded. She affectionately rubbed Levy's stomach "be good, miss!" and kissed them both on the cheek before skipping off back to the guild.
Opening the front gate, Gajeel took Levy's hand in his, guiding her up the path and into the house.
Bending, he carefully took off her sandals, unlacing and removing his own boots at the same time. He swept Levy's legs up into his arms, carefully carrying her to the lounge, laying her on the couch.
"You, nap" he took the blanket from the armchair, tucking it loosely around her. "I'll be at my desk if you need anything". He kissed her hair as she nuzzled down against the cushions, already drifting off.
Levy was woken a few hours later by her stomach growling, and the smells wafting from the kitchen.
"Gajeel?" she called, waiting for him to come into view. She held her arms out to him. "I need some help"
Laughing, he crossed the room and helped her sit up, before pulling her up into his arms. "Better, Shrimp?"
She smiled, eyes bright. "Yup, thanks! But could you let go now? Your daughter is using my bladder as a trampoline"
He stepped away, chuckling quietly as she walked quickly - almost waddling - towards the bathroom. Listening to the door click shut, he turned back to the kitchen, helping Lily finish their dinner.
Later that night, as they lay curled in bed, legs tangled together, Gajeel again brought up the topic on his mind.
"Thought any more about a name?" his voice was deep, gravelly in the dark of the room.
"Mmm. I really want to go with Sayuri or Ren for her middle name"
"Lily will be touched" he felt her nod against his chest. "But Ren Redfox? Maybe not"
She laughed softly at that. "You're right, I hadn't thought of that. Sayuri?"
He hummed in response, lifting their joined fingers to kiss the soft skin on the back of her hand. "Kid needs an actual name, Lev".
"I know" she sighed. "Just feels weird giving her one when we haven't even met her"
"Feels weird to me, too. Let's just short list three or so, then pick when she's here?"
Yawning, Levy nodded against him. "Sounds good".
He smiled in the dark, rolling them over to spoon in behind her, hand resting on her belly. He moved his head slightly, to whisper into her ear. "Emiko. Aerona. Eleri. Zhaleh. Haruna. Kyomi."
She sighed, relaxing against him, as she rearranged the pillow supporting her bump and hips. "Not Eleri or Kyomi. The 'i' sounds funny against Sayuri. Haruna isn't right, either. Plus, Natsu would just call her Harry!"
Gajeel chuckled "hadn't thought of that. So, Emiko, Aerona or Zhaleh?"
Levy hummed happily in response, hand moving down to intertwine their fingers against her belly. "Love you, Jeel." She sighed, letting sleep claim her.
"Love you, Levy. And you, princess" he called softly in the dark, resting his head against her soft hair.
The next two days, Levy seemed full of energy. She cleaned the entire house, scrubbing every surface until it was spotless. She rearranged the nursery three times, eventually settling on it the way it was originally laid out. She washed and folded all the baby clothes, remaking the cot twice, and setting up the bassinet in the bedroom. Gajeel was worried at her sudden burst of energy, until Lily had laughed at them.
"Relax. She's nesting. I seem to recall you doing something similar a couple of months ago?"
Gajeel stopped, thinking back on his sudden desire to set up the nursery. He'd shrugged then, settling for keeping an eye on Levy to make sure she rested occasionally, and didn't try to do anything overly strenuous.
That night, they'd made love tenderly, if a little awkwardly given the size of Levy's swollen stomach. Afterwards, Gajeel had held her close, singing softly as she stroked her belly. As she drifted off to sleep, he'd rolled her into a more comfortable position, arranging the pillows to support her bump and hips. He kissed her belly, stroking the skin softly. "You can come out whenever you're ready, little one. We can't wait to meet you" He was rewarded with a gentle nudge under his fingers as he settled in behind Levy, arm curling protectively around her waist, feeling the tiny flutters against his skin.
The third morning, Gajeel woke early, the sky outside still dark.
He looked down on Levy's face, where small lines were forming between her blue brows, lips pursed into a small frown.
"Gajeel?" her brown eyes snapped open, looking directly into his red ones. "I think you should wake Lily"
His face must have shown his confusion at her request, because she giggled slightly, lifting a small hand to caress his cheek.
"He should probably go get Wendy"
Understanding dawned on his face, and he leant in to kiss her deeply. Pulling back, he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his cheeks, husky voice yelling as he stood.
"Lily! Time to go!"
A very confused, still slightly asleep, exceed came floating into the room. "Huh? Gajeel, it's too early to start yelling" a small paw rubbing at his eyes as he focused on the couple in front of him - Gajeel hurriedly pulling on clothes, Levy sat against the pillows rubbing her belly.
"Lily!" Gajeel grabbed his friend, holding him in front of his face. "You have to go get Wendy"
"Ahuh. Oh. Oh!" understanding finally what the large man in front of him meant, he snapped a salute, smiling at Levy, and took off like a shot.
Gajeel moved to help Levy out of bed. "Clothes or shower?"
She thought for a moment. "Clothes. I'll probably want a shower later, when it starts to hurt".
Gajeel grabbed her clothes, set aside especially for this moment. A soft cotton shirt dress, bikini top, and soft cotton shorts. As she dressed slowly, he watched her face for any sign of discomfort.
"You alright?"
She smiled as he helped her to her feet. "I'm fine. Just feels like cramps at the moment." And then her stomach rumbled loudly. "Starving, though"
Gajeel smiled, walking beside her, large hand gently rubbing the small of her back, as they moved to the kitchen. He lifted her onto the bench, reaching behind her to set the kettle to boil.
He worked efficiently, eyes darting often to check on Levy. So far, she didn't look to be in any pain.
As the kettle whistled, he passed her the mugs ready with tea bags. She held them carefully as he filled them with the hot water, handing his to him when he'd set the kettle back down. He lifted her from the bench, carrying her the two steps to the table.
She sat at the table as he brought over a plate of fruit, happily tucking in.
Gajeel sniffed the air, then reached to retrieve another pair of mugs. He'd just placed the two new mugs of tea on the table when the front door burst open, a ball of black fur flying through, followed by a whirl of blue hair.
Gajeel picked them both up from the floor, depositing them into the kitchen chairs.
"Levy! How are you feeling? How long has it been?" Wendy was carefully scrutinising the other bluenette at the table.
Levy just smiled at the young woman, sipping from her tea. "I'm fine. Just feels like cramps, at the moment. I'd say a few hours? It woke me up about 3, but I went back to sleep until about 6"
Gajeel just stared at her. She'd been in pain, and he'd slept right through it.
Levy looked at him, almost as if she knew what he was thinking. "I wasn't sure if it was another false alarm. And besides, we're both going to need all the rest we can get" she smiled softly at him.
He huffed, but accepted her reasoning, picking up his own mug, nose crinkling at the taste of cold tea.
Wendy moved to kneel next to Levy, gently placing her hands on her belly, feeling carefully.
Straightening, she smiled. "All in order. She's quite happy in there, and she's moved into the right position. Now we just wait!"
Gajeel groaned - he wasn't known for being patient. Keeping an eye on Levy as she slowly made her way to the couch, he quickly rinsed the breakfast dishes.
"Lev? You want anything?" he called
"Book and some heat, please!"
He quickly warmed up her wheat bag, as he saw Lily float into the bedroom, returning with the book from her bedside table.
Striding to her side, he held out her heat pack.
She took it with a grateful smile, leaning forward to rest it against her lower back.
Lily took Wendy into his room to settle in, and the house settled in to wait.
The next few hours passed quietly - Gajeel, and Wendy slept lightly; Levy dozed on the couch, reading in between naps; and Lily putted around tidying, keeping an eye on the mage on the couch.
When Levy's discomfort became obvious to even him, he woke up the dragon slayers.
Wendy had flown to her side, hands pressing against her stomach. She sighed, squeezing Levy's hand. "She's still fine. I'm sorry it hurts, but it's going to be a while yet"
Gajeel had carefully scooped Levy into his arms. "C'mon Shrimp. Come lay with me". He carried her into the bedroom, placing her carefully under the covers. Stripping off his shirt, he climbed in behind her, rough hands gently kneading the muscles across her lower back.
The couple laid there for a couple of hours, Wendy popping in occasionally to check on Levy, until Levy's stomach let out a loud rumble.
Gajeel chuckled softly, helping her to stand. "Come on, Shrimp. Time for lunch"
Levy happily walked behind him, opting to stand as he quickly made a plate of sandwiches for everyone. Wendy had grabbed a small plate of sandwiches, and taking Levy by the elbow she steered them out into the garden to walk in the warm afternoon sun.
Gajeel stood watching them, a puzzled look on his face.
Lily deftly leapt onto his shoulder, eyes focused on the pair of bluenettes walking laps. "Wendy's trying to hurry the process up. She's worried that if it goes on too long, Levy will have complications" his deep voice sounded loud in the still air. "Apparently, if she keeps moving, they can move things along". As he finished speaking, they heard a pained gasp, followed by Wendy's soothing voice apologising. Gajeel crossed to the pair in two strides, taking Levy's face in his hands.
She looked up at him. "Jeel. It hurts" her voice sounded small and tired.
He gathered her into his arms, rocking softly. "I'm sorry honey. But you're doing awesome." He pulled away to look at her. "Come on, let's keep walking. I know it hurts, and you're tired. But let's just keep going, okay? And then we'll get to meet our little one, yeah?"
She grimaced, but squared her shoulders determinedly. She took his hand in hers, and nodded firmly.
Together, they walked around the garden, Gajeel talking softly to her the whole time. As the sun started setting, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and Levy started to clutch Gajeel's arm, her face contorting in pain.
Wendy watched the couple closely. Turning to Lily, she smiled sweetly. "I need you to go get Porlyusica, before the rain starts. We're going to have a baby tonight!"
Lily snapped a salute, taking off into the woods as the sky grew dark.
Wendy caught Gajeel's eye, waving to indicate it was time to go inside. She entered the house, stoking the fire that Lily had lit earlier to ward off the chill.
Levy was moving slowly, her contractions obviously painful.
Wendy took Levy's hands in her own, guiding her to sit near the fire. "Levy? I'm going to lift your dress up, okay? I need to have a listen to baby".
Levy just nodded, helping to lift the soft cotton over her stomach. Wendy leant in, placing her ear against the skin. She held Levy's hand through a contraction, sitting back when it was over.
"Still perfectly happy in there. She's a strong little thing." Wendy smiled brightly at the slightly flushed bluenette, who weakly returned her smile. "I already sent for Porlyusica, and you can't get in the bath until she's had a look. But you can stand under the shower if you'd like?"
Levy nodded, and took Wendy's offered hand to help her stand. She smiled, then gripped the arm of the chair as an especially strong contraction washed over her.
"Remember to breathe, Levy. In through your nose, out through your mouth" Wendy encouraged softly, gently rubbing her back.
She stood as it passed, smiling in thanks to the younger woman as she helped her to the bedroom.
Gajeel entered the room then. "Towels and stuff are ready" he grunted at Wendy, eyes focused on the pained features of his mate.
"Thanks Gajeel. Levy would like a shower, if you could help her? I'll get everything set. Lily's gone to fetch Porlyusica"
Gajeel helped Levy strip until she was only wearing her bikini top. He turned the water on hot, and quickly stripped down to his briefs. Stepping into the shower, he helped Levy in to stand under the spray, leaning against his chest. He adjusted the spray to hit her back, hands gently kneading her shoulders.
They stood there for a while, until Wendy's quiet knock made Gajeel look at the open door.
She was stood in the door, trying to avoid seeing anything. "Uhh, Porlyusica is here"
"Kid, I've got clothes on. Come give me a hand with the Shrimp" he turned the water off, helping Levy to step onto the bath mat. Wendy came running, wrapping a large towel around her body, passing the other to Gajeel.