Chapter 12

Remington Wallace stood once more in front of the large door glaring at the place that would soon hold the hammer, if his plan succeeded. As he stared at the crevice the hatred that had built over five years swirled within him taking him back to that fateful summer and early fall in the village of Orion.

His family had been given instructions to move to the village when the older man who had been stationed there passed away. The man had sent word the hammer could be in the area, but had never been able to confirm it.

There was one or two members stationed in every major city in Earthland, keeping a constant look out while living their lives. Being given the opportunity to possibly find the legendary hammer was a great honor. At least that's what his parents reminded him. Remy hadn't wanted to move away from the city, but there was no fighting it.

Orion was as small and boring as he had feared. They arrived at the end of spring, and his parents immediately put him in school for the remaining three weeks of the year. They knew children would talk more easily than adults. Studying and trying to learn in an old one room school house with maybe fifteen other kids had been hell. The only redeeming thing had been the teacher Noak Beltrum.

Mr. Beltrum could easily be considered a genius in Remington's eyes. There was never a question he didn't know the answer to, and if he didn't have it that day he would have one by the next. There was no reason a man of that caliber would be in a small village teaching.

Asking around he learned Mr. Beltrum had moved to Orion almost four years prior, and wouldn't talk about why. Fortunately being the way of small towns there were a multitude of rumors, all of them surrounding Noak Beltrum's daughter; Ivy.

Noak kept her on their small farm that was about a mile from the main village, and said that she was home schooled. She went to the market on a regular basis, but there was just something off. Everyone described her as a freak of nature. They said when Noak and his daughter first moved Ivy was thirteen, and already close to six feet tall. Her father was five six at most, his wild hair that his daughter had inherited caused his height to be a hard thing to judge, and Ivy had said her mother was short when asked. The villagers concluded that Ivy should not have been able to grow like that. It was also common knowledge that the girl was unreasonably strong.

The stories of her where wild from start to finish. Most thought she was a science experiment gone wrong, probably causing someone's death and now had to be hidden. The thing that caught Remington's attention the most was that in every story there was a hammer. Always a hammer on her right thigh, no one knew anything about it but it was there.

When he told his parents about Ivy Beltrum at the beginning of summer they formed a plan. To Remington's frustration it was not for them to get closer to the Beltrums, but for him to get closer to Ivy.

Several weeks into summer when he knew Mr. Beltrum was gone he went to the farm house with the excuse of having some question or another and "accidently" met Ivy. He was nice to her and she obviously fell for him quickly. At his parents insistence he had flirted and even kissed the girl, hating every minute of it.

She was too tall and too strong he had never felt emasculated until he stood next to Ivy Beltrum. Her odd personality pissed him off and he wanted to smack her like one of his father dogs when she fidgeted. He could only thank his acting lessons as a child that allowed him to keep his composure.

Then fall came and on her seventeenth birthday she told him what he wanted to hear. She possessed the hammer they had spent years looking for. Four days after she confessed, enough members had traveled to Orion to take action.

His father had confronted Noak in front of the house as Remington moved toward the side knowing Ivy would likely slip out the back. He heard Noak yell for Ivy to run, and watched as his short term teacher tried to move and block the door only to get stabbed.

Anger flooded him as he sprinted around the house spotting a tall figure in the small amount of moon light. Being raised by the Order Remington hated unnecessary death. Noak's intelligence was worth more than Ivy, and she would only live until the hammer was in place.

When he tackled and wrestled her to the ground he thought about how his father trained the dogs; fear and pain brought obedience. While he let all the frustration and disgust he felt toward the girl control his words and actions, he didn't hear the thunder closing in or his parents screaming his name.

He was shoved off Ivy just as a bolt of lightning struck her, his parents didn't stand a chance. Their bodies burned and fried, they barely released a scream before their vocal cords where destroyed. A small arc had hit Remington in the head and exited his body through the side of his left thigh. It was only the healer that had followed behind his parents that saved him.

The arc had just missed his heart and multiple surgeries and therapy with the healer allowed him to walk again. His eye couldn't be fixed and the lighting had fried the tissues in and around it, cutting the eye out would've caused more harm than good. Remington found in time that he came to rely on his disfigurement; it forced him not to forget.

Remington smiled as he lightly touched where the hammer would rest. "Ivy, in two days you will decide to come back to me, and I will enjoy your death."


"Hey. Wake up! We don't have a lot of time."

Ivy groaned as she tried to push away the hands poking her; refusing to open her eyes.

"You have a date with Laxus in four hours, you have no appropriate clothes, and you desperately need to shower! Get up!"

At the mention of the word date Ivy's eyes snapped open to see the only female of Laxus' team, Evergreen. Shaking her head trying to clear the sleep induced fog she tried to remember anything about a date. While she remembered running into Laxus she could only seem to recall that he had a comfortable shoulder.

"Umm, what date?"

A fan quickly slapped the top of Ivy's head, it didn't hurt much just a little sting. "Laxus is picking you up at six. Now go clean up we are going shopping."

Ivy stared at the other woman in horror. She had never been on a date, but there were more pressing matters. "I can't go shopping! I don't have the jewel for that."

"Don't worry I'm taking care of that." Holding up her hand and stopping Ivy as she tried to protest more Evergreen continued. "Before you start telling me how you don't want me buying you stuff, this isn't for you. Laxus and my team are my family. They have been there for me for a long time, and if I can help one of them then I'm going to. Now go get a shower you can't try clothes on covered in dust and dry sweat."

Reluctantly Ivy headed to the bathroom; mentally promising herself she would pay the brunette back someday. After all Laxus wasn't the only one getting help.


Standing outside the first store Evergreen had dragged them to Ivy began to regret agreeing to this trip.

"Oh Hips and Curves, I love this store" Lucy let out a sigh as she thought about how little jewel she had, knowing she wouldn't be able to get anything.

Lucy and Levy had joined the women when they heard about the shopping trip. Levy wanted something for her own date, and Lucy just loved to shop.

"This is a lingerie shop." Ivy's breathing was starting to quicken. "It's just dinner or something; I'm not sleeping with him. I don't think I can do this." Ivy started to turn away.

Levy made a motion with her hand to silence the more boisterous complaints that were about to come from the other two women. Resting her hand gently on Ivy's arm stopping the tall woman from leaving, she nodded for Lucy and Evergreen to go ahead.

"Getting lingerie doesn't mean you have to sleep with him." Moving in front of Ivy so she could see the woman's pale face, Levy gave her a reassuring smile. "It just looks better under the type of clothes you would wear for a date, and it's a serious confidence booster when you feel attractive."

Ivy didn't look convinced shifting on her feet. "Maybe I should just cancel. I'm leaving two days anyway." The next sentence was spoken so softly that Levy almost missed it. "I shouldn't get my hopes up."

"I can't believe the woman who beat Natsu would panic over a date. If you don't want to go then don't, but you might want to consider that you're the first girl to ever be asked out by Laxus Dryar. Who cares if you're leaving in two days? This is an opportunity you would probably regret not taking." Levy started to head into the store. Tough love was sometimes needed to get people moving, and Levy smiled as she heard a sigh then the sound of big boots stomping towards her.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Ivy almost froze again when she looked around.

Before Levy could say anything Evergreen was at the taller woman's shoulder, giving Ivy a dark look. "I'm glad you decided to do this. You can't go on a date wearing sports bras and granny panties. Oh and if you had decided to turn down Laxus I would have turned you to stone for the remainder of your stay here." Evergreens glare changed into a soft smile as she linked arms with Ivy. "I already got an attendant in the changing room so you can get measured. Levy, why don't you go find some things. You two can model once Lucy and I grab stuff for Ivy." Turning back to the woman, as Levy headed toward the section she needed, Evergreen began to move her in the right direction. "We are going to make you gorgeous, not that you aren't already of course."

Ivy could only nod her head; she couldn't even be mad at the threat. It was obvious Evergreen felt protective of her friend, and Ivy respected her for it. With that in mind Ivy allowed herself to be guided into a dressing room to get measured.

Soon enough Lucy and Evergreen where sitting in plush chairs before the set of dressing rooms that had mirrors in between the drape covered openings.

"Do I have to come out?" Ivy's question was met with groans from the two women.

"Levy's going to model with you! If you're not out in thirty seconds I'm going to drag you here." Lucy couldn't wait to see what the woman would look like after they were done with her.

They heard a huff from Ivy as Levy stepped out of her own room, to immediate cat calls from her friends. The small woman had chosen a black padded push up bra with crimson lace overlaying the fabric. The matching cheeky underwear had more red lace around the edges of black spandex.

"It's so obvious who you're wearing that for, fortunately you look so good it doesn't matter." Evergreen smiled as she gestured for Levy to do a spin.

"I might have been thinking of him, but these are comfortable so I might not wear them tonight." At the questioning looks Levy's face turned pink, and she looked away as she spun in a circle before she decided to continue. "I just don't want them ripped to pieces right away."

"What!" Lucy's squawk had several customers craning their necks in the direction of the changing rooms. At the glare from Levy the blonde tried to rain in her voice with an apologetic look. "Are you going to give any details with that juicy bit of information?"

"Nope" With a firm shake of her head Levy decided to change the focus. Moving toward the door that contained their nervous friend Levy grabbed the fabric. "I'm going to just pull this open if you don't come out."

Ivy's pink face appeared around the edge of the fabric. "Don't you dare, I'm coming." Stepping out the woman was met with silence.

Curling into herself she couldn't help but want to hide, even crossing her arms over her stomach. She knew this was a bad idea she was too tall, too big and bulky to wear clothes like this.

"How the fuck could you hide that body under baggy men's clothes!" Evergreen had moved from her seat to stand in front of the woman. Placing her hands on Ivy's shoulders she pushed the tall woman straight, and then moved the crossed arms to hang at the woman's sides. "I'm tempted to throw away every clothing item you own and buy you things that fit."

"Seriously hiding what you have is probably considered a sin somewhere." Lucy had joined the two women examining Ivy. "Good job Ever, I didn't pick that out."

Ivy could only stand in silence as they moved around her. The lingerie they had picked out was comfortable, but she hadn't worn anything like it before. The dark grey bra wasn't very padded but still pushed her in to place. Her bra had an overlay of lacing that was a light gold, but instead of just the cups being covered like Levy's it even went over the thicker straps. The same gold lace covered the dark gray spandex of a pair of boy shorts.

"You're so muscular. It's like Erza but you're boobs aren't as big." Ivy jumped forward as Lucy poked her butt, almost taking out Evergreen with the movement. "I'm sorry Levy but you might have competition for best hips and ass."

Levy felt the twisting jealousy in her gut as she looked at the other woman. Ivy really was beautiful with her hour glass figure. Levy shook her head trying to get rid the negative thoughts. Gajeel liked how she looked and that's what mattered.

"Ever show me where you grabbed those; she should have a couple pairs." Lucy began to move back towards the aisles.

"Yeah, we need to hurry. We're going to have to hit up a spa too, gotta get rid of that leg hair."

As the two women disappeared into the clothes Ivy stopped glaring at them, she didn't mind her hair, looking at Levy she noticed the bluenette seemed as uncomfortable as she was. "Are you alright?"

Levy, who hadn't been able to completely shake off the feelings of inadequacy looked to Ivy and tried to smile. "I'm fine just.." Not being able to form words Levy gestured to herself then to Ivy, feeling that she could trust the woman. "Short, lacking?"

"I think this might be a girl thing, but I would trade bodies with you in an instant." Ivy smiled down at Levy. "Being tall is a pain, my shoulders are stupidly broad, and it's hard to find a sleeve that will go around my arms while fitting the rest of me right. The only thing I like is my strength, and even though you're smaller than me you're a power house in your own way."

Levy burst out laughing feeling suddenly lighter. No one had ever called her a power house, and the only other person who thought she was strong was Gajeel. He had never said it but he trusted her on missions to have his back at the council, and that was enough.

"I'm serious! I bet a kick from you would do some damage." Ivy couldn't figure out why Levy was laughing, but she was happy to see her friend smiling again.

"Why are you two still standing there? We have more shopping to do and very little time, let's go." Evergreen was back with a few more bras and panties in her arms.

Levy tried to change as fast as she could; deciding to get the set she had modeled along with a few other things she knew would look good. As she was checking out she noticed Ivy snatch the receipt that Evergreen had placed in the bag. Watching the tall woman and thinking of what Ivy had said she decided the she was going to do everything in her power to get Ivy to join the guild. This was a friend she wanted to keep.


At ten to six Laxus walked in to the guild wearing a dark gray long sleeved dress shirt and black slacks. Even in the middle of June he could get away with wearing long sleeves and an undershirt. His body just always ran cold, a left over from being sick as a kid.

The building had started to fill, but wasn't as packed as it would be later. Moving towards the back hall, he stopped as Evergreen ran over to him from where he wanted to go.

"Did you get the reservations?" Evergreen was practically shaking with excitement.

"Yes"

"Great! You have to call me later. She looks amazing. Have fun." Giving him a quick hug Evergreen rushed back down the hall, and soon appeared again with Levy and Lucy. The two gave Laxus a wave and thumbs up while following the other woman to a table.

Suddenly nervous Laxus continued down the hall, and gave a sharp knock on the door that led to Ivy's borrowed room.

The door only opened a crack letting him see a large blue green eye that now had eyeliner making the color pop even more. "Promise you won't laugh."

Laxus couldn't help but smile as he promised; only to have it fall away and his eyes involuntarily widen as the door was fully opened. He owed Evergreen more than he thought.

Ivy's hair had been pulled into a more elegant version of the lose braid that had hung over her left shoulder earlier that day. Though the makeup she had was minimal, only eyeliner mascara and a bit of pink lip gloss, it was perfect for her. The dark purple dress with black piping she wore was an older look with some modern additions. The bodice was in the style of a sleeveless mock turtle neck with a tear drop opening that revealed the top of Ivy's freckled cleavage. Under the bust was ruching that clung to her, it stopped just above her hips to bell out in a fuller skirt.

The smile came back to Laxus' face as he saw she was still wearing her boots. Without the baggy pants he could now see that they went to her mid calf and had multiple buckles. The only problem was that he couldn't find a voice in his dry throat to comment on the beautiful site before him.

Ivy began to get uncomfortable as the blond continued to stare at her. "Evergreen and Lucy know what they're doing when it comes to shopping. I never thought I would like a dress, but look it has pockets and I can still wear my hammer." Shoving her hands into the pockets and lifting the right side of the skirt, she showed him the bottom of the leather harness on her thigh.

Laxus had to dig his nails in to the palm of his hand as he looked at her leg, having the sudden desire to bite the thick curved flesh. Trying to keep his composure Laxus finally found his voice. "You look amazing. I have reservations at a restaurant Ever suggested. Are you ready?"

"Yup," Ivy relaxed now knowing he didn't think she looked weird. Taking a step closer she decided to let her worries go for the time and just enjoy herself. "You dress up nice too."

"Thanks" Offering Ivy his arm Laxus steered them to the back exit of the guild, ignoring the multiple pairs of eyes watching them from around the corner.

The restaurant Evergreen had told Laxus to go to was one of the more upscale places in town. There was a woman in a floor length evening gown playing a piano on a raised platform in the middle of the first floor. The second floor was open over where the piano was positioned, and the waiters even wore a type of suit.

Ivy felt incredibly out of place as they were shown to their table and the feeling only grew as Laxus was stopped by several women who asked if he wanted to join them. The looks they threw in the direction of the tall women made it obvious they didn't think he should be with her.

Laxus moved his arm securely around Ivy's waist hating the way she shrank in on herself. He didn't even try to stop the snarl that escaped his throat as he informed the ladies that he was on a date. The look of disgust on his face had the women quickly leaving the vicinity.

Leaning into the man enjoying the warmth spreading through her from where his hand rested Ivy let out a snort she was trying to contain. This earned a look from the waiter who was standing at their table near the piano. "Did you just snarl?"

"Maybe," Laxus moved to pull out Ivy's chair and then moved to his own; taking the menus offered before waving the waiter away and continuing. "Those women insulted you and I didn't feel like playing nice."

"Well I kind of like you not playing nice, as long as it's not directed at me." She started to stick her tongue out, but quickly stopped as she noticed the people around them staring; more specifically staring at Laxus. "I get the feeling you're popular."

"More just well known," Shifting in his chair Laxus tried to keep his eyes on the woman in front of him instead of staring down their audience. "Do you have any idea what you want?"

Ivy stared at the menu before looking back up at the man. "How do you plan to eat here?"

"What do you mean?"

"This place is stupid expensive, and the amount of food you get is ridiculously small and not worth it. I mean look at what they're bringing out." Ivy nodded to the doors that lead to the kitchen as a waiter brought out a tray of food. "I've seen you eat. You're not going to be satisfied at all."

Seeing the sadly proportioned food on the large plates reminded Laxus of why he didn't come to places like this, but this was how dates worked at least by Evergreen's standards. "Its fine, I'll just pick up something later."

"Screw that I'm hungry. Come on I have a better idea." Laxus watched as Ivy pushed herself from the table. When she noticed he hadn't moved she grabbed his arm forcing him to follow her as she left the restaurant.

Almost an hour later Ivy was pushing open his front door. Laxus' arms where full of pizza boxes, not allowing him to get the door himself. This caused an interesting moment when Ivy slid her hands into his pockets looking for his keys. Try as he might he couldn't help the tightening in his pants, and could only hope that her hands didn't move any closer to his crotch. Fortunately she didn't and was now looking around his living room.

The room was large with light gray carpeting and had two couches, a love seat, and a chair; all in brown suede. Crates holding records lined the back wall with a complex sound system in the middle. The seats surrounded a large wood and glass coffee table and faced a wall mounted movie lacrima.

Placing the six large pizzas on the coffee table Laxus moved to the kitchen to get wine and glasses, not knowing what she liked he grabbed a white and a red. When he returned Ivy was already on her second piece of pizza sitting cross legged on the floor, the skirt puffed out around her legs and her boots where placed next to the chair.

"Red or white?" Laxus watched as Ivy grabbed another piece then pointed to the white, her mouth too full to speak. "You really where hungry, you better leave some for me."

Ivy swallowed her mouth full finally taking a breath. "Well yeah, I trained with Levy, beat up Natsu, then let Evergreen and Lucy play dress up with me. I need energy and the only other food I had was a small lunch. We have six pizzas. I might eat one, so that still leaves five for you."

Taking the wine glass that Laxus handed her she took sip before placing on the table. She then moved her attention to the movies they had grabbed from the video store that was connected to the pizza place. "Any ideas on what you want to watch first?"

Laxus had moved over to his music collection, and was flipping through records. "Would you mind if we just sat and listened to music while we eat? The sound of chewing makes focusing on a movie kind of hard."

"That's fine I like pretty much anything so pick whatever you want."

Continuing to search as Ivy ate more pizza Laxus decided classical orchestra would be good. They may have left the fancy over priced restaurant, but at least the music would help bring that date night feel back. Looking through the records Laxus froze on one in particular with a title in large red and gold curled font. Without second thought Laxus read the title aloud.

"Cleo Beltrum with the Caelum Grand Orchestra, huh I knew your name sounded familiar."

Laxus turned at the sound of pizza being dropped back into the box. Ivy was suddenly standing. All color had left her face and the large eyes staring into him looked dead and broken.

"How do you know my last name?" Her voice had even lost its normal cadence, it sounded flat and emotionless and sent a hallow feeling to Laxus' stomach as he realized his mistake. Before he could move or speak to explain she was running toward the door. "You're just like Remy!"

The words were broken with a sob as she ran out of his house. Laxus only let a second pass before he was chasing after the only woman he had ever wanted to stay.