Okay! I'm back finally! This one is the longest one yet. Over 5,000 words! Next one will be long too. And I'm so happy that you guys like the story. With this being my first fanfiction, it's really hard to write.

A huge thank you to Insane-As-The-Mind and Savage Kill for their reviews on the last chapter! Let me know what you think about this one!

I don't own Fairy Tail, but Saphira is mine!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Chapter 13

Freed had the kitchen looking like new in under an hour. That man was truly something else. After Laxus and Erik had finished washing up, the group left Saphira's house and made their way towards the guild.

The walk there was mostly silent. The only sounds heard were the occasional growls from one or more of the slayers. Laxus and Erik of course are still at each other's throats and Saphira warning them to cool down. Constantly babysitting them was getting old…fast! And Saphira had other things on her mind. Like how to get guild to accept the poison dragon slayer and not try to kill him.

'Really it's not like I have to protect him from the entire guild. …Just the ones who have reasons to want to beat the shit out of him… Ugh! Maybe this was impossible from the beginning…' She worriedly thought. With the group rapidly approaching the guild doors she found that she had no plan other than talking to the guild and hoping that they understood. 'If this goes bad I'm going to have to get him out quickly.'

"You fucking worry way too much. You know that, right?" Saphira heard from behind her.

"And why to think that, Erik?" She responded.

"Well I can hear what you're fucking thinking but, you assume that you are the only one working on your plan. The Fairy master is doing his part as well. The people in the guild already know about me. They are apprehensive but are willing to wait and see what happens." Erik said with a shrug.

Of course she had been listening to what he was saying but the part that caught her attention was that he could hear what the people at the guild were thinking! They were at least still five miles away!

"What is your range?"

"What?"

"Your range! How far away can you hear people?"

"Why the fuck do I have to tell you? Did you even hear what I fucking said?!"

"I heard every word… but I can't help but worry. You are now a part of my family; really you have been since you became a dragon slayer. An act against anyone of the other slayers is an act against me."

Laxus, Erik, and Freed were all taken back by what she said. They all stopped in their tracks and watched as she continued to walk forward. Each with their own thoughts and with Erik being able to hear them all he couldn't help but gain a little more respect for the woman in front of him.

Laxus being the first to continue to walk after her thought about Saphira's strength, kindness, and her ability to see the good in someone when no one else did.

Next was Freed, who thought if Saphira was someone Laxus wanted to follow then so should he. He would do his best to support both of them.

Erik watched them walk away for a few seconds more. Wondering if family was even the right word to use, sure they were both dragon slayers. But she was the first dragon slayer and he was just a second generation slayer, and had never actually been taught by a dragon. They were completely different, but still she accepted him and even trusted him. An ex-criminal who on several occasions tried to kill many of her guild mates. So why?... Maybe… it would be so bad to follow her a little bit longer. 'I want to know what a family is like.'

He jogged a little to catch up with everyone else and once he did he said, "Nine miles, but there are exceptions."

"Thank you Erik." Saphira said with a soft smile.

(Line Break)

This is it! Moment of truth! The group had arrived at the guild doors. And Saphira was nervous as hell.

"Alright, Erik and I will be in front. I want the both of you to be right behind us." She said to Laxus and Freed. And with that she pushed open the hall doors. The moment they walked in they had the entire attention of everyone present… which was basically everyone. Erza stood up and made her way over towards them. Saphira opened her mouth to explain but was cut off by the red haired equip mage.

"We already know. No need to explain." Erza said.

"You do?" Saphira questioned, completely confused.

"Hai, when you left yesterday Makarov explained to the entire guild what you were doing. He said that having Cobra here was important to you and that we should trust you… Fairy Tail accepts those who want a second chance. Just like Gajeel. If you think he should be here… then I will allow it. But I will be watching you like a hawk Cobra."

Finding his voice the poison dragon slayer said, "Call me Erik. If I'm going to start a new life, I don't want to be called Cobra anymore." He found that he was nervous, like really nervous. Did he want to be accepted by them? Did he fear their rejection? He looked around at the faces in the guild. A few he had met in battle, others complete strangers. His eyes finally met those of his mate Kinana. She had always been there from the beginning, and when he thought he had lost her… But she's here now and this is their chance. 'I'll do it for her… for us.'

"I know that I've done some really fucking shitty stuff in the past… But this crazy ass woman next to me managed to get me out of a life sentence, and even brought me here, to her home, her guild. Everything that means the whole world to her is right here. I won't mess up this chance she has given me. I won't ask you to trust me, just give me the benefit of the doubt."

Throughout his whole little speech, Erik could feel Saphira's eyes on him. But he didn't look at her once. He kept his eyes on the many mages who would decide his fate. 'If this doesn't go well, I'll go right back to prison and I won't put Kinana through that.' Besides he didn't need to look at her to know what she was thinking. She was right next to him; her thoughts were the loudest in the room.

'What the fuck is he saying?! This is so not like Erik at all. What happened to cause him to change?... Or is this all an act so he won't be sent back to the council prison?... He asked for the benefit of the doubt so I'll give him that.'

No one said anything after Erik's speech. The room seemed stale. This isn't how Fairy Tail is supposed to be. It's supposed to be lively, friendly and loud. But with the presence of an old enemy maybe they were unsure of how to act.

But Natsu was the one who moved first, calmly walking up to the poison dragon slayer and offering his hand to shake. This was huge to the guild! First of all, Natsu Dragneel never did anything calmly. Second, this was a peace offering, a way to start over, and his way of saying I forgive you.

So when Erik shook Natsu's hand, all was forgiven. Erik had the opportunity he wanted to earn their trust and start over. One by one the rest of the guild walked up to greet their soon to be new guild member, after all Erik still had to get his new guild mark.

As the Fairy Tail members walked up to greet Erik, Saphira made her way over to the bar where Mira and Kinana were working. She sat on a bar stool and took in the sight in front of her. Truly Fairy Tail was an amazing guild full of even more amazing people and mages. 'I was worried for no reason. I need to learn to put more faith in my friends and family.' She thought.

"Can I get you anything Saphira-san?" Kinana asked as she approached the elemental dragoness.

"Actually I'm starving! I had to skip breakfast cause the boys destroyed the kitchen. Could I have a rare steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli? Oh and could you light it on fire when you bring it over, please?" She answered.

Kinana gave Saphira a confused look before saying, "Sure thing, Saphira-san!"

'She's probably wondering about the whole 'boys destroyed my kitchen' thing.' She thought as she watched Kinana walk into the back.

Natsu really did have great ideas sometimes. And lighting his food on fire was definitely one of them. As an elemental dragon slayer Saphira could eat any of the core elements, those being fire, water, earth and air. But thanks to her bond with Laxus, lightning had also become one of her favorite treats. 'Speaking of lightning, I could really go for some right about now!' She moaned.

Smelling that her food was almost ready, Saphira turned around in her seat to face the bar. Shortly after Kinana came out of the kitchen and set the plate down in front of her. Kinana then picked up a match and lit the plate on fire.

"Yum! Thank you so much!" Saphira said just before she reached for the blazing plate.

"No, it's me who should be thanking you." Kinana said.

"What? Why? I didn't do anything."

"Erik, you saved him, and brought him here. You knew how I felt and I didn't even need to tell you. I…"

Kinana was going to continue but stopped when Saphira raised her hand, silently telling her to stop.

"Honestly there is nothing to thank me for. I needed Erik for my own selfish reasons. And I hoped you would be the reason for him to stay and not fight back. There is no reason to thank me."

"Even so, he would still be in prison if not for you. So thank you. Enjoy your lunch." Kinana said with a smile as she turned and walked over to the next customer.

'She's too nice for her own good… She'll be good for Erik.' She thought as she began to eat her breakfast. Afterwards she led Erik upstairs and into Makarov's office, where he would get his guild mark. Ad she was the sure the master of Fairy Tail would have his own questions for the new slayer joining his family.

"So my boy, what do you think of Fairy Tail?" The master started off.

"… Well everyone here seems to be fucking weirdos… but I imagine that's what a family feels like, right? And Kinana chose to be here so I guess this place can't be completely horrible…" Erik answered.

Makarov busted out laughing at his answer. "Indeed my Fairy Tail family is a collection of many different people from all sorts of backgrounds. And Kinana has been a wonderful addition. I think you will fit in perfectly with the rest of my children." He said as he smiled fondly. The master of Fairy Tail firmly believed that all the guilds members were irreplaceable family and each and every person was dear to him. Maybe that's why he was such a great master.

The short master hopped up and stood on his desk holding the official Fairy Tail guild stamp. "Now where would you like your mark and what color do you want?"

Erik stood up and unbuttoned his red shirt; he pointed to the left side of his chest and said, "Can you put it here? I want it right over my heart and I would like it dark purple."

'Wow, he didn't curse at all when he said that.' Saphira thought surprised. Of course Erik heard her internal comment and sent her an irritated glance as if to say, 'I can be fucking polite,' extra emphasis on the 'fucking' part.

She watched the master lean over and place the stamp on Erik's chest and then pull it away. Left on his skin was the prized Fairy Tail guild mark in a dark, deep purple color. She had to admit, it was a good color on him.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Erik."

"Thanks old man."

The pair of dragon slayers left the master's office and started to make their way back downstairs. But Saphira had a question for the man next to her.

"So… why over your heart? That's a bit too sentimental for you isn't it?"

He seemed to consider his answer for a little while. Trying to figure out how much he actually wanted to spill. How much did he want her to know? Did he even have an answer for her? Really he had no idea why he had choose to have the mark on his heart. But it seemed right at the time.

"I'm not completely sure. It feels right…" He said as he rubbed the new mark under his shirt. "I know that answer won't satisfy your god damn insatiable need to know everything but…"

"I'm satisfied for now. But in the future I will want a better answer though… Come on, everyone is waiting downstairs to officially welcome you."

Downstairs they found the party was already in full swing. Really, it was a party every day at the guild hall. But with having a new member join… well there was definitely more alcohol making its way through the members. Cana took advantage of the occasion as was already on her fifth barrel of boos and it was barely three in the afternoon! 'Man that woman can put away her alcohol.'

Erik headed over to Kinana once they made it downstairs and Saphira headed over to the table that held Team Natsu. Conversations easily flowed as the day went on. Kinana had to get back to work so Erik had joined their table after taking to her for a little while. To be honest Saphira didn't think it was going to turn out so well. She figured she would wake up and still be talking to Yuki. Like all this was only a dream… 'Damn I need to relax.'

She called out to Mira who was brining drinks to the table next to hers.

"Can I get you something Saphira?"

"Yes! I need a green fairy please!"

"Are you sure? The last time you had that you passed out." Mira said in a motherly tone.

"Ok yea that happened but I had like three that time. I just want one today, please!" Saphira said as she gave her best puppy dog eyes to the white haired bar maid.

"Oh alright! Do you want to make it or should I?"

"Can you? You make it the best!"

"I'll bring it right out." Mira said as she made her way back to the bar.

"What is a green fairy? It isn't some sort of pansy ass drink is it?" Erik asked.

"Nope! Far from it actually. It's incredibly strong alcohol, and it's not commonly called the green fairy either. It's more commonly called absinthe. I'll be right back."

Saphira got up and went over to the part of the bar where Mira was setting up to make her drink. The two women had a short conversation and then she made her way back to the table.

"What did you say to her?" Lucy asked.

"Oh I asked her to make a drink for Erik as well. I wonder what kind of an effect strong alcohol will have on a poison dragon slayer."

"So I'm a fucking guinea pig? That's nice…" Erik mumbled.

Everyone laughed and continued on with their conversations, and a few minutes later Mira brought over the two drinks. Erik took a hesitant sniff and immediately back away from the drink.

"That stuff fucking stinks! How can you drink that? I can practically smell the black outs and bad decisions off that thing!"

"Maybe so, but it dulls your senses a lot! Which is like a god send for us slayers. If you can get past the smell, I bet the thoughts will quite down for you… Just don't let it touch your tongue; it will knock you on your ass."

Saphira brought the glass to her lips and took the shot. She could already feel it working by the time it reached her throat. The noise in the guild started to die down, all the different smells seems duller and less intense, and for the first time since she woke up her mind was a lot quieter.

Seeing the almost immediate change in Saphira and given the fact that her thoughts had slowed significantly, Erik decided to take the shot as well. But he was going to damn well plug his nose before he brought the mind numbing liquid anywhere near his mouth!

(Line Break)

Fast forward many hours into the night and most of the guild is still in full swing. Erik had taken a huge liking to absinthe and he had taken about six shots. And by now was completely passed out on the table next to Saphira. True to her word she had only had one drink.

'I suppose he was able to drink more because of his immunity to poison. His body broke down a little of it, but the rest really did a number on him.' Saphira thought as she stared at the passed out man beside her. 'There is no way I can carry him home… I'm going to have to get Laxus to do it…'

It was approaching 11 o'clock and Saphira was so done with the noise. Slowly she got up and made her way over to Laxus's table. After explaining the situation to him, Laxus agreed that it was time to call it a night.

Laxus picked up the intoxicated poison dragon slayer and threw him over his shoulder.

"If he pukes on me, I'm going to drop him and leave him there." He said as they left the guild hall.

"Fair enough… though he should be fine."

Except for the sound of their feet hitting the pavement, it was quite. After all it was really late. Normal people would be in bed by now. Covering the distance between her house and the guild faster than they had this morning they were home in about 20 minutes.

After entering the house, Laxus took Erik upstairs and placed him on the bed. Being careful so he didn't cause the slayer to puke. That would be the last thing they needed. Heading back downstairs, he found Saphira in the kitchen drinking a glass of water.

"It helps with the effects of absinthe. With how much Erik drank he's going to be out for a long ass time…When he does wake up, he'll be miserable." She said as she took another gulp of her water.

"If you knew that would happen, why did you let him drink so much?"

"Hm… curiosity, I wanted to know how much he could drink before that happened. And besides he wouldn't have listened to me. Better for him to experience the after effects himself. Live and learn as they say."

She was right. Erik was far too hard headed to listen to anyone but himself. 'But she must've had another reason for suggesting that drink to him.' Laxus thought as he watched her closely. Absinthe was probably the last thing on the list of drinks he expected her to choose. Come to think of it he didn't really know that much about her, no one did really… except for maybe his grandfather.

"I didn't expect your drink of choice to be absinthe."

"Well sometimes you just want to forget or not feel. Absinthe is the perfect drink for that… I'm going to call it a night. See you in the morning Laxus."

With that Saphira headed into her room and closed the door. A few minutes later he heard the shower turn on. 'Forget and not feel, huh?'

(Line Break)

The next morning Laxus was the first to wake up. Seeing as the other two occupants weren't going to be up anytime soon he left the house to run a few errands. The first of which was to drop by his house and pack more clothes. Freed was a smart man, but he definitely didn't pack enough clothes for his extended stay at Saphira's house. On his way there he thought back on what Saphira had said the night before.

'I wish I knew more about her past. But she's so tightlipped about it, and no one really knows much except for rumors and half-truths. Maybe that's the way she wanted it, after all she basically a legend. Many people still believe that she doesn't even exist.'

Laxus thought back to their lunch date and how forthcoming she was about what had happened with Acnologia. It had been so easy to talk to her about that and it was information that he needed to know. 'She probably won't be so forthcoming with the information regarding where she was born, her family, and her early relationships. Something must've happened to cause her to hide it.' He thought as he continued on with his errands.

(Line Break)

It was around 12:45pm when Saphira finally woke up and even then she couldn't get out of bed right away. Or rather she didn't want to. She could only hear one other heartbeat in the house, meaning that Laxus was out and about on the town. She didn't want to admit it… but her house felt strangely empty without the blonde haired man there.

She got up and made her way over to her closet to pick out what to wear that day. 'I am so not leaving the house today, if I can help it. So leggings and a tank top it is!' She pulled out a pair of black leggings and a dark blue top. She changed into her outfit and didn't bother with her bra. She was going to be home all day after all. And those things were killer anyway!

Making her way to the kitchen she decided to make herself some lunch. Seeing as Erik was probably going to be out for a while longer and she had no idea when Laxus would be back, lunch for one it was. She started buzzing around the kitchen as she cooked and mixed her ingredients. By the time she was through she had a pile of white rice and sesame chicken with edamame on the side. She had also made plates for both Erik and Laxus for later.

She sat down in front of her lacrima TV and turned on the news. Most of it was dull and boring; weather, local news, announcements from the capital, and other senseless stuff. But every once in a while there would be a report that would hold her attention. This one in particular happened to be about an explosion near a city in the far south.

"That's right! You heard it here folks! There was an explosion near the Haunted Village! Eyewitnesses say the explosion came from the Phoenix Mountains just north of the town. As of right now there are no reported casualties or injuries. And the cause of the explosion is still unknown. Though we do know that the council has sent a team led by Lahar to look into the matter. In other news…"

As the news program switched over to another topic, Saphira turned the TV off.

"Lahar huh? Guess I need to make a phone call." She said as she got off the couch to put her dirty dish in the sink.

(Line Break)

By 3pm Laxus had completed his errands and had decided to stop by the guild and see if he could pull some information about Saphira out of his grandfather. Historically the old man was a steel trap when he didn't want to talk about something so he was going to have be very careful in his approach.

After knocking on the office door and hearing the faint come in, Laxus walked into his grandfather's office and sat down in one of the seats in front of the desk.

"Need some help Gramps?" The paperwork in the office had built up again, probably noise complaints from last night.

"That would be wonderful my boy! I guess the party got a little out of hand last night." Makarov said as he chuckled.

"I'd say so. I think Erik is still passed out! And I haven't heard anything from Saphira either." Laxus said as he grabbed some of the stack of papers in front of him.

"She only had one, I guarantee you that she is awake. She'll probably stay home today if what you said about Erik is true. She won't leave him to his own devices for long."

"Why is that?"

"Well I would imagine that she doesn't completely trust him yet. She wants to though. She sees the potential for kindness in him but without the will or drive to be kind, that potential doesn't matter at all." Makarov said as he continued writing on the paper in front of him. Not looking up at all and completely missing the realization cross over his grandson's face.

"And why she threw out the suggestion of having you live in the house with her… Having someone she trusts in her house with someone she doesn't completely trust would ease her mind."

Laxus quickly got up out of his seat and grabbed his bag. "I'm sorry Gramps, but I've got to go! I'll see you tomorrow!" He shouted as he rushed out the door and down the stairs.

(Line Break)

"Look I'm not asking you to kill someone! Just keep me updated on what you find on the mountain. If there is anything left to find that is."

"The rules clearly state…"

"I don't give a damn about the council's rules Lahar! Now either you help me or I'll bribe one of your lackeys to do it."

"None of my men would ever listen to you!"

"Oh my dear poor, poor kind hearted fool. Everyone has a price. And again I'm not asking for anything major. Like I said there is probably nothing to find. If anything, you'll find a crater, maybe some gigantic footprints and a torn up forest. Just tell me what you fucking find or I'll come myself." Saphira exasperatedly said. She was really tired of going around in circles with this man.

Said man on the other side of the lacrima phone sighed heavily. "I really hate the positions you put me in Saphira…"

"Well stop making me put you in these positions by just doing what I ask you to do! It could be much worse ya know."

"…FINE! I will call you back and let you know what we find. But if I find that you contacted any of my men the deal is off! Understood?"

"Yes sir! Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

The line immediately disconnected after her condescending comment. "Geez, he's so touchy all the time."

A couple minutes after her conversation with Lahar, Erik started to stir upstairs. After ten minutes of grumbling and cursing he slowly made his way downstairs.

"Nice to see that you've rejoined the living." She whispered. Knowing full well the symptoms of the hangover he was currently nursing.

"Yea… fuck you." Was what he mumbled in return as he made his way over to the couch.

"Would you like some water?"

The look he sent her said it all. 'Oh, don't mind me over here. I'm just dying of minor alcohol poisoning. Of course I want some fucking water!'

After tending to the grumpy hungover poison dragon slayer for only about five minutes, Laxus comes bursting through the front door.

"Saphira!"

She looked over to a panting Laxus then looked back over to Erik. The poor guy looked about ready to cry as he was holding his head. But there was no way he would cry, that would be way to out of character for him.

"You are going to have to significantly lower your voice Laxus… Is everything okay? You sound like you ran a five mile race."

"Yea I'm okay. I ran here from the guild… Actually I don't know why I ran all the way here. I just felt like I needed to be here is all."

There was a slight scoff from the direction of the currently incapacitated poison dragon slayer. That was one of the worst lies he had ever heard. 'Honestly Sparky expects her to believe that?'

"Whatever the case, welcome home Laxus. Are either of you hungry? I made food earlier."

The thought of food made Erik's stomach revolt against and caused him to gag. "Alright, no food for you right now." Saphira said.

"I'm fine too. I had lunch with my team."

"We will eat later then. So what should we do in the mean time?"

The rest of the day was spent mostly on the couch talking and bonding. By the end of the day Laxus and Erik had a discovered that it wasn't so bad getting along. And it had taken another three hours for Erik's hangover to fade and for him to be able to entertain the thought of any food. Continuously making him drink water really helped, even though Erik would curse them out every time they made him another glass.

By the end of the day, the trust they had in one another grew.

Laxus figured that maybe having Erik around wasn't so bad. He now trusted Saphira's judgement.

Erik could lie to everyone all he wanted but he knew that he really missed having people he could count on. Friends to be there to help him get back on his feet after a really bad hangover and a family he could always count on.

Saphira of course knew Laxus had lied to her. But she was in no position to call him out on it. After all she was hiding something from him as well… And tomorrow was her last day. She was going to have to tell him…