The days that followed Gajeel's proposal were pure bliss. Levy couldn't remember feeling so happy in her entire life! The closest thing would be the day when Makarov had first accepted her as his apprentice. Yet the feelings then compared to now were completely different. Her heart was filled with a fluttering exhilaration that would not die down! She had a future with Gajeel, and she eagerly looked forward to the life they would share.

What was truly shocking was Gajeel's drastic change in mood. Surprisingly, he was rather open about his glee, despite his rough personality. Lucy, Wendy, and Makarov had been scared stiff when he announced the big news. None of them had ever expected to see the dragon man gush in such a love-struck manner! Nonetheless, they offered congratulations. Lucy glomped her best friend in pure excitement, while Makarov teasingly used his magic to grow larger than Gajeel and trap him in a suffocating bear hug!

Regardless of the joy the two felt, the agreement to live together meant some life changes were in order. There was a possibility that Levy's home had been rebuilt, yet it was not an ideal location for them. First, the place's design and size had been meant for a single person. Second, it was risky to live within the village, for their own sake as well as the villagers'.

So, the decision had been made to make a new home in the forest. The house would still be close enough to Magnolia that they could easily commute on foot, yet had enough distance to secure their privacy. That sort of compromise was necessary: Levy didn't have the heart to abandon her duties as Makarov's apprentice; she loved being able to help the villagers. They were her family. Even Gajeel could admit that he wouldn't mind helping out as he did before.

The trick would be to keep his true form a secret, but according to Gajeel, it has been done in the past. Only a handful of people knew about Gajeel's identity, and they trusted them. So, the couple figured it would be safe to venture through the village now and then without attracting unwanted attention.

Since an agreement had been met about where to live, the next step was to visit the magical headquarters to formally request some assistance with building their new home. Gajeel had stubbornly insisted that he could manage by himself, but Levy doubted the dragon knew the first thing about building a human house.

Before entering the building, the young apprentice cautiously scanned the room. It appeared that Laxus was nowhere to be found. Secretly, Levy was beyond relieved. The two men had not interacted since the attack, and the last thing they needed was a confrontation between the lightning mage and the iron dragon.

It took little time to set up the request. Gajeel huffed, still claiming this was a waste of time. Levy could only sigh as Makarov chuckled to himself.

"I'm sure you're plenty capable, my boy, but it never hurts to accept help from others."

The iron-willed man was not moved, but Levy's comforting hand on his arm was enough to make him give in.

"Thank you so much, Master," said Levy. "We'll be back tomorrow for work."

"Glad to hear it," the old man grinned.

The couple turned to make their leave, only to freeze when Laxus stepped through the door. Levy's blood ran cold as she feared the worst. Maybe he wouldn't notice them?

That did not appear to be the case, since his eyes locked on to Gajeel almost immediately.

Time stopped in its tracks, and Levy's heart filled with dread. The two stood face-to-face, glaring at each other; not a single word was uttered.

They remained in a silent stare-down for a few agonizing seconds. Finally, Laxus let out a small grunt and brushed past Gajeel, plopping down in his usual chair as if nothing had happened. Dumbstruck, Levy and Gajeel shared a confused glance. That certainly was not the reaction they were expecting: wouldn't he have demanded a rematch or threaten him at the very least? But apparently Laxus had moved on. It was rather… adult of him.

A cough sounded behind them, and the couple turned to face Master Makarov once again. "I beg your pardon, children, but I just remembered something very important. We will need to discuss this immediately."

Hopping off of his spot on the counter, he approached the questioning duo.

"Now," he began with a toothy smile, "when shall we hold the wedding?"

***Seven years later…***

"Summon the power from yer gut! Breathe deep… Now blow it out!"

Following Gajeel's instructions, a young dragon threw its head back and released its very first Iron-Dragon Roar into the sky! The proud mentor punched his fist in the air.

"Alright! Not bad, kiddo!"

The little dragon beamed before shifting into the form of an excited, blue-haired girl.

Shutora Redfox mostly took after her mother in appearance. If it weren't for the fact her eyes were red like her father's, she could pass as her exact double!

"Wow, that was awesome, Papa! Did you see how strong I was?!"

Gajeel laughed as he ruffled her hair. "Gihihi! Sure did! Won't be long before you can give the Salamander a run for his money!"

And Gajeel truly believed that. Both of his children undergo daily training in their dragon forms, and he wanted them to be able to defend themselves when the time came. They were making good progress, which had the iron dragon puffing up with pride. Of course, it was to be expected: they were his offspring, after all!

Grinning, he turned his head and called his son.

"Yajeh! Yer up!"

A little boy with short blue hair and small, ruby eyes lazily glanced up from the book he was reading. "Don't wanna," he muttered before returning to his book.

In a flash, Gajeel was furiously towering over Yajeh, swiping the book from his hands. "What did you say, punk?!"

The now angry child jumped to his feet. "I said I don't wanna!" he shouted. "This is stupid!"

Gajeel's temper was rising at an alarming rate. His pride as a dragon ran deep, and he stubbornly insisted that his children should share that pride. So, whenever his son showed disinterest in his training, Gajeel's blood would boil.

Shutora observed as her father and brother entered yet another shouting match. She was not surprised in the slightest: this was actually pretty normal for them. Like father and son, they shared a similar personality, which resulted in them butting heads quite often.

The little girl smiled knowingly as she watched the argument; she knew the truth behind Yajeh's actions. Honestly, her twin didn't want to seem weak in front of their father. If he ever felt self-conscious or unsure, he would pull the "this is stupid" routine to get out of humiliating himself.

Shutora smiled and waved to her brother. "Come, Yajeh!" she encouraged. "You can do it!"

The boy pouted, but rose to his feet anyway. Not once had he ever said no to his sister. In seconds, he transformed into a dragon. Like his twin, his dragon form was covered in silver scales with a pale blue tint. The color difference between the children and the father was most likely because of their hair.

The little dragon marched to where his sister stood, with Gajeel following him. Just as he had done with Shutora, Gajeel did his best to instruct the dragon to complete an Iron-Dragon Roar. They had been practicing this move before, and it was only natural that it would not be successful on the first try. Yajeh gulped, took a deep breath, and let it loose. He managed to create the whirlwind, but it did not appear as big as his sisters'. The poor dragon slumped in defeat before peering nervously at his father.

Gajeel looked up at his son in silence. Then, to the boy's surprise, he grinned just as widely as he had for Shutora.

"See? What'd we tell ya? Ya did it, ya little punk!"

Yajeh's face brightened at his father's praise, and he transformed back into a human as Shutora ran up to hug him. The proud father placed his hands on their heads.

"Okay, I think we can call it quits for the day. Let's go pick up yer mom."

The twins cheered and dashed towards the village. Their speed took Gajeel by surprise, but he shook his head and laughed it off.

"Gihihi!"

"Levy! Is my order ready?"

"Yes, I just finished it!" Levy called as she scurried to the front of the shop. In her hands was a small jar. With a bright smile, she handed it to the customer. "Mix this powder in with the soil, and your crops will be securely rooted this year."

The farmer nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, Levy. See you soon!"

"Take care!" Levy waved.

Once the door closed, the apprentice sighed in relief. Thank goodness she had managed to finish that spell in time. That man had planned on planting soon, but the weather had unrooted his crops last season. Hopefully, he'd have a much better harvest, now.

"My, my," Makarov mused from the counter. "It seems that soon you don't need an old coot like me around. You handled that fine, my child."

Levy giggled, "While I appreciate the compliment, Master, I have to disagree with you. Things just wouldn't be the same if you weren't around."

The chimes of the door sounded again, and Levy turned to assist the next customer without hesitation. But these newcomers had something different in mind.

"GRANDPA MAKAROOOOV!"

A flash of blue flew through the door as Makarov was tackled to the ground by the Redfox twins! Levy gasped in shock as she hurried behind the counter.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright, Master?"

The old man grinned weakly from under the two bodies. "Yes, yes… I'm fine, child."

Levy was about to remove the twins, but Laxus was already reaching for them.

The troublemakers saw him coming, so they squealed in delight before running away.

"You brats!" the infuriated mage growled. "Get back here right now!"

While Laxus was occupied, Levy helped Makarov to his feet. The old man waved his hand, assuring her that he was fine. With that settled, Levy wrote the word "STOP", causing the children and Laxus to freeze in place. The large man growled in irritation, but Levy ignored him. Instead, she stood in front of her children and released the spell.

Knowing they were in trouble, the twins remained where they were. Laxus, on the other hand, shuffled back to his seat, grumbling about being woken up from his nap.

Levy placed her hands on her hips. "Yajeh. Shutora. What have I told you about running around in the shop? You also could have hurt Grandpa Makarov!"

The children looked at each other before bowing their heads in shame. "We're sorry, Mama," they said in unison.

The sight of them was making it difficult to stay angry, so Levy could only sigh as she knelt before them.

"That's good. Now, did you come here to pick me up?"

Instantly, the twins' moods brightened. "Yeah!" Shutora said. "We came with Papa!"

Yajeh stepped forward, reaching for his mother's arm. "Let's go home and make some supper, Mama! Please?"

"Okay, okay," Levy giggled. "Once your papa gets here, we'll all head home together."

Shutora beamed and danced around in excitement, being the ball of energy she was. Yajeh stayed put, biting his lip as if he wanted to say something. Levy tilted her head.

"What is it, Yajeh?"

The boy squirmed as a blush appeared on his cheeks. "C-can you help me practice some more magic? You promised, remember?"

The mage blinked at her son's bashful request, only to smile and pat his head. "Sure. I can squeeze in some lessons tonight."

Yajeh grinned just as Gajeel finally walked into the shop. Levy turned around to greet him. "And just where have you been? Our children came here unsupervised."

"Hey, do ya really expect me to run through the streets after 'em? They're fine; they know where they're going."

Levy shook her head. "That's just like you. You're so irresponsible."

Gajeel smirked, pointing at the silver band on his left hand. "But yer stuck with me, Shrimp!"

From the side, Makarov smiled in content as he watched the Redfox family's interaction. His cute apprentice had found her place in the world. What more could a master want for his student?

END

Thanks to all who followed this incredible journey! I fell in love with this story, so I have mixed feelings about it coming to a close.

This was my first Fairy Tail fanfiction, so I tried my best to keep everyone in character as much as I could. I realize that I forgot to put this on the opening chapter:

I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL

Thanks again to all who reviewed! Hearing your opinions inspire me to keep writing and strive to improve! I appreciate it! :)