Author's note: I have bits and pieces for this fic and I can't find the conneting links yet... As a reward for all of you wonderful readers, I took the liberty to upload a longer chappie. Still working on The House and Fary Tail College, so no worries! Also, I uploaded a preview for Mission Risks, it's linked on my profile.

jazzkat4199 , I'm really glad I found so many Gajeel x Levy fans. They're really the best OTP

lucytheftlover , glad I could make your day!

The driving home part happened to me before my hubby and i got together. He made an appointment rather late in the evening and, by the time I finished, it was pretty late. so he offered to drive me home, and I accepted after a long debate. I talk a bit of 'car' too, so when I pondered outloud about the engine (he was driving a Honda Civic at the time), I impressed him (or so he said). And he wanted to impress me, as well, so he drove me home like really fast (cuz I love it fast). If I wasn't sitting, I might have melted right there when he asked me if 'I wanna feel it purr' (of course I did, silly buns). It was a very romantic move in my opinion. To make a rather lame excuse so he could hold my hand. Of course, he carressed my hand ever so often while he was driving. I'm not sure if he slammed his head on the steering wheel, but everything else from the driving part was somethingvery real.

AGAIN, THANKYOUFORYOURINFINITEPATIENCE!

All in all, thank you for all the patience and love and reviews and reading my fics... And everything! By the way, I'd love to see a review/comment in your native language! (Of course, please consider the writer, as well, since I only know 4 languages: Romanian, English, Spanish and Japanese, so add a translation, as well, if you guys happen to not be a speaker of those 4 languages)

CHAPTER 4: Because Levy is Family

A couple of months passed since destiny took a turn for the better for Gajeel. Natsu noticed his good mood and decided to hold a family dinner, inviting his girlfriend, Lucy Hearthphilia and practically making her take Levy with her. As for Levy, she was confused. Sure, she and Natsu got along more than fine, they were really good friends, even though they kept a professional relationship, as well. But, to be invited (well, dragged) to a family dinner… She didn't expect it and she was unsure what to do. Lucy was smiling wickedly mysterious, but she shoved her questions aside and let her best friend pick the bluenette's outfit for the dinner.

"Uhm… Tell me again, why I was invited?" Levy's curiosity took over after about half an hour of rummaging, helping Lucy take all of her clothes out.

"Well, Natsu feels like you're part of the family, so why wouldn't you be there?" Lucy grabbed a blue top and motioned to Levy, holding it up to see how it would go.

"I mean, I see why you'd be family, you guys are dating for, how long? Eight months now? And he's pretty serious, too." Levy let the blonde rummage through her clothes, a wide smile plastered on her face.

"Can't you just say 'thank you' and come along without asking so many questions?" Lucy placed a light green blouse and hunted for one of the few skirts Levy owned.

"Well, you're acting… weird… Is this dinner official or something?

"No… Why?"

"Can't I wear something… more comfortable?" She groaned loudly when Lucy finally found her black skirt and hurried back to her.

"I thought you liked this skirt…"

"I do… But not for dinner… Can't I take these, instead?" Levy grabbed a pair of stretch pants, which were too 'office' for a simple dinner in the family.

"No way! You look great in this! And I bet Gajeel will like it, too…" Lucy winked at her, activating a scorching blush.

"Oh! So that's why you're so hyped about me coming to dinner! That's it! I'm staying home!" Levy headed for her bed and started packing her clothes, but Lucy grabbed her hands, looking pleading at her.

"No! Please! You have to be there!"

"You're trying to hook me up with Gajeel, right? Not gonna happen!"

"We're not… I mean, I'm not…"

"We? Oh, no… You're plotting with Natsu…"

"Shit… You were not supposed to know that..." Lucy slapped herself, but continued. "Come on! Please come with me, please please please please please…." Lucy activated her puppy eyes, grabbing a hold of her hands with a lovely pout.

"This is why you two planned this dinner? To get me and Gajeel together? Well it's not gonna happen!"

"It's not the only reason… but that's not the point! Listen, Natsu told me it's been a while since he saw him this happy and he wants to keep him that way. And he decided to get the family together, and he invited Wendy and her boyfriend, and we're gonna be there, too, and he said you should come and have a good time too, since you're away from your family, so please please please please please please pleeeeaaaase come and have dinner with us…" Lucy gave her a full puppy-eyes attack, with pouts and all, Levy sighing heavily. How could she say no to such a face?

"…Fine…" Lucy's face lit up and she jumped on Levy neck, choking her. "But I don't want you or Natsu to try anything, okay? It's not professional to get involved in a relationship with my customers."

"Cross my heart." Lucy jumped on her neck again, hugging her tightly.

An hour later, they were driving to Natsu's house, Levy playing with the hem of her skirt.

"This feels too much… I don't wanna give the wrong impression…" Levy felt a knot twisting in her stomach.

"You look fine, stop worrying. I know you've never been on a date before, but it's nothing to worry about. Just be yourself and you can't get it wrong."

"Okay…" The rest of the ride was quiet. Ten minutes later and they were knocking on Natsu's door.

"I thought you two bailed on me!" Natsu yanked the door open, lunging for his girl first, pecking her swiftly on the lips before greeting Levy with a kiss on the cheek and letting the two go inside. "Let me introduce you." Natsu headed for a deep blue haired girl as Levy got to the living room. "Wendy, this is Levy. Levy, this is my baby sister, Wendy."

"Baby sister? Natsu, I'm 22. Lovely to meet the famous Levy. I've heard so much about you from my brothers. What did you do to them?" Wendy smiled warmly, making Levy blush.

"Them?"

"Yeah. Well, Gajeel can't seem to find a different subject to discuss other than you." She winked, grabbing a hold of her hand and dragging Levy to the couch. Lucy followed Natsu to the kitchen to help him finish preparing everything for his guests. "Oh, this is Romeo, my boyfriend." Wendy beamed when Romeo made his appearance from the kitchen, holding a beer. "And this is Charle." A white cat coiled her tail lazingly on Levy's foot.

"You have a cat, too?"

"Yeah, and she's making Happy's life a living hell. I was hoping Natsu's Norwegian Blue and my Norwegian Forest would make some beautiful kittens, but she's a bit… stuck up." The two girls laughed as Levy stroked Charle's smooth fur. A loud knock interrupted the two girls. "I'll get it!" Wendy hurried to the door, squealing loudly when she saw who was at the door.

"Oye, at least let me in…" A loud groan made Levy smile. "Hey, come on! You're making Lily dizzy, get off, squirt!" Levy looked towards the door, imagining Wendy clung to Gajeel's neck like a monkey. Sure enough, when the two came in the living room, Wendy was happily strangling a blushing Gajeel. "Hey, fuck face, get Wendy off of me!" He yelled towards the kitchen, knowing Natsu would be there.

"Get her off yourself, she's your sister, too!" The muffled yell replied with a bored tone.

"Romeo, some help?" Gajeel quickly noticed an amused Romeo leaned on the wall.

"Nope. She really missed ya. It's your moment, so deal with it."

"At least save Lily…" He handed a white pet box to the young man, who took it and opened the little metallic door as Gajeel grabbed his sister in a bear hug, lifting off the ground with a smile. He twirled her couple of times before setting her back on the ground. He didn't even notice the bluenette watching him intently from the couch or the fact that Lily, his black cat, quickly joined Charle on Levy's lap, curling on her legs as she scratched behind the cat's ears. "There, happy now, ya maniac?" Wendy kissed his cheeks and grabbed a hold of his hand, dragging him to the couch. That's when he saw her, and stopped dead in his track. "Sh… Shrimp? Whacha doing here?" Levy could swear she saw him blush a bit before coming back to his senses.

"Hey… Lucy dragged me here…" She turned her head to avoid eye contact, resuming her scratching behind Lily's ears. "You didn't tell me you own a cat." She smiled lovingly to the black cat.

"He's not… really good with people, so I keep him in another room when I have guests… How the heck d'you do that?"

"What?"

"Getting Lily on your lap without getting your eyes pulled out."

"He came to me, I didn't do anything."

"Get the fuck out… That's impossible!"

"He coiled around my leg and jumped on me, and when I took my hands away, he just… sat down. I didn't do anything."

"He's not that… friendly usually… With anyone but me." Gajeel looked in awe as Levy caressed his cat lovingly.

"He probably sensed I'm a cat person. I have two cats back home…" Levy said with nostalgia. "Next time I come by, give him some space, will ya?" The bluenette turned to smile at Gajeel, leaving him dumbstruck on the couch.

"Sure thing…" It was the only smart enough answer he could reply without stumbling on his studs and embarrass himself in front of her.

The rest of the night was quiet, the six enjoying their meals and chatting the night away. At one point, Lucy took Natsu's hand and looked at him with a smile, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention.

"So… As much as I enjoy seeing the three siblings together for dinner, it's not actually the main reason Natsu called all of you here." She looked over at her boyfriend, who nodded in agreement. "We… wanted to make an announcement, actually…"

"We're moving in together!" Natsu said with a wide smile plastered on his face, followed quickly by Lucy.

"Oh…" It was like a slap on the head for the bluenette. "That's… that's great! Congratulations, you two!" She tried to fake her excitement, but Lucy didn't buy it. Levy quickly got up and lunged for her best friend, hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy for you, Lu-chan!"

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Lucy was suddenly afraid. Levy was one of the most important people in the world for her and she needed her approval, even though she would never admit it.

"Yeah! Totally! He's a great guy and he makes you happy. Right?"

"Will you be okay all alone in that apartment?" Lucy asked with concern.

"You underestimate my powers of getting around all by myself? Please…" Levy snorted sarcastically, but Lucy didn't buy it. She knew Levy would be sad, because she was sad also. "Live your life, hon." The bluenette hugged her tightly. "He's someone who deserves you. So be with him and make a life together!"

"Thank you…" Lucy returned the hug with more force than intended, keeping her friend in place. When they released each other, Levy glanced at the clock, groaning loudly. It was way past midnight.

"I gotta go… I have work tomorrow… Well, today." She smiled sheepishly, when a screech made her turn around.

"Come on, I'll take ya home." Gajeel placed his hands in his pockets and walked calmly to the door, avoiding the wicked smiles of his siblings.

"Gajeel, I can get home by myself. I'll grab a cab or someth..." His hand stopped her mid sentence, turning to Levy.

"You're really stubborn, aren't ya? I'm taking ya home and that's final." He held the door open for her and waited for Levy to snap out of her reverie.

"I'm the stubborn one, huh? Fine." She grabbed her things and headed out the door, waving everyone goodbye before following Gajeel. He led her in front of a dark blue Mustang, making her whistle.

"Wow... Is this baby yours?" She caressed the cold metal with her fingers.

"Yeah... why?"

"She's gorgeous! How many cubic cm? 4500? 300 horse power?" Gajeel snapped his eyes her way, looking impressed since he didn't expect her to talk 'car'.

"I managed to modify her engine to 400 hp."

"Wow!" Levy got inside and looked around with awe. Gajeel looked at her smugly as he ignited the engine, making it purr to life. "Oh, my gawd..." Levy laughed exhilarated, feeling the engine purr softly.

"Well, if you like that, let's see how you like this. Buckle up." Gajeel clicked his seat belt into place and pushed the pedal a bit to make it roar, enjoying Levy's excited face. He took off with a screech, Levy laughing from the adrenaline rush. They stopped at a red light, Gajeel taking his time to glance over his right side.

"Wanna feel it purr?" Gajeel asked suddenly, waiting for the green light. He took his hand off the gearshift and nudged his head towards it in encouragement. Levy looked stunned at him, placing her hand on the gearshift and looking straight ahead. Gajeel placed his hand over hers, twining their fingers so he could grab the gearshift better, waiting for the green light. Sure enough, moments later and the green light appeared, Gajeel leaving with a screech. Levy's insides were burning from the adrenaline and the butterflies Gajeel's hand were giving her. He passed 100 miles in a blur.

"What if the cops catch you?"

"Don't worry about it."

"If you say so... I'm not complaining or anything but I don't want you to get a ticket because of me.

"I said don't worry about it."

"Okay..." Levy blushed, seeing the smile Gajeel sent her way. She felt good, even though, in a distant part of her mind, her consciousness was yelling at her for not being a professional by letting him flirt with her. They spent the ride in a comfortable silence, neither daring to retreat their hands away. Half an hour later, Gajeel parked in front of Levy's apartment building, finally releasing Levy's hand.

"So..." He started lamely, trying to end the awkward silence that was growing between them. "Can I make an appointment this Saturday?" He was looking anywhere but Levy's way.

"Sorry, this weekend in a no-go. I have some stuff to do..." Levy refused him politely, looking sheepishly at him.

"Oh... What stuff?" Gajeel was sure he was getting jealous, creating all sort of silly ideas in his head.

"Some... girl stuff... Sorry, call me next week, 'kay?" She smiled at him, hoping the dim light wasn't going to betray her reddened cheeks.

"Okay…" Levy turned to get out of the car, opening the door, when his hand stopped her. "Wait!... Uhm…" Levy whirled her head around, his red eyes taking her breath away. "Good night…" Gajeel felt his insides squirm as he felt her hand with his thumb.

"Good night, Gajeel. And thank you for the ride." Levy enjoyed the butterflies in her stomach as he made patterns on her hand.

"Anytime, Squirt." He smiled crookedly, looking at her for a long moment.

"Uhm… Can I have my hand back?" Gajeel noticed he was still holding onto her, releasing her and turning away to hide a blush, Levy suspected.

"Uh… Yeah, sorry…" He grunted something unintelligible as Levy opened the door and let herself out.

"Bye!" She waved energetically and sprinted for the door, Gajeel watching her intently as she unlocked the key and disappeared behind the massive door. Once he was sure Levy couldn't see him anymore, he slammed his head on the steering wheel.

"Smooth, really mother fucking smooth! Fucking idiot…" He started the car and went back to Natsu's, grunting to himself.

TBC

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