Disclaimer: Fairytail and its characters belong to the amazing manga artist Hiro Mashima. I own nothing but this plot.

An: Please forgive this unworthy author for the long hiatus. This girl – is at the moment very torn about what she wants to pursue and the course she had already chosen to tread. Nevertheless, I am very grateful for the reviews (wow! thank you for all the love , critiques, corrections and all those heartfelt threats for a faster update... I can only hope you have not given up on this story. )

Here is my peace offering – two chapters in one go.

Summary: Wherein we see that behind every bad ass villain, there is an insecure child yearning not for world domination or power but a parent's undivided attention. d'awwww... 3 (hint: Gajeel longing for his mom, and ofcourse, Ivan with his daddy issues.)

CHAPTER 7:

"Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it?

It makes you so vulnerable.

It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and

it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.

You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armour,

so that nothing can hurt you.

Then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...

You give them a piece of you.

They didn't ask for it.

They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you,

and then your life isn't your own anymore.

Love takes hostages.

It gets inside you.

It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness.

It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind.

It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.

I hate love."

― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones

Levy didn't know what to make of it.

She scolded herself for letting her world crumble down with just a few words when she didn't know anything about the stranger before her. Of course, the chamber belonged to some else. It was made in such intricate details for years – several decades of years even before she came in here. And the fineries, the silken sheets and bounds of books – they all had belonged to the other person...

...Entirely.

She didn't care for the treasures he had hoarded. While they may promise of wealth and fortune to the other woman, levy only wanted one thing – it didn't make any sense, she berated herself for feeling this way.

Worse, she scolded herself for believing she was secured in his presence when he could possibly be the greatest threat she could have ever known. For the first time in her life, Levy McGarden was truly at lost. Mustering all her strength, she picked up the fallen gowns and carefully put it back in the trunk.

The dragon glared at her . "If you're planning to disobey me –"

"She may come back." Her voice wavered and she hoped he didn't notice the trepidation building up inside her.

Metal studs in his brow furrowed as he frowned at her reaction.

She didn't dare look at those crimson orbs filled with questions. Her throat felt suddenly dry and all she could do was look away."The woman... you had only loved."

It was then she felt his large hands roughly pulled hers , and in one swift movement – grabbed the clothes and dumped it back in her outstretched hands.

"She will not come back." his voice held that distant tone filled with disdain and regret. "She'll never comeback even if I wanted to."

That night, after she had borrowed a long decent night gown to sleep, she dreamed of the dragon's lair. Only the elevated chamber was half built. Only the treasures hoarded by the iron dragon were nothing but a few sack of coins by then.

And the only distinct difference, there was a woman sitting atop the unfinished divan, oddly humming a lullaby. Levy realized the woman was folding some gowns in the very casket Gajeel had opened previously. Turning around, the lady smiled ever so lightly – like a mischievous nymph with a secret to tell. Her frosted hand waved before patting the bed , beckoning levy to join her.

It was then Levy realized she was INSIDE her dream. She found herself standing there, there in the middle of room and the black haired woman was waiting for her by the bed. Levy felt her feet drifting toward the woman – as if an unseen force was calling her. The mysterious woman was breathtakingly beautiful, her smile engaging and warm, her skin contrasting deeply with her onyx hair which cascaded down her back like waterfalls.

She felt her stomach twist and figured this was the woman Gajeel had loved.

It was then she realized the woman was pregnant and had the same eyes as his. The same eyes that had captivated her. And before she could ask anything, the mysterious woman had laid something soft in her lap.

To her utmost surprise, it was the exact velvet gown she was wearing.

She jolted out from the bed. Her heart pulsed so loud she wondered if she's still dreaming. All she could focus on was that she had unconsciously sat on the exact place where the mysterious lady appeared on her dream.

This gown... was this hers? Who could have visited her in her dream?

Suddenly, the vaulted door swung open revealing the fragmented shadow of the man who held her captive. Wordlessly, he strode to her. His practiced eyes scanned the frightened girl sitting atop the bed chamber. "what happened?" Gajeel demanded. "all of a sudden, I felt your heart beat pick up pace."

Under the faint glow of the glacial moon, golden eyes brimmed with confusion and fright. It wasn't until he lifted a hand to her trembling shoulders did he realize that she was shivering from fear.

"A woman..." she whispered hoarsely.

Seeing his eyes dilated in confusion, she added. "a woman I've never seen before visited me in my dreams. She was wearing th- this very dress and I – "

Instantly, she felt his grip on her tightened. "What did she look like?"

The question was so sudden she was taken aback. "I ...W-why would you need to know what she looks like? Ha-have you not -"

"TELL ME!" the urgency in his voice was apparent, livid... For a moment, she saw his eyes smouldered with a sharp pain of longing before he bent his head as if he was afraid the faint light casted by the moon might reveal his emotion.

"Tell me..." it was supposed to be a damn order yet it came out as the weakest of pleas. "it's all I'm going to ask of you."

Never had the dragon pleaded for anything in his life. He was used in giving out orders, demanding and getting whatever he want even if he had to take it by force. Yet this... this dream isn't something he could just take away from her.

He felt jealous... even indignant... for years, he had yearned to see that face – even if only in a dream. The face that his father had fallen in love. The face that made even the mightiest dragon fall down on his knees.

Why wouldn't she visit him?

Was it ... too much to ask?

He had unknowingly kneeled while holding his captive close. Seeing he won't be getting any answer soon, Gajeel bent his head and rested it at the top of her shoulder. "For a long time, I wanted nothing but to see her even just for once."

Her lips parted to utter his name– but not even a sound came out from her mouth.

And for the first time they had met, it was as if she could see him for who he truly was. Here was a warrior who had shed his armor – revealing every scar, every wound – showing a side of him he never dared show to anyone else. Here was a man who asks for nothing but a glimpse of what should have been HIS- his vision, his dream.

Dainty fingers slowly but deftly reached through the shadows to caress his face – remembering each metal stud, each scar which had marred that face … as if touching him can figure out what her eyes were forbidden to witness. A long finger traced a studded brow before caressing his closed eye lids. "She has... the color of your eyes."

"She... she does? " his rough voice held that tone like a child in awe of discovering something new.

"Yes. Her hair was the colour of the midnight sky." Her fingers continued their quest, entwining her fingers into those thick long locks of his hair.

"... it was so long it spilled on the floor." She bit her lips as her voice began to creak realizing for the first time who visited her in her dream. And as he listened to the melodious sound, he realized her voice held that distinctive tone –the kind of voice that made you want to listen – want to believe and cling to hope once more.

"She had long lashes..." Tracing over a metal stud where his eyebrows should have been, her fingers brushed nimbly over his closed eyes. Lightly tracing the face she wasn't allowed to see to see, she let her fingers roam until she felt his highly defined cheekbones.

"A skin as smooth as silk...and lips..." a fine hand grazed over his mouth- hovering just above a metal stud beneath his chin.

"And lips so firm yet so soft as she called to me."

The dragon held on to her every word as he let his imagination create the image of the woman he wanted to see but never had the chance. Her small knuckles hesitantly caressed the rough angular shape of his jaw, lightly touched them with the care of a sculptor who has fallen in love with his work.

What then, had driven this man to hide under the shadows?

Streams of moonlight casted a faint glow across his features yet it wasn't enough to show the face of her captor. Her lips trembled as she realized she'll never be able to comprehend how beautiful this man could be as long as he hid his face in a shroud of moonlight and darkness.

"Her face was perfectly sculpted as if ...carved by the hands of God. She was beautiful, Gajeel." She found herself whispering. "It was no wonder why your father hoarded all these things for her."

He idly wondered if he'd better start hoarding mad like the way his father did to please his mother.

It was then he noticed how close she really was to him. Gajeel found himself staring into a pair of golden eyes. He had only encountered that deep honeyed hue in the rays of sunlight. In the broken stained glass of his torn down castle... in the golden treasures he had hoarded.

Desire gleamed in those dark crimson depths of his eyes as if he would claim her – mark her his own. And with every rise and fall of her chest, every rhythmic heartbeat, he felt it – savoured it... Yet he desperately restrained himself – withdrawing his hands when all he wanted to do was shower her with pleasures no man could ever hope of giving her. It was that action that made her brave, bold and even daring to touch this beast, to let her fingers roam as she seek the scars that had marred that face.

The princess found herself gazing at a pair of dark crimson orbs she could almost see a reflection of herself into the depths of his eyes. Levy shuddered - trembled as she had never seen any man look at her with such hunger before.

She realized a little too late, that her lips were just a centimetre apart from his. Remembering the not-so-faithful encounter of their lips the other night, her instincts kicked in and she abruptly covered his mouth with the small palm of her hands.

Oomph...Bad move.

Beneath her small palm, she felt his lips morphed into a disturbing, morbid smile until she could feel his razor sharp teeth, fangs and all.

"Were you expecting another kiss, princess?" she felt his dimple (she didn't know he even possessed) make a devilish appearance.

The way her cheeks flushed so deep in just a matter of seconds was all he needed to confirm his affirmation.

Ha! Busted!

"N-no! I- I don't!" she yelped, arms recoiling and flailing wildly as she shoved his face away to no avail. "W-why don't you leave me now and sleep on your –"

The moment she planned to flee, Gajeel held her quickly in his possessive hold, bringing her fingertips close to his smirking lips– loving every single second of the moment. She had fought him with lingering kisses and now it was time to return the favour. An arrogant ,infuriating smile was all he cast as he mocked her with the sweetest of affection.

Oh, he knew all too well revenge is sweet – but this... this kind of revenge was beyond his wildest dreams.

She felt him caress her hands with the lightest of kisses. The girl couldn't comprehend what was happening when his gentle yet provocative lips began to explore each dainty finger. Shuddering at the unbearable softness of his kiss, she trembled in his hold. She was about to retrieve her hand when he caught her wrist and grazed her lips with such raw tenderness that levy sucked in an erratic breathe.

Gajeel chuckled at how easily this girl could change her mood in a matter of seconds. In the rain, she looked like a helpless drenched kitten. In combat, she looked like a warrior undefeated even if she was held prisoner in the enemy's lair. In fury (for being called a freaking witch), she looked like a raging bull ready to strike. In confessing everything about her blasted magic, he saw nothing but a fragile girl who just needed protection.

Finally as he was able to gaze at her up close...

Up close...

He could see she was a bit of everything – an insecure little girl, a defiant prisoner, an insolent imp, an impertinent little cherub, a beautiful enrage goddess all rolled into one.

Yet no matter how many expressiosn she made , he never failed to always catch a glimpse of this stubborn yet defiant look of a knight who had nothing to lose but her heart in a battlefield.

In all honesty, it terrified him – a mixture of amusement and confusion settled at the pit of his stomach – and he wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing. He wanted to see more of who she really was, wanted to see those golden irises flare with determination, wrath, rebellion or even a ghastly combination of those three.

Heck, he badly wanted to see how far she could take his teasing, wondered if any man had seen all these sides of her that were both endearing and awfully infuriating at the same time.

The almost possessive feeling that settled in his guts was completely shattered when his face suddenly came in full- blown contact with her shoved elbow (or was that her foot again?) amidst her struggling.

Gajeel concluded he had to take back the "endearing" comment.

Against her protest, he grabbed her by the waist and unceremoniously dumped her at the center of the bed. Alarmed of what might happen next, she struggled against his hold.

For all her many bizarre qualities – he forgot this girl was also a bit TOO MUCH of a dreamer for her own good. The dragon growled as if reading her mind. "Oh, for the love of - will you stop letting your imaginations run wild?!"

"I- I don't trust you! What kind of bloody story is this where the dragon – "

"Declines the food offering?" he might be hiding his face in a veil of shadows but the mischievous spark that ignited in his eyes was apparent.

"May I remind you this time, that it was the princess who kissed the dragon. Not the other way around." His deep baritone voice lowered an octave – thick and huskily spellbinding. It was as if he held her against her will and it sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

The pleasure of seeing her cheeks darken even more in such a beautiful hue was already becoming a routine he was tempted to tease her more.

"Tch. Haven't you wished for me to fall for you? Looks like your wish has been reversed again."

Levy didn't expect that teasing remark. And while she was rendered speechless, the dragon decided to tease her more by flicking her forehead before strutting out of the room without so much as a by-your-leave.

The next morning, Levy woke up to find bounds and bounds of paper backs strewn across the lair. She didn't notice a pair of red orbs silently observe her from above the splintered marble ceiling. Behind a worn out cracked hole, the dragon found himself looking forward to see her face bath in the first ray of sunlight.

Gajeel wasn't prepared, however, for that simple joy that lit her face- like how a newborn child would stare in awe and wonder for something she had seen for the first time.

He unexpectedly wavered and he needed to clutch a deformed beam to keep himself steady. Never had he expected he would be faced with a rapture of expressions the likes of which he had never seen before. And as he stared at her in mute wonder, he wondered if this girl was conjured by his darkest dream and deepest yearning.

A small squeal of delight reverberated to his ear as he found the girl laughing and hugging tomes and tomes of books even larger than her. Slipping piles of bounded papers into the bed, the cherub picked up those blasted papers until the fineries and pillows were all replaced with thick old books. He found himself studying the tiniest details like the way she would caress the cover before lifting it up, the way her fingers would hover carefully to inspect the dusty yellow papers that had survived the ravages of time.

He felt childish –envying those thick rusty papers for receiving the same amount of attention from the blue haired maiden.

A couple of days ago – they were completely strangers. He didn't know if it was the cause of her blasted wish but not even a week has passed and he had already went to such lengths just to see her smile – to hear that melodious voice say his name again.

Of course, his name has been uttered by numerous knights and warriors. His name was held in high regard; some of them spat it in scorn and contempt while other whispered it like a sort of curse. And to hear his name in this maiden's lips, it unsettled him.

Unaware of the dilemma the other occupant was facing, Levy gathered as many paperbacks and manuscripts as her lithe arms could carry. The sprite knew books were considered a prized possession owned only by the wealthiest of people. She was far from thrilled – as this mysterious man offered her books – hundred and hundreds of books she had never seen or heard of- translated in languages she had yet to discover.

These books reside near her heart. The moment her fingers traced the old spines– she felt as if they were whispering to her – letting her perceive imaginations even when they're still closed. It is as if these books had whisper her name- luring her, inviting her to open their pages once again.

A small note she didn't notice earlier was posted atop her bed chamber. The words "thank you for yesterday" was on the paper in a hardly recognizable hand writing.

She looked above, and for the first time since she had entered this castle, the tears that had spilled out of the corner of her eyes were from happiness.

Absolute, genuine happiness.

"Thank you... Gajeel."

It was then he faltered and a loud crash was heard just outside the lair.

When the night settled in, the vaulted door opened once again revealing a grumbling incapacitated beast.

"Wh-what happened?" she blinked then remembered the sound that made the wall quake. "G-Gajeel – was that –?" .

"Tch. None of your business." He snapped when he knew all too well it was HER fault!

She failed to see the books he dragged behind him and when she finally noticed it, her concern for his injury was gone in an instant replaced with a small sheer of delight.

Darn this little manipulative actress!

After a moment of silence he abruptly grabbed a random book and tossed it at her. "Read. Aloud."

w-what?

The beast wasn't used to asking favors from any mortals – no, he regarded himself superior than these humans. The lass will be forced to read for him.

His voice was strong and demanding as if giving her orders. "Woman, I said – READ ALOUD."

A smile slowly formed in her lips. With nothing to guide her but the light casted through the cracks of the stained glass window, she basked in its faint illumination and flipped over a page: A tale of a dragon and his captive princess.

"A beast came as a conqueror to a land owned by a strong willed maiden. Yet as he laid his eyes on her beauty, he never knew succumbing to her wills would be the most agonizing pleasure he would -"

He snorted in derision. "Have you mortals thought of us so low as to fall to our knees in a maiden's hands?"

Levy glared at him all the while continuing to read – alternating some of the words and twisting it with a new meaning.

"But how she loathed his kind! The greediest vile tempered creature she had seen!" Her voice, full of malice, mocking him.

Gajeel merely raised a fine studded metal brow. How dare this female mortal scorn his race! the girl sensed she had irked him – satisfied, she continued her narration.

" The dragon realized that while the region has a wide variety of riches, he wanted the defiant maiden more than all the treasures the town people could offer. She was a treasure worth more than any silver or gold." She gulped, not liking how the story has some horrifying similarities with her life.

He sat there by the divan, studying in morbid fascination how her expression could change in a matter of seconds.

Her voice was filled with dread as she forced herself to read the succeeding words. "And this – this alone gave him enough reason to lock her in the… highest t-to-tower ."

Gajeel reminded himself to find the author of this book.

He would ABSOLUTELY kill the bastard.

"Almost immediately, as other people heard of the land's prosperity, they embarked and wreaked havoc to her haven. The dragon was forced to let her go for the people needed someone to lead them to battle. Leading an unprepared army brought her to a disadvantage. When she thought all hope was lost, an enormous shape of the dragon loomed over them- "

And he envisioned the stories – her voice conjured up far unknown tales until he could almost see the glorious battle from a land he never heard, feel the victory after conquering a kingdom, experience the joy of earning the people's trust…

And just for a split second…

Savour that one single moment when someone had wholeheartedly spent her time with a beast like him.

"The beast had aided the princess in defending her land–the land that would be theirs in the future to come." Her voice lulled him, entranced him like how a siren would lure a man with her song.

Halfway through the story, Levy realized the dragon was finally asleep. Slowly, she moved away from the moonlight and walked over the dim shadow where he lay.

"But never had the dragon realized the princess had fallen for him." She continued the story, changing the plot and replacing it with her own. "Even when the princess was imprisoned in the highest tower, the dragon gave her much more than she had asked- much more than he could offer. Their roles were reversed – making the dragon captive in his own lair."

Unbeknownst to her, his ears twitched ever so slightly.

"For a moment, their lives were complete, well at least for the princess. The dragon…? W-well..." She forced a smile, pouring out everything in the story knowing the dragon would never hear any of these in his slumber.

"He's quiet oblivious of the maiden's affection."

His breathe hitched.

Bending down, her lips hovered painfully close to his ear and whispered "It's quiet ironic how the princess wished for the dragon to fall for her when in the end, it's not the beast but the princess who was ensnared by her own magic."

His lips parted slowly, intend to tell her he's awake. All thoughts of stopping her froze the moment her fingers grazed his full lips. Beneath the tender prying of her thumb, his lips parted achingly slow as it brushed over her nimble fingers.

Then it happened. The moment her lips touched his, it felt like the most blissful torture he had ever encountered in his whole life.

Levy bestowed him a kiss sweeter and far more agonizing than a siren or a nymph could have offered. It was faint, light... a simple brush against his which could be considered nothing but a mere contact between them. Yet those moist succulent lips trailed rousing fires, it threatened to crumble the last of his will power. It took all his self-control not to take her in his arm and deepened the kiss into… something more.

His desire went aflame; his animal instincts threatening to take over and take her in wild abandon pleasure. Against her touch, his body rippled every single fiber of his being yearned – demanded- much more than just a kiss from her.

Unaware of the man fully awake beneath her, she savored every single moment extending the kiss longer than it should have been. She knew the risk of prolonging it, but she held on, knowing fully well she will never have another chance to feel his lips against her.

His grip on the bed sheet tightened into a painful knot.

Gajeel wanted so much MORE.

Never had he known the real meaning of restraint until this delectable creature kissed him. Amidst the eerie glow of the moon, he felt his self control slowly slipping and just as he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the kiss ended abruptly to his chagrin.

"Goodnight…my dragon."

If she decide not to sleep right then , she might have seen a pair of crimson eyes open, his thumb ghosting over where her lips have been. Savoring the kiss, he exhaled out loud – with only one thing in his mind.

His captive had called him …

HER dragon.

Chapter 7.5:

She awakened in the middle of the night only to see the dragon had left her alone in the chamber. It was then a strong wind blew and several books opened at once. The incessant fluttering of pages was heard.

Her eyes widened- it felt so surreal as the voices of the people between the pages of the book seemed to call her. The wind danced through the room leaving no book unopened.

Her hands touched a page of a book just beside her – its pages turning and turning as if it has an urgent story to tell. Just when she was about to reach for it, the page turned revealing a black dragon made of steel...With the gruesome emblem of a dark guild on its shoulder.

It was the sign of the Raventail.

Her blood ran cold.

Back in fairytail, every mage present were set in a fighting stance in case a war broke out between Makarov and his son. "What business do you have here Ivan?"

"Ah... Manners, manners... tsk tsk. Is it a sin to pay homage to my old man?"

"You would only visit me when you have something up in your sleeve. Spit it out, WHY have you come here?"

Ivan Dreyar nonchalantly shrugged. "As I have said, you lost a little blue fairy."

"The iron dragon has imprisoned her in his lair. It has nothing to do with you!"

A vicious sneer stretched across his face. "That's where you are wrong, dear father... Remember way back fourteen years ago? When a dragon had run rampant here in magnolia? Tell me, what was the reason why you had taken the girl under your wings?"

His father's silence was all he needed to see before he lips broke into a malicious grin. "Wasn't it because... "

.

..

...

"You failed to protect her parents? "

A streak of tear fell across the worn out page.

The picture looked so real as if the beast was alive- trapped in a frozen time in those thick rusty old papers.

Unable to comprehend why the dark creature felt so eerily familiar, Levy stood there unflinching – eyes unmoving as she gazed at the image like a faint obscure tainted memory she wanted to escape from. Just by looking at the gruesome beast, something foreboding, something familiar-

yet it is as if...

her mind was trying desperately to forget it, refusing to unravel her deepest fears.

"The dragon who now held your precious child captive is the same dragon who had destroyed her home as well as her family. Tragic, isn't it?" Mockery was evident on his voice, his sneer was all he casted as he enjoyed the stricken look on his father's face.

"Wh-Why do you know all of these, Ivan?!"

A snide was all his son's retort. "Ah father, are you saying you need further information? What do you say... a trade perhaps?"

Anger was livid in the old man's eye. Doing a business with his lunatic son always call for trouble. "What kind of trade?" he gritted through his clenched teeth.

"My son, the dragon of lightning in exchange for this information that could save that blue haired lass."

"NEVER!" that was the last straw. In a fit of rage, he transformed into his bulking form and smashed the floor where his son had stood. "YOU WERE NEVER THERE FOR LAXUS WHEN HE NEEDED YOU!"

A cynical laughter reverberated through the air. "Who says I'll be taking the role of the father he so badly wanted to have? I need my son because of the lacrima inside him- nothing more!"

"You want power that much you're willing to sacrifice your own kin?" His voice was incredulous. "What kind of father are you?"

"Oh, and you have the audacity to ask THAT? " Onyx orbs dilated in fury– an emotion he had longed forgotten welled up inside him. Scorn etched across his face as he met his father's eyes with such contempt.

"Tell me then father, what KIND of father are you to cast me out, to betray and reject me when I needed YOU the most?!"

To this, Makarov had no retort at all.

"Why have you taken all these mages – all these sickening, bloody orphans under your wing when you couldn't even take care of your OWN son?! Your own flesh and blood! " he fumed indignant of the unfairness of it all.

It was then his eyes fixated on Juvia. "What's this? Another cast out? Another pathetic attempt to be a saviour to someone you didn't even know when she could be nothing but a spy?!"

Enraged, Juvia protested. "NO!"

"Oh come now, Lass! This is the guild which had destroyed your home! Surely you have come here for – "

She covered her ears and shook her head in a desperate attempt to zone out that odious voice. "NO! Juvia wanted nothing but –"

"-revenge for your former guild? Is that it? To inflict pain in the cruellest manner the way your guild had suffered?"

"Stop it! Juvia doesn't want - "

"Is this NOT what you want?" and he dared to twist her words. " is this not what you had PLANNED all along?"

"Ivan!" it was Makarov's voice. "That's enough!"

Yet he paid no heed to his father. He loved how his words could make an impact that one of most feared Phantom Lord's warriors was reduced to a simpering, vulnerable fool.

"Why, is this not..." He sneered; his gaze solely on the water mage. "your true nature?"

"JUVIA WANTED NOTHING BUT A SECOND CHANCE!" it was that sudden outburst that made her collapse on the hard cobble floor, sobbing as the rain poured heavily as if it were her tears.

Is it too much to ask? Acceptance? A guild? A family even if they are all not related by blood?

Ivan said nothing. He merely stepped aside and let his father comfort this strange woman. He heard the way his father consoled her, soothed her like a child in need of protection. And he sneered in disgust

Because deep down, he knew he never saw that look on his father's face directed at him . Something heavy settled in the pit of his stomach and he had to turn away. "A second chance...?" his voice slightly wavered. " You never even gave me a second chance, father..."

For a moment there, Makarov thought he heard a crack on his son's usual arrogant tone.

His mask was breaking, and before he could changed his mind, Ivan Dreyar walked out of the guild. His every stride reverberated through the splintered wooden floor. "You said you wanted information? Then I hope this could help your memory of what happened the night the dragon ran rampant in Magnolia."

A cast of feathers whirled around him till nothing was left but the dark sign of raventail embedded on the floor.

Then Makarov froze as he was brought back to the fatefull event fourteen years ago. He remembered the dragon that could shift shape into a man, covered with the harsh glint of metals – his iron forged skin reflected the amber fires of the city. But it was unmistakable. The dark insignia was apparent and vivid in his left shoulder.

Back in the dragon's lair, Levy McGarden wished – with all her heart – so much it shook her to the core that she hadn't reached for the book.

Because deep inside her heart, whatever the book would unravel to her- she told herself she'd be rather living in bliss with a lie that seems so true-

Than endure the hard cruel truth that she want it nothing to be but a lie.

Authors note: Just when Levy and Gajeel's relationship got a good turn this huge jack ass of an author have to ruin it with Ivan sprinting over the scene and making a big deal about his daddy issues.

Yes, I know gajeel's former tattoo was Phantom Lord. Hurr hurr, I need to change it to raventail for this storyyy...

... reviews please? good or bad, or even a threat. i'd take them all.