Levy thanked Gray as she got out of his van. "I'll see you in the morning then?" Gray nodded with a smile. Levy trudged up the porch steps and rested her hand on the door knob with a sigh. Please, don't let him have done anything foolish while I was away. Levy took a deep, steadying breath before she pushed the front door open and stepped inside.
The house seemed to be in order, but something felt wrong. Setting her purse and keys on the table, she walked toward their bedroom. "Gajeel? Wendy?" Where is everyone? Gajeel isn't supposed to leave the house and Wendy should have been home from school 2 hours ago. "Wendy? Gajeel?" Levy began walking faster when there was no reply. Pushing the bedroom door open, Levy's eyes landed on the sweetest sight she had ever seen. Gajeel's head was in Wendy's lap, her hand was in his hair, both had fallen asleep.
Levy walked up to the bed and placed her hand on Wendy's small shoulder. Wendy woke with a start, her eyes wide. Levy put her finger to her smiling lips. Wendy calmed almost instantly. Nodding, she gently extracted herself from being Gajeel's pillow and followed Levy to the kitchen. "So what happened?" Levy asked curiously while she started a fresh pot of coffee. "He woke up when I got home. He was panicking, something about you leaving and stealing..." Wendy trailed off, almost like she didn't want to say something.
Levy remained quiet, waiting to see if Wendy would move on to the next subject or finish her thought. Wendy chose to change the subject. "Anyway, I told him that you were only at the shop, helping out ya know, and that you would be back for dinner. We talked about stuff until he fell asleep. I guess I fell asleep too."
Levy smiled over her shoulder at Wendy. "You're amazing, Wendy. Thank you for being here for him, for Lucy and I, for everyone. I want you to know, I'm here for you." Levy wrapped Wendy in a hug as she saw tears forming in the small girl's chocolate eyes. "Thank you.'
Levy pulled back and held Wendy at arm's length. She sniffed and cleared her throat before she was able to speak again. "Alright. What do you want for dinner?" Wendy seemed to be gathering her thoughts. "I think...Maybe that baked macaroni chicken dish you make. That's really good!" Levy smiled and nodded before she let Wendy go with a squeeze of the shoulders.
"Alrgiht. Dinner will be in about 45 minutes. Do some homework in the mean time." Wendy smiled with a small nod before she ran off to her bedroom. Levy turned to lean on the sink. Hanging her head, she cried. Does he still not trust me? I stole something? What could have I stolen?! Levy pushed her chaotic emotions aside and started dinner.
Setting the timer on the stove, Levy went to check on Wendy. "Hey. Need any help?" Wendy looked up and smiled at Levy. "Yeah. I don't understand what Mrs. Wilson is asking for. She wants us to write a one page paper on what we think Edgar Allen Poe was trying to convey when he wrote 'The Raven.'" Levy smiled as she sat down on Wendy's bed with her. "Well, have you read it yet?" Wendy looked away bashfully. "No." Levy chuckled. "Maybe you should start there. Do you have a copy of the work?" Wendy shook her head, refusing to look at Levy. "I'll go get mine, hold on."
Levy returned to Wendy's room carrying a large leather tome. "How old is that book?" Wendy's eyes were round with fear and amazement. "Very old, and quite fragile. My mother gave it to me. It has been in my family for almost 150 years. This book is full of Edgar Allen Poe's works. Please, Wendy, be very careful when you turn the pages. Some of the works in this book are original, hand written, pre-publication pieces." Levy saw Wendy's eyes grow wide. "I trust you to take care of this book. There's no index, because it's so old, and the pages aren't numbered." Levy set the oeuvre on Wendy's desk with reverence. Levy began carefully turning pages as she continued to speak. "This book is organized by year. In the back, there is a short letter, if you could call it that, by the person who put this book together. S.R. Shelton. Shelton passed this compilation down to their surviving children. It was a stipulation in their will that their children also pass this work down to their children and their children's children." Levy smiled sadly. "This is the only thing I have left of my family."
Levy stopped turning pages. "Ah! 'The Raven'. Here we are. This is one of the hand written ones." Levy smiled sadly. "Knowing where we come from is a gift, Wendy, but the true wonder's in life have yet come. Not knowing where we're going, that is truly frightening." Levy left Wendy to read over 'The Raven'. She headed back to the kitchen. She should be done reading it by the time dinner is ready. Smiling to herself, she could faintly recall her mother. Long purple hair, deep green eyes, and her fragile body. It had taken all of Rei's energy to lift the heavy opus from her lap. 'Levy. Keep me with you always.' A single tear pushed past her tightly closed lids to roll silently down her cheek. A strong arm wrapped around Levy and his head rested gently on her shoulder. "Bear."
"Why are you crying, Shrimp?" Levy turned in his arms and pressed her face tightly to his chest. "I miss her..." Gajeel simply held her while she cried. Levy wasn't sure how long they stood there. After a while, the timer on the oven declared that dinner was done. Levy disentangled herself from Gajeel and silenced the alarm. Pulling the baking pan from the oven, Levy removed the foil to let it cool some. "I'll go get Wendy. Would you please set the table, Bear?" Gajeel nodded at Levy's back.