Author's note: This chapter got a little dramatic. Wrote it on Thomas Bergersen - Empire of Angels (frankly, he has many many more inspirational songs, so I highly recommend him. And Ivan Torrent.

Anyhooooo, onto reviews (which make my heart sore with happiness)

MichaelJCaboose , glad to oblige

Guest , I was kinda nervous, to be honest, since Mashima didn't really offer much info on Juvia and Gajeel's relationship, but from what he did share, they do seem to be BroTP. And thank you!

Dvel , bring on the war! THIS... IS... FAIRY TAIL!

nalufan , humbly thanking you!

Sketcher , *jumps in fluffy arms, rubbing nose in her chest* fluffy...

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)

Thank you for the infinite patience, my Misty~es! Lots of love from yours truly, MistyQue!

CHAPTER 7:

Even before Juvia finished patching him up, Gajeel started feeling groggy. He heard Juvia say something, but he was so tired suddenly he couldn't make out her words. He felt her warm hand on his back and chest, guiding him back on the floor. She tried to speak with him again, but all he got was healing potion and sleep. Oh, he would definitely do that. Sleep, Gajeel-kun… He heard Juvia's voice from somewhere far away, letting himself succumb into darkness once more. There was no more pain, no more dampness, no more cold… He sighed contently, then fell fast asleep.

What the…? Gajeel opened his eyes suddenly, feeling a warm hand on his forearm. Snapping his eyes to the source, his heart melted on the spot.

"Le…" The bluenette placed a slender finger on his lips to silence him.

"Shh… You'll scare them away. Just watch." Levy smiled lovingly, turning her gaze from his red eyes. He followed her eyes, his breath stopping in his throat.

They were surrounded by thousands of flickering lights. They looked like fireflies, only bigger. A lot bigger. They would fade in and out of sight, changing their soft colors. Orange, yellow, pink, light purple, light blue, and a few other colors he couldn't name. One particular soft while light came and hovered around him, Gajeel watching it with curiosity as it circled his body, then floated up to his head, touching him lightly on the cheek, like a soft caress. Then the light floated to Levy, the azurette cradling it between her hands. The pierced man opened his mouth to speak, but Levy cut him.

"These are soul lights. They are here to guide me back home." She glanced at him with smiling eyes, taking his breath away. "These are all our family members." Her eyes started filling with tears. "I feel so much love from them, it's overwhelming."

"Then why do you linger here? Where ever this is. Is this a dream?" Gajeel felt his heart clenching, not wanting Levy to leave.

"It's like a dream state. In between worlds. This is where I could contact you." She pushed the light from her hands above her so it could float away, then got closer to Gajeel and sat down next to him. Gajeel looked confused for a moment, looking at the mirror-like floor that reflected the souls' soft lights, making the scene even more surreal. Levy smiled at him in encouragement, patting the spot next to her. He dropped on the floor and crossed his legs, staring at her.

"It's so beautiful…" He said in a whispered voice, not daring to take his eyes off her. She merely smiled, placing her head on his shoulder. "You didn't answer my question." Levy looked up at him with curiosity. "Why do you linger here?" Levy sighed heavily, taking his hand.

"You need someone to protect you. This is the best I can do for now…"

"You don't need to do that, I…"

"Gajeel, stop." Levy's voice trembled.

"I'm sorry…" Gajeel said in a strained voice, meaning more than he said. And she understood. He didn't need to speak too much so she could understand what he meant. It was one of the reasons he loved her so much.

"You don't have to apologize, I know what you did for Fairy Tail. For me." She moved her free hand to caress his cheek and make him look into her eyes. "I know everything. It's one of the perks of being a… ghost, if this is what I am. I'm not really sure myself… But I'll stay by your side so you'll never feel alone. You'll never be alone again. I'll protect you as you protected me."

"Shrimp… I don't need you to protect me." He placed his large hand over her, still resting on his cheek. His eyes stung, blinking back the tears. "What I need is you to go back and wake up. That's it. I don't need anything else."

"But Phantom Lo…"

"They will go down in flames, and I'll take care of Jose myself. That's a promise. But I need to know that I have something to come back to… So that I don't…" He gulped. ..die together with that bastard… He couldn't say the words. "So that I come back home. To you." Levy's lip started quivering, understanding his words.

"You're not planning to come back to Fairy Tail?"

"What's the point if I don't have you?" The bluenette escaped a few hot tears, burying her face in his chest. "So, please… Go and open your eyes. If I know you're there, waiting for me… I'll drag my ass out of hell if I have to, but I will come back to you." Gajeel cradled her head between his large, calloused hands, wiping her tears with his thumb. She nodded, watching him intently. Gajeel lowered his lips to her, kissing her fiercely. She started to fade from his arms.

"I love you, Gajeel Redfox… Now and forever..." Her heard her thoughts, watching Levy's smiling form disappear.

Wendy was arranging some potions just so she could do something and not pace around or do something crazy. She glanced for the thousandth time to Levy's unconscious form, laying on the white bed. Most of her minor bruises were almost healed and the gashes and cuts covering her body didn't need bandages anymore. A flicker made Wendy hold her breath, watching Levy's eyes.

Levy scrunched her eyes, trying to open them, but her body just wouldn't cooperate. She heard a gasp and hurried footsteps just a moment before she crept her eyes open.

The light hit her eyes hard, making Levy blink a few times before she could actually tolerate the brightness of the room. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. A few more tries later and she managed to rasp something.

"G… Gajeel…" She groaned in a soft voice, starting to feel her own body. Everything hurt.

"Levy-san…" Wendy was crying openly, happiness radiating from the child. "You're finally awake!" She took Levy's hand, falling on her knees on the floor.

"Where am I?"

"The hospital."

"What am I doing here?" Levy tried to remember something, but everything was a blank.

"Don't you remember? Phantom Lord attacked you and Shadow Gear. You got hurt pretty badly…" Wendy let her words hanging. A few flashes filled Levy's head, adding more sharp pain. She placed a hand over her head and closed her eyes.

"Oh… Yeah…" Sinister laughter filled her ears as more images ravaged her mind. That's it… Scream for me… Yes! THAT'S IT! Levy placed her free hand over her stomach, where Jose embedded his guild mark. Using his claws… I'll make you suffer in ways you've never imagined, little girl… You changed my Gajeel… and I'm gonna make permanent changes to you. Make you all… pretty…She recalled feeling Jose's claws scape her flesh, cutting deep enough to hurt like hell and leave a mark. Jose's smile faded, glaring at the blue haired girl. Didn't I tell you I wanna hear you scream? Jose placed his cold cheek over hers, whispering sinisterly in her ear. Scream or I'll make you beg for death. His promise hade her stomach clench, feeling like she would throw up any time. So she screamed. And screamed. And screamed some more. Until she felt her vocal cords bleed. Just to satisfy a lunatic.

"A… Are you OK, Levy-san? Does it hurt? Let me he…"

"No…" Tears were streaming down her face as memories filled her head. "I'm OK… Just… Flashes messing with my head, that's all. I'll be alright in a moment…" She needed strong arms to comfort her, but she knew Gajeel was imprisoned. Hurt and bleeding, like her. Wendy placed her hand over hers, trying to comfort the bluenette.

"Don't worry, Levy-san. Everything will be OK. Gajeel will be here soon, he was worri…"

"No, he won't be here soon…" Levy whispered in a drained voice.

"He just went to get changed, he…"

"He's not home." Wendy silently listened. "He's a Phantom Lord prisoner."

"How do you…" The ocean haired girl let her words fade, waiting for an answer.

"I… saw him. I was with him. That bastard nearly killed him, too. He's in the Phantom dungeons."

"Astral projection… But that's impossible! Only Necromancers and Sky magic can do that… How did you… You know what? Never mind. We'll figure it out once you're better." Wendy smiled and activated her Healing Magic to heal the remaining cuts and bruises. Levy closed her eyes and let the Dragon Slayer lull her back to a comfortable sleep, thinking of her boyfriend. Gajeel… Be safe.

TBC

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