Not Yet

"What happened here?"

Wendy and Romeo skillfully tended to the injured, getting them stretched out and fully cleaned up. Levy helped greatly getting the majority of it done, so they were able to quickly jump into getting them hooked up to special fluids. It was her own creation she had on standby for personal use only since it took a lot of her energy to make, but this was an exception.

She looked after Bacchus since he was in worse condition, while Romeo looked after Cana. She'd taught him well enough to be able to disinfect wounds and determine what cream or potion to use, or if it needed healing from her directly. Not to mention, now that they were mated, he had some of her healing abilities and was currently practicing with her daily. As it stood, Bacchus was going to need some direct healing for the concussion he was currently sporting, and for the gashes in his side and legs, she was going to stitch them up and have him apply a special ointment for a week which should heal the abrasions up nicely.

"Fuckin' Laxus!" Gajeel barked, starting to pace back and forth again. He needed to be dealt with! But… fuck! He couldn't very well just go and off him right now! As badly as he wanted to! There was no proof, even though they all knew it. It sucked being King in times like these! He couldn't just resort to violence, nor could he let Gil do the same. Fuck! Gil! Where was he? What was he up to? No doubt about it he was going to find Laxus! He needed to stop him before things got out of control!

"Laxus did this?" A sudden darkness fell over Wendy while she wrapped up Bacchus' head. "He needs to be stopped."

"Yer tellin' me," Gajeel sighed, taking a seat by the window and giving her a brief summary of what happened. This was so annoying! He had to take the first train to Magnolia in less than two hours to try and find Gildarts, but where could he even start? And honestly… would he even be able to control himself once he saw that blond fucker? What was Lev thinking? He looked at her, and she knew to walk over to him and claim her spot on his lap.

At this point, Wendy couldn't care less if Laxus was killed. This was getting out of control! For him to send someone here during the party, for him to act out at the meeting, for him to deliberately try and hurt or possibly kill her friends! He even had the nerve to show up at her door requesting medical attention! As if she'd help him! Then, something clicked in her head. "Do you think this is payback for doing away with one of his guys during the party?"

"That's right~" Cana said before hissing in pain. Whatever this kid was using to clean her up was aggressive! "Babe, do you think the guy in the helmet was the one you sent down the mountain?"

Bingo. That's exactly where he knew his repulsive energy from. What a hell of a retaliation! "Wild. That's exactly who that was."

"How did he find our bar?!" Cana was already over this!

"Perhaps they stumbled in by chance," Bacchus was feeling better, thanks to whatever was in his IV, so he was able to think a little clearer now. "They didn't give the vibe that they knew who we were. But the weird guy in uniform must have recognized me instantly and told him."

"That's why they left so fast," Cana nodded, feeling ten times better than she was before! Whatever was in this IV was magical!

"Wen," Romeo finished cleaning and assessing Cana's wound. Overall, she was in pretty decent shape, you know, considering. "She just needs some stitches and some of your combatant cream. She's fighting a pretty nasty infection."

"Okay." Wendy went through her bag and tossed him the ointment. "You might run a low-grade fever. I suggest the both of you stay here for a few days and rest."

"Absolutely," Levy nodded from Gajeel's lap. She felt horrible! It was because they were associated with her that this awful thing happened to them. She'd personally see to it that they got a new home and a new bar! She looked at Gajeel for reassurance, who was nodding in approval.

"Stay as long as ya need," he also felt bad. He felt they were partially to blame for their home being destroyed. After all, Laxus was his problem. No one else should have to suffer from his karma. He'd make sure they were taken care of, even if he had to build it himself. "We'll take care of ya."

Cana could only tear up from how loved they were. She should have known this place would be the most welcoming place to be. Her dad was right about sending them here, she understood now. She should have never felt like a burden. They were really surrounded by genuine beings.

"In the meantime," Gajeel held onto his mate as she sat sideways on his lap, his hand subconsciously resting on her tummy. It was a shame he had to leave to deal with something when he'd much rather stay back and have Wendy examine Lev. But what just happened was serious, and he couldn't leave Gil to his own devices! That was one scary guy when he was pissed! "I hafta go handle some shit. I'm takin' the first train out ta Magnolia."

"What's going on?" Levy was curious, she didn't want him to leave her! "Can I come?"

"No! Uh, I mean… it's dangerous," he averted his eyes, cursing himself internally. He just sounded so suspicious! She was definitely going to question him!

"Are you going to Laxus?" Levy understood his desire for her safety, but she also cared about his! Was this for revenge? Was he going to kill him?

"Not by choice!" He huffed. "I hafta stop Gil from doin' somethin' reckless!"

It all made sense to Cana now. Her dad must have known the lightning was from Laxus, which was why he sent them here, and also why he got so angry and gave them a good chunk of his money. No doubt about it he was going to start a fight, and she wasn't ignorant of the strength the Duke of Magnolia held, what, with this big ass electrical storm he created! This was bad. He could die!

"Will you need backup?" Wendy asked, finishing up her work with Bacchus' concussion. She was amazed at how strong he was to be able to walk around conscious like he was!

"I'm gonna wake Lily up an' drag 'em with me," Gajeel ran a hand through his hair, wishing Cana made cards connecting him to Mest. "I just plan on gettin' in, an' gettin' out. I'm gonna try not ta even acknowledge that bastard… as much as I wanna."

"I think ya should kill the little bitch!" Cana declared angrily. "I get that we hurt one of his guys, but wasn't this a little too much? I mean, to go as far as creating a storm?!"

She couldn't help it as she began crying again. "He destroyed our lives!"

"Ah… I can't," the fact that nearly everyone in the room wanted him to put Laxus six feet under wasn't helping his resolve. "I'm the king. How will it look if I go rushin' in ta kill when there's no proof of his wrongdoin's?"

"Proof?!" Cana shouted. "All the proof you need is in this room!"

"I know, but…" Gajeel shook his head, letting it fall into his hand. "I hafta do shit a certain way."

Levy held him closely, pressing his head against her chest. Of course, this downtime wouldn't last long. Why would it? That would make life too easy.

"Then just have someone else handle it," Cana let herself fall back onto the pillow, whatever liquid hooked up to her numbing all the pain in her body.

"Like who?" Gajeel snorted. "Is there anyone aside from the dragons yer willin' ta send ta have a gory battle? That motherfucker is strong as shit! Yer dad is the only human I know that could possibly stand a chance against 'em, but Gil's too important ta lose, an' Laxus is losin' his mind."

He was right. The last thing she wanted was to lose the only blood relative she had left. She loved her dad dearly, and she didn't know what she'd do if she lost him. She looked over at Bacchus, who looked like he was about to fall asleep. Was it okay for him to be sleeping in his condition? She wanted to join him.

Wendy saw the look of concern on Cana's face, likely worried about if he should be sleeping or not. "It's okay. I gave him something to help him sleep. I healed his concussion, so there's no serious damage anymore."

"He had a concussion?" Cana was bewildered! How did he manage to last this long?! She truly underestimated his internal strength at times! Tears welled in her eyes for the millionth time that night. Her poor baby. She wiped her face furiously with her arm. "I'll take care of him myself! I dunno how, but I will!"

"Hey, I'll handle it," Gajeel said, having Levy slide off his lap. "I gotta plan in the works, so don't worry. He'll get what's comin' ta him."

"You're gonna go now?" Levy pouted as he stood up and stretched. She was worried about him! "Please… be careful!"

"I promise," he held her face and kissed her tenderly. He had to come back unharmed. He had a family to care for now! Speaking of, he needed to pull Wendy aside and ask her a few questions before he left. "I'll come home safe."

"Oh, Gajeel," Wendy stood and caught him before he left the room. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Sounds good," he said as she followed him out of the room and downstairs. "I actually wanted ta talk t'ya fer a sec before I left."

"I figured you would," she stopped at the doorway as he went into his room, knowing dragons liked to keep their private space private.

"Come in," he said, grabbing his coat off the hook on the wall. "I'm just lookin' fer my gloves."

She took a cautious step inside, careful not to intrude too much. "I know why you said what you said earlier when you called."

Gajeel whipped around so fast, a huge grin on his face. "So, it's true?!"

"Mhm," Wendy nodded. "A full-blooded dragon."

Holy fuck. He clutched his chest, she was really carrying his kid! And a dragon at that! Even with the drama that was currently happening, he truly couldn't be happier. It gave him something to live for. But… "Wait, she's human… will that be a problem?"

"I can't say, Gajeel," Wendy didn't want to crush his happiness and replace it with worry, but she also didn't want to lie to him and give him false hope. "This is all so new. I'll have to monitor her often, but I can't even begin to figure out how often! It does sound scary though, a human carrying a dragon's baby, but I promise she'll receive the best care in Fiore!"

"Shit…" Gajeel worried like he expected he would. Lev was tiny! And Wendy was saying she was carrying a full-blooded dragon, which only worried him more! He didn't expect that! He expected a half-dragon, hell, even a human! "A dragon…? Shorty's incredible."

"It also explains why she was so dependent on your energy," Wendy said, thinking things over in her head. Her body must have become reliant on him from the moment of conception… which also must have happened within the first few times they were together! "But it wasn't all her. The fact that you were biting her repeatedly probably helped with making a full dragon. Her body carried so much of your energy already, it likely contributed greatly."

Wendy giggled when she thought about it. "Your dragon was pretty much turning her body into a vessel for your spawn!"

"Gihi!" Which explained the urge to bite her all the time. "D'ya think I'll hafta keep on bitin' her?"

"I would assume so," Wendy couldn't wait to talk to Levy about this! Oh, the conversations they'll have! "I take it she doesn't know?"

"No, an' ya can't tell her! Not 'til I get back!" He walked up to her and held her by the shoulders. "Promise me, Wendy. I know yer real good friends with Lev now, an' I bet yer dyin' ta ask her about it, but… I wanna be with her when she finds out."

"Okay, I promise, Gajeel!" Wendy laughed at her dear friend, excited to be a part of their journey. "After you come back, I'll ease her into it. Do you think she'll be happy?"

Ah… Gajeel thought back to that damned potion, and the reason for her taking it. Then he also thought about how she contradicted every word she said that day. He shrugged. "I wish I could say. But I did tell her not ta worry if it happens. I'll take good care of her."

"I thought you guys talked about kids already?"

"We did, an' then someone," he tilted his head to the side knowingly. "Gave her a contraceptive potion that I caught her takin' the next mornin'!"

"Oh, Gajeel," Wendy felt horrible! She didn't think she'd get caught! "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that! If Levy was feeling uncertain, she would have come to me for it herself. I apologize for overstepping!"

"Yeah, well," he was over it, given how it didn't work! "It was long past the two hours, anyway. But I did wanna ask ya if there were any possible side effects she could have fer takin' it after the fact?"

"There shouldn't be, though I will keep that in mind while I observe her."

"Thanks," he threw on his black jacket after finding those iron knuckle gloves Lily bought for him a while back. And to think, these were what were used as a bribe to hire her. He owed that cat everything. "Remember, don't give anythin' away when yer talkin' ta her."

"Okay, I'll keep my lips sealed!"

Wendy followed him as he went back upstairs, presumably to kiss his mate goodbye again. After hearing that the Chief of the Council of Magnolia left Cana what she could only assume was his life savings, she knew he had a vendetta against Laxus, and that was a fight she wanted to be nowhere near. She just hoped Gajeel brought the Chief back alive.

Ever since Gildarts heard one of Laxus' minions ran the Magnolia Library, he decided to pay it a little visit and wait for him to show up. He had to stop by eventually, especially since he owned the building, and he couldn't imagine his guys not knowing of his grand master plan to overthrow the throne.

He only saw red.

It was a problem for the people and things around him, but he was very well-known around town, and everyone steered clear when the Chief was angry. They even went as far as building retractable walls around the city to help reduce any damage he could cause. But at the moment, he couldn't care less about damages. His little girl had been hurt by the very being who vowed to protect his people! He was going to pay!

So, after he finished up whatever was keeping him at the office overnight anyway, he visited a few people and asked how they felt about taking over if he resigned. Unfortunately, nobody felt they could live up to the task, which only upset him further. He didn't want to leave the Council without a Chief and turn it into another Clover situation, where the position was vacant for years! But what could he do?

He got all his affairs in order, leaving notes on his desk and in his home for colleagues and family. He was fully prepared to die. After all, he was going up against a man-made dragon. Before he stopped at the library, he checked out a few other buildings he owned and was unlucky in his endeavor. "Library it is."

It was a shame, he thought, that the library had to get caught up in this mess, but he didn't give a shit! The least he could do was make sure it was cleared of any people before attacking. It would get rebuilt easier than Cana and Bacchus' lives would. It could take the collateral damage. He calmed himself as best he could before stepping inside. As far as he could tell there were no patrons, which was a good thing.

"Ah, Chief!" Freed greeted him from behind the desk, happy to see an upstanding member of society. "What brings you by this morning?"

"Any customers in here?" Gil asked, walking up to the counter and getting straight to the point.

"No, I just opened a few minutes ago." Freed got the suspicion the Chief was angry! That was scary! He could destroy his library with a snap of his finger!

"Close up for the day," Gil said plainly, walking over to sit in the chair by the door. "I'm going to wait here."

Freed didn't know what to say! Obviously, he was going to cooperate, but what was going on? Laxus was supposed to come by any moment, too! Was this going to blow his cover? Well, wait. His cover was already blown when the king stopped by. He guessed that much didn't matter, but why was he waiting? Who was he waiting for? He wracked his brain trying to figure it out as he activated the rune that locked the doors.

"Hey, uh," Gil started, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "You know anything about that weird storm last night?"

"Storm?" What was he talking about? "There was a storm last night? Everything was dry when I woke up."

So, he didn't know. Was Laxus just acting on his own? Gil dug the flask out of his jacket and turned it up to his mouth. "A lightning storm."

"A lightning…" Freed trailed off once the realization hit him. Was this Laxus' doing?! He never mentioned anything about causing a storm! Was this why he was waiting? To confront him?

Gil watched the green-haired man called "Freed" carefully. It seemed he was surprised at the news of a storm, but he also seemed to know who caused it. "Any idea who?"

"Uh…" Freed didn't want to say a word! He didn't even know what was going on! But a lightning storm definitely sounded like something Laxus would do! And right as he was about to say something, the guy in question appeared at the door, yanking on the handle.

"Yo! Why's it locked? I see your dumb ass at the counter!" Laxus shouted through the doors.

Freed glanced at the Chief.

"Let him in." Gil said, his energy swirling around him.

Freed was shitting bricks! The energy coming from the Chief was insane! Once he let Laxus in, he was out of there! Whatever beef he had, it had nothing to do with him! Why did they have to hash things out here, of all places? He let his rune down and Laxus opened the door and stepped inside.

"Didn't you open up a little bit ago?" Laxus asked before noticing the malicious energy in the area. "Whoa, what the fuck?"

Freed pointed at something behind him, and Laxus followed, blue eyes landing on a very angry Chief. That was never a good sign! He needed to calm down before he destroyed the library! "Gildarts! What seems to be the problem?"

Gil just looked at the man with pure disgust, polishing off what was left in his flask. His mind was blank. He didn't even want to ask questions. In the blink of an eye, Gil shot out of his chair and barreled toward the Duke, smashing through several bookcases until he had him pinned against the wall at the far end of the library. He had his forearm against his neck, nearly crushing him, but holding him in place. Was he not going to fight back?

"G-Gil…!" Laxus choked, caught extremely off guard by the unexpected attack. What the hell was his problem?! This bastard's Crush was nearly as strong as the iron douche's lance! He tried pushing him off him, but he had a knee pressed against his torso, too! Fuck!

"It was you, wasn't it?!" Gil drove his knee up and into his ribcage. Regardless of if he had a dragon lacrima in his body or not, he was still a shitty human!

"The fuck… are you t-talking about…?!" It was taking everything in him not to fight back. It would be really bad for his rapport if he attacked the Chief, but hell, he just healed up his broken ribs from a while back, and now they were getting crushed again?! Fuck this human body!

"Oh, playing dumb, are we?" Gil gripped him by the neck with both hands and threw him through the wall and through a few more shelves, the force sending him across the library. It was really hard holding back like he was, but as angry as he was, he still had some semblance of respect for businesses such as this one.

Laxus caught himself before he broke through the outer wall of the library, picking himself back up. Now that there was some space between them, he could try to figure out what—

"You son of a bitch!" Gil picked up a bookcase and hurled it at Laxus, knocking him down and burying him in books and wood. "I'm going to kill you!"

"Ah… fuck." Laxus lie under the rubble, what the fuck could he have done to piss the Chief off? He could only be thankful that he was holding back! He'd seen him in action before, and this was child's play! Now he was threatening death!

Gil landed on top of the rubble, throwing stuff in each direction until he uncovered the bastard who still had the nerve to breathe. He geared up a fist, connecting it to Laxus' face. What followed was a loud crack from his jaw being shattered, but Gil wanted to do more. Much more. "Fight back! Come on! Let's fight to the death!"

Laxus fought to stay conscious, assuming the Chief didn't realize how strong his punches were. He weakly reached up, trying to stop him from breaking his face completely. Fuck, the taste of blood was nasty!

"Where's all your energy?" Gil taunted, gripping his wrist and deciding to break each finger individually. He started with the pinky, snapping it in half in the opposite direction. "Used it up on that fucking lightning storm last night?!"

"I don't know… what you're talking about!" Laxus groaned in pain as Gil began working on the next finger, he didn't think he did anything to warrant this reaction! He wanted so badly to just say fuck the rapport and put this guy in his place, but he did in fact use all his energy!

"Liar!" Gil stood up and stomped on his midsection, nowhere near satisfied with the puny amount of blood he was spitting up. "That bar you struck?"

Gil went down to him again, this time gripping his neck with all the force he had until his face turned cherry red. "It was my daughter's bar. I will kill you."

Holy shit! Laxus went limp, fuck! The last thing he wanted to do was get into a fight with Fiore's strongest mage! He didn't know that girl was his daughter! Had he known, he would have only singled the guy out! He fucked up! Really bad! And he couldn't fight back now, even if he wanted to! Gildarts fucked him up! Was this really it? Was this how he was going to die? To a human? If he knew he was going to be attacked, he'd have prepped!

"So, make this interesting for me," Gil said, letting him go and rolling his neck. This wasn't at all how this was supposed to go! He was supposed to fight back! This was supposed to be a two-way bloody battle! "Fight back!"

Laxus just laid there silently. He knew an apology would mean nothing, and he was too weak to win in this state. Especially having just used up all his energy on that damn storm that was about to cost him his life.

"Then I'll just put you out of your misery," Gil gathered all the energy in his body and put it into his hands before clasping them together and raising them above his head. "Any last words? Actually, you didn't give my daughter or her fiancé any last words, so…"

Gildarts brought his hands down as fast and as hard as he could, and right before they connected to his face, an iron hand stopped him completely.

"Gil! Don't!"

Gajeel left his house reluctantly, leaving his pregnant mate, two nearly gravely injured friends, and Wendy and Romeo to… he didn't know, talk, he guessed? What could they do in a situation like this? There was so much on everyone's plate now, and it didn't seem to be getting better. But the first thing he was going to do was find Gil and drag him to Shirotsume so they could all talk.

He gave Lily a detailed summary of everything that happened and he agreed that stopping Gil was the best thing to do. The citizens didn't need to see or be a part of whatever gnarly battle that would surely arise from this. So, they checked his office before flying to his house, and when they were unsuccessful in locating him, Lily suggested the Library. When they got there, they could see the damage to the building from the sky!

"Fuck…" Gajeel muttered. That couldn't be good! "He's here, land us at the back door!"

"What do you want me to do?" Lily asked as he landed and dropped him on his feet. He knew Gajeel either wanted one of two things, for him to either stay outside and keep the people away or to help break up the fight. He hoped it was the former!

"Stay here, I'll go get 'em," Gajeel fell into his shadow and slipped inside, materializing once he was in the building. The entire structure shook around him, chunks of concrete and wood falling from the ceiling. He was sure Laxus was ready to kill Gil by now, and he needed to stop him before he lost a friend!

He turned his body into iron in preparation for getting caught in the crossfire and followed the commotion, finding Gil strangling the fuck out of Laxus! Holy fucking shit. This entire time, everyone was afraid that Laxus would kill Gil, but it was clearly the other way around! Should he even stop him then? That bitch deserved all the pain that was coming to him right now, maybe he could wait a few seconds before stepping in.

He watched Laxus practically give up when Gil told him it was his daughter's bar, which pissed him off because that was proof right there that he did it. He deserved to die. And Gajeel saw a side of the Chief he'd never seen before when he told him to make things interesting and fight back. He was fucking scary! It was a good thing he was one of the good guys!

Laxus, shockingly, refused to fight back, which Gajeel was able to deduce he did the entire time. And when he caught Gil charging up his Crush into his palms, he knew this would be the blow that ended it all. Fuck! He had to stop him! Laxus needed to die, but not by Gil's hand! It wouldn't be right, and he'd have to live with that on his conscience for the rest of his life!

He darted over to them and grabbed his wrist right in the nick of time! Really! His hands were inches from his face! And holy fuck, it took so much strength to stop him in full force! "Gil! Don't!"

Gildarts just stopped, his face clouded over in darkness. The king was the only one who could stop him, and honestly? Thank Gods he did. He wasn't in his right mind, and hadn't been since last night. He stayed ominously silent and let Gajeel pull him up and away from the Duke of Magnolia. He wasn't sure if he could control himself if he ever saw his face again.

"Hey, Gil," Gajeel checked him out for injuries and as he suspected, he was untouched. It may take some time to recover from this. He reverted back to normal, his body no longer covered in iron. "Go out back. Lil's out there waitin'."

Gajeel watched and made sure Gil went outside before going back to stand over Laxus with clenched fists. Should he add gas to the fire and taunt him? Or should he just call it a day? He could end it all right now. He could finish him off right here. But… "When it's your time to die, it'll be by my claws."

And with that, Gajeel left the Magnolia Library and left for the station with Lily and the Chief.

"Ya hafta shoo away a buncha people?" Gajeel asked Lily. Luckily, the next train was a nonstop ride to Shirotsume, so he'd only be missing Levy for at most, another hour. Shit. What was she up to? He didn't expect her to sleep after he left with everything going on. Thank Gods Wendy was there to keep her from worrying herself to death. He missed her. They hadn't spent time apart like this in a while.

"Surprisingly, no," Lily replied. It was amazing that the Chief came out of that unharmed! He was going to have to get the story from Gajeel later. "There were a few passersby, but they didn't give me any troubles."

"Good," Gajeel glanced at Gil, who hadn't said a word the entire time. He'd just been staring through the window lifelessly. He nudged him lightly with his elbow. "Ya alright, Gil?"

Gildarts didn't know what to feel aside from shame. He behaved so badly, he wasn't fit to be Chief. "You're not mad at me?"

"Pfft! Why would I be?" Mad was the opposite of what he felt at that moment! "I actually contemplated lettin' ya finish 'em off!"

"You saw it?" Gil looked over at the king, who had a weirdly proud look on his face. What for? "Why'd you stop me?"

"I caught the tail end of it," Gajeel shrugged. "Also, it wouldn't be right. Ya have every right ta feel how ya do. I woulda reacted the same way. But I'm the king, and he's the Duke of Magnolia. Shit needs ta be done the right way."

"But you'll handle it, right?" Gildarts asked sternly. He couldn't let him get away with attempted murder.

Gajeel thought about Levy and how she wanted to spare him, and at first, he thought he could, but now? He wasn't so sure. "I'll handle it. Ya have my word."

Gildarts looked through the window again. "I'm resigning."

"What? Why?"

"What do you mean why? I attacked the Duke! There's no way I'm fit to call myself a Council head!"

Gajeel understood that what he was seeking was some sort of punishment. He felt he did something extremely bad, but all Gajeel saw it as was a father protecting his young. Any sane parent would have reacted the same way. He sighed. "Gil, yer my friend. An' that's one of the reasons why I stopped ya. I don't want that hangin' over yer head forever, y'know? This is my burden, not yers."

"I serve the king," Gil said. "Your problems are our problems. And the fact that I serve you so closely is why I shouldn't have behaved how I did. Just fire me."

"I ain't gonna fire ya," Gajeel shook his head. "But… I'll suspend ya. With pay. I'll even throw ya in a little bonus fer doin' such a good job back there."

Why? Why was he being so generous? He broke a law worthy of execution! There were better ways to take care of Laxus, yet he was being praised for such gruesome actions. How could he repay him?

"Yer job is secure," Gajeel continued. "I just think ya need some time ta… recover. Think of this as a vacation of sorts."

"And my little girl…?" Gildarts was teary-eyed, he was surrounded by such good beings!

"She's doin' well. We called Wendy, so she's in good hands." Gajeel kicked his feet up on the bench across from him and put his arms behind his head. "We're headin' back ta my place so ya can see 'er."

He was right to send them to the king! It was reasons like these why he was loyal to him with no hesitation, and now, he guessed he was just as loyal to Little Levy, too! He never would have thought she'd be the link that tied them all together. Sure, he knew of the king and the Duke of Crocus and the Duchess of Clover, but because of Levy, they were all becoming a tightly-knit group of family and friends. It was nice. "Thank you."

"I know this is crazy, but try not to let it all stress you out," Wendy started, sitting across from her at the kitchen table. She left Romeo upstairs with the patients to monitor them while they rested so she could sort of pull Levy away from the madness. But the fact that she couldn't say anything was killing her! She was cradling a cup of coffee, and Wendy just wanted to scream! She couldn't have caffeine! But it was still really early on, so she supposed she'd let her enjoy her last cup!

"I'm trying not to, but this is hard! I can't believe he'd do something like this!" She held her cup of coffee, it wasn't fighting off the hunger like it usually would. She always had breakfast with Gajeel and Lily, and she wanted to wait for them to return safely. Her eyes zeroed in on the mangoes on the counter and her stomach growled.

"I'm sure Gajeel is handling it," Wendy heard the mighty growl that came from her stomach and smiled. "We should eat."

"I want to, but I usually eat with Gaj! I don't want to eat without him," it wouldn't be bad for her to have just one, right?

"With everything going on, I don't think it's wise to starve your body on top of it all," Wendy softly urged her to eat and was satisfied when she stood from the table and made her way to the mangoes she'd been eyeing.

"Want one?" Levy offered before using her script abilities to conjure a small net to easily cut it.

"Oh, no, thank you!" Wendy had a feeling these were a craving, and they would likely only intensify. She didn't want to deplete her resources! "Have you been eating lots of mangoes?"

"Ugh, yes! I don't know what it is!" Levy plopped back into her chair, popping a chunk of the sweet fruit into her mouth and sighing dreamily. "They're so delicious, it's like I've been craving them!"

"Is that Gajeel's favorite fruit?"

Levy gasped with surprise, "how did you know!"

It made sense, quite honestly. She was going to gain a small handful of his traits temporarily. How was she feeling? Was she tired? Was she in any discomfort? Ah! She wanted to ask her about stuff so badly! "Just a hunch. He may have told me years ago."

"It's crazy, right?" Levy asked, stuffing her face. Gods, she wanted another one! "I miss him!"

"You guys haven't spent any time apart like this during mating season, have you?" Wendy understood that she was probably feeling anxious without him there, and they were probably going to have to limit their time apart until the time came.

Levy shook her head. She didn't like it one bit! "I hate that he's off doing something dangerous! I don't know, I've just… I've been a little clingy lately, and I don't know why! Usually, I'm fine with a little independence, but… not right now. I feel vulnerable."

"It's probably because of everything happening," Wendy tried her best to pretend, when was he supposed to be coming back?! She wasn't sure how long she could do this! "All we can do is just take it day by day."

"You're right," Levy said right before feeling the urge to go to the door. She stood in a hurry, really with no reason, rushing through the living room and to the front door. She opened it, her aura lighting up at the sight of her man walking up the porch, safe and sound. Of course, seeing Lily and Gil well and good was nice, too! "Gaj!"

"Lev," he held her close as she jumped into his arms. He never wanted to be that far away from her again. "I missed ya."

"I missed you too," she looked up at him all teary-eyed. "So much!"

He cupped her face, staring down at her full of love and adoration. She smelled like mangoes. "How ya feelin'? Ya hungry?"

She nodded vigorously while he pet her head and kissed her face. She loved his loving. "Starving."

"Let's go eat."

"Cana! My baby girl!" Gildarts ran into the room she was in, throwing his arms around her in a bear hug. He ignored her protests, just happy that they were both alive and well.

"Dad, c'mon," Cana shrugged him off her, shushing him. "Bacchus is asleep!"

"How's he doing?" Gil remembered him being in pretty bad shape last night, so he was glad to see him doing better.

"He's been asleep since Wendy healed him," Cana said softly, reaching over and taking his sleeping hand. After a while, she requested to be moved to the same bed for comfort. "He had a concussion, Dad."

"That makes me feel a little better about what I did, then." Gil was still regretful, but when he remembered seeing how hurt they were, his remorse flew through the window.

"Dad…" Cana looked at him warily, did he really go and fight the Duke? There wasn't a scratch on him! What was all that fuss he was making? "What… did you go do?"

"I went to find him, Cana. I had to let him know he messed with the wrong one." Gil sat in the chair next to the bed, dropping his head in his hands. He was so conflicted! "I caught him at the library and gave him a run for his money, and if it wasn't for the king… I'd be getting executed."

"Executed?" Cana asked incredulously.

"I was literally an inch away from Crushing his face! If he'd shown up just a minute later…" He trailed off, he didn't like tapping into that side of him. He still couldn't believe the king only suspended him!

"Yeah, well… he got what was comin' to him if you ask me." She was so sad, so broken, so hurt. It was going to take them years to be as comfortable as they were before. She reached around the side of the bed, picking up the chest he'd given them. "Well, I assume you were fired, so you're gonna need this back."

"You would think," Gil scoffed. "But instead, I was suspended."

"Wow~ you must have done the king a solid!" Cana knew every bone in his body wanted to kill that guy, so it must have taken a little bit of the weight off. She shoved the chest at her dad. "Still, you'll need this for your suspension. I'm only assuming you gave it to us because you thought you'd die."

"I honestly didn't think I'd make it out of there alive, but the bastard didn't fight back. And he gave up completely when I told him exactly whose bar he struck. He's no fool." Gil refused the money, pushing it back toward her. "The king was generous enough to suspend me with pay. Keep it. You and Bacchus can use it to rebuild."

"Dad, it's okay," Cana gave a sad smile. "Blue insisted on helping us start back over."

"Cana! You can't take the king and queen's money!" Gil scolded. "Especially when you have enough right here!"

"I know! I tried telling her that, but you know how she is…" Cana shook her head in a playful defeat. "She wouldn't take no for an answer, and she insisted I give this back to you."

Gildarts chuckled. "We're really surrounded by amazing beings, right? Keep it. Use it as savings. I still have plenty to get by on."

Wow. This was… so much! With all the positivity that was coming from this horrible event, maybe it was a good thing this happened. As dark as that was to say! "Dad…"

"Please," he insisted. "It'll give me peace of mind."

"…okay. Thank you." She put the chest back on the floor and squeezed Bacchus' hand again. They now had the opportunity to start better, more enriching lives. A small part of her was happy, but the biggest part of her missed their home. "So what are you going to do during your suspension?"

"Well, he told me to think of it as a vacation to clear my head, so I think I'm gonna head to Akane Beach." Gil actually had been wanting to go on vacation since he was so swamped with work, but he never got the time. "I'll probably stay there the entire time."

"You have been wanting to go there," Cana thought that sounded like a great time! She wished she could go! All in due time, she supposed. "Take it easy, Dad."

"And what about you? What are you guys gonna do?" Gil needed to know what her plans were so he could keep an eye out. He highly doubted he was going to attack her again, but he could never be too sure. "Gonna head back to Magnolia? Or start somewhere new?"

Cana talked about it at length with Blue, but she couldn't make any concrete decisions until Bacchus woke up. It was actually nice, being able to talk about the dreams she kind of put on the back burner. One thing she knew for sure was they definitely weren't going back to Magnolia! "Blue practically begged me to come to Shirotsume, and Bacchus likes the mountains, so… we'll probably set up shop here."

"Opening another bar?" Gil inquired. It would be a shame for her to not use her amazing alcohol-making skills, but perhaps that was only because he wouldn't be getting anymore if she quit!

"Eh, I dunno yet. I still wanna talk it out with Bacchus. But maybe… maybe this is a chance to start something new. I was thinking about my psychic shop idea, remember that?" Years ago, she told her dad she wanted to get paid for doing readings, but at that point, they'd already opened their bar and it was doing well and requiring both of their constant attention. She just disregarded it since she already loved what she was doing, but now she had the opportunity!

"I support it. You'll make a lot of money. But this is a small town, customers won't be as frequent." Gil didn't want to rain on her parade, but he had to be honest and prepare her for the worst.

"Crocus was also an idea, especially since Blondie is there," Cana thought aloud. "We'd see more customers for sure, no matter what we choose to do."

"That is true. You'll be far from Little Levy, though." Gil sighed. He was certain no matter what they chose, they'd be successful. "Decisions, decisions."

Cana would prefer to be in Shirotsume, but business-wise, it would likely be difficult. "Whatever we do, I just want the same setup we had in Magnolia. It was super convenient working and living in the same place."

"Do they have neighborhoods like that here?" Gil hadn't been through the small town in a while, so he didn't remember much. He should change that.

Cana shrugged. "Blue said she'll take us around town and see if there are any small structures for sale."

"What about Clover?" Gil suggested. "It's a much bigger city, and it's only a twenty-minute train ride here. Plus, there's an open position on the Clover Council that I think Bacchus might be a good fit for. I can arrange for him to have an interview."

"Oh, Dad! He's not qualified for that!" Cana didn't mean it in a negative way, but it was true! He didn't go out and train or fight every day, he didn't like to do much writing, and paperwork? Ha! "He's literally the worst one for the job!"

"You say that… but you never know how events can change a person." Gil nodded knowingly, Bacchus would do a fine job. He had faith that he'd pass the interview, which was a test of physical and mental strength and a few questionnaires! He had this in the bag! "Just ask him and see what he says."

Cana looked over at a sleeping Bacchus. Him? Chief of the Council of Clover? A Council head? …would that even work? "Okay. I'll ask him."