A/N: RED ALERT, RED ALERT, ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLESTATIONS! THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED!

*Author starts to laugh at the absurdity of what he just wrote*

Hello, everyone. Looks like your patience has paid off, here's another update. I'm really sorry the updates are few and far between, but I've had a lot on my plate. College has been busy, I will not lie, but hopefully things will calm down soon. My neck has been bothering me recently so that's kind of distracted me as well; I think I pulled a muscle at the base of my neck. Oh well, that's why they invented Icy-Hot!

As for the side story I posted before Halloween, I'm glad you guys liked it. I'll try my hand at another one after the next two or three chapters. Like I said, if you guys want to make a personal request for a side story feel free to post your idea when you review…just give me some details I can work with so I'm not flying blind.

Also, when I mention Saito's jacket and sunglasses look up the M-65 Field Jacket and Oakley Flak Jacket series for a reference (I happen to own an M-65 with the M81 Woodland camo pattern…it is very comfortable and the best part is that it can take a beating).

Also, again, here is a little age reference chart for the kids in case your confused about how old they are (I don't know why I didn't type this up earlier).

-Igneel and Lilly: 17

-Jenny: 19

-Sam and Saito: 17

-Senna: 18

-Chiara: 5

And now a shout out to you guys!

-Sesshomaru'sCrazygal: I'm glad you liked my little Halloween story. I hope you had an awesome Aussie Halloween. Halloween is on October 31st her in the States so I guess that's one thing our two countries share in common…I think it's cool that your Australian by the way. Australia is actually on my list of places to visit before I die.

-skelekc: Welcome to the story, I'm glad you like it. I will write another side story when I get to it, but I won't be necessarily focusing on Natsu and Lucy. Actually, the next side story will involve Gray and Juvia when I get to it.

-Tomoyo10798: Hello and welcome back Tomoyo-chan! You were close when it came to my side story challenge. Kaito is Elfman and Evergreen's son but Selina belongs to, believe it or not, Laxus and Mirajane….oh well, you get the cookie anyways XD. I will continue to update this whenever I can, I'm glad you like this story.

And now for the real Chapter 6

XXXX

CHAPTER 6: Awkwardness, questions and the return home

The sun was setting against the horizon as the train from Crocus made its way back to Magnolia. The sun now casted orange, red and yellow hues along with steep, darkening shadows against the inside of the trolley car. However, off in the distance, storm clouds were beginning to form…it would be raining later that night that was for sure. However, none of these things seemed to be noticed by the occupants of the trolley car. They were too focused on the young men and women who claimed to be their children. This particular trolley car was unique in the fact that instead of separate seats or enclosed, private rooms, the seats were parallel, facing each other.

On one side the Crocus team faced the "children" and vice versa.

However, the mages of Fairy Tail weren't sitting with each other per say. Each member kept their distance from each other, the awkwardness of their situation finally catching up to them.

Lucy sat in her spot as she stared at Igneel and Lilly, the latter resting her head on her brother's shoulder as she slept, her chest rising slowly but evenly. Igneel on the other hand was simply reading from a weathered, leather bound book he had procured from his travel pack. Prior to entering the Crocus barracks, Igneel had teleported everyone's packs back to their rightful owners from their hiding spots.

Natsu was also staring at Igneel and Lilly but sat a couple of spaces away from Lucy near Happy and the other exceed. The three cats would look about the trolley every now and then, concerned looks etched on their faces but neither of them dared to break the silence that had settled amongst the mages. Lucy took her eyes of the twins and looked at Natsu. A sad, worried frown formed on her lips when Natsu hesitantly met her eyes before immediately redirecting his gaze elsewhere.

He was avoiding her.

"Give him time." Igneel said quietly as he flipped a page in the book.

Lucy looked back at him.

"He just needs some time to wrap his head around all that has happened."

"You make it sound so simple." Lucy said with a little more bite than she had intended.

If Igneel had been affected by her tone, he didn't show it or didn't care.

"I never said it had to be…it's up to you and him on whether you two want things to be complicated or not."

"It's…it's just that…" Lucy said as she tried to find the right words as to say what.

"It's what?"

"It's just that how can you expect us to believe you!?" Lucy said in a hissed whisper.

Igneel closed his book with a small "tap" and slowly lifted his towards Lucy. They were Natsu's eyes…his father's eyes.

"You and the others come out of nowhere, claim to be our children and expect us to believe you!?" Lucy took a quick breathe, "Natsu and I don't even like each other like that…how can you expect to be my kid?"

Igneel was quiet for a minute.

Then another.

And another.

"Say something!" Lucy hissed.

"You and dad don't like each other, huh? Keep telling yourself that." Igneel said with a not so amused tone.

Lucy was about to retort but Igneel cut her off.

"I saw the way you two interacted on the train to Crocus. The way you would let dad rest his head on your lap because of his motion sickness, how you would run your fingers through his hair as he slept and how you looked at him when the others weren't watching."

Lucy couldn't form a response.

"And I also saw how he looked at you. Whenever you and Happy weren't looking, dad's gaze would never leave you. Or when you two were walking down the streets of Crocus, dad would let your hand brush against his. And I don't need to tell you how protective he can be around you."

Igneel leaned forward slightly and the light from the sun casted a dark shadow over his eyes.

"You can deny it all you want but on some level, somewhere deep inside of your heart…you love dad. Though your mind says otherwise, your heart doesn't…so don't tell me you two don't like each other when it's pretty clear that you do."

Igneel leaned back and reopened his book, flipping to his last page.

Lucy leaned back into her seat with a groan and ran her hands through her hair before slowly dragging them down her face in frustration. She couldn't help but think back to when they left the Crocus barracks.

XXXX

Earlier…

The waiting room outside of Captain Tenembaum's office was large…well, large by military standards.

Aside from handling his duties as a military officer, Tenembaum was also in charge of maintaining order throughout Crocus. That meant he had to deal with everyone and anyone who felt like complaining or reporting someone or something.

The waiting room which was situated outside of the heavy wooden door that led to Tenembaum's office, contained two desks where his secretary's sat and a series of simple but comfortable arm chairs. Said secretaries kept their heads down while nervously watching the mages before them. One of them was currently talking to Tenembaum in his office. That had been about fifteen minutes ago.

"You think everything is alright?" Saito asked as rested his arms behind his head.

Saito had changed into more comfortable attire when he entered the barracks. He still wore his coyote brown pants and steel toed boots but now a form fitting black t-shirt with a Celtic dragon graphic design hugged his muscular chest and torso. Over the t-shirt he wore a well-used black cotton/nylon cargo jacket. His sunglasses once again covered his eyes, the mirrored lenses reflecting the light of the room.

"You think the Cap'n will let us leave." Sam asked as he absentmindedly twirled his cross necklace in his fingers

Like Saito, Sam had changed into a different set of clothes. He now wore a black long sleeved t-shirt under a blue, grey and black plaid button shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His cargo pants and sash had been replaced with a pair of denim jeans and a black leather belt but his leather boots remained.

"That depends on how convincing he is with what he has to say." Senna said.

Senna, unlike Lilly and Jenny, was the only girl out of the group to change her clothes. Her armor had been stored away along with her sword and in its place, she wore a black turtle neck sweatshirt which hugged her curvaceous body and a crimson red short skirt. A pair of knee high leather boots adorned her legs. The look had been completed by Senna adjusting the chopsticks in her hair and, surprisingly, a pair of small, silver earrings.

"You know Igneel; he has a way with words." Lilly said as she let Chiara sit on her lap. The youngest Fullbuster had protested at first, having wanted to sit with Gray and Juvia, but Jenny had gently but firmly told her she would have to wait until Igneel was done speaking with the Captain.

Jenny was currently helping fix Wendy's damaged hair in the nearby bathroom.

XXXX

Carla hovered protectively near Wendy while Jenny used her water magic to cut and even out the damaged hair. Jenny's hands moved with a simplistic precision that was uniquely hers while Wendy kept her eyes closed.

"W-who taught you how to do this." Wendy asked.

"My mother did. I think I was about your age when she first started teaching me."

"You mother…you mean Juvia don't you?" Wendy asked hesitantly.

Jenny nodded with a small, almost sad smile.

"Aye," Jenny said as she angled Wendy's head gently.

"…It doesn't seem possible." Wendy said.

Jenny sighed slightly.

"It's the truth. I know this might be hard for you to understand at the moment. But we'll explain everything when the time is right."

"What do you mean by that?" Carla asked.

Jenny gave the cat a small, knowing smile.

"Nice try. When it comes down to it, it's Igneel's decision…not mine."

With a flick of her wrist, Jenny removed the last strand of hair.

"There now," Jenny said as she rested her hands on Wendy's shoulders and bent down so that her head was next to hers, "you can open your eyes now."

Wendy did so and it took her a second to recognize her own reflection.

"W-wow." Wendy whispered as she gently and slowly moved her fingers through her hair.

Jenny had managed to remove all the damaged hair and give Wendy a face framing bob style cut. It wasn't bad per se…it was just different.

"And this," Jenny said as she pulled a yellow hairband out from her beneath her poncho, "completes it."

Jenny gently placed the headband in Wendy's blue strands and let the girl admire her new look.

"It's different from what I'm used to," Carla said in a warm tone, "but to be honest, I like this new look."

Wendy gave a small smile.

"Yeah, I kind of like it to."

She then turned to Jenny and gave a small bow.

"Thank you Jenny-san."

Jenny chuckled.

"Jenny will do. I hear enough honorifics from my mother, I don't need someone else doing the same to me and the others".

"Alright…J-Jenny." Wendy said hesitantly.

This would take some getting used to.

XXXX

While the kids spoke amongst themselves the Fairy Tail mages were having a similar but hushed conversation.

"Can we trust them?" Erza asked as she continued to watch Senna.

"Forget trusting them, can we believe them!?" Natsu hissed.

"I will admit, the idea that they are our…children," Levy said, the word feeling weird on her tongue, "is a bit farfetched."

Levy casted a quick glance at Saito, who noticed the action and gave his mother a small smile.

Levy quickly looked away from Saito as the strange feeling in the back of her mind made its presence known again.

"However, I can't…we can't ignore the fact that they look like us." Levy added.

"For all we know they could be doing that on purpose," Gajeel said, "trying to get our guard down."

"If they wanted to do something to us, I think they would have done it by now." Lucy said.

"I agree," Meredy said, "if they had wanted to harm you, why would they go through the trouble of fighting and then eliminating Deathwing."

"To cover their tracks, obviously." Gray said as he leaned against the wall, doing his best to keep some distance between him and Juvia.

"I can't believe that." Levy said and was about to say more but held her tongue.

Lucy noticed this and rested her hand on Levy's shoulder.

"What is it?"

"…I can't believe it because…I feel a…a connection to him." Levy said as she wrung her hands together.

Lucy paused and her eyes widened.

"You feel it to?" Juvia finally said.

The group looked at Juvia who lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Whenever Juvia-chan gets near Jenny…chan, I feel this connection to her. A connection Juvia can't seem to explain."

Erza, Lucy, and Levy looked at each other with similar looks; they knew exactly what Juvia was talking about.

It was then that Wendy, Jenny and Carla returned from the bathroom. Both groups were surprised by Wendy's new look and the attention made the girl blush in embarrassment.

"You did well." Senna said as Chiara slid off Lilly's lap and went over to her sister.

"I do my best." Jenny said simply as she lifted Chiara up.

Romeo and Wendy tentatively stepped closer to each other.

"I-I…l-like your new haircut." Romeo said as he began to rub his neck.

"T-thanks." Wendy said as she clenched and unclenched her hands behind her back.

"Ane-chan," Chiara said as she pointed her small hand at Wendy, "why is Mrs. Conbolt's tummy not big anymore...isn't she having a baby?" Chiara asked innocently.

"WHAT!?" the Fairy Tail group said in unison as Romeo visibly paled while Wendy unconsciously wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"W-what d-does she m-mean about m-me h-having a b-baby?" Wendy stuttered out.

"Uhm," Lilly dragged the word out as she rubbed the back of her neck, "about that."

Before any more conversation could be carried out, Tenembaum's office door opened and Igneel stepped out with the Captain behind him, the latter carrying a small briefcase.

The two approached the group.

"After a very lengthy discussion with Mister…" Tenembaum looked between Natsu and Igneel, "Dragneel, I have come to the conclusion that your newest members do not pose a serious threat to Crocus and its people."

The kids let out a silent sigh of relief.

"You are free to go about your business."

Tenembaum approached Erza and handed her the briefcase.

"On behalf of the King and the people of Crocus, you have our eternal gratitude for what you all have done for us on this day. Enclosed in that briefcase is the promised 2,590,000 jewels; your payment for services rendered and compensation for any injuries you may have sustained."

Erza popped open the briefcase and inspected the marked bills that were neatly held together next to one another.

Erza nodded in satisfaction and closed the briefcase.

"Thank you Captain. We will be taking our leave now."

"I understand. Do give my regards to your guild master please."

With those words, Tenembaum bowed in respect to the mages and mages returned the gesture. They then picked up their belongings and made their way out of the barracks at a rather brisk pace.

Once the mages had left, Tenembaum let out a deep tired, sigh and took a seat on one of the nearby chairs, his hands braced on his knees.

"Are you alright sir." His one secretary asked.

"I need a drink," Tenembaum said as her ran a hand through his hair, "after what that boy just told me, I need one hell of a drink."

He then casted a glance out the door where the mages had just passed through.

"I hope those Fairy Tail mages know what they're getting themselves into with those kids."

XXXX

Now…

While Lucy was dwelling on her thoughts the other occupants of the trolley car weren't fairing much better either.

Juvia sat in her spot with Jenny and Sam sitting across from her. Gray was avoiding her again and had chosen to sit towards the back of the car thus making himself the furthest away from the group. Juvia casted a sad, worried glance at Gray who continued to keep his face turned away from her. Jenny gave her brother a questioning look and Sam simply shrugged his shoulders with an eye role.

All the while Chiara slept soundly as her head rested on Juvia's lap. The little girl kept her teddy bear close to her while she lay curled up under Saito's jacket; the latter having given it to her when he noticed she had fallen asleep. Every now and then, the young child would mumble something cutely in her sleep. Juvia absentmindedly began to run her fingers in a gentle motion through her youngest…daughter's hair.

The concept was still taking root in Juvia's mind. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, the feeling in the back of her mind would always reinforce the fact that Chiara was Juvia's daughter.

"She is Juvia's daughter…Gray's daughter," Juiva thought, "our daughter."

That last thought caused a heavy blush to settle in on Juvia's cheeks as the implications of how that could be began to sink in.

Levy sat near Meredy as the former kept a gentle, comforting hand on the blue haired girls shoulder. Levy would occasionally move her gaze from Saito to Gajeel and then back to Saito. She could feel the tension Gajeel was creating between him and his son.

Gajeel was currently glaring daggers at Saito, both the former and the latter having crossed their arms across their chests. Saito seemed to have fallen asleep, his head resting against the window, his eyes hidden behind his shades.

"You can stop glaring at me." Saito suddenly said, taking Gajeel off guard for a second.

"It's getting rather annoying." Saito continued as he lowered his shades slightly so the unamused look in his eyes was revealed.

Gajeel grunted something incoherent and focused his eyes on something else.

Out of the all the group members, Jellal, Erza, Romeo and Wendy, seemed to be the ones who were weathering the storm better than the others.

Romeo and Wendy, kept a small distance between themselves, were at least able to make eye contact every now and then. They would try say something but no words would seem to come out. The two settled on maintaining the relatively calm silence they had formed.

Erza and Jellal were in similar regards to Romeo and Wendy but they kept their hands closer to each other, despite the awkward silence between them.

Senna watched her parents through half lidded eyes and sighed silently to herself. The awkward silence was that held itself in the car was a bit bothersome. But then again, she couldn't really blame her parents or the parents of her comrades for not wanting to talk given everything they had just experienced.

Senna exhaled slowly through her nose, her version of a sigh, and looked at Igneel from the corner of her eye. He was still reading that book of his. Under normal circumstances she would have left her spot and would have joined him but now wasn't the time.

Senna sighed again.

She really hoped he knew what he was doing otherwise all of their planning would be for naught.

XXXX

When Makarov received the letter from the Crocus Royal Guard that the team he had sent out earlier that morning was returning alive and unharmed, he and the guild had been overjoyed with relief. It also helped that the job had been completed successfully.

So, naturally this would be the cause for a large celebration, something Fairy Tail was rather internationally known for. Even the normally reclusive Porlyusica, had taken the time to come to the guild to see the team…for medical purposes only of course.

Laxus and Mirajane had also successfully returned from their jobs, thus adding even adding more reason to celebrate.

The plan was simple; give the group a surprise party and enjoy a long evening of partying and the intense consumption of alcohol.

That plan was put on hold, however, when Makarov noticed there was more to the letter than he had originally thought. To everyone's surprise, the group was being accompanied back by not only Jellal and Meredy but a group of "unknown origin."

Wanting to see who the newcomers were, the guild waited patiently for the return of their guild mates.

They were not prepared for who stepped through the door…which is where we find ourselves now.

Makarov could only stare in shocked silence, his mouth slightly agape, as he looked at the members of the new group who had returned with the Crocus team. Now, it was not unheard of for people who wanted to join a guild to tag along with a group our person from a guild itself. But these people, these kids or young adults it would seem were a different matter entirely; it was the fact of who they resembled that had Makarov stunned beyond words. While the Crocus team took seats away from the newcomers, the latter stood next to each other in the center of the guild hall.

The confusion, weariness and the more prominent awkwardness hung in the air as Makarov made eye contact with each of the group members. Each group member either gave him a small smile or a nod in acknowledgement. When he finally locked eyes with Igneel, Makarov immediately knew that he was in charge of the group.

Makarov cleared his throat and fixed Igneel with a firm gaze.

"I take it you are the leader of this group." Makarov asked.

"I am." Igneel said.

"Would you care to explain to us who you and your companions are?"

"Down to business like always eh Master Makarov?" Igneel cleared his throat and spoke so everyone in the guild hall could hear him speak.

"I am Igneel Dragneel. Son of Natsu and Lucy. The girl next to me is my twin sister, Lilly."

Igneel motioned to his right.

"These are my friends, Jenny, Sam, and Chiara Fullbuster."

He then motioned to his left.

"And these two, also my friends, are Senna Fernandes and Saito Redfox."

Igneel then motioned to the whole group.

"And we are mages of Fairy Tail."

Makarov let the information sink in as he continued to observe the group. He could not deny the familial resemblance between the kids and their parents. However, that wasn't enough to confirm if they were telling the truth or not.

"If you are members of the Guild, please show me your Guild Mark."

The Crocus team perked up at that statement. They had been so focused on everything else, they hadn't noticed whether or not a Guild Mark was present.

"Of course Master." Igneel said.

Igneel unbuttoned his vest and dress shirt and opened his attire. Sure enough, on his left pectoral muscle was the Guild Mark of Fairy Tail. Though this reveal did show the mark it had also revealed two things about Igneel. One, he was incredible shape, sporting a six pack abdomen and lean muscular chest. Two, was something many were not ready for. A vicious, ragged looking scar ran from Igneel's right hip and curved across his stomach, his left side, and then across his right shoulder having snaked its way across his back. The scar had long ago healed but that didn't mean it didn't look any less painful.

While Igneel re-buttoned his clothing, Lilly proceeded to hike up the hem of her skirt on her left side and revealed her Guild Mark on the outside of her thigh.

Saito cracked his neck before removing his jacket, turning around and raising his shirt. His guild Mark was located smack dab in the middle of his back, right between his shoulder blades.

Senna rolled up her sleeve on her right arm and revealed her Guild Mark to be at the base of her wrist.

Sam rolled up his sleeves and held his forearms up, locked together, facing Makarov. One half of his Guild Mark was on his one arm while the rest was on the other.

Jenny held out her left arm from beneath her poncho and revealed her Guild Mark to be on her left wrist. She then bent down and lowered Chiara's hood and pulled her hair away from her neck. Low and behold, the tiny Fairy Tail mark was on the left side of her neck.

"I see you have the Mark, but in order to make sure it is valid, I must perform a conformation spell."

Makarov made a series of hand gestures before placing his hands on the floor. The Fairy Tail emblem soon appeared beneath the group, glowing a brilliant white light. The light pulsed once, twice and then three times before fading.

At first nothing happened. Many quickly believed that the Marks were fakes.

That was, until one by one, the Guild Marks glowed to life like the Emblem had.

"So…it is true," Makarov said in complete disbelief, "you are members of Fairy Tail."

"Told you." Sam said only to receive a solid slap on the back of the head from Jenny that would make a certain experienced and badass NCIS agent smile in pride as he sipped his morning coffee.

"How did…how on Earth Land is this possible?" Mirajane asked.

"I think some explanations are in order. You ever hear of a Time Gate?" Igneel asked.

Makarov and Porlyusica's eyes widened at this revelation.

"What's a Time Gate?" Happy asked.

"A Time Gate is a rare, highly advanced form of time manipulation magic. It allows one to travel for short or extended periods through time and space to any year they so desire whether it be past or present." Porlyusica said.

"However, the magic had its draw backs. If you weren't careful, you could seriously damage or alter the time period you were in or the time stream itself. On more than one occasion, the people who attempted to use this magic were sometimes never heard from again…and so it was unanimously outlawed by every country on Earthland. All knowledge pertaining to it was either destroyed or kept under heavy lock and key."

"So that raises the question, how did you activate a time gate?" Makarov asked.

"On accident." Senna said.

"The reason we're hear with so much stuff in our packs is because we all had decided to go on a training and camping trip for most of the week so we could hone our skills in private. We were taking a path through the highlands and decided to stop at this rock out cropping we happened upon for the night." Igneel said.

"I sat down on this one rock and happened to notice a glyph beneath my boot. It was barely visible underneath all the dirt and moss so I activated my Dragon Skin and began scratching away at it. My magic must have accidently triggered the Time Gate because next thing we know we're here; back home and in the East Forest." Saito said.

"If you noticed a freak storm earlier in the day that was probably us." Lilly said.

"So that was the magic I felt." Makarov thought.

Makarov scratched his chin.

"And you're sure you didn't use any spell to cause the Gate to open?"

Saito held up his index finger, the Dragon Skin activating and turning it into a razor sharp blade.

"Does it look like I could do anything serious with this?" Saito asked sardonically.

"Point taken." Makarov said literally and figuratively.

"Why didn't you try to contact someone?" Porlyusica asked.

"…We had no way to confirm whether or not anyone we knew was here or not. For all we knew we could have been sent back twenty or so years into the past or future. We then scouted out the town and noticed our parents at the train station. We decided to follow them and hoped to get some answers. But as it turned out, we each caught up with them just in time to save them." Jenny said.

"…I see. But you stated that you already knew you had been sent through a Time Gate, why search for answers?" Makarov asked.

"I had read about Time Gate's while I was doing some extra studying on my magic," Igneel said, "I just happened to remember the information about it."

"What magic do you use anyway?" Laxus asked as he leaned back against the bar counter, eyeing Igneel and Saito.

"The magic I sense from your friends is similar to people we sent to Crocus but you and…Saito's I do not recognize." Makarov added.

Igneel and Saito gave a small smile.

Saito activated his Dragon Skin, the tick, jet black armor covering his exposed skin.

"Dragon Skin." Saito said while Igneel formed an orb of light in his hand.

"Light Caster."

Makarov gave the two an astonished look.

"Those are both equally rare and powerful magic's…how did you learn it?" Porlyusica said.

"It's in my blood." Saito said, having changed back to his normal form.

"I apparently get from my dad." Saito said as he looked at Gajeel.

"I do not know that technique…I can make Iron Dragon Scales, but nothing on the scale that yer capable of."

Saito frowned slightly.

"Hmm, odd. From what I remember you should have learned it by now."

"Odd indeed." Igneel thought.

"And what about you Igneel?" Makarov asked.

"I was taught by a Celestial Spirit called Knight. He began teaching me when I first learned how to use his Spirit Key. Said I was, apparently, a natural at it."

"Then how come Lilly doesn't use Light magic. You two had to activate the key together didn't you?" Lucy asked.

"The summoning process requires two but that doesn't necessarily mean the other user has learn how to be a Light Caster. She was already being taught how to use Fire magic from dad so there was no need for her to learn the techniques."

"I see." Lucy said. The concept, though simple, did have a point.

The sound of thunder and the pitter-patter of rain caught everyone's attention. The storm that was forming had arrived.

"Needless to say, it's been a long day for all of you…why don't you return home for the night. Jellal, Meredy, I'm sure there is a hotel or inn that can put you up for the night. As for your children…" Makaorv said, unaware that the word had caused some to flinch.

"We'll just crash on a couch or the floor for the night." Igneel said.

"Very well, as to who you are staying with, I'll leave that up to you."

Igneel bowed.

"Thank you Master Makarov."

The others bowed in turn and began to make for the exit as the Crocus team followed, albeit hesitantly.

"Do you believe their story?" Laxus whispered as he stood next to his grandfather.

"I'm not sure. The idea of accidently stumbling upon a Time Gate is not that farfetched…but…."

"But?" Porlyusica asked.

"There is something not quite right about what they told us. Time Gate's require a large quantity of magic and the preparation for one takes time…I think there is something that boy isn't telling us."

"Can they be trusted?"

"I'm not sure about that either. I do not sense any ill will from any of them…but we should remain on our guard none the less."

XXXX

"Do you think they suspect anything?" Lilly whispered to Igneel as they began to step outside.

"Oh, I'm sure of it."

"Should we be worried?" Lilly said as she looked at her brother.

"As of the moment; no. So long as we stick to the plan and play it safe, we should be able to keep them in the dark long enough to do what we need to do."

"…I hope your right about this."

"Same here." Igneel said as he summoned his cloak and pulled its hood over his head.

XXXX

In an unknown location…

In a scarcely lit room, five individuals sat at a round table facing each other, their features hidden in shadow.

"Deathwing is dead," Said the first individual, a woman and the leader of the group, "killed by a mage in Crocus."

The others looked at each other, their expressions unreadable.

"Who is to blame?" asked a male.

"Reports indicate that initially he encountered the Fairy Tail Guild during his mission. He almost finished them off if it weren't for the intervention of an unknown group." Said another female.

"Reinforcements from Fairy Tail?" Asked a second male asked.

"Unknown." The woman said again.

"His death will prove a hindrance to our plans." Said a third female.

"It makes no difference." The leader said as she waived her hand dismissively.

"We can always find others like him; our plan will continue as scheduled."

"What about these new mages…they seemed to have teamed up with Fairy Tail." The second male said.

"They have no idea as to who we are yet…we will deal with Fairy Tail when the time comes."

"And if they continue to interfere with our goals." The first male asked.

The leader, if her expression could be seen, formed a cruel smirk on her mouth.

"Then we will eliminate them."

XXXX

A/N: A new threat has made itself known, secrets are being kept, and our favorite mages are struggling to realize they are parents…am I intriguing you yet? (LOL, I'm so dramatic). Anyway, I'll start the next chapter as soon as I can. I am currently in the process of brainstorming a second, separate story to work on so I'll see if I can balance the two out without losing my thought train. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and feel free to leave any questions you have in your review.

If that's all, I will see you all next time; happy reading! Read and review please!