Chapter 3! Yay~~ This chapter is a little slow as well, but I promise that the next few will be picking up! Thank you everyone for the reviews and I can't wait to read more! Enjoy!~

Undergrounders

Chapter 3

"I have some friends coming over. Will ya be comfortable with that, Shrimp?" He watched her from the corner of his eyes, taking notice of how she tensed and began to nibble on her bottom lip. It had been a few days now, and she was beginning to get used to his routine and develop her own around it.

He had started taking notice of the little things she did to entertain herself. Rather writing or reading was the majority of it, but she would also cook, clean or play with Pantherlily. The other thing that was bothering him was that she seemed determined to keep out of his sight as much as possible, almost like she thought that if she hung around she'd be a problem.

"If you want...I can stay in my room. Or.."

"Is that what you want to do?" He watched as she lowered her head and gaze, giving a sigh and snapping off the stove before plopping down beside her on the couch.

"I've noticed that you've been trying to stay out of my way. Mainly by locking yourself in your room or something. Levy, this isn't a prison, you're free to do whatever you want. If you want to meet my friends, then you're more than welcomed to. If you want to go out and explore, go for it. I'll even lend you some jewels to get you something." He urged, knowing that he had hit on something when she gave a sigh and put her notebook down before turning her gaze to him.

"I just feel like I'm taking advantage of you. All I can do is cook or clean, but you're taking care of everything else. It's not fair to you." The words were a bare whisper, and all he could do for a moment was stare at her. He had a solution to her problem, but she didn't want to be involved with the group yet!

"It doesn't bother me."

"But it does me!"

He stared at her, keeping her chocolate gaze before giving a smirk and leaning back against the couch as he crossed his arms over his chest. The fire that was burning in her gaze told him that she was willing to go as far as she could to help more if she was going to stay here. Which meant, that this might actually be a good time to see about introducing her into the group.

"I know that you hate groups and all..."

"I don't hate them! I just...Never had good experiences in them." Now that surprised him, enough so that he raised a studded eyebrow but gave a nod.

"Fair enough. However, our group could use a few more waitresses, and that's all it is. They pay good, and usually it's only for those who don't fight or enter the tournaments." He explained, watching as she seemed to think about it before slumping her shoulders.

"But every group out there knows about me." Her voice held her fear, and he gave a grunt before staring up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, not many can escape Phantom Lord's grasp. Just the fact that you did though, meant that you're more of a fighter than you look. Not to mention, my group doesn't care about that kind of thing, and if Phantom Lord wants to start something with us...Well...Gihi, lets just say it won't end well for them. Even with your help, if you recall, none of them could top us." He growled, watching as she stared at him in shock before thinking it over. A frown finally pulling at her lips before she straightened and seemed to study him. No doubt tapping into that unique ability of her's to judge someones potential.

"I always thought it was weird that I could never get an accurate analyses from anyone in the Fairy Tail group. It seems that your potential is just...never ending! Which shouldn't be possible since everyone has their limits that they can't pass." She grumbled, her frown deepening the more she stared at him. He gave a laugh before shrugging and then tilting his head slightly.

"So, just from analyzing me, what have you learned?" He honestly wasn't expecting much, but when she remained looking at him, too deep in concentration to edit her thoughts, he was surprised with what came out.

"Muscle mass and brute strength is your key factor, in truth I wouldn't be surprised to know that you could bend metal. With your scars, sharp teeth and scowl, intimidation is another factor that had your opponents on guard too much actually. It makes them overthink and leaves so many opening that you can get through, seen it countless times actually. Even though you're tall and bulk with muscles, it doesn't slow you down at all. You're also stubborn and hard headed, meaning that you don't back down even when dirty tactics are used. Many believe that you're just brute strength and that's it, but you actually use your mind and think ahead. More so than any other fighter I've seen, and even under all of that you are still kind enough to know when enough is enough." She ended the mini rant while still looking at him, and he was about to reply but stopped when she tilted her head slightly.

"However, you always seem to remain tense. Like there is something you're hiding or carrying..."

"Enough of that." He growled, watching as she blinked and flinched away. Her chocolate gaze coming back into focus and widening slightly before looking down at her notebook and swiping it off the table before standing.

"S...Sorry." It was barely even a whisper before she stepped around him and headed to her room. He gave a sigh as he heard her door shut and the lock click into place, before giving a groan and rubbing his hands across his face. It hadn't been her fault, damnit! He was the one to ask, and he knew about her ability for crying out loud! It shouldn't have caught him off guard that she could see past the facade he threw up now and then, but it had. It had honestly frightened him slightly, because it looked almost like she could see what he was hiding.

At the sound of a knock on his door, he gave another sigh. Looking over his shoulder to where she had disappeared to, he shoved off the couch and approached the apartment door. Opening it and allowing his friends in, not at all surprised when they blinked in confusion at his soured look but shook his head when Salamander began to open his mouth.

"Not gonna explain, so don't even ask."

Levy stroked her fingers through Pantherlily's fur, her eyes closed as she tried to rein in her emotions. She already knew that Gajeel would never harm her, but she just felt so bad for touching on a sore subject without even meaning to! That was one thing she hated about her ability, once she got into the zone in examining someone, she spouted whatever came to mind.

"I really should just stop using it. It gets me nothing but trouble." She grumbled, finally opening her eyes and pulling the black cat closer to her so she could nuzzle her face into his fur. Only to jump a mile when a soft knock sounded on her door.

"Um, excuse me! It's Levy right? I was wondering if I could come in and just talk? Gajeel and Natsu are playing a video game, and it's boring." A soft voice sounded, causing her to bite her bottom lip before slowly sliding off the bed and approaching the door. Flipping the lock, she opened the door, and did her best to fight back a blush as she met the kind gaze of a young, blonde woman who was not only taller than her, but more developed as well.

"Levy McGarden, right? I'm Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia." She offered, extending her right hand that showed the insignia for the Fairy Tail group. Giving a tight smile, she accepted the hand and shook it before stepping back.

"So, we managed to get the gist of what happened. How are you taking it?" Lucy asked, causing her to blink before moving to sit on the bed. Stroking Pantherlily as he nudged against her side before giving a sigh and shaking her head.

"I'm being nothing but a burden." Looking up at Lucy, she noticed that the smile had dropped to give a look of surprise.

"Really? Way I'm seeing it, is that Gajeel doesn't mind one bit. Which is saying something, since he's one of the brutes of the group." Levy blanched as Lucy dropped onto the bed as well, scratching under the cats chin before looking at Levy.

"I understand. It's not easy coming from a whole different world, and then being tossed headfirst into the Underground world. I personally have never met a member of Phantom Lord, but a few others have. Nothing pleasant from the way they talk, so for them to stake a claim on you. I can only imagine that part, but I understand the rest." She whispered, and Levy found herself turning to the blonde. Wanting nothing more than to connect with someone who knew how numb, frightened, and unsure she was feeling.

"I ran away from home because my father became an overbearing tyrant. Even going so far as to nearly marrying me off! I stayed on the streets for a while, and stumbled upon one of the group fights. When some realized that I wasn't a member of any group...I thought I was done for. But then, members of Fairy Tail surrounded me." Levy could only stare in awe as a loving expression came over Lucy's face as she stared at the mark on the back of her hand.

"Natsu, also known as Salamander, shouted that he'd put everyone in the ground if they dare approach me. The group took me in, but didn't even ask me to be a member, just saying that if I needed shelter or help for anything, I was more than welcomed to seek them out. I asked to become a member two weeks after meeting them, and that was more than two and a half years ago." Levy found her gaze moving to the pink tattoo on the back of the woman's hand, and bit her bottom lip before thinking about everything Gajeel had done for her the past few days.

"But...I'm not a fighter. At least, not in that way."

"You think I am?! Levy, I'm only a waitress at the groups hangout and a cheerer at the fights. Joining a group doesn't mean that you have to fight, at least, that's the way for Fairy Tail. If you did decide to join, then you would be consider part of the family, but you don't have to do anything if you didn't want to." Levy looked up at that, staring at her beaming smile in surprise.

"But...At Phantom Lord, if you weren't a fighter, you weren't nothing. They...They wanted me to fight, and use my ability to judge others abilities. They..When I refused, they said if I couldn't fight then I could...Could..."

"Phantom Lord is nothing but a bunch of pricks that need to be broken apart." The sudden voice caused her to jump and stare at the door where Gajeel and Salamander himself were standing.

"Finish your game?" Lucy asked the question like it was nothing, considering what they had been talking about.

"Iron Prick here cheated!" Salamander barked, actually pouting while pointing to the taller man beside him, who was just smirking.

"No idea what he's talking about. You doing okay, Shrimp? I didn't mean to snap earlier." Gajeel ended, and she gave a small smile.

"It's fine, I should apologize as well. I just get to into my analyzes and forget that I shouldn't voice everything out loud." She muttered, before squaring her shoulders and looking up at the two men. It was obvious that this group wasn't like the others, hell for all she knew Phantom Lord was the only group that did such nasty deeds. Maybe, just maybe she could become something by joining a good group!

"Is..Would it be possible for me to meet with the group leader of Fairy Tail?" If she wasn't so nervous, she might have smiled or laughed at their shocked expressions. However, her very nerves began to tremble at the thought of willingly going into an Underground group. What the hell was she thinking!? Just as Gajeel began to open his mouth, she shot from the bed and toward the bathroom. Just barely making it to the toilet as her nerves got the better of her and forced the contents of her stomach out.