{Hello my amazing GaLe shippers! Here is the final chapter before the epilogue! Please favorite/follow and comment to show the love!

I have a mug of hot tea, a glitchy laptop, so lets get to it!}

-Levy-

It had been several months since Gajeel left the little bookworm alone at her village. Magnolia had been relieved and happy that their new librarian was finally back from her journey, though some were actually rather upset that she didn't get to see what was really inside of the mountain cave(though she really did, but refused to give out Gajeel's location). Lily was growing up fast, appearing more and more as her mother each and ever day, with Natsu's pink hair of course! Life was getting back to normal for the village, or so it seemed.

Levy was spending more and more time indoors. In fact, she hadn't visited anyone in the last three months. Lucy even attempted to break into her home, but the clever bookworm had a feeling that she would. She changed the locks on all of her doors, and she even acquired special locks on her windows as well. She wanted no one to see her in the state that she was in.

She was still depressed that her love felt as if he didn't deserve her. True, the beast within him had done something that would change the average woman for the worst. But for Levy, it was quite different. She didn't blame the hybrid, as she knew that he constantly dealt with the insane fact that another being lived within him, his dragon. She knew that if anyone were to blame someone, it would be the one being that no one could punish...unless beating up Gajeel counted.

But it doesn't count for me. I'm not mad at him, not at all. I...I love him. I'm not afraid to admit that anymore. He may be an idiot when it comes to making decisions, but he's my idiot.

To make matters worse for the little woman, she was heavily pregnant with his child, their child. She was nearing full-term, which meant that she would have to face the village soon, tell them that there was more to her two week disappearance than what she had originally revealed to them. They would end up mad at her for sure, but it wasn't her that she feared for. It was Gajeel and their baby. She was afraid that the village would attempt to harm them both, the baby for being the result of something negative, and Gajeel for, well the obvious.

Levy was walking towards the spare room in the back. Opening the door, she smiled at the sight.

There was an iron crib, which included a cozy mattress and black and red covers. She nearly laughed at that, knowing that Gajeel wouldn't allow their child to be near anything "sissy".

He had made her this crib, bought her these blankets, and somehow managed to clean out her spare room and paint it a deep orange, contrasting from her bright orange walls in the other rooms. He managed to move everything in this room, managed to do all of these things without waking her up at night. When she first discovered what had happened to the room, she cried for the entire day, especially when she found a note taped to the side of the crib.

Just making sure you don't sissy our baby, Little Shrimp. I told you that I would always watch over you.

-Gajeel

From then on, it made her less depressed, knowing that her dragon wasn't fully out of her life. She figured out that the dragon visited her during the late night hours, while she slept. It gave her the idea to try and stay awake, hoping that she would catch the dragon hybrid, but it seemed that he always would know her motives. Whenever she tried this, he would never come during the night, but after waking up from finally passing out, she would smell his iron/outdoorsy scent on the pillow next to her. His scent always made her smile every morning, knowing that he was there next to her, protecting his mate and unborn child.

But despite the fact that he never truly left the little blunette alone, she still needed more. She wanted to see his face again, to hear his strange yet unique laugh. She wanted to see him and Pantherlily chase each other around. She wanted to see his ruby red eyes, staring at her with that same concern that she had seen before when she was injured. She wanted to hear his gruff, deep voice again. She wanted all of that, and Levy had hope that one day, maybe one day, Gajeel would visit her, wake her up, and give her the life she wanted now so desperately.

A sudden pain shocked the bookworm, a pain coming from her stomach area. At first, she had assumed that it was merely a kick from the unborn infant. However, as time passed, the pain became stronger and more unbearable. At this point, Levy could barely walk. Her water suddenly broke, and the young woman knew instantly at what was going on.

Oh no! I'm going into labor!

Feeling frightened, Levy waddled over towards her front door, unlocking it and leaving her house. She never had to leave her house before, as she always woke up to having her cabinets and refrigerator stocked with food, from who could only be Gajeel, of course. She was leaving the house for the first time in months, ever since she acquired a very visible baby bump. Ignoring the shocking stares of passing villagers, she made her way to Lucy's house as quickly as she possibly could. Once she made it there, she didn't even think to knock, as she was currently in a great deal of pain. Barging in, she saw no one in the living room or the kitchen.

"Lucy! Lucy! I need you, now! Please!" the bookworm cried out, tears pouring down her face from the combination of pain and panic.

"Levy?! Why have you been locking yourself away?! Do you having something w-Oh my gosh! Levy!"

The tall blonde rushed over to her best friend, leading her towards the guest room in the back. Opening the door, she led the pained blunette over towards the bed, pulling the covers back and helping her lay down. Lucy was obviously confused, not knowing how something like this could even possibly happen.

"Levy? How did this happen?!" she asked her, nearly panicking as much as her friend.

"It's a long s'story, just...p'please help me," Levy whimpered out.

Lucy nodded, inspecting Levy. "You're already too far along to be transported to the clinic safely. I'll boil some hot water and go and get the elder woman. She's also a doctor."

Levy wanted to groan, not wanting that particular woman near her child, mostly because of the fact that she wasn't sure how...dragon the infant would look. She already knew that Lucy would certainly freak out when she saw the infant.

"L'luce...I, I do-"

"Look, Levy. I know you don't like the woman, but we need her right now! Think about your baby, okay? Now, I'm going to get her, whether you like it or not!" Lucy stormed away, leaving the house.

She hated that the two women, one her friend and the other an annoying village member, were both staring at her, both searching for answers from within the little bookworm. She successfully delivered two quarter dragon hybrid babies, a boy and a girl. The boy had his father's black hair and piercing red eyes, yet he had his mother's face shape and pale skin. The girl looked so much like her father, the only difference being her light blue hair color and her mother's eye shape. Other than that, she had her father's eye color, face shape, and darker skin tone.

But there was something else that they had. Both infants were covered with patches of silver dragon scales every now and then, and they also had tiny dragon wings attached to their backs. Even though they were newborns, the women instantly noticed that they already had two tiny fangs, the boy's fangs being slightly longer.

"I should have known," the old woman grumbled out.

Both Lucy and Levy gave the elder a curious look.

"Levy McGarden experienced something similar to Diana Mooncross. These are the monster's children, no doubt. Oh, you poor little dear. But no matter, I will make sure that our men kill this beast, and then we can get rid of these...beastly mutants," the elder explained.

Levy suddenly growled at the elder, her eyes flashing red. "No! Stay away from him and my children! He's not a monster, he's my soul mate! Rogue and Delea are wanted by us! Diana was loved by Metalicana, don't you see that?! They were mates, spouses, true lovers! Gajeel and I are the same! We will marry and raise our family together!"

But the elder only tsked at the new mother. "You poor thing. It seems as if the monster has brainwashed you. But no matter! Once he and the mutants are dead, you should return back to normal." And with that said, the elder woman left Lucy's house.

Levy, holding her children, nuzzled them and cried softly. "Luce...Lucy, they can't kill them. I love them, Lucy. I love them so much.

"I know. And are you sure you love the mon-, erm Gajeel? Are you totally sure, Levy?" Lucy asked.

The woman nodded, smiling through her tears. "Yes, Lucy. I love him...so very much."

"Well, then we need to stop the village from killing him! Can you stand?"

Levy laughed. "I have dragon blood now, Lucy. Of course I can."

Shocking her blonde friend, Levy successfully managed to stand up, holding both of her infants close to her. Lucy rushed into the nursery and grabbed Lily from her crib. Together, they both ran out of the house, running towards the center of the village. Already, soldiers were gathered, Natsu in the front of them all. Jellal was also there, his arm wrapped around Erza. Gray, despite not being a soldier, was standing among them, with dark blue armor on.

"This monster has gone too far! He impregnates one of our own with his evil spawn, brainwashes her into believing that she loves him, and leaves her with us, possibly hoping that we will kill her. But we will save our librarian and kill this fool! We will torture this beast and let him die a slow, painful death!" Jellal yelled towards everyone.

Everyone in the crowd cheered, except for Natsu. He had an uneasy and even guilty look upon his face. Lucy, who was standing on the side-lines with Levy, seemed to wonder what was wrong with him. Levy was raging, her sharp canines grinding together. Her eyes were narrowed towards the old woman who stood beside Jellal and Erza. It was her fault after all.

"Yeah! Let's charge into his home, beat him senseless for messing with Levy!" Gray yelled out.

The crowed cheered again, preparing to leave the village and travel to the mountains. Tears fell from Levy's eyes, knowing that she wouldn't make it there after so recently giving birth. Her infants whimpered in her hold, scared of the loud noises. She kissed them on their foreheads, comforting them. Lucy watched her friend and saw how tenderly the new mother cared for her babies. It was then that the blonde knew for certain that Levy truly did love them.

"You ain't gotta go off and try an' find me. I'm right here," a gruff voice called out once the crowd fell silent.

Turning around, the crowd, Levy, and Lucy, spotted Gajeel walking towards them. His eyes were not focused on the crowd, but Levy and his children. "If you wanna kill me, go ahead. I ain't gonna stop ya. I deserve it anyways."

Jellal sneered towards the dragon hybrid, aiming a pistol at him. "You're a sick animal, you know that? Do you take pleasure in getting innocent teenagers pregnant like that?! I would have preferred to torture you, but shooting you in the head would be fine with me too."

The blue headed man steadied his pistol, ready to shoot. Before he got the chance too, the little bookworm suddenly shot out, running towards Gajeel as fast as she could. She held her children securely against her chest, making sure that they wouldn't fall. Reaching the hybrid, she sobbed into his shirt, nuzzling her face into his chest.

"You idiot! You stupid idiot!" she kept saying, sobbing louder and louder.

"Levy..." Gajeel wrapped his arms around his mate, bringing her closer to him. He nuzzled the top of her head, kissing her there. They remained in this position, the infants gripping onto their father's shirt.

"Levy! Get away from that monster!" Gray suddenly shouted out.

Natsu shook his head. "No, leave them be."

"What?! Why should we?!" both Jellal and Gray asked.

The pink headed man walked up further to the front, gathering everyone's attention. "You guys are all wrong! Levy isn't crazy! Gajeel and Levy are indeed mates! It's a custom among dragons. Their dragon picks a soul mate from birth, and once the human part of the dragon reaches maturity, they find their mates. It's usually love at first sight. He's not a monster! At one point in history, it was common for dragons to take human form and have human mates. I should know."

Lucy was watching Natsu with widened eyes, shocked at the fact that he wasn't set out to kill the dragon hybrid like everyone.

"And how would you know? Your a human, like us!" Gray shouted.

But Natsu shook his head. "I'm not, Gray. Just like Gajeel, I'm also half dragon. My father, Igneel, had a human mate. And I have a human mate as well...Lucy. She knows what I truly am, but I told her to never say or do anything that would reveal this secret. I wanted to have a normal, human life, but now I know that that was a stupid idea. I'm half dragon, and I should embrace that side."

The crowd was shocked, everyone gaping at Natsu. Levy turned around, meeting eyes with her best friend.

"Lucy, is that true?" she asked.

The blonde smiled. "Yes, it is. Why else did you think I would be so willingly to help you? I know what it feels like to be the mate of a dragon, I really do." Levy giggled and smiled towards her friend.

Jellal suddenly glared at Natsu. "So now you're a threat to us as well?"

"Why would you think that? You've known me for years, trained me to be the commander in fact. You even told me that you trusted me with your life. Why would you suddenly take everything back because of my species?" Natsu raised a brow at the village leader.

Taken aback at the commander's words, Jellal sighed. "You have a point Natsu. And what about this...Gajeel guy? Do you know him?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't, but that doesn't matter. I'm sure all the guy wants is to be able to live with his mate and kids in peace. How would you feel if you were afraid to be with Erza because of the fact that her village would most likely kill you? How would you feel if you had to be something that you're not just to fit in? How would you feel if you had to make the love of your life keep your true identity away from everyone? The life of a dragon hybrid isn't easy. We just want a place to call home. We want freedom to be who we are without the risk of us or our families getting killed. We could have that place here, if you don't mind. Think about it, Jellal. There would be no way a rival could wipe out this village, not with two dragon hybrids on your side."

The leader thought about it, his scowl erasing from his face. After a few moments of thinking over what Natsu told him, a small smile appeared on his face. "I believe you, Commander Natsu."

"I declare that Natsu and Gajeel are now allowed to be apart of this village, not as humans, but as their true species, as dragon hybrids! We will allow them the freedom to be who they want to be. And I must ask, are there anymore amongst us with dragon blood?

A small girl with dark blue hair and brown eyes walked over from where the children were standing, shaking slightly. "Uh..I am, sir."

Nodding, Jellal smiled at the girl. "Wendy, isn't it? Do not be afraid anymore. We apologize for our arrogant behavior, believing gossip from the elder woman."

"Hey!" the old woman shouted.

Everyone merely shook their heads towards the woman.

Smiling, Levy turned back around, staring up at Gajeel. "You can stay with me, Gajeel. I have a house big enough for our family."

He stared down at her, a frown on his face. "Levy...I'I can't. I can't be with ya after what I did to ya."

"But that wasn't you! It was your stupid, inpatient, and dumb dragon. I love you both, but geez. I know he's much more animal than human. I saw how he took care of Jet and Droy. I'm not mad at you, I promise. I just want you back. Our babies need a father, and I need the one that I love," she told him, tears falling down her face.

Leaning down, Gajeel stared at Levy, his own eyes watering. "I don't wanna hurt ya ever again, Shrimp."

"You won't." She leaned up more and kissed him gently, pouring out her love into the kiss.

Gajeel smiled through the kiss and brought her closer, the babies keeping a small space between them. Pulling apart, the hybrid ruffled his children's hair, smiling down at both his mate and children.

"You didn't name them anything sissy, right?"

"Of course not, Gajeel."