Chapter 12: Home

Lucy was pretty quiet after we took off from Galuna. Really though, most of my passengers were asleep. After the battle, and once they got over the novelty of flying, most of them, the Lamia Scale team in particular, were out cold. Of course, they'd been up all night too. The small army of people Lyon and his friends had gathered up to help melt Ur's frozen form and thaw out the demon were apparently the survivors of some city up north that the demon had wiped off the map before being taken down by Ur who was frankly scary powerful. Not Master Makarov's level I'd say, but I don't think Erza would mess with her lightly.

Anyway, those people had been in possession of a ship and elected to just move to Fiore properly rather than stay out on Galuna Island. After collecting the reward from the villager demons who actually lived there, with a little help from Juvia, we saw their ship to the shore, bid them farewell, and then decided to give the Lamia Scale team a lift back home.

It was a bit out of the way for us, but Gray was quietly overjoyed to have his… adopted brother? Rival? Whatever the hell he is with Natsu applies to Lyon too and I could tell it would be just plain mean to not give them the chance to have their little family back together for every moment we could spare. Besides, with my Card Car it was a piece of cake to see them home.

The other thing was that the Lamia Scale team wanted to accompany us to deal with Lucy's father who apparently thought that attempting to annihilate our guild by starting a guild war was okay.

It was VERY not okay, and not just for the obvious reason of 'that's my new home and friends and if you ever even look at them funny again I will quite gleefully blast you into a stain on the wall'.

It turns out that guild wars between wizard guilds are a MAJOR no-no following an event known as the Second Trade War, which as best I can understand from my reading is something like a corporate based civil war on a scale near comparable to WWI.

The wizard guilds didn't participate in the first one, which was a HUGE mess but not big enough to prevent a second one, where wizards DID get involved and the newly formed Fairy Tail Guild in particular had wrought absolute HAVOC. Apparently, the guild's first generation along with the other wizard guilds racked up such a terrifying body count in that war that it led to the formation of the Magic Council and a massive treaty that was treated as something similar to the Geneva Conventions except the number one DON'T was getting the Wizard Guilds involved because wizards can make a MUCH bigger mess. 'Devastating entire country sides' big apparently, although given what just my team could do... that's not surprising.

I suppose Mr. Heartfilia wasn't a student of history, or perhaps he just thought he could buy his way out of the immediate imprisonment for trying to start a Wizard Guild War. Perhaps he could have, but more likely than not, he'd have been clapped in irons by the Rune Knights and dragged off to prison with all his assets seized by either the Magic Council or the Kingdom of Fiore itself. The King of Fiore, King Toma is by all accounts a pretty good king and wouldn't take someone trying to set off two of the most powerful magical powder kegs in his kingdom very well, especially since from what Juvia told us Jose's Phantom Lord would've quite cheerfully obliterated all of Magnolia to get rid of Fairy Tail.

Magnolia has a population of 60,000. Only about a hundred of those are Fairy Tail wizards. We had no intention at all of being gentle in setting Mr. Heartfilia straight, but he should be damned glad that we weren't taking this straight to the Council and letting them handle it.

Of course, if I kept hearing what I was overhearing from the memories Lucy was stewing in as we flew over the countryside… there was a fair chance he might actually not be living through this.

"Daddy look! I made a rice ball with your face on it!"

"I'm busy right now."

"…Oh, okay. I'm just gonna leave it right here then. It's not good to work on an empty stomach."

"DON'T YOU EVER LISTEN LUCY?! QUIT BEING SUCH A PEST! I DON'T WANT TO EAT YOUR SILLY RICE BALL!"

I heard the sound of him hitting something in her memories and my alarm and rage flashed through me so hard and so fast that I actually almost lost control of the Card Car for a second. The result was the whole thing jerking almost like I'd slammed on the brakes and everyone who was asleep being jolted awake.

I ignored the protests and concern and turned to Lucy, acutely aware that if I hadn't been wrapped in my Blackout Mode I'd be glowing like a halogen work lamp as I asked in a voice of extremely forced calm, "Lucy. Answer me a question. Did. That fucker. Hit you?"

Pure and utter confusion flashed through Lucy's mind and then it clicked. A hand went over her mouth, "Oh my god, have you been listening to my…"

"You're thinking very loudly and I want to know just how hard we need to beat down your jackass of a…he's not worthy of calling himself a father if that's how he treats his child," I declared furiously. If I were Natsu, I'd have been ensconced in a twenty foot high pillar of white hot flames and howling hell bent on some bloody murder.

"So I'll ask again," I said quietly, "Did. He. Hit you?"

She was so stunned that the honest answer couldn't help bubbling to her mind and then on out her mouth, "N-no! He was cold and mean, but he'd never…I…I mean…I don't think he would…"

I let out a shaky enraged breath as I forced my light magic back under control so that I was only lightly glowing. I was so mad I couldn't force it all the way off, even dimming it was taking a lot of effort, "Then I won't kill him." Instead I growled, "Gray…how good are you at freezing people solid?"

I didn't have to look to hear the look of immense concern on Gray's face, "Um, good? Dude, what's gotten into you?"

"I don't take it well when people mess with little kids," I ground out, "Emotional abuse is still abuse. Anyone who treats their child as a pest…" I ground my teeth and growled, "I think freezing him into a popsicle is fair, don't you?!"

Ur suddenly sat forward and draped herself across the seat between me and Lucy with a way too friendly smile on her face that told me she was trying to hold it together just as much as I was, "I'm sorry sweety, he treated her as a what? You said 'tha best' right? Because I could've sworn I heard you say 'pest' and that's just unacceptable."

I looked her dead in the eye and downloaded what I'd overheard into her head. Ur went ghost white, bit her lip and looked ready to murder Mr. Heartfilia on sight. We traded a nod as I declared, "I see you understand my line of thought perfectly."

I didn't need telepathy to know that Ur had 'I'm gonna kill him' playing on a loop in her head as she reached over and gave Lucy a tight hug that seemed to honestly only freak her out more. The way the temperature around us dropped about thirty degrees said plenty about Ur's opinion on the subject.

I could hear the concern and curiosity in the minds of the others, so I broadcasted it to them as well. I didn't have to look to know that they were as pissed as I was. We Fairy Tail wizards will cover our guild marks, this guy's apparently ignorant enough to think he can get away with starting a Guild War, odds are good he won't recognize us. Let's find out just how much extra beating he deserves and then give him a nasty little surprise.

Can we burn his house down? Natsu asked across the telepathic link.

Yes, Erza replied, I think we will.

Easy there, it's technically Lucy's once this dirtbag kicks the bucket, I thought back, We'll just blow up his office and beat the shit out of him. Try not to burn any of the books, Lucy loves books, we don't want to mess up any of hers.

He'd be a fool to press charges knowing that the reason we were there will come out, Lyon mused.

He was dumb enough to think he could get away with messing with Fairy Tail, Gray decided, He's definitely stupid enough to try pressing charges. Not that he'd win.

Master Jose would deny it to spite Fairy Tail and try to ruin them, Juvia warned, and Totomaru is VERY good at burning documents.

If he survives then they haven't buried all the evidence, Erza corrected, the Chairman of the Magic Council can read minds and extract information by force if he has to, and the Rune Knights have ample means to do so even without him. It would be a complete farce. The honesty enchantment on the witness stand would ruin him the instant he opened his mouth.

This jackass is willing to see an entire guild wiped out for inconveniencing him, do you think he'd hesitate to have Totomaru, Jose and anyone else involved assassinated? I thought darkly.

Juvia will warn Totomaru, Juvia thought resolutely, Totomaru wasn't as much of a meanie as Jose, but if anyone wants to kill Jose or Sol then Juvia's not going to stop them.

Maybe a nice innocent case of hypothermia… Being frozen in a block of ice for an extended period of time is extremely bad for you… I thought with, admittedly perhaps a little too much relish. This was pointed out to me by Erza bopping me over the head.

"STOP THAT." She scolded me.

Too much? I mused as I rubbed my head with my good hand and glanced over my shoulder at her.

The general consensus from everyone else in on our little mental conversation was that I was indeed veering into psycho territory.

"Stop what?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"Jerry apparently dips into his 'Evil Genius' abilities when he is upset," Erza explained before I could open my mouth.

Bit more than a dip… I muttered internally.

"Yes, that was full on skinny dipping," Erza agreed with a nod, prompting me to realize I was still broadcasting right before she shouted, "PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON!"

Lyon and Gray had both lost their shirts at the mention of skinny dipping and now sheepishly recovered them as a blushing Juvia glanced between them rapidly. I was then made aware that both of them were quite attractive by Juvia's standards. Luckily for Juvia though, despite being able to still tell what everyone was thinking, I had shut off the telepathic connection by then so I could think my diabolical thoughts in peace.

Yes, I was still very much thinking diabolical thoughts and I was actually thinking some considerably nastier ones than I had been because I'd just heard Lucy wonder to herself how much worse it would've gone over if I had realized and told the others that the memory I'd overheard was from her birthday.

…

…

We touched down at the end of the main street of a little town nestled in a peaceful little valley between three low mountains. It was a lush and grassy valley with an abundance of wild flowers outside the boundaries of the small… it wasn't really big enough to call it a town since there were only maybe two dozen or so buildings on the single street, so I'll go with village. Really it was all one giant meadow, a natural garden of the finest caliber. It was here that we got our first glimpse at where Lucy had grown up: the sprawling edifice known as Heartfilia Manor.

To call Heartfilia Manor a house would've been a strong contender for 'understatement of the century'. It was bigger than the Guild Hall, and considerably fancier. Heck, it was probably bigger than every other building in the valley combined! Palace was a more appropriate word than manor. "Lucy you didn't tell us you were friggin' royalty."

Lucy blushed as pink as Natsu's hair as Natsu's head whipped around in surprise, "I-I'm not! Daddy just owns one of the biggest railroad companies in the kingdom…"

"So you're not royalty in the sense of nobody from your family's married a prince or princess yet," I drawled as we strolled down the street with the rest of the party in tow, "As far as wealth goes, yeah. I think you're probably richer than the royalty of some countries. Do you have the faintest clue how much it would cost to build a place like this?"

"It was a few billion jewel…" Lucy muttered. Natsu and I were the only ones that heard her and our sudden stop brought the whole party to a stop in the middle of the street. I shook it off quickly, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Billions?" Natsu squeaked. The rest of us started moving again, Natsu just stayed there frozen in shock until Erza threw him over her shoulder like a sack of flour and just kept walking like it was nothing unusual.

"I gotta say Lucy," Gray mused as he looked around, "I'm kinda diggin' your hometown. This is really nice."

"Agreed," Lyon declared, "It does have a very welcoming atmosphere."

A chorus of approval started ringing out from the rest of the party and I noticed Lucy's blush getting pinker and pinker until she was nearly the color of Erza's hair. Then the thought in her head solidified into words and, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE ENTIRE VALLEY AND EVERYTHING IN IT IS JUST PART OF THE ESTATE?!"

Lucy flinched and then as the entire group stopped and gave stunned voice to their surprise, she glared at me, "QUIT TELLING PEOPLE WHAT I'M THINKING!"

I raised my hands in apology, "Sorry, sorry, that one surprised me. Would you like to know what some of the others are thinking?"

I suddenly found a blade at my throat, "How about you keep quiet, keep walking and keep out of my head?" Erza asked me in a voice frostier than any of the ice wizards could've pulled off. There was no mercy in those eyes for anyone who refused. I immediately teleported the rest of the way down the street and started talking to the very startled little old lady sweeping off the front walk of what I now realized was a stupidly huge and well maintained garden.

The instant I told her we'd brought Lucy to see her father, carefully avoiding the topic of why, and pointed her towards the collection of wizards making their way down the street with Lucy out front, she immediately took off faster than I would've expected her to be able to, running to hug Lucy.

…

…

The rest of us were shown to a very sizable lounge to wait while Lucy was dragged off by her family's servants for a bath. It was clear from their smiles and Lucy's light protests that there was no need for us to intervene, so we waited patiently until Lucy came back almost an hour later looking considerably refreshed with fresh clothes on. I'd heard something with my telepathy about a dress which she'd managed to politely refuse, instead opting for a white top and dark blue skirt. She asked us to join her and her magic tutor, who'd been happily chatting with us while we waited and had an idea of just how strong we were, managed to warn the other servants off trying to dissuade us as we rose to follow her to her father's study.

The walk there only hammered home how big the place was, the hallways were all at least twelve feet high and over fifteen wide, the windows were huge, there was fancy trim everywhere…I was starting to think that Lucy had really meant a couple dozen billion jewel to build this place. Plush carpet over every bit of floor, not a speck of dust anywhere…just how rich was Lucy's dad?!

The so called 'study' was as tall as a gymnasium, had a huge window in the back that went all the way to the ceiling and bookshelves all the way to the ceiling with a balcony on either side for access to the higher shelves. The amount of wealth on display here was quite frankly absurd, and it was a clear testament to the power of the blonde man in the brown suit with the neatly trimmed mustache who I knew from her memories was Lucy's father Jude Heartfilia.

It took Jude Heartfilia exactly ninety eight seconds to make every last wizard present, myself included, completely and utterly snap. We had been trying to keep our tempers in check, we really had. It was only to give Lucy a chance to say what she needed without being interrupted, but still, we had been trying.

If he hadn't been so shocked by the way everything around him was suddenly exploding and being frozen in place while the remains reared up to grab him as about a hundred various sharp pointy weapons and dear god was that a dragon made of snow? all aimed themselves square at his face, he would most certainly have soiled his britches. As was, I'm pretty sure he still peed himself inside that ice block Ur had materialized around him as he belatedly realized that we did not work for Phantom Lord and we did not give even a fraction of a shit about his money.

"YOU WANNA RUN THAT BY US AGAIN?!" We roared in unison as we went completely and utterly snap.

What did Jude Heartfilia say that made us all go completely and utterly snap?

He tried to say it was Lucy's fault that he'd tried to eradicate Fairy Tail.

Jude Heartfilia's jaw worked mutely for a minute. He looked like a fish out of water. It might've been funny if I hadn't been wrestling so hard with the urge to blow his damn head off.

Lucy smiled thinly, "Daddy, meet my guild and my guild's friends. Just so you know, Phantom Lord lost before they even got started, bringing me back here was Juvia's last job for Phantom before she joins Fairy Tail, and if you ever try to mess with us again, I'll be back to let you get very acquainted with my raging pyromaniac teammates."

"Trust us…" I growled as I glowed like a lightbulb. "You don't want that," Natsu finished as flames danced in his palms.

Lucy nodded, "Case in point. I didn't come back here to make amends. I came to say my final goodbyes. I'm not 'Lucky Lucy Heartfilia' anymore, I'm Lucy of Fairy Tail. Keep your money and, Jerry was I right about the arranged marriage guess?"

"Yep," I growled as I cracked my knuckles and cranked the glowing up a few lumens.

"You can keep the arranged marriages too," Lucy continued. Her gaze dropped to the ground, "I don't want money, or wealth or any of those things. Money can't buy you happiness. I've known that since I was a little girl. What I want," her gaze rose to meet his with as much steel as Erza's full armory, "all I ever wanted from you, was to feel loved. At Fairy Tail, I feel loved, like I have a family. That's something I never got from you. It didn't have to be this way," she said sadly, "We could've sat down and talked it out, but now I can't trust you." She shook her head and looked at him, "I truly believe that if Mom were still alive, she'd tell me to follow my heart and be true to myself. It was hard to leave this house, but only because I have so many fond memories of living here with Mom. So this is goodbye, Daddy…"

She turned and walked out. We all watched her go and then turned murderous glares on Jude Heartfilia. Ur strode forward and slapped the hell out of him. It was one hell of a slap too, sounded like a gunshot going off. "As a mother myself," Ur said quietly, "I can tell you that your wife would be absolutely disgusted with you, and if she had even a fraction of Lucy's spine, she wouldn't have been your wife for much longer." Then she turned and strode out after Lucy.

Next it was our turn. Erza strode forward and leveled a sword at his throat with a death glare, "The only reason you are not drawing your final breaths right now for your attempt to destroy our home is because Lucy asked us not to hurt you. I doubt she will show such compassion a second time, and I most certainly will not."

Erza sheathed her sword and dismissed her armory's worth of floating weapons before turning and striding out.

Gray was next. He kept his message short and sweet. He flipped Jude the bird and strode out.

Then was Natsu. He got right up in Jude's face, flames licking out the corner of his mouth. I couldn't hear quite what Natsu said, but when he stepped away, Jude was ghostly pale.

Juvia waved her hand with a scoff as she turned to leave, "Juvia has nothing to say to scum like Jude Heartfilia."

Lyon took a step forward as Juvia strode out, "Do not come to Lamia Scale for help. We do not want the business of someone like you." Lyon turned and strode out, his team falling in step behind him.

Then it was just me and Jude. I strode over to him, "Also, in case you were unaware of it, attempting to bankroll a violation of the Interguild Dispute Interdiction Treaty, especially between WIZARD guilds, is an offense punishable in every country on the continent by death after having all assets immediately frozen as soon as the investigation begins. Your little stunt could've cost sixty thousand people their lives. I'd say sixty thousand and one, but you don't get to count as a 'people' anymore after what I heard in Lucy's memories of you." I clamped my hand onto his forehead, "I promised Lucy I wouldn't hurt you, but I'm going to make damn sure you understand how much you hurt her. DOWNLOAD!"

As golden bars appeared all around us in the air and started rapidly turning blue, I saw his eyes bug out and start rolling. He let out some rather pitiful sounds and would've probably thrashed and struggled if he wasn't encased in ice. When the download bars were all solid blue, I let his head go, all the emotional turmoil from his years of neglecting Lucy lodged firmly in his mind.

"You WILL stay away from Fairy Tail from now on. You will not even set foot in Magnolia for any reason except the very sincerest desire to make amends with Lucy. Your mind WILL be checked for your true intentions before a meeting will be allowed, and heaven help you if we find out you're there to manipulate, trick, hurt or take advantage of her. Don't test us, you won't survive that mistake again," I warned him coldly.

I caught the handle of the door as I passed through it and paused to look over my shoulder, "Crappy days to you Mr. Heartfilia, now please feel free to catch pneumonia and die after a protracted and drawn out period of miserably regretting not giving your sweet wonderful daughter the love she deserved when you had the chance. Good luck cuddling your money, I hope it gives you a paper cut!"

I strode out and slammed the door behind me with my telekinesis. It might never be too late to forgive and make a friend, but there are some times when a person just isn't even close to being worth the effort. Then I paused as a very nasty little thought occurred to me when I was almost to the front door.

I backtracked via teleport and pushed the door open a little to poke my head in and give him a flat look, "If you happen to decide that you want to legitimately reconcile with Lucy, and I will check with my telepathy, then we will tolerate your presence long enough for you to make the attempt. If you are successful and she forgives you, then we will consider you extended family provided you start acting like an actual father. I'd hate for you to reconcile with her and then actually die, but if you're going to keep being a heartless scumbag, then by all means, go ahead and die. Door's open, it's up to you whether or not you take it."

Then I teleported away.

…

…

After that, we dropped the Lamia Scale wizards off at their guild in a city of canals that I decided I very much wanted to come back and check out in more depth some time, and flew on back to Fairy Tail. Ur came with us after promising to visit Lamia Scale just as often as Fairy Tail because Lyon clearly didn't want her to leave. If it weren't so sweet, one might've found some room for teasing or mockery in how very desperate Lyon seemed to make sure Ur would never leave again. However only a complete scumbag would laugh at an orphan's, no, any child's reaction to miraculously getting their mother back. It doesn't matter how old they are, you don't laugh at someone's love for their mother.

We weren't able to kick the party off right away when we got back, although the whole guild immediately started rushing to decorate and prepare for what was going to be one of the biggest parties of the year. Fairy Tail as I later found out, had a lot of orphans. For one of those orphans to get one of their parents back? Blood or not, that was cause for the very grandest of celebrations.

First though, there was something very important to take care of.

Natsu, Lucy and Happy had almost totally forgotten what had brought us to Galuna in the first place. In wake of Ur's return and Phantom Lord's shenanigans, I think almost everyone else had as well.

Not Erza, and admittedly, not me either.

Before anyone could celebrate, there was a sound of gauntlet meeting skull, face meeting floor and flying cat being snatched out of the air. Erza's death glare landed on Lucy and she absolutely growled, "MARCH."

Then they all remembered. All three of them went ghostly pale and Lucy turned and obediently marched in front of Erza over to Master Makarov while Erza dragged Natsu and Happy. I followed behind them along with Gray and Juvia in the silence that immediately fell in wake of Erza, well…pulling an Erza.

Master immediately righted himself and sobered up from where he'd been reclining in his usual spot on the bar and put on his best serious face. To my surprise, he had a remarkably terrifying serious face even when he barely came up to my waist. A part of me wondered if he had given Erza lessons on it at some point, because his was scarier.

This wasn't our usual, cheerful and happily buzzed Gramps who sat on the bar all day. This was the Wizard Saint, the sleeping giant who had more than earned his right to be called MASTER of Fairy Tail. Erza's air of authority could make the whole guild clam up and start sweating. Master Makarov? Right then? SO much scarier… I was on edge just from being in close proximity to the targets of that look, and I noticed Gray was in his underwear, but Juvia was still hiding behind him anyway.

Natsu and Happy both looked liable to faint from sheer terror, and Lucy looked like she might start hyperventilating at any moment.

Master eyed them imperiously and said in a quiet but carrying voice, "Natsu. Happy. Lucy." I'm still not sure how he managed to do that, putting that much disappointment and accusation and cold simmering anger into just their names. The disappointment was the worst though. It wasn't even aimed at me and I could still barely repress a flinch. It was worse for them though, I could almost hear their hearts skip a beat before hammering like mad. Maybe it was the way their breathing went from near still in fear to ragged shuddering wheezes of terror…

Master let that hang in the air for what felt like a long time and then, "You have broken guild rules. Trespassing onto the second floor, where you had been reminded the very same day that you were not allowed to be, taking an S-Class quest without permission when you could very easily have asked Erza to take you on one... These are serious offenses alone, but Natsu and Happy…"

That disappointment was there again and I can only imagine how much like a knife in the gut it must have felt for Natsu, "You who knew better, you lied to Lucy about the severity of your crimes and tricked her into being your accomplice on a mission which could very easily have put her life in extreme danger, and you chose the reward which you specifically knew would be most enticing and difficult for her to resist. Then when Gray came to retrieve you, you knocked him out and tied him up, as you were getting on a boat to sail through tumultuous waters, directly putting his life in danger."

Master's glare intensified, "Do you understand Natsu? Not only did you trick Lucy into a stupid and reckless stunt, you directly put Gray in harm's way. I know you two are rivals and that you fight all the time, but if you seriously care that little for your guildmate's wellbeing…" He let it hang in the air. Nobody could have come close to mistaking the weight of what Natsu had done.

"Trespassing and stealing an S-Class quest, I might could have overlooked to an extent because it turned out well in the end," Master said quietly, "But manipulating your comrades and placing them into danger is unacceptable. For that, your punishment will be quite severe indeed."

The whole guild seemed to hold its breath, Natsu and Happy were as white as sheets and Lucy looked like she might be sick at any moment.

Master took a deep breath and then sighed it out, "To begin with, none of you shall receive any pay for the Galuna Island job. That will go to Erza, Jerry, Gray and our newest member Juvia. The Celestial Gate Key which was part of the reward will go to Jerry as he can use it just as well as Lucy."

The golden key in my pocket suddenly felt like it weighed a million pounds even as I nodded. The collector in me had wanted it immediately, but at the same time…that wasn't quite how I wanted to get it.

"Secondly," Master continued, "Natsu and Happy, you two are as of now on probation. One more boneheaded stunt out of EITHER of you over the next six months, and you're BOTH! OUT! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" Natsu and Happy's souls were circling around their ghostly pale forms as they weakly nodded.

"Lastly," Master declared, "As punishment for trespassing on the second floor and stealing an S-Class quest, I have a very fitting punishment for all three of you." They all three stiffened and Master turned his gaze to Erza, "Erza, would you be willing to help me make this punishment happen?"

"Of course Master," Erza replied curtly, "Name it and I shall make it happen."

Master jerked his head towards the stairs, "Go pick the nastiest sounding S-Class quest you feel like handling, and these three are going to accompany you… for no reward. If they want the rewards for being S-Class so badly, then I can think of no more fitting punishment than withholding those rewards after they've gone through all the trouble."

Erza nodded, "Very well. I shall be back swiftly." She headed for the stairs and then paused, "May I bring more teammates with me? I would like to have someone a little more trustworthy at my back." Ouch! That verbal jab wasn't even aimed at me and I still winced slightly. I could tell from the way Natsu flinched like she'd slapped him that her words had hit their mark perfectly.

Master nodded, "Of course. Same rules as normal apply for you and everyone else."

Erza nodded, "I see." Then she turned her gaze to me, "Jerry, would you mind accompanying me on this mission?"

Well hot damn if that didn't give me some warm fuzzies of pride along with the shock at being Erza's first pick! I stared for a full thirty seconds before snapping my dropped jaw shut with a grin and snapping a salute, "I'm in Erza."

Erza nodded with a smile, "Excellent. I'll be back momentarily."

Master nodded, "Good, good. Now then, just one more thing." BAM! Master smashed Natsu and Happy into the floor with a suddenly giant sized hand, "HOW COULD YOU MAKE ME WORRY SO MUCH YOU MORONS?!"

"Sorry Gramps…" Natsu and Happy mumbled miserably. Lucy bowed repeatedly and echoed the sentiment.

The guild was about to go back to normal, I could feel it in the air, then someone started clapping slowly.

We turned and saw three figures silhouetted in the doorway.

One was Ultear, who looked like she was walking around in something of a daze.

One was a little girl with hair as pink as Natsu's that made me immediately wonder if she was related to him.

The one clapping was in the middle. He was a tall old man with an eye patch and a long white beard. He looked like a nice guy, weathered and wise and probably a bit stern...kinda like what I imagined when I thought of Merlin, or maybe Odin given the eyepatch. In other words, a wizard's WIZARD.

He also had a staff with the Fairy Tail emblem on top of it I noticed. Then he called, "Well handled boy. You've grown into the Guild Master I hoped you'd be. I'm glad to see you've been taking care of everything so well in my absence."

My head whipped around to look at Master Makarov and I saw that he looked just as stunned as Natsu had been terrified. Master Makarov's mouth worked mutely for a moment and then he breathed in shock, "Master Precht?!"