Hello boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.

So yeah, 488 happened and it hit me just as badly as Musica and Reina. I had no desire to do the next chapter of Der Freischutz. The moment I finished that chapter, an idea hit me. This idea. So, in order to free myself from these thoughts, I put them on paper and, behold, it is now what you see before me. So if you wish, indulge me for this idea.

The Two of Us, Together, Side-by-Side

Darkness...

Not the kind of darkness that comes at night. This was the absence of everything, a void, eternal, infinite and inescapable.

This is where he found himself. To be fair, he wasn't himself in the sense as he knew himself. The heraldry of his body was gone. There was no face, no head, no head, no nails, no chest, no arms, no legs, no body. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't smell, couldn't feel. He was just his mind...a mind floating in the vast emptiness of nothingness.

How long has he been floating in this place?

Days?

Weeks?

Months?

Years?

Longer?

He couldn't tell. Time wasn't really a factor in this place.

Why was he here?

He could vaguely remember.

He was once in a world full of light. There was one light in particular, he remembered. He was very attached to this light, as he recalled. He wanted to protect this light. If he concentrated very hard, he could almost picture it. Small and blue.

Was it blue? It's been so long. He couldn't recall.

But something threatened the light. That much, he could remember. And he fought harder than he had ever had to protect it. Something about that fight caused him to end up here. But he was content about it. He had protected the light.

Floating in a void without the concept of time is boring. But what was there to do but float?

Out of nowhere, there was a loud screeching sound, like the sound of metal scraping against metal. This was very strange as he couldn't really hear anything. So what was that sound?

"Is this the brat that I raised?" Something said, again making no sense as he really couldn't hear anything. "Is this mighty Kurogane Gajeel?"

Gajeel? Was that his name? Why did it feel so nostalgic?

"How pitiful." The voice spat. "You can't even answer me. Have you lost your voice?"

Why was this voice being so hostile to him? What did he do to deserve this?

"What happened to the brat who once said that he would kick my ass one day?" The voice continued to berate him. "Is he just a collection of thoughts now? Pitiful."

"What the hell is your problem?" He spoke. Then it occurred to him. He spoke...with a voice...that said words...

"So you can speak filthy words at least." The voice said. "But that's all you can do. You can't even see me, dumbass."

"Dumbass, am I?" He roared. Gajeel felt something blinding him. It was light. Light. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time. Sight. He had forgotten about seeing. That was when he saw who the voice belonged to.

"Metallicana." He said.

It was the Iron Dragon, in all his metal glory. He was just as he remembered him, large, metal, with wings that seemed to encompass the sky.

"You still have that vile look in your eyes." Metallicana mocked.

"Screw you." He said and, from out of the void, his middle finger appeared, making an obscene gesture. To see his middle finger pop into existence was rather bizarre, especially considering that for who knows how long, he was just his mind.

"Now I have to see you flip me off?" Metallicana spat. "Well, it's better than seeing your long, grungy hair."

"My hair is magnificent, see?" He said and found that his finger was now surrounded by other fingers, connected to a hand. In that hand was his long hair.

"Why are you struggling so to remember who you are?" Metallicana asked. "Why not surrender?"

"I have to return." He answered triumphantly.

"To who?" The dragon pressed.

That made him freeze. Why was he doing this? He was left pondering who it was he needed to return to. All he could remember was blue and light...a smile...warmth... a woman. That blue light made him happy. Why couldn't he remember her name? It was on the tip of her tongue.

"Pitiful." Metallicana clucked his tongue. "You sacrificed your body for that person. Now you can't remember who it was you did it for?"

"I did it for Levy." His mind said before he could really think on it.

Levy. That's right. Her name was Levy.

It was in that instance that he realized what Metallicana was trying to do. He was making him imagine himself as he was before and return to the one he loved.

"Fine, idiot dragon." Gajeel felt himself grin. "What else don't you like about me?"

Six years.

It had been six years since that day.

It is said that time heals all wounds. That's not completely true. The pain is always there, all the time. It just hurts less and less as days go by.

Back when the pain was fresh, people in the guild didn't even say his name out loud. Many of them thought they were doing her a favor by not mentioning Gajeel's name...and while she did appreciate the thought, it felt like they were trying to erase him from the guild.

There were days that she looked around the guild and see the couples that formed after everything that's happened. Gray got his head out of his ass and started dating Juvia. Natsu was able to convert the familiar love he had for Lucy into romantic love. There were couples all over the place. While she was truly happy for them, the Solid Script mage couldn't help the slight bitterness she felt seeing them have their happily ever after. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

Two months later, Levy was feeling awful. She was eating all the time while throwing up just as frequently. She took herself to the doctor and found out news that cut her like a double-edge sword.

She was pregnant.

She wasn't sure how to take it. On the one hand, she was happy that she was going to be a mother. On the other hand, they were never going to know their father and that was saddening.

Levy spent that night deep in thought about her situation, something she wouldn't have considered in any other situation. Would she terminate the pregnancy? That night, she had written a three page pros and cons list on whether she should keep the baby. In the end, the pros won. Among them was the fact that a part of Gajeel would live on through her children.

When the Solid Script mage made her announcement, there was an audible gasp from the guild. They immediately wanted to know who was the father. Of course, Gajeel was. She remembered that night well. The battle against the Alverez Empire terrified her to her very core. She had visited Gajeel that night, the one person who made her feel safe. There were no words spoken between them, just quiet comforts. She had given herself to him and vice versa. It was wonderful. If only she knew it would be their last night together.

There was a mixture of happiness and sadness. She would be raising her child alone. Everyone had said they would help in any way they could. Jet, Droy and Lily went on missions to provide for her. Lucy handled all the baby shower stuff. Everyone else helped move Levy's stuff to Gajeel's place. Fairy Hills wasn't big enough for Levy and her baby.

Seven months later, Levy gave birth...to twins, a boy, Tetsu, and a girl, Lyanna. It was one of the happiest days of her life, along with one of her saddest. Their father would never get to see the lives he created. Perhaps, she reasoned, he was watching over them from beyond the beyond.

Six years since that day.

The kids were getting bigger. They asked her about their father.

"What was daddy like?" Tetsu asked. "Was he really strong?"

"Oh yes." Levy would answer. "Strong enough to defeat a dragon."

"How did mommy and daddy meet?" Lyanna asked. "Was it romantic?"

"Mommy and daddy met when daddy saved mommy from a lightning bolt." The Solid Script mage smiled. That wasn't a lie either. The person who attacked that one time and the person who saved her from that lightning bolt were two different people in her mind.

After they asked her questions about their father, Levy allowed them to play in the guild. She grabbed a book from her purse and started reading. As she was getting into it, a shadow blocked her light. She turned around and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Jet." Levy said.

Jet smiled back. He had groceries in his hands. Placing them on the table, he took a chair next to his teammate.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"As well as can be expected." The blue haired woman admitted.

"Have you given thought to what I said before?" Jet asked.

Levy sighed. About a week ago, Jet had asked her to marry him. Before she could respond in the negative, the speedster asked her to really think on what would be best for her and her kids.

"I have." Levy answered. "My answer is the same. I cannot marry you."

It wasn't as if he didn't see this coming. Jet knew that he couldn't match what Levy felt for Gajeel. "It's been six years." He pleaded. "Gajeel would want you to be happy."

Levy cracked a sad smile. "I know."

"I'm not asking to replace him." The speedster continued. "I'm asking to help you carry half the burden, to share in the good and the bad."

"I am grateful for all the help you, Droy, Lily and everyone else in Fairy Tail has done for me, Tetsu and Lyanna." She said, this time not meeting Jet's eyes. "But I just can't betray him. He was the first person I ever loved. You just can't forget your first love."

Jet nodded. "I understand." He whispered. "I will still help you regardless. But my offer remains open."

The petite woman place her small hand on Jet's. "Thank you, Jet." She smiled truly. "That really means a lot."

At the end of the day, Levy took Tetsu and Lyanna home. It was strange living there. Every corner of that house reminded her of the man she loved. It took a while but she had gotten to the point where the memory of Gajeel Redfox didn't suffocate her in every waking moment.

As she led her children by the hand, she saw someone at her front door...someone who made her stop cold in her track.

Long black hair, strong body frame

It couldn't be. She must be hallucinating. Gajeel is gone.

Tetsu pulled on her arm. "Mommy, who's that standing at our door?" He asked, unsure of himself.

Levy stopped breathing. If Tetsu can see him then...

"Gajeel." Levy whispered.

Almost immediately, the figure turned around. It was him, just as she remembered him.

"Levy." Gajeel croaked.

With great trepidation, she slowly made her way to him, her children forgotten. With wary red eyes, Gajeel watched her. For who knows how long, she was the driving force of his return to this plane. He wasn't sure if she was real or just his imagination.

He felt a sharp pain in his shin. Howling in pain, he hopped around on his good leg and held his pained one. Levy had kicked him in the shin very hard.

"You idiot." She began to sob, sloppy tears streaming down her face. "Do you think I've forgotten what you did? You promised to take me back to the guild safe and sound. You idiot."

Levy threw herself against Gajeel, into the arms where she belonged. She hit him over and over. Each blow stung...not in physical pain, but emotionally, it was like a sledgehammer.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot." She said repeatedly hitting him in the chest.

Gajeel hugged her tightly, letting her sob into his chest. "I'm sorry you had to endure all that." He whispered into her ear. "But if I had to choose, I'd do it all over again."

"That's why you're an idiot." She cried.

"I know." He whispered. "I know."

He felt tiny jabs at his legs. When he looked down, two kids were kicking him.

"Idiot, idiot." They chanted in unison with their kicks. "You made mommy cry."

The Iron Dragon Slayer grabbed the kids by their shirts and brought them up to his eye level. Tetsu and Lyanna was still swinging at him, trying to hit him. They had a defiant look in their eyes.

"You have kids?" Gajeel said, his voice sounding hollow. "I guess that means you're married now, with a husband and everything. Of course you have. You're a beautiful woman. It's only natural." He placed the children down gently and disentangled himself from Levy. "You can keep the house. I won't bother you anymore. It was great to see you. Hope you have a nice life."

Before he could leave, Levy kicked him in the shin again. He groaned in pain.

"You don't get to leave." Levy whimpered. "Not again. I waited for so long. You don't get to leave."

"Your husband, your kids." He said. "What will their father, your kids, think if they see you in the arms of another man?"

"Their father is the only man I ever loved, the only man I've ever been with, the man I gave myself to all those years ago." She gave a watery smile to Gajeel.

The engine in his mind began to click. If what she said was true...

Gajeel knelt down so that he was at eye level with the kids (well, closer to eye level. Even sitting on the ground, he was still taller than Tetsu and Lyanna). He closely examined the two and saw how eerily similar they look to him. The kids were regarding him just as carefully. Realization formed in their eyes. Their eyes began to water.

"Daddy." They cried, snot dribbling from their noses, and ran into his arms. Gajeel was sure that he had the same kind of face. He could hardly believe that he was a father even as he was holding his children in his arms for the first time. He looked at Levy. Her eyes were watering but she was smiling as well. She had so many questions. What happened to him? How did he get back? Why did it take so long? But in that moment, she didn't care. He was back. He was really back.

"I'm home." He murmured into their hair. "I'm home and I'm not leaving you again."

"Welcome home." Levy said, a true smile lighting up her face for the first time in forever.

Word count: 2,362

And that's the end of that chapter.

So this is my take on what happened. I don't believe that this is the last we will see Gajeel. He didn't die like God Serena. He was transformed into magic particles. Somehow, he is going to reform himself or someone is going to pull an Urtear and rewind time or something. Kurogane Gajeel's story doesn't end here.

I also subscribe to the theory that Gajeel and Levy did it before the battle in Magnolia began. Yeah, the blanket thing. I truly believe they did the nasty.

Anyways, loved it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time,

A. Angel