Here is a new story for Fairy Tail! Just to get some things out of the way, this is rated M for safety since there will be strong topics and suggestions later on in the chapters. This is also a Gajeel x Levy based fanfiction. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

P.S. In no way or form do I own Fairy Tail or any Fairy Tail characters.

Unexpected Hero

Chapter 1

Levy silently moved around her room, grabbing her homework, books, and bag before tiptoeing out of the small room that was her only safe haven in her own home. Inhaling deeply, and hoping that her stepfather was out cold from last nights drinking, she carefully stepped down the stairs, carefully balancing her weight so the old planks wouldn't squeak, and only releasing her breath when her bare feet finally touched the rough, stained carpet at the bottom of the steps.

Straightening, she looked around the corner into the kitchen, feeling glad to find it empty before sliding onto the cool tiles. Moving slowly, and straining her ears for any sounds of her stepfather, she slowly and carefully opened the fridge. Reaching inside, she carefully moved aside some full, and half empty bottles of alcohol, and grabbed the apple that she had hidden in the back the night before.

Closing the door, she slid the fruit into her bag, and then braced herself as she stepped out of the kitchen, and into the living room. Freezing as she saw her stepfather passed out on the couch. His head resting on nearest arm, one leg thrown on the back and the other hanging off onto the floor. The room smelled of nothing but booze, and she blinked away the dizziness and fear that overcame her. Squaring her shoulders, she tiptoed across the carpet, recalling where all the loose boards were and ensuring that she didn't wake the man on the couch.

She stopped beside her shoes, bent down and grabbed them before reaching for the doorknob. She swallowed as she carefully turned the chipped sphere, and opened the door as quietly as she could. Tensing when it gave a squeak of protest, and froze when she heard a mumble from behind her. Risking a look over her shoulder, she watched as her stepfather shifted on the couch before going still again and falling back to sleep. Giving out a relieved breath, she slipped out of the small opening, and stepped out onto the cold concrete of their front porch.

She moved to the small wooden chair beside the door and sat down to pull her shoes, once the task was done, she made sure that her bag was securely on her side, and then stood and stepped off the porch and began the trek to her school. She slipped her hands into the pocket of her faded and worn out bluejeans to protect them from the cold weather, and tucked her head down to keep as much as the winter air out of her face. Even though she took these precautions, it was only a matter of seconds until she was shivering.

Still, she didn't turn back or allow a complain to escape from her lips as she continued to place one foot in front of the other. To keep her mind of the fact that it was cold, she recited the answers that she had put on her homework, and recalled the review that her science teacher had given them for the upcoming test. While she was confident that she would do well, she didn't think that some extra studying couldn't hurt since she wanted to ensure that she had enough scholarships to leave her house. At the sign of her thoughts turning to dark memories, she gave her head a shake and finally looked up. Giving a sigh as she saw that she was only just reaching the first of five crosswalks before Fairy High.

"Oi! You got a death wish or something, Shrimp?" The sound caused her to tense and look to the right, blinking as she saw a familiar face peering at her out of a black Honda Civic. Gajeel Redfox, a fellow student from Fairy High, was leaning slightly out of his car, one of his stud eyebrows raised as he stared at her with his ruby gaze.

"Well, you gonna get in or just freeze out there?" He asked, causing her to blink in confusion before giving a small shake of her head.

"Its...It's alright. You don't have too.."

"Oi! Just hurry up and get in! We're goin' in the same direction so it's not like it's out of my way." He barked, causing her to jump slightly before biting her bottom lip. She didn't know much about the man, except that he had transferred out of Phantom High for unknown reasons, and that there were a lot of rumors that he was a player and nothing but bad business. Still, she didn't particularly like the idea of walking the rest of the way in this blistering cold weather, especially since she was just wearing jeans, basic shoes, and an old sweater that didn't stand a chance against the cold. Besides, she wasn't one that listened to rumors since they were usually nothing but lies anyway.

Swallowing her fear, she gave a slight nod, looked both ways, and then quickly crossed the road. Within a few seconds, she was sliding onto a leather clad passenger seat in the toasty warm car, and sliding the seat belt across herself. After she was secured in the seat, she peeked out from under her blue bangs and bit her bottom lip as she met Gajeel's red gaze.

"Thank you." She whispered, watching as he blinked before giving a grunt and putting the car back into gear and moving forward.

"I just wanna know why the hell you were walking in this weather anyway." He muttered, causing her to shift and clench her hands together in front of herself.

"I was...heading to school." She stated, averting her eyes when he glared over at her.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Why the hell don't you have a ride?" He growled, causing her to slid down in the seat slightly before squeezing her eyes closed and shaking her head. Refusing to answer, because she didn't know how without telling him about what her life was. Something that she refused to tell anyone!

"Seriously?" He growled, and she peeked over to see him give a shake of his head and grip the wheel tighter. She turned her gaze downward and blinked as she realized how red her hands were, and realized that the tips of her fingers were slightly numb. Giving a frown, she brought her hands up to cover her mouth, and started to blow into her palms carefully in an attempt to warm them up.

"Here, this will help faster." Gajeel muttered, cranking up the heater and motioning for her to put her hands closer to the vents. Blinking again, she muttered another thanks and did as he showed. Almost immediately her hands began to warm and the feeling of pin pricks began on her fingertips, telling her that the circulation was going back to normal. Once she felt that her hands were fine, she placed them back in her lap and waited in the silence of the care as they got closer to the school.

She had to admit, that in class the man driving was rather aloof or a clown. She would have never thought that he would do something like this for someone he didn't know, or that didn't know him. She blinked as she felt the car slow, and saw that he was beginning to pull into the school parking lot, which was already nearly full of student and teacher cars. She waited until he was parked, and then unbuckled and started to open the door. Only to freeze and jump slightly when a large hand settled on her shoulder. Without thinking, she inhaled sharply and jerked away slightly before looking over her shoulder to see Gajeel raising his hands in a soothing manner with a surprised look on his face.

"Sorry...I didn't know that you...were so deep in thought. I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just gonna ask, do you have a ride home?" He asked, causing her to shake her head without thinking.

"Then meet me here after last class, I'll drop you off so you don't have to walk in this weather." He stated, raising a hand when she opened her mouth to argue and shook his head.

"No debating it. Anyone who walks in this weather is bound to catch their death, and I wont allow that if I can prevent it. So, meet me here after last class." He growled, causing her to lower her gaze and give a sigh before opening the door and stepping out of the warm car.

"I need to get to class. Thank you for the ride." She whispered, before carefully closing the door and walking quickly for the front of the school. However, she felt those sharp red eyes on her until she finally got through the doors, and even then she couldn't shake the feeling of them as she made her way to her locker. Giving a shiver, she quickly spun the dial and entered her combination before depositing some of her books. Then quickly headed for her first class after closing the tan, metal door that protected her belongings.

The moment she stepped into class, she felt all of her stress from the morning start to melt away, knowing that she could get lost in the world of learning within the safe walls of the school. She easily slid into her chair, settled her science book in front of her, and then gave a sigh as she allowed her body to relax as the teacher, who preferred to be called Professor Cobra, walked in.

"Miss Levy, good morning. First as usual I see." Cobra stated with a small smile that he only gave to his favorite students. Levy returned the gesture and gave a nod.

"Morning Professor Cobra. I would have been a little late if I hadn't gotten a ride." She whispered, watching as he went about his usual morning ritual of cleaning the papers out of his briefcase and arranging them on his desk, something that he had mastered so well that he could still look at her.

"Really? Let me guess, your friend Miss Heartfilia." He stated, blinking when she shook her head.

"No, Sir. It wasn't Lucy, but Gajeel Redfox. He saw me walking and offered me a ride." She stated, lowering her gaze as her favorite teacher blinked and frowned slightly.

"Strange. Other than his half-sister, Miss Lockster, he doesn't associate with others around here. Although, I guess I must thank him for helping one of my favorite students." He muttered, causing her to smile slightly before turning her head to gaze out of the window. Ready to daydream for a bit before class started.

"Did he offer to drive you home?" Cobra asked, causing her to blink and look at him with shame on her face. She crossed her arms on her desk and looked away from his maroon gaze that seemed to see into her darkest secrets. She knew she hid what her stepfather did well, but something deep down just suspected that Professor Cobra knew something.

"He did, but I didn't accept or decline." She muttered, biting her bottom lip as the man sighed and began to straighten the papers up.

"I hope you do accept, since the temperature is suppose to drop even more. You don't need to be walking out in it, since anyone would become sick." He stated, she merely gave a sound that could be taken as an agreement, but he didn't take it since she wasn't meeting his gaze. Cobra didn't know much about Levy McGarden's family life, just that she had lost her father at a young age, her mother had remarried, and then died a few years later. Leaving the child with her stepfather, however beyond that he knew nothing. She never spoke about what happened at home, and while she seemed like just another teen at the school, there were just a few subtle clues that were constantly making warning bells sound in his head.

"Yo Teach!" The sound caused him to give a sigh and turn his back to his desk and stare at his second student.

"Take your seat Mister Eucliffe. You know the rules upon entering this class. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Professor Cobra?" He hissed, watching as the blonde male merely smirked and plopped down into his seat a few rows away from Levy. Who was ignoring the male by staring out the window, her eyes looking a little glazed, telling him that she was in a world of her own and probably wouldn't be out until the bell rang. Giving a sigh, he returned to organizing his lesson plans for the day and listened as his other students began to arrive.

The last of the class arriving just before the bell, and he finally turned and faced all of them. Glancing at Levy to see that she was now looking attentive and ready to start the day. Giving a mental sigh he straightened.

"You will be turning in your homework now, pass them forward. Then pull out your reviews, I've decided to be nice and pop quiz you by getting you to answer the first twelve questions." He stated, watching as some students groaned, while others paled, apparently 'forgotten' about last nights assignment.

Gajeel followed the small bluenette with his eyes until she finally entered the school, and then gave a sigh as he opened his own door and stepped out of the warmth of his car. Quickly moving behind the vehicle, he opened the trunk and quickly pulled out his pack and books. He didn't have a clue as to what made him decide to stop and offer her a ride, hell he hadn't even done that when the weather was warm. He had passed her plenty of times, although even at those times he hadn't felt at ease for doing so.

There was just something about her that called to him, and even though he tried to ignore it most of the time, this time he hadn't been able to do so. Hell, all he knew about her was that she was a complete bookworm that was completely focused on her studies, and a straight A student. She seemed normal enough since she had friends, but there were just moments he would catch fear in her eyes, or she would seem so lost, that an instinct just arose in him.

He had those feelings many times since he had come to Fairy High and first seen her, looking timid by everyone but putting up a front. There was more to her than it looked, and he wasn't sure if it was just curiosity, or because her reactions reminded him all to well of something else that had him wanting to protect her.

"Gajeel! There you are! Juvia thought you were going to be late for first class." At the sound of his half-sister's voice, he blinked and saw that he had entered his first class. It was already half full, and a glance at the clock showed him that the warning bell would be ringing in a few minutes. Giving a mental sigh, he dropped into his seat beside his sister, and pulled out his history book. Deciding that for now, he would push the small bluenette out of his mind.

"Sorry Juvia. I just, got a little caught up in something. I'll explain later. Did you get Wendy to school on time?" He asked, watching as she bobbed her head, her blue hair swaying with the motion.

"Yes. Even with some time to spare." She replied, Gajeel gave a nod and then turned his gaze to the front of the class as their teacher, Mrs. Bisca, stepped into the room.

Well, there is the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed and don't be afraid to leave a review and tell me what you think about it. Until next chapter!