The End to a New Beginning

A few hours earlier…

"When are you going to propose to Juvia?" Gray spat out his coffee much to Levy's amusement and displeasure as her comfy orange sedan now had a couple of coffee stains on the matted floor. "What?!"

"You heard me, Gray. When are you going to propose to Juvia? Knowing you, Gray you wouldn't want to be beaten by Natsu at anything, even this. When are you going to do it?! I promise I'll keep it a secret!" The raven haired man cringed at the sight of the infamous Levy 'starred' look meaning the bookworm would gladly threaten him with the sniper rifle in the backseat if he didn't comply.

Gray turned to look out the window using his elbow against the open car window to prop his head on his hand, "Phantom."

"What?" Levy frowned. What does Phantom have to do with proposing to Juvia?

"I plan to propose to her after this stuff with Phantom, okay?" Satisfied with his answer, Levy let the silence in before Gray asked, "How'd you know anyways?"

"Your credit card," Levy paused to glance over to the black haired man adjacent to her paling at the implication, "Does Ga-"

"He's the one who made me in the first place. Juvia's like the sister that's dating the playboy guy to Gajeel. It's natural that'd he'd feel protective over her, even if she can throw a grown man over her shoulders."

"Oh god. Is that why he's been shooting me glares last week?" Levy nods, "You rented a room in a love hotel. You know if I hadn't threatened him to sleep alone in our bed and no breakfast for a month he would have murdered you, and dumped you into the sea or something."

Gray paled even further, "He thought I was doing it with someone other than Juvia?"

"Well you naturally attract other girls." Levy turned her head to the old warehouse where the respective partners were at, wondering how long it would take them. She didn't hear any rounds go off, so that was a good thing. Suddenly the door swung open and there stormed out Gajeel and Juvia. Levy could tell that Gajeel, who completely agitated by the way his body was completely tense and taunt and that Juvia was worried about him. She looked nervous and her fidgeting way another thing.

"Gray, start the car."

The back door opened, Gajeel and Juvia slid in quickly as the car engine burst to life. Shutting the door behind him, Gajeel said in a tone that left no room for arguments, "We gotta get back to HQ, now."

Without a complaint, Gray stepped on the gas speeding through the streets as Levy turned and asked, "What happened?"

"I got a phone call. Juvia, think you can hack into the Agency's servers? I need you to shut everything down within the building, and jam up radio signal." The bluenette beside him nodded and opened up her labtop.

"About HQ?" Levy inquired as Gajeel nodded stiffly before hesitantly saying, "From my old man."

Levy's breath immediately hitched. "He's alive?"

"Apparently so, damn old man. Once I see him, I'm going to punt him across the street. He told me that a Grimore Heart infiltrator somehow got past our defenses and set C4 explosives around the base of HQ. They're set to go off in an hour."

Juvia turned her head and reported. "I shut down all the servers except for the ones in the medical floor. Unfortunately…"

The wavy haired woman didn't needed to say anymore with the implications.

"Gray." Levy said impatiently as the man grunted in response as he turned the car at the street light intersection.

A few hours later…

Car tires screeched to a stop as the blonde haired driver turned off the car engine while inserting an earpiece that was connected to her phone, "Okay. I'm at the building what floor?"

"The top floor." said Igneel as I started walking to the building. There was no reason for me to trust the unknown man at first, but he answered the question that only Natsu, I, and Igneel himself would know. His answer was reason enough to trust his information.

"How do I know you're not an imposter?" I asked the so called Igneel Dragneel

"I'm not, but feel free to ask a security question while you're walking to your car." My shoulders tensed. He's watching me from somewhere nearby. "Alright then," I paused to enter the car, "where did Natsu get his scarf from him? I want exact details."

"It was in July he was seven when we went to favorite toy shop once his school ended. We both have a love for dragons and he begged me for the red dragon plush toy with the white scaly scarf. It didn't cost me much, I think the best part of that day was him flashing that infectious grin of his while playing with the dragon."

I blinked while I could almost imagine the same grin that Natsu wore on his father as Igneel asked, "So did I get it right?"

Closing my eyes in surrender I gave him an answer, "...Yeah you did."

Entering the building I knew that it was deadly quiet and not a single soul in sight while walking into the elevator I noticed the unconscious Hades before dragging him out of the elevator and tying him up to a chair using several devil knots. I tried to contact HQ, but the operator said that they were unavailable. With a frown, my eyebrows knitted together as worry seeped through my thoughts. It was strange, but I had no time to add onto my worries.

You'd expect more guards here. They must be really confident. I thought taking the elevator up to the top floor while stopping on each empty floor in case Zeref wanted to be not so cliché with fights on rooftops.

The elevators doors flew open; I was astonished by the sight. Both of them had guns, yet there was no indication of any shorts fired. A stare down was common, but when I considered Natsu's explosive personality I thought that one of them would at least be dead. Thankfully my assumption was wrong, though it was strange for a death duel.

Stepping out of the elevator- before I could blink, a shot was fired in my direction and a bursting sensation of pain bloomed from my arm. I glanced quickly from my arm that started to bleed immediately to the duo before me. Zeref's gun still had a wisp of fading smoke.

The warning was clear enough to me; don't move another inch or it will be more than just a small hole in my arm.

When Natsu turned around I froze at the dark murderous look in his eyes like a deer in headlights.

It was different from those times where I've seen Natsu be- truly angry.

The mere intensity of his murderous look made the small hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Not good.

Suddenly I heard a large boom accompanied by the trembling of the ground, and the next thing I knew that Zeref's hand was bleeding and his gun flew upwards and clatter on to the damaged floor. Near the black haired man I could see what the floor was pierced by a bullet that was embedded in the concrete ceiling. Shakily, I stood up from the ground while a hiss rolled from in between my clenched teeth. What the hell?

My first thought was Levy and her hawk eye marksmanship before remembering that from the Agency to the building that we were in, was too far apart from each other, coupled by the fact that I knew she didn't have though fire power to break through the thick concrete floor. I was very aware of the fact that Zeref didn't shoot or scream- heck he just stood there looking at his hand like it was an enigma. A shiver crawled up my spine- Did he even feel anything?

A shadow was casted over the small hole; instinctively I knew that Natsu moved in front of me while I tore off the blood stained sleeve of my blouse. Then my phone went off- if not adding more tension to the situation as I fumbled to answer it, "Hello?"

"Put me on speaker phone, please." It was Igneel- his tone was clipped- Uh-oh, that can't be good. I pressed the speaker phone button with as Igneel said, "Hello Zeref. Bet that hurt like a bitch."

That got a variety of reactions. Zeref blinked. I stood there slack jawed, and Natsu well- he turned to me- wide eyed and his hand on his knee to balance himself from the small tremble. "D-dad?"

Then there was nothing but a tense silence between all of us until the distinct ding of the elevator broke it, heads snapped towards the elevator as the doors flung open revealing a pink haired man- his pink hair was a shade or two darker than Natsu's in a dress pants and and crumpled dress shirt with the first two buttons unbuttoned, and he had the same coal eyes as his son.

There was a pause before Igneel replied in a gruff but gentle voice like I heard over the phone as he ended the call, "Hello son."

"Flip a coin?" suggested Laxus as Erza stop trying to tighten the makeshift rope of torn suit sleeves that held one o the remaining conscious members of the assault group that tried and failed to subdue the two monsters to a tree near Makarov's grave.

"What?" The scarlet haired woman couldn't believe her ears. Was this really Laxus? The man who has a superiority complex and a huge male testosterone ego? Was the world ending? Or had Mira really changed Laxus- which was really for the better. She asked after a moment of silence, "Heads or tails?"

Laxus shrugged, "Ladies first."

"Heads." Erza said wondering how much of his marriage with the white haired woman she once called her rival affected the duo. The blonde flipped the coin, it landed on his palm and he said, "You first."

Erza nodded before connecting her foot onto their prisoner's ribs and with a satisfying snap the man howled shouting and spitting in a language unknown to her ears. Erza turned her head to the blonde- he could only catch a few words of the old language which their victim was spitting curses with, "It's Ishval, Erza."

Glancing briefly over to church across the street, Laxus said, "I'll get a translator- pretty sure an old nun speaks Ishval…. Try not to beat him up to badly."

Minutes later and with a stroke of luck Laxus came back with an elderly nun in tow. "This is Sister Petunia from the church."

"Hello Ma'am." The nun wearing black nodded to the scarlet haired woman who deduced that the nun had already had the situation explained to her. Laxus asked, "Can you ask him who sent him after us, ma'am?"

"Oh please call me sister." The nun snorted before asking in Ishval. The man tied to the tree said something and the nun quickly translated, "He's says you'll have to beat him within an inch of his life before he tells you anything."

The translation quickly made the duo share a look and with a crack of their knuckles, Laxus grinned manically, "That could be easily arranged. I still gotta pay you back from that dumb move with the wooden family marker."

Laxus gave Petunia an assessing look before saying politely, "This might it get ugly, ma'am."

The nun snorted and folded her arms together, "I've seen worse, boy."

"Wait." A sharp glance and a scowl from Laxus was his answer to Erza's pause. "Do you still have your flask?"

Realization dawned upon Laxus as he pulled out his silver flask. Uncorking it, the blonde slightly swirled it and grunted,"Good enough to set a tree on fire."

Erza looked around at the group of unconscious filths before walking over to one of a couple that she remembered smelled like cigarettes. Patting the man's body for a lighter as Laxus dumped the vodka in his flask all over the snarling captive's head now dowsed with flammable liquid. Fishing out a slightly expensive metal lighter from a man's pocket, Erza didn't need for Petunia to translate her actions as she flicked the lighter open and close several times with each step she took towards their captive- his eyes now lit with fear.

Immediately while looking like he saw death, their captive began to beg for the nun's help, Petunia shook her head and say something that was probably religious as she began to pray. Their captive then sputtered in a panicked voice, "W-wait!"

Erza paused and tilted her head with the lighter's flame in front of the man's terrified wide eyes. Stuttering he said, "Z-Zeref!"

The scarlet haired woman stiffened at the name as Laxus placed his hand on her tense shoulder giving her a soft squeeze as a warning- he could feel the bubbling hostility in her at the mention of the name, but they weren't murderers based on rage. She sighed retracting herself from the captive, capping the lighter. "Thank you for your help, sister."

"Anytime, girl." grinned Petunia as she added, "Call me when you need to put the fear of god into them."

Natsu could remember the flames. Hot and blinding his eyes. Fear and shock rippled through him like the fire in front of him. He refused to lose him. The man who raised him- even got to the point where the old man dyed his hair pink to match Natsu's- like his mother's. Several men held him back as the fire erupted into the sky dyeing it black.

"Dad! DAD!" Natsu shouted till his lungs filled with smoke struggling as the paramedics hauled him in the ambulance struggling to get free to make sure that Igneel was out of the fire. He wouldn't stop fighting not until he saw his old man safe and sound.

It got even harder for the paramedics as one of them- in a blur slammed the oxygen mask onto Natsu's face as he jerked when the other stabbed a needle into his arm. Natsu heard the sirens drowning out the crisp sound of the fire as it was extinguished. Whatever the paramedics used started to make him feel dizzy and nauseous- though the latter was probably the concern and anxiousness in his gut.

Natsu awoke hours later in a hospital bed. He glanced next to him in hope of seeing his old man's face. Those hopes were dashed as a suitcase lay instead of a man in the seat of a chair. The pink haired man opened the suitcase. Natsu felt as if he was punched in the gut when he saw the items in the suitcase.

A scaly white scarf, leather bound journal, an army knife, and a few stack of crisp thousand jewels.

Raising his left hand, Natsu curled it into a fist slammed against the white sheets of the bed. Tears dripped down from cheeks. He was angry- hell yeah he was! There wasn't really a specific person to blame at that moment. But he could distinctly remember the hours before the fire spread in his home.

How did you get this number…

Over my dead body will you touch my brat!

Before Natsu could ponder further the door opened reeling him back to reality as the pink haired man saw a short elderly man wearing an Hawaiian floral shirt and a tall broad blonde spiky haired man with a distinctive lightning bolt shaped scar on his right eye. The latter looked about his age maybe by a couple of years.

"Hello Natsu. I'm Makarov. I was a friend of your father's." The short elderly man introduced himself with a wrinkly grin that screamed 'fatherly' and 'family' at the same time.

That was the start of a new chapter for Natsu Dragneel.

Gray, Juvia, Levy, and Gajeel watched with everyone that was in the build prior to the evacuation as the place that they called home collapse from the sidewalks of the nearby buildings. Levy glanced to her partner, who had just regained some of his composure despite receiving a huge personal shock. Grasping the large man's hand in commotion gently squeezing it for reassurance, Levy then let go and turned to the others. Her eyes briefly paused over an unconscious Lisanna widening in shock- she hadn't noticed the recovered white haired beauty was there among their injured- questions indeed squirmed into her mind, but Levy had to ignore them for a moment to come up with their next move.

"Okay, for now we'll evacuate to the safe houses, and take the injured to Evergreen. Any objections?"

The question was met with silence and a couple of shuffles to prepare the injured into the vans on the not being blood related they all had the trust between each other that co-worked normally wouldn't have. They were family.

"Let's go."

Natsu couldn't believe his ears or eyes. It just wasn't possible. He saw the autopsy report for the burned beyond recognition body in his house. The pink haired man started to piece things slowly together, but questioned plagued his mind. He figured out that Igneel faked his death and had been tracking Zeref; Natsu knew he must have had his reasons for hiding the underlined danger those years ago, so he waited. Yes, Natsu Dragneel, one of the most impatient men in all of Fiore waited as he trained.

He waited for the day when he could off Zeref like a gnat, but now it was pointless to call his revenge-well revenge. Natsu felt all the rage drain out of him before overcome with relief. Tears sprung from his eyes, something that he hasn't done in years. But that didn't mean he was going to let the old man off the hook just yet.

"Igneel." Zeref tilted his head, "I didn't think you were still alive."

"Well it's not like I can just knock on death's door and tell him to open it up." Igneel snorted before glancing to Natsu with a grin. "I know you got a lot of questions, but it'll have to wait."

Annoyance prickled Natsu like Gray did whenever he irritated the pink haired man. Natsu scowled. "No. I want fucking answers, Igneel."

"Later Natsu." Igneel sighed glanced to Lucy who was currently tying her ripped sleeve to stop the bleeding, "Don't you have a fiancée to attend to?"

Lucy's head snapped up with a pretty pink blush spreading across her face as Natsu scowled. He only asked her like what a day or two ago? "How'd you know about that?"

"I have my sources. I believe congratulation's in order." Igneel shrugged.

"You can save that at the wedding, Igneel!" The older pink haired man blinked at the implication of his presence at their wedding, a brief hope for a future- he never really had anything in mind except wiping that smug look off of Zeref's face, and putting a bullet right into his chest. It was clear to him that Natsu had inherited that one way mind track from him, otherwise he'd be married by now and off on a honeymoon. "Yeah… I will."

Natsu meanwhile took the torn sleeve off of Lucy's hands and began using it as a makeshift sling for his partner's arm.

"Sorry Luce." The blonde blinked at his genuine apology before turning her head looking out of the window despite the ongoing tension she said, "I expect some mango yogurt after this."

Natsu glanced up to her who reassured him that she had already forgiven him for his dumb rookie mistake of going off alone with her backwards glance to him. The blonde didn't need words to express the trust in her eyes while tightening the makeshift bandage around his partner's arm he grinned, "You're the best, Lucy!"

I watched as Natsu joined in the fray tuning out most of their conversation to note the similar fighting style that Natsu used in Igneel as he engaged Zeref in hand to hand combat. Fluid like water the duo moved quickly and personally I felt entranced with their motion knowing that there was nothing I could do. It was their fight, not mine and I accepted that as fact.

The three way dead lock broke apart suddenly circling once again, gazes locked only on one another. Then the father-son duo sprang at Zeref in a fury of fists, the dark haired man like before had expertly evaded the array of punches while Igneel and Natsu backed him steadily to the window.

Did Igneel have a sniper or several on watch?

I got my answer when Zeref had to jerk his head back from Igneel's punches since he couldn't tilt his head away and into Natsu's right hook, the dark haired man opted to catch Natsu's fist jerking Natsu towards him and kneed him successfully in his ribs all in a matter of a minute. Even Natsu of all people couldn't hold back his howl of pain as he backed away while Igneel and I called out, "Natsu!"

I immediately rushed to my partner in pure panic holding him by the shoulder as Igneel glared poisonously at Zeref before lunging at him. The older pink haired man was abruptly halted by the piercing entry of a bullet and the shattering glass and the sight of blood spluttering from Zeref's stomach that followed the sound of the bullet.

Staggering forward Zeref had his hand pressed against his stomach and with a deadly sneer asked with his back inches away from the broken glass window, "Is that the best you can do, Igneel?"

Dread filled my senses as Igneel regained his composure rushing towards the man shoving him to the broken window, in a split second Zeref instantly grabbed both of Igneel's arms taking him along for the story fall. I could only stare in complete horror as Natsu slipped away from my grasp bolting to the window that blew cold wind into the vacant floor shouting with all desperation in his voice, "IGNEEL!"

I dashed to look down the window seeing two bodies on top of a crushed car that had its alarm beeping loudly in the vacant street. Natsu fell to his knees as I quickly kneel in front of him. I didn't know what to say after seeing that fall, I knew how important Igneel is- was to Natsu.

I did the only thing I could. In an attempt to comfort him I pulled his head towards me- carefully avoiding my sling- I rested his head where my neck and shoulder met, stroking his hair as Natsu let out his wracked emotions cascade his body.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but eventually Erza and Laxus found the both of us huddled near the window. Craning my head over Natsu's towards them, I could tell the duo had a whirlpool of questions in their eyes before immediately went to pull Natsu and I up. There was a tense silence, but I managed to said under the weight of grief, "Natsu has some ribs broken. I'll be fine with the sling."

Erza gave me a stiff nod before glancing to Laxus, who took Natsu by the shoulder, I stiffened when I saw the dull look in Natsu's coal eyes- I wanted to do anything to wipe off that look off his face. I wanted to see the cheerful and hyperactive Natsu in front of me, but I knew it'd take time. I bit my tongue in the dreadful question I was about to ask, "Did you see the bodies on top of the car?"

Laxus exchanged a confused glance with Erza as I said in a confused tone, "What is it?"

"What are you talking about, Lucy? There was only one body on that car."

Natsu jerked his head up at the news voicing out my confusion along with his, "What?"

~Eight months later~

"...And now you may kiss the bri-"

Natsu immediately swept his clad-in-white Lucy off her feet and planted a long kiss on her lips. The cheering was nearly deafening as a couple of catcalls were included from the rowdier men at the wedding. Twirling his wife around, Natsu let out a joyous shout of excitement as Lucy had her arms around her husband's neck with her bouquet in her hands while he led them down the steps of the altar. Letting Lucy down on the ground as streamers, confetti, and party string were set off in the air as the happily wedded couple stepped on the pink rose petals lying on the floor.

Walking out of the church, the duo stopped and turned at the reminder to throw the bouquet and with a smile Lucy hurled the flowers in the air without looking back. Hearing the loud warcries from bundle of single ladies among them included Juvia, Cana, Erza (she didn't qualify her first wedding with Jellal to be real much to his dismay and regretful understanding), Lisanna, and Wendy much to the encouragement of a tipsy Cana, Natsu searched his surroundings with a scowl as Lucy turned around to see the dust cloud formed by her bridesmaids and other co-workers at the Agency. His coal eyes stopped at the familiar pink haired figure standing next to the cemetery tree across the street from the church. With his scowl morphing into a grin, Natsu thought as Igneel wearing a fedora tipping to him in greeting. I'd wish he just come over here and celebrate like a normal father at a son's wedding would...

"Natsu?" He blinked turned to Lucy who gave him a curious and confused look as Gray shouted, "What the hell are you waiting for, flame brain?!"

Natsu scowled whipping his head to the ice prick as he opened the door to the limo parked outside the church, "Why don't you just give the damn ring to Juvia already, you wimp!"

Before his rival could launch an insult at him again, Natsu clambered on into the limo where Lucy had already start on pouring the drinks. With a raised a brow Natsu asked, "Isn't it a bit too early to be drinking, Luce?"

"Don't we deserve it? I mean we did just come back to get married after taking down Grimore Heart. I think that call for a celebration!" The blonde exclaims handing him his favorite whiskey on rocks- it was probably to dull the newest gunshot wound he received while in the process of said extermination. Knocking on the glass slide for the limo driver to go, Natsu went back to his seat next his wife while loosing his bowtie with one hand while accepting the drink with the other.

"To new beginnings?" Lucy asked with a raised shot glass of brandy as Natsu shook his head. She was definitely getting rubbed on by Cana when it came to her odd hours of drinking. Natsu cheered, "To new beginnings!"

Here concludes Secret and Spies, thank you so much for sticking up with my delay of this final chapter. As you've read I wanted to try something different from the whole 'the hero shoots the bad guy and its all over' ordeal like you see on CSI and NCIS shows. I hope this ending is acceptable with the wedding and all.

I have a few intermissions for this AU, like how Gray and Juvia met, Gajeel and Levy taking down a drug cartel, and the NaLu incidents mentioned in one of the previous chapters. If you would like to see them come to light here, please add in your input if you review.

Once again I'd like to thank you guys for all your follows, favorites, and reviews, and even though it's like an hour or several if you're from other countries late, Merry Christmas!