The next few days go by pretty uneventful as Lily gets acquainted with his new best friend. He cant get enough of the little guy.  Lily tours the now updated house that he use to call home. It was pretty much the same except that while they were gone Levy expanded it. Instead of 3 bed rooms it now had 5, plus a new bathroom. Out back was now a much larger garden and there was another building that he learned was Levy's new library. She was able to still work while taking care of the young tike thanks to many translation jobs Mira set up for her. She paid for all the upgrades to the house on her own and purchased more property that included Lily's and Gajeel's old training grounds.

"Levy you were busy while we were gone" Lily chuckled.

"I needed a distraction from my sadness. I'm glad you like it though. I just hope Gajeel will like it too"

"I think he will love it. Though I don't know how he will take the news about being a father, not to mention missing out on him being born and already growing up so fast."

"Yeah its a bit bittersweet. Im glad I had him though, made these 3 years less lonely. He is so much like Gajeel, stubborn as ever and that boy nearly gave me a heart attack the first time I caught him chomping on metal. Oh by the way, you may be missing one of your favorite swords. He ate it when he was about 6 months old." The two friends sat there and laughed as Levy told Lily about Steel's first years of life. Tomorrow would be a big day for the youngin, Gajeel was returning home and they would meet for the first time.


It was 10 am when the train came screeching in to Magnolia station. Levy was there waiting on the platform, in the same spot where she said goodbye 3 years prior. Lily had taken Steel over to Lucy's to play with Rose. Everyone was spilling out of the train, Gajeel was last as usual, recovering from the motion sickness. Levy spotted him right away.

"Gajeel!" She yelled running to him, he just barely managed to catch her as she jumped into his arms.

"Levy, Gods how I missed you" He kisses her deeply, taking in everything about her. "Oi you smell different"

"Is that how you greet me? Of course I smell different it's been 3 years idiot"

"Gihee, Yeah I guess so. Where's Lily?"

"He went to visit some friends, I have so much to tell you, wanna take a walk with me?"

"Sure shrimp, what have I missed in these 3 long years"

She told him about Erza coming back from a year long mission she took before Gajeel left, with a little blue headed infant in her arms. No one questioned who the father was, since it was well know if anyone knew he would promptly be taken away. Natsu and Lucy's wedding was that spring, and she was a beautiful bride. They now had a 2 year old daughter. Happy and Carla had a egg last month though it would be a little while before it hatched. She rambled on and on about everyone in the guild.

"What about you shorty? What did you do while I was gone?" Levy was hesitant. Nervous about the news she was going to drop on him.

"Well not long after you left I got sick, really sick. I ended up in the hospital for a month" He scoffed at the news, he hated not being there to help her.

"I was fine after that. I ended up making lots of jewel on a few missions and bought more land by our house and added on to it" She beamed up at him, proud of herself for what she had done. "Then about 6 months after getting out of the hospital I ended up right back there again."

"What the hell shrimp I leave and you start to fall apart on me? Didn't eat enough did ya?" He shook his head at her

"No dummy just listen ok" The nervous tone in her voice once again. "Lucy was in the next room, having her daughter when they wheeled me in I was in so much pain. Wendy was there and Juvia too, they have been so much help while you were gone. Juvia is like a big sister to me now. But anyways it was a long 8 hours but I wasn't in pain anymore, and well um.... Gajeel?" He looked at her curious to the change in her demeanor. She turned to face him, grabbing his hands in her smaller ones. "I wanted to tell you from the moment I found out but you were gone and I couldn't write to you, I was so lonely without you that first year but he kept me going"

"HE?" Gajeel backed away from Levy a step, her hand grabbing his tighter.

"Gajeel, that last night we were together, you remember?"

"Of Course I do, I relieve it every night"

"Well that night brought me, us I mean, well Gajeel you're... your a father" She stammered through her last few words, still fearful of what would happen next.

"A father? What do you mean, it was just one night Levy, you were taking birth control."

"That both me and Lucy found out don't work against dragon slayers" She looked down at the ground as Gajeel dropped her hands and backed up farther from her.

"He's a little over 2 now, I named him Steel....I"

"I gotta go" Gajeel turned away from her and disappeared into the shadows. Leaving Levy there shocked and confused as to what just happened. Did he just leave her?


The guild doors slammed open as Gajeel marched in, promptly grabbing a job flyer, looking it over before throwing it at a shocked Mira. "I'm taking this one" and just as quickly as he came in he was gone again. Everyone in the guild was shocked by his sudden entrance and exit, knowing that the little boy Levy had was his. 'I don't think he took the news well’ Mira shook her head sadly.