Laxus's POV

Deciding to take a quick breather, I sit down on the side of the trail I was following and lean my lower back against a large rock. Glancing up at the blue sky, a small snore coming from the hood of my sleeveless leather shirt surprised a smile out of me.

"That took longer than I was expecting," I said to no one in particular.

My thoughts took me back to the horrible boat ride leaving Prekt to sail back to Ishgar. As I had sat in misery on the boat, a thought had plagued me incessantly. I kept remembering back to when Phaedra and Lucy had been kidnapped by human traffickers and how the leader had known about Prekt and was looking for a light mage. When we had turned them over to the Knights, I had assumed that that was the last of it... But as I had spent those excruciating hours of motion sickness leaving me with nothing to do but think, I realized that someone must have told that human trafficker about Phaedra. And if King Hizeah had been as obsessed as it seemed with getting Phaedra back... he probably hadn't sent the message to just one person.

That thought had haunted me as we traveled back as a group to Magnolia and our home. By the time we got back, I had gotten myself so worked up about the possibility of other sleazeballs being out there searching for Phaedra because they didn't know the King was dead, that I had decided to leave the next day to find out if I was right. I had originally thought I would ask my Raijinshu to come with me. But when I had seen how happy Freed and Mirajane were together, and heard about all the fun that Bickslow and Ever had had on their job with the other Strauss siblings, I decided it would be selfish of me to take them away when I didn't even know how long it was going to take.

So I had packed my bags and set out on my own. Although I did make sure to talk to Gramps before I headed out since I knew the old man would be sad if I left without a word. It had taken me nearly a month visiting all of the shadiest dives throughout the kingdoms before I finally found someone who knew about the commission for kidnapping a light mage with scars on her body. I had been furious to find out that the man who King Hizeah had originally contracted had sent out job posters to almost all of the most depraved guilds of magic and non-magic users throughout the country. It had taken a year, but I had finally destroyed the last of the places that had accepted the bounty hunt for Phaedra.

Another soft snore interrupted my reminiscing and I smiled quietly at my passenger. Heaving a sigh, I got back up to my feet and briefly wished that I could just take my lightning form and fly myself to the guild hall, but then I would end up electrocuting my little friend so I resisted the urge and continued marching on. As I walked, I found myself thinking once again about the strange woman who had so completely captivated me.

"I wonder if you've left Prekt yet," I wondered aloud as if I was speaking to her. In my mind's eye she looked up at me with arched eyebrows, as if telling me it was none of my business, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the image. "Well, whenever you make it out of there. At least you won't have anyone chasing after you."

* * * * * *

As I made my way through Magnolia I was surprised at how many people greeted me warmly as I passed by. One street hawker who was selling Fairy Tail paraphernalia hollered out to me, asking why I had changed out my outfit. Glancing down, I saw several action figures of my friends, especially Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy with their cats all standing or flying near them. I spotted my own action figure sporting my old fur-lined cape that I had worn and I chuckled, shrugging to the smaller man.

"Things change all the time," I replied simply to the man and flipped him a coin since he had made me smile. The man called out his thanks as I continued on my way towards the guild hall.

My lips lifted in a smirk when I saw that a new human-shaped hole had been boarded up on the side of the guild, showing that there had been a recent brawl that had damaged the guild again. Probably Gray or Natsu. Maybe Elfman, I thought with an inner laugh as I pushed open the doors and was welcomed with the normal rowdy sight of my home.

I actually made it halfway through the tavern area before anyone realized that something was different. Unsurprisingly, I found myself in a three-way tackle as Bickslow, Ever, and Freed all appeared out of thin air to attack me in a hug. Bickslow was pounding me on the back as Ever and Freed cried shamelessly. Soon a large crowd had gathered around me and everyone was asking where I had been all this time. I deflected questions by saying I had been doing some personal training, and when things began to calm down a strangely familiar magic presence caught my attention.

Looking above everyone's heads, my eyes scanned the room until they landed on the owner of the powerful magic that seemed to be guiding me like a beacon. She was standing next to Mira, who was looking as weepy as Freed, holding a tray loaded with several baskets of bread with steam gently rolling off them. Her hair was up in her normal braided bun, but her bangs were lying attractively across her forehead at an angle as she looked in my direction. She had swapped her leather clothes for a burgundy long sleeve shirt, faded jeans, and ankle boots, which gave off a more casual feel than I had ever seen from her before.

As my eyes slowly took in her presence and then rested on her face, I was a little surprised to see that she was staring back at me. Her calm blue eyes masked any kind of emotion she may be feeling, but I noticed that her shoulders relaxed slightly, as if seeing me had released her of some worry or something.

"Laxus, you idiot! Why didn't you ever contact us!" Freed said, his crying finally having stopped as he glared at me. I reluctantly looked away from Phaedra to look at Freed's angry expression.

"I was a bit preoccupied. Sorry," I said calmly, bowing my head slightly in apology. Freed's anger seemed to vanish as he sighed and shook his head.

"At least you came back in one piece," he breathed out with relief and I couldn't help but smile at that, reaching out and tapping each of my three friends on the shoulder. It really was great to see them again.

"Hey, Laxus..." Bickslow said hesitantly, his eyes trained on something behind me. "Why is your hood moving?"

Blinking in confusion at his question, I felt a small tap on the back of my neck and smirked. I had been planning to introduce my new friend in front of everyone, and it made me a little disappointed when I didn't see any of Team Natsu around the hall, but I reached behind my head to scoop out the fuzzy creature in my shirt hood and displayed her for everyone to see. I smirked again as the group stared at the sleepy figure of my new friend sitting a little slumped in my hand. As everyone stared at her, I glanced over to Phaedra to see that her eyes had widened in shock and she slowly put the tray she had been carrying on a table as she stared at the little fuzzball.

"No way... Laxus got a cat!?!" Someone cried out in shock. My little friend blinked and looked up, glancing around at the many people surrounding her. She was young, barely past the baby age I would imagine, and her fur was a light orange color, except for the tips of her pointy ears and a circular patch over her right eye which were a caramel brown color. Her head seemed disproportionately large for her small body, but even then she was still only half the size of Happy or Shararu.

"Where did you find this little cutey?" Ever asked, reaching out and rubbing her head gently.

"It's more like she found me," I said, glancing over again at Phaedra as I saw her taking a few cautious steps closer, her eyes lighting up with obvious delight at my little friend. "I was on my way back to the guild when I heard some birds causing a raucous up ahead. I shooed them off because they were being noisy and when I went to leave this little one crawled out from underneath a rock."

My friend turned at the sound of my voice and smiled up at me, her little pink nose wiggling slightly.

"Daddy," she said in a sleepy voice, and I could almost feel a breeze as everyone in the group gasped as one at her cute declaration.

"Yah," I said, smiling with chagrin. "That's exactly what she said. She kept calling me Daddy and following after me. I tried to ignore her, but she kept falling asleep and face planting so I decided I better take her with me or else she was going to hurt herself."

Bickslow guffawed and hit my back once again. "Sheesh, Laxus. You leave us for a year and come back as a Daddy?" he mocked with glee and I simply shrugged, unaffected by his attempt at teasing me.

"What's her name?" Mira asked, pushing through the crowd and coming to stand by Freed while reaching out and tickling the little one under her chin.

"I call her Snooze," I responded. Honestly, I didn't think there could be another name for a cat like her. I had never seen anything sleep so much in my entire life. But I had to admit that hearing her soft snores and having her cuddle against me had become pretty endearing.

Just then, Snooze tottered up onto her feet and lifted her nose into the air, sniffing around her. I watched as her droopy eyes looked around the crowd and seemed to look beyond the people around me.

"Smells good," she said sleepily and then tiny white wings sprouted from her back and she propelled herself off of my hand. I watched her curiously as she flew over everyone's heads as they all clapped for some weird reason.

After a moment I realized that Snooze was heading straight for Phaedra, who was still standing a foot away from the large crowd around me. Her eyes were focused completely on my little friend as Snooze flew lazily towards her. Before she had made it halfway, though, I saw her head begin to droop and her body leaned to the side. Phaedra's eyes widened and within the blink of an eye her body began to glow and she streaked forward, catching the little exceed in her hands before she plummeted to the ground.

I chuckled quietly since this wasn't the first time I had seen Snooze fall asleep while flying, but I felt an intense curiosity grow in me as I saw Phaedra sigh in relief and then look down with gentle happiness at my small friend. Snooze's head bobbled a bit, showing that she was trying to wake herself up, and I saw Phaedra's shoulder shake a little from a repressed laugh.

"You smell good," Snooze said slowly, and I could imagine the half-smile on her face as she said it to Phaedra. "Are you my Mommy?" Phaedra's eyes widened and she flicked her gaze over to me for a half a second but quickly looked back at Snooze and shaking her head.

"I'm not, sweetie. I'm sorry," Phaedra said in the quiet voice that I had heard in my dreams more than I would like to admit. My eyes widened when Snooze suddenly flopped backward, looking at me upside down with a frown that from this angle looked more like a smile.

"Daddy, I want her to be my Mommy, but she said no," Snooze whined, her body looking as floppy as a dead fish. I could hear several sniggers and Bickslow was jabbing my side with his elbow hard enough that I actually felt it. But I remained stoic as I simply raised my eyebrow at Snooze's childishness. She didn't normally whine, but I had to admit that I found it adorable; especially since Phaedra looked completely flustered by Snooze's doll-like limpness.

I couldn't keep a grin from spreading across my cheeks when Phaedra looked up at the gathered crowd of fairy tail members. Silently, she narrowed her eyes, giving everyone a death glare so icy I wasn't surprised when everyone immediately froze. So she's been around long enough for everyone to be wary of her anger, I thought to myself.

Phaedra looked away from the crowd and gently slid one of her hands behind Snooze's head to bring her up into a normal position. Her face seemed to glow as she smiled down gently at my little friend. Snooze's tail flicked several times as she looked up at Phaedra's happy expression and I was shocked when I felt something akin to jealousy make my chest spasm for a second

"Very well. You can call me Mommy if you want," Phaedra said with a grin, tickling Snooze's furry belly. She giggled happily, batting at Phaedra's fingers, and I watched as she shifted to lay in the crook of Phaedra's arm, sprawling out languidly with a happy sigh. Phaedra's eyes sparkled as she looked down at Snooze who had already fallen back asleep and as she looked down at her I noticed for the first time her fairy tail emblem. Laying at an angle along her neck, the muted gold emblem seemed to be displayed proudly for all to see.

"Is that Laxus?" a loud voice asked behind me, breaking the tranquil moment like a stone thrown through a glass window. Looking over my shoulder, I wasn't even surprised to see Natsu was already in the air, streaking towards me with his fist engulfed in flames and lightning.

Well, at least he's trying something new, I thought with a sigh. But before he could get close enough to land the punch, I swiftly lashed out, punching him directly on the crown of his head. He was unconscious before he hit the floor and I smiled when I saw Lucy, Gray, and Happy all come through the entrance with matching winces on their faces as they looked down at Natsu.

We all exchanged greetings once Natsu woke up and everyone returned to what they had been doing previously. Deciding I would leave Snooze in Phaedra's care, I made my way over to the old man waiting for me on top of the bar. As I moved to walk past Phaedra though, she looked up at me and caught my gaze. As if a silent command had been given, I found myself stopping directly in front of her and blinked as a slow, grateful smile began to turn up her lips.

"I never had the chance to say it before you left," Phaedra said quietly, meeting my eyes without even an inkling of intimidation even though I was a head taller than her and my arm was the size of both her legs put together. "But thank you so much for saving me from the King. I am truly grateful."

I blinked as Phaedra slowly lowered her head, bending her waist to a full 90-degree angle in a bow of utmost respect. As she slowly raised her head, her expression still filled with gratitude, I actually felt a little twinge of sadness. Quickly brushing that to the side though, I reached out and patted her once on the shoulder, surprised that she didn't flinch at my touch.

"We should talk more later." The words were out of my mouth before I had the chance to fully process what I wanted to say. Phaedra's eyes widened a little, but I inwardly sighed in relief when her face returned to her normal calm expression and she nodded in agreement.

Nodding once again to her, I patted her shoulder a little awkwardly. Then I continued on my way towards the bar where Grandpa was giving me a suggestive look that I really hoped Phaedra had not seen.

Phaedra's POV

I was helplessly and unequivocally smitten with Laxus's little kitten. Snooze was absolutely adorable in every single sense of the word. After Mirajane had assured me that she did not need my help with serving, I happily took my spot at Lucy's table and kept an eye on the darling creature. She seemed to have a pattern of sleeping for ten to twenty minutes, then waking up briefly for about five or so minutes, and then going back to sleep.

Usually when she woke she said one of three words. Daddy. Mommy. Or Jerky. Happy had already designated himself as her big brother and he seemed as infatuated with the young kitten as I was. As I kept an eye on Snooze and fed her small pieces of jerky, which she normally fell asleep before finishing half of the treat, I listened to Lucy, Natsu, and Gray explaining how their job had gone.

They had all tried to convince me to go with them on the job, especially since Erza had disappeared with Jellal on an S-Class quest a week ago and Wendy and Mest had planned to have a day-long date today. Even though it had sounded like a routine job of taking out some local bandits, I honestly just wanted to enjoy the first chance for real relaxation I had had since I was twelve years old. Plus, unlike Lucy who seemed to be constantly worrying about paying her rent, the King and Queen had been extremely generous and given me a huge amount of coins for my service as a guardian princess. I could have bought a small house if I wanted to. But Wendy had insisted that I stay with her in the Fairy Tail Girl's Dormitory, and I was perfectly content to stay with her and Shararu for as long as they would allow me to.

"Maybe we could have Snooze come with us on our next job!" Happy said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I chuckled and stroked Snooze's soft fur as she made a small smacking noise with her lips.

"You would have to ask Laxus," I said softly, and Happy's ears and shoulders instantly sagged.

"Oh yah..." he muttered sheepishly. He then looked around and frowned. "Where is Laxus?"

I blinked in surprise, looking around the crowded guild hall for his bulky frame. When no sign of his spiky yellow hair could be found, I frowned slightly and cocked my head to the side. He should have told me if he was stepping out I thought to myself as I looked down at Snooze. I jumped to my feet then, realizing that the spot where the little orange kitten had been sleeping was now conspicuously empty.

"Snooze?" I called out, turning around frantically. A limp orange tail caught my eye and without a word I held my hand out, creating several light platforms high above the noisy tavern.

"Oi, what are you..." Natsu began to say, but I ignored him. Launching myself up, I landed on my waiting platforms and began jumping easily over the crowded room, hot on the trail on Snooze's small body as she flew through the open front door of the guild. The sun was just beginning to set as I flipped off my last platform, dismissing them behind me and jogging easily after the tottering kitten.

Her wings had disappeared, probably because she was tired again, but she was stumbling forward, looking almost as if she were drunk as she leaned crazily to one side only to correct herself and walk a few more steps. Chuckling quietly, I caught up to her and scooped her into my arms. She looked up at me with an adorable smile and let out a cute mewling sound.

"You scared me, Snooze. You shouldn't wander off by yourself," I scolded gently as Snooze wiggled to get into a comfortable position in my arms and smiled up at me again.

"I was looking for Daddy," Snooze said as her hooded eyes blinked slowly and then only opened halfway. I couldn't help but smile at the little thing and I glanced around me at the quiet streets.

"Do you know where he is? I'll take you to him," I said without a moment's hesitation. Snooze was Laxus's responsibility after all, so if she wanted to go back to him I wouldn't begrudge him that. Snooze pointed with one of her fuzzy paws down a street I hadn't explored before.

"Are you going home already, Phaedra?" Lucy called out from behind me. I turned and smiled over at her, shaking my head gently as a small snore came from the kitten in my arms.

"Snooze wants to go back to Laxus so she is leading me to him," I explained, glancing down to see that Natsu and Lucy were holding hands casually as they walked out of the guild hall. Gray and Happy were following after them and I couldn't help but look beyond him to see if Juvia was somewhere in the shadows. Her obsessive stalking of Gray seemed to have calmed down, but surprisingly it had appeared that her target had turned to me lately. Even though whenever I tried to approach her she would quickly pretend to be occupied with something else.

"We were going to go into town and get some dinner. You're welcome to join us after you give Snooze back," Lucy said with a happy grin. I nodded noncommittally and repeated the name of the restaurant back to Lucy before watching them walk off. Surprisingly, even as Happy flew off after them, Gray stayed behind.

"You're not going to eat dinner with them?" I asked after a moment. Gray looked up at me and shrugged.

"I'll help you find Laxus," he said, walking over to me and reaching out a hand to scratch one of Snooze's ears. One of her feet kicked out gently as if in response to the scratch and I chuckled at how cute she was.

"Alright," I agreed, beginning to walk the direction that Snooze had indicated. As we walked, Gray began to tell me more details about the job they had gone on. Seeing Gray happy and healthy had been a relief. When we had parted he had seemed uneasy and I had felt bad that I had had to be so firm in my refusal of his help. But he had been the same prickly yet sweet young man I had come to cherish and I had been happy when he treated me like an old friend.

As we walked through the emptying street together, Snooze would periodically wake up to point us in the correct direction, and I wondered how she knew exactly where Laxus was. I assumed it had something to do with her sense of smell though since she always twitched her nose in the air before pointing the way. Sooner than I had expected, we found ourselves in a small patch of green. It looked like a flower garden of some kind, and I had to concentrate so that I didn't chuckle out loud at the thought of a big guy like Laxus coming here to relax.

"Daddy," Snooze said, pulling me out of my inner amusement and I blinked when she stood up and spread her wings. She pushed off, flying through the air over the flowers and bushes towards a large tree.

"Careful, Snoo-" My words were cut off when I took a step to follow her and suddenly a hand grabbed onto my elbow, halting my progress. Looking back over my shoulder, I was surprised to see that Gray was looking down at the ground but had a firm grip on my arm.

"Is something wrong, Gray?" I asked, flicking my eyes back to watch Snooze as she flapped her wings lazily.

"I've been meaning to talk to you for a while," Gray said, his voice strong even though he wouldn't meet my eyes. He didn't continue though, and I bit my lip, looking over with concern at the little flying kitten. She was actually flying pretty straight right now though, and she did seem to know exactly where she was going. Reluctantly, I turned around to face Gray.

"Very well," I said, pulling my arm gently to try and prompt him to let go. He did, and I folded my arms. "What did you want to talk about?"

Gray took a deep breath, his chest expanding from the extra air and my eyes flicked to the large blue fairy tail emblem on his chest. It didn't bother me anymore when Gray stripped his shirt because I understood that he wasn't trying to be inappropriate, it was just a habit. And I had to admit that I enjoyed seeing the Fairy Tail emblem displayed so proudly because it reminded me that we really were connected like a family.

He slowly looked up, meeting my eyes with a serious look and I blinked, surprised to realize that Gray appeared taller now. Probably because I don't wear boots with heels anymore, I thought to myself as Gray continued to hesitate. His Adam's apple bobbed, but then he opened his mouth and I felt my entire body tense at the unexpected words.

"I like you, Phaedra." Something about his seriousness and tone told me that this was not the kind of like between good friends... But even though that was the impression he was giving off, I refused to follow that line of thought without confirming it.

"What do you mean by that?" I winced at the harsh edge to my words, and gripped my arms tightly, trying to calm myself down. Gray blinked, his face registering surprise at my reaction. He didn't seem deterred by my almost angry words though as he took a step closer to me. My body immediately reacted by skipping back a step and I saw a small frown appear on Gray's lips, but he stayed where he was as he met my eyes.

"I mean that I have feelings for you. More than just a friend." My body began to tremble and I held onto my arms even tighter, trying to remain perfectly still as I tried to process this unexpected declaration.

"Gray... I..." My mind was spinning like crazy as I looked up at the boy I had come to think of as a dear younger brother. What would possess him to see me in that way? How did that even happen? I thought as I struggled to try and respond.

To my shock, Gray's dark eyes clouded with sadness and he turned away from me. His shoulders raised as he took another deep breath and my feet twitched, although I wasn't sure if I wanted to move closer to him or run as far away as I could. Slowly, he turned back around and gave me a small smile.

"I'm sorry to spring this on you. I tried to tell you back in Prekt but I kind of messed up," Gray said with a rye chuckle. My mind immediately called up our strange last conversation and his insistence that he sees me as a woman suddenly made sense. I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself from groaning as I realized that his feelings weren't something new.

"I know you just got here and are trying to relax and everything," Gray said, sounding regretful but also a little hopeful as he peeked at me through his messy bangs. 'You can think about it as long as you want. I promise I'll respect your decision if you think it would be impossible to like me back."

My chest tightened at the hope and resignation that were both shining in his dark eyes as he met my gaze. I swallowed with difficulty, not knowing how on earth I could ever respond to something like this.

Me? Have romantic feelings? Can I even do that? I wondered to myself as my mind spun from this shocking conversation. Gray seemed to be waiting for some kind of an answer though, so I tried to force myself to push my confusing thoughts to the side and glanced away from him.

"I'll... think about it," I forced out of my tight throat. Gray sighed in relief and I looked over at him in surprise to see that he was smiling at me.

"Honestly, I thought you were going to turn me down right away," Gray said with a shaky laugh. "I'm sorry to make you look like that. But thank you for at least thinking about it."

Gray took a step back and I saw a myriad of emotions going through his face. I had never seen him look like this and it only added to my confusion as I watched him slowly walk backward from me. Just as he had turned around, he suddenly flipped around and in the orange glow of the setting sun, I could see his cheeks turning slightly red.

"I'm serious about this, Phaedra. I really do like you," he said, and I felt another wave of confusion that made me want to just run away hit me like a meteor. But I stubbornly stood my ground and jerkily nodded my head in acknowledgment of what he had said. Gray nodded again, turning around and jogged away.

As he disappeared down a side street, I let out a long, shaking sigh and pushed a hand firmly against my head. A rustling behind me jerked me out of my moment of utter confusion and I spun around, flaring my magic around my hands to cause them to glow. When Laxus stepped out from behind a tree trunk, Snooze curled up in one of his huge hands, I immediately let go of my magic and breathed in quickly to calm my rapidly beating heart.

"She found you, then," I said, shocked at how much my voice was shaking. I quickly clamped my mouth shut, tucking my lips between my teeth and looking down at my hands. My trembling fingers seemed to mock me as I squeezed them into a fist and tried to pretend I wasn't having a mental breakdown.

"You've been back for two weeks haven't you?" I blinked at the unexpected question, looking up into Laxus's straight face and I found myself nodding. Laxus let out a barking laugh and shook his head.

"I thought he would have told you the first chance he got. What was he doing waiting around to ambush you like that," Laxus said, frowning as he looked in the direction Gray had gone. The blood seemed to rush out of my face and I felt slightly lightheaded as I stumbled back a step.

"You heard?" I muttered, feeling more embarrassed than I had expected. The sound of heavy footfalls alerted me to Laxus's approach, but I was too shellshocked to move as he reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. Looking up into chiseled features, I was surprised to see concern in his usually impassive face.

"You know that things are different now right, Phaedra? Gray would never treat you like King Hizeah did. If he did I'd kill him for you," Laxus said, his voice turning slightly dark. I blinked up in surprise, realizing that Laxus was trying to comfort me, and my trembling seemed to intensify.

"I know," I breathed out. Thinking about Gray and all the times he had risked his life to come and help me. Oddly, it seemed like both Gray and Laxus had always been there at my absolute worst moments.

"So why are you shaking like a leaf?" Laxus asked with a heavy frown as he squeezed my shoulder harder as if he were trying to stop my trembling. I let out a humorless laugh and wrapped my arm around my stomach, directly over top of the horrible scar that King Hizeah had given me the night I had lost the last thing that a woman could.

"I don't know... if I can give myself to someone," I breathed out shakily, trying desperately to stop my trembling. "And even if I could... Gray is like my little brother... I don't... I just..." My words came to a stumbling halt as my brain began to spin in overdrive.

Laxus stood silently over me, holding my shoulder in silent support. Neither of us said anything, only Snooze's happy snores interrupted the quiet that descended around us. After a few minutes, my shaking began to slow and my arms relaxed, falling back to my side. Pushing out a sigh through his nose, Laxus patted my shoulder gently and I looked up into his face to see an unreadable expression there.

"This probably won't help anything," Laxus said, removing his hand from my shoulder and reaching up to slip Snooze into the hood of his shirt. "But to be honest, I have feelings for you too, Phaedra. No matter what happens, there are going to be people you touch and who fall for you. Whether you like it or not."

My whole body froze as Laxus looked down at me and his expression turned gentle. He leaned down slightly, maintaining the distance between us but making sure I could look directly into his eyes.

"You can't let your past rule your future, Phaedra. If Gray or I can't make you happy, then turn us down. But don't be scared of falling in love and letting someone love you. Instead of just living life looking after other people, why don't you let someone look out for you too?" Laxus smiled, but he looked a little sad as he straightened. My mind had come to a crashing stop as Laxus looked down at me and I couldn't even blink as he reached out and patted my head.

"Thanks for looking after Snooze for me," Laxus said, pulling his hand away and turning away from me. I watched him, focusing my eyes on the slight bulge where Snooze was sleeping peacefully in Laxus's hood as he left the small park and turned the opposite way that Gray had gone, soon disappearing as well.

Once his broad back had faded in the distance, all the strength in my legs seemed to slip away and I felt my knees buckle. I fell down to the ground, my mind replaying what both Gray and Laxus had said. My body once again began to tremble and I hardly even registered the wetness on my cheeks as my body shed disbelieving tears. What... am I supposed to do?

A/N Oh wow. Sorry to end it there. I hope Phaedra's reaction makes sense to everyone. Thanks for reading!