I sank heavily into one of the kitchen chairs after Waylen and Gajeel had gone, dropping my head into my hands as the tears fell a little more freely. "It's always your fault."The words rang in my head again and again, relentlessly. His voice had been so full of resentment and hurt as he had said them. And he was right. It was all my fault. I was the one who had let the Agramon into my head. I was the one who had put him in danger. I was the reason Lucifer was after us to begin with.
"Way to go, Levy," I sighed to myself, wiping my face. "Now your own son hates you."
When I heard someone land outside, and the handle of the front door turned, I rushed into the bathroom, not wanting Gajeel to see me.
"I'm back," he called, just as I jumped into the shower.
"Be right out," I told him, leaning my head against the wall as the warm water helped to relax me a little. I need to get things resolved quickly, that way Waylen isn't in anymore danger. There's nothing I can do about the teasing at school, unfortunately, but I kill those bastards who might try to hurt him.
~Gajeel~
"Everything alright, kiddo?" I asked Waylen as we flew to his school. He merely nodded, staring straight ahead. I sighed, shaking my head. "I know things are tough, but you'll get through it, alright?" Again, he only nodded. Something was different, though, in his silence now. He seemed almost angry.
Once we landed, and as he made his way towards the school, I grabbed his arm. "Listen, Waylen," I said, meeting his eyes, "your mother and I love you, and we worked really hard to make sure you could have a happy life. Remember that, okay? No matter what, we're always gonna be here for you."
I didn't know what I was expecting, but as he nodded again and went into the school, I sighed loudly and went home.
"I'm back," I called as I came through the door.
"Be right out," Levy said, from our bathroom.
I smirked as I crept towards the bathroom, intent on surprising Levy and joining her. As I reached for the door handle, I paused, hearing a quite sniffling from the other side. Is she crying? I frowned, cracking the door open and peaking inside. From the mirror, I could see her wiping at her face, and I could also tell that her eyes were red.
Shutting the door, I went to our bedroom and sat on the bed, waiting for her. Waylen was acting strange, and then I came home to find Levy crying. Something definitely wasn't right.
"Oh," Levy said, surprised, as she entered the bedroom, "I wasn't expecting you to be in here." She had a robe wrapped around herself, and she went to her dresser to find some clothes.
"We need to talk," I told her, waiting until she had gotten dressed.
She frowned at me as she towel-dried her hair. "About what?"
"We could start with the reason you were crying a minute ago," I said.
She continued frowning, not meeting my eyes as she placed the wet towel on a hook to dry. "I wasn't crying-"
"I saw you, Shrimp," I said. "And Waylen was acting weird this morning on the way to school, so I'm guessing the two are connected. What happened?"
"Nothing," she said, attempting to fake a smile. "We just got into a bit of an argument, that's all."
Sighing, I stood and grabbed her hands, meeting her beautiful hazel eyes. "Levy, what happened?"
Her smile fell as tears filled her eyes. "He knows about the demons," she said. "And he knows it's my fault they're going to be after him now. All of the teasing that's been happening at school, he blames me for that, too. But he's right, you know. All of it is my fault."
"Hey," I frowned, pulling her against me, "it isn't your fault. Those demons would have found out about him sooner or later, alright? But at least now we know that they know, and we can take precautions against them. And you aren't to blame for the teasing, either. I'm just as responsible as you are for bringing him into this world."
"I know," she mumbled, "but you didn't see his face this morning, Gajeel. He was so hurt, and he blames me for it."
"It's Lucifer who's to blame for all of this, Lev, not you. And now that we know what Lucifer is planning, we can stop him. He and his minions aren't getting anywhere near our son."
"Right," she nodded, pulling away and smiling at me.
I kissed her, hating that she kept blaming herself. "It's going to be alright, Levy."
"Gajeel." Mavis's voice suddenly appeared in my mind and I sighed. She only contacted me usually when there was a job she needed me to go on.
"Yeah?" I asked.
Levy frowned, pointing up at the ceiling and I answered with a nod. "I'll wait for you in the living room," she told me, understanding.
"It seems that the demons have come out of hiding once more."
"Where?" I asked her.
"Germany, in a small town called -----. Several groups of demons were spotted heading towards the small town. You, Laxus, Cana, Natsu, Juvia, and Gray will all head there to intercept them before they can reach it. If not, hundreds of humans will lose their lives."
"What about Levy?" I frowned, noticing she hadn't listed her.
"With the situation, it would be best not to leave Waylen with Lucy-just in case a demon comes after him. She is unable to fight at full strength right now because of the twins, so Levy will stay behind to be with Waylen while the rest of the children stay with Lucy," She explained.
"Right," I nodded. "I'm guessing the others know already?"
"They will meet you at Lucy and Natsu's."
"I'm on my way."
"So, what's the job?" Levy asked as I came into the living room.
"A big one," I said, explaining to her what Mavis had told me.
She nodded, frowning. "That makes sense. I would feel better staying with Waylen, anyways. I wonder why they're striking in Germany, though."
"Who knows," I shrugged. "Maybe there's something there they want. That can be the only explanation for sending such a large group, right?"
"Yeah," she said, still frowning. "It's a bit concerning. Make sure to be careful."
"Always," I smiled, pulling her into a kiss. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"You'd better," she chuckled.
~Levy~
Once Gajeel had gone, I pondered what he had told me. I couldn't figure out why the demons would be attacking so suddenly-and why Germany. Gajeel, Waylen, and I were here, so why would they attack a town so far away?
Even as I picked Waylen and Karyn up from school and dropped Karyn off at Lucy's, I was still deep in thought. Part of me was glad for the distraction, considering Waylen still wasn't talking to me. As soon as we got home, he shut himself in his room without so much as a word to me.
It wasn't until I heard a sudden crash come from the living room that everything made sense. As a large demon stepped through the splintered remains of my front door, I knew exactly what was happening. It was a trap to lure everyone away.
