#jerza fic

              He prepares himself for a final stand and  -

              “Jellal, look out!”

              Erza’s body presses against him, pushes him out of the way of one of the dragon’s minions. For a moment, he is  completely confused, as though  he stands between two moments  of time.   In one, Erza is dead, and he’s prepared to join her.   In the other, she’s vitally, beautifully alive and he doesn’t know which is real.

              Which is foolish, because he knows which he prefers.

              It was his nature to question  miracles, particularly as they pertain  to him, but this once he won’t.  She had been dying in his arms, and now that he had almost lost her, he couldn’t risk losing her again.  So, he accepts this miracle.  He accepts that he knows  what’s supposed to  happen next.

              And he casts Grand Chariot, putting what is left of his energy into the attack, and pulling Erza out of the line of fire. When he collapses amongst  the rubble, he takes  her  with him. He  manages to catch himself, just enough so he won’t  hurt her, but then his arms give out as well, and he rests his head on her  chest.

              He can hear her  heart  beat, a wild staccato in his ear,  and her chest rises and falls rapidly.  Jellal is  not a praying man, but in that  moment he gives thanks to whoever will listen.

              “Jellal.” His name is a  soft  murmur, and he manages to  turn his face up, to  look at hers. Her eyes are  soft, and  she reaches a hand out and runs it through his hair.   He doesn’t care  if  it’s selfish of him, to turn into that touch.

              There is a  look in her eyes that says she needs to touch him.  And may the heavens help him, but he needs to be touched.

              “I…” his voice his a  harsh rasp, and he can’t  get beyond that one word.

              I saw you die.

              I can’t  lose you.

              I love you.

              Every single statement true, but he can’t say any of them, so instead he musters his strength, and pushes himself up and off of her, away from her all too addicting touch.

              “I died,” she says, as she sits up herself.  She clutches her sword, as if to keep herself grounded, and Jellal can’t look away from her. She touches her chest, where the killing shot had hit, and her fingers curl into a fist.  “How am I not dead, Jellal?”

              In another situation, he perhaps would have figured it out; after all,  he’s travelled with Ultear for six years, had worked with her even before that.  He knows nearly as much about her Arc of Time and it’s capabilities as she does.

              But this is not another situation, and his mind is full of nightmares of  a potential future where Erza no longer exists, and it’s a future that makes him feel bereft.

              They stare at each other in silence. In the near distance they can hear more of the dragon minions fighting their allies. Beyond that, there’s the roar of the dragons themselves, and the explosions that can only mean the Dragon Slayers are hard at work.

              Despite all that, neither of them move.

              Until she does, and Jellal’s arms are filled with Erza. Her fingers cradle his cheeks, and it’s entirely too easy to let her tip his head back.  When she seals her lips over his, he  wraps his arms around her.  One hand tangles in the scarlet hair  that has haunted his dreams for too many years. The other wraps around her lower back and pulls her tight against him.

              Never has anything felt so right, and Jellal thinks he could happily go forever kissing Erza.

              “You were dead,” he gasps out, when they finally break apart, both of them breathing wildly.  They rest their foreheads against each other, and Jellal closes his eyes, the  image of her broken body burned on the inside of his eye lids.  He opens  them again to meet hers, and he knows he must look  half mad. “You can’t die, Erza. I can’t lose you.”

              Not again.

              He knows what a world that believes Erza Scarlet is dead is like, even  if he could never quite believe  her dead himself –not when his heart still beat her name.  He can’t survive a world where she is truly dead.  He’s just not that strong.

              She doesn’t respond to him.  Instead, she just kisses him again,  and he’s pretty sure this is what home must feel like.

              Their kisses are frantic  and messy, their lips seeking out whatever bare skin they can reach when they separate for  breath, before their lips collide again.

              Above them, a dragon roars again,  and it reminds them  both  that there is more at stake than each  other and the desperation  that near death – actual death? Neither is sure – ignited in them.

              “Can you stand?” Erza asks. She’s managed to stumble to her feet  and grab her sword,  resting her weight on the blade.  She offers her hand to Jellal, and he takes it,  letting her pull  him to  his feet.  He has no magic left to give, but he can’t  let her out of his sight either.

              Not yet.

              “We need to find your friends,” Jellal says at last.  “We need…”

              He isn’t sure what they need, isn’t sure what can beat these monsters.   It’s certainly not him, and  probably not Erza either.

              But as much faith as he has in the woman at his side, he has just as much  in her Guild. Fairy Tail helped make Erza Scarlet into Titania, and Jellal knows if anyone can win this day it is them.

              He knows if the survive this, nothing will really change.  He is still ruined for her – filled with guilt and dark memories he can never escape.   Beyond that, he’s still a wanted convict who couldn’t be with her beyond secret meetings in the dark, and Erza deserves so much more.

              Blowing out a heavy breath, Jellal ran his finger over the curve of the letters of her name, a small smile curling his lips, even as he  shook his head ever so slightly with exasperation. Erza had come so far, had grown so strong since the days of their childhood.  But with that strength had come a recklessness that left her incapable of doing anything by half measures.

              Jellal supposed that meant she belonged in Fairy Tail.

              “What has you smiling?”

              The smile slid from his lips, and Jellal’s shoulders straightened. The mask of Magic Councillor came to him far too easy. He remembered Erza telling him once that he was a terrible liar, and wondered what she would think of him now.

              Now was not the time to think of Erza.

              “Ultear,” Jellal greeted, keeping his voice carefully moderated and just a little bored. Ultear Malkovich had joined the Magic Council at the same time, and nearly the same young age, as Jellal himself.  Her smile was just a little predatory, and she had made it very clear over the past year that she was willing to work with him in a… multitude of ways.

              She made Jellal uneasy, though he couldn’t necessarily say why.

              “Preparing yourself for the trial?” Ultear asked, approaching his desk and perching herself lightly on the edge. “Have you ever met Titania Erza? I’ve heard she’s quite… impressive.  I’m rather looking forward to it, even if it is via projection.”

              “It’s a farce,” Jellal replied coolly. “And a waste of time.”

              And because of that, there was no way for Jellal to justify going to Magnolia for the  trial in person.  Not when everyone else intended to attend from Era. It left him irritated, knowing that not  only would Erza be the  Council’s scapegoat, but that he would be there, be able to see her…  and not be able to touch her.

              It left him feeling irritable and annoyed, and the way Ultear spoke of her – as though Erza were  some intriguing spectacle – made his fingers itch to do… something.

              Not for the first time, Jellal wondered why he had turned down Makarov’s  offer of a guild mark and a home in favor of  this.

              Blind ambition, probably – more the fool him.

              “The trial will begin shortly,” Jellal said after a moment, choosing to keep his words flat and impervious, lest Ultear grow suspicious should his irritation show.

              He didn’t wait for Ultear’s response, instead settling back to project himself to the Fiore branch.  The others, he knew, would project right into the court  room, but for once allowing himself to be just a little reckless,  Jellal opened his  eyes in the hall outside.

              Mere moments later, Erza appeared, escorted by a guard.  Her hands were in shackles in front of her, and Jellal felt rage rise in his chest at the sight. He had promised her once, that she would never be shackled again, and now here she was, his promise broken.

              The guard dropped to his knees when he saw  Jellal, but Erza  just adjusted her stance, so she could stand  straight, and stare him down.

              “Jellal,” she said, not backing down when he came to a stop before her, standing far closer than he probably should.

              “Erza,” Jellal greeted in return. “It’s been a while. I’m afraid I couldn’t be here in person.”

              He saw her fingers  twitch slightly, as though she wanted to  reach out and see if  she could touch the projection. Part of him desperately wanted her to as well. Jellal’s projections could allow him to feel, and he hadn’t realized how tempted  he  would be, when he saw her in  near privacy.

              Near being the keyword, of course. He looked down at the guard, then back at Erza, and for the first time in what seemed like ages,  he allowed the act to fall, just for her.  A rueful grin curved his lips, the one that he wore when he wanted to clutch her close, but  couldn’t.

              In answer, Erza’s eyes softened.

              “None of them are here in person.  It was decided the matter was too… trivial.”

              He let his gaze linger on the shackles, and despite his earlier words to Ultear, this  didn’t  feel like  a farce. It felt… wrong. So very, very wrong.

              Titania  Erza was meant to  be  free, always.

              “I can’t believe that  you were behind this,” Erza stated,  and Jellal knew that wasn’t an  accusation, but a statement of fact.  Erza’s way of telling him she didn’t hold him responsible.

              “The elders are afraid that they will blamed for  Clover. So they chose you as their scapegoat.” Unable to maintain his distance, Jellal shot a quick look at the guard. Confident he was keeping his gaze firmly on the ground, Jellal let himself reach out to grasp Erza’s hand. “Just… just be warned, Erza.”

              She squeezed his hand in return, and Jellal desperately wanted to pull her into his arms.   He wanted to whisk her away from all of this,  and the Council that would  shackle her. And Erza would hate it, if she knew his thoughts.

              So instead, he stepped back, breaking the contact between them.  His fingers clenched, and he bowed his head slightly to her. Biting back a sigh, he let his projection transfer once more, this time appearing in his seat in the courtroom.

              “Did you get lost?” Ultear asked him.  Her tone was rife with amusement, but there was something dark in her eyes that made Jellal’s back stiffen.

              “Hardly… just a brief distraction.”

              Any further questions were put to a halt by Erza’s entrance,  and Jellal leaned forward slightly. Ultear still watched him,  and he fought to keep his expression  passive.

              It was difficult, however, when the woman he loved was on trial.  Even if that trial was a farce.

              It began smoothly enough.

              Then the courtroom exploded. Or at least the back wall did.

              Jellal knew Natsu Dragneel,  of course. He knew most of the Fairy Tail wizards.  And Jellal had to wonder who it was that had failed to keep the Dragon Slayer under lock and key.  He could feel a pressure headache forming in his temples once more as Erza apologized desperately for Natsu, who bellowed and, at one point, called them all council jerks, which left Jellal feeling vaguely insulted.

              Still, he had to admit to some amusement when, later that night, he projected himself to the cells where the two Fairy Tail mages were being forced to spend the night.

              “You meant well,” Jellal heard Erza murmur, followed by a clang of metal and Natsu’s pained yelp.  Jellal winced in sympathy.  He had been on the receiving end of Erza’s “hugs” more than once in their childhood and early teen years.  Luckily, he had learned how to avoid behind pulled into her armour so painfully.

              Others had not.

              Jellal stepped in front of the cell, and both Erza and Natsu stumbled to their feet. When he realized who stood there, Natsu’s shoulders relaxed and he slumped to the floor again.

              “Oh, Jellal, it’s just you.”

              “Jellal is it now?” Jellal replied dryly.  “Why, I thought I was just another council jerk.”

              “Pfft,” Natsu waved that away.  “I didn’t mean you. Although, you’d think you could’ve helped us out.  I mean, it’s Erza.”

              “I told you, Natsu, I was just an example.  We can hardly ask Jellal to put himself out for a slap on the wrist.” While Natsu sprawled on the ground, Erza remained standing, and the distance between them felt nearly  painful.

              “I would,” Jellal replied, stepping up and wrapping his hands around the bars of the cell.  “If you had just asked, I would have…”

              He didn’t know how to finish that.  He would have stopped it? Possibly. Probably. It would have taken favors, and trusting Ultear more than he wanted, but he could have made it happen.

              But Erza hadn’t asked.

              “I know,” Erza said, stepping up and grasping his wrists.  She smiled at him, and Jellal closed his eyes, resting his head against the bars. “But you’re our biggest defender on the council, Jellal.  And this… this was nothing.”

              “They shackled you.”

              “True, but I could’ve broken out.” Jellal’s eyes snapped open at her words and Erza shrugged.  “I needed to exercise diplomacy today.” She shot a dark look over her shoulder at Natsu.  “Not that it mattered in the end.”

              “Hey!” he squawked in return, sitting upright. “I thought you were okay with that!”

              “I never said I was okay with it!” Erza snapped in return, turning to glare at Natsu, her hands on her hips.  “I said I appreciate that you care!”

              Jellal couldn’t help the laughter that burst from his chest.  But how many times had he watched Erza lecture Natsu in that exact way during their childhood? He may not have made  his  permanent home at Fairy Tail, but  it was where he had always  gone, when his training had grown difficult, or  he had simply missed Erza  until l his chest ached and he needed to  see her.

              “Hey, why are you laughing?” Natsu demanded, jumping to his feet to grab the bars and yell at Jellal.  “I already gotta fight Erza and Laxus  - don’t make me fight you,  too!”

              “He’s not going to fight you,” Erza snapped, out, sending  Natsu to the floor with a  well-placed fist on the  head. “He’s far too busy for that.  And he’s not even here, right now.”

              “Wha – but I can see him!”

              Erza ignored Natsu and turned back to Jellal, grasping the bars just above his hands.

              “This is an unnecessary use of your magic, Jellal. And if anyone knew you were here, they may question any of your decisions made in Fairy Tail’s favor.” She leaned towards him slightly. “We’re truly fine.”

              “If the two of you are going to kiss, give me a heads up.  I don’t need to see that.”

              “Shut up, Natsu.”  

              The words came from both Jellal and Erza, and once more, he felt laugher bubble in his chest.

              “Could you feel it?” Erza asked, keeping her voice low,  though it wouldn’t prevent Natsu from hearing it.   “If I kissed you?”

              “My projections are very good,” Jellal replied, moving his hands up so they covered hers.  She leaned forward, and he  pressed his lips to hers through the bars. It was awkward, but she tasted like strawberries, and Jellal didn’t particularly like the fruit…  not unless he was tasting it on  Erza’s lips.

              “You guys are gross,” Natsu growled from behind them, effectively destroying the moment.   Jellal let loose a heavy sigh and  rested his forehead against Erza’s, metal bars biting uncomfortably  into his skin.

              “Don’t kill him, Erza. He can’t help but be himself.”

              “Hey!” Natsu shouted, and Jellal smirked  at him as he  pulled away  from the bars.   He kept his hands over Erza’s for a moment longer,  revelling in the  feel of her skin beneath his.

              Then he pulled away entirely.

              “Next time I see you, I won’t be kissing you through bars while I’m miles away,” Jellal said.

              “Promises,” Erza replied, her smile echoing the sadness Jellal  felt.

              She turned from him, and the last thing he saw before he disappeared  was Erza looming over  Natsu, who was probably realizing  he maybe should  have kept  his mouth shut.

              Jellal opened his eyes in his office  in  Era, his hand rubbing over  his chest.

              He stared at the roof. It felt cold without Erza there, and quiet without Natsu’s shouting.

              Jellal started and looked in surprise at Mirajane, who sprawled in the chair across from him.  Natsu and Gray even stopped their arguing to stare at the them, and down the table Cana edged her chair closer, all of them focused on  hearing his answer.

              “I… uh… she…” Jellal groaned and buried his face in his arm. Only Fairy Tail could make him feel like that – awkward and out of place. Everywhere else, he was well-spoken and composed.

              But not at Fairy Tail.

              Then again…it probably wasn’t the guild itself. He peek up from his arms to look at Erza again. Laxus had joined her now, both of them looking at the job board, and Jellal  felt a flare of jealousy, when the blonde leaned closer to her, pointing something out.

              Jellal felt completely ridiculous. He knew there was nothing between Laxus and Erza; his jealousy was completely out of place.

              He groaned again, burying his face away once more. At this rate, he’d be Chairman of the Magic Council before he ever kissed Erza.

              “That wasn’t an answer, Jellal.” He looked up into Mira’s gaze. She had leaned forward, one arm resting on the table.

              “Why does it even matter to you?” Jellal grumbled.

              “Because, when the two of you are all blushing, awkward idiots together, she doesn’t put up nearly as much of a fight. What’s the point in beating her if she’s a mess?”

              Jellal found himself wondering what exactly their fights were like when he wasn’t around, because they were pretty  vicious as far as he was concerned, and now Mira  was saying that he  had never seen Erza at her best.

              “Please don’t kill her,” he found himself requesting before he could think better of it –which was ridiculous, because Erza had beat Mirajane for S-Class, and had always won the (many) fights he had witnessed… and apparently hadn’t been at her best when doing so.

              “Don’t kill who?” Jellal jerked upright  at the voice, and wondered if he could possibly sink into the floor. He could probably find a spell for that.  Brain probably would have known one, but Jellal was done training with him, and had to admit he was rather relieved that  he was.

              Brain made him uneasy, so Makarov had helped him find a new teacher, this one an actual member of the council.

              “You, Erza!” Natsu said with a loud laugh. “Jellal doesn’t think you can beat Mira!”

              “Oh?”  Jellal still hadn’t turned to look at Erza,  and  the threat in her voice kept him looking  at his hands on the table.

              Forget Chairman… it would be his deathbed before he got to kiss Erza now, and even that might be a longshot.

              “That isn’t what I meant,” Jellal said, finally looking over his shoulder, his eyes pleading for mercy.  “I just…”

              “He can’t talk around you, Kid!” Laxus said with an obnoxious laugh  that made both Jellal and Erza glare at you.  “Don’t know how you plan on becoming a Wizard Saint if a girl sends you stuttering.”

              “The Wizard Saints don’t make me stutter,” Jellal muttered darkly, but Laxus had already moved on.  Erza, on the other hand, squeezed her way in between  Jellal and Gray, and her chest rubbed against his arm as she did so.

              Jellal felt his cheeks burn red, because Erza had started to… change, in the past year or so.  Body-wise.

              And Jellal, despite his best efforts, had noticed.

              “What do you think?” Erza demanded, slapping a paper on the table in front of him.  Jellal had been looking at her, half wishing that she’d rub up against him again, and it took him a moment and a pointed cough from Mira, for him to realize she wanted his attention on the paper.

              “You’re so weird,” Natsu said from across the table, rolling his eyes. “I don’t get why everyone thinks you’re so powerful when you can’t even keep up with the conversation.”

              “Because everyone doesn’t make him lose track of the conversation,” Cana replied, with a smirk and a wink at Jellal,  who sent her his best bland expression in return.   He’d been working hard on that look. Yajima said that Councilmen and Wizard Saints were very good at keeping their thoughts to themselves.  Jellal wasn’t sure he agreed on the Wizard Saint part – Makarov didn’t hide his thoughts, after all – but he could see it being a good skill for a Councilman.

              “Pay attention, Jellal,” Erza interjected, her hand cupping his cheek to turn his gaze towards the paper she’d slammed on the table.  Of course, at contact they both froze, and his gaze stopped on hers, rather than going to the paper. It felt like it had been years, since they had been at ease touching each other. Another thing they had learned since leaving the Tower – that it wasn’t considered civilized, to touch each other like they had.  “I… I mean… I didn’t…”

              Erza stuttered as rapidly as Jellal had, and began to pull her hand back, but Jellal’s came up and held it  in  place. He knew he had to be bright red as well, but who cared?

              Erza was touching him and he didn’t want it to stop.

              “J-Jellal?” Erza’s voice was higher than usual, and it made a smile curve his lips.

              “You made S-Class,” he said, still holding her hand in place with his, carefully threading his fingers through hers.

              “Yeah,” Erza said softly, almost  more of a sigh than anything.  He turned his head, and pressed a kiss into her palm, and if she hadn’t been red as her hair before, she certainly  was now.

              “Congratulations.”

              It was as smooth as he’d ever been with Erza, and if you asked the rest  of the Guild, he’d  never been as smooth since – not even once they, somehow – miraculously -  stumbled into a relationship together.

              But on that day, the day after Erza Scarlet returned to Fairy Tail victorious from her S-Class trial, Jellal Fernandes managed to be smooth.  He pressed a kiss into Erza’s palm, and then he buried his free hand in the hair at the base of her neck and leaned down to press  his lips to  hers.

              It was a little bit awkward; neither of them had ever kissed anyone before. But it was also as natural as breathing, because who would either of them ever kiss, if not each other?  

              He released her hand so he could cradle her head with both of his, and she fisted hers in his shirt,  pulling herself as close to him as she could get.

              She tasted like strawberry cake.  It had never been Jellal’s favorite dessert, but when the taste came with Erza he thought it could be.

              It took a few moments  -  far longer than it probably should have – for them to realize there was   utter silence around  them.

              It took that silence for them  to remember they were sitting in the  middle  of  the Fairy Tail  guild… and  Fairy Tail was never quiet.

              They broke apart, their breath coming out wildly, and looked around  with wide eyes, not releasing their holds on each other.  Around them,  guildmates stared back,  just as wide-eyed. Even Laxus was gaping at them, not a smart ass comment to be heard.

              It was Happy, who finally  broke the silence.

              “Erza and Jellal, sitting in a tree  K-I-”

              “S-S-I-N-G!” Gray and Natsu joined in, for once united in glee at the thought of embarrassing Erza.

              For her part, she  blushed again, and  pulled back from Jellal, looking once more at the paper on the table, clearly determined to ignore Gray and Natsu’s singing, and the hooting coming from  other guildmembers.

              “This mission,” she said,  poking a finger at it.  “What do you think?”

              Jellal leaned in, hesitating when the movement brought him closer to her.  But she didn’t move  away, and when  her gaze met his, just  briefly, there was no anger in  her eyes.

              Instead, the smallest of smiles curved her lips.

              “It sounds dangerous,” Jellal admitted after reading it.   “You’ll probably love it.”

              “I know!” Erza agreed, excitement lighting her eyes this time.   “I’m going to tell the Master I’m taking it!”

              She pushed away from the table, and Jellal  watched her go, his fingers coming up to trace the lips that still felt warm  from his. He turned back to the table, a slow smile growing as he did so, only to meet Mirajane’s gaze.

              There was… a weird sort of glee in her eyes. One that made Jellal feel vaguely nervous.

              “Erza and Jellal-” he looked at Gray and Natsu, who had decided to keep  singing that stupid song and rolled his eyes.  He moved from his chair, not caring that Mira still watched him, and cast his spell.

              With meteor, he sent both boys careening into the next table over, spilling Gildarts’ – there on one of his rare visits – beer spilling.

              Jellal felt a little smug  as he watched the boys begin a mini brawl over who had caused the mess.

              “That’s a new spell,” Mira observed,  and Jellal just shrugged.  She looked over his shoulder instead at Erza, talking with Makarov. “She’ll probably take off on that job right away.”

              “I know,” Jellal replied, looking at Erza himself. He’d stick around for a few more days,  but he needed to get back to  Yajima, and he probably wouldn’t be there  when Erza go back. “That’s okay.”

              And it was.  He would  miss Erza, but now that she’d made S-Class, she needed to embrace it. And Jellal still needed Magic Saint and the Magic Council. But it was okay.

              “Jellal showed up in person?” Laxus remarked. “You must be something special, Titania, to bring him from Era.”

              Erza glared up at the other mage, her hand hovering over her sword.  Natsu, on the other hand, was completely oblivious and scoffed.

              “Nah. I guess it was one of his projections.   They must be getting better, though, ‘cause I don’t remember Erza being  able to kiss ‘em bef  - ouch! Erza, what was that for?”

              Natsu rubbed yet another bump, and glared at Erza’s back as she stalked toward Mira and Makarov at the bar.   Mira looked sympathetic, and Lucy thought Makarov might flee rather than experience Erza’s wrath.

              “Jellal?” Lucy murmured to Happy, who seemed to think her shoulder was far safer than Natsu’s.  “As in… the Councilman?”

              She had heard of Jellal Fernandes, of course.  He was a favorite of Sorcerer Weekly. Attractive, and insanely powerful; not only had he become a Wizard Saint before his eighteenth birthday, but shortly after he’d joined the Magic Council as its youngest member.  Lucy wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she’d had a bit of a crush on him.

              He was just so… so.

              “Oh yeah,” said Cana from the table next to them.  She wavered on her stool but caught her balance and pointed her beer mug at Lucy.  “Our Erza and him have history.”

              The way she stressed history, and the lascivious way she  waggled her brows said exactly what kind of history Cana was referring to. At the bar, Erza’s shoulders stiffened.  Cana wasn’t exactly quiet, and Lucy let out a little eep when the redhead turned her glare in their direction.

              “Hey Erza!” Cana called to her carelessly.   “Lucy here didn’t have a clue about you and Jellal.  I guess we can keep a secret after all.”

              Cana’s voice was so smug that even Erza couldn’t keep up her anger, her expression instead turning  to exasperation.

              “Master-” she began with frustration in her voice, turning to Makarov.  The old man held up a hand, silencing not only Erza, but everyone in the guildhall. On the second floor, Laxus leaned over the railing, curiosity lighting up his gaze, though he probably would never admit as much.

              “It is rather handy having Erza’s boyfriend on the council.  He doesn’t lecture me on Guild behaviour nearly as much as Yajima does.”

              Erza let out a half scream and turned on her heel, stalking out of the guild. Lucy couldn’t necessarily blame her. Everyone looked a little disappointed with Makarov’s words, clearly having expected something… more.

              The disappointment didn’t last long, and soon Natsu and Gray were aiming punches at each other, while others avoided them, careful to protect their drinks. But Lucy continued to frown after Erza. There had never been even a whisper of a relationship between Erza and Councilman Jellal outside of Fairy Tail – and with Lucy’s love of Sorcerer Weekly, she would have heard if there had been.   Whatever reason kept them apart… it had to be difficult.

              “Cana makes it sound rather dirty.” Lucy looked up, startled, as Mira paused next to her, setting  down a lemonade.  “It really isn’t.”

              “So they’re not in a relationship?” Lucy asked, looking once more to the doors.  They remained open, but Erza could no longer be seen.  

              “Oh, they are.  They showed up here together, close to a decade ago, now.  There were others with them too, but they’ve scattered since. The only ones that stayed were Erza and Jellal, but he was… ambitious.   His training took him across Fiore.”

              “I guess you have to be ambitious,” Lucy murmured.   “To do what he’s done.  But still… poor Erza.”

              “He always came back,” Mira said cheerfully. “And I remember, when she used to pour over the job boards, for one that took her close to him.   It was sweet, really. Particularly before they admitted their feelings. They would blush and stutter around each other. They were adorable.”

              “They were gross,” Natsu muttered, crawling into the chair next to Lucy.

              “Ah, shut up, Flame Brain.    I miss having Jellal around.  It was a lot less painful.” Gray fell into the seat across from them, and Lucy  began to point out that his shirt was missing, before  she decided not to bother.

              “Why is it a secret?” she asked instead. Gossiping about Erza would probably get her skewered, but Lucy couldn’t help it.   This was just all so fascinating.  It was entirely different side  to Erza – one Lucy  had never suspected  existed!  

              “Fairy Tail doesn’t always get along great with the Council,” Gray replied, a slight frown marring his brow as he rested his cheek on his fist.   “Some members do as much damage as good, it doesn’t always give us a great reputation.”

              The glare he shot Natsu with the word some said pretty clearly who he blamed for that reputation.

              “Got something to say, Ice Princess?” Natsu demanded, sending his chair to the ground as he stood up, slamming his hands on the table.

              “Oh, was I not clear enough, Flame Brain? Need me to spell it out?”

              “Guys!” Lucy stood as well, slamming her hands down even louder than Natsu had.  Both boys stopped their yelling and looked  at her in surprise.  Lucy wasn’t going to let them fight, not when there  was gossip to be had! “Focus! Erza and Councilman Jellal!”

              “I don’t get why you keep calling him Councilman,” Natus whined.  “Sure, he did all that fancy stuff, but he’s still just  Jellal. Geez, Lucy, you’ll give him an ego.”

              “I think he deserves to have one!”  Lucy pointed out. “And he is a Councilman.”

              Fairy Tail was always a  bit weird, but this was beyond as far  as Lucy  was concerned. Just Jellal?!

              “The reputation,” Gray interjected, looking almost surprise that it was him preventing an argument for once, “it means it would have been difficult  for Jellal to make the council, if they knew  he and  Erza were in a relationship.  Any of them that bother to remember know he has a connection to Fairy Tail, but not how…”

              “They don’t know that he kisses Erza at any opportunity,” Natsu interrupted, his arms crossed and his expression petulant.  “I don’t get why he wanted to join them so bad anyways.   You can’t do anything fun if you’re on the council. And Jellal used to like being fun.”

              “Hah,” Cana laughed from the end of the table, leaning towards them.  “Jellal used to save your asses because it meant Erza would smile at him.  That was back when they were so ridiculous that he’d practically get a nosebleed if she happened to brush up against him.  And she wasn’t much better; almost as red as her hair half the time he was around.  I’m still not sure how they managed to get their shit together to make their relationship work.”

              Lucy couldn’t imagine Erza blushing… ever.  Some of the armours she wore, while deadly, would make Lucy die to be seen in.  And even outside of that, she’d see the redhead in some ridiculous cosplay costumes.

              And Councilman Jellal… well, Lucy had never met him, of course – but everything in Sorcerer Weekly painted him as a suave, charming man who was cool no matter the questions answered.  Even when the interviewer had been  brave enough to as about the nature of his relationship with fellow Councilwoman Ultear, there had been no mention of stuttering or blushing, and they would have mentioned it.

              She wondered what his response would be, if someone were to ask him about Erza?

              “Do you think it she’ll be okay?” Lucy asked, looking the way that Erza had come.  “She seemed kind of upset.”

              Lucy could see it now, in the way Erza’s anger had seemed just a little extreme.  Long distance relationships couldn’t be easy, especially when they were secret.

              “She’ll be perfectly fine,” Mira assured her. “She just misses him.  Maybe I should see if there isn’t a reason the Master would need to go to Era.  She could accompany him for safety.”

              Mira looked thoughtful as she wandered over to deliver beer to Macao’s table, and Lucy chuckled lightly, shaking her head. Apparently even once you were in a relationship, Mira’s matchmaking didn’t stop.

              While Lucy had been talking to Mira, Gray and Natsu had once again devolved to name  calling, and with Cana egging them on, they had begun rolling on the floor, fists flying.  Lucy rolled her eyes, and slipped out of the Guildhall in the distraction the fight had caused.

              Standing in the street, she looked both ways, hoping that, by some miracle, she would see the red of Erza’s hair. She didn’t, of course, but decided to take  a wild gamble based off of what  she knew about Erza  and Lucy’s own experience.

              When she was upset, she liked chocolate. Erza…well, Erza liked cake all  the time, but Lucy would bet she loved it even more when  she was upset.

              Sure enough, Erza had found a seat at a table in her favorite bakery,  an extra-large piece of strawberry and cream cake sitting on the table before her.

              “Hi,” Lucy said, sliding onto the seat across from her.

              “Oh, Lucy.” Erza gave a small  smile of  greeting. Lucy noticed the cake was untouched, and that wasn’t at all like Erza.

              “Are you okay?” Lucy asked.  She looked around; there were several townspeople watching from other tables, murmuring about the infamous Titania.  There would be no mentioning Jellal by name  here. “I mean, with… everything?”

              “Cana likes to talk,” Erza said with a sigh. She looked at her  cake, and finally took a bite – just a small one, not at all  like Erza.

              “I got just as much from Gray, Natsu, and Mira,” Lucy admitted, squeezing her hands together on her lap. “They all care about you.”

              “They all like to gossip.”

              “That too.”

              They sat in silence, Erza looking at her cake, and Lucy looking at Erza. Finally, Erza sighed and set her fork down.

              “I should be angry with him. He’s ruining cake for me,” she grumbled, scowling at the plate now.   Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she looked up at Lucy.  “I probably should have told you myself. We’re on the same team now, after all. But truthfully, you fit in so well that I’d forgotten that you didn’t know already.”

              “It’s okay,” Lucy assured her friend. “Sometimes, we have things we don’t like to talk about, anyway.”

              Lucy thought of her own situation, and her own… things.  Yeah, she couldn’t judge anyone else for keeping quiet about their personal issues.

              “That’s really not it at all,” Erza replied.  Her gaze turned somewhat distant, her lips curving into a fond smile. “I actually do like to talk about him. I’m… I’m very fond of him.”

              A faint blush rose in her cheeks, and for the first time Lucy could see what the others had meant, when they talked about Erza’s courtship.  Lucy rested her chin on her palm and smiled at her friend as Erza turned back to her again.

              “You should talk about him then,” Lucy said, when Erza’s expression turned questioning. “Tell me about the first time you guys kissed.”

              For a second, Erza looked startled, and then she laughed.  She pulled cake towards her one more, and took a bite – far too big, and much more typical of the Erza Lucy knew.

              “I never thought I’d tell that story,” Erza admitted. “Everyone in the Guild saw it firsthand.”

              Yajima looked as startled as Jellal felt when the title came out so easily.  Jellal had ceased to call Yajima master as soon as he had joined the Council, enjoying that he was on level footing with the man that had been his teacher.

              “What have you done?” Yajima asked, his voice heavy with a sigh.

              “I have no idea what you mean,” Jellal replied quickly – too quickly – turning back to re-shelving his books. “It was a slip of the tongue.”

              “Yes, it was. And you wouldn’t have made it if you hadn’t done something.  It’s not the mark that makes a Fairy Tail mage, boy, and you’re as reckless as any of them.”

              Jellal sighed and gave Yajima a rather sheepish grin.

              “I don’t suppose you’d want to cover my absence?  It’s just… this is using more of my power than I would like.”

              Yajima let out a rather uncharacteristic curse.   But  Jellal  had made him do that  so many times over the course of their  time as student  and  teacher – he had been  brilliant, but with that brilliance had come some frustration and plenty of impatience – that it hardly even startled him anymore.

              “Your projections are getting too good. I didn’t even notice.” Yajima rubbed his temples and  shook his head.  “You’ll regret this, Jellal.”

              “Maybe,” Jellal agreed, his gaze going distant. “But I’d regret it  more if I hid away.”

              He knew that  Yajima probably had more to say, but it was too late for regrets, or for turning back.  So he let his projection in Era fade,  and instead focused his attention on the scenery flying by the train window.

              It had been like  gossip to the other members  of the Council,  the news that Shadow Lord and Fairy Tail would be going  to war.  Ultear had even tried to make a wager with him, which he had been less than impressed by.

              It had  taken him  exactly two hours,  to set up the projection in Era and make the first train destined for Magnolia.  He was risking his seat on the Council, of course.  

              And Jellal couldn’t bring himself to  care.

              What he did care about, was that he had heard it from the other Councillors  and not from Fairy Tail itself.

              Dammit, Levy  had been one of his best friends as a teen, both of them fascinated by any writing that seemed the least bit old or  arcane, and yet no one had thought to tell him that she and her team had been attacked?

              It left a sour taste in his mouth,  along with the realization that along with the year that had passed, there was also another distance that had been formed – one that separated him from the family that had made  it possible for him to realize his ambitions.

              He wanted to send another projection to Magnolia, but he  knew that if he did, Makarov and Erza would try to convince him to return to Era, and they were perhaps the only souls in the world that could successfully do so.   So instead he decided to conserve his energy for his arrival in Magnolia and the fight he would inevitably face.

              Miles away from him, sitting in the Guild that was Jellal’s destination,  Lucy Heartfilia was sitting at Levy’s side, worried sick for her friend.

              She didn’t know why  Phantom Lord was doing this. Sure, there were bound to be rivalries between Guilds, especially ones as popular as Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord. But this went beyond petty rivalries.

              This was cruelty.

              Levy, Jet, and Droy hadn’t deserved this sort of treatment.  They were perfectly  respectable mages, of course, but not one of them was anywhere close to the level of Erza and Laxus, or even Natsu and Gray.  There was no way it had been a fair fight,  and it made Lucy feel helpless rage that she couldn’t do anything but sit at Levy’s bedside and hope for the best.

              She read to her friend, a popular novel from a series they were both fans of, until she looked out  the window and realized it was starting to get late.

              She still needed to get groceries, too.

              “I’ll be back tomorrow,” she promised Levy’s far too still form, resting her hand on the other girl’s for  moment.  “I promise.”

              After getting her groceries, she found herself troubled and distracted, because she had dropped by the guild and been told by Mira that the others had gone to Phantom.  Lucy would have thrown a fit, except that Mira had looked so worried, and that that left her with more worry than anger, too. She didn’t even notice the blue haired woman until they were almost on top of one another, and rain had begun to fall from a sky that had been clear just moments before.

              “Drip-drip-drop.”

              “Who are you?” Lucy demanded, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Maybe it hadn’t been the best time to go off alone.

              “Juvia is the  rain woman.  It’s always with me.  Drip-drip-drop.”

              The woman – Juvia – pulled an umbrella from below her coat and continued to walk by Lucy, making her scowl after her.

              “Well take the rain with you!” she shouted at her back.

              “Nope, nope, nope!”

              Juvia stopped walking as another voice came from behind Lucy, and she realized that now he was stuck on a narrow street between two strangers while her Guild was at war.

              This couldn’t be good.

              The man that appeared was every bit as odd as Juvia, with a heavy accent.

              “Juvia, you must not shy away from the task at hand!”

              He spoke solely to the blue haired woman, but his words made it clear that they were both here for Lucy, made even more clear when he introduced himself as a member of Phantom Lord’s Element Four – Sol.

              Rain woman… Juvia had to be  one as well.

              Lucy liked to believe she had improved her magic in the  time since joining Fairy Tail, but she wasn’t stupid.  She knew she was majorly  outclassed.

              “We’re to take you back to the Guild at once.”

              Lucy let her groceries fall, and dropped her hand to her keys.

              “You’re the ones who attacked my friends!” she snarled, because even if she was outclassed, a Fairy Tail mage would always fight.

              A water bubble began to form around Lucy, and she slammed at it as Sol claimed innocence, and said it was Gajeel who had attacked Shadow Gear.

              “Meteor.”

              What appeared to be a golden ball flew by Lucy, and sent both members of the Element Four flying.  With Juvia’s concentration shot, the water around Lucy fell apart and she sprawled on the ground.

              Another man stood in front of her, wearing a hooded cape. He looked back at her, and  she recognized his face.

              “Jellal?” she  asked, completely incredulous.  She knew his face all too well from the regular features on him in Sorcerer Weekly, but she felt like she knew him as well, because once the flood gates had opened on his relationship with Erza, the stories had begun to flow from all the guildmates, including Levy who, it turned out, was closer to him than everyone but Erza.

              The councilman cocked his head at her curiously, and Lucy realized that while she had heard plenty about him, he probably had no  idea who she was, and she had addressed him, a member of  the Magic Council, with way too much familiarity.

              She kind of wanted to turn back time and just let Juvia kidnap her.

              Jellal’s gaze fell down  to the keys at her side, and a warm smile curved his lip and lit his eyes, turning him from cool Wizard Saint to something far more approachable.

              “You must be Lucy,” he said, and Lucy wondered how Erza managed to keep her cool  around him, because she just felt like a hot, stuttering mess. She was actually relieved when he turned  his attention once more to the Phantom Lord members.

              “Is the Council interfering in Guild relations now?” Sol demanded stiffly as he and Juvia stumbled their way back to their feet.

              “I’m not here as a member of the Magic Council,” Jellal replied coolly.  He held his hands in front of him, and sent a blast of light at the two Shadow Lord mages. They managed to dodge, but Lucy could see the fear in their eyes, and she got to her feet, pulling out her keys as she did so.

              “Open, Gate  of the Golden Bull!” she shouted.  “Taurus!”

              “Moo! What can I do or yooou, Miss Luuucy?”

              “Those two!” Lucy replied. “Get ‘em!”

              She  knew very well that it was likely Jellal’s presence rather than Taurus that made Juvia and Sol flee, but it still felt good. Almost as if she’d gotten a little revenge for Levy and the others.

              “Impressive,” Jellal commented, looking at Taurus. “Erza tells me you have several of the Golden Keys.”

              “Uh…yeah,” Lucy replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she sent the bull away once more. Now that the adrenaline and fear were draining from her, she suddenly felt rather embarrassed. She probably looked like a drowned rat. “I don’t mean to be rude, Councilor, and I’m very grateful that you saved me… but what are you doing here?”

              “Fairy Tail is my home,” Jellal said after a long pause.  “I… it’s one thing to sit back when  there are fake trials and lectures.  Makarov and Erza can handle them.  It’s even better when they leave it to Mira. But this is an attack… and Fairy Tail is my home.”  He rubbed his hand over his chest, as though it pained  him, and looked down at Lucy with a tight smile. “I make  you uncomfortable.   I apologize for that.”

              The polite words were so…different from the typical Fairy Tail mage, but there was something fierce in his expression; she had seen that on the other Guild members faces  since this mess with Shadow Lord had begun.

              The determination to protect their family.

              “I… you don’t,” Lucy swore, waving her hands as though she could  simply make the discomfort go away.  “I promise! You’re  just…you’re… well, you’re a member of the Magic Council.”

              And didn’t that sound incredibly lame?  But Jellal actually chuckled, and walked by Lucy, kneeling down to begin to gather up the groceries she had dropped. The bag was in better condition than Lucy would have thought, and managed to hold everything  without tearing too badly.

              “After this, I may very well not be a member of the Magic Council,” Jellal admitted.  “I might as well grow accustomed to that now – call me, Jellal.”

              “Oh…okay.”  She still felt so lame as she clutched her hands in front of her.  There was a Magic Saint and a member  of the Magic Council holding her groceries.   It was so bizarre.

              She couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

              “Did I say something funny?” Jellal asked, looking so genuinely confused that it almost set off another round of giggles.

              “No,” she told him, between gasps for breath. “Not at all. It’s just… my life has become so very odd since I joined Fairy Tail.”

              “Well,” Jellal gave her a slow  grin, and Lucy could understand if  Erza  had fallen in love with him  because of that  smile alone.  “Fairy Tail tends to have that effect. Should I carry these home for you? Do you live at Fairy Hills?”

              “No, I have another apartment,” Lucy replied, her giggles ceasing as she began to frown faintly.  “I was going back there, but Mira is all alone at the Guild Hall.   If  Shadow Lord  is looking  for another target, then  maybe we should be together.”

              “The  Guild Hall, then,” Jellal replied, turning  back the  way Lucy had come.   “I heard,  that  it was rather… ruined.”

              “Gajeel,” Lucy hissed in anger.   Yes,  it was Shadow Lord  as a whole  who  had declared war… but Gajeel  in particular that had  caused so much hurt.

              “Gajeel is quite powerful,”  Jellal agreed.  “A Dragon Slayer, and a  vicious one at that.   Natsu is   going to want to fight him.”

              Jellal  sounded almost resigned, and Lucy found  that she desperately wanted to know  his side of the stories  Natsu had told  her. He had made  it seem like Jellal had been a partner  in crime,  but Lucy suspected it had rather been a case of Natsu  taking off, and Jellal  following  to prevent too much damage.

              The story of Natsu’s life, probably.

              “He might get his  chance,” Lucy said,   hugging her arms around her middle, worry for her friends   making her heart heavy.  “That’s why Mira is alone – the others have gone to confront Shadow Lord.”

              If Lucy hadn’t been paying attention, she would have missed the way Jellal stumbled, just slightly.

              “Dammit,” he murmured, and Lucy thought it was more to  himself than her.   “I wanted  to be here, to help them.”

              “If they’re  successful,  then there’s no  reason you’d be kicked off the council,” Lucy pointed  out. “Just say helping  me was your good deed for  the day, and continue on as usual.”

              Jellal let out a soft snort.

              “Perhaps,”  he said vaguely.  

              They reached the Guild  Hall,  and Mira greeted them as they entered.

              “Lucy, you ca – Jellal.” For a moment, Mira froze, as though she had seen a ghost.    Then she threw herself forward. Lucy just managed to retrieve  her groceries from Jellal, before his arms were full of Mirajane.

              “Hey,” he said,  his arms wrapping  around her. “This isn’t like you, Mira.   What will you  do if they return  and see you’re  worried  about them? Natsu’s ego will never recover.”

              “Natsu’s  ego has recovered from far worse than  my worry,” Mira replied, pulling out of Jellal’s arms and wiping tears from her eyes.  “What are you doing here, Jellal?”

              “It’s  my home,” Jellal replied, the same answered he’d given Lucy. His gaze looked around the ruined hall, anger flaring bright.

              “Jellal, the council couldn’t have approved of this-”

              “Screw the council.”

              It was a sentiment that was common  in Fairy Tail, of course, because they were always on their  case about damages  accrued. But   coming from an actual Councilor, it sounded far  more harsh. Jellal’s expression was set in  a stubborn  line  as he looked at Mira, who had crossed her arms and was glaring right back.

              “Jellal Fernandes, we both know you don’t mean that. You worked for too hard to say screw the council and throw it all away.”

              “Careful,  Mira. You’re beginning to sound like Erza.  I’ll think you don’t want me around.”

              “Oh, don’t do that to me, Jellal.  It  might work on everyone  else around the world, but we  both  know your charm  is  lost on Fairy Tail.   And   Erza  will  always  want you around.” Mira’s  glare softened, though it didn’t  disappear all together. “We all do.  But we also know how hard you worked.”

              “None of the hard work means anything,  Mira, if  even one  member of Fairy Tail is  lost  because I’m not there.”

              Lucy kind  of felt like an interloper  in the  moment between old   friends. But at the same time, it was so… fascinating.

              Fairy Tail, Lucy decided,  had been the best choice she had ever  made. No  other  Guild would inspire  loyalty like this.

              “We’re  Fairy Tail, Jellal.  Shadow Lord won’t take any of us out.”

              Lucy would later think that those were famous last words.  But in  that moment, she agreed with  Mira.

              Nothing could  ever get Fairy Tail down.

---

              Natsu was enraged.  So was  Gray.

              Well,  they would have to deal  with it. Erza was enraged, too.  But  she also felt completely  sick with worry.

              Master Makarov had fallen.

              Retreat hadn’t just been  their best option – it had been  their only option.   Master Jose was a Wizard Saint, and  without the Master, they  had no  one that could  compare to that.

              They opened the doors to their ruined Guild, to see that  three people awaited them within, ignoring that they were  seated among rubble.

              Erza felt her  mind go blank,  her body go numb,  when  she   recognized the  man sitting  with Mirajane and Lucy.

              “Master Makarov,” Jellal gasped, his eyes   widening with horror when he saw the old man that Elfman carried. He continued to call Makarov master, even once he became a Councilor, and stopped doing the same with Yajima. It was somewhat of a point of pride to the Master, Erza knew.

              Jellal probably didn’t.  He should; Erza would have to remember to tell him.

              “What happened?” Mira asked, horror covering her face as she rushed with Jellal to  the Master’s side.   Lucy stayed a step behind, but looked every bit as worried.  She was pale, Erza noted, and didn’t look entirely well.

              “One of Phantom Lord’s Element Four,” Erza said, surprised to find that she  could force the words out, between her grief for Makarov, and her shock over seeing Jellal. “Elfman, you need to get him to Porlyusica.”

              Silence filled the ruins of the hall, as everyone watched Elfman take Makarov away, accompanied by Bisca and Alzack. Porlyusica could help him – she had to.

              “Erza.”

              Erza jolted when she realized that Jellal had come to her side. Their arms brushed, and he felt incredibly  warm.

              “You didn’t pick the best time to visit, buddy,” Macao said in a weak attempt to lighten the heavy mood when Erza remained silent.   “Not exactly at the height of our hospitality right now.”

              “Don’t be stupid, Macao!” Natsu said loudly from somewhere behind Erza.  “Jellal isn’t here to visit; he’s here to fight.”

              Silence fell once more, but  this time there was a ray of hope to it – Makarov was down, but Jellal was also a Wizard Saint, and Erza could practically feel her Guild Mates hopes rise.

              “He can’t help us,” she said, her voice echoing like a shot across the broken hall.   “Jellal is a Member of the  Magic Council and…and he’s not a  member of Fairy Tail.”

              She clenched her fists, and felt like she was choking on   the words.   She wanted to fall into his arms and let him soothe her, and reassure  her that they could still win  this.  He could convince her that she could do the most amazing of feats.

              But she couldn’t. Not in front of the rest of Fairy Tail, who needed her to be strong right now.

              They needed Titania, the Fairy Queen, not Erza, the terrified woman.

              “When has that ever mattered?” Natsu demanded angrily.  “He’s still one of us!”

              Erza spun towards her friend angrily, prepared to tear into him until he stopped and –

              “Natsu is right.”

              Erza froze.  She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, and  for a crazy second she thought she might be under some  sort of spell.

              Then Jellal’s hand tugged on hers softly, and she  found herself looking at him again.

              “We… I heard about what happened in Era,” he said to her, his hand a warm presence in hers. His jaw was tense, and his eyes hard with anger…and hurt.  “I heard what they did to Levy.”

              “I’m sorry,” Erza said, closing her eyes and mentally calling herself a fool.  “I should have told you.   You shouldn’t have found out that way.”

              If she had found out secondhand, that someone had hurt Gray or Natsu, or Lucy like that… she would have been enraged.

              “But you can’t interfere, Jellal,” Erza added, and wasn’t it a strange feeling,  to be the one, for once, talking her lover down from anger induced recklessness? “You shouldn’t even be here.”

              “Erza, he’s a Wizard Saint,” Gray  hissed out angrily, coming to her side.  He shot her a look, as though she were crazy, and grinned widely at Jellal, slapping a hand on her shoulder.  “She’s being weird.  I’m glad to see you,  buddy.”

              “That gives me joy I can’t  even begin to describe,” Jellal replied dryly.  “Gray Fullbuster is happy to see me. Who cares about the opinion of Erza Scarlet in the face of that?”

              “Wow, the Council’s made you  mean,” Gray grumbled. He ran a hand through his hair. “Even so, I’ll still accept your help – on everyone’s behalf.”

              “Stop it, Gray,” Erza snapped out harshly. Gray took a startled step away from her, and everyone else pretended to look everywhere but at her. Everyone but Jellal, who watched her closely, and then stepped closer.  His hands came up  to frame her cheeks, his fingers surprisingly  cool.

              “This hasn’t been easy on you, has it?” he asked her softly.  Erza opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it  shut again  when Jellal just  raised his brow,  in the  way  that said he knew her far too well.  “Erza, this is my decision to make. Fairy Tail is my family.”

              “You’ll lose your position on the Council,” Erza replied,  her voice hoarse. “And then what was it all for?”

              Meeting  in secret, pretending  to be  nothing more than acquaintances in public… the near constant  separation.  What would it  have all been  for?

              “And what will it  have  been for if someone I love dies?” Jellal replied, and this time it was his voice that  was harsh. He scrubbed a hand up  into his hair, leaving fly away blue strands even more wild than before.   “To be perfectly honest, Erza,  this decision isn’t about you. You’re not the only member of Fairy Tail that I care about.”

              Erza felt her back stiffen, and she stepped away from Jellal, keeping her face carefully blank.

              “Of course, Councillor, my apologies. I’ll be sure to keep my worry to  myself in the future.”

              She turned  stiffly on her heel.  She felt sore and  tired, and  really  just wanted a shower.  She  heard Jellal  say  her name behind her, but she ignored it.  If he wanted to  toss it all away, then why should she argue anyway?

              He was the one with ambitions beyond a mere Guild.  Erza  would have been far more happy if he  had stayed by her  side and joined Fairy Tail.  Now she could have it, without having to ask him  to choose her.  Why should she  argue against something she wanted?

              Stupid man,  she thought fiercely, as hot water  streamed down her back.   She scrubbed at her hair  roughly.   Stupid, idiot man.

              Fine, if it wasn’t  her business, then she’d simply stop  worrying about him  doing something he’d regret.  He could deal with this fallout himself; Erza was dusting her hands of   the whole  matter.

              Down with the others, Jellal  rubbed  a hand  over his face and looked around at the Fairy Tail members.

              “Is everyone else okay?”  he asked Gray.   No one appeared to be injured, but there were newer Guildmates Jellal  didn’t know that well.

              “Yeah. Erza made us retreat when they took Gramps out.” Gray didn’t exactly  look pleased at that fact, and Natsu actually caught on fire a few feet away.

              “We should go after them!” the Dragon Slayer snarled, his hands clenched into fists. “Take the fight back to them before they come for us again.”

              “They already did,” Jellal said, running a finger along the  tattoo on his face and trying very hard not to think of  Erza, alone upstairs and so very, very angry with him.

              He  hadn’t handled that well.

              But  neither had she, and Jellal felt his own anger, too.

              “What do you mean?” Cana demanded, for once entirely sober – probably the best indication of how serious the situation truly was.

              “Two members of the  Element Four tried to take  Lucy,” Mira explained.  She rested a hand on the Celestial Mage’s  shoulder, while Lucy herself looked miserable. “Jellal prevented it.”

              “What?” Natsu’s anger seemed to grow, but his fire dissipated, as though that anger were too cold for the flames.  Jellal noted that with interest, and  the way   the Dragon  Slayer grasped Lucy by her elbows and turned  her so  he could survey her closer.  “Are you okay?”

              “I’m fine,” Lucy assured him with  a small smile.  “Cold,  and pretty miserable,  but fine.”

              “Why would they attack Lucy?” Gray demanded.

              “I was on my  own, it made  me a pretty easy target.”

              It was logical, of course, but  Jellal couldn’t quite buy  it.  The Element Four  were Shadow Lord’s elite.  If Jose wanted to attack a member of Fairy Tail to send a message, why would he send them after a Celestial Mage who,  while containing much potential, was still new to it  all.   Lucy had a long ways to go before she would be able to compete with the likes of Sol or Juvia, and taking her out wouldn’t make Shadow Lord look powerful, not like taking out Erza, or even Natsu, would.

              It didn’t make sense.

              “You should go to her.” Mira joined Jellal and they watched the Guild debate what they should do next.  “To Erza.”

              “She’s angry at me.”

              “You know how to handle her anger.”

              “I’m angry  at her.”

              Jellal very determinedly did not look at Mira, but he felt her gaze on him all the same.

              “I suppose that is a  little different,” Mira admitted.  “It’s odd… I didn’t think you  could get angry at Erza.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.”

              “It’s happened,” Jellal replied.  “I’ve just never shown   it like she does.  Erza always knew when I  was mad at her.” He paused for a moment, then hesitantly  continued. “Erza and Levy.”

              “She’s in the   infirmary,” Mira said,  and Jellal finally looked down at her, when Mira rested a hand on his arm.  “If you can’t go to Erza, then maybe you  need to see  Levy instead.”

              “Yeah,” Jellal agreed.  “Maybe.”

              He didn’t go right away.  Mira left  his side, to try and  calm  down Natsu and Gray who  were at each other’s throats.  He remained, seated on rubble and thinking that nothing about the situation was right.

              The Guildhall was ruined, Levy and Makarov were hurt, and he and Erza were at odds.  Magnolia was his  sanctuary, but there was  no peace to be found there on  this particular visit.

              He finally slipped away, to the makeshift infirmary.   Jet and Droy were who he saw first, and  he stopped by both,  to make sure they seemed peaceful.  He  couldn’t say he was particularly close to either, but  he was relieved that they looked like they would recover.

              And then he moved to the final bed.

              Levy was small.   On some level, Jellal had always been aware  of that, of course.  But she had always burst with life and personality that made her seem  so much bigger  than life. To see  her in the bed… small and lifeless…

              “I think if I saw Gajeel Redfox right now, I could kill him,” he admitted to his unconscious friend. He pulled out a chair and slumped into it, watching the slow rise and fall of Levy’s breathing  - the proof that despite her stillness, she was still alive.  “Makarov would hate to hear it, but it’s true.”

              Levy, of course, didn’t respond, and Jellal leaned forward towards her, clasping his hands together.

              “I need you to be okay, Levy.  Who will send me terrible popular novels to read if you’re   not around? Or debate with me about arcane magical theory? No one else will listen to me  when I get going.”

              He rested his head on the  sheets of the  bed, and felt hot tears form in his eyes.   Makarov had looked tiny and helpless, too – just like Levy.  And Erza  had looked so defeated.

              None of  them should like that, but they had.  Because Jellal hadn’t been there to protect them.

              “What’s the point in any of it?” Jellal asked, tears streaking down his  cheeks.   “What  does anything I’ve done  matter,  if I can’t use it to protect the  people I love?”

              “We’re tougher than you give us credit for, Jellal. It’s not your job to save us all.” Jellal straightened and scrubbed the tears from his face as Erza pulled another chair over to sit at his side. “Mira told me you would be in  here.”

              “Mira is interfering again.”

              “Yes,well” – Erza shrugged a shoulder – “it’s what Mira does best.”

              They sat in silence, close enough  that  their arms pressed together. Jellal didn’t  know what to say; he was still so angry, that she would expect him to just… do nothing.

              Her  head dropped, landing on his shoulder, and Jellal looked down   at her in surprise.  Her hair was  still damp,  and  he could feel water soaking  into his shirt.  Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, made even more  obvious now that they were  closed.

              “I hate it when you’re angry with me,” Erza admitted, her voice weary.   “It makes the whole world seem off balance.”

              “I’m used to you being angry,” Jellal replied wryly, and  Erza’s eyes snapped open. He chuckled at her glare and adjusted his arm, so it wrapped around her, and head nestled into his chest. “I suppose I’m  not as used to you being angry at me. I don’t like it either.”

              “How do we fix this?”

              They  both looked at Levy, and Jellal’s hand found its way up, to tangle fingertips into the tips of her hair.  

              “I can’t sit in Era  and hope that you  all make it out alive, Erza,” Jellal said  at last.

              “But you’d  be safe in  Era,” Erza murmured, her words muffled by his shirt.  Jellal  looked down at her, blinking in surprise. “No one else is safe… but I   thought you were.”

              And it had given her comfort, Jellal realized, and wouldn’t he  feel the same? To  know that she was somewhere safe….it would be a comfort.

              “We’re a mess,  Erza,” he  said, half a  laugh  in  his voice. He buried his face  in her hair and breathed in. Strawberriess.  Of course Erza would use strawberry scented shampoo.  Jellal wasn’t sure she knew other fruits existed.   “Neither of us was made for safety.”

              “No, I  guess we weren’t.   You didn’t kiss me.”

              She pulled her head from his chest, making Jellal regretfully remove his face from  her hair.  He slid his hand down  to her chin and tilted  it up,  sealing his lips over  hers. She buried her  hands in  his hair, and deepened the kiss enthusiastically.  Jellal could feel his world straighten again.  The twisted, jagged edges inside  of him didn’t heal  completely – they couldn’t, while Makarov and Levy were still so injured – but they softened to something tolerable.

              “Oh dear.”

              They  broke apart at the  soft words, and looked at the door as Cana gave a loud whistle while Mira tried to push  it out.

              “Get it, Erza!” the brunette cheered, making Erza’s cheeks flush  a few shades lighter than her hair.

              “Can  we help   you?” Jellal  asked with a sigh, though he knew it was probably  for  the best. Erza’s kisses had a way of making him forget everything,  and an infirmary  was  no place  for that to happen.

              “Mira came up with a brilliant way  to  have our cake and eat it too!” Cana replied  with a wide  grin, pushing by  the other woman.  “Or rather… have our Wizard Saint and our Councillor.”

              “I don’t understand,”  Erza replied.

              “Well,  we looked…   and Mystogan left behind some clothes, and  they were left undamaged, and since we  don’t know where he  is and he and Jellal seem  to be similar in size and  - what’s so funny?”

              All  three women   were looking a Jellal as though he had gone mad. But Jellal couldn’t  stop his laughing.  Cana was right of  course  - it  was a brilliant  plan.

              Too bad none of the  others knew how brilliant.

---

              He was on the war path.

              Never before, had Jellal felt as helpless, as when Erza had stood in front of the Guild and taken a direct hit from the Jupiter Cannon.  When she had hit the ground, for a wild moment he had actually believed she might be dead, and he had felt as though his entire world had fallen apart.

              Then she had managed to open her eyes, to give him the smallest of smiles, and Jellal had been able to breathe again.

              And now, Jose would pay for having ever hurt her.

              Mystogan’s outfit was uncomfortable, and the staves on his back clunked together in an ungainly fashion.  But he would need them, in case he faced Jose in  front of other members of Shadow Lord.

              Jellal truly hoped he wouldn’t.  He would be able to duplicate Mystogan’s magic, of course, but he would much rather unleash his Grand Chariot and watch it crush the other Wizard Saint.

              It would be no less  than he deserved, for hurting Erza, and for putting a sad look in Lucy’s eyes.

              No child deserved  to be betrayed by their parent, and Jose had taken a ruthless glee in unveiling the truth – that it had been Lucy’s own father who had paid for the destruction of Fairy Tail.   Lucy would pull through, Fairy Tail would make sure of it, but the scars would never fully disappear.

              “We’ll get the cannon!” Gray had shouted at him, when he had taken off after Natsu and Elfman.  “You take care of Jose.”

              As if Jellal would do  anything else.

              The  guild hall shuddered for a moment -  one of the other mages, hopefully a member of Fairy Tail, going on the offensive – and he braced himself, waiting for the movement to stop.  Once  it did, he continued onward.

              His initial instinct was to be quiet in his search, but Jellal was accompanying a group that had no real  grasp of  “quiet” as a concept.  Mystogan knew how to be  subtle, of course, but just this once  Jellal thought it would be understandable for the other man to drop that idea.  He thought he understood Mystogan’s character well  enough to be confident in his assumption.

              Again, thinking of Mystogan brought him amusement.

              Quickly, the memory of Erza, sprawled armourless and unconscious on the ground entered Jellal’s mind, and amusement was replaced with ruthless determination and rage.

              “Jose!” he  roared out.  He would have used meteor to move around the  hall more quickly, but he didn’t want to risk missing  the  Guild Master or infringing on the fight of  one of the others accidentally.  “Come out, Jose!”

              Silence met him, before there was a crash  and his surroundings shuddered again.  They were running low on time for the Jupiter Cannon – Jellal was keeping a mental tally of the minutes that passed – but he thought that it was likely Natsu causing the hall to move like that.  No one else had the rare skill of destruction that the Dragon Slayer held.

              Scowling, Jellal looked around him, calculating where his best chance of finding Jose would be if the coward wouldn’t come to him.

              “Well, well… Mystogan.  I didn’t think you were  bothering with this little spat.”

              Well, perhaps coward hadn’t been accurate after all.   Jellal  turned to look at Jose,  who watched him with the insidious smirk he’d always wanted to wipe off Jose’s face.  

              “You attacked my Guild,” Jellal retorted, loosening the strap that held the staves in place.   “Did you really think I’d  ignore that?”

              “You can find a job board in any Guild,” Jose replied with an easy wave of his hand.  “Makarov’s idea that you have to be a  family is why Fairy Tail  will lose this. They’ve become weak.  Tell you what – stand down, and  let me finish them off, and you can join Shadow Lord instead.  Mystogan can become a name feared across all of Fiore.”

              Exactly what Mystogan would want.  Jellal gave a derisive snort at the mere thought.  Clearly Jose hadn’t done much research into the man he looked to recruit; despite the mystery, Mystogan was loyal to his Guild.

              “I think not,” Jellal replied, and Jose’s eyes narrowed to angry slits.  

              “A fool’s choice.”

              Jellal gave a slow look around the Guild.  Jose hadn’t brought all of it’s members with him, and any that he might have – The Element Four and Gajeel Redfox at the very least, he assumed – were obviously busy with Gray, Natsu, and Elfman.

              “You see, in order to switch to Shadow Lord, I would have needed  to be a member of Fairy Tail  to begin with.  I’m not.”

              “What do you mea-” the rest of Jose’s question was cut off as Jellal activated Meteor and flew at the other man, sending him flying before he could activate  his own magic.

              “Jellal,” Jose spat, as she struggled into a sitting position.  Jellal just watched  him from behind the protection of Mystogan’s bandana.  “I should have known Makarov’s pet Councillor would show up.  The rest of them may have forgotten the trash you sprung from, but I remember.  You’ll lose your seat over this.”

              “Only if you win,” Jellal replied.  “And if I hadn’t been here… I would have killed you, if that had happened.”

              He meant it.  Because Jose had hurt Makarov, and Levy, and Erza, and he wouldn’t be happy with just hurting any of them.

              Jose wouldn’t stop until every mage of Fairy Tail was dead.

              And if that had happened, Jellal wouldn’t have cared about a Council seat, or being a Wizard Saint.  He would have killed the other man, and regretted nothing but that he hadn’t done it quicker.

              “You think you can stop me? You’re a boy, one who is weak by association to Makarov. And the Jupiter Cannon will launch again any second.”

              In twenty-eight… twenty-seven seconds to be exact. The numbers still counted down in Jellal’s head, and Natsu was supposed to have prevented this by now.

              All the destruction he had caused, and he chose now to not be good at it?!

              Ten… nine…

              He almost turned to find the Jupiter Cannon himself.  But it was too late, and then he hit one, and zero and –

              Absolutely nothing happened.

              “I do believe it should have launched by now,” Jellal mused, turning a cruel and wicked smile on Jose that the other man couldn’t see with Jellal’s mouth covered.  “You were calling Fairy Tail weak?”

              “You think you’ve won?” Jose spat. “This hasn’t even started yet! The Jupiter Cannon was just a warning shot.”

              Jellal didn’t respond, instead using his energy to call forth his Jiu Leixing, and send the blades of light at the other man. They hit their target, and  Jellal blocked his face as stone was sent flying.

              When the light faded, there was no one where Jose had stood.  Not foolish enough to believe his attack had defeated a fellow Wizard Saint, Jellal looked around wildly.

              Then Jose’s voice  echoed around him.

              “Sending your little Wizard Saint after me was clever, but it won’t work.  You have ten minutes to surrender, or my next attack isn’t as kind as the Jupiter Cannon was.”

              Jellal rushed to a window to  look outside, and watched as a magic circle began form in the air. He recognized it all too   well.

              “What the hell,  Jellal” – he looked up, to see  Gray, Elfman and Natsu looking down at him.  Gray was the one that had  spoken – “I thought you were takin’ Jose  out!”

              It took Jellal a moment of silence to remember how Jose hadn’t once attacked him, and he cursed.

              “He  can make solid Projections.” Of course he could; Jose was good enough.   “I’m on it, but you need to stop whatever… that is.”

              “What’s  it drawing?” Natsu asked,  rubbing his jaw.

              “A magic circle, obviously. Dumb question, Flame Brain.”

              “I know that, Ice Princess – I meant what magi-”

              “Abyss Break,” Jellal cut them off before the argument could take off.  The  words made the  other three blanch.

              “Abyss Break, isn’t  that the spell-”

              “I used to become a Wizard Saint?” Jellal finished Elfman’s question for him. “Yes, it is. And that circle probably  contains  ten times the power  I was able to summon.”

              Nothing  would be left, if that magic circle was allowed  to be finished.  Jose wouldn’t have to report Jellal to the Council, because he’d be dead with the rest of them.

              “Find its  power source!”  he barked to the others.   “I’ll find Jose.”

              He retreated back inside, and headed for the staircase.  If Jose wouldn’t show up, then Jellal would find him -  probably right at the top of the Hall.  Villains always  seemed to feel taller if they were at the top.  Jellal never quite understood that.

              As  he rushed to find Jose, in the infirmary, Erza’s eyes flashed open.

              Her  family was in danger, she could feel it in the air.

              Jellal was in danger.

              Erza levered herself out of bed, and looked around in surprise when Mira didn’t appear to lecture her.  The other woman’s absence made her stomach sink.  If Mira had joined the fight, then the situation was desperate.  

              Her entire body felt as though she had been hit by  a train as she maneuvered her way out of bed.  She could remember donning her Adamantine Armour, and the world being lit up.  She thought she could remember hearing the roar of her name.  Had it been Jellal?

              He would be worried sick.

              He would be enraged.

              Jellal had a moral code, of course, and it was one he stuck by without fail.  But it wasn’t the same moral code that Makarov insisted the members of the Guild stood by, and Erza knew that he would kill Jose  without her or the Master there to stop him.

              Her Heart Kreuz armour felt heavy as she requipped into it.  It weighed on her sore body, and she felt as though she moved at a ridiculously slow pace. But now that Erza was up, she could hear the battle raging outside. A glance through the boards in the window proved what she feared was true.

              Fairy Tail was struggling.

              The Giant that was Shadow Lord’s Guild Hall still stood above everything, only now a magic circle was being drawn ever so slowly, but steadily, before it.

              Abyss Break. She could draw that circle in her sleep, though she couldn’t actually use it.  But Jellal had been determined to master it, and Erza had been determined to take whatever moments of his time she could, so she had helped him study.

              That spell would kill them all.

              Perhaps  she wouldn’t stop Jellal from killing Jose, after all.

              Erza requipped again, this time  into her Flight Armour.  She exited the Hall at an enormous pace, already on target  for Shadow Lord’s base.  The fight outside wouldn’t matter if that circle was completed. She couldn’t let that happen.

              “Erza?!” Cana’s voice was completely incredulous, but Erza didn’t stop to explain to her what she was doing, or assure her that she was in  fighting condition.   She didn’t have time for the first, and the second would be a lie.

              As soon as she made it through the wraiths and into the Giant, she requipped back into her Heart Kreuz armor,  determined to save her magical energy until she met her next battle.

              The screams sent her running.

              Natsu never screamed – not like that.

              It was rage that filled her, when she recognized the power emanating from the man who had Natsu in his magical grasp.  It was the same power that had debilitated the Master. Erza gritted her teeth and ignored the pain in her  ribs as she ran towards the two.

              This… this beast was not allowed to take another member of Fairy Tail!

              It hurt, but the sound the  man made when she buried her  feet into him in a vicious kick made it worth it.

              “Erza!” Happy cheered.

              “You’re here? Are you sure it’s okay? You’re hurt.”

              Erza didn’t bother to look at her Guild Mates, not when she knew the man wasn’t gone yet. She let her glare focus on  the empty air to Natsu’s side, and sure enough the man reappeared.

              “So you’re the one who  harmed our Master.”

              Aria, she remembered.  The man had to be Aria.

              “The great Erza Scarlet. How unfortunate. It seems the great Titania will lose her head alongside her friend, Salamander.”

              “Our Master suffered greatly at your hands.” Erza felt her fists clench, and she adjusted her stance in preparation for the fight. “I will avenge him!”

              “You can’t!” Natsu said, worry  in his voice.

              But Aria let out a chuckle, and said something about a worthy opponent and reached up to remove the bandage around his eyes. The pupils appeared… off, and the air around him began to writhe.

              “Now, Titania, step into zero, air space of death! It consumes the lives of all who dare enter.”

              She heard  Happy squeal, but she couldn’t worry about him and Natsu right now, not when the air was moving with Aria’s lethal power. Instead, she summoned a blade and set herself to focusing  his attention  on her.

              “A spell that consumes life? Tell  me – how can you do that, you Scoundrel?”  

              And…she meant the  question.  Because Erza couldn’t understand it. She couldn’t understand why they wanted to destroy Fairy Tail so badly, not when her Guild was so full of life and love and potential.

              Not when they had done nothing to deserve these attacks.

              Was it for  the Heartfilia  money? Or   was Jose just so jealous that he would have done it regardless?

              Rage filled  her at the questions with no answers, and she ran for Aria. Outside, the world began to light up – a sure sign Abyss Break was near ready to be cast – and all that could stop it was stopping Aria.

              If she didn’t, everyone would die.  Her brave, and loyal friends.

              Jellal.

              He was here, somewhere, fighting for them. Erza would play her part too.

              She cut through Aria’s  air  magic, and, as she reached  him, requipped into her Heaven’s Wheel Armor.  Her rage and determination to protect those she loved made cutting Aria down almost easy, and she sent her swords flying at him, landing on the other side as Aria fell to the ground.

              “Someone like you could never hold a candle to our Master,” she told him fiercely, turning to look at him over her shoulder.  She didn’t know if he heard her words; didn’t particularly care.  “You’ll be remembered only as a sobbing coward who fell by my hand.”

              “That’s… so… sad…” Aria choked out.

              The giant shuttered around them, and Erza tried to catch her footing, only to find that her energy was drained.  She lost her requip and wavered for a moment, before she finally felt herself fall.

              “Erza!” Natsu shouted, and it didn’t surprise her in the least when he caught her.  Despite his tempestuous nature, Natsu could always be relied on to catch his Guild Mates.

              “The others?” she asked, her whole body aching, her limbs feeling heavy.

              “We split up to stop the Abyss Break.  Aria was the last, so Grey and Elfman are okay.” Natsu cradled her, and seemed uncharacteristically hesitant for a moment. “Jellal is searchcing for Jose.”

              “Of course he is,” Erza replied weakly, but nerves made her pulse jump.  Jose was powerful.  There was no guarantee Jellal would win.

              He will, that core in the heart of her, the one that believed Jellal could do anything, swore.

              “He’ll stop him,” Natsu said, unknowingly echoing that blind faith.  “Jellal doesn’t let us down, Erza.”

              “Attention you pathetic Fairy Tail worms, because I’ll only say this once!” Jose’s voice echoed around them, and terror filled Erza, the fear that he was about to announce that he had defeated Jellal.

              Then they heard a bone chilling scream, and terror for Jellal was replaced by terror for Lucy.

              One look at Natsu’s face showed that he had jumped past terror, right to rage.

              “We have captured your precious Lucy Heartfilia. Which means our first order of business is out of the way. Which leaves us with just one thing. Wiping you brats off the face of the earth.”

              “No way,” Natsu growled, shaking with the force of his anger.

              “Natsu!”

              Jellal leapt down from the second floor, and froze when he saw Erza.  His inaction lasted only a second, before he was at her side, falling to his knees.

              “You were injured,” he said, his hands hovering over her, as though afraid to touch.

              “I’ll be fine,” Erza promised. “I always am.  But they have Lucy.” Erza looked  up at Natsu, whose touch managed to be gentle despite his anger. “Use your strength. It lies dormant, deep down – inside of you. Fine it, find your strength, and awaken it. For Lucy. For our Guild. Do it now.”

              Natsu set her down, almost gently, and got to his feet, fire erupting around him.

              And then he was gone, and she could turn to Jellal instead.

              “I almost hate to ask you,” she began weakly.

              “You want me to go after him.”

              “Just like old times.” Erza gave him a weak smile, and he clutched her hand, twining their fingers together.

              “I don’t want to leave you here,” Jellal admitted.

              “You’ll keep Jose so busy he won’t even think of me. Please, Jellal.  Lucy… she’s one of us too.”

              Jellal closed his eyes, and pressed his lips to her knuckle.  Then he carefully, oh so carefully, set her hand down again.

              “Don’t go anywhere.”

              “I don’t think I could.”

              Looking pained, Jellal turned his back to her, and ran in the direction Natsu had gone.  Erza let her eyes drift shut.  They would do it – Natsu and Jellal… they would stop Jose and save them all. She knew they would.

              “Erza?”

              She thought she’d only closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened her eyes at the voice, it was to see that time had passed and she  was joined by Mira, Elfman, and Gray.

              “She okay?”

              “Man, it looks like something big went down.”

              “It’s you,” Erza said, relieved to see them all, particularly Gray, despite  Natsu’s assurance they were fine.

              “You shouldn’t be here,” Gray replied. “You’re injured.”

              “Yeah, you’re not looking so good,” Mira agreed.

              It was Elfmann who noticed the other person in the room, and gaped at the form in surprise for a moment.

              “Woah.”

              “It’s Aria!”

              “You got shot by that cannon and fought that guy?” Elfmann asked, and if Erza weren’t in so much pain, she may have been insulted by his incredulousness.

              “What were you thinking?” Gray added.

              Erza wanted to make a smart comment about not wanting to be seen as she was, but then the magic in the room changed, and any jokes were forgotten.

              It was death.

              A mocking clapping drew their gaze to a dark haired man who had joined them.

              “Bravo.  You’re very keen, you Fairies. I knew this would be fun, but never in my dreams did I imagine it would be this entertaining.”

              “Master Jose,” Erza hissed.

              Gray and Elfmann went on the attack before Erza could warn them, and she felt sick at the ease with which he tossed them away, the glee he seemed to take in their pain.

              She forced herself upright, wondering if she even had enough magical energy to requip again.

              “You’ve led me on a goose chase, Jose.” She almost collapsed with relief at the voice.  “I would almost think you’re avoiding me.”

              Jellal had lost Mystogan’s hat somewhere, and had pulled down the handkerchief.  As he stood between her and Jose, he let the staves fall as well.

              “Natsu-” Erza began.

              “Saving Lucy and dealing with Gajeel, I imagine.” Jellal told her, never turning away from Jose.  “We decided that I needed to find Jose.”

              “Councillor to the rescue?” Jose asked mockingly. “Except, even if you survive, that won’t happen anymore, will it?”

              “Perhaps,” Jellal replied with an easy shrug. “But it wasn’t a Council seat that made me stronger than you.”

              “Insolent welp!”

              Erza winced as Jose directed an attack at Jellal, but it never made contact. Not when he could use Meteor, and hit the Shadow Lord Master with his own spell instead.

              Jose kept his feet, however, and laughed in a way that made Erza shiver.

              “Like I told you before – Makarov has made you weak.”

              Somehow, Jose managed to stop Jellal’s Meteor, and send him flying into a wall.

              “Jellal!” Erza shouted, clutching a pillar to stay upright.  Jose turned his attention to her.

              “Titania… the two of you were found together, weren’t you? I had forgotten that.” He looked at Jellal with a grin that could only be called evil. “If I kill her, what will you do? Should we find out?”

              He sent his insidious spell toward Erza, and she prepared to requip, only to freeze when Jellal was suddenly there instead, taking the brunt of the attack, unable to create a counter spell in time.

              “No!” she called, her breath catching in her throat. Jose just laughed more, as though he couldn’t imagine anything more entertaining.

              “You could have cut me down, if you had just been willing to sacrifice her.  Is this love? Does the Council know?”

              Jellal managed to force himself to his feet, using one of Mystogan’s discarded staves to push himself up.

              “You don’t know what real strength is at all,” he snarled at Jose.  “You’ll never know real strength!”

              Erza stepped up next to him, requipping into Black Wing Armor as she did so.  He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and opened his mouth, but Erza gave her head a hard shake.

              “Don’t even think about it.  I’ve never been good a sitting on the side lines.”

              Jellal closed his mouth again, and then a smile curved his lips.

              “I’d never dream of making such a suggestion.”

              “Oh, isn’t this sweet? Do you mean to fight me together, then? Love conquers all, and other nonsense?”

              “I was thinking more that we’re just too powerful for you,” Jellal replied coldly. “But if you want to believe love conquers all, then who are we to disappoint?”

              Even though it had been years since they’d actually gone on a mission together, fighting with Jellal was incredibly easy. They had known each other for so long, that they knew what the other would do next without speaking.

              Despite that, they couldn’t land nearly the blows on Jose that they needed to beat him.

              “There is a spell,” Jellal murmured when they took a leap back for a brief respite.  “It’s… it’s powerful.”

              It could kill was left unspoken between them.

              Jellal’s expression said he would willingly pay the price, but he wouldn’t force it, not onto her.

              Gray’s prone form lay behind them, a reminder of Jose’s cruelty.  The Giant shook, as, somewhere, Natsu fought with Gajeel.

              Lucy’s agonized scream still echoed in Erza’s ears.

              “Do it,” she said, her voice echoing with certainty. “I’ll distract him.”

              She went after Jose, to give Jellal the time he would need.

              “Protecting him?” Jose asked mockingly.  “Is our Councilor not used to getting his pretty hands dirty? I’m surprised he deined to wear the clothes of a mere Guild Member… but maybe he’s preparing for his future?”

              “He doesn’t need my protection,” Erza replied.  “But I give it anyway. We protect each other. That’s what love is.”

              It was what they had always done.

              “You know, if Makarov hadn’t ruined you both, you might have been powerful enough to take me down.  But he’s ruined you all – your whole damn Guild, and somehow – somehow – he’s convinced the whole world that you can hold a candle to mine!”

              Erza just managed to avoid an attack, and agony lit up her knee, making her clench her teeth.

              “So all of this is about jealousy?” she shot back  swinging her sword, and biting back a curse when Jose seemed to disappear, only to reappear at her side and strike her with his powers.  “And you call yourself a Guild Master?”

              “I’ll send your corpse back to your Guild, as a message to anyone that would dare try and put themselves on the same level as Shadow Lord.  And then I’ll kill the rest of the Fairies as well, and leave Makarov with nothing.”

              Erza was thrown to the floor, and she thought she might have heard something crack. Jellal needed to finish his spell soon, but she didn’t dare look at him, lest she remind Jose that there was an even bigger threat in the room.

              “Or maybe, I’ll let your love kill you and use his corpse as my message instead.  Then maybe even the Magic Council will know to fear me.”

              One of the wraithlike shadows that Jose used in his attacks wrapped around Erza, and she struggled helplessly as Jose turned them both to face Jellal.  He held a sphere of darkness, filled with tiny pinpricks of stars, above his head. There was a darkness in it, one as dark as Jose’s magic, and it was a spell that Erza didn’t recognize, not even from the books Jellal used to leave scattered everywhere..

              “I wonder if Makarov and Yajima know the dark places you’ve taken your magic,” Jose observed. . “Heavenly Body Magic meant to kill… doesn’t that go against everything Makarov stands for? Perhaps he hasn’t ruined you, Councillor.”

              “Release her Jose,” Jellal ordered, holding the dark, swirling magic steady.  It seemed too big for him, yet Erza could see no strain in his expression as he held the spell, incomplete.

              “And if I do? What will you give me?” Jose leaned over Erza’s shoulder, his face next to hers, and she recoiled from him. “Will you walk away and let me destroy Fairy Tail? Or even better… why don’t you destroy Fairy Tail?  And then I’ll let Titania go.”

              Jellal would have killed him. Erza read that clearly in his expression; if he could have released that sphere and known it wouldn’t hit her, he would have and not felt an ounce of regret.

              Instead, he dropped his arms, the spell disappearing.

              “Idiot!” Jose mocked.  “You should have killed us both!”

              His powers blasted ahead, and Erza cried out as they ripped through Jellal, who must have put more power than she had realized into that spell, only for it to come to nothing in the end.  She could feel that Jose had put incredible power into the attack – it was one meant to kill, not simply maim as those directed at her had been. She began to struggle harder against the power holding her in place as Jose walked towards Jellal’s prone form.  He smirked down at him, and then back at Erza.

              “Pathetic,” he said to them both.  “And to think, they made you a Wizard Saint.”

              He pulled his boot back to kick Jellal’s body, and Erza snarled incoherently, straining against her bonds.

              Jose’s foot stopped it’s movement suddenly, and he was flung away from Jellal. At the same time, the bonds around Erza  let loose, and she fell to the ground.

              “You have spilled the blood of our children, and that is unforgivable.” The words, spoken by a familiar voice made Erza slump with relief.  “They have been made to suffer because of the incompetence of their parents.  We are both to blame, Jose.  This war between us has gone on long enough.  Let’s end this – here and now!”

              Across the floor, Jellal groaned and stirred, and Erza scampered across the floor, so she could help pull him into a sitting position.

              “Master Makarov,” he murmured, leaning into Erza’s side. She had to wipe away tears, before the could fall.  

              He looked so alive – and a world that had been off kilter since his fall was righted.

              Power  thrummed in the air, as Jose summoned the magic Makarov had dispersed once more.

              “If we fight, it could create a catastrophe,” he said, and his expression made it clear  he wanted that – needed it, even. Makarov’s answering growl was more troubled, but it was clear he wouldn’t shy away from Jose’s challenge.

              “In order to save my guild, I will gladly take that risk!” Power gathered around him, and Erza felt certain that there was no way Jose’s darkness could withstand her Master’s light.

              Jose went on the offensive, and Makarov protected Erza and Jellal, settling down to the floor.

              “You kids need to get out while you can,” he stated, but he  seemed to speaking to someone beyond her.  Erza was confused  for a moment, but then Gray was at her side, helping her to support Jellal, and a quick look showed her that Elfmann and Mirajane were up as well.

              “We can’t leave him,” Gray argued.

              “We have to do as he says,” Erza argued, urging Jellal forward, making Gray move as well.  “We’ll only get in the way. He can handle this. I have faith.”

              “Erza is right,” Jellal agreed, wincing at the pain moving caused. “Makarov knows Jose’s tricks now, and he has conviction on his side. For his children – for all of you – he’ll win.”

              For you too, Erza thought, because when Makarov had first appeared, when Erza had first looked at him, there had been rage at the idea off Jellal being hurt.

              She just squeezed his wrist, however, and she and Gray helped him retreat after Mira and  Elfmann. The Giant shuddered under the pressure of the battle behind them, but they continued on, determined to reach safety.

              “Has anyone seen Natsu?” Jellal asked, when they finally helped him to sit.

              “He’ll be with Lucy,” Gray replied, his gaze focused on the hall they had retreated from. “And Happy. They’ll have each other’s back.  We gotta have Gramps’.”

              Erza prepared to talk him down from going back, when the world around them lit with light.

              It warmed her from within.

              “This is Fairy Law,” Erza said in wonder.

              “What is that?” Gray replied.

              “It’s a spell that vanquishes darkness with sacred light. It only harms those the caster sees as their enemy,” Jellal replied. He had managed to get to his feet, and stumbled to Erza’s side.  She supported his weight and they both looked at the rays of ligh.

              “It’s one of the most legendary spells in existence,” Erza added.  “Incredible, isn’t it?”

              “It is,” Jellal murmured, and then he suddenly went slack, losing his battle with consciousness at last.

              When he awoke, it was in the makeshift infirmary, and a soothing voice was reading to him.  It took him a moment to recognize both words and voice, but when he did, he groaned.

              “I hate those books.”

              “How can you hate these books? They have everything – it is impossible to not find something you like in these books!”

              “I like coherent plots, thanks.” Jellal turned his head to the side and grinned at the blue haired girl that sat there.  “Hi, Levy.”

              “I heard that you came to defend my lost pride.” Levy grinned back at him.  “That was sweet of you.”

              “I didn’t do much in the end,” Jellal replied ruefully.  All that effort… almost casting Altairis, and in the end, it had been for nought. “Except almost die. I think I may have done that.”

              “You did,” Levy replied, and she reached out to flick his ear, making  Jellal yelp in pain and clutch it.  “Erza was distraught, you jerk.”

              “Jerk? I almost died, Levy, and all to save your lost pride.  You could thank me, y’know.”

              “Thank-you,” Levy replied, her voice suddenly serious, and Jellal blinked at the sudden change.  She reached out to squeeze his hand.  “It means a lot, you know, to all of us. That you came here.  You may not feel like you did anything, but Lucy said you gave them hope that they could win, when almost losing Makarov nearly destroyed that hope. It was important.”

              “How is she?” Jellal asked. “Lucy?”

              “I’m okay.”

              Jellal and Levy looked to the  door, where Lucy hovered, looking nervous.  Jellal surveyed her closer, and decided that she seemed  happier than she had  before the battle, though still not entirely recovered.

              “Lu!” Levy leapt to her  feet and all but skipped to the  blonde, looping their arms together. “Come and tell Jellal how wrong he is to not like this series.  Lucy is an author” – she looked back  a Jellal with a smug expression – “so you have to listen  to her.”

              “I’m  hardly an author,” Lucy argued, letting Levy drag her back to Jellal’s bed.  She hesitated above him, as Levy plopped into her chair again.”I’m really sorry.”

              “For what?” Jellal replied, struggling to sit up. Lucy came to  his side and helped, giving Jellal the chance to scrutinize her once more.

              “If I hadn’t  run away then-”

              “You wanted a better life,” Jellal cut her off gently, awkwardly patting her hand.  “I get that.”

              Gods, but  he got that. Hadn’t he fled the Tower of Heaven on a dead man’s promise that there was something better out there?  

              “It’s Jose’s fault,” he added after a moment, when Lucy just looked down at her hand silently.  “And your father’s, for  wanting to control you.  But none of  this was your fault.   Surely no one is blaming you?”

              That didn’t sound at all like Fairy Tail. Makarov’s door was always open to the lost and the forgotten. All you needed was the courage to walk through the door and a belief in a better  future, and Makarov would welcome you.

              “No,” Lucy replied, her voice wavering, and a warm tear fell onto the back of Jellal’s hand. He felt somewhat alarmed as he realized  Lucy was crying, and looked at  Levy wide-eyed.  She just grinned and muffled a chuckle in her  palm.  “No, everyone has been wonderful about the whole thing.  But you almost died, and Erza was so upset, and she still came after me when she thought I left and.. and…”

              Her words were lost in tears and she covered her face, while Jellal just patted her  back awkwardly, because he kind of sucked with dealing with tears, particularly when there wasn’t any physical cause that he could fix.

              “C’mon, Lu,”  Levy finally said, taking pity on Jellal.  “Let’s go wash those tears away, and let Erza know Jellal is awake. She’ll probably be mad we waited this long to do it.”

              She tossed a wink over her shoulder, and Jellal smiled after them in return. Alone once more, he looked out the window and contemplated what he would do next. He hadn’t awoken to Rune Knights handing him his resignation papers, which was nice, but he had also directly interfered in Guild business.

              That wouldn’t go unpunished, particularly  not when Org and Michello were entirely too eager to see Fairy Tail disbanded, and while Yajima was more openly vocal in his defence of the Guild, it was Jellal who worked behind the scenes who charmed and cajoled the other members to view things his way.

              “You’re a long way from Era, my boy.”

              Jellal’s spine stiffened, and  he straightened his posture as  Makarov entered the room.  He stood just inside the door and eyed Jellal critically.  After a moment, he gave a sharp nod and hopped onto Levy’s vacated chair.

              “I’ve been speaking with Yajima.”

              “I thought you would,” Jellal replied, gazing towards the window again.  The sky was blue.  A good day to be alive.  “I don’t suppose you’d have room in your Guild for a disgraced Council Member?”

              “I always have room in my Guild for a talented Mage and Wizard Saint,” Makarov replied.  “As it is, I’ve no idea who would be disgraced.  I’m here to offer my deepest apologies, for inadvertently causing a member of the Magic Council harm in my quarrel with another Guild. You were sent to investigate the situation, and we just made it worse.”

              Jellal gaped at the top of Makarov’s head.  

              “But I-”

              “Yajima told us you were nominated to come here.” Makarov met Jellal’s shocked gaze with a steely one here.  “I imagine it was a bit irritating.”

              “Jose-”

              “Is a blathering  idiot.  He just doesn’t want to admit that Erza and Mystogan managed to stop him long enough for me to recover.  Everyone – Fairy Tail Members, the people of Magnolia, even several of Shadow Lord’s members – saw Mystogan in the Giant, despite what Jose is howling.  It’s his last attempt to harm Fairy Tail, of couse, and a particularly foolish one.”

              Mirajane and Cana’s plot, it seemed, had served its purpose. Only…

              “Yajima knows otherwise.”

              “Yaj blames  himself for sending his protégé into danger. Also figures you’re an idiot for not avoiding that danger,  but that’s just Yaj.”

              Jellal didn’t know what to say. Instead he stared down at his hands, and realized he didn’t feel nearly as happy as he should.

              Nothing about his life would change, yet Jellal just felt…

              “Someday, m’boy, you’ll come home to us.” Jellal looked up sharply at Makarov’s words, and the old man smiled back at him. “Until then, no matter the distance, we protect each other. As it’s always been.”

              Rattling echoed in the hall – a sound that could only herald Erza’s arrival – and Makarov slid off of his scene.

              “Take a break, Jellal.  Then you can accompany  to Era and my trial.  It should be fun.”

              “You’ll fall asleep. You always do,” Jellal replied, his lips quirking at the corners.  Makarov chuckled as Erza appeared in  the door.

              “Like I said, fun.” He  turned away, as Jellal looked at Erza, who was frozen in the doorway. “And you – if you’re going to  hug him, lose the armour.  We don’t need him injured anymore.”

              Then he was gone, and Erza requipped  into the white  blouse she favored and joined him on the bed, curling into his side.

              “Master Makarov  and Master Yajima came up with a cover up story,” she told  him, nuzzling her face into his neck while his arm curled around her waist. “You’ll keep your job.”

              “I heard,” Jellal replied, staring inscrutably up at the roof.  Makarov’s words continued echoing in his mind, and turned his head toward  Erza’s, pressing a kiss into her hair.

              “You don’t sound happy,” Erza pointed out, frowning up at him.

              “I’m… not unhappy?” That was also true. He  was  simply… conflicted. Being with Fairy Tail, fighting with Fairy Tail  -  it had reminded him how much he missed it. “I miss you. I miss everyone.”

              Erza didn’t say anything, but she felt almost rigid, and he looked down, to see tears glistening at the corners of her closed eyes.

              “Erza?”

              “I want to ask you to stay,” she admitted, burying her head against his chest.   “Because I miss you too, and if I asked right now, you would. So I can’t.”

              “What if I want you to?” Jellal replied.

              “I still can’t.  You’re not done yet, Jellal.  Whatever drove  you to…everything. You’re not  done yet.”

              And there was the rub – Jellal wasn’t sure anymore why he had wanted the Magic Council. He stared hard at the roof.

              Changing the world.

              That’s what he had wanted, after spending more of his life in slavery than he had free, he had wanted to change the world. To make it safe, so there never had to be another  Jellal or another Erza, meeting in the horrors of another Tower of Heaven.

              Yet the council was filled with so much bureaucratic nonsense that making  anything change seemed impossible.

              But Erza could.

              He looked down at her, and  realized she had fallen asleep against him.   He smiled and buried his face  in her hair, letting his body relax around her.

              Erza could change the world. And Natsu, Gray, Levy… even Lucy with her determination to make her own way.  Fairy Tail could make the world a better place.

              And Jellal could make sure they had the room to make that diference.

              For now… for now that would be his drive.  He would make sure the Guild he called home could stretch their wings and make the world a better place.