A/N: Hello, dear Fairy Tail and Anime fans alike! This is my first story and I decided to make an ErzaxOC FanFic because the idea kept on nagging at me for quite a while. And I'm sorry if some characters act OOC in my story, especially Erza. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and please feel free to do a review.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. The only things I own are what you don't see in the Manga and Anime.

A month has passed since Jellal died, and Erza still isn't ready to accept the fact that he's gone. Even though he died right in front of her very eyes. For that whole month, she didn't feel like going on jobs. She wasn't even in the mood to stop Gray and Natsu whenever they fought, and she had never even touched a slice of her favorite strawberry cake. She kept on thinking about Jellal's death. It was hard on her, knowing that the first man she loved was gone. Forever. Though it may be true that all she went through was pain and suffering because of him, she could never bring herself to truly hate him. Especially since he died for her sake. Her thoughts ran back to the time when Jellal was dying.

FLASHBACK

"Erza…" Jellal muttered, coughing up blood.

"Jellal!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face.

He placed his hands gently on her face, staring deeply into her eyes. The scarlet-haired mage held his hand, and continued to sob.

"Jellal, why…?" She sobbed.

"Erza, don't be sad… It was the best I could do. I want you to live, even if it means that I have to die right now. I wanted to protect you - to end all the suffering I caused you and your friends," he continued slowly.

"I love you, Erza Scarlet… I know I don't deserve your love. But I at least wanted to tell you how I feel, before I die. Find someone who would protect you and make you happy, no matter what it takes, someone who will never hurt you and will love you continually. You don't have to forgive me. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. Live on, Erza Scarlet, and find true happiness…" He trailed off, and finally closed his eyes.

"JELLAL! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" She screamed into the night, the tears streaming endlessly down her face.

FLASHBACK END

She leaned her head against the big tree, trying to control her tears. She never felt so much pain in her life, until now.

It was nearly sunset, and Zeke had just arrived at the town of Magnolia after his job. Zeke Bolton was one of Erza Scarlet's childhood friends when they were abducted and sent to the Tower of Heaven as slaves. After they escaped, they searched for Fairy Tail and joined together.

Like her, he was an S-Class mage and specializes in lightning element magic, which can paralyze and damage his foes. He also learned to use Teleportation Magic, which allows him to teleport to nearby places and to anyone with the Fairy Tail guild mark. Thus, he gained the nickname "Lightning," symbolizing his speed and how he can defeat his enemies in a flash. He has black spiky hair that was messy. He has dark brown eyes, a normal skin color and a face considered by many to be handsome; he is of average height and has a lean build. He usually wore a white v-neck t-shirt with a blue jacket, black pants and black shoes with streaks of yellow; and has a yellow Fairy Tail guild mark placed on the lower part of his right arm.

He wandered around for a bit, and found a certain scarlet-haired mage sitting alone by the huge tree. Upon seeing her, he remembered the conversation he had with the master a few weeks back, about five days after the Tower of Heaven incident – the incident where Jellal Fernandes died.

FLASHBACK

"Master? Mira said you asked for me," Zeke asked

"Ah, yes my boy," Master Makarov responded, patting a seat beside him. "I wanted to speak with you," the master added.

Zeke took his seat beside the master and asked, "What did you want to talk to me about, master?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Erza - about the Tower of Heaven incident. I want to know everything that happened," the master replied.

Zeke then proceeded to explain everything that happened regarding the incident.

"In the end, Jellal Fernandes saved us all by using magic that stopped Etherion from exploding. Although… it cost him his life," he concluded.

"And is that the reason Erza is acting strangely these past days?" The master asked

The black-haired mage nodded.

The master bowed his head, deep in thought. Finally, he said, "Zeke, my boy, I want you to bring the old Erza back. You are the only one who can ease her pain. And it's not only because you've been with her far longer than we have…" The master trailed off.

"…It's also because of how you feel about her," The master added, looking at the younger mage and waiting for his response.

"Master, how did you know… about my feelings for Erza?" Zeke asked, shocked.

"I see it in your actions, my dear boy, and in the way you look at her. There was never a day that you stopped worrying about her since that incident. And the way you look at her… you look at her with such gentleness, always ready to protect her," the master said seriously.

The master then added, "And that is why you are the one I entrust this task with. Because of your deep love for her."

The young mage knew that everything the master said was true. He did love her deeply, and is prepared to do anything for her.

"I understand, master. I promise, I will bring her back to the way she was," he swore.

"Very good," the master nodded in agreement. The master then waved his hand towards the door, "You may leave."

FLASHBACK END

"Erza?" He called out.

"Zeke? What are you doing here?" She asked with surprise.

"I just got back from a job and ended up wandering around the town," he replied casually.

"Oh, I see," she replied.

"So, what's up? What are you doing here alone?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing, just thinking about a few things," she stared into empty space.

"Oh, huh." He said.

After a few minutes of silence, Zeke decided to break it.

"It's about Jellal, isn't it?" He spoke softly.

The question caught Erza off guard. "How did you know?" She asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"C'mon Erza, we've known each other since we were kids. And I know how you feel about Jellal," he said.

He continued. "Well, I noticed that you've always been lost in thought – even crying sometimes, ever since he died. And this is another of those times that I've caught you. I just kind of figured out that it was him you were thinking about." He scratched his head, and then looked at her.

"Nothing really does get by you, huh?" She smiled slightly. "You're right, though…" She trailed off.

"Do you want to talk about it? I mean, only if you want to. I'm not gonna bug you into telling me right now. As a friend, I just want to be there for you," he said seriously. Although, I wish we were more than just friends. He thought sadly.

She sighed, thinking about whether to tell him or not. She did need to get it off her chest though, and he was one of her closest friends anyway.

"No, it's fine. Besides, there's no harm in telling you anyway," She smiled and told him about what happened with Jellal during his last moments.

After finishing her story, she began to sob. She had been holding it in, but was unable to control it.

"Erza… I'm sorry. I know you loved him…" Zeke trailed off, placing his hands on her face as he wiped her tears. I just wish you could love me, the way you loved him. I would never hurt you, Erza. I would make you happy, no matter what it takes. He thought.

"No, it's alright… I wanted to get it off my chest, anyway. Thank you for listening, Zeke," she said gratefully.

"Hey, no problem. I mean, we're friends right? Just remember Erza; I'll always be there for you, no matter what happens. I promise," he said solemnly.

"I know you will," she smiled.

He removed his hands from her face and breathed a sigh of relief when she smiled again. He hated seeing her cry, but he hated the one who caused her to cry even more. Had Jellal still been alive, he would have beaten the crap out of him to send a message.

"Zeke?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"Can you… stay with me a bit longer? I don't think I could bear to be alone right now…"

"Sure. I don't have anything better to do anyway."

"Thanks. It means a lot, having you with me," she smiled and leaned her head against him.

"Oh, uh, sure," he blushed slightly.

They stayed still like that for quite some time. It was getting dark, and Zeke decided it was about time to go home.

"Erza?" He shifted slightly and looked at her. Apparently, she had fallen asleep. "Man, she still looks really beautiful, even when she's asleep," he thought. Not wanting to disturb her, he decided to carry her all the way to her room at Fairy Hills. He put the sleeping scarlet-haired mage on his back and started moving. A few people stared at him as he walked by, but he didn't care. He continued walking, and finally arrived at Fairy Hills, an all-girls dormitory and where the girl on his back lives.

"Oh, Zeke?" A voice asked.

"Mira? Is that you?" He asked in reply.

"Yup, it's me," the white-haired mage giggled. "What's Erza doing on your back?" She asked while pointing to Erza.

"Oh, well, I found her sitting alone by the huge tree and we talked a bit. She fell asleep soon afterwards," he explained.

"Is that so?" Mira smiled devilishly.

"Yeah, that's all," he said, not seeing the smile that the white-haired mage gave.

"By the way, do you know where Erza's room is? I just wanted to drop her off in her room," he said.

"Sure, just follow me," Mira replied.

Zeke followed the white-haired mage, and they finally arrived in front of the scarlet-haired mage's room. "Well, here we are. Let me just open the door for you," Mira said while opening the door.

"Thanks Mira. And do you have a pen and paper on you, by chance? I just wanted to write a note," he explained.

"No, but I'll get them for you. Can you wait for a while?" She smiled sweetly.

"Sure, no problem," he smiled back.

When the, he entered the room and lay the Re-quip mage down on her bed. He looked at her as she slept peacefully, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Erza, I love you… I wish you could feel the same about me one of these days. I'm willing to wait, no matter how long it takes. I will always love you, Erza Scarlet…" His thoughts were interrupted as Mira spoke behind him.

"Zeke, here's the pen and paper," she smiled as she handed the two items to him.

"Thanks, Mira. I'll return the pen as soon as I'm done," he said.

"Oh, no, it's fine. You can return the pen tomorrow," she said sweetly.

"Thanks again, and sorry for the trouble," he said apologetically.

"No, it's no trouble. Well, I'll be going now. Just make sure to lock up before you leave," the take-over mage reminded him and left.

He thought about what he was going to write; after a few minutes, he finished writing and placed the note on the bedside table. He turned back towards the peacefully sleeping requip mage, kissed her forehead and whispered, "Good night, Erza." Then he left.

A/N: And here's the end of the first chapter. I do hope you enjoyed it. Again, please feel free to do a review. See you guys in the next chapter!