If Only They Had Kissed: Jellal and Erza, a fairy tail fanfic

If Only They Had Kissed: Jellal and Erza

by Down Iris

I do not have any rights to nor make any money from the characters in this story.

What might have happened if Jellal and Erza had kissed that night on the beach.

This story takes place based on the idea that nothing much happens to the main characters over the next ten years after the Grand Magic Games. The Tartaros arc didn't happen.

Please read my other Jellal and Erza stories, Still There and Continued Freedom.

"I thought I'd never see you again, Jellal…." Erza and Jellal leaned toward each other and shared their first kiss. It was long and passionate. They lowered themselves to the ground and continued kissing, until Erza stopped to complain about the sand. Jellal took off his cloak and laid it on the ground. They lay on it and kissed some more.

"I've thought of you every day since we last met."

"I thought of you too."

"In prison, the only thing that kept me going was remembering your kindness. And once I started remembering my past, the only thing that kept me sane was remembering how you still accepted me after everything that had happened. When Ultear broke me out of prison, the first thing I asked her was how you were doing. She lied to me, and said you were doing fine. I was elated. I understood why she lied later when she told me the truth, because I broke down crying. That would have hampered an escape. I spent five whole years thinking you were dead."

"I'm sorry to have worried you." Erza smiled and touched his cheek.

"When I heard that you had returned, again I was elated. I plotted many ways to come and see you, but nothing worked out, until I thought of recruiting Fairy Tail to help get to the bottom of the Zeref-like magic at the games. I'm sorry such an evil thing has brought us together."

"We'll just have to make the most of the opportunity." Erza pulled off Jellal's shirt. They continued making out. Eventually Jellal started pulling on Erza's clothes, and she requiped out of them. Soon they were both naked, and they made love.

Afterwards, they lay together talking. They went over their lives apart, but the conversation halted when they started to talk about the future. They wanted to be together, but they didn't want to admit that they saw no way to bring that about.

Eventually they heard Merudy calling for them in the distance. They both froze, and then Erza got up, requiping back into her clothes. "I'll draw her off while you get dressed." They shared one last kiss and then Erza was off, trying to hurriedly adjust her hair.

Jellal got dressed and returned to the hut. He couldn't get all the sand off of his cloak, but he hoped no one would notice in the dark. Erza and Merudy returned a moment later.

The two said nothing more of note that evening, and soon Jellal was gone.

The Grand Magic Games were hard for them, seeing each other but not being able to acknowledge each other. They were able to steal a few kisses when they met one night to exchange information.

They felt exhilarated to fight beside one another against the baby dragons. Afterward, Jellal walked Erza to her inn, but she was too injured to do more than kiss for a minute. Then they said good-bye, not knowing when they might see each other again.

Almost a month had passed since the Grand Magic Games. Erza had returned home to Magnolia, and she and everyone had gone on several jobs. Just after she returned home from one job, she went to the bathroom.

I haven't started bleeding yet. I hope there isn't a problem. Erza sat and stared at the wall for a minute, when the realization dawned on her. Oh crap, am I pregnant? Erza sat in shock for a minute, and then got ready to visit her doctor.

She rushed to the clinic and demanded an immediate appointment from the intimidated secretary. After a short wait, she was shown into a room. After the doctor showed up, she explained the situation and the doctor ran some tests.

"Erza, you are definitely pregnant."

"What?! How can I be pregnant?! It was only one time! Oh, this is too horrible to think about." Erza hung her head in her hands. The doctor left to give her time to process it. I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby. I'm going to be a mom. She groaned. What type of a mom will I be? I'm too young! And for Jellal to be the father! We could never have a normal family life! She gasped. We can't let anyone know that Jellal is the father! He'd never be able to visit, because we'd be watched. Oh, we're going to even have to sneak around to see each other! What are we going to do?

Erza dwelled on such thoughts until the doctor came back. "Here are some pamphlets I'd like you to read, and have the secretary make you an appointment in a month. Do you have any questions?"

Erza sighed. "Just how am I going to make this work?"

"You seem like a capable young woman, and you have your friends at Fairy Tail that you can rely on. You'll do fine."

"I guess…" Erza said as she left, dejected.

Once on the street, Erza automatically switched into planning mode. First thing I need to do is tell Jellal. But I need to do that in person. A note just won't do. She headed to the pigeon station. It took her several times to write the note, all while she was crying. At last she was satisfied.

"J.- I need to speak to you about something important. It isn't urgent, but could we meet in person as soon as possible? Love E."

She had debated for a while whether to write "love" or not but finally decided on it. She sent off the pigeon.

Erza seemed lost for a while as to what to do, and wandered around town. She stopped by her favorite armor shop, but had the unsettling idea that soon she would need to order maternity armor. I probably won't even be able to fight once I get too far along! I'll be out of work for a while. I need to save while I can. And I shouldn't take jobs that are too dangerous for now.

With these thoughts in her head, she drifted back to Fairy Tail. Usually going there was comforting, but now she got scared as she approached, because she was going to have to tell everyone she was pregnant eventually. I'll at least wait until I tell Jellal, she decided, and felt the pressure lift significantly.

"Erza, I heard that was some job you just went on. Natsu was describing the monster. Terrifying!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Yes, it was pretty exciting."

"Oh, Erza, I think Lucy was looking for you," Mira said.

"Thanks." Erza looked around and saw Lucy, Wendy, and Carla at a table. Erza joined them. "You were looking for me?"

"Yes! We think we found our next job. Here's the flier." Lucy passed over the paper, and Wendy started talking about it. Erza tuned out and started thinking about her baby. What are we going to name it? Oh, I hope it doesn't have blue hair! That would be a horrible giveaway. Everyone would guess the father! Any color but blue!

"So, Erza, what do you think?" These words brought Erza back.

"Oh, um, it sounds good," she agreed vaguely. She chastised herself for letting her mind wander, and determined to not worry about the baby when other people were nearby.

Six days later, the day after they got back from the job, everyone was gathered at the guild hall for lunch. They had just started when a pigeon came in and landed on Erza's head. Erza was so excited that she jumped up, almost knocking the pigeon off. She hurriedly untied the note.

"Who's it from?" Natsu asked. Lucy leaned over to read over Erza's shoulder. She panicked.

"It's not from anyone you know!" she cried as she ran from the table. In a corner, after checking to make sure she was alone, she opened the note.

"E.- I can be in Magnolia in two weeks time. Is that soon enough? Love, J." A whole two weeks! I guess I have to stand it. She raced off to send a return note.

The two weeks passed with three jobs. The third job took longer than expected, and Erza was desperate to get back. Everyone accused her of rushing them, and said that she seemed grumpy. Finally they got off the train at Magnolia, and before she had taken three steps, a pigeon landed on her head. She tore off the message and rushed away without a word, leaving the others dumbfounded.

The note said what inn Jellal was at and what room number. As she reached up to knock on the door, she felt a sense of dread. She knocked.

"Who is it?" Jellal asked.

"It's me." He opened the door. All her tension rushed away at the sight of Jellal. She jumped into his arms and started kissing him. They ended up on the bed and made love again. Afterward they were lying on the bed with Erza's head on his shoulder, and he looked over at her.

"So, um, you had something you wanted to tell me?" Jellal asked awkwardly. Erza crashed down to Earth.

"Yes. I'm sorry I got distracted," she said sheepishly. Then she steeled herself for what she was going to say. She had practiced it repeatedly. "I have very big news. It's going to be shocking, and it's okay if you're mad at me about it." Jellal looked concerned but not agitated. Erza had to force herself to say, "I'm pregnant."

The look on Jellal's face went straight to horror. He jumped up out of bed so quickly that Erza's head crashed onto the pillow. "Wh-What?"

Erza took pity on him. "It's okay to be scared. I was really scared when I found out." She felt more relaxed now that she had got it out.

Meanwhile, Jellal started to panic. He sat on the side of the bed and faced her. "What kind of a life can I offer a child?! I have to live on the run! We could never be a real, settled family! What are we going to do?! I should have listened to my reason that night on the beach, but I let my emotions control me! I made such a mistake!"

"We both made a mistake, but it isn't the end of the world. We'll find a way. We'll have to. Just think about little pieces at a time. I've already done a lot of thinking."

Erza and Jellal discussed things for over an hour, and he gradually calmed down. She spent the night, and they talked again over breakfast before Jellal had to leave. One thing they talked about were codes they could use to contact each other. They were afraid that someone might catch on if they sent enough pigeons back and forth.

At the end of breakfast, Jellal took Erza's hand. "Erza, I've been thinking this over since last night, and I would like to get married, even if it has to be in secret. I understand if you don't want to, though, if you want to keep your options open for someone who could give you a life together, like I can't."

"Jellal, you're the only man I could ever love, and I'd love to marry you. I didn't want to bring it up because I thought you'd be against it, for the reason you stated and because your life is so uncertain." They discussed it for a while, and then went to the cathedral to see if they could find someone to marry them.

A priest performed a quick, simple ceremony, and then it was time for Jellal to leave. "I'll try to come again before the baby's due. I love you."

"I love you too." They kissed goodbye.

Erza decided to go to the guild hall then and tell everyone. Every step closer was even harder, but she forced herself onward. I just need to get it over with.

"Erza!" Wendy called from a table where she sat with Carla, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Gray.

Erza took a few steps toward them and then stopped. "Just a sec." She looked around the hall, and saw that the master was present. She cleared her throat. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make," she said loudly, and started to blush. Everyone quieted and looked at her. She opened and closed her mouth several times without making any sound, and then she finally rushed out, "I'm pregnant."

She was too embarrassed to continue, but everyone else was exclaiming and whispering to each other. Eventually the noise died down.

"So who's the father?" several people asked at once. Erza tried to focus on breathing and started saying what she had practiced.

"It's vitally important for the safety of my child that no one knows who the father is. I will say that he is not a guild member." She turned to Natsu and everyone. With a huge grimace, she added, "If anyone guesses, they better keep it to themselves or I will tear out their throat!" Happy started laughing, but stopped as a sword stabbed the wall right next to his head.

Millions of questions poured in for Erza, but all she would do was shake her head. Eventually everyone calmed down.

"I think it's wonderful for you to have a baby! I haven't known anyone who had one since I left Cait Shelter, and those weren't even real!" Wendy exclaimed. Erza smiled at Wendy, glad she could remember her former guild without pain.

"It's definitely going to be a different experience. I'll have to stop working for a while."

Mira came up to the table. "Erza, I just thought of my friend who just had a baby. You might ask her to wet-nurse your baby when you go back to work."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you." That was one weight off of her mind.

"What are you going to name it?" Lucy inquired.

"We haven't decided yet."

"How far along are you?" Gray asked.

Erza blushed. "About two months." She heard whispers flutter around her about how the father must have been someone she met at the Grand Magic Games.

Erza put up with more questions and mild teasing as the evening passed. Hopefully I'll get used to this or things will calm down. I hope both soon.

Five months later, everyone was sitting in the guild hall after a job. Erza was fretting that she shouldn't have come, as she had found herself in real danger, and feared for her baby's safety. Also, her second wave of maternity armor was getting tight.

"I think I'll have to stop going on jobs now. I almost screwed this one up and put my baby in danger." She sighed.

Everyone shared a knowing glance around the table. Erza felt embarrassed until Lucy started to talk. "Erza, we've discussed this, and we decided that we are going to continue to split our job money with you for as long as you are unable to work."

Erza smiled. "That's sweet, but you don't have to do that."

"We want to and we are! You'll still get your share!" Natsu said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, they say it takes a village to raise a child. Fairy Tail is your village," Gray pointed out.

Erza smiled even more. "Thank you, everyone. This means a lot."

Wendy leaned over and gave her a hug. "We're going to raise this baby together!"

The conversation turned to other things as the day went on. Some time later, a pigeon came and landed on Erza's head. She tore off the note and ran out of the guild hall without saying a word. Behind her could be heard whispers, "That must be from the father."

The note directed her to a nearby inn. Erza knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me." Jellal opened the door, and they kissed. When they separated, Jellal looked down at Erza's stomach pressing into him.

"It's so big!" he said in raptures. He put his hand on her stomach.

"Only two more months until it's due. I've decided to stop going on jobs until after it's born. I was careless on this last job and almost got us killed."

"I'm sure you handled things well, but it probably is about time to take it easy. It must be hard in many different ways to continue doing jobs in your condition."

"I don't know what I'll do with myself in the mean time. Just sitting and waiting isn't my style. It will be better once the baby is actually born."

"Speaking of that, have you thought up any names for our baby?"

"If she's a girl, I want her to be Beth."

"That sounds good. And a boy?"

"I'm not sure."

"I was thinking Mamoru."

"I like it."

"Alright, Beth or Mamoru Scarlet."

Erza frowned. "I guess it will have to be Scarlet. We couldn't very well call the baby Beth Fernandez."

"I did give you that name."

Erza smiled at him. "That's true." They spent the rest of the evening talking and Erza spent the night again. They kissed good-bye after breakfast.

Two months later, everyone was gathered at Lucy's apartment. They were informing Erza about their latest job. Natsu and Gray disagreed about the details of the fight.

"I knocked three out before you even showed up."

"Either your eyes or you memory is bad, because four of them came directly at me, and I saved you with Ice Make Lance from the one that hopped onto you."

"It didn't hop onto me, I ducked underneath it to punch it into the air! All your lance did was mess up my timing."

They continued to argue. "Let's talk about something else," Lucy said, sitting next to Erza.

"Yes, let's," she agreed.

"How's the baby coming?" Wendy asked.

"Just about the usual. Ready to pop any minute." They continued to talk about mundane matters for almost an hour.

All of a sudden, Erza felt a blinding pain in her stomach. "Ooogh!"

Everyone looked up. Erza clutched her stomach. "Is it the baby?" several of them asked. Erza grunted a reply.

"I'll get the midwife!" Natsu and Gray said in unison, desperate to get away. They chased each other out of the room.

"Wendy, help me get Erza onto my bed." They each took a side and half dragged Erza to the bed. Erza moaned continuously.

Eventually the midwife showed up. Natsu and Gray refused to enter the apartment, and sat in the hallway.

As she was delivering the baby, Erza started chanting "Please not blue hair!" with every push.

Eventually the midwife said, "The baby's hair isn't blue!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Erza sighed.

"It's purple."

Erza moaned. "Oh, that's almost as bad!"

At last the baby was born. "It's a girl!" Lucy cried. The midwife cleaned the baby and passed her to Erza.

"My little Beth Scarlet! How beautiful you are!" Erza smiled like crazy. Wendy, Carla, Lucy, and Happy gathered around and offered praise.

Happy flew out to Natsu and Gray. "It's a girl! Beth Scarlet!" They yelled their congratulations back into the apartment.

A while later, Erza asked for some paper. She wrote a hurried note and then called Lucy over.

Soon after Erza had announced her pregnancy, Lucy had gotten her alone. "The father is Jellal, right?" she asked.

Erza got mad. "I told you to hold your tongue or I'd ripped it out!"

"Sorry, sorry." Lucy didn't say anything else.

After Erza had called Lucy over, she handed her the note. She whispered, "Please send this to you-know-who immediately."

"Right." Lucy left immediately, saying only that she had urgent business.

Erza breathed deeply and looked down at her adorable, sleeping daughter. I hope Jellal can come to see her soon.

Over the next two years, Jellal came to visit every few months, each time for several days. They would meet at different inns and Erza and Beth would stay with him.

On one visit, they sat listening to Beth talk baby talk. Eventually she started repeating the same phrase, "Mama ruh, Dada bluh."

Jellal and Erza smiled. "I wonder what she's trying to say," Jellal said. Erza nodded.

A moment later, she got a horrified look on her face. "Oh no, I think she's saying, 'Mama red, Dada blue!'"

"My hair color! If someone figured that out, we could all be in danger!"

"I think you'll need to start wearing a wig."

"Curses, and a mask too! She might say something about my tattoo. My baby will have to grow up not being able to see me." Jellal hung his head.

"Eventually she'll be old enough to stay quiet. You'll just have to wait for then."

"I already can't wait."

Beth grew up not knowing what her father looked like. In class, she often drew pictures of what she daydreamed he might look like, standing next to a happy Erza and Beth. As soon as she could speak in proper sentences, she started asking why she couldn't see her father's face.

Erza at first put her off with vague ideas. "Some bad people want to find your dad, and if you accidently told them anything about him, we'd never get to see him again." This usually placated Beth enough for a while, but she kept repeating the same questions over time.

Beth had been trained from a young age to say nothing about her father, and Erza decided when Beth was four, for Beth to tell people that her father was dead. "But Daddy's not dead!"

"It's easier for you to tell people that than that he wears a mask. It will stop nosy questions." Beth went along with it unhappily. Erza also trained Beth as to what to say if they were ever questioned by the police. "You can say that his name is Matthew and that he has black hair, because those are false. Everything else try to answer with 'I don't know.'" Erza started making up details that Beth could give that Erza would also use, to make their stories line up.

At the beginning of every visit, Beth would ask how much longer it would be until she could she her father's face. "When we think you're ready for it. You'll need to be able to lie convincingly about what he looks like. This is very important."

Jellal would usually be able to visit four or five times a year. Twice, Erza pulled Beth out of school with a vague explanation to her teacher because Jellal had unexpectedly come to visit. Beth always enjoyed her visits with her father, and he told her about some of his adventures, although she figured they were highly censored. Every time she got a new present, which she lined up on a shelf in her room and treasured. She tried to always bring him something too, even if it was just a picture that she had drawn.

On the first visit after her eighth birthday, Beth again asked to see what Jellal looked like. Her parents looked at each other, and then Erza smiled. "We think you're ready, Beth. Now, you'll have to lie about your father's appearance if anyone ever asks, okay?"

"I will. I promise!" Beth grinned a huge grin.

"Alright, here I go." Jellal reached up and took off his mask and wig. Beth stared at his face. Then she jumped up and hugged him.

"I finally get to see you! I've been imagining you my whole life!"

"I've been wanting to show you what I look like forever, but we needed to be sure you could lie about the tattoo on my face. You must never tell anyone that I have a tattoo. If you do, I might not be able to ever see you again. That's why I hid my face."

"I won't tell!" Beth spent the rest of the visit in ecstasy. Afterwards, Erza took her to Lucy's house to spend the night. Whenever Jellal visited, she would spend the days with him and Erza, and then would spend the nights at Lucy's or Wendy's. She always assumed that Erza went back to see Jellal alone. This time, she was bursting to tell Lucy that she saw her father, especially since she had always figured Lucy knew her father at least a little, but she remembered her promise and kept quiet.

Things went on as usual for two more years. Beth still didn't know much about who her father was. She still didn't know his real name.

One day in class, Beth turned the page in her Magical History textbook to see a picture of ten people seated in a hall. Her gaze brushed over the picture, but then something caught her eye. Her father was one of the people in the picture! She gasped loudly.

Every head in the room turned towards her. She blushed and mumbled "Sorry." Once everyone had forgotten about her, she pored over the picture in detail. The caption under it simply read, "Magic Council, X784." She read that page and the three before and after it, but found no further clues.

When class was over, Beth decided to ask her teacher. "Excuse me, do you know who this man is?" She pointed him out.

"Oh, I believe his name is Siegrain. He was very popular back then, but then he disappeared amidst some scandal, though I don't remember what it was."

"Thank you very much!" I finally have a name! She rushed to the school library.

"Excuse me, do you have anything about Siegrain, a former council member?"

The librarian looked the name up. "Just a second." She disappeared into the stacks and came back soon after with two dusty books. "These are all we have."

The books were The Magic Council in X784 and Magical Scandals, X780-9. "Thanks, I'll take them!"

Beth hurried home and started reading the first book. It was published in July X784. She quickly found a section with a short biography of Siegrain. She eagerly absorbed every detail. "So this is who my father is!" Afterwards, she read the rest of the book cover to cover, but only found a few interesting tidbits amidst boring details of legislation.

She was about to turn to the other book when Erza came home. Beth quickly hid the books under her mattress.

The next day after school, Beth brought out the second book. It was published in December X795. She had to read the beginning of each chapter to determine if it was the one she wanted. Finally, about halfway through, she found a chapter titled "Etherion Disaster." She read with horror at how her father had tricked the Magic Council into firing Etherion onto an island with a tower. The tower turned into a lacrima that contained the magic power for a short while before exploding into space. It was supposed to be used to revive the ancient black wizard Zeref. Beth had heard about Zeref at school, and she couldn't believe that her father would want to revive him.

The story continued with him appearing a few months later during a joint guild mission to eliminate the dark guild Oración Seis. She noted with interest that Fairy Tail was one of the guilds. Maybe that's where Mama met him?

Unfortunately, from there he was captured by the Magic Council and imprisoned. It appeared he was really named Jellal Fernandez, and had lost his memory of the Etherion episode. He received a life sentence, but escaped after two years. His current whereabouts were unknown, but it was suspected that he was associated with Crime Sorcière, the so-called independent guild which had been going after dark guilds.

Beth had also heard of Crime Sorcière. Many of the students at school fantasized about growing up to be in it, and some banned books had been published about their adventures. Beth had never read any of them, but she determined to borrow them from some students she knew had them.

After she read the chapter, Beth lay quietly, taking everything in. She knew she couldn't believe everything in the books, but some of it had to be true. She couldn't believe that her father could be as evil as the one book seemed to imply.

Beth was unsure whether she should tell her mother about what she had learned. She decided to put it off for now, and decided to ask sometime later. First she had to read those books.

Beth acquired and read the books over the next month. They were not as informative as she had hoped. One character seemed likely to be her father, but she couldn't be sure. They only left her wanting more information.

Beth decided that she would ask her parents about it the next time Jellal came to visit.

One day two months later, Erza was cleaning up after breakfast when a pigeon flew in the window and landed on her head. On reading the note, Erza called to Beth. "Get ready, Beth! You're dad's here!"

Soon they were making their way across town. Beth was thrilled about telling her parents what she had learned. They reached an inn and Erza led them up to a room. She knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's us." The door opened and they entered. First they exchanged hugs. They talked in general for a while, and just when Beth was about to speak, another knock came on the door. It was heavy and repeated. "Who is it?" Erza asked.

"Open up in the name of the Council!" Jellal and Erza both turned white. Jellal quickly kissed them both, pulled on his cloak, and went to the window.

They exchanged quick good-byes, and they all looked like they realized this could be the last time they ever saw each other. Then Jellal was gone.

"Remember to answer the questions like we practiced them, Beth. I know you can do this." Erza opened the door. Several officers pushed into the room.

"It's just the woman and the girl. No sign of Jellal. He must have gone out the window. Hopefully those outside got him," one of the officers reported. "Take those two in for questioning." Beth did not resist when handcuffs were put on her, as she had been instructed. Erza and Beth were led out to a carriage and left to themselves for a few minutes while people ran around outside calling to each other.

Eventually they were taken to a nondescript building and separated. Beth was taken to a room with just a table and two chairs. Her handcuffs were removed and she was left alone for a long time. Finally, someone came in.

"Your name is Beth Scarlet?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"And your mother is Erza Scarlet, of Fairy Tail?"

"Yes."

"And who is your father?"

"His name is Matthew." That was what Beth had been told his name was since she was little, but several years ago Erza had let her know that that was a fake name she could share if necessary.

"What's his last name?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know your own father's last name?"

"I asked a lot, but Dad never told me."

"What color hair does he have?"

"Black."

"Does he have any markings on his face?"

"Markings? He has a mole here." She pointed.

"Do you know what town he's from?"

"Hargeon."

"What does he do there?"

"I don't know. Dad doesn't tell me much about himself, even though I keep asking."

The man kept asking questions like this, which Beth could easily answer from her briefings. Most answers were "I don't know."

Eventually the man left. Beth sat for what felt like more than an hour. At last she got up and went to the door. "I have to go potty!" she shouted at it. She said "potty" to make herself seem younger and more naïve. A woman opened the door and led her down the hall to a bathroom. Even though she really did need to go to the bathroom, she used the opportunity to scout out the surroundings, but she could see nothing of importance.

Back in the room, she waited a while longer until a woman came in. She asked many of the same questions, and then took out a picture of Jellal.

"Is this the man you know as your father?"

Beth concentrated on remaining calm. "No, Dad doesn't look anything like that. Why does he have that thing on his face?"

The woman ignored her question. "Your father isn't the man Jellal Fernandez, otherwise known as Siegrain?"

"I've never heard of him. Who is he?" Beth tried fishing for information.

"He's a ruthless criminal who must be stopped. If you're covering for him, things could go badly for you and your mother."

Beth smiled. "Sorry, can't help you."

The woman asked a few more questions and then left. After a short wait, another man came to get her. He led her out to a room full of people. Lucy got up from a chair and hurried over.

"Beth, I'm sorry about what's happened! You are being released into my care for now. Your mother is going to be held longer."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Hopefully…" Lucy said, not very reassuringly.

Beth spent the night at Lucy's house, sleeping fitfully. She worried greatly about her parents. Did Dad get away all right? Will they let Mama go soon?

The next day came without her mother, and Beth went to school. She was unable to concentrate, and was disappointed to be met by Lucy after school instead of Erza.

Beth stayed with Lucy three more days without hearing anything about her mother. On the second day, she walked back to the building they had been taken to in order to ask questions, but no one would give her any answers.

After four days of worrying, Erza finally came to pick up Beth from Lucy's house. Beth ran into her arms.

"Where were you, Mama? I was so worried!"

"I'm sorry, darling. They let me go because they didn't catch your father and so couldn't prove that it was actually him. They couldn't charge me as an accomplice if they didn't know for sure who I was helping."

"So Dad is okay, too?" Beth sounded hopeful.

"I hope so, but there's no way to tell for sure. We'll just have to be patient. He'll send a note when he's sure he's safe."

"I hope that's soon."

Five weeks passed with no note from Jellal. Erza tried to put on a brave face for Beth, but she was very frightened herself, and Beth could tell. Whenever they were outside, Beth scanned the skies for pigeons, and her heart leapt every time she saw a bird, only to be crushed as it continued on.

Beth had not told Erza about what she had found out about Jellal. She didn't want to make Erza sadder by thinking about Jellal even more.

Erza took Beth to the guild hall one night for dinner. The people were their normal rowdy selves, but a cloud of gloom hung over their own table.

The door opened with a bang as Natsu came in. He was still his normal boisterous self. Beth glanced at him, and then turned as she saw a pigeon fly in after him. It landed on Erza's head, and she ripped off the note. She started reading it with a frown that gradually grew into a huge smile. "He's safe!" she exclaimed to everyone.

Beth jumped up and ran to give her mother a hug. She pulled the note out of Erza's hand and read it. It was in code, but Erza had taught Beth the code when she was younger. It basically said that he was safe and couldn't see them anytime soon.

Beth was jumping up and down for joy.

"We should attach a generator to you, Beth," Gray teased.

"Beth, go get some paper to write a reply." Once provided with paper, Erza jotted a quick note and then got up. "I'll go send this off. You stay here, Beth." Erza quickly left.

Beth was so excited that she thought she'd tell her mother about her research before bed. When they got home, Beth ran and got the two books out of her room.

"Mama, I found out who Dad really is."

Erza looked shocked. "How?"

"A picture of him was in my textbook. My teacher told me his name, and I got these two books from the library." She handed her the books. Erza looked them over.

"I guess you know the general idea, but I'm sure these stories are skewed and incomplete. I'll tell you the real story." She went on to talk about their childhood together, how Jellal was brainwashed by Ultear, them fighting at the Tower of Heaven, him coming back to life as an amnesiac, him being arrested, Ultear breaking him out of prison, his life in Crime Sorcière, their meeting at the Grand Magic Games, and their life afterwards. Beth listened with rapt attention and asked many questions.

When the tale was complete, it was well past bedtime. "You'd better fall asleep quickly so you won't be sleepy tomorrow at school." Erza kissed her goodnight.

Beth couldn't sleep, instead she thought about all she had learned. I hope Dad stays safe and that we'll be able to see him soon. With that final thought she drifted off to sleep.