If you don't read Necromancer, chances are that you won't understand this one-shot. Knowing the fandom though, most of you probably won't understand this even if you read Necromancer hurr.

Recommended: Somewhere Only We Know – Keane (or Glee: Warblers)

So Why Don't We Go

This could be the end of everything, so why don't we go somewhere only we know?

His boots crunch against the crisp, brown carpet of leaves and his heavy footsteps echo throughout the forest as he makes his way towards the river. He can tell that he is close as the sound of rushing water grows louder and clearer. Ducking under a fallen tree trunk, he straightens up and stops for a moment, a lone figure clad in black standing motionless amongst a forest of white birch trees.

"Don't go where I can't follow."

With wavering, unfocused eyes, he turns and surveys the area, head held high almost as if he was sniffing the air. He inhales deeply, holding his breath in for as long as he can, feeling the stale air fill his lungs to the point where he feels as if they were about to burst before letting it all out. He watches with childlike fascination as his breath escapes from between his lips in the form of white smoke, slowly unfurling in the air before dissipating amongst the mist.

"Never."

His senses are heightened and everything seems to move in slow motion. He can feel everything with the utmost clarity and for a moment, he is lost in his own thoughts. His partner's cry shatters the silence and he is pulled out of his thoughts rudely, breaking him from his dream like trance. He blinks dumbly, eyes flickering between the bare trees as he realises that he is still in the woods.

He sets off after the other man quickly, clambering over uprooted trees, hopping down overhanging ledges. The mud squelches under his boots and he can feel the way the sticky earth shifts under his weight with every step he takes. Something stirs in his memory but the thought keeps evading him and he dismisses it easily as the river appears in sight.

"Wait for me. You have to wait for me, ok?"

The shimmering moonlight reflects off of the murky greyish-blue waters and into his eyes. He swears that he can see fleeting visions of someone underwater, someone diving after the drowning man. A hint of red flashes under the pale moonlight and a soundless name forms on his lips. There is something familiar with everything. Had he been here before? He isn't sure but something from beyond the river calls to him. It may have been the wind whispering in his ear or his imagination, but all he knows is that he has to cross that river. Something is beckoning him and he cannot stop himself. He can hear his partner scream at him to stop, that crossing the river would mean he would have crossed the Gate to the point of no return but his legs seem to move on its own accord.

Turning to glance at the other man, he can see his lips move, see his furious gestures for him to return but there is no sound. There is only an eerie silence except for the gurgling of the river as he continues to wade deeper into the waters. The currents tug at his form but he doesn't stop, pushing and straining against the water resistance.

"Always."

He is one step away from the shore and he can hear the whispers grow louder, almost screaming for him to take the last step onto the other side. He raises a leg to do just that but then the world dissolves around him.

"Go with him," he whispered. "He's going to his secret spot."

He whips around, eyes wide with wonder as he watches the vibrant colours creep, no, burn across the land, slowly colouring the grey landscape in different shades of green, orange-yellow and red. He chokes out a startled gasp as green leaves sprout from the tree tops and multi-coloured flowers bloom in front of his eyes. The mist has disappeared and a warm wind threads through his blue locks, curling around him and caressing his face while the leaves dance in spiral circles around him.

"And do you regret returning?"

"Let's say I found something in Edolas worth loving."

There are numerous tree stumps dotted around the clearing and stacks of ruby red apples are piled neatly beside each one.

He knows this place. He knows this place very well. It is his secret spot to the east of the woods behind the palace grounds. It is where he goes to clear his mind whenever his duties weigh down too heavily upon him, because it reminds him of Earthland. It was the place where she had followed him. It was where they had talked about his duties and her marriage.

"That was what I asked, but not what I meant. I mean, what do you really think about it?"

"Are you happy?"

The voices calling him have stopped and his head feels lighter. He can finally think clearly. He turns back towards the Gate and backs away, stopping in the middle of the river. The waters are still and have turned into a clear turquoise. He can see the smooth pebbles under his feet and he kneels down, feeling the cool water run through his fingers as his fingertips graze the grainy surface of the pebbles.

He doesn't need to hear Laxus call her name to know that she is here. He doesn't need to turn around and see her standing on the shore, waiting for him to return, to know that she is here. He doesn't even need to hear her calling his name to know that she is here. He had known the moment the world had morphed into the clearing in the forest in Edolas. After all, only three people knew of that place and he had known without a doubt that she would come after him.

He looks up at the cloudless blue skies with a gentle smile, fighting to swallow the lump in his throat as tears well up in the corner of his eyes, threatening to spill over onto his cheeks.

"So, you came for me."

Silence follows for what seems like an eternity before she finally whispers.

"Let's go home," he can detect the slightest of tremors in her voice, "Jellal."

He turns to face Erza and chokes out.

"Thank you."

Author's note:

I shouldn't be posting this up because of reasons…and because the corresponding scene is in N6 or N7, but we all know those chapters aren't going to be out till 2014. Also because I was in a beautiful mood yesterday when I pretty much wrote the entire thing so here, you get something to read. Since it's (almost) Thanksgiving, why not show your appreciation for Wolfy by leaving a review (and so that I can stop making excuses to ask you guys for some)?

So this is like an alternate (happier) scene for a scene that will appear in Necromancer in the future, I'm guessing around N6 or N7. Obviously, the corresponding scene in Necromancer is angsty, so I decided to write this alternate scene because the song Somewhere Only We Know just gave me so many feels (it's now playing for the 82nd time, most of those plays were from when I was writing this). Keane is one of my favourite bands and I really enjoyed writing this one-shot.

I'm guessing some of you won't understand this. It's a bit hard to explain but what's going on is that Jellal and Laxus are in the Underworld and if they cross the river, they will have passed through the Gate of Tartarus and their souls will be lost forever. The Underworld is a gloomy place (and bits and pieces of Jellal's memories are floating around) but it morphs into the secret clearing that was in Retribution chapter 12 (quotes are both from R12 and N4) because Knightwalker followed Jellal down into the Underworld to save his soul. The secret clearing is only known to Laxus, Jellal and Knightwalker. Since Laxus was with Jellal, that could only mean that Knightwalker had followed Jellal down and in a way, she snaps Jellal out of his trance or whatever and brings him back or something. Even I don't really know what I'm doing haha.

Right, if you still don't really understand this, you're probably gonna have to wait till the corresponding scene pops up in Necromancer. Otherwise, you can just treat this as some sort of minor mind fuck fic (it's not even really a mind fuck because a mind fuck fic is kinda like Outlines, which is one of my favs).