Hey guys, I thought I'd post something Fairy Tail related for a change, as it IS my favourite manga along with Bleach. Unfortunately, it's a death fic *sob sob* inspired by...my depression. I'm not really depressed, but I've been ill for 2 days now, and I've been really sad as a result. So I wrote this instead...I'd say enjoy it, but how can you enjoy something so depressing T_T but yeah, go ahead and read it. I've got a new Fairy Tail fanfic lined up, but I want to progress a little more with both of my Bleach fics before I start a Fairy Tail one :)

Wow...I didn't think anyone would actually read this XD so I'd like to thank the following people: babydolly, black-klepon, AznMelody5678 dany14-black8, inoyamakiori, i-miss-u, brrney, Gloss Gurl, pangya85 and kuroichibineko for reviewing/subscribing! This was my first *proper* deathfic/one-shot death fic, so it means a lot. Thankyou all and enjoy the free cookies ;)

For Bleach fans, I have two AU IchiRuki fanfics up and running already. For you Fairy Tail fans, I'm hoping to get an AU Jellal/Erza fanfic up and running in the near future, so watch out! Ah, and before I forget...I'm starting a half-AU NaLu fanfic too for all the NaLu fans! It'll be called 'Starry Skies and Passionate Flames' so look out for it :)

Type: One-shot

Manga: Fairy Tail

Pairings: Jellal x Erza, slight NaLu

Themes: Romance/Tragedy

Rating: T for explicit language and suggested sexual themes.

"OI! JELLAL!" Natsu, the fire dragon slayer roared.

Jellal, snapping out of his momentary reverie, dropped his tankard of beer, splashes of it landing on the grumbling members sat by him.

"WHEN YOU GONNA TAKE US TO SEE ERZA!" he yelled, scaring Lucy who was sat besides him.

"He does have a point…" Lucy murmured quietly.

"This simply isn't done, Jellal," Gray, the ice mage, admonished. "Where's your head at these days?"

"I could ask you the same about your pants…" Lucy muttered.

"KYAAAAAAA!" Gray yelled, rapidly jumping up and accidently knocking Juvia who had been sat besides him, as he realised he was starkers. He ran off to find a pair of pants, whilst the other guild members shrugged and turned back to their conversations. This was a daily occurrence, after all.

"Gray-sama touched Juvia…" Juvia mumbled, dazed, as she picked herself up from the floor.

"But Jellal," Lucy began, as though nothing had happened. "We all know that Erza's had the baby now…and we haven't seen her for ages. So what gives?"

"Uhh…" he replied, unsure where to start. This was so complicated. He sighed.

The guild had become strangely quiet as Lucy spoke, with only the tell-tale squeak from Mirajane, who was wiping the beer glasses as always.

"Yeah Jellal, why won't you let us see her?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Shut up, flame-head!" Gray retaliated, who had now returned with a fresh pair of pants.

"You wanna fight, icy-pervert?"

"Bring it, flame-brain!"

"GUYS!" Lucy shrieked, forcing herself between the two mages. "Can we concentrate on what's important? I can't stand either of you fighting like this!"

The two mages stopped for a second, staring at Lucy.

"Uh, yeah…"

"Yeah I s'pose…"

"Gotcha," came the collective mumbles from Natsu and Gray.

They both sat back down in their respective places, sighing. The guild had become so quiet and lifeless without Erza. It had been nearly 6 months…and still no word. Jellal had inherently refused to explain anything to the guild, and everyone had accepted that, leaving him to his privacy.

Lucy risked a glance at Jellal. His eyes were sad, droopy, and they had dark circles underneath, as though he hadn't slept well in weeks. What on earth was going on?

She remembered how Erza had been the life and soul of the guild, keeping its honour and respect together through times of happiness, and through adversity. Sure, she was scary as hell, but she was just as kind and caring, something that she hadn't shown often. Not until Jellal had turned up. After the Magic Games (which they had won, of course,) Jellal, Ultear and Meredy had turned up on Fairy tail's doorstep, asking for membership. Of course, Makarov had accepted them straight away. Then the relationship, then marriage…

When the guild had found out that Erza, now Jellal's wife of two years, was pregnant with their first child, the guild had exploded into chaos, partying for 3 nights straight, until Erza had put her foot down, insisting that she didn't want to raise her unborn child without discipline. 3 months later, she had been violently sick, and confined to bed, whilst Jellal took care of her.

Erza hadn't returned to Fairy Tail even once.

Lucy knew something was seriously wrong, but she didn't know what. The Erza she knew wouldn't have left Fairy Tail without a reason- it was her home, her family. Had she forgotten all of that already? Didn't she care for her guild? Her friends?

Tears began to fall down her face as she cried, much to the shock of her friends. Natsu put his arm around her, gently stroking her hair as he attempted to console her without words. This was a hard time for them all- but they were Fairy tail, after all. Fairy Tail members always stood by each other, no matter what.

Lucy cracked her eyes open after some time, risking a glance at Jellal. His face held an expression of resignation, of defeat, the face of a man who'd lost everything. At that moment, he looked up and caught Lucy's eye.

"Okay," he said, standing up. "I'll take you to Erza."

He could do that much for them, atleast.

The group of mages hung outside the door to Erza's room, unsure of whom to let in first, as they dithered about nervously. Lucy couldn't help but be nervous herself- how much would Erza have changed in 6 months?

'Don't be silly,' she chastised herself. Erza could never change.

"In you go then, quietly," Jellal whispered, pushing the mahogany door open, which was adorned with a picture of a silver sword. Erza's choice, no doubt.

The room was spacious, dominated by a king-sized four-poster bed, which housed a limp figure. On the left was a huge window, where the sun was visible, drifting ever lower in the sky, getting ready to set. Next to the bed was a wooden cot that housed the newborn girl. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Happy and Charles all stood in a line, unsure of what to do.

Jellal sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his wife's hair.

"Erza, look who's come to see you," he whispered quietly into her ear.

Erza Scarlet did not stir.

Lucy shuffled forward, gently, leaning forwards to see Erza. She gasped slightly before jumping backwards, shocked. If it wasn't for the her long, lustrous scarlet hair, Lucy would have never recognised her best friend. Erza's strong, sturdy face, her dark eyes, her full lips and defined cheekbones which held a tint of blush in it had been replaced by something sinister, scary even. The face in front of her was pinched and pale, a little more than skin and bones. Lucy couldn't even tell whether Erza was sleeping or…. She couldn't bring herself to think of the other possibility.

She looked like an innocent, red-haired angel, sleeping without a care in the world. The tears began to gather in the corner of Lucy's eyes, and she rushed to stand besides Natsu, who put his arm around her once more, gently cradling her., tears in his own eyes.

"Shhhhh…Lucy," he murmured, holding her tight. On his other side was Gray, his hands covering his face, as though he was forcing himself not to cry. Despite that, a tear leaked down his cheek. Wendy was crying profusely, Charles patting her soothingly with one paw, her other paw around Happy, who was holding a fish., big fat tears in the corner of his wide eyes.

One by one, the other mages went to see Erza, sitting besides her, whispering into her ear, each of their reactions the same. The gasp, the shock, the step backwards. And the tears.

Jellal stood up from the bed once more, pacing the room back and forth, eventually walking past the four mages, and stopping when he was face to face with Lucy.

"There's something I should tell you," he began.

Lucy stood transfixed, shell-shocked and stunned.

"Terminal cancer…" Jellal had said. "The doctors only gave her 6 months to live…6 months today,"

Their best friend Erza Scarlet had been diagnosed with brain tumour during her pregnancy. Suddenly, the pieces had all fit together. When Erza had been sick in the third month of her pregnancy, she'd also found out that she had cancer, which was in its final stage. The doctor had advised her to abort the baby, but she had stubbornly refused, insisting that she wanted to see her baby with her own eyes.

That's what it had become. A race against Time itself. Erza was battling against the most volatile force inhabiting the universe-Time. She was determined to win outright, and she'd take on anything if it meant she'd get to see her child.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Natsu whispered.

"What else could I do?" Jellal replied, his face contorted in agony. He was hurting badly, that much was clear. He looked defeated- no; devastated was more the word- as though the whole world had come crashing down on his ears. The face of a man who was losing all he lived for. Erza had left Fairy Tail knowing her time was short- therefore she had forced herself to break all ties with Fairy Tail. A clean break was better, in her opinion. She didn't want her friends hurting.

But the one man- the one person she couldn't bear to leave behind was the man she loved, the man she'd given her heart away to.

Jellal.

Lucy remembered how she'd never taken off her Heart Kreuz armour save for when she had to requip to suit her battle needs- as it hid her fragile heart. However, when Jellal had come along, she'd never worn it again. He'd melted away the layers, touching her heart, and making it his.

"Till death do us part," Jellal had whispered sweetly into his newly wedded bride's ear on their wedding night, gently running his hands through her beautiful scarlet hair. He'd moved back, gazing into those dark, mystical, beautiful eyes of hers.

"I will never leave your side, Erza. I'll be right here with you till your last breath," he had promised.

Jellal would remain by her side till she breathed her last. Even then, his heart could never possible belong to anyone else but her.

"We should…probably go…" Lucy choked out, her voice cracking. One by one, the mages followed her out, knowing that there was nothing they could do.

"Thankyou…Erza," Lucy whispered.

This was the fate of Erza Scarlet, the invincible Titania. She had always protected the guild, its honour, its respect, and above all, its members. If the one who protected was one who needed protecting, what hope did the rest of the guild have?

Jellal sat on the edge of the bed once more, stroking Erza's hair. Despite her form being lifeless and drained of colour, her hair, her most striking feature, had remained the same. The remains of the woman he'd loved all his life.

"Erza, can you hear me?" He whispered, knowing she would answer. He knew that she couldn't bear the sight of her friends crying over her, and had feigned sleep. Clean Break.

She cracked her eyes open. "Jellal…" she whispered, as he gazed at her lovingly, his eyes soft. "The baby…"

He strode over to the cot, holding their newborn baby gently, who was asleep. Their little angel.

"Here," he said in a low voice, as she gingerly held her child.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Erza whispered once more, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Just like you," he replied.

"Jellal…I'm sorry…" she began, before he cut her off, placing his palm on her mouth.

"Don't say anything," he urged. "And what are you sorry for? If anything, I should be the sorry one, for hurting you so much."

She grasped Jellal's hand, removing it from her face. "You didn't hurt me…I always…always loved you…these past two years have been the most special of my entire life," she admitted. "I'm glad I could love you, Jellal,"

By then, the tears were flowing fast and thick, as he held Erza in her arms, the baby wedged between the two. "And I'm glad I fell in love with an amazing woman such as you," he continued. "I'm proud to call you my wife,"

"Don't be sad…Jellal. You're not alone…" Erza mumbled. "You have our child, you have Fairy Tail."

"But I won't have you anymore," he whispered.

"Who said that? I'll always be right here," she pointed at his chest. "In your heart,"

"Always," he replied, kissing her forehead. They both gazed at their child, a hint of a smile on their lips. She stirred, yawning and clenching her tiny fists, causing her little hat to fall off, revealing a shock of scarlet hair. The same colour as her mother's.

"Scarlet…" Erza mumbled.

"For her mother," Jellal finished her sentence. "And Fernandes for her father. Scarlet Fernandes. What do you think?"

"Perfect," she whispered, smiling. "That way, she'll know that her parents are always watching her, always by her side, always guiding along the right path."

"The path of light," Jellal answered.

At that moment, the sunlight burst through the windows, the image of the setting sun blinding their eyes. A sense of de ja vu hit Erza, as she gazed in wonder at the scarlet sun.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" Erza asked.

"Just like both my wife and my baby girl," he said. "It's the same colour as both of your hair… I always loved your hair, Erza."

"You know Jellal," she mused, staring into her husband's eyes. "I always loved those eyes of yours, did I ever tell you that? The way that I never knew what you were thinking…it always drew me in."

"I love you, Erza," Jellal whispered, a note of finality in his voice.

"I love you too…Jellal…and our baby girl," she replied. "This sunset's so beautiful…I never knew there were such things in this world," she sighed.

With that, she slid her eyes shut, breathing deeply. Jellal put little Scarlet back in her cot, and lay down besides his wife, his eyes wide open.

"The sunset is beautiful indeed," Jellal said. "I've never seen anything like it. I wonder if any such thing can ever happen again," he wondered. "Right, Erza?"

Erza Scarlet did not reply.

"Erza?" he asked, putting his hand on her cheek. "Erza, are you okay? Erza? Say something, Erza…"

By now, he was panicking slightly. Why wasn't Erza saying anything? He decided to check her pulse, make sure everything was fine…

No pulse.

Jellal felt his breath catch, suddenly unable to breath. Erza had left him.

No…it was too soon…he wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to lose the woman he'd loved all his life. He embraced her tightly, crying, desperate.

"Erza, why won't you wake up?" he wailed. "Don't leave me like this!" he grabbed the sheets in desperation, urgency. A shaft of sunlight landed on Erza's face, illuminating her now dead features. She could almost be sleeping.

"You can't do this to me!" he shouted at nothing in particular, grasping at his hair. "We promised each other, didn't we? Promised that we'd always stay together, right? Nothing could separate us remember?"

Jellal lay on the bed, gazing at the canopy of the four-poster, tear-tracks etched onto his face. He could see her beautiful smile, even now, radiating in the sunlight, radiating into his life. He felt hopeless, lifeless, as though part of himself, as though his soul had died along with her.

"Don't leave me…" he whimpered, unable to understand what to do now. He'd grown up with Erza, been her best friend and confidante as a child, then her lover, her husband, and now a father.

He felt as though he could kill himself right now as to truly join his lover. But that wouldn't be the right thing to do. What would Erza have thought of him? He remembered the last time he'd tried to kill himself, and that had angered Erza immensely. He'd wanted to punish himself over and over again for the crimes that he'd committed, and believed that he deserved to die a painful death for what he'd done. His involvement with the Magic Council as his alias, Siegrain, and then the whole incident at the Tower of Heaven had shamed him to the very core, and had tormented him to the point where he would have gladly driven a blade through his heart.

But that wasn't to be. Erza wouldn't allow him to hurt himself. He knew that she still harboured feelings for him at the time- whether of affection, or something more sinister, he hadn't known then. Erza had taken care of him, slowly allowing him to realise that there was a future for him, after all, despite the numerous crimes he had committed. And in turn, he'd fallen madly in love with her. Not that he hadn't been in love with her anyway, but it'd taken those secluded days that he'd spent with her as her best friend to realise just how much in love with her he was. As feelings of shame and guilt turned to those of love and affection, he'd had to pluck up the courage to confess his love for Erza.

"Um…Erza?" Jellal asked hesitatingly, shuffling his feet slightly, eyes downcast. They were taking a stroll through the park in Hargeon, for something to do. It was a lovely day, drawing nearer to evening, and Jellal still hadn't told her how he felt. He really had to do it soon, otherwise she'd fall in love with someone else, and he couldn't bear the idea of that.

"Yes, Jellal?" Erza turned around, strands of her long, red hair caressing his cheek in the process. He stopped for a second, inhaling her intoxicating, and almost seductive scent. At almost 20 years old, Erza Scarlet was a stunning, picturesque beauty with a figure that everyone envied. Well, everyone except Mirajane. Despite now being seven years older than her, (because of the incident at Tenroujima) his feelings had never changed. He'd been devastated on hearing the news on Erza's disappearance, along with most of the Fairy Tail guild, and had feared her dead. Her return after seven years had ignited a passion, affection within him for her that he was unable to contain it for much longer. He had to tell her now.

"Um…there's something I…have to say…" he stammered, going red. Why was he going red now? Why?

"Hmm?"

"I…" his voice trailed off, as a pure ray of sunlight hit the faces of the two, blinding them momentarily. "Come," he said instead, "Let's go somewhere a bit quieter,"

"Uh…okay," Erza replied in a tone unlike hers. A tone that she only used with Jellal, she noticed.

He grabbed her hand, leading her towards the edge of a cliff, which overlooked the shimmering blue sea, which now had red tints flashing across it at regular intervals, a sign that sunset was arriving. To the left were an assortment of shops and houses dotted across in a maze formation, forming the port town of Hargeon. They'd finished their job earlier, retrieving a priceless heirloom for an elderly woman, and had decided to spend the night in Hargeon before returning to Fairy Tail.

Jellal was walking so fast, he didn't see the tree looming out in front of him, and promptly crashed into it, taking Erza along with him. They tumbled forwards, bumping their hands and legs on the rocky ground, before coming to a rest towards the edge of the cliff. Somehow, during the process, Jellal had landed on top of Erza, his dark eyes boring into hers, their legs entwined, as he held her shoulders for support.

As the scarlet sun began to set behind them, the hues of crimson, red, and orange illuminating their features and casting the rest of them in shadow, Jellal leaned forwards to kiss Erza gently on the lips, cupping his hands around her face. The kiss was slow, passionate, and spoke in volumes that could never have been achieved by words. This time, he didn't push Erza away.

"I'll never regret falling in love with you, Erza," he whispered. Her death would always be a scar on his heart, something that would continue to torment him throughout the rest of his life. But now he had a child to care for. He gazed at the child in the cot, her scarlet hair illuminated by the setting sun.

Even though he'd lived most of his life for the sake of Erza, he decided that life was still worth living. He'd live his life for little Scarlet, who was a memento, a reminder of the love he'd shared with Erza. The guild. Its members.

Jellal felt strangely content knowing that Scarlet Fernandes would never be alone, because she had Fairy Tail with her.

Fairy Tail wasn't just a guild.

Fairy Tail was family.

Their family.