Author's Note: This is a day late and I apologize. I've had technical drama and family drama. The pacing may be a little off but I can't take any longer than I already have.

"Hey, Fernandes!" Laxus's voice called out behind him and Jellal cringed. He'd stayed in for lunch because it was Wednesday and he needed time to prepare himself for his next patient. Laxus pulled out the opposite chair and sat down. So much for solitude.

"I thought you were having lunch with Mira today," Jellal muttered poking at the food in front of him.

"Nah, too much rain and the restaurant is packed." Laxus leaned back in the chair and eyed his friend curiously. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit. Your lunch is still in those tidy little baggies you bring all the time and you've pulverized your crackers."

Jellal glanced down and grimaced. "I'm just not hungry."

Laxus raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his soda. "Today's Wednesday, right? That hot redhead coming in today?"

"She's a patient, Laxus, you can't talk about her that way." Jellal argued weakly. He didn't want to talk about Miss Scarlet at all.

"She's your patient, not mine. I can say she's hot."

"I don't know how Mira tolerates your wandering eye. It's pathetic."

"They're only eyes, Jellal. As long as my hands don't follow, Mirajane doesn't care where my gaze wanders." Laxus crumpled the soda can and tossed it into the garbage. "You look anxious."

"I'm not anxious."

Laxus stared him down for another minute before bursting into laugher. "You've got a thing for her, huh? Can't say I blame you. Do you think she'll be in the grey leggings today or the black? I personally like the grey better."

Jellal's eye twitched. "Laxus –"

"Are her thighs as firm as they look? Have you touched them without the leggings?"

"You haven't changed since college, you know that?"

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Laxus laughed. "How's she doing anyway? It's been what, six weeks since she first came in? I heard that collision was a real horror show."

"How do you know that?" Jellal finally opened the baggie containing his sandwich.

Laxus shrugged. "Mira's brother is a cop and she's obsessed with those police scanner apps on her phone. Pretty sure I remember a woman with her description getting all torn up and stuck in the guardrail."

"Wow. That's…" He trailed off. Miss Scarlet's medical records didn't have a lot of detail. At least not the ones he was privy to.

"The guy who hit her was drunk, I guess. I don't know if he made it or not. Mira lost interest when her brother left the scene. I wish she'd get a new hobby."

Jellal laughed and nearly choked on his food. "Your girlfriend is a ghoul."

"Mira is pretty weird but she's also gorgeous and thinks I'm amazing. So it's cool."

"Well, if it was as bad as all that, I'd say Miss Scarlet is doing exceptional."

Laxus leaned forward and grinned. "Is she? Is she dedicated to regaining mobility?"

"You're the worst at puns and should stop trying altogether. Do you speak to your patients that way?" Jellal packed away his lunch trash and prepared to leave the cafeteria.

"Does she make you call her Miss Scarlet during sessions? Kinky." Jellal pulled a disgusted face and turned toward the exit. "I noticed you booked the pool for next week. Fifty bucks your redhead wears a bikini. Very smooth of you Fernandes."

"It isn't smooth. It's for her back. She works out at home and strained it."

Laxus's grin was disgustingly obnoxious. "I bet."

Jellal threw his garbage away with a force and stalked from the cafeteria. As he made his way to the front of the clinic to wait for Miss Scarlet he couldn't help but think he'd forgotten something important.

Laxus may have preferred Miss Scarlet's grey leggings, but Jellal found the black ones more appealing. Obviously it shouldn't matter to him what color her leggings were – she was a patient and he was a therapist and that's all there was to it.

Except that it wasn't. He liked her and Jellal thought every week it was becoming more and more obvious. He hadn't ever found himself attracted to a patient before and he'd been dealing with the conflict he felt over it poorly – most especially because he didn't think he was alone in how he felt. It wasn't exactly illegal for him to engage in a relationship with Miss Scarlet once she was out of his care, but the ethics of the current situation were dicey. She had four more scheduled appointments and maybe once those were behind them things wouldn't feel as scandalous.

When she stood from her chair in the waiting room Jellal could tell right away her back was still bothering her.

"Still pretty stiff?" He asked as he led her to a padded table in the main equipment room.

"Yeah," She sighed and stretched out on her back with a wince.

"I'm sorry I couldn't book the pool for you, there's a filtration issue in the big one, and the smaller pool has been reserved for days." He placed a hand on her shin. "We can stretch though and that should help a little. Have you been alternating ice packs and a heating pad at night?"

"I have and it helps but then I go to work and everything starts hurting again." She smiled at him and Jellal felt his heart skip a beat. He cleared his throat and turned to grab an icepack from the small freezer. "Thanks for putting up with all my whining over the last few weeks. I'm probably the worst kind of patient."

"Not at all," he said lifting the edge of her shirt to slide the pack under her lower back. "You've done a great job of following through and if it weren't for the muscle strain, I'd say your prognosis is pretty solid."

"It's not just me, I'm sure. You're wonderful at your job and I don't know that I would've responded as well to anyone else. My surgeon was kind of an asshole."

"I'll be sure to pass that opinion on to my boss," he joked. "Maybe she'll give me a raise."

"You deserve it," Miss Scarlet said softly. Jellal couldn't tear his eyes from hers and he didn't mean for the hand resting on her shin to twitch but it did. The timer he'd set for the icepack snapped his attention back to reality.

"Right. Well. Let's get started." She smiled at him again and he felt his face warm. "How does your leg feel this week? Have you been putting your full weight on it? Any balance problems?" Jellal's hand came to rest on her thigh and the other braced behind the heel of her foot.

"It's great," she bit her lip even as she said the words. Jellal gently bent her leg at the knee and pushed it to her chest.

"Great?" He grinned and unconsciously squeezed her thigh. "Be honest with me."

"It felt fine until I pulled my back. I guess maybe it was too soon for yoga?"

"Probably. I wouldn't recommend anything like that until at least the end of therapy. Your muscles are still building strength and yoga is a very specific kind of balance." As he spoke he planted her foot on the opposite side of her hips and worked his hand under her back. "How's that? Better?"

Miss Scarlet exhaled and her eyes fluttered closed in relief. "Yes, you definitely deserve a raise. Are you a wizard or what?"

Jellal chuckled and helped her into a sitting position. "No, it's not magic. Just science."

She arched her back and prodded the muscles with her hand. "Is there anything else I should be doing? How long will it be so painful?"

"A few weeks depending on how bad the initial strain pulled things. Are you taking anti-inflammatory medication? That might help, as well."

"I take them while I'm at work and it helps somewhat." He helped her off the table and suddenly remembered what he'd forgotten before.

"I can't believe I forgot, but you could try out a back brace."

"Like the kind they have at the pharmacy? I think I've seen those. They look pretty cumbersome." Her face was adorably skeptical and Jellal couldn't help but smile.

"Those are mostly for people who suffer back pain due to occupational hazards. I can get you one that has less of a footprint. Come on." The supply room was empty and Jellal dug around through the crates of various braces, wraps, and Ace Bandages. "I'm sorry it's such a mess in here. It's usually more organized."

Miss Scarlet took the brace and smiled up at him. "Thank you."

"It's no problem. This particular design is new. It's thinner and sits around your waist and hips. I can show you if you want." She handed him the brace and lifted her shirt up to expose her torso. Jellal knew she needed to know how to wear it properly but when he'd offered to show her he hadn't thought of what all that might entail – even though he should have.

Jellal stepped closer to her, slid the brace around her waist and attached the Velcro snugly.

"You should be able to breathe normally. How does that feel?"

Miss Scarlet gazed up at him in a way that made the small room feel very hot. "It feels amazing." Cautiously she brushed her fingers over his chest and Jellal caught them in his hand.

"Erza," he whispered roughly.

She let her forehead fall to his shoulder. "That's the first time you've called me anything other than Miss Scarlet."

"It's my defense mechanism."

"Do you need to defend yourself from me?" she asked looking back up at him with a sad smile.

"That's not what I meant but I don't think I can do this while you're still my patient." Jellal touched a wisp of hair that escaped her ponytail and it was just as soft as he'd imagined.

"What about after?"

He pressed her hand flat against his chest. "After is another story."

Erza continued to look up at him in the same imploring way and when her other hand came up to wrap around the back of his neck, in the face of all logic, he didn't protest. Her fingernails grazed his scalp as she stretched up closer to his face.

"I look forward to the after part, then." Jellal squeezed his eyes shut when she kissed him softly.

He should've pulled back. He should've put space between their bodies and probably left the supply room altogether. But he didn't. Instead, Jellal impulsively returned her kiss and pulled her against him. Erza's lips were soft and pliant. He twisted the ends of her hair around his fingers, wanting to pull it free from the ponytail. Jellal's body felt supercharged with frustrated desire demanding release and his senses didn't return to him until he heard a door shut down the hall.

Erza froze and her eyes went wide with surprise. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have kissed you. Will you get in trouble?"

"I don't think anyone saw us, but until your last appointment is over, I don't think it's a good idea for us to be so…" Jellal glanced toward the doorway. "Isolated." He released her hair with a wistful sadness, and stepped away from her.

"Thank you for the back brace. I appreciate it."

"I hope it works for you, Erza." She smiled when he used her first name. "And no more yoga."

"I promise. I'll see you next week."

Jellal spent the next several minutes trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him before leaving the supply room.

"You owe me fifty bucks," Laxus said nonchalantly as he strode past Jellal in the hallway just outside the natatorium.

"Excuse me?"

"I'll take cash." Jellal frowned as Laxus disappeared into the main equipment room. He didn't have time to decipher what had been said because Erza was waiting for him poolside. The appointment was already ten minutes behind because his previous patient spent a full ten minutes going on about personal things that really weren't even his business.

He changed into his swim trunks and rash guard as quickly as possible, and headed out to the pool area. As soon as he entered the natatorium he realized what Laxus had been talking about. Erza perched on the side of the pool with her bare legs hanging over the edge. Her beautiful red hair was in the familiar pony tail but instead of her typical leggings and long-sleeved t-shirts she wore a black bikini.

Jellal tried not to stare. With a groan of resignation he ruffled his hair and joined her at the edge of the water.

"How did the back brace work for you this week?" he asked startling her a little.

"Pretty good! I also ordered a new office chair for my desk and that's helped quite a bit, too."

"I'm glad. Ready to get in the water? It should be warm." He cleared his throat awkwardly. Erza was smiling at him again and he almost couldn't take it. "The temperature is regulated year 'round."

"I'm all ready, Mister Fernandes." Erza said quietly to him before hopping off the edge and into the pool. He really tried to not notice the waves rippling around her breasts. Maybe this session was his cosmic punishment for kissing her the previous week. He deserved it.

"Right," he whispered before joining her.

The pool was indeed warm and he was so grateful he'd made the decision to be in the water with Erza. Certain parts of him weren't behaving as they should in public and when he helped ease her into a comfortable position with the floaties, it became clear that the back of her looked just as pleasing as the front when framed by gently lapping waves of water. There was a group of elderly women on the other side of the pool participating in an aerobics class so every few minutes Jellal would redirect Erza's orientation to prevent her from floating towards them.

"I didn't realize water aerobics qualified as physical therapy." Erza said. Her chin rested on her arms, which were folded over the foam floaties under her chest.

"Aquatics can be very good for people who have weak muscles, and bones or people who need to build balance." He chuckled and glanced over at the class. "Not all of those ladies are here on referral, though. That particular class is open to the public."

"I see. Do you ever teach it?"

"Not anymore," he mumbled, nudging the floatie at her ankles.

Erza laughed. "I'm sensing a story here."

"Let's just say it's for the best that I'm out of their reach. There's a reason I wear this rash guard in the pool now."

"Well, can you blame them?" She asked glancing over her shoulder at him. "You're a handsome young man. Perhaps the temptation was too great."

Jellal snorted. "I can't believe you're excusing sexual harassment."

"I'm not excusing it," she said with a giggle. "I'm just saying I can understand the appeal."

"Are you saying if you were an older woman and in that class you'd be okay with harassing your unsuspecting instructor?"

"Maybe. If it was you, I'd consider it." Erza adjusted herself on the floaties and Jellal brought his hand up under her to steady her position. One hand supported her stomach and the other lay flat on her thigh. All of the available skin was smooth but he wanted to touch more of it.

"Don't slip, now," he muttered. "I can't have you splashing around and making a scene. Those grabby old ladies might get jealous."

He felt her stomach muscled twitch. "We can't have that," Erza replied. "Do I need to pee on your leg?"

Jellal laughed and his hand strayed to the top of her thigh. "No, I don't think that's necessary."

Erza grinned and turned back to face forward. "I hope not. It would be a shame if one of your fangirls snatched you up before I got my chance. Two weeks is such a long time."

Jellal stood on Erza's back patio and stared. "You didn't tell me you had a hot tub at home."

"Was I supposed to? For the record, I wasn't even allowed in it until after they confirmed my femur healed and I could walk." Erza pressed a bottle of beer into his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Want to go for a swim?"

"I didn't bring a change of clothes or anything –" Jellal trailed off as he watched Erza set her drink aside and pull her clothes off. She left them in a pile on the wood-planked deck and lowered herself into the bubbling water. The last thing she removed was her bra and when it landed in a wet slap on the desk she leaned against the side of the hot tub.

"What were you saying?"

The water was warm but Erza was hot. Once he'd settled on the bench she slid into his lap and kissed him forcefully. He couldn't stop the satisfied groan that escaped his throat when her tongue brushed against his. One arm secured her tightly against his chest and his other hand smoothed up her back to tangle in her hair that was finally free of a ponytail.

"You're pretty eager tonight, Erza," he mumbled between kisses.

"I think it's a little unfair that you've been the only one doing the touching for two months. There's a lot of you I need to make up time for." She widened her thighs and settled fully against him. "I want you to do all the things to me you were thinking of doing that day in the pool, Jellal."

"I wasn't –"

She laughed softly. "You were." Erza kissed his cheek and moved to his neck. "Touch me," she whimpered.

Jellal's hand at her waist moved down to the softest skin between her legs. He slid over her folds and into the part of her that was hotter, and wetter than the water of the hot tub. The sounds she made as he discovered all the ways she liked to be touched and enjoyed left him out of breath and very hard. Just before she finished, Erza reached down and grabbed his erection. His hand was shoved away and she mounted him quicker than he had time to prepare for.

Erza's stamina and ability to hold herself off until the moment he was ready to finish was impressive. Of course, he'd known she was athletic and disciplined by the way she'd handled her sessions and home workouts. She clenched around him and the sensation only made his own orgasm that much more mind-blowing.

When she kissed him this time it was a much slower, lazier process.

"That wasn't all of it, by the way," Jellal said breathlessly.

"Hm?"

"I'll need more than one go in the hot tub to accomplish all the things that crossed my mind that day in the pool."

Erza smiled and kissed him softly before resting her head on his shoulder. "I very much look forward to our next session, then."