Erza's dorm room was dark and cool, the only light that made its way into the room came from a small part in the curtains. An occasional breeze would make its way through the open window and cause the curtains to flutter and allow more bright sunlight to spill into the room. The Requip Mage was currently curled on her mattress, the only part that was visible beneath the blankets was the very top of her scarlet scalp. The table at her bedside was stocked with crackers, ginger ale, abandoned bits of dry toast, and other typical morning sickness combatants, most of which her stomach was stubbornly refusing to accept.

She groaned softly as her stomach rolled, a peppermint candy tucked in her cheek. It was the only thing she found that made even the smallest dent in her raging morning sickness. Her hands were clutched to her abdomen as she curled in ward, trying to find any relief to her overall discomfort. On top of the morning sickness, she was also feeling achy in places she didn't even know she had.

The frustrated redhead was just beginning to doze off when a knock on her door startled her awake. She pressed her palms into her eyes, mentally wishing the visitor would go away. To her dismay, they did not and the knocking on the door persisted.

"Erza." Lucy's voice called through the door as her knuckles rapped on the wood. After a few long moments of silence, her hand moved to try the knob. She didn't normally barge into other people's living spaces, not being a fan of when it happened to herself, but worry got the best of her. The blonde was shocked to find that the door was unlocked and slowly pushed it open. "Erza?" She asked as she stepped into the entryway. She made her way into Erza's living room where the sound of movement in the direction of the bedroom caught her attention.

Erza shuffled into view, her brown eyes were drooped with fatigue and her face was pale from the nausea that plagued her system. She stopped behind the couch and surveyed her visitor, she was too exhausted to be angry about the intrusion.

"Hello Lucy," She greeted the blonde in a tired tone, a fresh peppermint clicking against her teeth as she spoke. She grimaced as her stomach churned and rolled, causing her to grab onto the back of her couch for support as she focused on fighting back the nausea.

"Baby not being kind?" Lucy asked, moving closer to her comrade, her eyes looking for anything to grab in case Erza began vomiting again.

Erza shook her head after beating back her morning sickness. "Nothing is working today," She replied, meeting Lucy's gaze once again. Her hand moved to rest on her stomach as a frustrated sigh escaped her.

Lucy tilted her head as she watched her friend, "I'm sorry," She frowned slightly, she didn't like seeing any of her friends in such a state.

"Not your fault," Erza said as she moved to sit down, wincing as her sore tummy muscles protested at the movement. "Ow," She groaned, rubbing the pain away.

"I brought you something," Lucy said as she made to join Erza on the couch and began rummaging in her bag. "It might help," She said as she pulled a book from her bag and passed it to Erza.

Erza watched with mild curiosity as the blonde searched her bag and took the book that was offered to her. "What to Expect When You're Expecting?" She inquired as she looked at the cover. She flipped it open to the table of contents and scanned it. "Thank you, Lucy," She smiled at the blonde before turning to the page marked as Week Ten, which according to her calculations was how far along she was.

The two sat in silence as Erza read through a few pages. Her expression went from delighted as she read about how her little one was growing, to dismayed at the description of what was happening to her body. She closed the book after reading through the symptoms and changes to her body.

"A few more weeks of this," She groaned, running her hand over her face, "But I guess that means baby is doing well." She set the book on the end table and leaned back into the cushions of the couch. She turned her attention back to Lucy once she had made herself comfortable, being up and about was helping calm her stomach. "Did Mira send you to check on me?" The redhead asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Lucy met Erza's tired gaze and shook her head, "No, I came on my own. I was going to give you the book when you came to the guild, but you never showed up, so I came to check on you. Kind of a two for one trip." The blonde smiled before the two dropped into a semi-awkward silence.

Erza looked down at her hands as they picked at a loose thread on her pajama top, "Does the guild know about the…?" The question trailed off, but she was sure that Lucy would pick up her meaning.

"No," Lucy shook her head, "Mira and I haven't said a word. That announcement should be on your terms." She said, her tone stern. "Though your absences and odd behaviors are not going unnoticed either."

The two sat in another moment of silence before Lucy spoke again, "You don't have to be afraid, Erza. You should know as well as anyone that Fairy Tail members support one another, no matter what the circumstances may be." Lucy chuckled, "I'm sure they'll even be ecstatic about their new little member. Master might faint at the news though." Lucy halted her speech as she noticed Erza wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." The blonde said, panic in her voice.

Erza sniffed and wiped at her freely flowing tears, "No, it's fine. Thank you for the encouragement Lucy." She reached over to pull Lucy into one of her famed one-armed hugs, but due to the absence of her armor, no injury was sustained. A second knock on the door startled the girls from their tender moment.

The two ladies exchanged a curious look before Erza got up to answer the door. She wasn't used to so many visitors to her home in one day, but she was pleased nonetheless. A gasp escaped her as a blue haired male was revealed as she pulled the door open. "Jellal," She said breathlessly, a blush dusting her cheeks. What they had done in this very room weeks ago vividly flashed in her mind and the aftermath was nestled in her abdomen.

"Hello Erza," Jellal greeted the woman, a smile spreading across his face as he looked down at her. His dark eyes took in her disheveled appearance, moving from her messy hair, over her pale face, and to her pink pajamas. "May I come in?" He asked, his head tilting and his hand moving to his pocket as if to retrieve something.

The redhead nodded and moved aside to allow Jellal to enter. "What are you doing here?" She asked, following him with her eyes as he stepped into her apartment. Her eyes then moved to Lucy, her cheek flushing a deeper red.

Lucy began to gather her things as the pieces clicked in her mind, a small smile forming on her features. "I should be going now." She said as she shouldered her bag and made for the door. "Hello Jellal," She greeted the man as she passed him on her way out. She glanced at Erza and gave an encouraging smile before slipping out the open door.

"Hi Lucy," The blue haired mage returned the greeting with a friendly smile. His head tilted as he took notice of the weighted look the two ladies shared as the blonde slipped out the door. Once the door clicked shut Jellal turned to fully face Erza, pulling a piece of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket. "I…uh…got a note saying that you were sick and came to check on you." He finally replied to her question in a timid voice, his paper free hand running through his hair.

Erza's cheeks flushed even deeper, the red rivaling that of her hair, "Oh," Was all she managed to get out. Her eyes narrowed as she caught a glimpse of the handwriting. "Mira," She growled under her breath as she pushed past Jellal and made her way back into the living room.

Jellal followed, his intense gaze focused upon her back. He was just about to speak again when she turned to head into the kitchen, mentioning that she was going to get him something to drink as a good hostess would. He sighed and made to settle himself on the couch to wait for her return. Once he was comfortable enough, he let his gaze wander about the room, it was about the same as the last time he'd seen it. His gaze then dropped to the end table and new addition to it, his eyes widened as he read the title of the book and saw the illustration on the front.

Erza made her way back out of the kitchen, two mugs of peppermint tea in her hands. "Here," She said, offering one mug to Jellal. Her head tilted as she noticed his tense posture her eyes moving to see what had brought on the change. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes also fell upon the book Lucy had given her.

Jellal slowly moved his gaze from the book to Erza, completely missing the mug of steaming tea that was extended toward him. "Erza…." He began in a weak voice. He shook his head and cleared his throat before beginning again, "Erza? Are you…?" His eyes flashed to her stomach for a brief second then back up to her face.

Erza began to tremble as the question left his mouth, the tea slopping down the side of the mugs as she shook. The little color she had drained from her face as she slowly nodded her head. She set the mugs on the coffee table and covered her face with her hands, her shaking increasing as fear-induced adrenaline coursed through her body.

A fresh wave of shock washed through Jellal's body as the confirmation sank into his brain. He drew a deep shaky breath as he got back to his feet and closed the distance between Erza and himself. He reached up to brush his fingers against one of Erza hands, to get her to remove it from her face. "Hey," He said in a gentle, though still shocked, tone. He slipped his finger under her palm and brought the hand down so he could look her in the eye. He smiled when her uncovered eye focused on him, his thumb coming back up to wipe away the tears that were trickling down her cheek. "It's okay," He soothed, a chuckle escaping him now.

The redhead sniffled as she took her other hand from her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Sorry," She sniffed out, in reference to her surge of emotions. "Hormones," She clarified as that tidbit from the book flashed across her mind. She took another large steadying breath before fully meeting Jellal's gaze, her stomach squirmed with nerves as she saw the smile stretching across his face.

Jellal cupped Erza's cheek in his hand and ducked his head to rest his forehead on hers. "How far along?" he asked in a soft voice as happiness flooded through his body. He had thought about having a child with Erza at some point, though the timing wasn't as he had expected, he was still thrilled nonetheless.

Erza returned the smile with a chuckle of relief, "By my calculations, ten weeks." She laughed again as she rubbed the last of her tears away. "And the baby sure has been letting me know that it's there," She said with a small grimace as her morning sickness began a new assault on her stomach.

Jellal's joyous expression turned to a worried one at Erza's grimace of discomfort. This was his first experience with pregnancy discomforts and he was at a complete loss at what to do. "Erza?" He questioned as she moved away and sank back on the couch. He followed and settled beside her his worried gaze never leaving her, "Are you alright?"

"Morning sickness," She replied after she battled her nausea back into submission. She reached over to grab her mug of peppermint tea and took a little sip. "It seems to be incredibly strong today," She elaborated after another sip of tea, "I can't even have my strawberry cake," she added with a small pout.

"I'm sorry," Jellal replied with a comforting smile as he tucked some of Erza's hair behind her ear. He chuckled once more as he heard the faint rumbling of her empty stomach. "You still need to eat though. Perhaps a small snack?" He offered as he got up once more and made for the kitchen. He grabbed the book on his way and flipped through it, searching for the tips on combating morning sickness.

"I don't think it'll work," Erza protested as she got up and followed Jellal into the kitchen, taking another sip of tea along the way. She came to stop beside him as he set the open book on the counter and peeked at the page on morning sickness. Her eyes scanned the list of helpful foods, even reading some of them caused her stomach to turn.

"It's worth a shot," Jellal countered leaning down to press a kiss to Erza's temple. He too looked down the list, gauging her reactions the food suggestions. "How about this?" He asked, placing his finger on the page, "Oatmeal with banana slices?"

Erza tilted her head as she weighed the option in her mind, "That actually sounds really good." She said as her stomach didn't seem to object to the idea and rumbled with hunger again. She began to rummage through one of her bottom cupboards for a pan to cook the oatmeal in. "The oatmeal container is in the cupboard on the top left of the sink." She told Jellal as she straightened back up with the saucepan in her hands, huffing slightly as her growing uterus was pressed into her diaphragm as she bent over.

Jellal rummaged through the cupboard and pulled the oatmeal out then moved to the fridge to retrieve some milk. "I'll do this," He said, gently taking the pan from Erza's hands and setting it on the stove. He lit the burner and began making the hot cereal.

Erza's eyes flashed with a spark of defiance as the pan was taken from her, she was perfectly capable of cooking for herself. She glared a bit at his back as her dinged pride throbbed and made to peel and slice the single banana she had in her fruit bowl. She gagged a bit at the sight and feel of the many strawberries she had to fish through to retrieve the banana. Once the banana was prepared, Erza grabbed the bowl and dumped the plump red berries into the trash so they couldn't taunt her anymore.

Jellal watched her from the corner of his eye, the glare she held on her face not going unnoticed. He sighed softly as he retrieved two bowls and scooped the cereal into them once it was ready. "It's not that I didn't think you could take care of yourself," He clarified as he scooped some banana slices into the bowls and carried them to the small table by the wall, "I just wanted to take care of you and the baby." He set the steaming bowls down and held a chair out for Erza to sit.

Erza settled into the chair and picked up her spoon. She waited until Jellal had settled himself down before taking a taste of the oatmeal. She let out a sigh of contentment as she swallowed the cereal and her stomach didn't object. She looked over at Jellal with a sheepish look, "I'm sorry." She mumbled, "I shouldn't have gotten upset." She scooped another spoonful of oatmeal and banana into her mouth, happy that she could eat something. "Thank you," She said after swallowing her third bite of food.

"You're welcome," Jellal nodded as he worked on his own bowl of oatmeal. "You're not used to getting help for minor tasks, and that's fine, that's just how you are," He gave her an understanding smile. "You'll be getting a lot of offers of help in the next few months, especially from that amazing guild you're a part of, and it's up to whether you accept. You'll know your limits." He loved how independent she was and wasn't expecting that to change just because she was pregnant.

Erza sighed a bit, playing with the last little bit of her oatmeal, "I know. It'll be hard to get used to." She grinned slightly, "They usually avoid me out of fear." She leaned back in her chair and stretched, her satisfied hunger putting her in a better mood. She looked down at her stomach, her hands coming to rest on it. A jolt of excitement shot through her body as her fingers caressed the small curve that was her growing baby.

Jellal watched her from across the table, his chin resting on his hand. A warm feeling rushed through him as he saw the joy on her face as she bonded with their unborn child. He blushed as Erza's eyes moved to meet his, clearing his throat he gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry for staring, it was just nice to watch you two bonding." He sat up and nervously ran a hand through his blue locks.

"Would you like to bond as well?" Erza asked as she got to her feet and made her way around the table until she was standing before him. "He, or she, is still quite small, but…" She smoothed down the front of her pajamas to indicate the small baby bump that was forming. She laughed a little at the stunned look on Jellal's face before meeting his outstretched hand with her own and guiding it to her abdomen. She winced slightly as his fingers pressed into her sore abdominal muscles but allowed him to continue.

"Sorry," He apologized, noting her wince and softening his touch. He looked on in wonder as his fingers caressed the bump that held their baby. "May I?" He asked, his other hand coming up to indicated that he wanted to push her pajama top up and place his hand on her bare belly. He smiled when she nodded and pushed the shirt up for him, exposing her stomach. He placed his hand back on her stomach and leaned forward to press a kiss to her rounded skin.

Erza watched Jellal interact with her baby with an expression of love on her face. She twined her fingers with his as they rested on her abdomen. "I've been thinking that I should probably go see Porlyusica about maternity care," She said, smiling down at him, then asked. "Would you like to come along as well?"

"Oh yes," Jellal said, taking his hand from her belly and smoothing her pajama top back down. He got up and kissed her cheek, "I'll take care of the dishes while you get ready to go."

She smiled at the cheek kiss and placed a hand on his cheek to stop him from pulling away. "Okay, thank you," she said in breathy tone as she placed her lips on his. Her eyes slid shut as she felt him returning the kiss and wove her fingers into the hair just above his ear. Both their hands found their way to her stomach once more, hers holding his to it as the kiss deepened.

They pulled back after a minute, both breathing heavily and stared into each other's eyes. The exchanged another small peck to the lips before going their separate ways to prepare for their outing to Porlyusica's. Once Erza was showered and dressed and Jellal had the dishes washed, dried, and put away, they made their way out there. They walked hand in hand down the staircase and out into the late afternoon sunlight, passing some of Erza's bewildered guild and dorm mates as they made their way to the forest path that led to the guild nurse's home.