A/N: So, I felt bad about leaving this for long (Thank BridgeBurn100, this is for you) and decided to post this now rather than later. As always let me know your thoughts guys, I love reading them :)
How is this even possible?
He stepped forward looking out into the crowd. His beady eyes scanned the hall, small nods and a fake smile plastered on his face to acknowledge the people of Fairy Tail. Her people. Her family.
How could this happen?
She needed answers but she didn't know where to look. She searched the hall desperately for him but there were too many people and too much noise, she just couldn't think. She could feel his eyes on her now. He was watching her. Waiting. Like he wanted something from her. She did everything she could to avoid his stare. She looked everywhere but there.
Erza turned around on the spot, looking for big brown eyes and blonde hair. She needed to talk to her, to figure this all out. It was pointless looking for Gray now, he obviously didn't want to see her. He slipped away when he had his chance and now he was lost in the crowd. Maybe he even slipped out the back and went home.
Home. Where was that now? This guild felt so alien to her. It had accepted someone that didn't belong. Or did he belong? Maybe she was the one that was out of place.
Good things never last.
Like her friendship with Gray.
Wendy was ecstatic. She was jumping up and down with joy, desperately wanting to get to that stage, like a fangirl at a concert. Carla was just happy that Wendy was happy. I guess she didn't know much about Jellal or maybe she knew even more than her. Wendy must have told Carla about him, they had met after all. Elfman kept shouting something about having another man at the guild and apparently told some sort of joke because everyone was laughing now. Everybody was having a good time. But she wasn't. I guess she missed the punch line. Mira was busy entertaining the far end of the hall, handing out drinks and exchanging pointless conversations with the few that surrounded her (the rest were preoccupied with their new guest) and a brawl took place in the far left corner where a chair went sailing past Wakaba's head.
The red-head lifted her gaze up a little hoping to find a flying blue cat. Because wherever Happy was, a pink haired fireball and celestial spirit mage were never far behind. She looked to the far left of the hall and then to the right, she scanned around the middle and then turned slowly on the balls of her feet. That was a mistake. Their eyes met and in a moment of panic, she stumbled backwards knocking into Alzack who was carrying a tray of drinks. The contents spilled onto the floor with the majority of it covering Erza's blouse and Alzack's arm.
"I'm so sorry," Erza mumbled. It was barely audible but he caught it.
"No worries, I should have watched where I was going." Alzack laughed, picking up the tray. More people came towards them to help clear up the mess and it made her feel uncomfortable. Erza backed away, looking around her to make sure he wasn't near her. Another mistake. He caught her eye again. He was smiling at her. Walking towards her. With every step he took towards her, she took two steps back. More and more people were gathering around them, milling between but they never broke eye contact. Erza had felt something hard press against the back of her thigh. She was backed up against a table. There was a wall to the right and far too many people to her left.
Did we always have this many people in Fairy Tail?
She had nowhere else to go and he was getting too close.
Why am I running?
Jellal suddenly stopped with a jolt, a hand grabbed the front of his shirt making a fist. Everyone stopped to watch the spectacle. The sea of people around her became a wall.
"I've been waiting for this moment." A deep voice spoke out. "Now come over here and fight me!" His voice rang through the halls, raucous laughter filled the air as Natsu struck ridiculous 'ninja' poses, beckoning Jellal forward. Also finding it amusing Jellal stepped toward the dragon slayer.
"Maybe some other time." He laughed, watching Elfman and the rest of the guys jump on Natsu.
"You're not getting away that easy!" Natsu shouted back playfully, haphazardly swinging around for his next victim. Relieved and realising this was the perfect time to escape she pushed past the spectators and drunks. She finally found an opening by the front doors of the guild and speed-walked over there. Never had she ever felt so claustrophobic in such a big space. She looked back one final time to make sure she wasn't being watched or followed and broke out of the guild.
The cold air was biting and only now did she realise her clothes were drenched in booze. She shivered, wrapping her arms around her in an attempt to keep herself warm. She let out a long breath she didn't even realise she was holding and closed her eyes tight. Like she didn't want to see any light. A loud crash behind her startled her and she jumped forward, whipping her head around. Something must have hit the door from the inside. Elfman must have thrown a chair and missed. Idiots.
Slightly more relaxed now but still feeling slightly on edge Erza took a few steps away from the guild unsure of what to do now. She picked a direction and stuck with it as she walked off aimlessly. She had no destination in mind but she knew she couldn't stay there anymore. If she went back to Fairy Hills he would surely find her.
It's not like he would hurt her. Jellal would never. She just didn't have the guts to face him anymore. Secret meetings, sending messages to each other it was all so thrilling for Erza. Breaking the rules was something she would never do but she had to admit it was exciting. All the sneaking around made her feel like she was in a movie about forbidden love. She was the princess and he was her misunderstood dark knight. And she would get her happy ending. It was a fairy tale in Fairy Tail.
Who was I kidding?
How did she ever think she could get away with it? Like she could keep this up. Her feet began to ache now, she felt like she had been walking for hours and the weather didn't help her condition. The ground became uneven and she was tripping over her own feet. Like her body couldn't adjust to the changes around her in time. Looking down, she noticed she was on familiar ground. The cobblestone street stretched out into the far distance and her body felt relaxed again.
She clambered up the steps and stood at her front door. She raised her right hand and just held it there. She tried to curl her fingers to make a fist but she couldn't remember how. It was like her brain wanted nothing to do with her anymore, it just shut itself down. Her knees felt weak and her ears were numb. Her eyes couldn't adjust to the dim lighting around her as the day slowly returned to the night. She did the only thing her body would allow and curl up into a little ball outside her door.
People like us don't get happy endings. People like us were meant to end up alone.
"Erza," He called gently. She could feel her body moving slightly. "Erza," He spoke so softly it got lost in the wind. Where was she again? She couldn't remember.
Where did I go? Am I somewhere I'm not supposed to be? Am I somewhere I don't belong?
"Erza, come on." He was getting louder now. His shaking became more frantic.
Why are you waking me? Just let me be alone.
She tried to move, to shake his hand off of her but she couldn't. She couldn't even feel her fingers. Or her face. She forgot how to open her eyes. Or maybe she didn't want to. He was still shouting at her.
Please. Don't.
"Erza, wake up!" He was sounding desperate now. She could feel him getting closer. Was he touching her? Checking her pulse? Her body was so numb from the cold she pretty much lost all sense of touch. She could no longer hear him. He wasn't calling out to her anymore. He was just... there. She could hear him breathing ever so slightly. Had she lost her hearing too? She picked up footsteps, heavy footsteps that were becoming lighter. He was walking away from her.
Don't leave me.
She could hear the crackling of a small fire. The heat was radiating through the room. Was she in a room? She wasn't sure. The ground beneath her wasn't so hard anymore. Or perhaps, she was just used to it by now. Her fingers slowly gained feeling again, she made a fist. It was weak but at least, her brain was sending signals to her body again, even if it was hours behind schedule.
Had it been hours? It's like she lost the sense of time as well. She slowly moved her hand up behind her head. Or what she thought was her head. Whatever she was on was soft and cushioning. Was she back in her room, on her bed? Did she somehow find the strength to find her way home? So many questions were swimming through her mind. It was driving her insane.
She heard movement. It was somewhere close by. Were they in the room with her? But how did they get in? Did Lucy open the door to her and let her in? That was the only thing that made sense to her. But everything felt different. It suddenly got dark, she sensed something standing over her. Erza felt vulnerable.
Something warm pressed up against her forehead. It felt familiar. Was that the right word? It was a hand, she could tell that now, from the way their fingers gently combed through her hair, pulling back the loose strands up and off her face. It was comforting. She leaned into their touch. They froze. She could feel them pull away. Erza didn't want them to go.
She couldn't remember anything after that.
