Note: One more chapter! Thanks for reading!


Erza twisted the hot water off and reached for a clean towel. One of the beautiful things about hotels was the never-ending supply of clean linens. Fresh sheets and towels every day were very nice and she wasn't looking forward to returning back to the part of her life where she'd be required to do her own laundry.

The balcony door stood open and the sheer curtains ruffled in the breeze. They'd been all over the country in the last few months but the southwest coast was her favorite. Everything smelled of tropical blooms that only grew in year-round balmy temperatures. The room wasn't a large suite but it did have two queen-sized beds – only one of which had been disturbed. On her way to the balcony, Erza snatched a stray pillow and tossed it near the head of tousled hair poking out of the mess of sheets.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," she said. "We've got an hour until breakfast and then we only get the practice stage for three hours today."

The voice from beneath the sheets was indecipherable. Erza sighed and left him to sleep. Still in her towel, she crossed the room and leaned out over the edge of the railing. A summer of travel and work hadn't been what she'd wanted for herself and Jellal. Yes, the hotels were fun and the work had been invaluable as a learning experience but… she knew this wasn't real life. They'd been sharing a bed and living space for months completely outside the context of everyday reality. In a lot of ways she didn't want to talk about, this time together didn't count.

Erza sighed and listened for Jellal rising from bed and the bathroom water to eventually shut off. Jellal's fingers on her shoulders were cool but his minty breath on her neck was warm. He left a kiss just below her ear.

"You're up earlier than me today," he whispered, sliding his hand between the flaps of her towel. "That's a first."

"I'm just thinking."

"About?" His fingers inched over her stomach.

"This is our last week. The final show is in two days and then we go home."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Yeah, I miss my own bed. I miss sleeping in." He spun her around and pulled her back into their room. Erza didn't stop him from tossing her towel aside. She let him back her to the edge of the bed and he followed her into the sheets. "And I miss carbs."

"It's always about food with you," Erza whispered before kicking off his pajama pants and allowing him to settle between her legs.

"Mostly just carbs." Jellal kissed her the way he always did in the mornings. As if she'd been gone for days and he was starving. It was a thing she'd miss when they returned to their separate lives.

Erza tightened her thighs at his hips and tried to lock away her many, many questions. Questions Jellal hadn't brought up even once over the last few months. He seemed utterly unbothered by concepts such as 'You know our mothers have been looking to share a place at least part time, right?' and 'How will a move like that impact us as a couple?' She was both irritated by his lack of concern and relieved. If Jellal wanted to pretend everything was fine, so could she!

That philosophy had been acceptable up until recently. Summer was drawing to a close quicker than she'd expected, though, and they'd have to address these issues very, very soon.


Erza picked at her salad and set all the peanuts aside on a separate saucer. She felt her mother's eyes on her but tried not to react.

"You're awful quiet," Eileen said, stirring the ice in her cocktail.

"I'm just tired, I guess. This summer has been a lot more exhausting than I realized it would be."

"Prolonged tours can take a lot out of you." She flipped her sunglasses up to the top of her head. "When you were fifteen I was gone for only six weeks and wanted to sleep for a year afterward."

"I remember that." Erza grinned at her and finally settled on a forkful of greens. "You were grouchy."

"I was." Eileen slipped into silence and Erza felt the unasked questions hanging in the air between them. "Erza, you know I'm extremely proud of you and I'm desperately trying to mind my own business here but –"

"You can ask about Jellal, mom," Erza murmured.

"How's that working out?"

"It's fine. I'm happy."

"I'm happy you're happy, love."

Erza continued to pick at her salad before setting aside her fork and heaving a deep sigh. "I'm really anxious. We've been on tour for months and this..." She swallowed back the sudden urge to cry. "This isn't real life, mom. It's just not. What's going to happen when we go home? We didn't have time to talk about any of it before all this travel and I'm worried that when we go home things will go back to the way they were and we'll never talk about the important stuff and everything'll just… it'll just..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Fall apart?" Eileen offered softly.

"Yes. He hasn't said anything about any of this to me and it's starting to freak me out."

"Can I offer a crumb of advice?"

"Yeah."

"Jellal is a lot like his mother in some ways. He's impulsive. He thinks with his heart and not his head. There may be times when you need to bring him back down from the clouds."

"Do you remember that day we got the offer for the tour?"

"The one where you were busted post-shower?" Eileen laughed as Erza's face turned red. "Yes, I remember."

"He told me that he didn't mind being my shoulder in most things but when it came to us as a couple he needed me to take the first step because he wanted to know that I thought he was worth my effort."

"That's a mature thing for him to say." Eileen thoughtfully swirled her ice again. "I don't think it's an unfair request. From my outside view I think Jellal does a lot for you. As your relationship changes you'll need to make sure the giving is equal if you want to keep him. And I don't mean just romantically, Erza."

"I don't understand."

"You and Jellal are both needy people. I know you allow him to take from you but sometimes that's not enough. You have to give and giving means most when you aren't asked."

"I'm afraid we'll fizzle out and I'll lose everything."

"Relationships are work, my love. Tell him how you feel. You're right about this not being real life. It's not all hotel rooms and sex." Eileen poked around on Erza's salad plate and stabbed a few slices of cucumber.

"Well, I have to admit that part is really nice." As soon as the words were out of her mouth Erza felt her face heat up. She'd once thought herself the queen of hookups but couldn't admit to any of it without blushing.

"I'm sure he's an attentive lover," Eileen said absently. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Is this about you and Anna? Are you going to tell me that you've moved in together?"

"Not quite," Eileen hedged. "I didn't want to spring that on you after a summer away. We've been looking for a place large enough for us and you."

"Just me?"

"I don't imagine Jellal will want to give up his personal space at the townhouse. Any flat or house Anna and I have won't be nearly as large."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Erza sighed and her gaze veered off to the flower boxes that lined the cafe patio. "Everything is changing so fast. I can barely keep up."

"Erza, this is why I didn't want to make any decisions without you. You're eighteen but still my daughter and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable at home."

"It's fine, mom," she whispered. "I'm just ready for the summer to be over."


Anna leaned over and pressed her chin to Eileen's shoulder.

"You're quiet tonight," she mused quietly as the auditorium fell dark.

"I think Erza is having a hard time."

"With?"

"Everything." Eileen sighed and wished the evening were over. "She's afraid Jellal will get tired of her and she's anxious about moving."

"It's hard to make decisions about your life when you're still in the whirlwind of new love and long bouts of travel."

"In a way I think they jumped the gun a little bit."

"Probably. Jellal tends to make emotional decisions and not think about them until later."

"Why does that sound so familiar?"

Anna laughed softly. "I have no idea."

The auditorium darkened and Anna leaned her head on Eileen's shoulder. Eileen couldn't quite put away her conversation with Erza and watched the performance with an eye for the kind of anxiety typical of her daughter. Erza and Jellal moved with preternatural grace. It was immediately clear that the tour had been very good for them on a professional level. There was a kind of effortless trust in the way Erza never hesitated in any of the lifts or jumps. Of course, they'd always had a connection other pairs would never touch but now there was a new layer and Eileen could understand the acclaim. The smooth fusion of ballet and acrobatic dance was remarkable.

Anna sighed quietly. "They're all grown up," she whispered. "Our babies aren't babies anymore."

"They haven't been babies for a while," Eileen replied with a wistful grin. Despite all the pain her youthful decisions had caused her, Erza was the flower that bloomed in a garden of weeds.


Erza drummed her fingers on the armrest of her seat. As the plane taxied closer and closer to the gate, she felt the anxiety mounting. Jellal's hand closed around hers.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just anxious."

"I hadn't noticed." He smiled at her and she flushed in embarrassment. "Is there a reason you're anxious?"

"It's just been a long summer. I want to move forward."

"I thought this whole thing has been a big effort in moving forward," he said quietly. "You don't think so? We aren't the same team we were when we left."

"Professionally? Yeah, I agree." She didn't mean to sound so snappish but her tone belied her frustration.

"And privately?" His hand tightened around hers.

"Can we maybe talk about that when we get off the plane? I'm just feeling claustrophobic in here." She grabbed his wrist when he tried to pull away. Jellal sighed and Erza felt even more agitated. She stubbornly clung to his hand even once they'd made it through the jetway and into the terminal. Eileen stood awkwardly next to Acnologia – who had a mild scowl as he stared at his phone. He didn't glance up until Eileen rushed forward to embrace Erza.

"Hey, dad," Jellal muttered before turning to Erza. "I'll call you later, okay?" Acnologia quirked an eyebrow and slid his phone into his pocket.

"Uh, yeah, okay." Erza's voice was hardly a whisper. She absolutely refused to cry in the airport. For the first time in months, Jellal walked away from her.


"Where's mom?" Jellal asked, arranging his luggage in the back of Acnologia's town car.

"She had a class at her studio this morning and asked me to collect you from the airport. I had my assistant reschedule everything."

"Can you do that?"

"Son, when you are in charge, you can do anything you please."

"How's mom's studio been?" He didn't know why he asked, he knew his mother's business venture wasn't hurting for clients. Eileen's status as former prima ballerina drew students of all ages.

"She is a natural," Acnologia said in a tone Jellal decided was proud. "She is doing what she was meant to do."

Jellal slid into the passenger seat and heaved a deep breath. Acnologia's cars had always smelled of crisp mint.

"And you?" he blurted on a whim. "Are you happy?"

Acnologia laughed softly. "I am, as your mother would say, putting my best foot forward."

"She told me she's looking to move out."

"She is. I think it is for the best. How do you feel about that?"

"I'll miss her at the townhouse but I want her to be happy. I –" Jellal watched a plane take off in the side mirror. "I think you and mom were great parents. I know we aren't a… conventional family but when I look back I don't have any sadness."

"Your mother and I both love you without any complications, Jellal. That much is absolutely true."

"I think I messed something up, dad," Jellal whispered. "Something big."

"Matters of the heart are often complex in nature."

"Erza and I –" His eyes fell to his hands. "I think I pushed her too fast and I think maybe she's suffered because of me."

"The solutions to these problems are usually found in communication. Perhaps your mother and I were never in love, but we did not shy away from the difficult discussions. You share something with Ms. Belserion's daughter that is beyond my understanding." Acnologia paused and Jellal glanced up to see his father's hands twist on the steering wheel. "I admit romance is not my forte but bonds such as these are not easily damaged."

"I just wanted to know what I meant to her. That's all. I wanted her to tell me. Yukino always –" Jellal cut off when Acnologia laughed.

"Even I can see the fallacy in comparing lovers, Jellal. No two persons are alike. They do not belong on the same shelf, your silver haired girl and Miss Scarlet."

Jellal's heart felt heavier than it ever had.

"Answer me this," Acnologia said quietly. "Is Miss Scarlet so very hard to read?"

"No. She's kind of emotional but she's usually got her mood written all over her face. She does this thing with her lips and eyebrows when she's mad. It's only funny when it's not me she's mad at."

"You know her well, Jellal. Do you need her to describe her heart to you?"

"No." Jellal fidgeted. "Maybe I just wanted to tease her a little. I wanted to make her come to me."

"Has that ever been the nature of your relationship?"

"No."

"And what did you do when she took those steps?"

Jellal scrubbed his hands over his face. "I skipped over the work and went straight to dessert."

"And now you fear you've hurt her?"

"Yeah. She's been upset..." he trailed off and scowled at the passing trees. "She's been upset for weeks. Months. I knew it and I ignored it. She was anxious before we even left. God, I really messed everything up. Why did I do that?"

"Because you are young and impulsive. Eighteen is a perfect storm of an age. This is a thing you take from your mother. Anna is ever driven by her heart."

"I gotta fix it."

"You will, Jellal." Acnologia glanced over at him. "I wanted to congratulate you, by the way."

"For what?"

"I watched all your performances this summer." He laughed lightly. "I ordered a stream of every one. Your skill has grown and it makes me proud."

"Thanks, dad." Jellal's stomach rumbled and Acnologia laughed again.

"I assume you're ready for food?"

"Something horrible," Jellal said with enthusiasm. "Something with lots of bread… and pasta. I'm so sick of dieting."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Acnologia had always been a big fan of meals. Jellal supposed his appetites didn't come entirely from his mother.


Erza heard her mother answer the front door and excuse herself from their apartment. She wiped her frustrated tears and waited on the edge of her bed. Jellal's knock came softly and he only peeked beyond the door.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah." She didn't stand to greet him and he stopped in front of her only briefly before crouching down to fold his arms on her knees.

"Erza, I'm really sorry."

"I'm afraid," she whispered, her tears threatening to return. "I'm afraid I'm not what you want. I'm afraid that I'm going to say the wrong things and –"

"You're always what I want. You've been what I want since we were kids and I didn't think I needed to make friends at school because I had you. I never want to push you, Erza."

"Sometimes I need to be pushed."

"Maybe but not like that. I didn't trust that you'd be honest with me, with yourself, and I was afraid of what that meant. I didn't want to waste more time with anyone else. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you or pushed you."

"You deserved to hear me say that I loved you, Jellal, and you deserved to know that you're worth all my effort. I don't want to waste time with anyone else either. I don't know how to." Erza ran her fingers through his hair and frowned. "I'm not even sure I know how to do this with you. I've never had a boyfriend before."

"I don't need you to know any of that." Jellal took both of her hands and kissed her palms. "This learning curve is worth it if I get to be with you. I am never going to be tired of you."

Erza slid off the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. She heaved a deep breath and felt the weight of the summer and all her anxiety ease off a little bit.

"Move into the townhouse with me," Jellal whispered in her ear. Erza jerked back and gaped at him.

"What? Is that a good idea?"

"It's a genius idea. The entire third floor is a guest suite. It could be ours. My dad won't mind."

"How do you know that?"

Jellal shrugged and Erza wasn't convinced.

"I don't know, this feels really..."

"Impulsive?" He smiled and brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"Yeah. Super impulsive, Jellal." Erza leaned into him and kissed his lips. "Let's take a step back for a bit, okay? I want to breathe. We'll try and be normal and go on dates first."

"We can do dates. I love dates!"

"Do you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Only dates with you, though. Nobody else."

"That's fair. Let's see how this move with our moms goes and then we can talk to your dad together." Erza ran her hands over his t-shirt and smiled. "Maybe by next summer we'll be ready?"

"That's a good plan, Erza. I'm so glad you're good with planning. I'm –"

"Impulsive?"

"Something like that."