Erza buried her face in Jellal's coat before breaking off the gesture and pushing the guild door open. She was confused, confused but happy, yet at the same time she was uncomfortable. Maybe it was the feeling of expressing her emotions. She had never been good at that. Maybe it was being so honest with him. She had never been good at that either. Whichever way the cookie crumbled, Erza knew she would have to accept it sooner or later; her feelings didn't look like they were going away soon.

"They're so cute together."

Her head snapped toward the direction of the cautious whisper, and the two mages knew they had been caught. Both of them froze in shock before running out of the hall. Erza didn't bother giving chase, nor did she even move. She just watched them go, too tired to try chasing down matchmakers.

"Er-chan!"

A voice shook her out of her thoughts. Millianna was waving to her, smiling brightly. Erza gave her a wave and started out to meet her.

"Why are you here?" She gave the cat mage a long hug.

"Well, I heard you were having a bad day, and– "

"How did you hear that?"

"Oh, a kitty told me."

Erza raised an eyebrow, but laughed, moving on.

"So, what were you saying?"

"Well, I planned a trip to the spa for us and Kagura-chan!"

"Sounds good. When do we leave?"

"How about now?" She grinned at Erza.

"Sure."

An hour later, the two were on their way to the spa Millianna had booked, meeting Kagura halfway there. The normally serious mage was quite friendly today, having made up with Erza after the Grand Magic Games. In fact, the Games had been a bonding experience for everyone involved, since the dragons had attacked not too long after. Now, she and Kagura were good friends, quickly melting the ice that had longs since frozen them into a cold struggle.

"Hey, Kagura. What do you suppose is going to happen with Jellal?"

"I d-don't really know. He seems to be deciding whether or not to kill himself lately, even after what Millianna and I did."

Kagura and Millianna began to laugh, both recalling the day the cat mage had dragged a protesting Jellal in through the guild door. While Erza looked on in confusion, the Mermaid Heel mages calmed themselves before promising to reveal the details later. Erza gave a chuckle, nodding assent. The train slowed and jolted to a stop.

"We're here! This way, nyaah!"

Millianna forged ahead through the crowd and only paused to wait for them once. She was nearly bouncing out of her skin with excitement, telling them it was only a block away to the fabulous spa she had found just for the three of them. Erza began to share her excitement when the building came into view. The section of the complex that they could see was exquisite, holding a minimum of four different pools to soak and relax in, and there was even a section almost like a water park with slides and such.

"Wow, Milli, you really found a good one."

"I had to find someone to help me find the best one for a lower price though." She laughed.

"Who?"

"U-um, well, Kagura-chan… I actually went to Hibiki."

"Not the worst." She conceded.

They walked in, confirmed their two night reservation and eagerly entered the spa area. Erza was immediately enchanted by the hot spring; Millianna went for the pool; Kagura headed for the cold plunge. Periodically, one of the three would run into another and recount a fascinating tale of male mages flirting with them, or a funny scene at their location. Hours of fun later, the three of them retired to their designated room and collapsed on the beds, worn out beyond measure.

Jellal let his hands drop after examining them for a few minutes. He didn't understand how he had let this happen, but it had. He had hurt Erza again, without even trying to. When she had turned away without a single goodbye that had been the worst. He knew she loved him, but he didn't understand himself. Maybe she had just needed to be alone? But maybe he was why she needed to be alone. Jellal felt more insecure than he ever had before in his lifetime. It was a strange feeling, and an altogether unpleasant one.

"I am… despicable." He muttered into open air.

"No, you aren't."

He heard the voice, spun around and registered it was a memory repercussion just seconds before the memory began.

"Jellal, I don't want to have to say it again. You need to stop berating yourself."

"Erza –"

"No. Don't argue. Either stop living like you do everything wrong or never see me again."

Jellal began to say something, then stopped and rethought. Erza nodded smartly, sighing at him. On a whim, Jellal grabbed her wrist and pulled her in. When she protested, it was his turn to shake his head at her. He winked, then bent his neck and kissed her.

He woke from the memory gasping, his heart aching from the pain the memory had resurfaced. It had been the shortest memory gain so far, and the most gut wrenching. Erza most likely hated him now; not that he knew, but it was the most realistic. Or so he told himself. His conscience told him otherwise. To shake it off, Jellal began walking through the woods without tracking his aimless footsteps. It wasn't until he looked up and stared straight into the face of Fairy Tail Guild that he realized his mind had walked him to Erza's home without even consulting him.

"Is Erza back yet?"

"No, she'll be here later tonight."

Jellal gave the lesser known Fairy mages an odd look before walking into the guild hall. He had been a common sight here lately, always waiting for his red-haired mage to return from a quest or journey. No one bothered to complain, since it seemed to be ever so slowly lifting Erza's spirits since her memory loss. In fact, some of her guild suspected she had regained more of them, and just hadn't mentioned it yet.

"Jellal! Want a drink?"

"Sure. Thanks, Mira."

He took it gloomily, sitting at the bar with his back to the rest of the guild. His shoulders hunched, giving him an old, worn out appearance. It seemed not everyone was oblivious to the rogue mage today, as Lucy and Mira sat together to whisper.

"He seems off."

"I think he misses Erza and how easy it was to love her before, you know." Mira saif softly.

"I think so."

"I feel bad for him, in an almost sisterly way."

"I hope he makes up with her soon. I like seeing them both happy. It's satisfying in an odd way."

Mira nodded, standing up to go back to her bar work. She wordlessly handed Jellal another drink and prayed that Erza would recover everything soon.