Chapter 10: Phone Call

Meanwhile at home (Jellal's POV)

Leo refused to fall asleep. Akiko fell asleep awhile ago but her brother kept throwing his blankets at my face with his little giggles. I wasn't getting annoyed or anything; just exhaused myself.

I don't know why they're so jittery today, anyway. Erza left this morning and they were acting so mature. But right when she closed the door, Akiko started crying while Leonidas rubbed his own tears away.

"Come on, Leonidas," I sighed again as I attempted to tuck his blue blanket under his little body, "Or Daddy's going to have call Mommy."

At the mention of his mother, Leo's eyes widen. He shook his little head, his scarlet hair brushed against his white pillow.

My son finally yawned and turned to his side as he rubbed his face against his pillow. I finished tucking in the blanket. Before I can do anything else, though, my phone started vibrating in my sweats pocket.

I managed to slip out of my kids room with luck of nit murdering any of Akiko's stuffed animals on the floor. I silently shut their door before running down the stairs and jumping over the railing halfway.

When I was in the safety of my living room, I answered my cell.

"Hello?"

"What took you so long to answer?" My wife's voice filled my ear.

I smiled, "Sorry, I was tucking the kids in."

"Did Leo give you trouble? He tends to get on some kind of sugar high right before bed."

"You could've warned me," I chuckled, "He was a little jumpy but he's asleep now."

"That's good then."

Silence fell. I then decided to tease her a bit.

I sighed into the phone and Erza finally replied.

"What's with the sigh?"

"I've been working all day and now I'm sore. Yet, my beautiful wife hasn't even asked me how I was doing?"

"Where the hell did that come from?"

I made my way over to our coach and sat down, "I'm just saying I'm a little sad about that."

"I know for a fact that you're doing absoultely fine and that you were the one tha tired out our kids."

"Are you accusing me of something, Erza?"

"Did their 'beloved' uncles come over?"

"No, actually, I think Natsu took a job and left with Happy while Gray's probably on some kind of love trip with Juvia."

"That's good, then."

I know that she's beyond happy about that. She hasn't fully forgiven Natsu for all the mishaps he caused our son.

"Hey Jellal?" Her voice suddenly turned a little, well, it worried me.

"You alright, Erza?"

"I'm fine, really. Look, I'm sorry about the comment earlier. I didn't mean to sound so rude to you."

"It's alright, Erza. I'm used to it by now. You obviously didn't see yourself when you were pregnant."

"You're so sweet, Jellal."

"You know I feel fine no matter how long I have to watch our kids."

"What?"

With a warm smile I continied, "No matter how tired I get, I'll do everything to protect them and raise them. Sure, Leo can get a little difficult and Akiko can get fussy, but I will never get sick of taking care of them or you."

I heard small utters and short cut off sentences as my wife tried to reply to my declaration. She finally managed a, "D-don't say things like that out of the blue!"

"Why?"

"Because it's sweet and I-I sometimes can't say anything," there was a soft voice in the background followed my Erza yelling at the source to shut up. Only fits of laughter filled the line and I couldn't help but chuckle myself.

"See? The girls even said I looked like a fish opening and closing my mouth without anything to say and making weird noises."

"Sorry," was my only word.

"It's alright, hey I have to go," then in a lower voice she said, "I love you, talk to you tomorrow, okay? Don't get too lonely without me in bed with you."

My heart's rate sped up at her words, "That was suppose to be my line. Love you, too, Erza. Talk to you tomorrow."

Then she hung up.

I removed the phone from my ear and locked the screen. Immediately, I felt lonely without my lover here telling me to run an errand or check on our babies. Or even just share this time after the kids are in bed, just watching TV with her body against mines under a blanket. Sometimes she'd fall asleep and I would have to carry her upstairs and into our room where she would snuggle up against my body again and sleep for the whole night without a single peep. I have the tendency to wake up in the middle of the night only to find her beautiful peaceful face sleeping or sometimes she'd be awake and crying.

I know it's usually about our kids and what her duty would be if they turn out to be like their previous lives. We'd talk and I'll keep assuring her that it would never happen or I will protect her with my whole life. Then with my best effort, I'd change the subkect and we'd usually end up laughing about mishaps that happened that day or in the past.

Damn, I thought, my eyes slowly growing heavy, I didn't think I'd miss her this much...