Some dark, selfish part of Erza had hoped that 'until Jellal recovers' would mean that he was there for months. Taking care of a newborn while nursing a sick boyfriend back to health sounded like a lot of work. Really, the newborn thing on its own was more work than she'd expected. But even seeing one of her guild mates struggle with a similar set of tasks, she would be happy to take full responsibility for both Kiseki and Jellal's wellbeing if it meant Jellal could stay.

"It's not as though we won't see each other again," he reminded her. "We have a meet up point planned now, right? Every two months. And if we can't make it or need to change locations, I'll send you a letter with new arrangements."

"And I'll be sure to bring Kiseki."

Jellal smiled, reaching out to smooth down the hair of the little boy in her arms. She wondered if he'd tried not to get too attached, knowing that he would have to leave Kiseki behind soon after the boy was born. If he had, he'd failed.

"Ultear and Meredy will like that. I'm sure they're going to be upset when they realize I've come to rejoin them without us even bringing him for them to see."

"I can go with you. Just until you three meet up."

He shook his head. "They aren't going to come anywhere close to town, and Kiseki's too small still for that kind of travel." Still, the way he looked over the little boy, Erza could tell he regretted that.

"We should get a photo then. Of the three of us together."

"You and Kiseki. I would hate for someone else to see that photo and get you in trouble."

"The three of us. And I'm keeping a copy in my room. I don't care what you say. We're getting a family photo with the whole family in it."

She wanted to be able to see him whenever the urge struck. If he couldn't be there physically, then a photo would have to do. She was already giving up his presence. She wouldn't give up on this. And she wanted him to be able to see her and Kiseki too.

"A photo of all of us. And we can get a new one whenever we manage to meet up."

Seeing that Erza wasn't going to budge on this one, Jellal gave in. "We'd best find a camera then."

"Here. Take him. I borrowed one from Lucy the other day, but thing have been so busy I almost forgot I had it."

She passed Kiseki over to Jellal, who needed a moment to remember how to properly hold the baby. He'd been on strict bed rest the last two weeks, so while Kiseki had been set beside him a number of times, he'd had very few opportunities to actually hold the little guy.

"It feels odd holding him, after he was in there so long," Jellal said. "Feels a little like I'm empty."

"You want to have another."

He laughed. "Not a snowball's chance in hell."

"Jellal! Language. There's a child present."

"Erza, he's ten days old. He isn't going to remember any of this by the end of the day."

How sad. Kiseki would never remember the short time they spent living together.

"Here it is!" Erza held up a polaroid camera, which she seemed to have pulled out of a gardening pot. "You still have Kiseki?"

Yes. Obviously. What did she think? That he was going to pitch their baby out the window when she turned her back?

"Alright. Hold still." She held the camera up, then paused, realizing she wouldn't be in the photo. "Um… wait…"

Jellal glanced at the clock. He was supposed to meet up with his guild in an hour. Even with his magic, it would take him most of that time to reach the meet up point. They'd deliberately picked a spot that would require a fair bit of obstacle navigation, and that was best done at a speed that didn't generate sonic booms.

"Maybe we can get Meredy to take a family photo next time," Jellal said. "Take a photo of me with Kiseki, and I'll get one of you and him." That would be less incriminating, too. Not by much, but a little.

"Well… Alright." Erza resigned herself to snapping a photo of Jellal without her and lifted the camera back up.

She'd really wanted the two of them. They were apart so often, it felt like a photo of the both of them side by side might help assure her that they were still together. That even if Jellal's circumstances forced them to keep a distance physically, they still managed to be close. After that harsh rejection before the games, all those kisses they'd shared had meant a lot to her, and that photo would have been physical proof that she hadn't imagined them.

But Kiseki would be proof enough. At least for the time being. She'd come to realize she would be so busy with him in the coming days that she probably wouldn't have time to admire photos anyway.

Photo taken, she set the camera down and took Kiseki back from Jellal. He took a photo to and that was that.

"I'll miss you," he said. "Both of you."

"Yeah."

Tossing the camera onto the couch, he stepped forward and hugged her and the baby.

"Don't forget. Two months."

"I won't," she promised.

He smiled, kissed her, and left.

Erza took a step back, falling to the couch as well and holding Kiseki tight. Maybe a little tighter than she should have, but it wasn't making him cry, and it kept her from crying. That had all happened way to fast.

Every two months. Six days out of the whole year. It was more than she'd seen of him before Kiseki happened, but it wasn't enough. After having been without him as much as she had, she didn't know if it would ever be enough.

Two months. Could she really wait that long? She wanted to run after him. Demand to go with him. Crime Sorciere had been prepared in the beginning to raise Kiseki while on the road. They could do it.

Except she couldn't. After everything she'd put into setting up a home for Kiseki, she couldn't possibly force him to live a life on the run. Jellal wouldn't want that life for her either.

She set Kiseki on the couch, careful to make sure he was in a safe position, and stood. What exactly she planned to do, she wasn't sure. She'd been so focused on Jellal and his health and safety and making sure Kiseki didn't disturb his recovery that she hadn't thought of what it would be like once he left again. Or rather, she'd done her best not to think of that.

Kiseki wasn't crying for food, but she found herself in the kitchen mixing baby formula. It would be good to have on hand once he was hungry. And it kept her busy. All she had to do was keep herself so busy for the next two months that she wouldn't have time to think of Jellal's absence. How hard could that be with a newborn to take care of all by herself?

Her knees faltered, and she clutched the kitchen counter to holder herself upright. It wasn't like she was really alone. There was still her whole guild. She wanted Jellal, but all her friends were still there for her.

Erza took a slow, shaky breath and focused on the formula. Putting so much attention on it in an effort not to think of anything else that when the door opened, even though it was opened gently, she jumped.

"Erza!"

She spun around to see Jellal there, grinning.

"Y-yes?"

"Come over here. I thought of something."

He picked up Kiseki as he said it, so Erza told herself she didn't have a choice. The man with a criminal history had her baby. She had to do as he said. That sounded more noble than admitting she ran to him because being apart for five minutes had hurt so badly.

"Are you staying?"

"I wish. But even with this, it would make it too easy for the council to track me down."

He looked past Erza as he said it, and she turned around to see a second Jellal. She choked in surprise, before remembering how Jellal had once duped her for years.

"Siegrain."

"You wanted a photo of all three of us, right?"