Light shining through the window slanted across Jellal's face and slowly brought him back to consciousness.

He opened his eyes progressively, blinking against the sunlight for a moment before his eyes were used to it. He let out a yawn, his body arching up in a stretch before he settled down again.

The extra comfort under his back confused him for a moment before yesterday's events caught up to him, and he smiled.

After the train had arrived in Magnolia yesterday night, all Fairy Tail members, including Jellal and Meredy, made their way towards the guildhall. As soon as they entered, Master Makarov wasted no time in giving Lucy, Wendy, and Carla, their guild marks back, prompting cheers from the rest of the guild.

Makarov had then turned to Jellal and Meredy before asking where they'd like their guild marks and in what color. After getting over their initial surprise, Meredy insisted on having it on her left hand in dark purple while Jellal asked for it to be on his right arm in gold.

(They didn't tell anyone that the colors were supposed to represent Ultear and Lucy.)

Soon after that, everyone went home. Since Jellal and Meredy didn't have a place of residence yet, Lucy invited them to stay with her at her place. Wendy and Carla tagged along with them as well since it felt strange to them to be apart from each other after spending two months in close quarters.

Jellal was brought out of his musings by someone shifting next to him, and his smile widened. He turned his head to see Lucy lying next to him, asleep with her face tilted in his direction.

He leaned over and pressed a brief kiss against her forehead before he got up and made his way towards the bathroom, pausing briefly to smirk at Meredy, Wendy, and Carla in her exceed form, all curled up on the couch together.

After stepping into the bathroom, Jellal quickly stripped down before he got into the shower, temporarily marveling at having warm running water instead of cold waterfalls and small ponds to wash up in.

He wasn't in there long, but when he finally stepped out, he felt calm in a way he hadn't known in a long while. After wrapping a towel around his waist, he stepped out and made his way back towards Lucy's room.

Lucy was up, rummaging around in her dresser, still dressed in her pajamas. She turned around when he walked further into the room and smiled up at him. "Hey," she said as her arms came up to wrap around his neck.

"Hey yourself," he responded as his hands settled on her waist. She smiled and leaned up to give him a kiss that he wholeheartedly reciprocated. She leaned back after a moment with a sigh. "You need to put some clothes on."

Jellal smirked down at her. "See something you like?"

"Is that a trick question?"

Jellal laughed before he released her, stepping back slightly.

Lucy grinned at him mischievously before she dumped clothes into his arms. "Here, put these on."

Jellal raised a brow at her. "Why do you have clothes for men here if you live by yourself?"

The blonde blushed slightly. "When Team Natsu gathered at my place, Gray always left some clothes behind. I put them away and try to remember to give them back, but I always forget."

"Ah."

Lucy smiled and shoved at his chest playfully, trying very hard not to think about the hard muscles she felt beneath her hand. "I'll leave you to it."

"If you insist," Jellal said wickedly, laughing out loud when a bright blush flared on her face.

Lucy left the room, shutting the door as she did, and made her way towards the bathroom to indulge herself in a hot bath. She didn't spend too long in there, eager to leave and head towards the guild. When she finally got out, she summoned Virgo to hand her some clothes before she stepped back out into the living room, toweling off her hair.

Meredy was in the process waking up along with Wendy and Carla, who quickly transformed into her human self as she did, and Jellal stepped into the room, this time fully clothed.

"Time to get up, ladies," Lucy said to the waking girls. "We have to head to the guildhall soon."

"It's going to be weird to be surrounded by our rowdy guildmates after two months on a secluded island," Wendy mused before letting out a huge yawn.

"I agree," Carla said while rubbing her eyes. "It'll take some getting used to."

"I'm looking forward to it," Meredy admitted. "I...I want to see what it's like to be part of a legal guild."

"I know what you mean," Jellal confessed as closed the distance between them. "It'll be nice to be a part of something so mundane after the excitement of everything."

Lucy sent him a smile before turning to the other three. "You'd best start getting ready, girls. We can grab food at the guildhall."

~wWw~

Mirajane hummed as she cleaned glasses behind the bar at the guild. Glancing around at the people in the guild, she couldn't help but smile. Things seem to be getting back to normal; well, as normal as things could get in Fairy Tail.

Natsu and Gray were arguing about something a little ways away while Happy and Romeo sat on a nearby table laughing at them and munching on a fish in Happy's case.

Cana was sitting at the bar, sipping at the alcohol Mira brought her while also consulting her cards. Next to her was Kinana, Juvia, and Laki, all laughing over something Mira couldn't hear from where she was.

Jet and Droy were trying to get close to Levy, who was eagerly reading a book but were kept at bay by the glares of Gajeel, who was sitting next to her. Panther Lily gave them sympathetic looks whenever they tried to come close but didn't offer them any help, either.

Alzack and Bisca were entertaining Asuka with a children's storybook a couple of tables away, the little girl giggling at the pictures while her parents smiled at her.

Elfman and Max were by the mission board, looking over the various missions available.

Laxus and the Thunder Legion were sitting at a table far enough from Mira that she couldn't hear what they were discussing, but the smiles and grins on their faces (well, a smirk in Laxus' case) it was something good.

Macao and Wakaba were sitting at the far end of the bar, with Wakaba smoking his pipe and Macao drinking from his mug that Lisanna gave him as they chatted quietly.

Everything seemed to be going back to normal, and it made Mira smile.

Well, not everything.

With a wince, Mirajane glanced across the guildhall to the lone person sitting at the table closest to the doors. Erza was sitting ramrod straight as she speared a piece of her strawberry cake onto her fork before shoving it into her mouth, munching as her eyes flashed to the doors for a second.

Mira had noticed that everyone had glanced at the guild doors every once and a while, but Erza seemed to do it regularly. Everyone was eager for Lucy and the others to show up, so they could catch up or, in the case of Jellal and Meredy, get to know them better. Still, Erza wasn't showing elation or happiness for the eventual arrival of the quintet.

Mira didn't know what that expression on her face was, but it was making her apprehensive.

Something tells me that something's going to blow up and very quickly.

Natsu's shout brought Mira out of her musings. "Hey! I can smell Lucy and the others approaching the guild!"

All at once, everyone's heads turned towards the doors, with expressions on their faces ranging from excited to nervousness to blanked-faced (Erza).

The doors opened, and Mira felt her smile grow at the sight of the people coming in.

Lucy was smiling in a way Mira hadn't seen since before the Grand Magic Games as she clung to Jellal's hand with both of her own while the blue-haired male was saying something to her. Next to them, Meredy was arm in arm with Carla's human form while Wendy clung to her hand, the younger two laughing at something the pink-haired girl said.

They made quite the domestic sight, and it made something in Mira's chest ease. A glance around showed her that everyone was smiling indulgently at the scene, even Lisanna.

(Well, everyone except Erza, who was still stonefaced.)

Lucy chose that moment to look away from Jellal and at everyone else, still smiling. "Konnichiwa, Minna!" she waved enthusiastically.

"Hiya, Lucy-san!"

"Hey, Lucy!"

"Hi, Lu-chan!"

"Hey, Wendy!"

"Hi, Wendy-chan!"

"Looking good, Carla!"

"Nice to see you again, Carla!"

"Hi Meredy-san, Jellal-san!"

Jellal and Meredy, who had tensed at first when they saw all the eyes on them, relaxed more after hearing people address them without hostility. Lucy tugged Jellal towards the bar, prompting the other three to follow suit.

"Hi, Mira-chan!" Lucy chirped as they all sat down, Jellal on her right and Wendy on her left and Meredy and Carla on the other side of Wendy. The other members of the guild slowly started getting back to what they were doing before they had arrived.

"Hey, Lucy," Mira said warmly, another smile lighting up her features. "And good seeing you two again, Wendy and Carla."

"It's good to see you too, Mira," Wendy responded happily with Carla nodding in agreement.

Mira turned to the other two. "Now, I think it's time I introduce myself properly," she said before holding her hand out. "My name is Mirajane, but you can call me Mira."

Jellal took her hand. "Jellal," he said with a smile.

"And I'm Meredy," the pink-haired girl grabbed Mira's hand in her own after Jellal released it. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Mira returned.

"Now," Meredy leaned in conspiratorially, a mischievous grin on her face, "on a scale of one to ten, how cute do you think Jellal and Lucy are as a couple?"

Lucy groaned dramatically and buried her face in Jellal's shoulder to hide her expression. Jellal patted her head in a 'there there' motion, his smile turning into a grin, while Wendy and Carla giggled.

A slow smirk began making his way on to Mira's face. "Well, obviously, it's ten to the tenth power."

"Right?! JELU is so cute!"

"Oh my gosh, you already have a ship name for them?! That's adorable, and it fits them so well!"

"See, that's what I said! What do you think their children would look like?"

"Well, first we have to determine how many they're going to have."

"True, true."

Wendy and Carla were having trouble smothering their giggles, the longer Mira and Meredy talked.

"Introducing them was a bad idea," Lucy muttered, her voice muffled by Jellal's shoulder.

Jellal chuckled as he snaked an arm around Lucy's waist. "I think it's nice that Meredy is making more friends," he admitted.

Lucy removed her face from his shoulder and glanced at the two gossiping girls, their bodies leaning forward the longer they talked. A smile appeared on her face at their interaction. "I suppose you're right," she agreed. "Even if we did just contribute to the creation of Mira 2.0."

Jellal's laugh was loud and turned more than a few heads in their direction, including Erza's. Her facial expression became even more stormy as she observed how close Jellal and Lucy were, physically and emotionally.

Levy chose that moment to approach them and sit on Jellal's other side. "Hey guys," she greeted as Mira excused herself to go take care of someone else. "How goes it?"

"All good, Levy-chan," Lucy said. "Are you okay?" she asked with a small frown. "I'm sorry we couldn't get to you guys sooner-"

"Don't even apologize, Lu-chan," Levy warned. "You guys did as much as you could, and you got all of us out in the end anyway."

"She's right," Jellal said quietly. "Especially since you got hurt fighting Enzo."

"You got hurt?" Levy asked worriedly. Then she frowned. "Wait, you fought, Enzo?"

"Hai," Lucy nodded.

"The leader of all the bad guys and the one who was in charge of everything?"

"Uh-huh."

Levy grinned savagely to the couple's confusion before she turned around. "GRAY!" she hollered, getting the Ice-Mage's attention, as well as everyone else's.

Gray looked at her in puzzlement. "What?!" he yelled back, still putting Natsu in a headlock.

"Lucy was the one to take down Enzo!"

Gray halted, glancing between Levy and Lucy with wide eyes. Natsu gaped at Lucy, still within Gray's grasp. A couple of tables away, Erza was frozen in shock, a bite of her strawberry cake halfway to her mouth as she stared at Lucy.

Everyone was silent as they stared at Lucy with either shock, awe, or amazement.

And then, the silence that was starting to gather was broken by sudden exclamations.

"Sugoi, you beat the guy in charge? That's so cool!"

"Oh, wow, you're amazing, Lucy!"

"You go, girl!"

Lucy blushed under all the praise heaped onto her while Levy smirked smugly next to her in Erza's direction.

"You are so manly, Lucy!" Elfman's voice sounded over all the others as he made his way over to them. "You totally took him down! It makes me wonder what exactly you did to 'im!"

Feeling a spark of confidence, Lucy lifted her chin and grinned. "Would you like a demonstration, Elfman?"

A chorus of 'ooh's' sounded at that, and Elfman stared down at Lucy in shock for a moment. He then let out a huge grin. "Wow! Issuing a challenge like that is so manly. I accept!"

"Take it outside!" the Master's voice echoed from upstairs.

Jellal couldn't help but smirk. "This should be interesting."

~wWw~

(A/N: Heads up for crappy fight scenes.)

"Place your bets! Place your bets here!" Cana hollered to the masses.

All of Fairy Tail was gathered out in the back, eagerly anticipating the spar between Lucy and Elfman.

Jellal, Meredy, Wendy, Carla, and even Levy were almost gleeful at the prospect of Lucy, showing everyone how powerful she really was in front of the whole guild.

Cana was nearby taking bets, and Jellal was a little disappointed to see that, while Lucy got some bets, the majority were in Elfman's favor. Meredy, Wendy, Carla, along with Jellal himself, had bet on Lucy winning the fight.

And he was even more disappointed to see that Erza was one of the people betting on Elfman to win against Lucy. Despite the tension between them, Jellal thought that Erza and Lucy's friendship was strong.

Although, on a good note, Jellal had seen Levy betting on Lucy too, along with Gray, Natsu, Happy, Mira, Juvia, and Cana herself. There were others as well, but Jellal didn't know their names.

"I am so looking forward to this," Meredy muttered next to him, a smirk on her face.

"As am I," Carla responded, a feline edge to her smile.

Wendy was wringing her hands in worry on the other side of Jellal. "I just hope they both don't get hurt too badly," she said in agitation. Despite maturing into a badass Dragon Slayer, Wendy still prefers to heal than to fight.

Jellal settled a hand on Wendy's shoulder, not looking away from his girlfriend, standing apart from them all, with Elfman across from her. Both of them were grinning in anticipation. "Elfman is built like an ox, and you know firsthand that Lucy is stronger than she looks; they'll be fine," he reassured his imouto. "And even if they did get hurt, you'll be there in an instant to heal them both."

The tension eased out of Wendy's shoulders before she leaned into Jellal's side. "I guess your right."

"I've been told it happens, once in a blue moon."

Wendy let out a giggle, which was what Jellal was aiming for.

"Alright, all bets are in!" Cans shouted suddenly, prompting Jellal to turn his gaze to her as she stood. "The spar between Lucy and Elfman shall commence in 5..!"

"4...!"

"3...!"

"2...!"

"1...!"

"And...BEGIN!"

Everyone cheered as Cana gave the go-ahead, with Elfman cheering the loudest. "Let's do this!"

Lucy settled into a stance that Jellal taught her, before motioning Elfman towards her with a crooked finger. "Bring it."

~wWw~

Lucy heard Cana shout 'begin' and saw Elfman get into a stance before he declared, "Let's do this!"

And after hearing that, knowing that all of her friends and family were watching her, remembering all the sparing sessions she had with Capricorn and Jellal, filled her with determination to show them all just how far she has come.

So she shifted into a fighting stance that Jellal helped her form, crooked a finger at Elfman, and with a grin, confidently said, "Bring it."

Elfman grinned back at her before shouting, "Partial Take Over: Beast Arm, Black Bear!"

His right arm glowed briefly before the light disappeared, and a large, thick arm the size of half a tree trunk and covered in black fur took its place. Elfman had hardly waited for the transformation to finish and was running at Lucy before the arm completely materialized.

Lucy ran at him too, ignoring the surprised shouts of her guildmates. Right when Elfman was about to take a swing, she slid underneath him, allowing his punch to slam into the earth as she popped up behind him. Jumping back a little, she pulled out one of her keys - knowing which one it was by the shape and magic coming from it - and held it high in the air.

Lucy knew she could have just transformed without grabbing her key, but she felt like showing off a little. As Elfman went to turn around, Lucy shouted, "Star Dress: Taurus Form!"

~wWw~

Levy was watching Lucy and Elfman running at each other with a little trepidation. Levy knew her best friend could kick ass. After training for a couple of months, she's bound to be even more powerful - especially since she was able to take down the head of the bad guys - but seeing the hulking Elfman running at her with his transformed bear arm raised still made her worry a little bit.

She watched as Lucy slid underneath him as Elfman's fist slammed into the ground where she used to be standing. She sprang up behind him, jumping away before pulling out one of her keys.

Levy squinted, but she was too far away to see which one it was.

I guess I'll see when she calls them out.

However, Levy was shocked by what happened next.

Lucy pointed her key in the air and shouted, "Star Dress: Taurus Form!"

Lucy's body suddenly lit up in bright golden light, so bright that she had to shield her eyes. When the light died down, and Levy was able to look back, she felt her jaw drop in shock.

Lucy's outfit had changed. She now wore a bra and detachable sleeves with a cow pattern and black pants that left her right leg entirely revealed. Black fingerless gloves with gold cuffs were on her hands, and brown boots were on her feet. A black whip was hanging from the belt around her waist, and a gold belt buckle with Taurus' symbol held it together. And finally, to complete the look, her hair was done up in two buns at the side of her head with two bangs framing her face.

"Holy shit," came Gray's voice beside her amongst the excited murmurs of the watching crowd. "I didn't know she could do that."

"Neither did I," Levy admitted, not looking away from Lucy.

Elfman himself looked shocked for a moment before he got over it. "You're looking manly, Lucy! Manlier than usual!"

"Uh, thanks...I think," Levy heard Lucy say.

Elfman charged at her again, but this time Lucy met his charge head-on, her right arm drawn back.

"Is she going to take his hit straight on?!"

"Is she insane?!"

"Lucy, look out!"

Levy bit her lip as the two drew closer together. Elfman swung his right fist out at the same time Lucy did, and the two fists connected with a loud 'SMASH!'

To the complete shock of everyone except Jellal, Meredy, Wendy, and Carla, neither opponent was knocked backward. But after a moment, Elfman began to sweat as he struggled against Lucy's fist. When Lucy stepped forward, Elfman stumbled back.

"Did you see that?"

"Whoa, where did she learn to do that?"

"How much stronger did she get?"

Levy couldn't stop the growing grin on her face. "You go, Lu-chan!" she shouted happily.

Elfman couldn't keep up the pressure, so he jumped back and out of the way. "Wow, you're stronger than you look, Lucy."

Lucy grinned. "I've had some help," she said with a glance in Jellal's direction.

(And Levy did not have to clamp down on a squeal that wanted to come out. Nope. Not at all.)

Lucy ran at Elfman, surprising him and everyone else by her boldness before she jumped up and aimed another punch down towards him. He quickly jumped out of the way and narrowly missed getting hit by Lucy's punch. Her fist hit the ground instead, and the impact shook the earth and formed cracks beneath her fist.

"What the hell?!"

"Did she seriously just crack the ground?!"

"Was she always this strong?"

Elfman was also shocked by the level of strength Lucy was showing. So stunned, that he didn't notice her taking out her whip until it was too late.

Lucy swung her arm out and wrapped her whip around him. And then she started using it to lift him and slam him repeatedly into the ground.

Levy could only watch in shock, and a lot of amazement, as Lucy maltreated a man twice (maybe three times) her size up into the air and back into the ground with apparent ease.

When Lucy threw him up into the air again, there was another flash of light before her spirit, Taurus, appeared beside her. He grabbed her arm and threw her in the air towards Elfman. When she got closer to him, she twisted midair to slam her foot into his face, sending him crashing back to the ground.

"Oomph!" Elfman groaned as he was slammed back down.

Lucy touched back down on the ground, a pleased smile on her face as she landed next to Taurus. Levy watched as the spirit wordlessly handed her his ax before disappearing in the same flash of light that he appeared in. Lucy then strode forward, her steps sure and confident, towards Elfman, who was struggling to get out of the hole his body made after he came back down to earth.

Just when he was about to haul himself up, Lucy was in front of him, holding the ax under his chin and at his neck, causing Elfman to freeze in shock. Levy observed him cast wide eyes up at Lucy, who was wearing a triumphant smile.

"Do you yield?" she asked, not even breathless.

Elfman stared up at her in shock. And he was not the only one, either; Levy looked around discreetly and saw that everyone sans Jellal, Meredy, Wendy, and Carla were looking towards the two in shock.

Beside her, Gray was wearing a proud grin.

The sound of Elfman's laughter drew Levy's attention back towards them, and she was surprised to see him looking up at Lucy with honest amusement on his face. "You are such a man, Lucy!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "Of course, I yield! Next time will be different, though, 'cause I won't underestimate you!"

Lucy grinned. "And I'll kick it up a notch," she replied jokingly as she pulled the ax away and offered Elfman her hand. He took it without hesitation and allowed her to lure him to his feet.

Levy began to clap, Gray joining in immediately, and that was when the dam broke.

~wWw~

Lucy was still smiling as she helped Elfman to his feet, adrenaline running through her veins from the fight they just had.

The sound of clapping and cheering drew her attention to her watching friends.

Wow, I almost forgot they were there.

She blushed when the cheering and clapping intensified, the positive cheer from them bolstering her confidence even more.

"That was amazing, Lucy!"

"You kicked his ass!"

"Way to go, Lucy!"

"Can I have a turn?"

"No, me next!"

Lucy's blush intensified as she heard her friends clambering to have a chance to spar against her.

"You were awesome, Lucy," Elfman praised her. He rubbed the back of his head as embarrassment colored his cheeks. "Sorry, again, for underestimating you."

Lucy smiled before holding out her fist. "Don't worry about it."

Elfman grinned before bumping her fist with his.

"Lucy!"

Said blonde looked over at the shout of her name to see Jellal, Meredy, Wendy, and Carla were hurrying towards them. Elfman bade her goodbye and walked away as Meredy, who was the one who called out to her, stopped next to her and said, "That was so cool! You should have seen everyone's faces when you and Elfman's fists collided."

Lucy laughed. "I wish I could've seen it too. I was mostly tuning everything out except for my fight."

Jellal stepped forward and cupped her face. "You were amazing. I am so proud of you."

Lucy smiled earnestly at him before she leaned up and kissed him. The cheering, which hadn't stopped while they were talking, increased in volume with catcalls and wolf whistles added to to the commotion.

When they broke apart, Lucy saw Levy hurrying up to them with Gray not too far behind. "Lu-chan," the blue-haired girl said after she stopped. "That was impressive!"

"Totally," Gray added with a smile, though his eyes did linger a second longer at Jellal's hand that fell to rest against Lucy's hip. "I think I want to spar against you now."

A couple of Fairy Tail members overheard Gray's comment and immediately began to protest.

"Nu-uh, I want to go next!"

"No way, dude! I want to spar against her!"

"Not a chance, buddy! Lucy, you'll pick me, right?"

"Like hell she will, she'll pick me!"

Lucy, Jellal, Levy, and Meredy began chuckling at the antics of their friends, while Wendy was trying to calm everyone, and Carla merely facepalmed. Even Natsu was clambering for the chance to spar against his best friend, which Gray instantly shot down, claiming that being Lucy's brother meant he gets to go before him.

"You might want to pick someone to spar against before this turns into a guild-wide battle," Jellal whispered in Lucy's ear, causing her to giggle even more.

"Maybe you're right," she said with a smile as Gray tackled Natsu to the ground.

But just as she was able to choose someone, a voice rang out over all the others, silencing the conflict that was about to break out and turned heads.

"I'll fight against you."

Jellal's arm tightened around her waist as Lucy turned to see who had spoken. When she saw who it was, she couldn't help but pale a bit.

~wWw~

(Earlier)

Erza watched as Lucy stood opposite Elfman, a confident grin on her face.

She couldn't help but frown.

What could she have accomplished in just two months that would make her that confident? Just what did she do in those two months that allowed her to take out the man responsible for imprisoning everyone?

When Cana had finally started the match, Erza snapped to attention, curious to see how much her friend(?) had grown.

She felt her eyes widen when she saw the seamless way Lucy slid underneath Elfman as a way to dodge and how she quickly put some distance between them.

She's more fluid and graceful.

When Lucy pulled out one of her keys, Erza squinted but couldn't see which one it was. Expecting Lucy to call out one of her spirits, she was shocked by what did happen.

"Star Dress: Taurus Form!"

Erza watched in surprise as Lucy's body lit up in a golden glow. When the light died down, her jaw dropped slightly at what she was seeing.

Lucy's whole outfit had changed. A bra with a cow pattern, black pants with only one leg, and gauntlets on her hands. Even her hairstyle had changed.

However, while she heard everyone else chattering in awe and amazement, all Erza felt was fury.

So, she has some bastardized version of my Requip magic, ne? Is that how she drew Jellal to her? By behaving like me?

Erza watched the rest of the fight in some weird detachment, not even reacting at Lucy, showcasing how much stronger she became. She didn't join in with her guildmates cheering when Elfman yielded to Lucy, nor did she race up to her to congratulate her.

However, when she saw Jellal and the others go up to her, and when she saw Lucy and Jellal leaned towards one another, and when she saw them kiss, she saw red.

She tried desperately to reign in her sudden anger (and maybe a little sadness that was buried beneath it all) and ignored all the catcalls and wolf-whistled that penetrated the air.

Erza finally managed to get her emotions under control when she realized what everyone was talking about.

So, everyone wants to spar against her? Well then, why not join the masses?

She walked towards Lucy, the latter, and the others too focused on everyone else to notice her approach. However, everything seemed to stop when she spoke. "I'll fight against you."

Jellal turned to her first, and a pang shot through her as she noticed him curl his arm around Lucy tighter. Lucy herself, when turned to face her, paled a little.

(Was it wrong for Erza to derive a little pleasure from that?)

As Lucy stared at her, Erza heard someone quietly say, "Oh shit!"

"Well, Lucy?" Erza said impassively, her voice echoing in the sudden silence. "Do you accept my challenge?"

Lucy stared at her, uncertainty swimming in her irises. But then, she turned to Jellal. She saw something in the lines of his face that Erza wasn't quite able to see before she turned back to her.

The uncertainty was gone, replaced by determination.

"I do."

~wWw~

"Okay, people, one more time! Come place your bets!" Cana hollered. "Erza versus Lucy, the epic battle between two of Fairy Tail's strong women! Who do you think will win? Place your bets here!"

Jellal listened to Cana's shouting without really hearing anything. His eyes stayed glued to Lucy, who stood across from Erza, still dressed in her Taurus Star Dress. Despite the confident way she stood, Jellal could tell that his girl was nervous.

He thinks that she could do it. But he knew that Lucy knew that Erza wasn't an easy opponent; she's had years of training. However, she hasn't seen everything that Lucy could do, and that gave her an edge.

"Man, I hope she kicks her ass," Meredy muttered to his left.

Levy, who was on her other side, let out a snort. "Preferably hard enough to knock her out of fantasy land," she declared with a smirk.

On Jellal's right, Gray was rambling. "It's okay that I'm worried, right? I mean, Erza's nicknamed 'The Titania' for a reason. But, Lucy is tough too, so it's not like this will be an ass-kicking, and Lucy could beat her anyway. But -"

"Hey man," Jellal interrupted him and placed a and on his shoulder. Gray stopped talking and looked at him. "It'll be fine. Lucy has been training for the past couple of months, and she has more tricks up her sleeves."

Gray let out a sigh. "You're right," he admitted, his voice low enough that only Jellal heard. "Look, I know she's plenty capable of taking care of herself. But I haven't seen her in a long time, and when I do, we're all working together to free our friends, and we haven't had the time to sit and talk things over. And now, she's going up against Erza, who knows about you two and...I'm pretty sure she didn't just volunteer to have a friendly spar."

Jellal's eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth in anger. "I'm aware," he responded quietly. "But, I don't think Erza would go so far as to hurt Lucy for the sake of hurting her."

Gray glanced over at him. "You sure about that?"

Before Jellal could answer, Cana began yelling.

"Alright, the betting is closed!" she exclaimed. "The spar between Erza and Lucy shall commence in 5...!"

"4...!"

"3...!"

"2...!"

"1...!"

"And...BEGIN!"

~wWw~

"BEGIN!"

The word was barely out of Cana's mouth before Erza requipped into her Purgatory Armour, the giant mace clutched in her right hand before she lunged towards Lucy and swung at her.

Lucy's eyes widened and just barely managed to jump out of the way of the mace. She took out her whip and struck at her, but she dodged out of the form at the last second.

"Earth Wave!" Lucy shouted as she hit the ground with her whip.

The ground beneath Erza ruptured, and the redhead stumbled. Lucy took that chance to rush in and aimed a 'Lucy Kick' at her face. Erza evaded the attack just barely, and Lucy managed to clip her shoulder. The strength Lucy put into her kick sent Erza back slightly.

Lucy lunged at Erza again with her first drawn back, intent on taking advantage of Erza's distraction. However, Ezra didn't earn the nicknamed Titania without reason, and she avoided Lucy's strike before she swung her mace towards her.

Lucy hissed in pain as she felt the mace graze her arm and jumped back.

Erza stared at her blankly. "You've improved, Lucy."

Lucy didn't know how to respond to that.

Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor without another word and quickly flew into the air. A bunch of other swords requipped into the air around her, as two more swords appeared in her hands. She used one to point down at Lucy. "Dance My Blades!"

All of the swords abruptly flew straight for Lucy.

Wow, she really isn't going easy on me. Not that I expected her to.

Lucy weaved to and fro as she dodged out of the way of the incoming swords. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to avoid all of them and got a few slashes because of it.

After the assault was over, Lucy quickly changed into her Sagittarius Star Dress, ignoring all the sudden gasps that erupted after she did.

She lifted her bow and pulled back the string. "Star Shot!"

A series of energy arrows materialized and shot towards Erza, who immediately flew out of the way. Lucy saw the redhead's eyes widened in surprise as the arrows looped to follow her.

Lucy watched as Erza flew around, trying to shake the energy arrows that were following her like homing beacons. The blonde pulled back the bowstring again, but this time, only one energy arrow formed.

Lucy got tunnel vision as she concentrated, her gaze never wavering from Erza's form. Titania was weaving around in the sky, twisting and swerving as she managed to get the arrows to crash into one another.

Lucy saw her chance when Erza turned to dodge one of the remaining arrows. "Shooting Star!"

The energy arrow flew from Lucy's bow and headed straight for the redhead.

Right on target.

It crashed into Erza's back. She let out a small cry of pain as she was propelled forwards. The few remaining arrows that were following crashed into her as well, causing her to fall back down to the ground.

Lucy tensed slightly as she watched Erza get up from the ground slowly. When she was finally standing on her feet, Erza turned to face Lucy, and the look in her eyes made the blonde tense even further.

Erza then requipped again, and Lucy felt her eyes widen when she saw what she changed into.

It wasn't any of her armors; it was something that Erza called 'Clear Heart Clothing.' The one with red hakama pants with gold flame patterns on the bottom with a white sarashi wrapped around her chest.

Erza had once told Lucy that this particular outfit had no defense whatsoever, which allowed her to focus primarily on offense.

Which means I'll have to take it up a notch too.

Lucy transformed into her Cancer Star Dress. Things were about to escalate even more.

~wWw~

Gray watched the fight between his longtime friend and his little sister-figure with many emotions thrumming through him; awe and worry were at the forefront, though. When Lucy struck the ground with her whip and made it rupture, Gray couldn't keep his jaw from dropping in shock at her strength; when Lucy change into another outfit that came equipped with a bow, Gray was immensely impressed, mainly when she used that bow to knock Erza out of the sky.

However, when he saw Erza requip into her Clear Heart Clothing, he began to get nervous. Gray knew that she only changed into that outfit when she was deadly serious.

Erza used that outfit in the Tower of Heaven; she used that outfit when she fought Azuma and was with her when Erza used it against Hades; finally, she used it in the Grand Magic Games against the S-class monster in Pandemonium, Kagura, and Minerva.

Her using that outfit is not good. Why the hell would she bring it out?

As worry began to gather inside him, Gray saw Lucy light up in a golden glow as she changed her outfit again. When the glow went away, he felt his eyebrows hit his hairline.

Lucy was now wearing some sort of white kimono shirt with full sleeves beneath a light blue qipao, and a big red ribbon wrapped her waist. She had on kneehigh socks and flipflops on her feet. Her hair changed too, going in two high pigtails.

She had a sword in each hand, both of them shape like halves of scissors.

The cancer sign was embroidered on her front.

That was all Gray had time to notice before both girls lunged for one another. There was a blur and then a 'CLANG' sound as their swords collided with the other's, both of their faces showing concentration as they tried to force the other to relent.

"This is insane!"

"Lucy is actually keeping up with her. Damn."

"Unreal!"

"Is Lucy as strong as Erza?"

As the fight dragged on, Gray couldn't keep the awe off his face as he watched Lucy and Erza trade blows with their swords. The way they fended off each other's blows; how their bodies moved as if they were dancing; the way Lucy dodged out of the way at the last moment on a slash; the way Erza visibly struggled to push back an overhead swing from both of Lucy's swords; the way Lucy got cut on her leg but still kept going.

All of that amazed him.

Finally, after what seemed like watching an hour-long live-action movie, Erza managed to get the upper hand on Lucy. She swung her swords, and while Lucy rushed to parry them, Erza executed a roundhouse kick that sent Lucy flying away from them. Really, really far. Erza quickly followed.

"Kūso," Gray heard Jellal curse under his breath. He turned in time to see him rush after them, Meredy, Wendy, Carla hot on his heels.

Gray turned and exchanged a look with Levy before they, too, rushed off.

As they left, Gray heard Mira say, "I have a feeling this about more than just a spar."

Mira, you have no idea.

~wWw~

Lucy groaned in pain as she finally crashed down to the ground a ways away from everyone else.

Ow! Kūso, that really hurt!

After Lucy got to her feet, she had to quickly jump out of the way to avoid an overhead hit. Erza's swords struck the ground, and Lucy's eyes widened when she saw how deep her swords went into the earth.

She gripped her swords and used them to block another strike from Erza. Her arms shook from how much force went into the blow, and that's when she began to worry.

Something's changed. She's more...fierce. More driven. She's acting almost like a...a predator.

When Lucy blocked another blow that made her arm tremble, she spoke up. "Erza, what are you doing?"

Erza's face finally changed from the blank one that she was wearing the entire fight.

She now looked mad.

"What am I doing?" she repeatedly heatedly as she jumped back. "What am I doing? What about you? What are you doing?!"

Lucy frowned before jumping back herself. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Jellal!" the redhead burst out. "Why are you dating Jellal?"

Lucy stared at her in shock. "I love him, Erza," she said slowly, trying to process what exactly was happening.

"So do I," Erza responded strongly. "But he chose you!"

Lucy stepped back.

"I knew him longer! I was always there for him! We understand each other in a way no one else does! But he still chose you!" Titania continued. "Why are you with him?! Did I do something to make you mad? Are you with him because you have similar magic? Just...just why?!" Her voice had raised slightly, not enough for the others to hear, though, and her face was contorted in rage. However, Lucy saw something else there as well.

Pain.

Oh gosh. She's hurting, isn't she? I...I never meant to hurt her. Neither of us intended to hurt her...

"I'm sorry."

Erza felt her eyes widen. "What?"

"I'm sorry," Lucy repeated. Her brown eyes bore into Erza's own. "I am so, so sorry, Erza. I didn't mean to hurt you. Jellal and I never meant to hurt you. But being with Jellal isn't about you; I love him. I honestly care about him and his happiness. He makes me happy, and I make him happy. We love each other, Erza."

Erza's frown began getting deeper the longer Lucy talked. By the time she was finished speaking, her scowl was so pronounced she'd probably have lines on her face. "I don't believe you."

Lucy sighed. "Whether you believe me or not, what I said was the truth. And I don't want to continue fighting you."

She ended her sentence by dropping her swords.

Erza scowled. "Pick up your swords."

Lucy shook her head. "No."

"I said PICK UP YOUR DAMN SWORDS!"

"No, Erza," Lucy said, her voice calm. "We need to stop. This doesn't need to escalate any further."

Erza glared at her. When Lucy refused to say anything more, she let out a guttural scream before lunging at Lucy with her own swords raised.

Lucy's brows hit her hairline as she stumbled back a step in shock.

"NO!"

A figure darted in front of her, their arms raised slightly.

Erza felt her own eyes widened as she saw Jellal leap in front of Lucy with his arms raised.

She halted in her attack at the sight of him.

He reminded her of someone else who stood like that.

Uncle Rob.

He stood like that in front of Erza to save her.

And now Jellal is standing like that in front of Lucy.

To protect her.

From Erza.

Erza's swords dropped from her numb fingers.

Memories started flitting through her mind, one after the other, from the time Lucy and the others have left, until now.

She saw herself as though watching a film. Her actions and her words.

Shame and disgust filled her body, all aimed at herself.

Who is this? Who is this person I've become?

"Erza?"

Erza looked up and saw Lucy staring at her from behind Jellal. Her eyes were wide. "Erza, are you okay?"

It was only then that Erza realized that tears were steadily rolling down her cheeks. At that moment, she broke.

A sob rose up from her throat. And then another, and another, and another until she was full-on sobbing. She dropped to her knees and closed her eyes as she continued to cry her heart out, her arms wrapping around her torso as if to physically hold herself together.

And then she felt arms encircle her and hold her tight. "It's okay," Lucy's voice said in her ear. "Everything is okay."

"No, it's not," Erza countered immediately. "It's definitely not okay! I-I I am so sorry, Lucy! I am so sorry! I'm a horrible friend!"

"It's fine, Erza."

"No, no, it's not!"

It's not fine! None of this is okay! And it's my fault. It's all my fault!

~wWw~

"I didn't expect that," Meredy admitted as they all watched Erza walk away. She wasn't going back towards the guildhall.

"Neither did I," Levy said, her brow furrowed.

"I think I did," Jellal said slowly, his arms crossed as he watched Wendy heal the few cuts and slashes on Lucy. "Erza's not...a bad person and, ultimately, she cares about all her friends. I think...I think that she was just blindsided by everything."

"That doesn't excuse the way she was acting," Gray said sternly, his arms crossed.

"No, it doesn't," Carla agreed.

"She just reacted badly," Lucy responded, smiling at Wendy as the younger girl stepped back from healing her. Lucy's form glowed briefly before it went away, and Lucy was back in her original clothes. "I'm not saying that what she did was okay, but...I guess I understand."

Levy chuckled as she shook her head. "You are probably the most forgiving person I know, Lu-chan."

Wendy giggled at that. "True."

Lucy rolled her eyes good-naturedly and smiled. "We should head back to the guildhall. I'm pretty sure they all left when Erza and I came all the way over here."

Gray shrugged. "If you say so. You sure you're not too tired?"

"I'm fine," Lucy insisted.

"Well, alright, then."

The seven of them headed back toward the guildhall, the atmosphere relaxed between them while Levy and Gray questioned Lucy about her Star Dresses.

However, at the back of her mind, Lucy was a little worried over Erza.

I hope she's doing okay.

When they finally arrived at the guild, they all stopped in shock. All the tables and chairs were pushed to the sides. Max and Laki were up on stage talking to each other, both of them with hands wrapped around microphones. Behind them, Laxus and the Thunder Legion were stationed with instruments set up near them.

"What...is going on?" Lucy asked blankly as she and the others made their way inside.

"Hey, you guys are finally here!" Mira called out as they stepped near the stage. "You're just in time."

"In time for what?" Jellal asked her.

"A concert!" Mira chirped.

"A concert?" Gray asked blankly.

"Hai," Mira nodded. "Consider this your welcome back/welcome-to-the-guild gift. I asked Max and Laki -"

"-more like demanded," Max, who overheard them, muttered as Laki giggled.

"-to sing a song for us," Mira continued without batting an eye. "Laxus and the others agreed to play the song for us, too."

"You mean threatened us until we folded," Bixlow interjected. Laxus slapped him upside his head without looking away from his guitar.

"Ow! What the hell, man?!"

"Anyways," Mira ignored the banter up on the stage with aplomb, "now that you guys are here, we can start!"

She then frowned. "Wait, where's Erza?"

Lucy shifted uncomfortably as Levy answered, "I think she went home. Said she wasn't feeling herself."

"Oh," Mira blinked. "Well, we don't have time to wait, we should get started."

She turned towards Max and Laki. "Go ahead, you guys."

"You got it, Mira," Max nodded before he yelled into the microphone. "What's up, Fairy Tail!"

Everyone cheered.

"This song is dedicated to Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Jellal, and Meredy! Alright, people, let's get this started!"

Everyone cheered again even louder as Max turned back towards Laxus. "Hit it, you guys!"

Laxus nodded before he and the others began playing.

(A/N: The song that they're going to be singing is the full version of the Death Parade opening. If you'd like to follow along, the song is titled 'Flyers.' And it's one of my favorite Japanese songs by the way.)

"Whoooaaaaa," he sang. "Yeah, yeah."

The music started picking up in tempo, and everyone couldn't help but start dancing to it. Max began to sing again:

"Kou nattara ii na no

Mousou to genjitsu ni

Isseki wo toujite

Kosei wo migake.

"Kakaenayamu nandai o

Mata hitotsu shoukyo

Atama kara ketsu made

Sore ga wa ga entame."

Lake cut in then. "Boom Boom Boom, dancing through the skies!"

"Mada shijanai

Sa himotoita chouai o!"

"Boom Boom Boom, dancing through the skies!"

"Maji kettobashite

Motto maiagatte!"

Max and Laki began to sing together:

"Everybody, put your hands up!

Saa flyin'

Tsubasa ni nare!

"Mitemitai na

Muchuu ni nareru kimi

Imada seichouki

Shinsekai e!"

There was a break in the singing as the music just played. Lucy felt her hand get grabbed and turned to see Jellal grinning at her. "Dance with me!" he shouted to be heard over the loud music and cheering in the air.

Lucy couldn't help but grin back. "Sure!"

Jellal pulled her into his arms, and many others began pairing up as well as Max started singing again.

"Modokashi kute mou

Douka shite iru

Mugamuchuu nareru

Mono ga hoshi!

"Fugai nai hiide tenai

Nante kawaikunai ne

Konpurekkusu wa sakate

Ni totte orijinariti!"

Laki cut in once again. "Boom Boom Boom, dancing through the skies!"

"Yara nakya yamai

De yamadzumi no mondai mo!"

"Boom Boom Boom, dancing through the skies!"

"Motto waruagaite

Shoutai o abaite!"

Both Max and Laki paused with the music to start clapping rhythmically with some guild members, including Lucy and Jellal, joining in.

"Everybody, put your hands up!

Saa flyin'

Sono imeeji de!

"Kitto nareru sa

Naritai jibun ni

Sagase you're the one

Oobutai e!"

"Flyin'!" Laki sang.

"Wasureteta-"

"-Flyin'-"

"Kioku no naka de!"

"Mou ichido mune no takanari o kike!"

Max and Laki then started harmonizing, their voices blending together beautifully as everyone danced on the floor beneath them. They then stop as Laxus and the others began a fast-paced piece without words.

As Jellal twirled her around, Lucy glanced about.

She saw Meredy, Gray, and Cana dancing together, all three of them laughing.

She saw Wendy and Carla together, along with Romeo, who seemed to have got dragged there by Wendy.

She saw Levy dancing with Gajeel as Jet and Droy tried to show off next to them.

She saw Natsu dancing next to Lisanna, who was giggling madly as she tried to calm him down.

She saw Happy and Lily (in his exceed form) flying over the heads of everyone as their bodies swayed to the music.

She saw everyone laughing and smiling and having a good time.

Finally, Max and Laki began singing again.

"Everybody, put your hands up!

Saa flyin'

Tsubasa ni nare!

"Mitemitai na

Muchuu ni nareru kimi

Imada seichouki

Shinsekai e!"

"Everybody, put your hands up!

Saa flyin'

Sono imeeji de!

"Kitto nareru sa

Naritai jibun ni

Sagase you're the one

Oobutai e!"

"Flyin'!"

"Wasureteta-"

"-Flyin-"

"Kioku no naka de!"

"Mou ichido mune no takanari o kike!" they finished together.

They then began to harmonize once more as Laxus, and the Thunder Legion played the ending of the song.

As the end of the song came about, Lucy took the time to look around her once more.

Everyone was cheering on the people up on the stage, wide grins and smiles clear as day on their faces.

Everyone was so happy and carefree as they shouted and called out praise and compliments to the performers, and Lucy couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face even if she wanted to.

She was surrounded by people who loved and cared for her; people she cared for and loved in return.

These were her friends.

These were her family.

Lucy was a little sad that Erza couldn't be here to share in this, but she was confident that Erza would be back. She was the strongest person Lucy knew.

And as the Thunder Legion played the last note of the melody and Max and Laki ended the song, she turned to find Jellal watching her.

He smiled at her before leaning in. "Glad to be home?" he asked her.

Lucy grinned and leaned in to press their lips together firmly, before leaning back and saying, "Glad to be home."

*Screams incoherently while dancing around the room*

Oh my gosh, you guys! That was the longest chapter I've ever written and is the last one before the epilogue!

Okay, on to more pressing matters:

I've always planned on Lucy and Erza fighting each other because I really can't see them shouting at each other over a boy, even if he was Jellal. Plus, I thought that would be a great way to show the whole guild just how far Lucy had come.

What happened with Erza I kind of meant to happen as well. She isn't the villain, she's just hurt and lashed out (albeit violently but...it's Erza).

I thought that if she realized just how far she's fallen, she'd get a serious reality check and see just what type of person she was turning into.

Well, that's all you guys, there's only the epilogue now.

For those of you who don't want this to end and love the dynamic between Lucy and the others, well...lookout for an Author's Note next chapter. That's all I have to say.

I hope I've satisfied your need for something to happen between Lucy and Erza. If I did, I'm so happy you enjoyed it!

If I didn't, I'm sorry I let you down :(

But now it's time to say goodbye!

See you soon! :)