A month's time passed, during which the changes in Mavis's body became increasingly apparent and the reality of the situation was driven home to Zeref. Feelings of pride and irritation (courtesy of his affliction) warred within his mind whenever he saw the evidence of his life within her, both anticipating and fearing the day he would truly be a father, though logically speaking he'd held the title for months now.

Worse than his contradictory emotions concerning his child were those he held for Mavis herself, though he'd managed to hide the darker ones from her so far, baring only his love for her instead. He did love her—deeply, unconditionally—and yet his mind was a constant stream of confusing intentions and emotions. Some moments evil would surface from the churning cauldron of thoughts instead of kindness, leaving the Black Wizard confused and distraught in the aftermath of his age-old struggle between love and hate. He understood as much as he was capable that his conflicting feelings were a result of the curse and were thus invalid, but that knowledge made them no less real in their intensity. At least Mavis was free of the same problem for now, the negative effects of her curse being temporarily negated and her concerns focused more over the baby's wellbeing than her own imminent destruction.

'How is ithe baby getting enough nutrients?' she asked about her pregnancy once, and he answered.

"I assume it's due to your body's reconstruction of all tissues and vitamins. Since the fat is broken down into sustenance for the child, your immortality ensures that it regenerates immediately-"

'-thus creating a never-ending supply of food for the developing fetus.' Mavis finished, and he pictured her thoughtful look in his mind's eye.

"The regenerative effect of immortality can play to our advantage sometimes," Zeref affirmed.

And so time flowed on, logged only due to his awareness that such details were necessary to measure their progress.

...

'You'd think the snow would've let up by now,' Zeref heard Mavis's voice in his head above the howling wind. They had been traveling for several hours and had yet to pass the foot of Mount Hakobe.

"I'm afraid we'll have to stop. This wind is blurring my sense of direction and I may end up wandering in circles," he replied. Nearly walking into a tree, he unharnessed her body and settled down with his back against the trunk to patiently wait for the swirling, frozen whiteness to recede.

One month had passed since their unexpected discovery, and the couple had yet to unearth any well-founded ideas on how to revive Mavis. For Zeref's part, being in possession of a greater realm of knowledge than his companion made him that much more inclined to try and solve the problem before they reached Alikatasia. The live ticking clock between them known as their child certainly enhanced his determination, but so far few breakthroughs had promised hope. At least they'd been making steady progress through Fiore, with no setbacks having been encountered so far.

Other problems were on his mind as he sat with his back to the stable tree; there were the questions of whether Mavis's curse had been permanently nullified by her coma...whether she would raise their child without him. He hadn't broached this guilty fear to her, but he wondered whether he was fated to lose her no matter what they did. As he meditated, the storm gradually relinquished itself to April's clutches and the blinding whiteness receded, allowing him to stand up and prepare for travel once more.

'Zeref,' Mavis ventured, breaking into his thoughts. 'You've been quiet recently. You aren't already blaming yourself for our lack of a solution, are you?' Because her magic power had been steadily increasing as the baby developed, she was able to use it for longer periods at a time as the days passed. They'd carry on discussions that lasted for hours from time to time, a simple interaction that helped keep each other sane and grounded.

He sighed, watching the resulting white cloud of condensation rise in the cold air. "It worries me. No magic that I've studied would be safe to use in this instance. Your case is most peculiar. It would be much simpler if you were merely under some spell I could disenchant."

'Cheer up. I know you're worried—so am I, but we have five months during which to improvise our plan. I trust you.' Her cheerfully warm voice brought a smile to his face, in the way that only she could.

"Keep thinking in case anything comes to you," he reminded her, and the pair fell silent as they continued along the foot of the mountain. He estimated that they'd reach Shirotsume in another month if they continued at the pace they were currently travelling. Arriving in Alvarez wasn't the problem; finding a cure for Mavis's mysterious ailment was, and he had a feeling the goal was even less attainable than it sounded. Despite his fear of loss and conflicting ideas he enjoyed their time together, yet simultaneously felt the weight of that time cinching around them in grim significance.

Each ticking second and heavy footstep drew them closer to what could be Mavis's death...or salvation.

...

The days passed, many the same as the last, with the pair making steady progress towards their next checkpoint: the aforementioned village of Shirotsume. The unpredictable weather had calmed itself two weeks into April, with the temperature rising a fraction to tease the couple with the first glimpse of spring. Zeref wasn't fooled; he knew there was another snowstorm waiting to blindside them, but Mavis predictably greeted the season's turning with more enthusiasm and chattered away.

'Won't you be happy when it isn't so cold all the time? I'm looking forward to seeing the many varieties of foliage in these parts.'

Pleased that her cheerfulness had fully returned, and secretly suspecting she was trying to cheer him up, Zeref let a smile play on his lips as he agreed with the excited girl. Walking past an abandoned cabin—which they didn't explore, to Mavis's disappointment—he neglected to avoid an indentation in the ground and a few seconds later his boots were covered in thawing mud, a development he eyed with slight displeasure. He had become less superficially apathetic lately, not that he'd noticed, but Mavis had and was pleased with her hardwon handiwork.

'You should probably rinse those,' she advised, a suggestion he decided to pay heed to. Feeling her slightly rounded stomach brushing his back with every step as he headed towards a creek, he suddenly realized that the perpetual jostling movement probably wasn't beneficial for the baby, and paused in his tracks. Kneeling as he unfastened Mavis from his back, he retied her makeshift clothing and held her body to his front to carry her bridal-style.

Interpreting her quizzical silence, he explained before she could ask, "In case your position on my back is detrimental to the baby."

'I should have thought of that,' Mavis agreed, a little glum at her failure to see the obvious. But her heart secretly warmed at Zeref's apparent care for their child. Since their discovery of the baby's existence, neither had spoken of it to the other except in passing. Until today, Mavis had had her doubts about whether Zeref truly cared for their unborn baby. Unfortunately she couldn't see his hands as they cradled her expanding stomach at night, or hear the doubts running through his mind of whether he would be a proper father. He wanted to be, as much as his contradictory nature would allow.

Rinsing his boots in a shallow creek, he watched the water turn murky and swirled his foot in it.

'Don't drop me,' Mavis warned, a hint of something that sounded suspiciously like laughter present in her voice.

Slightly annoyed and amused at the same time, Zeref purposefully loosened his grip on her and swayed as he stood over the creek, and was rewarded with a squeal.

'It's muddy! Don't,' she protested, breaking into giggles. Though she wouldn't feel the icy water, the thought of her body being cold and clammy was enough to make her shudder regardless.

"Would you prefer a proper bath then?" he challenged smoothly.

'Not now, we've made so much progress. Let's push on.'

"As you wish," he smiled as he lifted her against his chest. "Before I resume our journey, I'll have to do something about the way I carry you."

Mavis watched with interest as he laid her on the ground and unfastened the cloth around her in broad daylight, grateful that he could only sense and not observe her spirit, for no one wishes to be seen blushing uncontrollably.

"Sorry," he murmered sympathetically.

'No, i-it's fine! Do what you must.'

Letting the fabric fall open around her body, Zeref lifted her onto his lap—toga and all—and rewrapped her, crossing the ends of her makeshift clothing together around his back and tying them over each of his shoulders this time. The end result was that his arms were free to move, but Mavis was comfortably held against his front bridal-style. Well, as comfortably as he could manage, which wasn't much with one thin layer separating him from her tempting body. He held his tongue and pushed on stoically, reasoning that he'd never been in such close contact with a woman before Mavis and it was natural to have baser urges where she was concerned.

To distract himself as he walked, he resumed thinking about matters that existed purely in the existential realm. There was something that had been weighing on his mind for a while now, ever since she revealed her spirit to him, but he'd been hesitant to ask her lest she derive the wrong meaning from the question. Or worse yet, have it bring up bad memories for both of them. Reasoning they'd been together long enough for her to understand he meant only curiosity by it, Zeref asked, "Mavis, how soon were you conscious—as a spirit, that is—after I...put you in a coma?"

It took a moment for her to answer, and when she did, her voice was a shade less bright. 'I'm not sure of the exact amount of time I was unconscious...I remember nothing from then, just a state of...'

He waited, patiently.

'I guess it can only be described as nothingness. Do you know that feeling you have after you wake up, but you can't remember ever falling asleep and you're surprised to see yourself in bed?'

"Conceptually yes, but practically no," Zeref answered expediently.

She gave a small huff of amusement, and went on, 'Well, it's something like that.'

"You felt nothing, then? Would you say it's similar to how you would imagine non-existence to feel, or rather, not feel?"

'Yes, I think so,' Mavis answered, a hint of something close to suspicion present in her usually gullible voice. 'Why are you thinking about it?'

"Curiosity, of course. Why else would I- Oh."

It was a tacit rule between them that they didn't speak of the times before they met, the emotions attributed to those dark days, or anything concerning their mutual death wish before their paths forever linked course; somehow, it seemed life was easier to manage when one wasn't forced to deal with the reality of centuries' worth of pain and misery. These golden months were their respite from it all, a chink in the monotony of loneliness, and it was easy to convince themselves that there was no pit to climb out of when they weren't forced to gaze back down at the chasm they'd left.

Recovery hadn't scratched the surface yet, but the calm they were experiencing now was refreshing.

"Forget about it," Zeref said lightly, stroking her back through the taut fabric of his toga though she couldn't feel the comforting pressure. This was their time; that can of worms could stay on the shelf for another day.

...

Two weeks and tens of thousands of steps later, precisely as they'd calculated, the distant city of Shirotsume was visible through a thinning of the trees on a hilltop where they stood observing the civilized scene. Houses and a chapel stood in neat rows, with only the rooftops visible to the travelers.

'There it is, Zeref! I haven't seen a city in so long.' Mavis sounded wistful.

"Unfortunately, even if our presence wasn't a danger to the populace we wouldn't have time for dawdling," Zeref said, though he understood her desire to be among them. She'd only left human society a year ago, after all, and doubtless missed her friends and the ability to freely mingle with any of the seventeen million citizens of Fiore as the town so invitingly beckoned. As for Zeref, he had forgotten the comforts of humanity long ago, drowning in his own inescapable loneliness until he'd met a human girl who not only understood his predicament, but managed to keep the same innocence he'd thought he lost. He hardly considered himself human. Turning from the sight, Zeref began their journey around the town. Skirting the southern side of the village wouldn't be too inconvenient a detour.

'Our next destination is a small village near the Pacific Ocean, correct? You're more knowledgeable about geography than I am,' Mavis added as they walked down an incline in the woods.

Feeling her rounded stomach press into his front through the tunic, he answered, "The western seaside town of Yashinoki, you are correct. The land isn't as densely populated here in the north as it is further south, which will work to our advantage." Because of the time limit he knew her pregnancy imposed, he added, "I calculate our arrival to be in another four and a half months, which won't leave us time to cross the Pacific to Alakitasia."

'I've never crossed it, but you seem experienced. How long does it take?' Mavis asked worriedly.

"A month." Zeref said flatly, letting out a slow breath as those two words sank in. That was assuming they would travel alone. "Unless we pick up our pace, or have help crossing it, we hypothetically may not reach the safety of Vistarion in time for either you or the babe to survive. I won't let either of you come to harm if I can help it, however."

Mavis remained silent, before saying sincerely, 'Thank you, Zeref.' She would never take for granted the reassurance of having a knowledgeable, not to mention powerful, mage on her side.

They were both aware of the dangers of giving birth in Ishgar. Neither would be able to care for the baby, nor could Zeref communicate with Mavis, and they would be forced to rely on the help of strangers or worse. He couldn't allow that to happen—he needed to pick up the pace, before he resorted to different means.

...

A month later, spring had arrived in full force, with mild weather finally easing their passage for the first time in months. The woods were once again filled with vitality in the form of a kaleidoscope of wildlife and foliage, complete with a few stray flowers here and there amidst the decaying leaves from the previous fall. In the meadows and hills Zeref passed, the gentle green of young grass matured under the warm sunlight as he walked, taking care not to step on any of the small beatles or anthills in his path despite the exhaustion weighing him down. Even his enhanced endurability was running out, mental and physical fatigue nagging at his senses. He blinked almost tiredly, keeping his feet moving at a measured pace despite the heaviness in his limbs, until Mavis finally snapped.

'That's enough, Zeref! You're going to rest now. I put my foot down this time—you've been walking nonstop for six days. We're more than making up for the lost time, and at this rate we'll reach Alvarez ahead of schedule. There's no need for you to exhaust yourself!' Her words were stern, but filled with compassionate concern.

"Alright, Mavis," he said slowly. "I know you dislike seeing me in discomfort and though I've told you this is nothing compared to what I've experienced before, I'll sleep if it will please you." Walking to the edge of the woods, he sank down into the shady grass, loosening the knots on his shoulders to let down her body and almost collapsing on his back. Closing his burning eyes, he let weariness pull him under. His sleep was usually fitful due to the countless thoughts and worries assaulting his mind, but this instance he was able to sleep soundly for a few hours before drifting into the dreamland of his mind.

He saw Mavis sitting alone, talking to someone he couldn't see—Zera, as she called her imaginary friend—and she looked up to smile at him. It was August again, the month they'd met. He was reliving the few treasured days he'd taught Mavis and her friends.

The vision shifted and he was sitting beside her at the base of a tree, explaining the virtues of Law, as well as the consequences of using it. He warned her not to use it, made her promise, and she agreed. He just wanted her to be safe, and though the situation felt strange he was too immersed in the moment to question it.

But she was different—older, he realized, with a fuller chest and hips that were apparent despite the frilly dress she wore. Hearing her voice and seeing her lips move in conjunction with the syllables she enunciated lightened his mood instantly. He suddenly realized what was so strange about it all; there was no fear cloying his chest for her, no death magic waiting to burst out and claim the life around him, and the hazy confusion that usually clouded his mind was conspicuously absent.

Suddenly hearing a child's voice calling out to them, he turned to see Mavis reach out to a young boy and sweep him into her arms with a bright peal of laughter, kissing his head tenderly. Watching the intimate scene with a lump in his throat, Zeref's gaze was riveted to Mavis's beaming face as she smiled up at him. Seeing his arms reaching out to take the little toddler, his mind felt disconnected from his body as the boy climbed into his lap with a happy giggle. His eyes...he recognized them with a gasp, though they were unique. Other familiar features became apparent. Blond hair and a trademark cowlick that waved in the breeze. Small hands tugging at his toga.

"Father..."

Opening his eyes groggily, Zeref pushed himself up with Mavis's name on the tip of his tongue, and saw her lying semi-naked in the toga he hadn't bothered to refasten, her bare protruding stomach signifying their son's existence. It was a boy, he was uncannily certain of it. The late-May sun had shifted position so they were no longer in the shade, its golden light warming his skin and illuminating hers, making her braided hair shine.

She was so beautiful his breath caught. Her face was clean and restful, and the changes pregnancy had wrought on her body added to its grace and allurement. Her chest was fuller now, her face seeming to glow in the sunlight as his toga looked ready to slip off her entirely. It would be easy to just...his thighs tensed as a tingle ran down his spine and he hardened with lust at the sight of her. He didn't know why she had this effect on him, and he shut his eyes to take a few breaths. When he opened them again, his gaze was drawn to her midriff.

In wonder, Zeref layed his palm over her belly, feeling the warmth and melded magic power of mother and son's combined spirits brushing against his. Looking at Mavis's peaceful face, he quietly promised, "I won't let any harm come to him. You have my word."

'Nor will I,' she thought to him, and he noticed her voice sounded vulnerable.

With the dream still fresh in his mind, Zeref turned his attention to her. "Do you remember the month we met?"

'I do,' she said. 'It was August, X686. I was more interested in obtaining power to save my friends back then, but I remembered your loneliness and wished you well in the years that followed, though I didn't truly understand your pain.'

"I cherished our time together," Zeref said with quiet sincerity, revealing his true feelings in a rare moment. Mavis knew how difficult it was for him to overcome the cursed confliction that perpetually plagued his mind with its lies. Wrapping her in the toga, he lay back down beside her, pulling her back into his front and slipping his hands inside her makeshift clothing to cradle the child in her womb. "This boy, I want him to be safe. From us. From the world."

Accepting the baby's gender without a qualm, Mavis replied, 'We'll find a way to raise him. He needs us.'

"And what if we're unable to? If I fail, and he is sent away to be raised without us, he would be better off ignorant of the identity of his parents. And even if we were to cheat fate and lift the curse, who's to say he wouldn't thrive more without his murderer of a father?"

'What? No, he wouldn't. He would need you and he wouldn't understand why you didn't want him. Children are forgiving and he would understand—don't you see?'

At his silence, she went on with heartfelt conviction. 'You need to live, for this baby's sake. He'll need us both, and we won't allow him to grow in a world without his parents, facing despair and struggling alone. His magic power is strong, and knowing how powerful you are I'm not surprised.'

"I'm not the only parent who's powerful... You're right. There's no telling how destructive he could be if he fell into the wrong hands," Zeref agreed reluctantly.

'What I'm asking you to do isn't easy. Give up your death wish, Zeref. Our son needs you.'

"I gave it up the moment you told me you accepted me," he said quietly, a hint of ironic anguish creeping into his voice. "I allowed myself to hope for a moment that the nightmare was over. But then...you...I don't know what monster I'd become without you." His voice broke, but he continued. "I have no desire to die as long as you're by my side. But I pity any child I raise."

'No, you have it all wrong! A child with a father who tries his best is better off than an orphan. I would know; my parents died when I was a small girl.'

"As did mine."

Mavis was silent a moment as she absorbed this information, her heart going out to him in sympathy. 'Then you know what it's like to need and miss them! Let's do our best to be there for him. I wanted to die as much as you did, but that was before this child's existence. Before we discovered our love for each other.'

"We will be there, whether with him physically or not," he agreed solemnly. "I automatically assumed he would be better off without our existence because we would send him away, but perhaps you're right and we'll lift the curse."

'We will,' Mavis insisted, her voice fraught with emotion and determination.

Zeref was silent as he thought, as usual, on methods of revival. Nothing new occurred to him, to his frustration. Their time was running out like sand and it seemed the end was inevitable. Why hadn't her magic had any effect on him, and would that conundrum last once she was revived? He would have to assume so, for the time being.

His head beginning to ache, he filled his nostrils with the scent of fresh air and the light floral fragrance of the wildflowers in the meadow around them. Flattening his palms against Mavis's stomach, he had an idea and intentionally unveiled a bit of his strong magical aura, nearly starting when he felt an answering movement beneath the taut skin of her midriff. It was so slight, a gentle fluttering under his hand, that at first he thought he'd imagined it.

"Mavis," he said in a hushed tone, as if afraid his voice would dispel the precarious memory. "I just felt..."

'What did you feel?'

"It moved." Zeref said under his breath. "I felt it—him—move, when I revealed my magic power."

Mavis was similarly awed, sharing in his dubious excitement. 'He must know you're there, then. He was reacting to the power he sensed.'

For a moment, they were simply two parents sharing in the joy of their baby's first kick.

Zeref was smiling, relaxing for once in the warm sunlight and Mavis's presence, when he remembered the reason he shouldn't have stopped for a nap in the first place. Feeling a bit of the cold dread return, he dropped the smile and sat up, reharnessing her to his body and rising to his feet. He finally had a chance at happiness; he wasn't about to throw it away.

'Zeref, I've been wanting to do something ever since I garnered enough magical power,' Mavis interrupted as he was about to resume walking.

Ears prickling at the tone in her voice and turning to where he sensed her spirit to ask what she meant, he was faced with what appeared to be an illusion manifesting itself...of Mavis.

A/N: As for a possible theory on Mavis's projection: Perhaps she was a spirit when she awoke during the Tenrou arc to save her guild, and only projected herself into Fairy Tail members' minds (created the Thought Projection) then. Thus the reason several people were able to sense her presence, such as Zeref and Shelia during the Grand Magic Games arc, but were unable to see her because she didn't project an apparition into their minds. It's called a Thought Projection after all, and is basically a psychic copy of the real person, though some users can give it physical form.

To lunria14: Oh goodness, such a kind review, thanks! I'm honored. Feel free to ask any questions so I can answer them like this, or create an account so you can follow this story and PM me. Lots of love to all my readers. You guys are my inspiration!