Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Wanting some time to herself to think, Levy decided to head to the park alone, earlier than planned. They didn't exactly have a place to stay, but she told the others to have fun and explore, and then walked off. Lucy looked concerned, sharing a glance with Natsu, while Dimaria only glared at Zeref as if she knew exactly what the cause was. Either way, Levy didn't turn back. Instead, she found herself sitting in a familiar place, on the bench where Zeref had asked her to be his friend, in another timeline.

The place was no longer quite as sweet as she wanted it to be for her. That memory…it would never really happen anymore. He wouldn't open up to her, begging for advice on how to react to August. He wouldn't express his concerns over his curse, or the war, or even Natsu, not like this. Zeref didn't trust her…didn't know her at all anymore. Even if she hoped for things to shift, to at least become friendly with him, she had a feeling they just wouldn't. This far back, he was too lost in his own determination to change the past and he had no way to experience the shocking revelation that without the curse, it was all too easy for him to care about others.

Well, maybe now he'd experience that, she supposed. She snorted, pulling her legs to her chest. Her eyes closed, and she just tried to relax, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her. For this task, she'd just treat him like the others. If he wanted to be in charge, after all, he should have stayed behind. So, she'd let him help, and make sure he followed her plans instead. It wouldn't be any different than before, so there was no need to worry.

Someone sat down next to her, but Levy ignored them. Other people could enjoy the park as well, after all. Silence continued on, and the slight warmth from the nearby person was relaxing, in a way. It made her miss sitting near Zeref, or just relaxing with him as she studied or read. Her hand touched the locket at her throat, and she inhaled slowly, keeping herself calm. She was moving on from this; she was strong enough to just ignore it and move forward now.

"I wondered if you'd come here." Levy's head spun, her eyes widening as she saw Zeref smiling faintly, gazing towards the field in front of them. He'd been the one to sit with her, it seemed. "That was…the start of many things, I suppose. I'd still say it is one of my fondest memories of our time together, simply because it was when I first saw how willing you were to…trust me, in a way, and accept who I was."

Wait…what? Her eyes widened, and she froze. She couldn't say anything. Zeref was talking like he remembered that. But, that wasn't possible. He turned towards her, studying her closely. "I am sorry, for…everything you've likely had to go through. Never did I imagine you'd…take over Alvarez for me, much less utilize Neo Eclipse yourself. When I asked Dimaria that question, I was the one planning to be reckless…yet things did not quite go according to plan." He ran a hand through his hair, frowning. "My…past self…remained. I managed to send my mind back, and existed within him, for…some time, I suppose. He did not wish to listen to me, and was still more fond of giving in to his…darker impulses than I recalled. So, when you eliminated Neo Eclipse as an option to him…he sought out myself, in a way. A way to…eliminate himself, and place me in control by finishing the spell I used that went wrong. And…as of the day you left for Edolas, it appears to have succeeded after all."

Wait…so Zeref had…actually killed himself? Or well, sorta done that? Levy didn't know, but, given what she'd seen, it wouldn't be surprising. "You did manage to reach me, Levy," Zeref continued. That seemed off topic. "He was afraid of caring, and wanted to run. And he'd heard…how much you missed me, how much you wished to help. In his mind, he was not seeking out an end, regardless of how it sounds. Rather…he was seeking out a path to accelerate himself to the future where he became me. He did not wish to let that go, Levy…and that is why I did not know how you'd feel, if you'd been aware of what was on his mind. I'm sorry…but I told him not to mention this to you. I did not want you to feel as if you had to act in some way…because it was not your problem to handle, just as the time rift is not."

"But…I'm already dealing with it." Zeref watched her, and Levy glared at him. "Don't you dare try and tell me you're refusing to work with us again. Last time, you wanted to go off on your own in Edolas too, and did I let you do that then either?" Zeref smiled, shaking his head. "So, don't do the same thing now. Don't tell me to just leave your problems alone and let you handle them. Because I want to help, to stay by your side to…" She trailed off, inhaling deeply. He really was back. Maybe she didn't know how to feel about the path to bring him here, but her Zeref was back, and she…felt light-headed. Warm. Tears were falling down her cheeks, and she didn't know what to do. "Just…don't leave me again, please."

Her head hung, and Levy's chest felt heavy. He was right here, yet it still hurt. How could she miss him now? It made no sense, but it was still there. Levy felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, and turned her head to see Zeref reaching out. His arm wrapped around her, and slowly, he pulled her back to his chest. "I did not expect you to let me do this alone. All I ask is that you let me help…if I can. It seems as if you already have quite the plan in motion, though, so perhaps it was pointless for me to come here after all."

He was warm and his heartbeat was steadily thudding, faintly, beneath where her head rested. Levy inhaled slowly, pressing her head into the robes on his chest and closing her eyes. "No…I'm glad you came." She had him back and maybe the timing wasn't the greatest, but this wasn't the sort of thing she'd want to wait to hear. "I've been scared, Zeref. Of what I'd do after all of this, of where I'd go, how to move on. Because I didn't think you'd let me stay in Alvarez, not with how things were going. And Fairy Tail…I can't face them. Not knowing what I had to do to them to get here."

"Master Makarov has forgiven you. If you truly wish for it, he has no qualms about your return, Levy."

"But I haven't forgiven myself and without that, I don't belong with that family, not like I did before." She inhaled deeply, tilting her head so she could glance up at him. "So, is there still a place for me in Alvarez? I mean, this is months before the war now instead. I don't exactly know if things were that different or not…" She trailed off. However, Zeref tightened his grip on her, pressing his head into her neck. She felt his breath hit her skin there, warming it while her cheeks flushed.

"Always. I will never turn away the opportunity to have you by my side, after all you've done for me, Levy. As you should already know…you are the guiding light in my thoughts, the one that keeps me on a path towards a future I can be happy with." He leaned back, pulling her onto his chest to lie down on the bench. "So…stay, for however long you wish, in whatever role you wish to take on."

"Well…I may have sorta told Mystogan I was the empress of Alvarez again to get his attention…" She trailed off, and felt a slight rumble as he chuckled, pressing his lips to her hair.

"You are more than welcome to such a title…though typically marriage comes before such a thing happens." Heat flushed her cheeks, and her head turned to focus on his face. Zeref was smiling, looking amused with her. Gently, he brushed his fingers over the red skin on her cheeks, not helping at all with calming down. "You don't have to promise anything, Levy. I just thought I'd inform you that should you find yourself wishing for such a thing in the future…I cannot say I can imagine anyone else by my side."

It didn't have to be now. Yet, after losing him, Levy knew just how much she valued having him by her side. She nodded a bit shakily, and his hand slowly pushed back, intertwining into her hair. Zeref leaned down, pressing his lips to hers gently. Levy pressed back, gripping the front of his robes tightly to try and pull him closer. She didn't want to let him go again, or let herself forget any detail of their time spent together. Zeref wrapped his arms around her, pressing her closer to him and pressing more kisses against her lips, likely more than anyone nearby needed to see. However…right now, the only thing that mattered to her was Zeref, and being near him. She relaxed into him after a few moments, and Zeref gradually pulled away. He kept her held against his chest, lying down in the park in Edolas. Levy closed her eyes, warmth filling her as she realized she had everything back that she'd been missing since she'd first come to think that he was gone. This park…this bench, even if she wouldn't be able to return to it again, she realized that she couldn't stop herself from agreeing with Zeref. It was a place where they'd shared some of their most important moments together and one day, she'd like to return with him again, just to share more moments like this where both of them were happy and calm, and enjoying the peacefulness of their memories and the setting together.

When Levy had run off, Zeref had been concerned that he had made a massive mistake in following her into Edolas. Yet now, Zeref was smiling pleasantly, idly running his fingers along her back. This was far too reminiscent of the first time they'd been here; Zeref was glad he had been given this chance to see it again. Levy remained pressed close to him, and the sun was still shining brightly, telling him they still had quite a bit of time until Mavis was supposed to meet them here.

"You know, I never got the chance to hear how it was you actually replaced me. Of course, I expected Invel to react in such a way but…it seems odd, that you were all convinced I was dead when I was not."

"Oh." Levy paused, frowning. "Well, it started more so as just a theory. We thought that there was some sort of enemy draining away your magic, not the time rift and kinda theorized things from there." Levy's expression had turned far darker than it had been before. He stilled his hand, instead tightening his grip around her waist. "That was enough to shake me, at least, but I still wanted to hold onto the hope that they were wrong. But then…I found Edo-Zeref's body in Vistarion. That sorta just made me certain it was true. So, from that point on, everything was just sorta rushed. I was trying to process everything, and I couldn't really take a break. Whether it was hiding away your death, accelerating learning with Invel, dealing with Princess Hisui—"

"With Princess…" Zeref blinked. "Fiore's representative came while I was gone." Levy nodded. "I…I did not realize that."

"That was sorta where the whole…we married in secret part came from." Levy hid her expression, yet Zeref smiled faintly. As shocking as it had been to hear, Zeref had not been able to help himself from feeling excited about the thought. Destroying such a rumor would not have been easy, and he'd likely have suggested just…letting them believe as they wish. Though, that had been a selfish thought, one born of his obsessive tendencies and desire to keep Levy by his side. Still, he had voiced to her his openness to the idea now. If she ever chose to make that reality…he'd be waiting, and it seemed as if he'd be doing so with her nearby, given her insistence on needing to remain in Alvarez.

"I see." She saw his smile, and shook her head with a sigh.

"After what you just said, I should've known you weren't actually upset with that at all." Zeref's smile widened, and he pressed his head into the crook of her neck. "Either way, once you were actually gone, that's sorta when we came together and realized you were suggesting the use of Neo Eclipse again. As much as I wanted to refuse, there wasn't time to come up with another solution, and that one would work So…I tried to talk to Master about just using Fairy Heart. Of course, he wouldn't listen. He thought I was taking it for you, at first, and when I told him that wasn't the case he still thought there'd be another answer. That turned into a surprise assault and…well, I guess you can tell what happened then."

Zeref reached over, gently stroking her arm. He'd remembered hearing about it…that Levy still had Fairy Heart, even now. "I suppose I do." He paused, pressing his lips to her forehead again. "For what it is worth, I am proud, of what you've managed, Levy. Decisions such as what you were forced to make…I cannot imagine they would have been easy to deal with. And it is in part my own choices that pushed you towards them…I cannot begin to express how sorry I am, for what I've put you through."

"You didn't choose any of that, Zeref. You didn't make me use Neo Eclipse, and you certainly didn't choose to die or make me think you were dead." Levy went quiet for a moment, biting her lip. She rubbed her head against his chest, one of her arms reaching to try and wrap around him in the process. Zeref arched his back slightly, letting her place her hand around him before relaxing again. "None of it was your fault, no matter how much you are used to trying to blame yourself for everything."

That still was an odd habit of his, he supposed. Still, he smiled faintly, letting out a sigh. "Perhaps it was not." He was quiet again, just enjoying the warmth of having her here. She would likely be…clingy again, after what she'd experienced. Most people often claimed that was undesirable, but Zeref…he was rather fond of seeing her like that. He'd been starved of physical proximity for long enough that excessive amounts were rather pleasant in comparison. So, he'd be happy letting her remain as close to him as she wished to be, for however long she wished to act that way. "My trip, by comparison, seems rather uneventful. Jellal had taken the amplifier, thinking it to be a black magic spell of mine…and if it were not for the time rift, nothing interesting would have really happened."

"Yeah…" Levy frowned, glancing up at him. "How'd you figure out where it was here anyway? You had a location to give Mystogan earlier."

"Oh, he told me. I ran into Mystogan while…investigating things. He was seeking a way to return to Fairy Tail, and answered some of my questions about how he'd arrived in Earthland."

"Oh. Sorry, that was sorta my fault." Levy looked away. "When I first thought you were…dead, I had sorta…planned to try and bring you back. I didn't know if Edo-Mavis had any answers to how to do that, so I refused to send either of them back until I spoke with her…but then things sorta got crazy, and I kinda forgot she was even there to talk to anyway."

"It seems as if you've found some of your answer anyway." He smiled. "I didn't think it would be beyond you, given how easily you pick up on things."

Levy grinned at him, nodding. "Yeah, well, your past self seemed doubtful."

"That hardly counts. He had no experience in observing your ability to succeed in impossible challenges, nor did he have his faith strengthened by your analysis of the curse which we both failed to discover on our own."

Levy smiled, shaking her head and laughing faintly. She was happy, it seemed. "I'm glad that you came back too. I don't know if that's selfish of me, to be happy that you're here instead of your past self or not, but I've missed you so much. Just talking to you like this again…I've missed it."

"I missed you as well, though I cannot say it is likely as much as you've missed me, all things considered." She'd thought he was dead. That…could not have been easy. Zeref did not know what he'd do, if he'd been given that impression about her. Likely…he'd be back where he was before knowing her, seeking out an end to his suffering regardless of the cost. It would not honor her memory, but Zeref knew that as strong as he'd become when it came to facing life…he was still weak to his own sorrow and despair if it grew to be too strong. "I do not think I will be going off on other tasks in person for a while. Therefore…you are free to speak to me as much as you wish. Likely, I have work to catch up on again, given the fact that I'm back to before the war…but I would never object to your company as I worked through it."

"I'd feel bad, just watching you do all the work though." Levy shook her head. "If I'm joining you, I'm helping. Maybe I'm not nearly as fast as you, but I did take on your responsibilities for a few weeks, at least."

Smiling, Zeref nodded. "If you want to, I see no harm in it." She had a strong mind and a good heart. Levy might not have the experience he and August had, but she would not act foolishly either. "I have a strange feeling Invel might get irritated by the matter. He might think you need further education, now that you have time to actually focus on it again."

Levy scowled, shaking her head. "No, I'm done with that for a while. I think I need a break from endless research at the moment. I did sorta just throw myself into nothing but research for the last month or so."

"Well, it will not be entertaining, but I suppose work is one way to step away from such things." Levy smiled, nodding. She leaned back down, becoming quiet and closing her eyes again. Zeref watched her, far more used to having her by his side than he had been the last time he was here. Still, it did not make it any less entrancing to watch her relax in his presence, trusting him implicitly to ensure she was not harmed in any way. It was strange, how much trust that seemed to imply for him. Maybe it was because Zeref was used to having so many enemies himself. Either way, watching her guard lower so much around him was oddly calming and pleasing…and something he didn't think he'd stop enjoying any time soon.

And we've got a little bit more fluff before the end of the story arrives. We are very close to the end, and I hope you've enjoyed thus far. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!