A Crime She Didn't Commit:
It was a beautiful, early fall afternoon. A soft breeze flew by, spreading the crisp smell of red and yellow leaves. No one could have imagined the horror that would be unveiled that night.
Especially not Jennabeth, who hummed softly to herself as she walked through the farmers market, a shopping basket on her arm. She'd just gotten back from a job with the rest of Team New Blood, and thus had money to go buy some much needed groceries. She stopped at a case of fresh oranges and began looking through them for a few good ones to pick out. She even waved at a few friendly faces as they passed her by. She smiled as she went about filling her basket. Finally, after so many years she was starting to feel like she had found her home.
But, as she would soon discover, her magic would still draw negative and manipulative souls.
"There she is!"
Jennabeth turned to the sound of the loud, angry voice. A large mob of angry townspeople came stomping towards her. Jennabeth looked over either shoulder, innocently trying to figure out what was wrong, until a woman slapped her basket out of her arms.
"Oh!" Jennabeth jumped. "Sorry," she muttered, still innocently thinking she'd bumped into the woman, not realizing the collision was entirely intentional.
That is, until the woman and a man grabbed her by either of her arms and dragged her to the center of the mob.
"Wait, what's happening?" Jennabeth asked, eyes growing wide from fear.
"What did you do with them!?"
"Where did you put them!?"
"Did you kill them!?"
"What do you want from them!?"
A cacophony of angry voices shouted at her.
"Who?" Jennabeth asked, voice trembling. "Them? I don't understand. Who is-"
"That's her!" a man dressed in a fashionable business suit said as he pointed to her. "She's the wizard who ordered those ghosts to take my family!"
The shouting and anger grew stronger as Jennabeth began to frantically shake her head.
"No! No! I didn't! I didn't do anything!"
"Where did your ghosts take them!?" the woman holding her arm asked.
"They didn't! They didn't do anything!" Jennabeth cried.
"Are you saving them for some sick, dark ritual?" the man holding her arm shouted.
"No! No! I didn't hurt anyone!" Jennabeth said.
"But your ghosts did on your orders!" the well-dressed man who accused her said. "They took my wife and daughters!"
"No, no, they didn't!" Jennabeth insisted.
SMACK!
Someone in the crowd slapped Jennabeth across her face. "Stop lying! We've caught you and we're not letting you get away, so tell us where you put them!"
"But I didn't…" Jennabeth sobbed.
"Cry all you want, we ain't falling for it!" someone else shouted.
Jennabeth's eyes snapped shut as she flinched, her body trembling as she whispered something under her breath.
"What was that!?" someone asked. "What did you say!?"
Jennabeth just shook her head. It had not been the crowd she was talking to…
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Uno!" Koree cheered from where she sat at a table in the guild hall with the rest of the Birthday Gang.
"That won't last long," Persephone said as she played her card.
"Aw, you jealous, Sephy?" Koree asked.
"No, I just have a feeling someone's gonna change the color on you," Persephone said as Cato and Roman both played their cards.
"You're right, now yellow," Nashi said as she threw the card down.
"Hey!" Koree frowned, before leaning on Storm's shoulder. "C'mon, Stormie, change it back to red."
"One, please stop calling me that," Storm muttered. "Two, why would I do that? Three, draw four you metal-head."
"WHAT!?" Koree screeched as the rest of the children laughed at her. She began to reach for the stack of cards, but quickly stopped and lifted her head. "Hey, you guys hear something?"
"No," the other children answered at once.
"Stop trying to stall and draw you-" Storm began, but he stopped when the air suddenly grew cold. And the crisp, fall, air suddenly felt more damp and clammy.
A small cloud of smoke rose out of the ground behind the game table. The children all turned and found a thin, pale figure, dressed in an old-fashion, lacey nightgown that looked as if it had been dunked in a dirty lake. The figure's hair was also wet and stuck to her grayish, pale face, framing her bulging black eyes.
"Isn't that one of Jennabeth's ghosts?" Roman asked.
The ghost floated to the children , reaching out and grabbing the closest child by the arm, who so happened to be Roman.
"Please," she begged. "My lady is in trouble! Please, help her!"
Roman shuddered as his skin instantly chilled under the ghost's touch, but still frowned in concern. "In trouble, how?"
"There are some people at the farmer's market accusing her of kidnapping a woman and her two daughters. They're really angry. I'm scared they're going to hurt you, please hurry!"
"Alright, we're coming," Roman said as he stood and motioned for his friends to follow.
"You guys go ahead, I'm going to find some adults," Cato said as he took off to the other side of the room where some of the older wizards were talking.
"Alright," Roman nodded.
"Where is Jennabeth at?" Nashi asked the ghost.
"The farmer's market," the ghost replied.
"Got it," Nashi nodded as she knelt down and placed her hand on the ground. A fiery whirlpool appeared. Koree and Persephone were the first two to jump through. Storm and Roman were next.
"Meet you there," Nashi told the ghost before she herself jumped through.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"...you know where that woman and those children are, now, where are they!?" one of the angry townsfolk shouted in Jennabeth's face.
Jennabeth whimpered as she stood trapped on her knees, both of her arms held above her head by the same man and woman as before.
"My wife is pregnant!" the accuser shouted. "You took two little girls and a pregnant woman, now give them back!"
"Stop crying!" the other man shouted as he pushed on the back of her head, forcing her chin to her chest. "You're not fooling anyone with that sad girl routine so spill it! What did you have your ghost do to them!?"
"Nothing," Jennabeth whimpered. "I didn't do anything to them, I swear!"
"Maybe," someone in the angry mob called. A woman pushed her way towards Jennabeth, pulling a knife from her pocket. "She needs a little persuasion.
Jennabeth gasped and began squirming and kicking. "Let me go, please! I didn't do anything!"
"So where should we start?" the girl with the knife asked. "Ears? Fingers? Toes? Eyes?"
"I promise I didn't do anything!" Jennabeth wailed. "I didn't hurt anyone!"
FWOOM!
POW!
The man and woman holding Jennabeth, as well as the girl threatening her, fell on their backs as five children appeared from nowhere, pushing them back.
Jennabeth wildly looked about, and found Persephone and Koree standing on either side of her. Koree had metal blades in the palace of her hands, Persephone had four saw-shaped screens floating around, ready to send them flying if need be. Nashi, Roman, and Storm all stood in the place of her three attackers, standing in fight positions.
"What is going on!?" Nashi shouted.
"She took my wife and my daughters," the well-dressed man shouted, pointing at Jennabeth. "Her and her disgusting ghosts! And now she's trying to act like she didn't do anything!"
"Maybe that's because she didn't do anything," Storm suggested.
"When did your wife and daughters go missing?" Roman asked.
"Early this morning!" the man shouted. "A giant figure in a black cloak, riding on a skeleton horse came and snatched my family away! It's taking me all day to find this witch! Who knows what horrible things she's done to my family since then!"
"That's impossible," Roman said. "Jennabeth has been out of town since late last night on a job. She just got back an hour ago. She couldn't have been the one to take your family."
"Of course not, because she sent on her ghosts to do it!" the man replied.
"I don't have a ghost like that," Jennabeth whispered from where she was cowering between the Redfox twins.
"What was that?" someone asked.
"He said the ghost who took them was wearing a black cloak and riding a skeleton hose. None of my ghosts look like that," Jennabeth timidly answered.
"Sure you don't," someone said sarcastically. "You really expect us to believe you?"
"Even if she had a ghost that looked like that, why would she kidnap a woman and her daughters?" Persephone asked. "What would she get out of it?"
"Maybe she needs them for a ritual," the well-dressed man said. "Or maybe she wants to hold them for ransom, I'm very wealthy."
"But she just got back from a job," Koree said. "She just got paid, she doesn't need money."
"Besides, why would she choose you? We don't even know you," Persephone added.
"I'm sure she researched the richest people in Magnolia before-"
"Boy, I ain't ever seen you on that list!" Persephone exclaimed. "And I research all the lists. I'm an archive wizard, it's my job."
"Exactly!" the well dressed man said. "I'm rich, but not so rich that I'm too powerful to be untouchable, thus making me a perfect victim for extortion!"
"Okay, sure, I think you need to work on your confidence," Persephone grumbled.
"Hang on, do you even have any proof?" Nashi asked.
"She's the only ghost wizard in Magnolia, who else could it have been~" the well-dressed man insisted.
"That's not proof!" Nashi shouted. "Besides, are you even sure that thing was a ghost?"
"It was a shadowy figure riding a skeletal horse, what else could it have been!?"
"Did anyone else see it?" Roman asked.
"No, it happened as I was getting ready for work, it was just me and my family in the house."
"So how do we know you're telling the truth?" Storm asked.
"You're accusing me of lying!?"
"A weird dude dressed in a dirty blanket and riding a dead horse just randomly busted down your door, stole your wife, stole your daughters, and just left you behind?" Storm arched an eyebrow. "Am I the only one who finds that weird?"
A few mutters whispered through the crowd.
"Why would I lie about something like this?" the well-dressed man asked. "This is my family we're talking about!"
"Say, have you called the rune knights? Or the Magnolia Guard? Or any of the guilds?" Persephone asked.
"Well, no, I-"
"And why not? Don't you think that would be more productive than attacking a girl who may not even be involved?" Persephone challenged.
"Me thinks someone is just looking for an excuse to pick on our girl," Koree said, gesturing to a still shuddering Jennabeth.
"Either that or he's looking for a scapegoat," Nashi added, eyes narrowing and flames burning just a bit hotter.
"Are you saying I did something to my dear wife and precious daughters?"
"Maybe," Nashi challenged. "Just find it weird how you seem so concerned about your family but you haven't talked to anyone who can actually help you find them."
"She has a point," Storm agreed.
"I went straight to the source!" the man pointed at Jennabeth.
"But she's not thes source, she didn't do it!" Persephone shouted.
"You can't prove that!"
"You can't prove she did!"
"But we may be able to prove something," a light, yet strong feminine voice called.
Everyone turned to find Mirajane, Lucy, Reedus, Cato, and the rest of Team New Blood pushing their way through the crowd. Farrah, Benedict, and Montie immediately ran to Jennabeth's side.
"Guys…" Jennabeth whimpered, holding her arms out to them. Montie knelt next to her, pulling her into a hug, as Farrah and Benedict hovered nearby, each placing a hand on one of Jennabeth's shoulders. Cato took up his place alongside Nashi, Roman, and Storm. Koree and Persephone, now that Jennabeth had her teammates to protect her, also joined in surrounding Jennabeth to keep the mob away from her.
"So what exactly is going on here?" Mirajane continued, keeping Lucy and Reedus by her side.
The man recounted his story once again. As he did so Reddus began scribbling on his sketch pad.
"We were on a job then," Farrah called from Jennabeth's side. "She wasn't even in town!"
"But she could have sent one of her ghosts-"
"No, she couldn't!" Farrah said. "Our job was to find a storm-creating lacrima inside the underground labyrinth of an old castle in Caulifa town. We broke into two teams, boys and girls. Jennabeth called two of her ghosts to lead the way for both teams because ghosts can see in the dark."
"So?" the accuser asked.
"Two ghosts is Jennabeth's limit!" Farrah said. "She can't call more than that a time. And even then, only when she and her ghosts are in the dark. It takes more energy for her to keep them out in light. Had she sent one of her ghosts not only would she have been going over her limit, but she'd be sending a ghost into light! There's no way she could have done that!"
"It would have been impossible," Lucy confirmed. "I'm not a ghost wizard, but ghost magic and celestial magic are similar and work on almost the same rules. Just being able to call two spirits or ghosts out at a time is an incredible feat. Three at a time is next to impossible. As far as I'm aware I'm the only Celestial wizard alive now who can do that, and no ghost wizard is currently able to."
"Sir, the ghost you described?" Reedus asked as he finally stopped sketching.
"Yes?" the accuser replied.
Reedus flipped his sketch pad around to show his drawing to the man. "Is this what it looked like?"
On Reedus' pad was a shadowy, faceless figure dressed in long, tattered black robes and seated atop a horse's skeleton.
"Yes!" the man answered.
"Very well," Mirajane said as she turned and looked at Jennabeth. "Jennabeth, call your ghosts out one by one so we can compare and see if they are a match."
Jennabeth looked up, frightened at Mirajane. Mirajane only gave her a comforting smile.
"Trust her, J.B., she's gonna help you out," Farrah whispered.
Jennabeth nodded slowly before calling: "Drummer Boy?"
The skeleton of a young boy, dressed in light blue and white pin-striped pants, a blue vest, blue cap, and a drum hanging around his neck by a red strap appeared. The skeleton looked frantically, side to side at the mob, then jumped, screamed, and ducked behind Jennabeth and Montie, who still had his arms wrapped around her in a protective manner.
"Well, clearly that one's not a match," Mirajane said. "Alright, Jennabeth, call out the next."
Jennabeth looked at the ghost hiding behind her. "You can go back, now," she whispered.
The Drummer Boy stood, putting his thumb where his nose would have been, waving his fingers as he blew raspberries before disappearing.
"White Lady, come out," Jennabeth called.
A thin, pale woman, with her pale, white, wet hair stuck to her face, and dressed in a drenched, lacey, white nightgown appeared. She turned to the accuser, her pure black eyes pouring black tears down her face as she approached him.
"Please, sir, my lady didn't harm anyone!" she pleaded in an echoey voice.
The accuser and the rest of the mob didn't seem convinced by the ghost's words, though, and were more preoccupied with backing away from her.
"Still not a match," Mirajane said. "Okay, next one."
The White Lady disappeared.
"Lady in Red, come out," Jennabeth called.
A woman dressed in a red kimono appeared. Her mouth was cut on either side, two long gashes creating a ghastly smile that reached to her ears. Her black hair floated behind her, as if caught in a slow wind that wasn't actually there. Her eyes were nothing more than pinpoints of red light that she turned towards the crowd.
"Oi! Who's been picking on my lady?" she demanded to know.
"Still not a match," Mirajane shook her head.
"Who should I take on first, my lady?" the Lady in Red asked, causing a few gasps from the crowd.
"No one, just go back," Jennabeth said.
The Lady in Red did not look happy with that response, and opened her wide mouth to say something, but Jennabeth cut her off.
"Please?"
"Fine," the Lady in Red crossed her arms. "But you better be calling Mary soon!" she added before disappearing.
Jennabeth shuddered at the thought of what Mary would do once she was called forth. She still had two more to go through before she had to call on her though, so she called:
"Black Knight, come out."
A figure dressed entirely in black armor appeared at Jennabeth's side.
"What are your orders, Madam?" it asked.
"Just let them get a good look at you," Jennabeth said.
"Uh….Madam?"
"Please?"
"Very well," the Black Knight floated towards the crowd and hovered in front of them.
"Well, this one wears a lot of black, but still not a match," Mirajane said.
"Okay, you can go back," Jennabeth said.
The Black Knight, despite not having a face to show expressions, looked very confused as he disappeared.
"Headless Horseman, come out," Jennabeth called.
"Yes! Horse! This is the one!" the accuser shouted.
"Are you sure?" Mirajane asked, narrowing her eyes as another figure appeared.
A gigantic, black horse with fiery red eyes appeared. Seated on its back was a figure dressed in black pants, black coat, a white shirt, a blood red vest, and blood red cape. A fluffy white cravat hung around its neck, despite the fact that there was no head on top of said neck. The horse reared back, whinnying loudly as the figure atop it's back saluted, once again, despite the fact that there was no head on it's shoulders.
"As you can see, while this ghost does have a horse, his horse still has it's skin and fur," Mirajane said. "It is not a skeleton. Furthermore, this rider is not wearing all black. There are bits of red and white in his outfit. And most importantly, there's no head on this rider," she pointed to the figure Reedus had drawn. "Your ghost has a head."
The Headless Horseman raised a finger, as if to say that Mirajane had an excellent point, which he probably would have said if he had a mouth.
"Wait, how can you hear?" Benedict asked the ghost. "Your ears were on your head just like your mouth, but you can't talk."
The Headless Horseman just shrugged in response.
"Well, it-" the accuser began.
"Oh, you're not going to tell us now your ghost didn't have a head, are you?" Lucy challenged, eyes narrowing. "If that's so, why wouldn't you bring that up before?"
The Headless Horseman set one hand on his hip as he waved his finger in a scolding fashion.
"I was frantic, I might have forgotten something!" the accuser insisted.
"A head is a pretty important thing to forget," Lucy said, before turning to the Headless Horseman. "No offense."
The ghost simply waved, as if to say "no worries."
"Alright, on to the last one," Mirajane said.
"Oh no," Jennabeth grumbled as the Headless Horseman disappeared. "Bloody Mary, come out, and DO NOT attack anyone!"
"Well, what's the fun in that?" Mary's voice called before her body appeared. She had both of her skeletal hands on her hips, or as close as she could get with the gigantic bustle of her ballgown. Drops of blood spilled over from her eyes as she frowned at her wizard.
She turned and looked up at the accuser. "As for you-"
"Mary, I said don't attack anyone!" Jennabeth cried.
"He attacked first!"
"Attacking back isn't going to help!"
"Still not a match," Mirajane said.
"Okay, go back, go back!" Jennabeth shouted.
"And leave you with this bunch of ruffians? I don't think so!" Mary argued.
"Mary, please, go back! I promise I'll call you if they attack again!"
"We won't let that happen," Farrah assured the ghost.
"You better not. Otherwise I'll haunt you until I die!" Mary said as she finally disappeared.
"As you can see, none of Jennabeth's ghosts matched your ghost's description," Mirajane said.
"Wait, wait, let's see the rest," the accuser said.
"There aren't anymore. Jennabeth only has six ghosts she's contracted with," Mirajane replied.
"That can't be right! There's got to be one more she's hiding!"
"She's not," Benedict said. "Farrah, Montie, and I are on a team with her. We go on almost all of our jobs together. If there was a seventh ghost we would have seen it by now."
"There has to be!" the accuser insisted. "How else did that thing show up and take my family!"
"We're here to figure that out," another voice called as Jellal and all of Crime Sorciere pushed their way to the center of the crowd. Laxus walked by their side.
"Sorry it took me so long," Laxus told his guildmates. "I had to make a few calls to some old friends."
Jellal's eyes narrowed as he looked at the mob. "Crime Sorciere will be taking over this investigation from here. You can all go home."
"No!" some called. "We ain't leaving until we find out what happened to that lady and her two little girls!"
"Then perhaps you should organize a search party rather than an angry mob," Jellal coldly suggested before pointing to the accuser. "You, come with me."
"What?" the well-dressed man who had accused Jennabeth asked.
"I have some questions I want to ask you," Jellal said.
The accuser did not look too happy with this, but followed after Jellal anyways. Erik followed along behind him, shooting a cheerful wink in Jennabeth's direction as he followed. The rest of Crime Sorciere, however, went in the opposite direction.
"We're gonna go check out his house," Macbeth said as he passed by Laxus.
Laxus frowned at the crowd until it dispersed, leaving in muttering whispers, still glaring at Jennabeth. Once they were gone Laxus and Mirajane walked to Jennabeth's side.
"You alright, kid?" Laxus called.
Jennabeth stared at the ground as she shook her head.
"Yeah, I didn't think so," Laxus sighed.
Mirajane knelt down next to her, gently taking her arms and helping her to her feet.
"I didn't hurt anyone, Mrs. Dreyar, I promise," Jennabeth whimpered as she finally lifted her gaze to Mirajane's face.
"We know," Mirajane assured her, brushing her hair out of her face. "And we'll prove your innocence."
"But until then I want you staying at the Guild Hall where we can protect you," Laxus added.
Jennabeth nodded as Mirajane and Laxus led her, and the rest of the children, plus Lucy and Reedus, back to the guild hall.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"...everything was going perfect! I'd gotten joyfully shocked by her new pregnancy, and we were happy, and then that girl and her ghosts just-"
"Have a seat," Jellal said as he and the accuser walked into a small conference room at a local hotel where the rest of Crime Sorciere had been staying.
"Why is he here?" the accuser asked, pointing at Erik.
"Just gonna take some notes with old' Boss Man asks a few questions," Erik said as he pulled a pen and paper out of his pockets.
That was only partially true. Erik's superior hearing, much more sensitive than most dragonslayers, allowed him to pick up the most subtle hitches, pauses, trembles in a voice. He could hear the smallest gasps, gulps, shuffling. He could pick up on the signs of deception.
"So let me just get the facts straight," Jellal began. "Did you see a ghost kidnap your wife?"
"Yes!" the man answered. "I already told you, I-"
"Just a yes or no will do," Jellal said.
"What is this, an interrogation?" the accuser asked.
"I just want to make sure the facts are straight," Jellal said.
"What do you mean? You guys aren't even police, or officials!"
"We've dealt with thousands of disappearances," Erik finally spoke up. "We can help you. Unless you don't want us to find your family."
His voice was flat, but Jellal could detect a hint of unease in Erik's voice.
The accuser settled back in his chair, staring at Jellal, waiting for him to continue.
"Did you see a ghost kidnap your daughters?" Jellal asked.
"Yes."
"Do you know where your wife and daughters are?"
"No."
"Do you know if any harm has come to them?"
"They were kidnapped-"
"But do you know if they have been hurt since they disappeared?"
The accuser sighed. "No."
"Did you do anything to your wife or daughters?"
"What are you-"
"Just answer the question," Jellal said calmly.
"I would never harm my family!"
"So that's a no?"
The accuser frowned at Jellal, then rolled his eyes. "No."
Jellal nodded, his face expressionless.
"As far as you know, is your family alive?"
"I haven't seen them since-"
"As far as you know," Jellal specified again.
"Yes," the accuser said angrily.
Jellal nodded emotionlessly again.
"Can I go now?" the accuser asked.
"I suppose," Jellal shrugged.
"Good, this is a waste of time!" the accuser shouted, standing up, knocking his chair over as he stomped out of the room. Jellal waited until he was gone, then turned to Erik.
Erik sadly shook his head. "He was lying."
"On which question?" Jellal asked.
"All of them," Erik answered, sighing deeply. "And the part about being happy about the new pregnancy. He wasn't happy. He killed them."
Jellal hung his head. He'd already guessed that was the case, but a part of him was still hoping he was wrong. He took a deep breath as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lacrima, dialing a number.
"Erza...yes...how many search parties are out there right now...I want Fairy Tail to start one...oh, you're already working on it...well, make sure no one outside the guild hears this yet, but we're not looking for girls anymore...we're looking for bodies…"
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Wendy stared straight ahead as she sat slumped in her chair, a hand on her stomach. Bodies. They were looking for bodies now. This...this was terrible. This was unfathomable. Surely something was wrong. A mistake. A father and husband couldn't have…
"Alright," Laxus sighed as he walked into the room where she and the other Natsu, and Gajeel were waiting.
"It took some convincing, but I finally got some of their clothing," Laxus held up three shirts. "Let's get to tracking."
"I...I don't think I can do this…" Wendy said softly. "I don't think I should."
Natsu sighed as he set a hand on Wendy's shoulder. "We don't know for sure their dead. We won't know until we find them."
"It's just...having a daughter...finding out she's pregnant days before...it's just too close to home for me…" Wendy stuttered.
Natsu's eyebrows raised. "Wait. Wendy, are you-"
"I don't know," Wendy answered. "Romeo and I have been trying, but I haven't taken a test yet. I just-"
"Don't worry about it," Gajeel muttered as he stood and stomped out of the room. "Stay here and keep an eye on Jennabeth."
Natsu frowned in concern as he followed Gajeel. "You gonna be okay, man?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, I mean this is kinda close to home for you too, isn't it?"
Gajeel sighed. "Yeah, that's why I gotta go," he said. "That punk ain't gonna bring 'em home, so I gotta."
Natsu nodded slowly. "I understand."
Laxus followed after them outside the door, passing them their shirts. All three men got a good whiff and then began walking off.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Jennabeth held her knees close to her chest as she huddled in a corner of one of the guild hall's back rooms. She was alone for now, per her request. Still, the rest of her team, Wendy, and Mirajane were sitting outside the door to guard her. It had taken a lot of convincing to get them to do that, but Jennabeth finally convinced them she needed some space.
She needed time to think. She didn't hurt anyone! She didn't do anything wrong! She was finally in a place where she was accepted, so she thought, and yet here someone was accusing her of a crime she didn't commit yet again! And all because she had ghost magic.
She wasn't evil for it, though! Her ghosts aren't evil either! They were just souls trapped between here and the afterlife because of some unfinished business. Business they could tie up quicker if they had a wizard helping them. That was the whole reason she agreed to make a contract with Mary all those years ago. She wanted to help her! How was she to know that would have caused her parents to abandon her!
She often wondered if her life would go back to normal if she just ignored her ghosts, broke her contracts with them and went about her way.
But she couldn't do that.
She'd agreed to help them.
She was one of the few people who could help them. And that's what she was going to do, even if others hurt her for it.
"Me too?"
Jennabeth jumped. Was that…?
"Can you help me too?"
Jennabeth stood to her feet, looking about the room. That was a ghost. A new one. But…
"Where are you?" Jennabeth asked.
"Outside...please...I know where they are...I can help you...if you help me…"
Jennabeth gasped. This new ghost, wherever it was, knew where that woman and her daughters were? She walked to the door, opened it, and walked through it, heading for the back door.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are you going?" Lucy asked as she grabbed Jennabeth's arm.
"Outside," Jennabeth answered plainly.
"Uh, no you're not. There may still be people trying to hurt you," Farrah insisted.
"But there's a ghost out there," Jennabeth said. "It needs my help."
"And you need to stay safe, young lady," Lucy said.
"It can help us," Jennabeth said. "It knows where they are."
"They?"
"That woman and her children. It knows where they are," Jennabeth said.
Everyone exchanged glances.
"Can't it just come here?" Montie asked.
Jennabeth shook her head. "No, not yet."
"Why not?" Montie asked.
"Ghosts can't always come out on their own. See, there's a barrier between our world and the ghost realm. That barrier is usually too difficult for ghosts to get through on their own. That's why they seek out ghost wizards like myself. Our magic energy is what holds the barrier open for them to pass through. Sometimes, though, the barrier is thin in certain areas and the ghosts can make it through on their own. That's why ghosts like to haunt certain places when they aren't contracted to someone."
"But...if that's true then how come you know there's one nearby…" Benedict asked.
"I heard them," Jennabeth said. "Just because they can't get through the barrier doesn't mean they can't talk to us through it. They said outside so there must be a thin area of the barrier somewhere out there. I have to go out there to find them."
"Okay, fine," Lucy finally relented. "But I and the rest of your team are going with you."
"Are you sure?" Wendy asked.
"They'll be fine," Mirajane nodded. "Besides, you shouldn't even be guarding if you're pregnant."
Wendy hung her head. "I'm not sure yet…"
"Still, just to be safe…" Mirajane said and Jennabeth, Lucy, Benedict, Montie, and Farrah made their way outside. They walked a short distance into the woods before Jennabeth stopped. She looked about before her eyes landed on a tree.
"Okay, you can come out," she called.
A white light shined as a figure appeared on one of the tree branches. It was a young woman with blue hair, dressed in a wedding gown, a tattered veil hanging over her head.
"Hello," Jennabeth called in a cheerful voice.
The figure lifted her head, showing the dark circles around her eyes and the blue ring around her mouth.
"Who are you?" Jennabeth asked.
"I'm just known as the Corpse Bride now," the figure said as she floated down from the tree and landed in front of Jennabeth.
"Corpse Bride," Jennabeth nodded. "Nice to meet you, I'm Jennabeth Lovelace."
The Corpse Bride smiled softly at Jennabeth. "I suppose you want to know how I died?" she asked sorrowfully.
"Eventually, but if you don't want to talk about it yet, that's fine," Jennabeth said. "I would like to know your power though, if that's possible for you to tell me that without telling me your death story."
"Uh...why would those two be connected?" Farrah asked.
"How a ghost died determined their power," Jennabeth explained. "For example, the White Lady died of drowning, so now she has water based powers."
"Oh," Farrah nodded, seeming to understand.
The Corpse Bride sighed. "Indeed. In my case, on my wedding night I overheard my husband speaking to some criminals he was apparently in cahoots with. My husband realized I'd heard him and, to make sure I told no one, he smothered me to death on our marriage bed."
"That's horrible!" Lucy shouted.
"Yes," the Corpse Bride sighed. "But now I can read minds. So, while I don't know where they are now, I can read your accuser's mind to figure out where he put them."
"Oh!" Jennabeth gasped. "Would you?"
The Corpse Bride Smiled and nodded. "Once our contract is complete, of course. I'll need you to allow me to get to him."
"Of course!" Jennabeth nodded.
As Jennabeth and the Corpse Bride worked out their contract Lucy and Natsu. "Hey, um, babe, you're about to get some unusual help…"
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The accuser grumbled as he kicked at a rock. He couldn't even go home now because it was crawling with investigators. If only that girl had just coughed something up! Then he wouldn't be in this mess. He considered going after her again, but no doubt she'd be guarded now. This was just-
A white smoke suddenly appeared in front him, swirling until a figure dressed in a tattered wedding gown and veil appeared in front of him.
He yelped in fear as the figure turned to him, reaching out towards him.
"No, get away!" he shouted as he swatted at her, but to no avail. She placed a cold, blue hand to his face and closed her eyes. Her hand glowed blue. She frowned deeply as she removed her hand from his face and disappeared, leaving him terrified and very confused.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Gajeel, Laxus, and Natsu said nothing as they leaned against various trees in the woods, waiting for Jennabeth's new ghost to appear and show them the way. To say they were looking forward to it was a lie. They knew what they were going to find.
A white smoke appeared, swirling until a blue haired figure dressed in wedding attire appeared. She turned to the three men, asking: "Are you Jennabeth's friends?"
"Yeah, you could say that," Laxus muttered as he, Gajeel, and Natsu walked towards her.
She nodded solemnly as she beckoned to them. "Follow me."
She floated through the forest, leading them along until she brought them to an abandoned house deep in the woods, a crumbling well standing out front. The Corpse Bride floated over to it, peaked inside, then turned to the men and pointed.
"They're down there."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Nearly the entire guild waited back in the hall. By now they'd all heard the news. That a pregnant mother and her 11 and 9 year old daughter were found dead at the bottom of an abandoned well, murdered by their husband and father. After a bit more of digging it turned out the man of the family had a mistress, and wanted a fresh start with his new girl. So he killed his family, disposed of the bodies, and tried to pin the murders of their sweet Jennabeth.
Laxus walked in through the front door, looking up at his guild. He sighed deeply as he closed the door behind him, praying he'd have the strength to do what needed to be done right now. He knew they were all looking to him for answers. Answers that he didn't have. He couldn't understand what this man did. Why did he do it. How he did it.
Laxus shoved his hands in his pockets as he slumped to the center of the room. He looked up and saw Jennabeth sitting at a table near the front of the crowd. He walked to her, setting a hand on her shoulder.
"You okay kid?" he asked.
"I...I don't know," Jennabeth answered honestly.
Laxus nodded, patting her shoulder as he looked up at the rest of his guild.
"What can I say, guys?" he said. "It's a dark day. I wish I could say it wasn't." He stuffed his hands back in his pockets and began pacing again.
"Nobody looks forward to these days, or wishes that these days would come. Yet here we are. I'd like to say we'll never have a day like this again, but I can't say that. Because I don't know. Maybe we won't. But given how I've seen the world work over my life, I'm not hopeful."
Everyone hung their heads, sighing and grumbling to themselves.
Isla, seated in her mother's lap, looked up at Wendy. "Mama, what's happening? Why is everyone so sad?"
Wendy didn't answer, but kissed her daughter's forehead and drew Isla closer. How was she supposed to explain something so horrific to her baby girl? And she was thinking about bringing another child into this dark world?
"But...he's off the streets," Laxus continued. "He's in jail right now. He's going to trial. And he'll hopefully never see the light of day. Furthermore," Laxus walked back towards Jennabeth. "We prevented another tragedy from occurring. That guy tried to pin that crime on our girl. And we didn't let it happen."
Jennabeth looked up at Laxus, tears in her eyes. Laxus reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and gave it to Jennabeth.
"We can't eradicate all the monsters, guys," Laxus said. "Once one goes down another takes its place. But we'll still fight them. Because that's what we do. We fight evil. We protect our own. We bring justice to horrible misdeeds whenever possible. And when the dark days come we get up, and we keep going."
Everyone nodded slowly.
"Go home. Get some rest," Laxus said as he walked to where his family was waiting for him near the bar. "There's nothing left for us to do today. Tomorrow we start over, and hopefully things will be better."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Levy sat on the couch of the living room. Unlike the rest of the guild she and the girls had come home. Gajeel had been insistent that she not get involved in the search in her fragile state, and neither of them really wanted Persephone or Koree getting caught up in it. Still, she'd already heard the news.
That poor, poor woman. And those poor little girls. What had they done to deserve that?
Levy set a hand on her stomach. She couldn't help but notice the similarities between their situation and hers. Two little girls. A surprise third pregnancy. The only difference was she had Gajeel. And that woman was unfortunate enough to be stuck with a monster. A monster who, once he heard of her unplanned pregnancy, snapped. Killing her, the baby, and their other two children.
And for what?
The door opened. Levy turned to find Gajeel walking in.
She stood and walked towards him to greet him.
"Gajeel…" it was all she could say.
Gajeel stared at her for a while. Then fell to his knees in front of her, wrapped his arms around her, and drew her close, resting his forehead against her belly. Levy set her hands on the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. They stayed like that for a while, neither saying a word. Finally Gajeel lifted his head, planting a kiss on her belly.
"I love you," he whispered, placing his hand against her stomach. "I didn't plan on you happening. But now that I know you're here, I want you kiddo. Just like your sisters. Just like your mom."
Levy smiled, despite the tears brimming her eyes.
"I'm gonna keep all four of you safe," Gajeel continued. "I promise."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Wendy sniffled as she wiped at her face. The minute they got home Romeo took Isla to get ready for bed. Wendy had slipped into their bathroom, curled up in a ball on the floor, and sobbed. That poor family! And poor Jennabeth! To be accused of such a heinous crime that she didn't commit, that she could never think of committing.
As if stealing three, no, four innocent lives, lives he swore to protect, that man tried to ruin a fifth by pinning his terrible crimes upon her!
For a while Wendy had forgotten how cruel the world could be. She was blissfully happy with her husband, her daughter, and was planning on having a second child.
But now?
How could she bring another innocent life into this cruel place?
"Wendy?" Romeo's voice called. Wendy looked up and saw her husband walking towards her. He sat down on the floor with her, cupping her face in his hands as he wiped her tears away.
They didn't say anything for a while, they just sat there, staring at one another.
"Should we even?" Wendy finally whispered.
"Even what?" Romeo asked.
"Have another baby?" Wendy said. "How can we bring innocent lives into a place like this?"
Romeo sighed. "I know you're scared. I am too. But...we can't quit living because of people like him."
"But what about them?" Wendy asked. "Babies. Children. Is it right to be bringing them into this world when it's like this?"
"How else will it change?" Romeo said.
Wendy looked up at him, confused.
"Yes, this world is cruel," Romeo explained. "But there's good in it too. And just like we need to learn to cherish that good, we have to teach our children as well. Like Laxus said, we fight for change, we fight for a better world, but there's only so much one generation can do. Sooner or later our children will pick up where we left off. So we make sure we do as much good as we can while we can, and then we teach them to be even better than we are."
"That's an awfully big burden to ask them to carry," Wendy muttered.
"It is," Romeo agreed. "life can be hard. But it makes us strong. It makes them strong. It makes them better. It gives them a chance to be heroes. And heroes are what this world will always need."
He leaned his forehead against Wendy, running his fingers through her hair. "Besides, you and I have been through some tough times. But would you honestly say our lives have been terrible?"
"No," Wendy smiled softly. "They've been beautiful."
Romeo nodded. "There's still beauty in this world. That's why we have children. So they can experience that joy, and protect it after we're gone."
Wendy's smile widened. She took a deep breath. She was ready, though she already knew the answer. Her hands began to grow white as she placed them against her belly. Romeo gasped as he looked down at her hands and stomach. She'd learned this spell while she was pregnant with Isla, as a way for her to check on her unborn baby. Wendy held her hands over her belly a bit longer. Then she gasped. Her eyes began to water again as sniffled, a smile on her face.
"Well?" Romeo asked. "Are you pregnant?"
Wendy nodded.
Romeo smiled, laughing with joy as he set his hands behind her head and kissed her.
"And, Romeo?" Wendy said.
"Yes?"
"There's something else you need to know."
"What?"
"I sensed two."
Romeo gasped, eyes growing wide. "Twins?"
Wendy nodded, smiling all the wider.
"We're having twins?" Romeo asked again.
"We're having twins," Wendy confirmed.
Romeo laughed again as he pulled her in for another kiss.
AN: So, yeah, this one was a bit darker than the past few. I will be doing a follow up with Jennabeth's feelings on the whole thing, but I wanted to end it on a semi happy-ish note.
Also, I already posted this on my tumblr, but thought I'd ask here too, what names do you think should be for:
Gajeevy Son: Gideon, Solomon, Jasper, Wyatt
Rowen Daughter: Matilda, Belle, Nora, Adelaide
Rowen Son: Callahan, Atticus, Oliver, Noah