a/n: Sooo I was in the mood for angsty Jerza. A drabble turned into this. It's messy but that's okay because it's just a oneshot. This is an AU, not canon-compliant.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.

Fairy Tail never came across an opponent they couldn't defeat. They were too powerful to comprehend such an even more skilled opponent. One that could wipe them out instantly.

Erza stayed back in her house, about to be engulfed in flames that took the lives of innocent people. This wasn't the blinding light of Natsu's spirit, nor the result of his rage. No, this was the end of the happy-go-lucky family who never anticipated a death knell from Tartaros.

Everyone was dropping like flies. One by one, with slow and agonizing deaths. Erza wanted to do nothing more but to hold on to her husband, who insisted on helping the townspeople.

Wendy watched from the stairwell of their small comfy home as Erza secured Jellal by his waist, pulling him towards her. His shoulder blades relaxed, and he let her drag him backwards until the both of them were settled on the couch. From the periphery of his vision, he could make out the murderers going after the civilians.

She exhaled loudly, "I won't let you die. Not like the others did."

They paused, inhaling the scent of their once lively home. The smell of cinnamon permeated the air, reminding them of the little celebration they had an hour ago, commemorating the couple's one-year anniversary.

"Erza, we can't just leave the others like that." He replied, finally looking into her dilated eyes. Orbs once full of love now spoke the language of pity. She wanted him to feel bad for suggesting such a suicidal thought. Even if he was a powerful mage. She tangled her hand in his, clutching it as tightly as possible, as if it mirrored their relationship. A bond that should've never existed because she wouldn't have to desire someone so badly.

Erza stifled a sob, "Let's run away."

Wendy rushed towards her older brother and draped her arms around him. He remained motionless as she held him just as feverishly as Erza. "She's right, Jellal. You can't throw your life away, not like the others did."

Jellal tried thinking of a hundred ways of distracting the two from reality. No words escaped his mouth, even with all those unsaid thoughts on the tip of his tongue. There was no way he'd escape this alive. It was him or all of them. And judging by Erza's response, she would rather be a martyr to this cause. It was clear she dug out her grave a long time ago. At least, that's how he saw things.

But that wasn't how she thought it out to be.

Erza wanted to live with her family. If she had to survive by running away forever, then so be it. Jellal didn't want to blow out the flickering light of hope within her. He was afraid she'd never live to see the light of day.

But he had to do it.

They weren't living a life with blank pages for them to fill. No. Their fate was sealed from the moment they joined this guild.

"Erza, we'll never make it out alive. There's no time and-"

Her eyes turned puffy, and she was begging for the tears to caress her cheeks so it didn't look like she was trying so hard to contain them. Her throat felt itchy from the feeling. "I'll make it work, we can escape if we use our magic."

He couldn't help but smile. And the worst part was, it wasn't even sad. "You would never forgive yourself for leaving your friends behind."

Finally, her cheeks felt wet and hot. "They're already dead, Jellal! What are we supposed to do now?"

"Save the people who aren't dead?" he suggested as if they weren't in the midst of a heated dispute about life and death.

"This isn't the time for jokes!"

"And this isn't the time to be selfish. Erza, it's me or an entire civilization. What's the right thing to do?"

She bit her lip in annoyance. There is no good for everyone in this situation.

Erza said it so confidently, nobody could find fault in her steadfast love for Jellal. "It's brutal of me to say this—but you're more valuable than the entire world."

He raised an eyebrow, "And since when did you become the judge of that?"

His sharp reply hit her like a slap on the face. "Jellal!"

Wendy started wringing Erza's hand, and she glanced at girl. Wendy comprehended everything, one look into her eyes spoke volumes about the inevitable reality. "Jellal speaks the truth, no matter how much you want to deny it."

Her mouth hung open. Erza wondered how a twelve-year-old could grasp the severity of the situation. The scarlet haired mage lived in denial and wanted to for the rest of her life. Jellal never did that. He was a fighter, never deserting a matter of utmost urgency.

He nodded, plastering the same charming smile she cherished. There wasn't even a hint of sorrow or gloom. Something along the lines of love, just like his gentleness with everyone.

Erza drew Wendy's hand back and refrained her from moving through a series of silent talk. Jellal heard it all through his telepathy. He approached the front door quickly, trying so hard to remain detached from the home where he made countless memories with Erza. A rush of wind and he felt Erza's hands on his waist, with her head leaning against his shoulders. This time, she was bawling her eyes out.

She bought herself more time. "It doesn't have to be this way. We can move outside of Fiore. Start our lives fresh."

"And just leave everything as it is? No Erza, we have so much here. What you're suggesting is next to impossible, unless we stop them."

"But-"

He turned around and pinned Erza on her back, taking her by surprise. Her face didn't contain her emotions, not when she was with him.

His eyes trailed to the staircase and noticed Wendy's disappearance. She was in her room, erupting in tears by now, if he had to guess.

He peered down at Erza, grinning at his lover to ease the mood. She wanted to melt into the gaze of his emerald green eyes. She wanted to stare at them for the rest of her life. His fingers tangled themselves in her hair. It was always something he did whenever they met eye to eye. He stroked it with a newfound tenderness. Her eyes felt watery from the gesture.

"Happy anniversary, darling," he mused, kissing her full on the lips. It was very simple yet practiced, and not the kiss she wanted from Jellal. Never. She would rather die than be given this, the yearning touch of the man who gave his final goodbye.

He got up from the floor and trotted outside, not daring to look back at her. He was afraid that if he did, she would stop him from leaving. Erza's eyes flashed to the ceiling, with her hair scattered across the hardwood flooring. She heard the creak of the stairs and let Wendy settle uncomfortably in the tranquil home. One. Two. Three. Her heart was beating like the clock was ticking. Those were the only sounds she could hear filling the void of the once cozy nights she'd spend with Jellal.

Wendy started in a modest voice, "He's gone, isn't he?"

"Yes," Erza whispered, afraid of the truth. She sat up with the help of Wendy, staring off into the abyss with no future to foresee.

"We should fight alongside him, Jellal shouldn't be the only person fighting."

"Yeah," her sister-like figure whispered. The two of them donned capes before heading outside, to make sure their cover wasn't going to be blown. Erza found it ridiculous, since when did she back away from a fight that Fairy Tail was involved? Now there was only one person left from the wretched dark guild. They could defeat him together, with Jellal. The fires were out, which must've been the work of Jellal. It was expected of him to counter anything, being the caster of all the main elements of magic.

Wendy and Erza evacuated many people outside the town and away from the fire. Not a single soul stood around examining the chaos; they all ran away, just like Erza suggested to Jellal. In the heat of the moment, she realized that Jellal had been right. She would consider herself a coward if they hid in the shadows, just like the vulnerable townspeople. It wasn't their fault, none of them were mages. Many had infants in their hands, trying to save their children.

The last person to remain in Magnolia was Jellal, who finished his battle with the once invincible Mard Geer.

The half-dead man cackled as Jellal bathed in his own blood. The situation didn't sink in to either Erza or Wendy, who still had hope in saving their beloved Jellal. The villain mocked him. "This is the vulnerability of having a heart. It's simply the perfect spot to strike someone."

Wendy jumped when she caught sight of Jellal's bloody state, hiding behind Erza and uttering incoherent thoughts to reassure herself. Erza gulped, summoning a blade and striking the man's neck. "Silence! You have no right to speak to him like that."

Jellal weakly laughed, accidentally coughing up blood. "You know what they say. A heart's a heavy…burden."

Mard Geer turned into ash, decaying into the nonexistent creation he once was. Jellal lay there on his deathbed. Nobody came out to appreciate the last of his heroic act except Erza and Wendy. He didn't mind, though. He never asked for the gratitude, Jellal just wished to see his prized possession once more.

She was at a loss of words when she held his body.

"Liar," she croaked. "You said you wouldn't die, so how did this come to pass?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly. He had a lifetime of things to tell her, but not right now. Not while he suffered a wound that sucked the life out of him. "Finally, it's over. We don't have to run away anymore. Nobody else needs to die."

"You're the worst," she bitterly said, reiterating it once more before her nervous laughter turned into uncontrollable weeping.

Wendy screamed until her terror became a distant sound to Erza. She couldn't say anything to Wendy, this was her way of grieving. It didn't frighten her like it once did, because she knew the reason for her pain. No words of comfort could change the fact that their family member passed on. They were all empty. Jellal was wrongdoer to the entire world, but a beacon of promise in Fairy Tail.

Erza didn't know why she spoke with a corpse, as if he could still hear her. She would never know. She would have to ask him once she joined him. "I just want you to know, that even if the entire world doesn't know about your noble deeds, I know all about them. I will honour the life you let me live on."

Everyone would know the tragic heroes that died: Natsu, Gray, Mirajane, Cana—anyone in Fairy Tail except Jellal. This was a reminder that the world had forgotten him long before his death.

She felt her face stain with more tears—or better yet—the sky's tears. It cried for the death of Jellal Fernandes. Nobody else did. They didn't care to do so.

"Foolish Jellal, why did you save the world, when not once did they even bother to appreciate you?"

It was a rhetorical question.

A very rhetorical question.