A-Z of Melizabeth by Fullmetal Pyromaniac

I is for...

Illusion

Prompt by Lunabellla

Elizabeth awoke with a fright, her chest felt tight and it was difficult to breathe. Her vision blurred suddenly and tears leaked down her face, why was it so difficult to breathe?

A large hand rested on her shoulder and Elizabeth flinched away, falling off her bed with a yelp and a thud. She looked up fearfully, why was she scared? Why? Why? Why?

Meliodas sat on the edge of the bed staring down at her worriedly, his eyes wide.

"Elizabeth? Elizabeth are you okay?" He asked, Elizabeth nodded and groaned, pressing her head into her hand.

"I...I'm fine. Just a bad dream" Meliodas grinned and stood up, offering her his hand and pulling her to her feet.

"I'm gonna head downstairs to make sure everyone's setting up, after all it is Saturday today, the bars gonna be busy. Come down when your ready"

Elizabeth didn't reply as Meliodas walked out the door, closing it softly behind him. She went to her bedside table and pulled out a calendar her sister had given her last Christmas. She had never gotten around to hanging it up.

Skipping to May, she checked the date and frowned. It was a Sunday.

*~*~I is for...~*~*

Downstairs everyone was sat at the bar, drinking ale and laughing. Elizabeth walked in and immediately flinched back. Fear crawled up her throat like bile, wanting to spill out. Gripping the doorframe, Elizabeth balanced herself and took deep breaths.

"Elizabeth?" It was Diane, "You feeling ill?"

"You're very pale, you should maybe go back to bed" King added cautiously, Elizabeth gluped down air and stood straight, giving a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, honestly, you shouldn't worry about me"

It didn't stop the worry from tainting their features, pressing creases into the place in between their eyebrows. Fear once again took hold of her but this time she hid it. She didn't want to burden them all.

Elizabeth took her regular seat next to Meliodas and Gowther while Meliodas did his pre work speech.

"Okay guys, we're in a pretty big town and it's Saturday so tonight's gonna be super busy. Diane I want you waitressing from nine till midnight, Elizabeth you do from six till nine. Ban I want you in the kitchen, King I want you helping me at the bar. Gowther, you work for as long as you want, okay? Merlin you can do whatever, you can waitress if we need it. Let's have a good night!"

"but what about Hawk?" Elizabeth found herself asking. Heads snapped to her suddenly and curiously, eyes narrowed.

"Who's Hawk?" Ban asked, sipping on his ale. "Never heard of this guy, you sure you're feeling fine Ellie?"

Fear flooded her again. Everyone's gazed burned into her, despite knowing who he was, she hadn't even known how she knew or remembered 'Hawk' yet...she remembered him. He was a pig with a dark pink clover on his rear, he was always running to her complaining about Meliodas and Ban threatening to cook him. She loved him like a little brother or son.

"I...I..." she faltered, had Hawk even existed? Meliodas had met him after he was framed and Ban had a great friendship with him but she couldn't have imagined it?

"I had a good friend named Hawk, I thought you all knew him too"

"I don't recall knowing anyone called Hawk" Gowther said, pushing his round glasses up on his nose, the circular brims making the golden irises pop.

"I don't either" King agreed, Diane frowned.

"You look even paler, I think you should lay down" she said softly, Elizabeth sighed and nodded.

"I think I will, wake me up when it's time for me to work? Okay?"

Merlin nodded and Meliodas stood, helping Elizabeth stand.

"Here, you guys set up, I'll put Elizabeth to bed"

Everyone said their good nights and get well soons, and Elizabeth was being lead upstairs to the bedroom. When she walked in, hand in hand with Meliodas, a chill went down her spine and one of her wrists burned suddenly. She cried out and grabbed it, it hurt so much.

"Elizabeth! Elizabeth what's happened? Elizabeth speak to me!" Meliodas shouted, she winced, the burning sensation eventually faded and Elizabeth was able to speak.

"M-my wrist..." She choked out, gripping it so hard her knuckles were white, the pain stopped and it was like nothing had happened. Meliodas fingers gently pried her own from her wrist and examined it.

"There's nothing there" he said softly, pressing his lips to the inside of her wrist, where the veins were. "If it hurts again, just shout for me, okay?"

"I promise, thank you Meliodas"

She lay down in her bed and Meliodas pulled the white covers up to her chin and kissed her forehead then he left like he had that morning, quietly closing the door behind him. Elizabeth closed her eyes and tried to drift away, it took a while but eventually she did. Her last thought being, did Gowther always have round glasses?

*~*~I is for...~*~*

It was the late afternoon when Elizabeth was woken by Merlin hovering over her.

"Elizabeth, it's time to wake up now, you're on shift in an hour"

Elizabeth sat up, groggy and tired, like her energy had been sapped rather than replenished.

"Mm, yeah, I'll be down in a few minutes. Thank you Merlin"

She looked unconvinced as she crossed her arms and leant to the left.

"Are you sure, if you're still unwell I think you should take the night off. Meliodas won't mind"

"I'm fine, honestly, I'll drink some tea and be back to my full strength. A little...whatever that was this morning, won't hold me back"

Merlin grinned and nodded, "how noble of you princess, I'll see you in a few minutes"

Elizabeth nodded back and Merlin went downstairs, Elizabeth sighed and rested her face in her hands. The fear was back, resting in the pit of her belly, not doing anything, just there. Paranoia wrapping around her mind slowly but surely.

Slipping on her pink top, black skirt and single black sock that went on her left leg, Elizabeth gazed out of the window. The sun was setting over the horizon, in the distance she could see the castle where she grew up.

Meliodas' shout from downstairs pulled her from the window, she pulled on her mismatched shoes and went down the stairs. Diane and Gowther were in their uniforms already, chatting by the bar. Ban was wearing a lilac apron, was it always lilac?, and carrying food up from the store room. Meliodas was double checking that the beer kegs poured easily and that the vanya ale was still drinkable.

Elizabeth felt out of place, the air felt so static, so dull, so dead.

Six o'clock came around and the bar filled easily, Elizabeth waited tables with ease. There were no groping hands or rude comments about her or her assets. There were so friendly comments either, no 'how's your night?' Or 'I hope that young gentleman isn't working you too hard'.

No harmless flirtations or jokes. It was boring. At eight there were no orders to be taken so Elizabeth sat by the bar with Meliodas.

"It's strangely quiet tonight" she commented when he didn't say anything, "no ones made any comments, or even spoken to me besides ordering. Isn't it odd?"

Meliodas paused in pouring himself a drink, Elizabeth noted that he never drank on the job, and leant on the bar.

"Well isn't it obvious? Everyone knows you're married to me so they don't want to make you uncomfortable"

Elizabeth shot up, eyes wide. "Married to you!? Since when?"

Meliodas frowned and crossed his arms, "Since three months ago. That hurts Elizabeth, you don't even remember? There's a ring on your finger"

Looking down there was indeed a silver band on her fourth finger, her breath quickened. That wasn't there this morning. Or ever.

"Why don't I remember it? I can't remember ever being engaged or the wedding!" She shouted, the bar didn't stir, seemingly unaware of Elizabeth and Meliodas.

"Well, being pregnant can make you feel a little iffy, not sure about memory loss though. Maybe you should yake the rest of the night off" Meliodas droned on but Elizabeth wasn't listening.

She looked down again and couldn't see the floor over her protruding stomach, fear rose up her throat and spilled over with a scream. No one noticed.

"No! No! No!" She screamed, "This isn't real!"

Meliodas seemed to notice her now, staring into her eyes he said "What isn't real? Of course this is, why wouldn't it be?"

Then her heart stopped, she was staring into cold blue eyes like her own. Her Meliodas' eyes were warm and jade green.

"No! You aren't my Meliodas! It's Sunday! Gowther has square glasses! Bans apron is white! Your eyes are green! I'm not married and I'm not pregnant! Hawk was real! Hawk was our friend! All of this is fake!"

Clutching her head, Elizabeth began to cry. Then a chill came over her, like one from earlier.

"You know, I hoped you'd stay in this illusion until I was rid of you"

The voice was eerily familiar and cam from the corner of the Boar Hat. Looking up, the bar was frozen. Diane was frozen, Merlin and Gowther stopped mid conversation, Meliodas' empty eyes gazing at her intently.

In the corner stood the grey demon, Hendrikson.

"Can you remember now?" He asked, "can you remember reality? I tried so hard to make this world perfect for you, I can't remember all the small details like someone's glasses or eyes, or even your little piglet friend. I even gave you a child"

Her pregnant belly had gone, as had her 'wedding ring'.

"I tried to make it all nice for your ending, you could have lived out a life with your child and Meliodas. Though it wouldn't have been real. You just had to figure it out, didn't you"

"What did you do to them? Where am I?" She choked out, clutching her wrist that had began to throb. "I'd rather die than live my life with someone who is a cheap copy of my friends. What did you do to everyone?!"

"I can make that happen. I'm assuming that you can't remember anything, well let me remind you" he smirked, "or should I let you see for yourself?"

The world became blurry and Elizabeth found herself holding onto the bar for support. Everything went black.

*~*~I is for...~*~*

Elizabeth awoke with a fright, her chest felt tight and it was difficult to breathe. Her vision blurred suddenly and tears leaked down her face, why was it so difficult to breathe?

Everything was dark, unable to see anything Elizabeth tried to sit up. Instantly a pain went through her wrist and she was jerked back into something unfamiliar, cold and hard. Then she remembered.

Hendrikson had gotten her, The sins had tried to rescue her but without her goddess powers King, Diane and Gowther had been incapacitated. She didn't know to what extent, all she heard were their cries of anguish. Ban and Merlin were missing, Meliodas was looking for her.

Crying out for her, he ran past her prison numerous times unable to track her down, everyone's auras mixing together to confuse him. He was clearly exhausted.

Elizabeth wearily examined her wrist, it was bleeding profusely. Leaking through the cracks of the Coffin Of Eternal Darkness, she had maybe half an hour left. Probably less. When she was drained the demon race would emerge and reign supreme.

Hendrikson stood in the corner of the room, watching her amusedly as she writhed in pain. Tears leaked down her face, mixing with the blood as her lover ran though the halls of an infinitely huge building looking for her, unable to find her.

By the time he did it would be too late for anyone.

Ah yes, this was reality.

The End.

A.N. Super quick chapter huh!? I think this is my favourite prompt yet, thank you to Lunabella for suggesting this! It was certainly the easiest to write! I wanted a fluffy chapter but my mind was all hopped up on Stranger Things and this came out. My favourite chapter so far though!

Send me a prompt for 'J' please, and (I don't want to sound bossy or picky but) please don't make it 'jealousy' I think I've covered that word enough ;) thank you to everyone who's sent in a suggestion. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you all!

Check out my story 'Stand By Me' if you haven't already, I'll update within the next few days!

-Ruby xxxx