I have a bad feeling that the quality of these chapters may be deteriorating due the speed with which they are being produced... meh, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Chapter 5 is now available for your critique :)

A soft knock at the door startled the Titania from her sleep, causing her to jerk upright, having equipped one of her swords without thinking, prepared to meet any unwanted intruder.

Sighing to herself, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. I guess that last mission really knocked me about, jumping at shadows; I should be ashamed of myself…

The knock came again, a little louder, and more insistent then the first. What in the world…? Who knows I'm here? Turning to her bedside, intent on checking the time, a scowl came over her features as she saw the digitised symbols, who the hell pays house calls this early?

Staring at the door, not really interested in investigating, she unequipped her sword, attempting to settle back beneath the covers before she lost any chance of falling back asleep, maybe if I ignore them, they'll go away…

A knock registered once more, only this time it was softer than the first, and this time it was accompanied by a voice,

"Erza?" The knight turned pale as recognition washed over her.

This could not be happening. She wasn't ready to face her, not yet and not here. Panic began to seize the redheaded mage as the gravity of the situation became apparent. She couldn't meet with Lucy like this; it would ruin everything she had tried so hard (and failed to do) over the past weeks to achieve.

No. She couldn't let her in, because at this point in time, the mess that was her head, she knew she wouldn't be able to restrain herself. And if she couldn't contain herself, she knew she would lose Lucy forever.

The voice called again and the Titania felt her armour breaking; she couldn't refuse her, not now, not ever.

With a drawn out sigh, she stepped out from under the protection that her covers provided. She hesitated in front of the door, before gathering her courage to open it.

Upon opening she almost wished she hadn't, the breath from her lungs was lost in an instant; she felt faint at the sudden deprivation of air, but was helpless to rectify the situation.

This must be a dream… Erza was lost in a haze as her mind caught up to where the rest of her was. There is no way this can be real…

"I missed you." Came Lucy's muffled voice, her face pressed into Erza's neck, clutching her desperately in a fierce hug.

Erza began to turn red as the mage's honest show of affection stimulated some less than honest reactions.

"Lucy?" Came her choked response. She tried to pull back from the suffocating grip that the spirit mage had her in, but Lucy refused to relinquish her hold on the startled mage, completely oblivious to her growing breathlessness.

"Lucy…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could…" having run out of air, she indicated to the chokehold the young woman held her with.

Lucy, who had turned a shade of red that could rival Erza's hair, hurriedly released her, "Sorry."

An awkward silence settled over the two, as Erza tried not to stare, and Lucy's eyes tried not to wander over the knight's private quarters; she had caught a glimpse of Erza's bedroom down the hall, and her curiosity about the stoic knight had increased tenfold.

Trying to think of something to break the mounting tension, the redheaded mage said the first thing that came to mind, "Would you like to come in?"

She mentally kicked herself. Real smooth Erza, because she hasn't already invited herself inside…

Lucy smiled shyly at the older girl, nodding in response to the knight's pointless question.

Closing the door behind her, Erza followed the celestial mage with her eyes, watching the way she gazed in open wonder at the various tokens and relics that she had collected from her missions over the years. So now that you have her here, what do you intend to do with her?

Dropping her gaze she realised she was still in her nightwear; blushing softly, she quickly equipped her Heart Kreuz armour, before resuming her observation of Lucy.

As if summoned by Erza's distracted thoughts, she suddenly spun around to face her, having finished her examination of the room.

"How about a tour?" She asked, face spilt into a large grin, hands clasped behind her back.

"Uh…" Without thinking she took a step back, trying to restore some balance to her severely disrupted mind, she worked her mouth as if trying to form words, a profuse blush colouring her face.

Laughing at the older girl's discomfort, Lucy moved to eliminate the distance between them, "Or we could go for a walk instead if you prefer…"

Eyes wide, face red, Erza could only nod in response. Why, why, does she have to be so damn…irresistible?