AN: Sorry for the long chapter, it took awhile to write with University final projects and whatnot. I don't own Fairy Tail, though I wish I did. Enjoy :)

Chapter 4

The next few months passed with little variation in lifestyle for the prisoners, other than instead of sleeping alone during their free time, the group of kids played games that they knew or had made up together. Jellal had also made sure to spend as much time as possible around Erza, and also shared with his new friends his ambition of escaping slavery. That confession had marked the beginning of their plotting potential ways to try to escape - without risking their lives in the process. They weren't the only ones doing so. As the months passed, more prisoners attempted to escape, and were subsequently put to death for trying. It didn't take long for Jellal to reach the conclusion that their only hope for freedom was to band together and fight their captors. The problem was that this would not be an easy feat; most of the prisoners at the Tower of Heaven were convinced that they would spend the remainder of their lives there, and that attempting to do otherwise was suicide.

Jellal couldn't blame them for having this perspective - just last week, a very fast little boy had tried to run away, only to have it shown that the creepy giant dogs with absurdly large, spiky teeth could in fact fly, using strange, bat-like wings. The guards had tortured him, like they did to all who tried to escape. It was lucky that he was young, and therefore less likely to be killed. Not because the cultists had any moral issue with murdering children, but because from a purely economic standpoint, being younger meant more years of service building the disgusting tower.

It was another day of grueling work after countless others. The slaves didn't get days off. They didn't even know how long they had been there for. The adults in their cell had been trying to count and estimated it had been roughly eight months since Erza's batch of slaves had been brought in, though it seemed to be getting harder and harder to keep track without anything to write on.

Jellal was currently working on building one of the tower's outer decks on the sixth floor. The seventh floor was where one of the senior cult leaders resided. Jellal learned to tell him apart by his clothing being more ostentatious and his mask bearing a different design than the others. He knew this man had left to oversee a shipment of materials two days ago from a conversation he had overheard between guards, and that he wasn't expected back for another week.

Jellal couldn't help but notice as he stacked bricks and mortar to form a railing for the veranda that the already-built deck above him hosted an abundant fruit garden - he could spy multiple apple trees, sprouts, pea stocks and potted strawberry plants. I always really loved apples...it's been a long time since I've had one…

The months of stale bread and watery stews containing only leftovers had left him starved for anything remotely flavorful. He felt his mouth water as he looked at an apple tree on the man's extravagant deck. He check behind him. None of the guards are looking...Its not too far to climb up by stepping on what I've built so far.

Before he could talk himself out of doing it, Jellal leveraged himself on top of the fencing he'd built and jumped up to the fancy veranda. He checked around once he was up, making sure no one had noticed him and that nobody was inside the room attached to the deck, then grabbed an apple from one of the trees and brought it close to inspect. If he had seen this apple back at home before coming to this hellhole, he probably would have thrown it out for being underripe and bearing a few brown marks. But here, after so little variation and quality in his meals, he devoured it whole, core included. It tasted sweet and tart and succulent. He really had missed the taste of fresh food. He sandwiched himself into a little nook in between the plants and the outer railing of the deck as he finished his snack. This place actually has a really nice view from here. He thought as he watched the sunset disappear beyond the horizon. The seventh floor was high enough that he could block the building materials and the rest of the island from view, just looking out to the endless water. He noted how there was room for two people in his little hiding nook in the garden, and how it was optimal for watching the view. I should bring Erza here. He thought. The colours of the dusk reminds me of her hair.

Jellal allowed himself a few minutes of blissful daydreaming about his pretty crush. It wasn't just her hair that attracted him to her - though that was something he was able to single out easily in this dreary place; it was everything about her combined. Her big brown eyes, button nose and the way she looked at him through her eyelashes sometimes that drove him crazy, even though he tried to act normal. The way she always helped out the younger kids, and tried to lead people when they seemed to have lost their way. She had developed so much since first coming here and crying every night; she always tried to work extra hard during their labour time so that the others wouldn't have to do as much. Jellal admired every part of her. She was outstandingly strong - both physically and emotionally. Her extra work payed off as she grew muscle and endurance at an alarming rate. Even when the others didn't seem convinced that they would escape, she never lost faith in Jellal's resolve. Every time she stood by him, especially when it was Simon that contested his plans, Jellal felt his heart dance in his chest.

He figured it was time for him to get out of the area before one of the guards found him sneaking around in places he shouldn't be, so he jumped down from the veranda and made his way back to the other workers as they finished up the day's shift, making sure to leave that sixth floor railing unfinished. He would have to show this secret area to Erza tomorrow.

That evening, they played a game that Sho suggested, called "I spy".

"I spy with my little eye, something that is...red." Said Simon on his turn. "Erza's hair" Said Jellal, rolling his eyes. "This game doesn't really work when everything around us a pretty much either grey or brown."

"Yeah" Said Sho "We should probably keep it to those two colours then" "This game's gonna make me sad if we do that" Sighed Millianna. "Yeah," Agreed Wally. "Why don't we play something a bit more dandy?" The black haired boy had recently decided that "dandy" was his favourite adjective. It got annoying fast. "Like what?" Asked Erza. "How about 'Would you rather'?" Suggested Millianna. The group agreed and began the first round.

"Milli, would you rather...have a cat that is green or a cat that is orange?" Questioned Wally. "I don't know!" Replied a wide-eyed Millianna. "They both sound KAWAII!" She mused in a fit of giggles. "Well there goes that game" Simon commented. "C'mon Millianna" Complained Sho. "You need to answer one or the other or else there's no point in playing" "To be honest I really don't feel like playing anymore." Stated a sullen looking Simon. "Why don't we see if Grandpa Rob has any stories to share?" Suggested Sho. The others all agreed and went to ask Grandpa Rob to help amuse them.

"Now now...That's just not fair - how am I supposed to turn down all these young, pleading faces?" He laughed. "So you'll tell us?!" Sho exclaimed. Grandpa Rob sighed. "Well… I suppose I have no choice"

He went on to recite a tail about a fairy-like girl named Mavis Vermillion and her quest to find real live fairies after her home had been taken away, and all she had was one friend and many books to occupy her time - these books were mostly about magic, so she learned much about its ways and origins. Then came the bounty hunters to her little island and well...Jellal hadn't paid too much attention to the rest - he was far too occupied staring at Erza and the transfixed expression on her face.

"...And finally, Warrod, Yuriy, Precht and Mavis finished making the guildhall, and opened the finest guild for mages across Fiore: Fairy Tail" Grandpa Rob finally finished. All the other children had fallen asleep during his storytelling - only Jellal and Erza remained awake. He couldn't help but notice how Erza looked more passionate and excited than he had seen her throughout the duration of their stay at the tower. "I wanna be a wizard some day" She stated confidently. Jellal smiled softly - wizardry did sound pretty cool. Maybe they could be wizards together.

"Funny you should say that" Remarked Grandpa Rob. "I wasn't going to mention it in front of the others… but seeing as they are asleep now…" He trailed off distractedly, checking that all the other kids were really asleep. "The two of you struck me by surprise when I first saw you. As a wizard, I am able to sense, to a degree, magical energy. Though my true powers were stolen from me long ago, leaving me nearly defenseless, my magical intuition is still very much intact." He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "The two of you contain a great deal of magical energy - a frighteningly large amount, in fact, for children your age. If the two of you chose, I think you have the potential to become very strong wizards - maybe even Wizard Saints. This is both a very exciting and good thing, and something you must be very wary of. Many mages - especially those who experience traumatic events in their childhood - have lost their way and end up using their magic to perform horrible, horrible deeds. Please, I implore you, be mindful of your magical power, should you choose to pursue it, and ALWAYS make sure to question your motives for using it." Grandpa Rob finished his explanation.

Jellal felt very excited at Rob's observations. Both Erza and I have the makings of wizards? Awesome! The two of them exchanged thrilled glaces, before going off to fall asleep.

The next day, Jellal made sure that no one went near to the sixth floor balcony he had been working on. He worked for hours nearby, keeping an eye on Erza the whole time. Finally, when their shift had only an hour or so to go, Jellal walked up to Erza and took her hand. He knew the guards generally took a little break time toward the end of the day, especially when their superior was away. Erza blushed at his action. There was a guard nearby so Jellal made sure to say within earshot "Hey Erza, can you help me out with building the railings over here? I couldn't get it all done yesterday." Looking dumbfounded, she said "Sure" and the pair made their way to his little refuge nook.

When they got to the deck, Jellal checked to make sure no one was watching, then turned to Erza. "Quick, while no one is looking, let's hop up on to the ledge above. I found a little hideout where we can relax for a bit." Erza looked surprised, but didn't deny Jellal's helping hand guiding her to the floor above. He knew she was perfectly capable of crossing the distance herself, but this gave him an excuse to touch her. He hoisted himself up next, and the two of them looked around at the fancy fruit garden.

"Wow, what is this place?" Questioned Erza. "Its the room of that boss guy who's gone away for a few days." Explained Jellal. "The one with the extra creepy mask?" "Yeah."

Jellal watched as Erza inspected the garden carefully. She smiled at the pretty flowers, then stopped, looking hypnotized at the strawberry plants. "I really like strawberries" She whispered. "Yeah?" Jellal smiled and reached to pick a strawberry from the nearest plant for her. "No! What if someone finds out and you get in trouble for stealing from the leader's garden?" She asked, scared. "It's fine, I'm sure they'd never notice a couple strawberries missing. Besides, I'd bet these hadn't even sprouted before the guy left. He has too much to do to count each individual strawberry every day." Jellal didn't even care if he did get caught stealing the fruit; the look of sheer bliss that crossed Erza's face as she bit into the strawberry was worth any punishment he could face. As seemed to be a habit when he was around her, Jellal caught himself dazing out staring at her face. I really should learn to control myself better.

He plucked an apple from a tree and sat down with Erza in the nook as she grabbed another strawberry. The two munched looking out across the endless water. "I wonder what kind of area lies across the water. I couldn't see anything while I was being brought here." Mused Jellal. "I don't know if its exactly nearby, but the place Simon and I are from, Rosemary Village, isn't so far away. It didn't take long for us to be shipped here, and its right on the water too." Erza reminisced. "It was a really beautiful place. All kinds of people lived there. Even an orphan like me was welcomed and looked after...though I never had a real home I guess." She looked down with a sad smile. Jellal felt a pang in his heart. So Erza's been all alone her entire life? I thought that my background was painful, but at least I had my Mom growing up.

"I lost my Mom when these freaks raided my village. She was the only family I ever had, so I guess we're both left alone in the world." Jellal explained. He felt nervous about what he really wanted to say next, but pushed through it. "If you want, when we escape this place, we could be family." He felt himself blush intensely. "But...how would we do that?" Asked a confused looking Erza. "Well...I...I heard t-that if you get married then you're family with someone even when you aren't related...so... wecoulddosomethinglikethat" Jellal rushed the last part out, his breathing uneven and his face turning progressively redder and redder. Erza's face now matched her hair "M-m-m-married?" She asked, her voice quivering.

"I...I don't know much about it...or...how you're supposed to know when it happens...but...I really like the idea of having someone who's definitely going to be there for you, no matter what. Most of the others that we've been imprisoned with here have someone at home to go back to if they escape...but...since neither of us do...I figured…""Jellal" Erza interrupted him, refusing to make eye contact. "I don't think marriage is what you think it is. I...I think it means more than promising to be each other's family." Jellal frowned and cocked his head to the side. "Huh? Then what does it mean?" "It...uh, well, I noticed with all the people who were married in my vill-" But Jellal heard footsteps just then and covered her mouth with his hand, quieting her. They heard two guards talking. "I could have sworn that I heard voices coming from over here." Said one. "Well we'll just check it out and make sure that none of the prisoners are causing mischief."

Jellal didn't hesitate. He pushed Erza down to the floor and lay on top of her, pinning her down and obscuring both of them from view should anyone look up at the deck. They both held their breath as the footsteps came closer. "Doesn't look like anyone's here" Said the second guard who had spoken. "They could be hiding on the deck up there" Suggested the first one. Jellal and Erza looked at each other, eyes wide and hearts pounding.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Laughed the second. "If our slaves had that kind of audacity, they'd be running away rather than pulling a suicidal stunt just to hang out in the Captain's quarters. Everyone knows what kind of punishment we like to dish out." He continued to bark with laughter.

They heard their footsteps fading away, but stayed frozen where they were out of fear and paranoia. About a minute after the guards had left, Jellal felt his mind shift away from their immediate danger to the position they were in. They were pressed against one another completely, and Jellal would be lying if he said he didn't really really like it. Something about it just felt so right and comforting. He wanted to try rubbing their bodies together, but wasn't sure about how Erza would react. Instead, he settled for looking into her eyes. This is nice too. He thought. He liked looking at Erza. His eyes felt hooded as he looked into her face. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes were only half open, the look she gave him was just so...so...I don't know any words to describe it. All he knew was that it was making his blood boil, and race, and travel down through his body…

Jellal jumped up abruptly. Something odd was happening to him. His penis was beginning to do that weird thing. He'd had it happen twice before, but that was before coming here. Besides, both those times were during his sleep, and when he'd asked his mother what was happening to him, she had laughed a little, told him it was perfectly normal, and said that she would explain exactly what was going on when he got older, insisting that he didn't need to know it all now. But now she's gone, and I have no idea what to do about this. Jellal was growing redder by the second. What if Erza sees it? He thought as he looked down and, low and behold, saw a rather obvious tent in his pants. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Sure, his mother had told him it was natural, but he still felt embarrassed and knew that he DEFINITELY did not want Erza to see what was going on with him. Luckily, when he turned and glanced at her, she was looking away, bright red, probably due to the position they had been in.

"I'll jump down first to make sure the coast is clear." Jellal suggested. "Okay." She responded. Jellal began to maneuver towards the edge of the veranda, making sure that he never faced or showed his profile to Erza. Once he had landed, he was faced with another dilemma: Should he try to catch Erza? He wanted to, and it would be chivalrous, but then he would risk her seeing what was going on with him. WHY ISN'T THIS THING GOING AWAY?! Jellal thought in anguish. Before he had made up his mind however, Erza had already hopped down gracefully. Jellal made a start. I can't let her in front or beside me or she might see. He walked fast towards where the rest of the workers were gathering now their shift was ending. It was good that those guards weren't anywhere nearby. Finally, the thing seems to be calming down. Thought a relieved Jellal, noticing that he little problem had begun to settle.

When they finally reached their cell with the rest of the group, Jellal really wasn't in the mood to socialize with people. What if it happens again? He wondered. Maybe I'll ask Grandpa Rob about it tomorrow. He thought as he fell asleep trying as hard as he could, and utterly failing, to not imagine the feeling and vision of Erza underneath him.