AN: A much safer alternative than the previous chapter. Was requested by an anon, and I hope you enjoy it, whoever you are.

Ciao. c:

"Luce, where are you?" Erza called out, sticking her head through the window she had just smashed to pieces. She would pay the price—literally and metaphorically—later. "Luce, are you home?"

There was no response.

Guess she isn't here yet, Erza thought, stepping through the window. She minded the broken glass that littered the floor, her metal boot crunching the glass to even smaller pieces. The room she entered was Lucy's bedroom, a usually neat room despite the occasional piece of clothing or lingerie hanging around. The bed was nicely made but with several wrinkles, and Lucy's ever-famous forbidden manuscripts were kept on a neat pile on her desk.

However, there was a single piece of parchment, one that was folded up and placed next to the pile of manuscripts. A quill was nearby, as well as an inkwell; it was obvious that Lucy had been writing before she had left for the day.

Erza stared at it, then with childlike curiosity, made her way to the desk. Her thudding footsteps filled the empty room, which was followed by the rustling of the paper as she unfolded it.

It was a letter.

Dear Mom,

"I almost forgot that she enjoyed writing to her mother," Erza mumbled, admiring the way Lucy's handwriting swooped about the page as if it wanted to come to life dancing, the same way Levy's Solid Script magic did.

I hope this letter finds you well. Or rather, I hope it finds you at all. I highly doubt it, considering that you have already...passed on. But I digress. Is Dad doing okay there? Is he doing well? I hope he is. I hope he forgives me for leaving on such bad terms. To think, he sent me a present for seven years on my birthday before he died...that's still something I don't forgive myself for. I suppose now my birthday has been less of a celebration since the whole thing.

Everything has been well. The Guild is doing its best to keep on running despite the slower-than-usual business. The drunkards are still fans of Mirajane, Gajeel is still in pursuit of a singing career, and Natsu, Happy, Gray, Wendy, Carla, and all the others are doing magnificently. Every time I'm with them, it reminds me that I'm so lucky to have found a new family to belong to. I love them all very much.

Especially Erza.

The redhead read those two words over and over again. She knew the meaning behind the simple phrase, but Erza was unsure on how to react.

A plethora of emotion was building up in her chest.

I bet it's shocking to find out that your only daughter turned out to fall in love with another woman. It's okay, I didn't really expect it either. After all, I spent most of my life fawning over muscular men that posed in Sorcerer Magazine, and I even considered going after Natsu.

But everything changed when I met Erza.

There was something about her, Mom, that makes me feel...complete. I don't know if it's because she's insanely strong, strong enough to take on multiple Dark Guilds on her own and still come out unscathed or if it's because there's something more to her than what she lets on. Beneath the shiny armor and knighthood, there's a little girl wearing a dress. It scares me a bit, to be honest, that someone who comes off so strong—someone who invokes fear into the toughest of men—can be so fragile at the same time.

It reminds me that she's a human who wants love too, Mom.

And I fell for that. Insanely hard.

Mom, I really, really, love Erza.

Erza, now having reached the end of the letter, placed it back on Lucy's desk, cheeks burning uncontrollably. Her heart felt it was about to rupture in her chest.

"God, I...I never knew she felt so strongly about me," Erza mumbled, holding her head in her own hands. The cool metal of her gloves did nothing to soothe her scalding face. She didn't understand why she was so flattered to have someone like Lucy hold romantic feelings towards her—

"Erza?"

The sound of Lucy's voice nearly caused Erza to go into cardiac arrest. Titania quickly turned to the blonde, who was staring at her with a quizzical expression. Erza found herself admiring the way her golden hair framed her face just right—

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked. She frowned slightly. Erza replied with a small smile.

God, she's so beautiful, Erza thought to herself as she continued to stare at the blonde. If she still had any lingering feelings towards Jellal, they were all swept away with the breeze as her smile grew even bigger.

Lucy, on the other hand, replaced her frown with an uneasy smile. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she decided to enjoy Erza's precious smile for as long as she could.