A/N: So finally here is part 2 of Stowaway. Sorry for the delay, folks - after this there's only a small epilogue to come.

Fair warning - this chapter is nowhere near as funny as the previous one. Still, tooth-rotting fluff abounds.

Her son's arrival into the world hadn't been as painful as it had been terrifying… which was something worth saying as, even by Erza's standards, the pain had been considerable. Still, it wasn't that that pain had her trembling and holding her breath.

No, that would be the fear… the utter lack of control. Because her baby had been born before he should and she hadn't been able to stop it and now he could be very sick because of that, which again she was powerless against. If there was something Erza Scarlett truly, unquestionably feared, being powerless would be it – in a way, those feelings went all the way back to her years at the tower, during which she had been helpless most of the time. Even at Tartarus, the pain hadn't been the worst part of being tortured – it was knowing that she wasn't at all in control…

Still, she could have endured one hundred Tartarus all over again, rather than being through that – the fear that she felt at that moment while waiting to hear if her son was going to be okay. He had been in the world for not quite ten minutes and Erza felt like she had been holding her breath ever since. It had started the moment he had come out and decided not to immediately start crying, which had caused her to immediately panic. Porlyusica had brushed it off in her typical no-nonsense sort of way, barking something about 'giving the brat a moment to catch his breath', which she ended up not having to do as her son's first cries sounded before the healer even finished snapping at her. The relief had been immense but she had not allowed herself to relax, demanding that Porlyusica examined the baby from head to toe before she even had a chance to have more than a little glimpse of him, blaring his lungs out and squirming while covered in all sorts of goo.

And so there she lay, waiting for what felt like hours but was really minutes. Jellal hadn't moved from her side for even a second. It might be because he was too stunned to really do anything (he certainly looked the part, pale and tense even as he held her hand) or because he thought that if he left her side for even a second, she might crumble to pieces (which, at that point, she thought might be a legitimate possibility).

It wasn't just the fear and her general lack of patience that made it terrible to wait… it was the wondering. Because same as she feared for her son, she blamed herself for her role in all that – she should have known; she should have been a better mother; she should have been able to protect him; she should…

"This is my fault," she found herself whispering out loud.

Jellal flinched at her side, showing the first sign that he had not, in fact, turned to stone. "Erza…"

"I am too stubborn for anyone's good. I never listen. I don't think things thoroughly. If I had just left you alone…"

"It could have happened anyway," he said.

"In a hospital."

"What hospital would trump over Wendy?" he asked back.

Erza looked away. "Wendy is good… but she's not almighty."

He sighed, reaching for her and pulling her closer, running his hand through the sweaty hair that had escaped from the half-undone bun Wendy had made on her to keep it off her face while she buried her face into his chest for comfort. "You are right about that," he admitted. "But you're failing to take one thing into account, Erza."

She pulled back a little, looking at his face. "What? What is it?"

"He's crying. Crying really loudly. And that… that is good, right? It means his lungs are strong. He wouldn't be able to cry like this if he wasn't strong, would he?"

Erza blinked. "I… you think so?" It was true that their son hadn't stopped crying for a moment since he'd first started – the sound had been in the background with little wavering for the past ten minutes… in fact it seemed to be getting louder now…

…only soon she would realize that the reason for that was not her son blaring more intensely but instead the baby getting closer.

"Erza-san?" she heard Wendy calling, prompting her to pull away from Jellal in a sudden movement. The youngest dragon slayer stood there with an armful of screeching newborn and a smile on her face. "I think someone is very anxious to meet you."

Erza shot the younger girl an incredulous look. "But… does this mean he's…"

"He's okay?" Jellal finished asking.

"The brat is fit as a fiddle," Porlyusica announced casually. "A bit on the runt side of the spectrum, but I couldn't find anything medically wrong with him and he appears to have most reflexes regular newborns do. We'll see how he takes to eating later, but at this point I can only say this was all much ado about nothing, really."

"Are you really sure?" Erza couldn't help but insist, out of sheer protectiveness. "Maybe you should make a more thorough examination…"

"Woman, we checked the brat from head to toe – anything more accurate would involve vivisecting him which, as much as I can't stand humans, I draw the line at. Just get the damn kid off Wendy's hair and, for God's sake, settle him down because he's even louder than you are!"

Erza blinked incredulously and before she knew it, the baby was being placed in her arms by the Dragon Slayer in question, which was not an easy task, given how much he was squirming around. After a while, she managed to figure out how to hold him securely in her arms although his tiny little limbs kept on thrashing around as he wailed and wailed. So loud… her tiny little baby, so fragile and yet so strong.

Her finger reached to tentatively brush against the little boy's cheek in an attempt to soothe him. "Shh… it's okay," she hushed him in the gentlest tone anyone in that tent had ever heard her using: her motherly tone, used for the very first time. "You're okay. There's no need to be scared."

The baby, like all babies, did not understand the meaning of any of the words she said, simple as they might be – she might as well have been speaking a foreign language, really. The voice, however, was as familiar as was the steady rhythm of a heartbeat that he heard while cuddled against her chest after living with it for months in the safety of the womb. It helped too that the arms he lay on were comfortable and that her touch was far nicer than the poking and prodding the big bad healer had put him through before. Everything about Erza screamed the words 'safe' and 'good' to him. And so, slowly, the screeching eased into wailing, the wailing into whimpering and the whimpering into nothing as he descended into a tentative slumber in that pair of arms that didn't feet quite exactly the same as his home for the past few months but as close as it could get.

"Aw… he just wanted to be in Mommy's arms, didn't he?" Wendy said, smiling widely before clearing her throat. "If it's okay with you two, I'll just go outside and give everyone an update. They're bound to be anxious."

Neither Erza nor Jellal responded, so caught up they were in admiring their son, so Porlyusica told the girl to just go ahead and do it because she wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon.

Just as Wendy left the tent, the baby started to shift a little and, seconds later, his lids opened slowly as he peered up sleepily at his mother for the first time with bleary eyes not quite used to light. Erza couldn't have possibly feel prouder at that moment. She felt like she could effortlessly fight a thousand enemies just to protect him, be it a thousand Tartarus, a thousand Pandemoniums or a thousand war-oriented foreign nations. Nothing would stop her in her path to protect that precious little thing in her arms. Her son.

"Hello," she whispered, again in that silk-soft tone she had saved up just for her little boy as her finger softly brushed his cheek. "I have been waiting to meet you for a very long time. This wasn't supposed to happen this soon, but I am very glad that you are here and okay."

The baby as expected, did not respond in words, but instead just shifted around a little, his little hands opening and closing as he yawned, one of them finding its way around a loose strand of his mother's red hair, which he grasped but didn't pull, holding it close to his face as he closed his eyes again, much to Erza's awe.

"Perfect," she whispered, before finally forcing herself to look away from her son and over at Jellal. "Isn't he the most perfect thing you have ever seen?" she asked.

Jellal found himself unable to answer her question. He was too busy staring at their son with a look somewhere between terror, disbelief and wonder.

"I… I don't…" He ceased talking, leaving the sentence unfinished as he did not have the words in him to describe what he was feeling at the moment. He had, of course, been aware of his son's entrance into the world from the moment it had happened – the wait for Porlyusica's verdict on his wellbeing, however, had numbed down that feeling somewhat at first, though, so the whirlwind of feelings hadn't quite hit him until he'd finally seen the baby being placed on Erza's arms… the elation on her face as it happened.

And suddenly, the reality of it ran him over like a freight train. He was a father… Erza was a mother… to the same baby. That baby, so tiny and innocent in Erza's arms right in front of him. That was… something out of his wildest dreams. No matter how long he'd known it was coming, nothing could have ever prepared him for that because how could he – Jellal Fernandes, former fugitive, traitor, murderer – have contributed to make something… someone so… pure? The answer in his mind was simple – Erza. It was always Erza – his beautiful, brave Scarlet – who shone so bright that not even his darkness could hope to eclipse anything she had a hand on.

He watched in wonder as her thumb brushed the baby's cheek softly, reverently, and as his tiny hand came up and got a hold of her little finger, just barely succeeding in circling it. He was just so small and helpless. Healthy, Porlyusica assured them. Perfect, Erza deemed him. Theirs, his mind screamed at him. All theirs.

He wanted to find the words to tell Erza much he loved her, how thankful he was for being given the chance to feel the things he was feeling at the moment, but his voice was simply not working. So, he did the next best thing – he decided to show her. The display was simple as he solely reached over and pressed a kiss to her brow, prompting her to look up at him and smile. Their eyes met for a couple of seconds before she let go of the baby's hand just long enough to touch his face and guide him down, his lips towards hers – the kiss that followed was soft and quick but full of meaning.

"You're welcome," she said as she pulled away and gave her finger back for the baby to hold. "You are very, very welcome."

He might have blushed if he hadn't been left blinking, wondering if it was his ears, rather than his mouth, that had the problem and he had, in fact, said the words out loud without noticing it, because she certain seemed able to read his mind almost letter by letter… It might also be that she knew him that well or their connection just transcended the bonds of normal means of communication.

The fact was that she knew and the 'how' mattered little to their joy. Joy that an ever-present part of his mind screamed at him to reject because he would never, ever deserve it. Joy that he had never been so eager to accept even if that made him the most selfish person on Earthland. Still, eagerness or not, there was hesitation in his first motion to reach over and touch his son for the very first time, out of fear that his touch would, somehow, taint that pure, innocent baby. He fought through it with all his might, though, and soon his hand brushed against the soft fuzz on the top of the baby's head.

"Scarlet…" he observed out loud, finally finding his voice again.

Erza squinted. "You think? It's hard to tell in this light."

"It certainly doesn't look blue to me."

"It could be something in between," she pointed out.

"Maybe. But I have a feeling that it's red like yours. It feels right – another Scarlet with red hair."

"So, you haven't changed your mind about him having my last name?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I gave that name to you. It's ours, in a way, and I have no intention of letting it end with you."

She nodded. "Scarlet it is, then… Sieg Scarlet?" she asked, tentatively. The name had been the only one they had actually discussed as a possibility, although they hadn't fully decided on it in the end. It had been left on standby but, as things stood, that standby couldn't go on much longer.

"Sieg Scarlet…" Jellal repeated, testing out the words and trying to associate him in his head with the baby itself. Surprisingly, it was easy to see himself calling his son that. "I hope it's not too much of a burden on him…"

Erza smiled. "It won't be. We won't let it."

Jellal nodded, stroking the hand that the baby kept wrapped firmly around a lock of his mother's hair. He smiled at the sight of it, glad to find something they seemed to have in common so early on.

It wasn't long before the baby got fussy again, that time due to hunger, so between tentative, yet mostly successful attempts at feeding him, Jellal wasn't able to actually hold his son until he was about three quarters of an hour old. He didn't mind it, though, because the wait was more than worth it… well, once he got past the hard part, at least.

"Er… maybe we should just… leave him where he is," Jellal suggested, hesitating as the baby protested at being removed from his mother's oh-so-comfortable hold, clinging to the lock of hair he'd gotten a hold of like a lifeline.

"Maybe we are doing this wrong," Erza hesitated herself in the middle of the exchange. "He sounds upset. What if we're hurting him?"

"Don't be stupid. He's fine. Brats just don't like being handled," Porlyusica told him. "He'll quiet down once he's settled."

"Jellal-san, try to support his head a little more," Wendy suggested, prompting him to do just that in the most careful way possible to man. "Erza-san, I think you can let go. Jellal-san has him."

"Do you?" Erza asked her fiancé protectively. It wasn't that she thought he would drop their son. It just… she needed to make sure!

"I… I think so," he said softly. "Just go slowly… just in case," he suggested, equally protective.

Erza nodded, slowly letting go of what little of the baby's weight she was still supporting.

With that, the baby was left safely cocooned in Jellal's arms, wriggly as he might be, and the new father was free to feel the wonder of holding his son for the very first time. He was just so light… it was hard to believe that was how like started for everyone, himself included – as small, helpless little creatures, untainted by all things dark in the world. And even though he knew it was impossible, he wanted to keep him that way forever – small, innocent and blissfully ignorant.

As Porlyusica had predicted, little Sieg Scarlet did settle a little once he was safely in his father's arms, though he still stretched and shifted in search for a more comfortable sleeping position. Jellal smiled and went to adjust the blanket around the little boy. "Hi there, buddy," he said softly to the little boy. "I'm sorry that I'm not as comfortable a resting place as Mommy is. I hope you won't resent me too much for that."

"Nonsense. You have always been very comfortable to sleep on, as far as I am concerned," Erza protested, causing Wendy to let out a choked sound of embarrassment at what she perceived to be a suggestive comment.

Jellal blushed a little because, despite how much she seemed to like using him as a pillow, he was a bit lacking on… upper-body padding as opposed to Erza. But when he tried to look down at the baby in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, he saw that his son had found it fitting to open his eyes and look up at him with an utterly unimpressed expression on his face. Jellal found himself unable to look away, feeling like was somehow being assessed, and after a while the little boy finally let out some sort of strange little sound that could have been translated to 'You'll do' before closing his eyes and going to sleep in his father's arms like they were the safest place in the world.

"Oh," Jellal mumbled, finding himself at a loss of words all over again.

"See? He thinks you are perfectly suitable a resting place after all," Erza said with a smile on her face. It wasn't just the baby's acceptance that she was smiling about – if she was honest, she would say that she had seen it coming all along, really – but instead the whirlwind of feelings that seeing Jellal holding their child gave her. Her two boys. All hers.

Porlyusica didn't wait long before clearing her throat. "Alright… you feeling steady with that brat in your arms?" she asked Jellal.

"I… I think so. It's not so hard when he's not wriggling around," he said, smiling down at the slumbering little boy.

"Great. Then get the hell out of this tent and take the kid with you."

Jellal's eyes widened as he whipped his face around towards her. "Eh?"

"What nonsense are you saying?!" Erza demanded.

"Nonsense? There's no nonsense going on here. We have cleanup to do and men will only get in the way, regardless of their size, so it's best to keep them out of our hair for now… It'll be quicker if we do."

"But… but…" Erza mumbled, looking especially anxiously at her precious little baby she was yet to cease being in the same room as.

The old woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over it. If things go smoothly, you'll have him back here in no more than fifteen minutes, so let the man use that time to go outside and show the brat around before your guildmates swarm the place. God knows this guild is not known for its patience…"

Her hand still lingered against the baby's for a moment in reluctance, before finally giving in and finally starting to try and release the handful of hair that was firmly within the baby's grip, as carefully as humanely possible. The little boy protested nonetheless, until she placed a kiss on the little hand and then on the top of his head. "Be good for Daddy, okay?" she whispered to him.

The baby squirmed a little but quieted down as Jellal tucked the wrapping more closely around him. "It's okay. We'll be back in no time," he reassured her.

"Don't let him get cold," she instructed him, even though the tropical weather of the island meant it was actually rather balmy outside. "And also…"

"Yes?"

"Tell everyone that the first person to touch my baby with dirty hands will lose a limb to my dullest sword," she informed him in all seriousness.

Jellal's eyes widened in surprise, not only at the sudden outburst but also at the fact that she actually owned swords that were not in top condition.

"I…"

"I mean it, Jellal. Tell them. Word. By. Word."

"O-okay…"

And he actually did, despite his reluctance… though only when he saw a small crowd rushing towards him at frightening speed as soon as he left the tent with the baby in his arms. The warning worked like a charm, though, causing everyone's eyes to widen in alarm and sending them all in the opposite direction, running towards the makeshift sanitary facilities where sounds of 'hurry up!' and 'stop hogging the soap!' could be heard throughout the next few minutes.

Meredy turned out to be the first one finishing the task, rushing towards her teammate as soon as she was done.

"Baby!" the pink-haired mage shouted as she rushed over. "Lemme see! Lemme see!"

"Calm down," he told her as his son started to squirm at his newfound noisy surroundings. "And don't speak so loudly. You'll scare him."

"Sorry," she mumbled apologetically before taking a good look at the baby. "Aw, look at this pint-sized little guy. Aren't you a cute little thing?" In a red, wrinkly sort of way, she couldn't help but think. Hopefully not for long, though. "Aunty Meredy has so much to teach you…"

"Oh, god, please don't," Jellal begged. "He's too little for you to start corrupting."

Meredy, unsurprisingly, ignored his request. "And look at you," she added, looking up at the new dad. "Now you have a baby to go along with your uncool dad tendencies. How does it feel to have living proof of your endeavors with Erza in the bedroom?"

His eyes widened as his cheeks became very, very red. "M-Meredy!"

She didn't look sorry at all. But then, her face fell a little. "I wish Ul was here… she'd be so happy."

Being faced with the mention of Ultear, he felt himself deflating a little bit. "I know. Me too." As much as she'd made it her life's mission to torture him through teasing, she'd unquestionably been part of the family.

"Oh goodness, he's so tiny," Lucy whispered, looking at her friend's baby as she joined in with some of the other girls. She reached further to touch the little arm that had freed itself from the blanket but then stopped, suddenly fearful. "Wait, is it okay if I touch him? I mean, he looks so… breakable."

"He's been passed around a handful of times, already. He'll probably be fine," Jellal assured her.

Satisfied, Lucy brushed her finger against the silky skin of his arm, causing the baby to flinch and stretch it, opening and closing the little hand. "Aw… can you imagine him swinging a sword with that tiny hand?"

"Or punching Natsu and Gray with it? So cute!" Levy added.

"Hey! We're not getting beaten up by a kid!" Gray protested as he made his way to them.

"Baby…" Juvia mumbled by his side, wide-eyed as if on a trance.

"Mira-nee will be green with envy when she hears Erza had her baby before her. Unless she's had the twins in the meantime, which I hope not because I really want to be there," Lisanna added.

"His hair is definitely on the reddish side," Meredy said. "Damn it, Jellal! You've just cost me money – I was counting on you!"

"What on Earthland are you talking about?"

"Oh, just a few wagers on the side…" Cana stated.

"So, is Erza okay?" Levy asked.

"Of course she's okay! Didn't you hear him passing along her threats already?!" Gray pointed out before Jellal could even respond.

Jellal chuckled. "Yes, she's going great. She… she is amazing, actually."

"Tch… as if he wasn't whipped enough already before she gave him a baby," Cana commented and at that point he was so happy that he didn't even bother to deny it.

"Well, does this young man have a name yet?" the Master asked as he broke through the crowd that had formed around him, followed by a silent Master Mavis, who looked equal parts happy and nostalgic.

That was a moment he'd been dreading a little. "Sieg," he said softly. "His name is Sieg. Sieg Scarlet."

After he said that, came a long moment of silence. He trembled inside for as long as it lasted, waiting for their indignation… but it never came.

"Sieg Scarlet…" Lucy replied. "Wow, that actually sounds pretty nice."

"Yeah, it's the alliteration," Levy agreed.

"I wonder how long it will take for everyone to know that name. Not very long, if he turns out anything like his mommy," Lisanna commented.

"And daddy," Meredy added before nodding. "This guy may be a self-pitying idiot a tad too often, but he still manages to do pretty impressive stuff every once in a while."

"Meredy…"

"Oh, shut up and take the compliment. No self-deprecating nonsense for you on Sieg-chan's birth day."

He blinked. They were already using diminutives and everything. "I… I thought you might question it."

"Question what?" Lucy asked.

"His name," he pointed out. Mostly, people looked at him in confusion. "Because of the similarity, I mean… to Siegrain."

"Who?" Lisanna asked, completely unfamiliar with the name. She had, after all, been stuck in Edolas at the time.

"Where have I heard that name before?" Alzack wandered out loud.

"Oh, yes… it was your evil alias back when you were in the council," Evergreen recalled like it was the most casual thing in the world.

"Wow – that was ages ago! I didn't even remember it anymore," Bisca mumbled.

"I did, but didn't make the connection," Levy pointed out. "It's not even the same name, though, is it?"

"Even if it was, you probably had your reasons, anyway," Lucy pointed out, since the connection had crossed her mind for a moment before brushing it off.

"This had better not be some convoluted way for you to punish yourself, you hear me?" Meredy had to warn him narrowing her eyes.

"What? No, of course not. I… the name Sieg had no business being twisted into Siegrain in the first place. This is just… righting a wrong, in a way. It's a long story."

Gray shrugged. "Whatever. It's your business, not ours… though, I have to admit I was prepared to speak up if Erza had decided to name the kid something weird like… I dunno, Strawberry or whatever."

"I know, right?" Levy agreed. "I was scared for the poor thing. I love Erza, but we have to admit… her tastes are kind of weird."

"And we all know how hard it is to say 'no' to her," Lucy said. "So, yeah, Sieg is good. Sieg is a great name!"

"For the record, I think my babies' names sound a whole lot better," Bickslow pointed out from a distance.

"Shut up!"

Cana cleared her throat. "So, back to business, tell us, Jellal, who's gonna be the first holding the little bugger?" she asked. "Because I've got bets made on that too."

"I will!" Natsu's voice shouted from a distance. Shirtless and still wearing damp clothes from his bath, which he clearly was in the process of drying with his heightened body temperature, the fire Dragon Slayer broke through the crowd, making a beeline for the newborn. After taking one look at him, he did not look impressed. "Gee, did you drop him on his face already? It looks kinda flat."

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted. "You are such a moron! He was just born!"

"Still. Weird-looking kid."

"I dare you to say that in front of Erza," Evergreen said. "It'll be your funeral."

"I'm just saying the truth! I guess maybe he'll grow out of it and look like Erza or Jellal…" he paused for a moment and leaned closer so that his face was only an inch and a half away from the little boy. "Hmm… his hair of sort of the same color as Er… gah!" he yelped as the little baby whimpered and flailed his arm around, hitting him right in his open left eye – it wasn't hard at all, really, but when it came to being hit right in the eye, it didn't take much for it to feel unpleasant. "Did you see that?! He hit me!"

"It was probably just a reflex…" Bisca commented.

"Yeah, a beast reflex," Happy said dramatically, hovering right next to Natsu. "'Cause he's gonna be a totally scary boy-clone of Erza's when he gets older! There will be two of them! You should get away, Natsu."

"Boy Erza…" Natsu said, his eyes twinkling not in fear but with excitement. "No way, I'm not going anywhere! Now I definitely have to be the first holding him! Come on, Jellal, hand Boy Erza over!"

"Natsu! He has a name. It's Sieg!" Lucy scolded him.

"Tch… whatever. Boy Erza is way better. That's what I'm calling him from now on."

"You can't just replace people's names!" Levy protested. "And no way you'll be the first to hold him! We were here first!"

"But I'm the leader of Erza's team!"

"Dream on! You're not the leader of anything! Especially not a team I'm a part of," Gray defied him.

"It's called 'Team Natsu' for a reason."

"Only because I wasn't around when you named it! And forget about being the first to hold Erza's kid! I was her first friend at the guild – that gives me dibs!"

"Boy Erza will freeze on your cold, snowman arms!"

"And he'll probably get heatstroke in your scorching hot ones!"

Suddenly, Gajeel appeared out of nowhere to join the fight. "As if I'll let you morons beat me on this. I'll get to hold the brat first… gi-hi!"

"The hell?!"

"You haven't even known Erza for half as long as we have. And do you even like babies?" Gray demanded.

"He can't help but have a weakness for small, cute things," Lily pointed out.

"Shut it, Cat!"

Jellal took a step back, clutching the baby closer to his chest protectively. "Guys…!"

"Tch…" Meredy hissed, shaking her head. "Those idiots, fighting over a baby. Quick, Jellal, hand him over – if I get to hold him first, they'll be fighting over nothing."

"Hey! Get in line!" Lucy barked.

"That is very sneaky of you, Meredy-chan!" Juvia accused.

"But I'm his aunty-slash-big-sister-slash-future-role-model! Clearly that gives me precedence!"

"Please, if you're all that to him, then so are we!"

The Master cleared his throat loudly. "Kids, that will be enough fighting! You are being completely ridiculous…"

"It's this moron's fault for rushing in here and truing to crash the front of the line," Gray accured, pointing his finger at Natsu.

The Master ignored him. "… because clearly, as the ruling Master of this guild, I have precedence."

Half of the people present gaped. The other half just looked completely unsurprised.

"You wanna fight me for the right, old man?!" Natsu dared him

Bisca sighed. "How about you don't and just let Jellal decide who gets to hold his son first?"

And as thankful as Jellal might be that at least someone was thoughtful enough to take his opinion into account, he could have done without having all eyes on him.

"Well?" Lucy prompted.

"Pick me!" Natsu demanded. "I'm the only one out of this bunch who's ever mopped the floor with you in a fight. You owe me this!"

"That argument doesn't make any sense," Freed remarked.

Jellal took another step back. Who to pick… hmm, if he was honest about it, he'd go with no-one. It wasn't that he didn't trust his guild mates. He just… he just couldn't help but feel almost irrationally protective of his son – he was just so fragile and new! But if he really had to go with someone, it was probably a good idea to pick the person with the most experience holding babies in that island. "Er… I… I think Master does have a point. As the eldest person in the group, he naturally gains precedence, so…"

"Wait a second! I'm older!" Natsu protested. "I'm like…" he paused for a second, scratching his chin before turning to Zeref, who was respectfully standing far away from the group, mindful that his place in it was tenuous at best (especially in an occasion so deeply connected to someone – Jellal – who had actively tried to hunt him down and whose life had nearly been destroyed in his name) "… hey, Zeref, how old am I again?"

"Twenty-one," he blandly replied from where he stood.

"Like hell, bastard! I'm only a handful of years younger than you are! So, how old does that make me?"

"Irrelevant. The rules of courtesy hardly take into account the many centuries that you spent as a dead body, Natsu, so just stand down."

"Come on! I'm like a thousand, aren't I?"

"Not even close."

"Damn it, Zeref!"

As the Dragneel brothers went on fighting… or rather, Natsu went on whining and Zeref just sighed in exasperation, Makarov did, indeed, become the first to hold the baby… that was, after the parents and acting midwives has had their turn. He, as Jellal had expected, did it with all the ease of a man who'd already held countless babies, from his own son, to his grandson, passing through all the children of the many members of the guild, which served to ease the new father's nerves.

"It's a fine boy indeed," Makarov said to Jellal after several minutes holding the baby. "No doubt he has inherited yours and Erza's strength – it's nothing short of a blessing that he came out so healthy under the circumstances."

Jellal sighed. "Yes… it was quite the stressing arrival."

"What matters is that all went well in the end. A healthy baby and a healthy mother," Master Mavis remarked, looking incredibly relieved as she peaked over Makarov's shoulder. "It has been a long time since I have had someone in this world who has the same birthplace as I do. It feels… good. I hope you will feel comfortable with bringing him by often when he is older. I would be happy to tell him all about the place where he was born."

He nodded. "That sounds like a good plan," he said.

Just then, Makarov decided to clear his throat, sick of watching his kids sending him impatient looks. "Alright, brats. My arms are getting tired, so have at it."

That time, however, there was no field battle for the right to hold the baby, as Master Mavis quickly established that they would leave it to luck by drawing a straw.

"Whoever gets the longest also gets the baby," she stated. And because she was the First, everyone obeyed without questioning.

The winner was Lucy… or rather, it was Loke, who conceded his win to his master in yet another attempt to woo her (mostly for the sake of messing with Natsu, who immediately tried to pick a fight).

"Wow, he's so light," the celestial mage said, cuddling the little boy close to her chest as she finally had her turn. He settled surprisingly easily in her arms – unknowingly to them because he found her 'chest padding' very comfortable –under Jellal's watchful eye. "He's even lighter than Happy."

"Wha…? Natsu! Lucy is being mean. She's bullying me about my weight!" The winged cat complained to his owner.

"Come on, Lucy… you'll give the little guy a complex," the Dragon Slayer told her.

She gaped. "You're sticking up for him?! He calls me heavy every time he flies me around and you never say a word!"

Natsu shrugged. "You're the one who always complains that your boobs weigh a ton and make your back hurt…"

"That is not helpful!"

"Speaking of Lucy's heavyweight boobs, look! Boy Erza is a pervert! He's rubbing his face all over them!" Happy announced said.

Lucy blushed. "Shut up, you idiot! He's a baby – he doesn't know what he's doing. He's probably just trying to get comfortable!" she replied.

"Actually," Bisca spoke. "I think he may be hungry." She turned to Jellal. "Did Erza feed him before you brought him out?"

He blushed a little at the question. "Yeah."

"Hmm… it's always hard to tell how much they actually eat when they're this little… then again, maybe it's just natural instinct. Asuka did that sometimes."

"Wait," Natsu spoke. "How do you get that he might be hungry from him perving up on Lucy's boobs?"

"He's not perving up! He's looking for food!" Lucy shouted.

"In your boobs?"

"Yes! That's where it usually comes from!"

"Women's boobs?" Natsu asked, his eyes widening. By his side, Happy was absolutely speechless, looking equally horrified.

"Their mothers', yes," Bisca explained. "Honestly, Natsu, you really have never heard of breastfeeding?"

At the word, the Dragon Slayer's eyes widened even further. "No! Why would you do such a thing?!" he said in absolute horror.

"Don't be a moron. It's perfectly natural."

By then, he was staring at the sharpshooters' breasts in a rather open fashion. It was a good thing Alzack was busy helping Cana calculating everyone's winnings. "Did you do it with Asuka?"

"Yes."

"But… they look so normal," he whispered.

"How do you hide the missing chunks?" Happy asked.

"Sweet Mavis," an incredulous Jellal said under his breath, starting to get a picture of what they meant before any of the girls did. It was… revolting. So, predicting the explosion that was about to come, he collected his son from Lucy's arms and moved away to a safe distance from the explosion that he could see coming from a mile away.

Bisca stared. "What are you talking about?"

"You know. The missing… bits," Natsu mumbled. "The ones that you fed Asuka."

There was about ten seconds of silence.

"What on Earthland is wrong with you, Natsu?!" the sharpshooter actually screamed.

"What's wrong?" Lisanna asked as she approached, having moved away from the group that was busy collecting their money from Cana. "Natsu, what did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything! They're telling me really gross stuff and then get mad when I ask about it!"

"Lisanna! Babies are horrible! Help me – he'll eat me too!" Happy shouted, throwing himself into his foster mother's arms.

"We didn't tell you any of the stuff that apparently you're imagining!" Lucy shouted. "We were explaining to him what breastfeeding was and guess what these morons concluded – that human flesh is the main ingredient!"

"Oh my god! Natsu!" Lisanna said, horrified. "And you too, Happy! What sort of gore are you two watching?"

"But they said…!" Natsu accused.

"We didn't!" Bisca replied.

"So, babies aren't cannibals?" Happy asked, mildly relieved.

"No!" Lucy told him. "They don't even have teeth!"

"Then why were you talking about babies being hungry and boobs being where their food is at?"

She sighed. Why couldn't he be a little more studious like his brother? Really, just basic knowledge of biology would have sufficed… "Natsu, small babies can only eat milk. Milk that is usually produced by their mother's breasts. Thus, it being called breastfeeding."

"Wait," Natsu mumbled. "So what you're telling me is that Erza's boobs have milk now? Like a cow?"

Not one second after he uttered the word, he felt a gush of hair near his left cheek, which a blade thrown by somebody had just narrowly missed. As he looked at the source of it, he saw he murderous-looking redhead standing a few yards away, another throwing knife already on her hand, ready to fly his way.

"Erza?!" Jellal called in disbelief.

"What sort of filth are you uttering around my son?!" she shouted.

Both Natsu and Happy screamed, hugging each other. "We're not saying it to him! Jellal's got him all the way over th… guahh!" Natsu screamed as the second knife was thrown fractions of an inch from him, hitting a tree at a distance. "Let's beat it, Happy! Having a kid has made her even crazier!"

And so, they ran. For once, Erza refrained from chasing because… ouch, she thought, shifting uncomfortably. Alright, so maybe Porlyusica had been right about telling her to stay put even though she felt like she desperately needed to get some air. The others seemed to agree.

"What are you doing here?!" Gray shouted from a distance.

"You've just given birth! Go back to bed!" Lucy told her.

"Already back on her feet! That's a…"

"Say 'man' and spend the rest of your days as a very dumb-looking garden ornament!" Evergreen threatened her boyfriend.

"I just needed to stretch my legs for a minute and get some air," Erza said.

"Go ahead and run a marathon too, why don't you? Climb a mountain and do some splits while you're at it," Porlyusica said sarcastically, exiting the tent after her. "I'm saying this for everyone to bear witness: from this moment on, I am washing my hands from the bottomless pit of stubbornness that is this woman. If she bleeds to death from overdoing it, I guess it will be a tragedy for the new motherless human but, for the record, I did tell her to stay put. That is all!"

"Porlyusica-san!" Wendy said. "Please don't make it sound so grim…"

"Oh, but she should make it sound grim," the Master said. "At least sit down, for the love of god! Somebody get this woman a chair."

"Make it a lounge chair," somebody supplied.

"We don't have any lounge chairs!"

"Laki! Can you make us one with your Wood-make?"

"Already on it!"

And so, after less than a minute of scrambling around, a lounge chair was produced and Erza was ushered to it by her concerned guildmates.

"Where is my ba…?"

"Right here," Jellal responded before she could finish, handing the baby back to his mother.

She accepted him eagerly, having missed the boy like a lost limb, and, rather than cradling him in her arms as she did before, she lay him belly-down along her chest so that she only needed to lean her neck down a little bit for her lips to brush against the top of his head. The little boy seemed happy enough with the arrangement, quickly retrieving his beloved lock of hair and falling asleep clutching onto it. Sitting on the edge of the lounge chair, Jellal adjusted the blanket around the baby and remained there, softly rubbing the baby's back.

"On, well… I suppose it's about time I go and warn the people at the ship to get ready for us to board again," Makarov announced at some point.

"Eh?" Erza uttered in confusion. She wasn't the only one surprised – several guild members started whispering among themselves as the words were said.

"Now, what on Earthland would you be doing that for, senile old man?" Porlyusica demanded.

"To take us home, obviously."

"What for?!"

"What do you mean 'what for'?!" he replied. "It is bad enough that child was born so far from home. Don't you think we should get him home as soon as possible?! We can come back for the rest later."

"Why would I be in such a rush? Brats were born in the wild all the time before civilization was created. The kid is fine, the mother is fine, we have plenty of food and water on hand – if anything, making her travel for hours in an uncomfortable ship will be even worse than lounging around this place while you get on with the stupid trials. Plus, it's bad enough that you made me come into this island one time, so unless you plan to altogether cancel goddamn nuisance of a test for the year, you'll be doing it without me when you return!"

"Porlyusica…!"

"Also, you sound awfully generous for someone who's always looking for spare change under the couch cushions. How much did they charge you for the round-trip again? Because it sure must have come cheap if you're willing to pay it twice."

The old man blanched at that argument because it had been anything but cheap. So, reluctantly, he turned to face the new mother in the group. "Erza, are you comfortable with these plans?"

"Very much so," she assured him.

Makarov sighed. "Oh, alright, have it your way then, brats. I guess it's getting dark, so it's too late to start the trials today. I suggest you make it an early night, though, because I want this show on the road tomorrow at dawn. Jellal, if you'd rather sit this one out and spend time with…"

"He's going," Erza said firmly. "Sieg and I will be here to congratulate him when he wins."

Jellal just sighed, quietly accepting his fate. Was there even a point in saying 'no' when things had already come that far?

Erza seemed happy with his lack of protesting, as did everyone with the current arrangement. For a little while, people crowded them to see the baby, but once they realized that he was really out of it, they started spreading out, taking varied tasks around the campground: Elfman and Lisanna getting dinner started, Lucy going to look for Natsu with Levy in a tow (who, in turn, dragged Lily and Gajeel behind her), Gray and Juvia going to the nearby spring to get some water and others doing some last-minute training or just lazying around.

"Aren't you tired?" Jellal asked Erza after they were left alone, just the three of them – their little family.

"Hmm… maybe a little." Truth to be told, she'd been running on fumes since the birth and it was getting harder and harder to stay awake.

"You can rest a little now," he told her. "I'll wake you in time for dinner."

She was a little reluctant to accept the suggestion. "Is it strange that I'm afraid that If I fall asleep I'll wake up and this will have all been a dream?"

"No. But I don't think dreams hurt as much as having a baby seemed to. Good dreams at least… so I think you're safe," he reassured her.

She nodded and then, after spending a long moment looking at him, she spoke. "Have I ever thanked you for this?"

"Thanked me?" he replied in disbelief. If anything, he should thank her. In fact, he already had.

She responded with yet another nod. "I know happiness isn't easy for you to swallow … or at least it wasn't in the beginning because of all that guilt you feel. So thank you pushing through that. I know you do it for me… and if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be feeling what I'm feeling right now. I don't think I would have it in me to share this with anybody else."

"Erza…"

"Now shush," she stopped him before he could go on some sort of tirade against himself and ruin the moment. "It's sleepy time."

He sighed. "Well, sweet drams, then," he told her, reaching to press a kiss to her brow and then doing the same to their son. "To the both of you."

"Hmm… I doubt they can be as sweet as reality was today," she mumbled.

He smiled. "No. I suppose they can't."

To be continued.

A/N2: See you in the epilogue!