"The Eisenwald Guild may have been defeated, but that is only one small victory in a much larger battle."

"The number of dark guilds have been growing, at quite an alarming rate."

"We have to come up with a plan to eliminate them all."

"But how would we do that?"

"However it's done, we cannot allow Zeref's magic to fall into the wrong hands again."

"I don't understand how Eisenwald was able to obtain a tool of forbidden magic in the first place."

"I hate to say it but the blame may extend all the way to the highest levels."

"Whatever the case, although their usually just a thorn in our side, it seems Fairy Tail proved to be quite useful."

"They took down an entire guild with a handful of wizards, that is quite a feat."

"You may not want to except it, but it's the reality of the situation. In the end the attack on the guild masters was prevented, lives were spared and none of us had to give up our hard earned positions on this council to save face."

"You fool! Are you somehow insinuating the council is too blame?"

"Enough of this nonsense, Seigrain! Fairy Tails good deeds are overshadowed by their reckless destruction!"

"Then why don't we take the opportunity to discuss this with them?" questioned Seigrain with a sly grin.

… Eisenwalds failed attempt to attack the guild masters with Lullaby ended up being big news, it made all the papers and it seemed like everybody was talking about it! Before joining Fairy Tail I never would have imagined being apart of such a big event. It feels awesome, but I'm not going to let it go to my head. It still makes my heart skip a beat when I think about everything we went through. I heard that the authorities caught most of the Eisenwald members who were involved, they even got a hold of Kageyama so that's reassuring at least. The scary thing is, they still haven't been able to track down Erigor, I'm worried he might show up at Fairy Tail looking or revenge! But I'll be okay, I'm with the guilds strongest team! Erza, Gray, and Natsu have my back no matter what; not to mention Happy. Fairy Tail is awesome and my fellow members are really great people, so don't worry Mom, I'm doing fine.
P.S. Please don't tell Dad any of this, 'kay?

...

...

...

"Maybe I'll do a little shopping later today. Saving the world from evil is cool and all, but sometimes it's nice just to relax at home!"

"Man, 70,000 jewel a month is dirt cheap for a place like this, totally scored Lucy."

"INTRUDER ALERT!" she shrieked, kicking Gray hard, "No stripping in my house buddy!"

"HEY! Give me a minute to explain would ya!"

"I was in my boxers when I got here…"

"Get out," she growled, pointing towards the door.

"So you forgot about today, huh. I figured you wouldn't remember so I came by to remind you."

"About what?"

"Well, let me try and jog your memory. Remember when Natsu challenged Erza at the train station? They're about to fight there rematch."

"What?!"

In a flash both Gray and Lucy stood in front of the guild hall where already a crowd had formed to watch the two Fairy Tail wizards fight.

"No way! They're really going through with it?!"

"Oh hey Lucy," Mirajane greeted.

"Well if those two value their manhood then they better go through with it," Elfman commented.

"Erza's not a man," Mirajane corrected, looking back to her brother.

"But you gotta admit she's manly," Macao added.

"Aren't you worried this fight could tear our strongest team apart?" Lucy asked.

"What're you talking about?" asked a confused Gray, "Our strongest team?"

"You, Natsu, and Erza! The three strongest wizards in the guild!"

"We are? Yeah, right," laughed Gray, "What idiot fed you that line?"

Mirajane began crying.

"Oh, you're not an idiot Mira!" Gray said guiltily, as Ace came over to join them.

"Smooth move," muttered Ace and Lucy in unison.

"I'll hand it to Natsu and Gray, they're tough little dudes but neither of them are even close to being the strongest. There are guys in Fairy Tail who are stronger than both of them combined, like this guy!" Elfman finished with pointing to himself cockily.

"But calling Erza the strongest woman in the guild is a pretty safe bet," Levy said, joining their conversation, "But then again Ace is equally as strong."

Ace glanced at the blue haired female, "I wouldn't go as far as equal."

"As far as the guys it's a tough call, but I'd put my money on Laxus or Mystogan," Jet added.

"All I meant was the three of them work well together," Mirajane said between tears, "And they have the best team chemistry in all of Fairy Tail."

"Okay and this is coming from the same person who sent me on a mission to keep Natsu and Gray from killing each other when Erza wasn't around?" Lucy asked clearly shocked.

"I gotta say, I'm pretty psyched to see how this fight turns out," Elfman said.

"Oh yeah? I'm sure she'll end up mopping the floor with him," Gray added.

"My money's on Natsu, somebody's gotta go for the under-dragon," Ace smiled, putting her arms around Lucy and Mirajane.

"It's been quite a while since we squared off like this, hasn't it Natsu?"

"I was just a little kid back then, today's gonna be different. 'Cause I'm takin' you down Erza!"

"Well I'm not going to go easy on you, in fact," Erza's entire body began to glow, "I have the perfect armor for this occasion."

"That's Flame Empress Armor," Macao informed everyone, "Good choice against fire magic."

"So now Natsu's flames will only be half as effective," Laki added.

"Come on Erza, at least give the kid a fighting chance," Wakaba suggested.

Lucy looked over to see Cana taking bets and Happy standing before her.

"Hhmmmmm…. Put me down for Erza in the first round!"

"You're betting against your own best friend?!" Lucy exclaimed, "Why're you guys picking sides? I don't want either of them to lose!"

"Get into the spirit Lucy," Gray replied boredly.

"Wow! Flame Empress Armor, huh? Good news for me," Natsu said, fists blazing, "That means I can turn the heat up as hot as I want!"

Master Makarov suddenly appeared and held up his hand.

"Round one: Start!"

They were fast, Lucy found herself and Mirajane being pulled back in order to avoid the flames.

"Woh!"

"See it's a good fight," Elfman complemented.

"This fight sucks," Gray said with a yawn.

"These a pretty tasty, yeah," Ace muttered, eating the remaining flames, "Natsu did always make the best flames."

"You eat flames?!" Lucy said clearly shocked.

"Of course she does, Ace is a Fire Dragon Slayer like Natsu," Mirajane smiled.

The sound of a gong caused both everyone to fall silent and the fight to cease.

"This fight is over!" cried a toad woman, "May I have your attention please! I have come here on behalf of the magic council!"

Ace tensed, moving away from the group to stand between Natsu and Erza.

"No way!" Levy said.

"Seriously?!" Jet agreed.

"Why would the council send her here?" Droy wondered, saying what his teammates were thinking.

"Am I the only one who noticed she's a frog?!" Lucy asked, only to be quickly silenced by Mirajane.

"As a result of the Eisenwald incident, a member of your guild has been charged with eleven counts of criminal property damage. Erza Scarlett you are under arrest!"

"Huh? You're putting her under a- what?!"

"WHAT?!" Ace growled, just as outraged as Natsu.

Fairy Tail's guild hall had fallen still, everyone sat in silence. Only the master was able to prevent Natsu and Ace from charging after the councils army. Ace sat with her head bowed next to Makarov, the ice in her drink completely melted, and Natsu had literally been turned into an tiny dragon.

"This isn't fair you guys! Let me outta here already!"

"Natsu try to calm down!" Mirajane reprimanded.

"Let me out! Pretty, pretty please!"

"You'll go on a rampage!"

"I'll be good I swear! Now please just turn me back to the way I was before!"

"The second we turn you back you'll try running off to save Erza!" Mirajane argued, lowering herself to the small ice cage that held the fire wizard.

"Gimmie a break, I couldn't care less what happens to her!"

"Even if you wanted to help her it's not like we can face off the council," Gray said.

"But don't those jerks on the council realize she did what she had to do to save the lives of the guild masters from those bad guys and their evil death flute?" Natsu growled, unable to melt Gray's ice.

"If the Magic Council says you're guilty then you're guilty, end of story. They don't care what we have to say," Gray continued.

"I just don't get it, we've destroyed plenty of stuff in the past and they never made a big deal out of it," Elfman sighed.

"I know, it doesn't make any sense," Laki agreed.

"It's like there's some other reason for this…" Lucy said, watching the dragon slayer.

Curious however, it appeared that she had fallen asleep.

This building houses the Fiore branch of the Magic Council, as we speak Erza Scarlett is being lead down these halls, drawing closer to the trial that awaits her.

"Seigrain!"

"It's been quite a while Erza… please relax. I am only here in spirit. I'm sending this projection from Era. In fact, all the wrinkled faces in that court room are projections as well."

"How convenient for you…" Seigrain and Erza looked over to the window where Ace stood, admiring the view, "You didn't think I would allow my friend to go through trial alone, did you?"

Erza eyed her best friend, relieved that she stood at her side. She also noticed the slightest signs of displeasure in Seigrain's features.

"We didn't think it was necessary to be here for such a trivial matter," he continued, ignoring Ace's question.

"I see, so you're the one who's behind this farce? You make me sick," growled Erza.

"Let's be civil, I've always been a staunch defender of Fairy Tail. But the elders are worried the blame for Clovers destruction will fall into their laps and the only way to avoid that is to place the blame on someone else entirely."

"So she's their scapegoat?" Ace questioned darkly, glaring at the blue haired man.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Seigrain asked tauntingly, "I could just as easily let he be thrown in jail to rot away for all the terrible crimes Fairy Tail has commited."

Ace stepped forward. "Fairy Tail has never asked for you to be a staunch defender for it's guilds and actions. We do what we do because that's how our guild works –"

"Enough!"

Ace snapped her mouth shut.

Seigrain grinned.

"Just a friendly warning, in fact, it's another matter altogether that I wish to discuss with you Erza…." Ace tensed as he gently placed a hand alongside her jawline, "Don't you dare let a word slip about you know what, for both of our sakes."

He backed away and headed towards the large doors at the end of the hallway, leaving the two girls completely speechless.

"I must join my colleges on the council, I'll see you shortly on the other side," he said before disappearing.

"Oh wow, you know some very important people!" said the surprised toad woman from earlier whom was escorting Erza to her trial. In all honesty Erza had completely forgotten about her.

"He's pure evil," Erza muttered, making Ace smirk.

"That's putting it mildly, I'm gonna stick around," she said with a wink.

"This court room will now come to order! Before us is the defendant Erza Scarlett, please take the stand Miss Scarlett."

"This is wrong!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed, getting to her feet, "We should be there to testify!"

"But Lucy…"

"We're not going to court," Master Makarov said sternly.

"Why not Master? We all know she's innocent! We can't just sit here and let them lock her away!"

"Even if we left this very second there's no way we would make it there in time."

"But-"

"I've been stuck in this stupid cage all day you guys! It's getting hard to breathe; you gotta let me out of here!" Natsu cried out.

"You sure you want out?" Master Makarov asked, looking over to him from the corner of his eye.

"Hmm…"

"What's the matter? It seems you've lost the fire in your belly," observed the Master.

Reflexively Gray pulled Lucy back, shielding her from the shattering ice as the Master released the spell and freed the fire wizard. Collapsing on the ground the guild members gasped in surprise.

"It's Macao!" Levy exclaimed.

"That was you?!" chorused the guild members.

"No wonder he didn't melt though my ice," Gray muttered in Lucy's ear.

"Yeah, sorry guys, but I owed Natsu a favor. I turned myself into a Salamander so that everybody would think that I was him."

"Do you know where he went?" Lucy asked.

"He went after Erza didn't he?" Gray inquired.

"Yeah, afraid so."

"You gotta be kidding me!" Elfman shouted, "That idiot will probably try to fight the whole council!"

"Would everyone just calm down, we've no choice but to wait and see what happens," Master Makarov said darkly, looking over to Ace, "Besides she already projected herself there for the trial."

"WHAT?!"

"Erza Scarlett you stand before the Council to answer to charges stemming from the incident involving the dark guild Eisenwald. These charges include extensive damage to Oshibana Station, the collapse of the Ushigagourge Railway Bridge, and the complete destruction of the Clover Meeting Hall. There are eleven property damage charges against you. According to eye witness reports the perpetrator is described as a heavily armored female wizard-"

Erza ducked away from some of the flying debris caused by the completely unexpected explosion.

"What is this?!"

"I'm the crazy lady in armor you old timers have been looking for! If you've got a problem with the way me and my guild do things you can fight me! I am the all-powerful Erza! You thought I was destructive before but you ain't seen nothin' yet! Aaahh! Do you really think the stuff I destroyed is more important than the Guild Masters lives? Well?!"

The Magic Council sighed, some completely enraged and others thoroughly amused.

"Take them away…"

"I'm truly sorry for this your honor," Erza said, bowing apologetically.

"What're you doing Erza?! Don't apologize to these Council jerks! Oops, I mean, I am Erza!"

Erza sat there in the cell with Natsu and the projection of Ace.

Ace sat in the corner trying to not laugh at the situation, having seen the entire scene Natsu caused earlier.

"Words can't express how angry I am with you!" she growled, "That trial was just a formality!"

"Seriously?"

"It's a glorified spectacle. The council is using me as an example to remind everyone that if you break the law you'll be punished. It helps them maintain order in the Magical World."

"Wait a minute, so this is all for show?!"

"They probably would have found me guilty, then sent me home with just a slap on the wrist!"

At this point Ace was rolling on the floor laughing.

"BUT THANKS TO YOU I'M STUCK IN A JAIL CELL!"

"Aaahh!"

"I can't believe you…"

"I'm sorry," Natsu said, feeling very put out now.

"It's okay, you meant well," she said before slamming his face into the bars, "Now we're even I guess."

"Glad to see you've stopped fighting, I'll be around," Ace said with a wink.

"How come she gets to leave," grumbled Natsu.

"Because she didn't break into the trial, she watched like a civilized spectator!"

Ace giggled quietly to herself while walking down the dungeon hallways.

"I see, a Fairy Tail wizard came to her aid... Natsu Dragneel…"

"I had a feeling I could find you here."

Seigrain turned to find Ace standing behind him.

"Well if it isn't Miss Acelynn Clive…" he greeted, "What brings you to my side? I wasn't aware you knew I was here."

Her cerulean eyes watched him skeptically.

"What are you playing at, what is really going on?"

"So I take it you were the one in my office earlier," he inferred.

"What do you want with Erza, I know she wasn't just some convenient council member scapegoat."

He smiled.

"Maybe another time, I hope to see you again soon, maybe you could visist me…on the Tower of Heaven."

"Who would of thought fresh air could smell so sweet? I'm gonna breathe it in all day! It's the sweet smell of freedom!" cheered Natsu, running around the guild hall like a mad man.

"Shut up," an annoyed Jet grumbled.

"I'll never take it for granted again!"

"Put a sock in it man," Droy added, as annoyed as Jet.

"Isn't he just precious when he gets all excited," Mirajane gleefully stated.

Ace smirked into her glass at the bar, only half listening to her guild mates.

"I can't believe that arrest and trial were just for show," Lucy said tiredly, slumpt over next to Gray, "All that worrying for nothing."

"So she wasn't a sacrificial lamb, but a scapegoat," Gray concluded, clapping his hands together.

"You must be one hell of an ice wizard cause even your jokes leave me cold," Elfman muttered before turning his attention back to frantic fire wizard, "Hey Natsu, you gonna finish going man to man with Erza?"

Natsu stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. So what do you say, wanna pick up where we left off?"

"I'm not in the mood right now," Erza stated flatly, gaining Ace's attention.

"I'm not letting you off the hook that easy!"

"I swear…" Erza said, slamming her fist hard into Natsu's abdomen, "How's that? Are you satisfied?"

"And he's out!" Happy called out, jumping into the air.

Both Gray and Elfman burst out laughing while Lucy sat there completely speechless.

"Way to go, champ," Gray commented.

"Guess we know who the real man is," added Elfman.

Ace smiled and reached over the counter for the bottle while Mirajane giggled with amusement.

"Hhmm…"

"Sir, is something wrong?" Mirajane wondered, looking over to Master Makarov who sat atop the bar like always.

"I'm fine, just sleepy," he said, "He's coming."

Ace looked over to Master Makarov just in time to see Mirajane collapse on the floor unconscious.

"Not again," groaned Gray, also falling unconscious, his hand falling atop Lucy's.

Master Makarov bowed his head struggling to stay awake himself. Some people fell to the floor from their sears, others just dropped down to the table they were sitting at.

"Mystogan…"

He grabbed many different job requests and stopped before the Master. Ace, who was seated beside him, lifted her head sleepily and met the cloaked mans gaze.

"Have your injuries healed?" he asked in a gruff voice, which she nodded to, "Then I shall return."

"No wait, lift your sleeping spell before you leave," instructed the Master.

Mystogan turned away.

"5…"

He began walking away, heading for the door.

"4…"

His fingers grazed across Lucy's arm, making both Gray and Natsu tense subconsciously.

"3…"

He waved back over his shoulder to Ace.

"2… 1…"

Mystogan disappeared into the bright sunlight just as everyone began to stir, waking up.

"Ah man, was Mystogan here?" Jet asked.

"What a jerk," Droy complained.

"Does he have to put us to sleep every time he comes here?" Levy asked, rubbing her eyes.

There was a mutual annoyance murmuring through the guild hall. Other members chiming in to express their irritancy that Mystogan didn't want any one of his guild mates to see him.

"Who's this Mystogan guy?" Lucy asked with a yawn, noticing Natsu still completely asleep. He still laid on the floor snoring soundly.

"For one, he's a contender for Fairy Tail's strongest wizard," Elfman informed her.

"Really?"

"Yeah and for some reason he doesn't want anyone to see what he looks like," Gray added, the two still unaware of their hands touching, "So whenever he comes here to take a job he casts a sleeping spell."

"That's kinda creepy," Lucy admitted,

From across the room Ace laughed, sending Lucy a amused smile.

"Master Makarov's the only one who's gotten a good look at his face," Gray added.

"That's not true, I've seen him before."

The small group turned towards the second floor.

"Laxus!" Elfman said shocked.

"Talk about rare," Macao said.

"Yeah, you're never here," Wakaba added.

"And here's another contender," Gray said, resting his head in his hand.

"Mystogan's just a little shy, you should all respect his privacy," Laxus teased, wearing his cocky grin.

Hearing Laxus' voice Natsu jumped awake, already on his feet and fists ablaze yet again.

"Alright Laxus, you and me, right now!"

"Getting your ass kicked once today wasn't enough?" Gray questioned, almost sounding concerned.

"Yeah pal," agreed Laxus, "If you can't even win against the red-head, why bother with me?"

"What're you trying to say?" Erza asked angrily.

"No need to get all worked up, Erza," Gray nervously said.

"I'm saying that I'm the strongest wizard."

"Then come down and prove it!" Natsu spat.

Lucy's nervous gaze went between the man on the second floor wearing a large coat and Natsu, but then she saw Ace's expression.

"You come to me little man," taunted Laxus.

"With pleasure!"

Master Makarov slammed his enlarged fist on top of Natsu, stopping him in his tracks.

"You're not allowed on the second floor, Natsu… at least, not yet," said Master Makarov firmly.

"Heh, think you made him grumpy," teased Laxus.

"Shut up!"

"That's enough out of you, Laxus!" scolded Master Makarov.

"The most powerful wizard in the guild isn't a chick or some hooded werid-o. You wanna know what the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail looks like, you're looking right at them!"

"Yes they are!"

Laxus was sent sliding backwards from where he stood, Ace standing on the banister delicately. Her own jacket was removed, revealing bright cerulean blue flames, the same color as her eyes, tattooed on her entire body.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Acelynn," Laxus said, rubbing his cheek, "Lucky shot, princess."

Ace snarled softly, the blue flames on her hands growing larger.

"Have I agitated you, your majesty?"

The two blond wizards starred one another down. Lucy was about to open her mouth, her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. The tension in the guild grew almost unbearable. Even Natsu wasn't daring to comment now.

"Come at me, take me down then," Ace finally said, "You want to prove to everyone that you, Laxus Dreyer, are the strongest? Do it. Bring me down."

"As you wish."

'Was that… regret?' thought Erza.

In such small confinements they only used their fists and even with that, the sheer power would be enough to knock over an elephant. Laxus was pushed back again, but his anger seemed to be coming from something else. He wasn't angry about being the strongest, no, it looked much more personal than that.

"I thought you were going to put me in my place!" taunted Ace.

Laxus charged her again, finally landed a blow.

"You may be the Masters grandson but you will never take his place."

Enraged, Laxus began to inhale deeply. "Lightning –"

"Ace no!"

"– Dragon Roar!"

Lucy never made it more than five feet as the bright light blinded everyone in the guild. Looking up she starred into those dark onyx eyes of her best friend, he brushed the few debris from her hair before both of them stood up. Lucy asked herself, 'Did he just protect me?'

"Really?" questioned an unimpressed Ace, "That's all you got?"

Slowly the flames caused by the lightning were devoured and Ace stood there completely unscathed, licking her lips hungrily. Laxus quickly wiped his shocked expression off his face.

"ACE! LAXUS! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Master Makarov shouted angrily, "If you continue you'll completely destroy the Guild Hall."

Frustrated Laxus glared angrily down at his Grandfather before backing away from Ace. His expression looked conflicted as he disappeared somewhere atop the second floor.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked as Ace walked down the stairs, "You're lip is bleeding."

"Mira, put this on my tab," Ace said while grabbing her bottle from the bar. She turned to Lucy's concerned face, "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," the celestial mage countered, crossing her arms.

Sighing, Ace put her arm around the younger blonde and gave a reassuring smile.

"Trust me, I'm fine."

"Hey Mira, let me ask you something. What was the Master talking about earlier, why can't we go to the second floor?" Lucy asked, setting her celestial spirit Plue on the bar beside her.

"That area is reserved for advanced members of the guild, like Ace and Erza. The jobs listed on the request board up there make the ones listed down here look like child's play in comparison. They're called S-Class quests," Mirajane explained.

"S-Class?"

"They're jobs so dangerous that one wrong move could be your last, but with that risk comes a higher reward. Master Makarov hand-picks the wizards he thinks are capable of handling these jobs. There are only six people in the entire guild who are considered S-Class. That includes Laxus, Ace, Mystogan, and Erza," Mirajane smiled, "I wouldn't worry about it if I were you Lucy. In my opinion, there's no amount of money that's worth risking your life over."

"Yeah, no kidding," agreed Lucy with a laugh.

Ace turned off the stove and finished getting the tea ready, pouring it into the two cups she had set at the table.

She has just set the platter back onto the kitchen counter when from nowhere two strong hands pinned her to the wall. She didn't struggle against his grasp.

"Skip the formalities," he said gruffly, "You know I'm not here for tea."

"Then why –"

The pressed their lips hard against hers, greedily, hungrily. At first she didn't return the kiss and then he became gentler… kinder…

When they finally broke away he stared into her cerulean eyes and traced a hand over her cheek. "… Are you alright?"

She nodded slowly. She didn't want to meet his gaze.

"Did you find the information? Is that why you're back in Magnolia?"

He huffed quietly. "I'm back in Magnolia because I wanted to see you, Ace. Not because of some stupid favor you asked me about."

She looked away.

His irritation grew.

"All of a sudden you can keep your mouth shut?" he questioned, subtly trying to taunt her.

"Just take your reward money and go," she snapped.

He lost his temper. "I didn't do the job for the money! Or a reward!" she winced away from him, farther into the wall, "I did it for you, Ace!... I did it for you…"

Finally after what felt like eternity she met his gaze. Tears had fallen from her eyes, leaving streaks down her cheeks. Gently, softly he wiped them away. Ace leaned into his calloused hand, more tears fell.

"I also came to say goodbye, I've taken another S-Class job. We won't be back for quite some time…" he headed for the door, "If you need anything I'll be around Akane."

"Wait!"

She grabbed his arm and pulled him down by the collar of his button up shirt. Ace kissed him hard, putting everything into that one single kiss before he disappeared into the night.

"It shouldn't have to be like this…"