A/N: Holy...! I wasn't expecting a lot of reviews from you people! And for that thank you so much! :D I've decided to put up another chapter since you guys were really sweet! Spoiling me and all! :3 The bad news is that I may be unable to post the next chapter for...a couple of weeks? Yeah I kind of have something else important to do. Hopefully I could finish it in time for the next one. :( Sad I know, and Fairy Tail still doesn't belong to me. Enough of my rant, here's the next one!

In A Heartbeat
—because if he could, he would. And he'd do it in a heartbeat. AU

Entangled Heartstrings

She could have sworn that the bullet went straight up to her nervous system, spared her the agony by shutting off her pain receptors and somehow—had managed to miraculously survive. The ringing sound has still yet to dissipate although little by little she could manage to pick up small sounds in the distance, like the crumbling of the wall behind her, or how the German soldier in front of her whispered words that her brain has still yet to comprehend.

"...quickly." The redhead could only pick up bits and pieces of his statement and it wasn't long before she realized she wasn't dead or even harmed for that particular matter.

"I'm not—? You just—" she stared at him, confusion plastered over her stern face as she waited for a plausible and reasonable answer from the man who was busy jumping out of the window and back to the room, bringing pile after pile of soil, covering up the hole she made on the ground.

"I know. I suggest you leave immediately while I cover this up."

It took an awful lot of time before she could process and determine the logic behind his action and this man. This very same man who spared her during the selection. This man who was keeping an eye on her every move only to spoil her plan and dare she say—almost killed her. A horde of multiple emotions was currently stirring up within her.

I feel a headache coming...

"Why—"

"That particular soldier had his eyes on you the whole time as well." The revelation made her eyes widen in surprise and she snorted at this.

Just how many of you bastards were actually looking at me?

As if he had the ability to read her mind, he answered. "I just don't know who else were." Erza didn't respond and Jellal finally finished covering the hole with the soil he gathered outside, the snow immediately melting upon being tilled and placed inside.

"It was a good thing I got here first. I believe he had his suspicions as well." He walked right to her and checked up on her from side to side. "Good. Your ears didn't bleed."

"You didn't kill me." It wasn't a question but rather a harsh delivered statement. She inwardly cursed herself for choking at the end of her statement.

"I didn't but I beat you up and tortured you to the point where your hands bled. I punished you for not doing your assigned task well." the redhead simply furrowed her brows, carefully weighing his words.

"What are you talking about? You didn't even—"

"That, is what happened. Are we clear?" Her mouth went slightly ajar at realizing his intention and how good it actually was. They were going to stage the act of torture and they were going to be the actors. She just couldn't believe that a German, of all people, could actually do something good to her. Was this even possible?

"That soldier's going to come looking out for you and if he found out that you're unscathed, it'll mean trouble for both of us. Do you understand?" The ultramarine reached for the whip that was securely placed on the back of his uniform and gave it to her. "Now hit yourself as hard as you can."

"Why are you doing this?" she was eager to wait for an answer but knowing full well that they simply do not have the time, she just left the question hanging in the air and prepared to hit herself with the tip of the whip.

With a swift movement of one arm, she raised the torture device high in the air and slapped herself with a force greater that she had intentionally released. Erza's screams and strangled groans didn't need to be faked as the material left her skin burning and searing, finding herself lost in an abyss of pain. But she was tougher than that, at least that's what she believed. Another stinging sensation made her howl in agony and she dropped the whip upon the fifth strike.

She couldn't bear to hurt herself any longer and all she felt was her body shuddering at the pain she brought upon and inflicted on herself.

"That wouldn't pass as a torture at all Erza. You have to hit yourself more." His steel green eyes were hard but ironically, there was a touch of softness in those brilliant pools. She shook her head as she refused to hurt herself anymore.

"Can you do it for me?" Erza believed in the fact that she could take the hits if they came from someone else rather than herself, especially if it was a dog of the military. She had already conditioned her mind that she could take any torture brought upon her if it came from the Germans. Jellal questioned how he almost refused at the favor she asked of him. He scolded himself at how pathetic he tried to deny her request. He did horrible and brutal acts that wouldn't even compare to simple flogging, killed and slaughtered innocent civilians that mere flagellation would pale in comparison to those horrid acts. So why was he so hesitant about whipping this woman up?

He gritted his teeth and gently took the whip from her.

"This is going to hurt more than what you bargained for." his voice was thick and as soon as he got her signal, he lashed out at her without holding anything back and soon, the restroom was filled with screams and wet tears—the same symphony he heard in Block Eleven and for the longest time in his life, Jellal didn't seem enjoy the scenario and the melodious wailing of the woman in front of him.

Erza thought it took her entire lifetime for the mock—but at the same time, realistic— torture. She winced in pain when she couldn't feel her arms by her side. Swallowing her pride and finally accepting that this man in front of her was someone she could rely on, she said the words that caught him off guard.

"Thank you." A slight pause and then a deafening silence followed.

"Just try to stay alive, Erza."

And with that, he left her all alone carrying with him the guilt of hitting her and something that he had unconsciously earned from the redhead prisoner.

He had finally gained her respect.

Jellal saw dandelions in spring when he spotted the blond man out in the frozen fields of Monowitz. The snowfall wasn't as heavy as before and the ultramarine was somehow glad at this. It meant lesser work, fewer death rates of prisoners in the camp, and lesser reports about the current condition too.

"You called for me?" he let out a foggy breath and the burly officer offered him a cigarette stick. He declined, waiting for an immediate answer. Jellal was quite annoyed because Laxus had to get in the way of him helping the prisoner with her dilemma—especially during the most crucial time. Not to mention he had hurriedly initiated his plan when he could take his precious time to ask her about a few things that he was concerned about.

"Someone's in a bad mood." the older officer snickered as he flicked his own lighter.

"Laxus, what do you want?"

"The Lieutenant Colonel wants the final data on Monowitz Jellal."

"I am done with it. Does he want me to report at the base camp?"

"Ja."

"When?"

"Tomorrow. As early as possible." Jellal let out a weary sigh. His superior really had a knack for picking a horrible time and place for everything. "Knowing the Lieutenant Colonel, it'll at least take the whole day. So who's in charge during my short absence? I assume it's you since you're already here."

Major Dreyar's bright features turned dark as he shook his head slowly.

"I'm afraid not my friend."

The ultramarine felt his heart sank down into his gut. If Laxus wasn't going to take charge, who else would? Zero clearly had his hands full on the morgue and Zancrow was pleased with his position in Birkneau. So apart from the three of them, who else from the Schutzstaffel with a high rank would manage the labor camp?

"Who will Laxus?" his voice was demanding and the blond threw him a disappointed look.

"It's Zancrow, Jellal."

"What?" his reaction was worse than what Laxus had expected. His eyes became a torrent of raw anger and his lips that were once pressed into a thin line had now bared his pearly whites, showcasing the representation of the devil himself.

"Zero said he'd be more than willing to spare a few hours in Birkneau and—I don't know how, but he managed to convince Zancrow from taking your place. I actually proposed for the position but the Lieutenant Colonel had already decided." he looked at his comrade who was still trying to grasp the information he had just told him and frowned when he remembered something.

"Is she still alive?" Jellal snapped his head up, apparently knowing who the blond was referring to.

He merely nodded and Laxus sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck with a gloved hand.

"And knowing her feisty attitude, she would definitely get into trouble."

But Jellal didn't manage to hear his comment anymore as his mind floated off to find a way to tell her about this. He cursed at himself. This was a totally bad time as she has still yet to recover from the wounds on her arms and Jellal knew that her condition will get worse at the end of the day.

She was vulnerable. Temporarily. But still weak in her current state.

And knowing Erza and Zancrow, their paths shouldn't ever ever cross. To think he went through all that trouble just to keep her safe—hurt, but safe, beaten but still alive. It's not only because they were extremely incompatible and volatile, it's just that they weren't the perfect combination.

She was fuel and he was fire; one wrong move and his Scarlet could die.

During the end of the day, Erza was clearly gratified when no one seemed to notice her or pay attention to how badly beaten she was. That was good because she loved being invisible, hell she planned to stay invisible.

Maybe you're just trouble. That's why no one ever bothers to be with you. She smiled bitterly at the thought and steered herself back to the compound where they were kept, fed and allowed to rest.

"Finally..." The redhead's hands throbbed and her hands were suffering from excruciating pain. The huge purplish-blue bruises and broken skin marred her once flawless skin but thanks to the weather, the cold seemed to have numbed the pain when she buried them into the snow that piled up on the field. It was a better alternative treatment than none at all.

Erza sighed, noticing that her strength got all drained from the hardships she overcame. She dragged her shaking knees to move.

God damn it! It's only a few blocks away!

It was when she was torn between having to pull her feet to move or crawl back to bed and finally enjoy a peaceful sleep when a shadow shifted from under the moonlight that bathed the camp in blue. Ironically, everything inside the deadly grounds appeared ethereal to her. She turned her dreary gaze around the corner, catching a glimpse of a strikingly familiar figure.

"You..." she had managed to choke out as she forced her legs to turn his way.

"We need to talk. We simply do not have much time." His voice was smooth against the dead of the night, like velvet and honey.

"What are you still—"

Jellal grabbed her wrist and she nearly howled at the sudden contact of his gloved hand on her searing flesh. His hold on her was like pouring alcohol on her wounds. He swiftly pulled his hand away reflexively, and immediately apologized as he motioned her to join him in a conversation at someplace where they could talk privately.

"Here." He fished out several bandages from his double-breasted jacket and his eyes asked for her permission if he could treat her. Jellal was a little bit surprised when she held out her arms to him, a gesture which clearly meant that he could.

He started from her arms and made his way down to her fingers. He silently wrapped the bandages on both her limbs and stared at her when he was finished.

Erza herself couldn't believe that she had let him treat her, much more touch her. She would never have dreamed of the day when she would allow a filthy pair of German hands to glide and skim across her skin, but he was different. She had finally swallowed her pride and accepted the fact that he wasn't the enemy. That he was someone she could turn to and rely on.

She respected him. No, it was much more than that.

She trusted him.

"I'll make this quick." he started searching inside his overstuffed looking coat and produced a steaming hot bun from the field gray cloth. Erza felt herself salivate as the aroma of freshly baked bread invaded her sinuses. The redhead took it the moment he handed it to her and tore off a huge chunk as she slowly chewed and savored the familiar taste she thought she had forgotten.

"You like bread a lot?" he lightheartedly asked, watching her through amused hunter green eyes.

"Only if I always get burnt bread." Erza didn't mind if she lost her poise, or ate without any gracefulness at all. It was the least of her worries and stuffing her stomach and replenishing her strength were matters far more important than her little and insignificant worries.

"Erza," the seriousness in his tone made the redhead flinch as she looked up to meet his gaze. "I'll be gone by tomorrow, but only for a day. I need you to be at your best behavior until I return." He stood up, dusting the snow that had fallen upon his clothes. She slowly rose as well and Jellal could only make little of her expression in the darkness; but whatever it was, he knew that her safety was all that mattered to him now, because finally, he had once again found the light.

His light.

He smiled secretly to himself as he turned to leave. A sudden force stopped him in his tracks and he whipped his head to identify what pulled him back. It was her voice.

"Your name." her eyes were puffy and red and tired but the power behind them was far greater than the pain she was enduring. He tilted his head to the side, raising a thin eyebrow in the process.

"Pardon?"

"Your name. I still don't know your name."

The cold wind blew, carrying the stillness and unrest between the two of them. The clouds that concealed the moon parted slightly, revealing the rays of velvety light, tracing and illuminating the fields and their features in a heavenly glow. His mouth slightly dropped open before he could register the question in his mind and smiled.

"Jellal. Jellal Fernandes."

A/N: Yeah not much action in this chapter. A lot of talk shit, I know I know. But look out for the next one!Something interesting will happen! *evil grin* So your thoughts? Did I make Erza a little too weak and soft here? Too fast-paced? Too cheesy?