And the chapter quickly promised is quickly done. For once I got a chapter up in a timely manner. Heh! This chapter is filled with dashes of angst, like the entire story so far. I had no regrets.

Erza's POV

Lucy's apartment feels so small and cold without her in it. We had broken into it so many times because it was warm…but today it didn't. Why wasn't she here?

"She's not in the bathroom!" Natsu calls.

"Where's Lucy!?" Happy whines and he opens a cupboard above Lucy's desk. "Wah!" He gets covered with countless letters.

"Letters? What is this?" Natsu grabs a handful and rips the wax seals.

"Hey! You shouldn't do that," Gray snaps, but he had a handful. I look at the story on Lucy's desk and run my fingers over the grain of the wood of the chair.

"Mom, I saw Erza…she's beautiful and so strong…"Natsu reads. Why didn't say she met me? It's just…an odd wording.

"Heh…"I blush and look down. I swallow and grab a small sheet of paper. 'I'm going home' was neatly scrawled on it.

"Erza?" Gray questions.

"She went home," I mutter.

"We gotta get her back!" Natsu hops up and runs out. I drop the note and follow quickly.

Lucy went home…is she going to leave the guild? She can't! She can't leave her Nakama. We're family. We need each other.

Lucy's POV

I clutch to Supetto as she weeps. I look around the workers that had raised me. They ask about how I've been with my studies and if I've found any women that I want to be with. It made me feel homesick for a moment. They were all so sweet…

"Lucy, your father wishes for you to come see him in the main study!"

He really hasn't changed…he won't come out to see me.

I was put into an old dress of mine. I study the patterns and smile softly. My eyes scan over the floral design as I walk to the study, keeping my courage in my heart instead of allowing it to deteriorate. I push the doors open. "It's nice to see you…Father." I look up at my dad. He had seemed to have aged a bit in the year. The stress always got to him. Mama always worried about his heart because of it.

"I'm glad you've returned, Lucy," he tells me. I hang my head.

"I apologize for leaving home without a word…I deeply regret my actions," I say weakly.

He looks at me; studying me closely and making me feel small. "You've made a wise choice. If you had stayed at that guild…I would've been on the verge of using my wealth to destroy it." I feel my chest clench and I focus my gaze on the polished tiles of the floor. "You've finally grown up, Lucy. You've seem to have learned an important lesson of just how destructive your actions can be if made selfishly. You are a Heartfilia. You live in a different world than everyone else." He sighs softly and paces about the room. "The reason I have called you back is because your husband has been decided."

You haven't changed, I think.

"It is prince Sawalu, of the Julenelle. I'm sure you remember he expressed great interest in you. He was able to overlook your little acts."

"Yes…he did." I frown.

"By marrying into the family, we'll be able to expand the rails South. It'll be of great value to the Heartfilia company," he goes on, staring out at the garden. I know in the distance he can see my mother's grave. How could he look at her as he spoke such things out of the character of the man she married! "You'll be expected to bore a son, so that we can continue the Heartfilia name…that is all, Lucy. You may go to your room."

"Father," I call. "You're mistaken about my reasons for coming back. I'm here to apologize for running away. I shouldn't have left without a word…"I frown. "But I'm not coming back! I'm leaving this house."

He looks at me, completely flabbergasted. "Lucy…"

"I'm going back to the guild and I will choose who I marry!" I cry. "Father I can't be this thing you can sell off. And to men!" I shake my head. "Why was it so easy to understand I liked girls when I was achild but now that I am actually able to be sure of my attractions you ignore it! Did the Floras and mom's death just made you forget your moral compass and allow you to just put a marriage above your only child's happiness!?"

"Lucy!"

"No! Don't you dare lay a finger on my guild again! They're my family…."I frown and rip my dress. "I'm done! I don't need this life of money and beautiful clothes! I wanted to come here and talk to you as equals…but I see that I cannot get that here." I clench my fists. "Fairy Tail is my family." I grit my teeth. "It hurt so much to leave…this place is where my fondest memories lie…with mama and Erza…with everyone here." I hold my head up high. "But I know if mom was alive, she'd support my decisions." I turn away and head for the door. "Goodbye father…maybe one day I can actually talk to you…and you can respect my life choices."

I stare at my mother's grave and I gently place down the flowers. "I found her mama…I wish you could meet her again. I wish you could meet all of my new family," I whisper. I hang my head, listening to the wind blowing and the chirping of birds. Wait…is that running footsteps? Natsu's shouts?

I gaze up and see Gray, Natsu, Happy and Erza racing towards me. "Guys!?" I call. They stop just short of tackling me.

"You said you were going home…We were worried you wouldn't come back!" Natsu cried.

"We wanted to make sure your father didn't hurt you," Gray says gruffly.

"It's good to see you're okay…"Erza whispers. She smiles softly and I look down, hiding my blush. She looks at the headstone.

"You were here to visit your mother's grave!?" Natsu looks at me.

"Y-yeah…"I stutter out and look down.

Erza walks closer to the headstone. "Layla…" she mumbles. I feel my heart stop for a second. Does she remember?

"Erza?" I whisper.

"This city is big!" Gray hollers.

"Oh, this is just the garden. My family owns the land up until those mountains." I point at the snow covered peaks and they all freak. Well, Erza keeps calm.

"Such a pretty sky…" she whispers and looks. "The sunset…"She looks down at the grave again as the boys go to explore the land more. "So many weeds…"She starts to pick them. "Missus Heartfilia, it's shameful how this place is kept for you!"

"Erza?" I call again. She doesn't look at me. "You okay?" She keeps silent and I see her fiddle with the stems carefully. "Hey." I grab her shoulder. She looks up and stands. She has her usual height on me. She looks down at me. I see the dandelions had been fashioned into the crown. I remember the old crown I had that had yet died and was pressed in an old book of fairy tales my mother had read Erza and me.

"The boys called you a princess…you need a crown," she mumbled quietly, her voice holding the same tone it had thirteen years ago. My heart ached at this. She had to know. Please let her know. She placed it on my head. "There…"

"Thank you," I whisper and adjust it. "Where did you learn to make these crowns?"

She presses her lips together and ponders it. "I think…my mother taught me." She looks around. "This place reminds me of my home. So familiar…"

"You were a noble?" I question, faking ignorance and curiosity.

"If I recall right," she sighs. "Our past isn't what matters…I love my life. Even if I did by any chance find a life that was of noble status, I would reject it. I love Fairy Tail. I see people like you every day." She smiles softly. "I love you, Lucy."

I blush bright red. "What?"

She takes my hand and smiles even sweeter. "A family loves one another! And you're part of the guild, so you're part of my family. I love you."

I force a smile and hug to her arm instead of holding her hand. "I love you too, Zaza."

She laughs. "Let's go home, princess." My heart cracks and I hug tighter to her. She's so close yet so far…if this doesn't job her memory, what will?

"That girl…"I mumble, "was she a noble?"

"Yeah, I was engaged to her. I gave her a crown like yours as a gift. We were six and four when we met. I tried to court her like we were adults and I a man. It was to be a betrothal gift. Then she gave me this." She requips the silver necklace I gave her. "It's my most prized possession."

"I think my father could help you find her," I say meekly, "he knows many noble families."

"I want to find her naturally." She has a look of determination, her eyes steely and her brow furrowed. "If it was meant to be, I'll end up with her again. She'll be in my life again and if she does come back to me…I'm never going to let her go!"

"Yeah…It's meant to be I'm sure." I smile.

Jude's POV

I stare out the window as Lucy leaves with her guild mates. I see the one woman with scarlet hair and it feels all too familiar. "Is that your daughter, Thorne?" I mumble to the ghosts that always live in my life. "She had that armor…she's become like your mother like you feared. I see why Lucy would be so attached to that guild. If that's her..." I sit at my desk and stare off. "Those two girls loved to blindly and purely…childishly like I loved Layla. Loved so blindly until she passed…" I sigh. "She's so beautiful, Layla. Our daughter is truly your copy…beautiful, smart, strong and oh so stubborn! I hope that's her Erza…make all those tears seem to no longer exist in her eyes."

And with that, it is done. Thanks for reading and I'm sorry if you have melted and left frustrated without them finally being together!

I don't know which arc should they be together. Should it be after the Tower? After Fantasia? After all that S-class and Seven-year thing? The games? More recent arcs? Should I just give up on trying to follow the story and create fluff situations to put these gaybies in? I don't know. What do you all think?

-She Fell for Fiction