Auntie Erza

"So this pretty much explains everything you'll need to know," Lucy said as she handed the redhead a sheet of paper. She and Natsu were dropping off their daughter in the trustworthy hands of Erza Scarlet. Erza took the sheet of paper into her free, one arm holding Nashi, using the other to hold Nashi's blanket, pacifier, bottle, etc. The child burrowed her head sleepily into the woman's neck, her dark brown eyes heavy with exhaustion. "And again, thank you so much for doing this for us, Erza."

"Sorry it's on such short notice," said Natsu, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "It's just… I'm not comfortable with Nashi being along with Gray for two days." Erza shook her head, her dark red hair swaying across her shoulders and catching a sleepy child's interest.

"It's no big deal, really," she dismissed. "Now go on, you'll miss your train." Lucy leaned in a placed a gentle kiss on Nashi's head, and Natsu touched her hand.

"See you in two days, baby girl." Nashi made a soft gurgling noise in acknowledgment, but was too tired to make much of an effort. Happy waved as he and the couple began walking down the hall.

"Bye-bye, Erza!" he chirped.

"Goodbye." With them disappeared around the corner, Erza stepped into her apartment and closed the door behind her with her foot. She carefully lowered Nashi's belongings onto her coffee table, sitting down on the couch to read through the paper Lucy gave her. Although she seemed pretty nonchalant about doing this, Titania's heart was beating frantically in her chest. She couldn't remember being so nervous in her life.

"Y-you want me to… what?" Erza stuttered, her eyes wide with shock.

"Babysit Nashi for us," Lucy repeated, taking a drink of her lemonade. "Please, Erza? For some reason, Natsu doesn't trust Gray with watching over her. And you're one of our closest friends. We can trust you to keep an eye on her. I thought you liked Nashi."

"I-I-I do! It's just… why didn't you ask Levy?"

"I did, but she said the she, Jet, and Droy are going on a mission and won't be back for at least a week. Come on, Erza, please? Just for two days? Nashi likes you, the two of you are friends. What's the problem?"

"It's just… I don't think I'm the person that should look after a child…" the swordswoman said slowly, nervously tapping her index fingers together.

"Erza," Lucy deadpanned. "You're one of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards. You're Titania! I think you can handle taking care of a child for two days. She won't give you any trouble. Ask Juvia! She said that Nashi was the just the sweetest. Besides, it's not like you have to stay in your apartment at Fairy Hills the whole time we're gone. You can take her to the guild, shopping, the beach. I'm pretty sure she'll have a blast, even if you do decide to just stay home for two days. Onegai, Erza?" The swordswoman turned away from Lucy's pleading gaze, looking down at her slice of cake. She wasn't good with these sorts of things, and wasn't really comfortable with watching a child for two days by herself.

But… Lucy is a friend, and so is Natsu. And Lucy is right. She is Erza "Titania" Scarlet. She supposed watching over her friends' child was the least she could do. After all, what's wrong with taking care of your family? "A-alright…" she said softly, taking a bite of her cake. Lucy beamed.

"Really? You'll do it?" The redhead nodded. "Oh, thank you, Erza! Seriously, you have no idea how much that means to me. And Natsu, of course." On the last part, she gestured across the room to her husband. He sat at a table with the boys, bouncing his knee up and down while Nashi sat on it. His hands were on her small torso, keeping her from falling off as he conversed with his nakama.

"It's not a big deal," Erza dismissed, sending her blonde friend a grin. "I mean, it's the least I could do for the two of you. When are you planning on leaving? So I can go home and… clean up a little."

"We're taking a train tomorrow night," Lucy answered, turning back to the older woman. "The town isn't very far away, but we want to get there by early in the morning, so we'll drop Nashi off at your place at around… nine? Will that be alright?"

"Nine will be just fine."

"Okay. That's when she goes to bed, so she shouldn't be much of a bother by the time we get there. I'll make a list of everything you need to know tonight." The two girls laughed for a moment, Erza taking another bite of her delicious cake. She really cared about Lucy and Natsu – they were two of her closest friends, for crying out loud – but she really didn't know what she'd just gotten herself into.

Now, don't get her wrong. She knew that Nashi wasn't disruptive like her father. She was surprisingly mellow. But… she didn't know how to deal with a child. She supposed that's what Lucy's paper was for, but it was still a little nerve-wracking. The S-Class wizard was completely inexperienced in this sort of field. What if something were to happen to Nashi because of her uncertainty? She didn't know if she would be able to handle being responsible for something like that.

Erza slapped herself. What am I doing? Thinking such foolish things… Thinking about the worst-case scenario isn't like me. I need to focus. With her resolve in place, she looked down at the child in her arms, who was looking up at her with an odd expression. It was as if she was wondering why Erza would hit herself. She smiled as the baby yawned widely, showing off her growing teeth in the process. There's one of the first resemblances of her father that she's seen. Natsu always opened his mouth incredibly wide when he yawned.

Making a really cute noise that Erza couldn't describe, Nashi nuzzled into Erza's shoulder, her eyes falling closed. The redhead released a breathy laugh. "Are you tired, Nashi?" she asked softly. In response, the girl peeled her eyes open a little to look at her. "Yes?" She stood up and grabbed Nashi's blanket, heading for her bedroom. "Let's get you to sleep, then."

She remembered what the paper said about getting her to go to sleep. Wrap her in her blanket and rock her in her arms. Once she's asleep, you can set her down. So all she had to do was just rock her in her arms until she fell asleep. Easy enough. She may wake up crying in the middle of the night because she's teething. If this happens, stick a finger in her mouth and run it along her gums and give her some ice water. This usually works, and she'll normally falls asleep right afterwards. Rub her gums and give her ice water. Piece of cake.

She curled her legs under herself as she sat down on her bed, wrapping Nashi in her blanket in the process. Resting the child's head in the crook of her elbow, the requip wizard began to gently rock her from side to side. She was a little surprised at how small the child was. Sure she was only nine months old, but still. Nashi was tiny, like a doll instead of a human being. But no doll could compare to her beauty. She had Lucy's looks. Which was a good thing, because Mavis help the child that grew up to look like her nonsensical buffoon of a father, Natsu. Erza smirked at the thought, a light chuckle escaping her lips.

Nashi did, however, have Natsu's hair. Sort of. Natsu's hair was more of a dull salmon color, while hers was a vibrant fuchsia, like a sakura tree. Erza smiled. Lucy and Natsu really had a great addition to their family. And the longer she continued to gaze at the baby in her arms, the more she couldn't wait to start a family of her own.

An image of a certain wizard with ultramarine hair and a maroon tattoo down his right eye flashed in her mind. Erza's face immediately flushed to a shade of crimson that rivaled her hair and she shook her head to get rid of the vision. Now was not the time to be thinking of him. She had to focus on Nashi.

But the picture of Jellal Fernandez wouldn't leave her mind.

The next morning…

Erza sighed wearily as she looked in the mirror. Her hair appeared to be a shade darker when it was wet, and the ends seemed to be slightly singed. She'd forgotten about Nashi's precarious sneezes. Thankfully it hadn't caught anything on fire, and it just barely skimmed across her hair. It was hardly noticeable, and she would be able to just cut the tips off with one of her swords if it really bugged her that much. Which it did. She wasn't one to go crazy over something like a split-end or a broken nail, but seeing how one side of her hair was slightly shorter than the other really ticked a nerve.

But she didn't have the time right now. She had to go back into the kitchen to feed a particularly giddy Nashi, and made sure she didn't burn anything down in her apartment. When she walked back into the kitchen, she was pleased to see the little girl exactly where she left her on the couch, sucking on her pacifier and rocking back and forth on her rear. When she saw Erza, the binky fell out of her mouth as she smiled and reached her arms out to her, flexing her hands as if to beckon her. Erza laughed lightly and approached her, pulling her up into her arms.

Much to the woman's confusion, the baby began to cry a minute or two after being fed. She bounced up and down to try and calm her down, but it didn't work. If anything, Nashi cried harder. Wincing and feeling slightly panicked, Erza quickly looked over Lucy's paper, skimming for something that could help her out. She briefly picked up the word burp and her eyes widened as a light bulb blinked above her head. She lifted Nashi to her shoulder and gently pat her back. Erza was thoroughly disgusted when the child burped up on her bare shoulder – she was wearing a tank-top – and pulled her away. Her chocolate brown eyes gleamed happily and she clapped her hands, a silly giggle sounding from her throat. The swordswoman sighed.

Four hours later…

After having a tiny wrestling match to get Nashi into her clothes, the S-Class wizard finally managed to get them both to the guild. The girl was currently perched in Bisca's lap as they sat at the bar. As Mirajane approached the redhead with a drink in her hand, her eyebrows furrowed. "Erza, is your hair singed?" she asked, angling her head to get a better look. Erza leaned her forehead against the cool wood of the bar table, sighing for the zillionth time that day.

Author's Note: Ne, mina! Thank you, amyskywalker for this brilliant idea! I don't know why I didn't think of this before! And answering your question about the other pairings, I already have plans for some JeRza and GaLe, but it might be a while. Because, Gajeel is almost as dense at Natsu is, if not more. And who knows what Jellal is up to. But don't worry! There will be some JeRza and GaLe, maybe some RoWen too. But I dunno. We'll just have to see.

And congratulations to QueenP19 for being the 100th person to review! Just twelve chapters, and I'm already passed 100 reviews! Thank you guys so much! You have no idea how much I love you guys!

Anyway, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter just as much as I do. Definitely one of my favorite ones so far. Let me know what you guys think in a review! Happy Easter. And did everyone see the latest chapter? So much NaLu, I think my inner fangirl is going to explode!