Disclaimer:I don't own fairy tail or any of it's characters.
Erza took a step out the front door and took a sip of the tea she had made to give her a small boost of caffeine. She mulled over Jellal's first clue, "Throughout the day as you search for me, let's revisit our history. The first place I saw you with your crimson hair, it was all I could do not to stare. When you sat down in front of me, I knew that your friend I wanted to be." If he wanted this to be a challenge he would need to step up his game, obviously it was their elementary school. With a smile she popped in her driver's seat, she would definitely find him before the days end.
When she arrived at the elementary school there was a man sitting cross legged on a quilt in the front lawn. Erza walked over and stood next to him, Macbeth was definitely out cold. She nudged him with her foot and got no response. "Leave it to you, to fall asleep on the lawn like this. Although I find it amazing that Jellal got you to help. Wake up Macbeth! Where is the note!" She nudged him a little more firmly with her toe.
"I didn't just fall asleep, I slept here all night. I hate this place, but I owed him," he said without opening his eyes, "tell him the debt is repaid. The envelope is under the front right corner of the quilt."
Erza smiled at her former classmate, thinking some things never changed. She found the envelope and looked at him one more time, he appeared to be back asleep. She shook her head and headed back to her car. "Clue number two: You've always had a weakness for something sweet, strawberry cakes are your favorite to eat. Though the old place is no longer around, this new place has the best cakes anywhere to be found." Erza was so absorbed in the note that she didn't realize, if she had turned to look at him one more time she would have seen Macbeth face turn up in a rare grin.
Lucy laughed, "That's awful."
Levy covered her face, "I know! But all I can eat is cheddar cheese quesadillas and plain popcorn! How am I supposed to get a proper diet when everything else makes me vomit? The other day we ran out of cheddar and Gajeel tried to use mozzarella and I threw up all night! That was just a slightly different cheese! Poor Gajeel, I'm so lucky to have him take care of me."
Lucy wrinkled her nose, "Yikes, well don't try to eat anything here, I've got a business to run you know!"
"Lucy!" Levy threw herself dramatically on the table in front of her, "I don't want to be nauseous anymore!"
Lucy smiled, walked over and rubbed Levy's back, "I'm so sorry Levy, I'm sure you will feel better soon! Is there anything I can get you right now? A water or a soda maybe?"
Before Levy could answer, Erza threw open the front door causing the bells to clang wildly. "Erza?" asked Lucy, confused by the dramatic entrance.
Erza sped towards them so quickly that Lucy couldn't help but take a step back in fear. Erza grabbed her collar, "Where is it Lucy? Where is Jellal's note?"
Levy stared up at them wide-eyed, trying to stifle a laugh.
"Note? What note?" asked Lucy.
"The clue Lucy, there has to be a clue!" yelled Erza.
Lucy disentangled herself from Erza's grasp and entered the walk in refrigerator. When she came out she was holding a cake. She smiled nervously, "This is what Jellal wanted me to give you."
Erza grabbed the cake and tore into it, pieces of icing and crumbs flying everywhere, "A note, there has to be a note!" Crumbling the end of the cake in her hands she groaned in exasperation, "Where is the piece of paper!"
"Isn't that it on the plate?" asked Levy, her face clearly showing her amusement.
Erza looked at the plate, finally noticing the white slip of paper that had been hidden under the baked treat. She looked at the mess of crumbs she made on the floor and frowned, "Oh dear."
Lucy stared at the floor with her hands on her face, "Yes, Jellal paid for the cake and asked if he could set it up on that plate. All I did was set it in the fridge to keep it safe." She sighed, "I guess I'll go get the broom."
Erza ignored her and was already reading the note, licking the icing from her fingers, "My darling Scarlet, I hope you enjoyed the treat." She grimaced and looked at the floor again, "I'm so sorry, Lucy."
"See if I help for the next game you two play," grumbled Lucy as she began to sweep cake pieces into a dust pan.
Erza continued reading, "Clue number three: I finally started driving, though we had nowhere to go, I went everywhere with you in tow. When I had broken down or needed a fix, this is the guy who knew the tricks." Erza smiled, "That is an easy one! Off to see Sawyer!" Without giving Lucy's cleaning job another look, she turned heel and left out the front door.
Levy started laughing heartily, "Oh my god! Leave it to Erza to turn a scavenger hunt into something so savage!"
"Look at this floor! There are smears of frosting everywhere! I'm going to have to get the mop!" whined Lucy.
"Oh no! She's coming back!" exclaimed Levy.
The chimes rang a little more tamely, followed by sheepish Erza poking her head back in the kitchen, "Umm, I don't suppose maybe, if you didn't mind, you could pack another one of those cakes up for me?"
Lucy gave an exaggerated sigh, "I guess so." She gave Erza a wink to let her know no harm done, and went to get another cake from the walk-in.
"So this is the new ride," asked Natsu.
Gray hopped down out of the truck and smirked, "No, I decided to borrow another one for the day."
"Oh shut up ice nuts," Natsu spat. He walked around the truck, his face changing to amazement, "Wow Gray, this thing is practically brand new!"
"I know, isn't that awesome. Juvia really hooked me up on this one," Gray patted the hood.
Natsu looked in the window, "Look at the cab of this truck! Is that a wooden dash, are those leather seats! Damn Tinkerbell, those are gonna hurt your naked cheeks on a hot day."
"Shut it you sriracha fart, you're just jealous," scoffed Gray.
"I am though!"Natsu exclaimed. "So what's the plan with the other car?"
"I don't know, sell it I guess," Gray shrugged. "I don't want to pay insurance on both. I mostly drive for work now anyway, Juvia has a better car."
"How much are you going to sell it for?" asked Natsu, leaning against the passenger door.
"Not sure, why? Do you want it?" Gray raised a brow inquisitively.
"Maybe, depends on the price," said Natsu.
"We could work something out, I spent a lot less than I expected to on the truck," started Gray.
"Hey are you ladies going to stop flirting and get in here, or am I going to have to do all this damn work by myself!" called Laxus from the front stoop of the house they were working on. He glared at them, his face was pure rage and arms flexed and crossed. It wasn't a welcoming sight.
"Man, is it just me or has Laxus become an even bigger dick than usual?"whispered Natsu to Gray.
"Yea . . . I didn't think it was possible," murmured Gray back.
Laxus huffed and stomped back into the house, "I swear you two idiots are worthless, I must be crazy to work with you."
"Let's talk about it later, I'd like to leave today with all my limbs," Natsu patted Gray on the back and headed towards the house.
"Agreed," said Gray, following him in.
Jellal's mechanic was out front of his shop, wiping grease on his coveralls. Erza barely had the car in park before she popped out of her car asking, "Do you have it?" He pulled the envelope from his pocket with a grin. Erza took it with a smile, "I knew I could count on you to do this quickly."
He laughed and winked, "You know you can't beat my speed baby."
"Thanks Sawyer, I'll see you later," she said walking back to her car.
"Good luck!" he waved, heading back into the garage towards a large, dangerous looking motorcycle.
"Clue number four: Lions and tigers and bears oh my, but it's only fangs and scales for this guy. He always got us in for free, you will have to find him if you want to find me." Erza thought of stolen kisses in the aviary and snuggles on the aerial tram. Jellal really had a way of making her nostalgic today.
After picking up a ticket left for her at the gate, Erza headed straight for the reptile house. She went to knock on Erik's office door in the cool, dark building, but was surprised when it was swung open before she had a chance. He gave her a half grin, "Hey Erza, I heard you were here. Come on in."
When she followed him in she noticed the snake twisted around his arm. "Oh, am I interrupting?"
He laughed, "No, you are fine, I'm just charting growth and changes in the patterns on the scales today. It's not as if this visit is a surprise." Using a free hand, he opened the top drawer of his desk, pulling out a familiar looking envelope. He handed it to her, "I believe this is for you." He sat back down in his chair and started observing the snake on his arm, making notes in the notebook that was already open on the desk.
Before Erza opened the letter she looked up at Erik, a pensive look on her face. "It's been a long time since I've seen you around the bar Erik, everything okay with Kinana?"
Erik grunted without looking up, "Geez Erza, it's barely started and my ears are already hurting from your nagging." He looked up at her and gave her a sad smile, "Don't worry about us mother hen, I'll figure it out. Besides you've got an idiot out there waiting to be found, don't you."
"Yes, I suppose that's true," said Erza, turning her attention to opening the envelope. "Clue number five: If not for your stage fright, you would have shone like a star, talented is what you are. Though your disappointment you couldn't hide, it meant Saturdays here with you by my side."
Erik chuckled, "Your man thinks he's so cool, this stuff is so sweet it's going to make me sick."
"Well you know me, I've always had a sweet tooth," Erza gave him a wink and let herself out, closing the door and leaving the man to his work.
The theater was empty. Erza couldn't find anyone in the whole place and she began to panic. It was already the afternoon and she wasn't sure how many clues she had left to complete! In a fury she began going seat to seat, slamming them down and cursing when there was no envelope.
She had almost finished half the theater when a noise on the stage drew her attention. Sorano stepped out to the middle of the stage, completely dressed in feathers, and began belting out an Italian aria. It was beautiful but only fueled Erza's fury. "Where have you been? I'm assuming Jellal gave you the clue. I've been wasting time checking the seats for the last hour!"
Sorano just smiled, amused at Erza's distress, "Oh Erza, that was the plan all along! You were here much too early, I had to delay you somehow. Did you not like my song?" She frowned, "I prepared it specifically for you, it's an aria about an angel who falls in love with a mortal." She sighed, "Oh that I could be so lucky to be loved and worshiped by an angel."
"Enough Sorano, where is the envelope," demanded Erza.
Sorano frowned, "You are so lame." She pulled the envelope from her ample bosom. "Now if you don't mind, I will restart since I was so rudely interrupted before."
Swaying gently to Sorano's beautiful singing, Erza read the next clue, "Clue number six: When I went away the distance was far, being away from you was so hard. Home from school after a long week, there wasn't a more romantic place to meet." Erza furrowed her brow, "Home from school, far away. He must mean college, what did we do on the weekends during college?" Her eyes widened as the memories came flooding back, "Yes! Of course!" She sped out the door trying to make up for lost time, leaving Sorano stamping and cursing at her on the stage. Erza still hadn't listened to the whole song.
Erza stormed into the shooting range throwing both doors open like a bull entering the ring. Meredy was so shocked by the detective's dramatic entrance that she nearly dropped the small envelope Jellal had asked her to give her. Erza glanced about the room, determination on her face, but from her angle, Meredy was able to remain hidden.
The poor man sitting at the front desk looked horrified, "Ma'am, you probably shouldn't come storming in like that, there's quite a few people back there using firearms. Really not a good idea to spook them."
Erza ignored him and stomped over to the desk, she placed both hands on his counter, "Was Jellal here?"
The man gave her a look that screamed this woman is crazy, "Je . . .Jellal?"
"Yes Jellal! He has blue hair, around six feet tall, muscular build, brown eyes!"
"I . . .I don't know ma'am, I just got here an hour ago," the man looked ready to hide under his desk.
Though she was enjoying the show, Meredy decided it was time to end his torture. "Hey, Erza!"
Erza turned her head to look in Meredy's direction, "Ah, Meredy, I assume you will have what I came for?"
Meredy smiled, "Yes, I have it right here." She held out the envelope Jellal had entrusted to her the day before, praying Erza would read it out loud. Not opening it had been torture for her.
Erza smiled and eagerly skipped over to take the letter, like a child getting a piece of candy. She tore it open eagerly and began reading it silently to herself.
"Oh my god Erza! You can't do that to me!" Meredy yelled, unable to maintain composure.
Erza regarded her confused, "Huh?"
"What does it say!" said Meredy.
"Oh, just clue number seven: On the night of hearts where lovers stress, a shrimp took a dive into your dress. Lucky for me, I had a plan, and we went and had a meal made by this man.," replied Erza. She smiled, "Ah, Valentines day!"
"Oh," said Meredy, disappointed that her part was over already. "What was the clue for here?"
"Home from school after a long week, there wasn't a more romantic place to meet," replied Erza, matter-of-factly.
Meredy grimaced, "You guys had dates here?"
"Yes, we came here whenever Jellal came in for a few days from college. It was an excellent way to start the weekend," Erza said, tapping her lip thoughtfully. "We should really come back here, it has been too long, maybe next weekend."
Meredy slumped forward, "You guys are so strange, who has a date at a shooting range!"
Erza just smiled brightly at her, "Hah! You are just jealous!" She turned and ran towards the door calling back, "I'm off to the next clue, see you later!"
Meredy folded her arms and, with a fond smile on her face, watched the redhead leave. The world just seemed more right now that those weirdos were back together.
The restaurant was bustling so Erza restrained herself, she couldn't make a scene here. Carefully controlling her gait and her breath, she attempted to look calm as she approached the bar where Richard's brother Wally was doling out drinks. "Hey Wally," she said warmly, "is Richard around?"
"Erza baby, so good to see you!" he leaned across the bar and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Yea, we've been waiting for you, I'll just go grab him from the back."
Erza took a seat on one of the barstools and looked around the dining room. The ambiance of the restaurant was calming and brought back memories of their romantic dinner over a month ago. Erza smiled as she thought of the way Jellal had smiled fondly at her while she told him stories about work and her family. She knew most of what she told him was probably boring, after her embarrassment from earlier she couldn't help but babble, but he had looked at her like she was the most interesting thing in the world. She really loved that man.
Richard came booming out of the kitchen, "Ah beautiful Erza! It is always lovely to see you. Although I believe you are here for a certain letter, right?"
"Yes, and it will be getting dark soon, so if you could please let me have it," Erza began.
"No, no, no, you cannot rush these symbols of love!" he exclaimed. A waiter set a plate in front of Erza with golden fingerling potatoes, a perfectly cooked filet mignon, and some fresh looking asparagus. "Unfortunately, I am under strict orders to give you nothing until you eat something. Jellal said you have probably had nothing to eat all day except for some cake."
Erza was about to argue but realized that Richard was correct, she was starving. The meal looked mouth watering. She smiled sweetly and acquiesced, "Of course Richard, this looks delicious, thank you."
Wally returned and placed a glass of red wine in front of her with a smile, then went to tend to another restaurant patron. Richard took the seat next to her, "So how has the day been going for you."
Erza smiled, struggling to finish the too large bite of steak she had shoved in her mouth. "Mmm, now that I've had a chance to reflect, it has been a very nice day."
"Ahh love! You two are the epitome of love, it makes my heart so full!" he exclaimed.
Erza flushed, embarrassed by his over-the-top pronunciations and took another bite. Wally came over, finished with making drinks for the others at the bar. "Brother, I think they need you in the kitchen."
"What? Oh, of course they do, right! Well Erza, I leave you in my brother's capable hands. Tell Jellal I send my best!" The large man headed towards the kitchen.
"A dandy lets a lady eat in peace," Wally gave her a wink. Erza gave him a grateful smile and dug in, doing her best to balance getting finished quickly and not eating like an animal. When she was finally done, Wally whipped an envelope out of his pocket. "I believe you were waiting for this?"
"Thank you Wally," she said, taking a sip of her wine and accepting the envelope. She opened it and read "Clue number eight: Here always has a place in my heart, I was lucky to be welcomed from the start. Dinners with your family, nights sneaking in your room, this place helped our love blossom and bloom." Erza smiled, "Off to see Makarov it is."
When Erza got to Makarov's house the old man was out back having a pipe. For the first time that day she didn't have to restrain herself, she took her time coming in. Erza went out the back door and sat in the chair next to him, giving the old man a glowing smile.
"How are you doing today?" she asked.
"Pretty good my girl, have you been having fun?" he said, blowing out a pillar of smoke.
"Yes, it has been quite a day," Erza admitted.
"Well I believe it should only get better. I suppose you are looking for this, he told me this is your last one," he said, handing her an envelope.
She took it and opened it slowly. She pulled the slip of paper out and read the final rhyme, "Clue number nine: Let's circle back to where it all began, that fateful night when I took your hand. When I leaned in for that first kiss, I finally knew the meaning of true bliss. "
"He's really grown into a good man, that Jellal of yours," said Makarov, smiling out into the night sky.
Erza looked up at the stars with him, "Yes, yes he has."
"Hey Lucy," said Natsu, giving her his signature grin when she opened the front door to let him in. She never tired of ending her work night like this. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a tender kiss. "I've got a surprise for you."
"Oh yea?" she said, pulling back to look him in the eyes.
"Yea, are you ready to go?" asked Natsu gently, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"Just about, I have one more thing to put away," Lucy reluctantly pulled herself out of his arms and headed to the kitchen. "Erza was here today, I think Jellal is going to propose tonight."
Natsu followed after her, his eyes widened in surprise. "Why do you think that?"
"He had her on some elaborate scavenger hunt, all the clues were poetic sounding rhymes. It just screams proposal to me. You should have seen her, she tore a cake apart like an animal," said Lucy, as she began bagging up the day-olds so they would be ready for the morning.
Natsu grinned largely, "Yea, once she's mid competition she kinda loses her mind. She's terrible to play board games with, takes everything so damn seriously."
Lucy raised an eyebrow and sarcastically quipped, "Yea, and I'm sure you and Gray are much better!"
Natsu pretended to be wounded, "Lucy! How could you lump with that ice princess!"
Lucy rolled her eyes, "Anyway, it's just so funny because she was so concerned with completing the hunt that I don't even think she realized what the prize is going to be at the end. It seems a little over the top to do a whole scavenger hunt for a proposal, but really it seems very Erza."
"Yea, she's always been one with a flair for the dramatic. She might be tough but at the end of the day she eats that romantic stuff up. I think she's read too many of those chick novels." Natsu's face became serious, "What kind of proposal would you want Lucy?"
Lucy looked up at him, wondering if there was any extra meaning behind the question. She then looked up at the ceiling pensively, "I don't know, I guess something simple and sweet? That always works for me." She smiled and tied the final bag, "There, all done!"
She barely had time to grab her bag and hit the light switch before Natsu grabbed her hand and began dragging her out the front door, "Come on Lucy! I can't wait to show you."
When they got outside, Natsu stopped beside Gray's car and started motioning to it like a model on a gameshow. Lucy raised a brow, "Why are you showing me Gray's car?"
"No Lucy, not Gray's car, your car!" said Natsu excitedly.
Lucy's mouth dropped, "You bought me a car?" she said quietly.
"Yea, well technically it's our car, I put both names on the title, but it's for you!" Natsu ran over next to her, "What do you think?"
"Natsu, this is too much!" she said.
Natsu frowned, "Of course not, why is this too much? Really it's for selfish reasons, this way if I get held up at work, I can come home to you and not worry about you being stuck here!" Lucy looked at him, her eyes still wide with shock. He pulled out a ring with two keys on it, "See, I also got you a key to my house, you can go whenever you want. And I got it detailed so don't worry, there aren't any cooties from Gray's naked cheeks."
Lucy's shocked face melted when she took the keys, a strange frown forming on her face. "I don't understand Lucy, are you upset? I thought this would make you happy," said Natsu, caressing the right side of her face and lifting her chin to look her in the eye.
"No, no, I just can't believe you would do this for me," said Lucy, giving Natsu a weak smile. "I just really like seeing you at the end of the day is all."
Natsu smiled, "I can still come get you Lucy, the car can stay here on those days. It's a good thing right? You're kinda starting to freak me out here." Natsu rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
Lucy looked at Natsu and at the car, she didn't have words to express how much she loved this man. He was constantly surprising her with how considerate of her he could be. She was so used to being forgotten and overlooked, like she constantly had to work to get the people in her life to notice her. Natsu never seemed to forget about her. She finally smiled a real smile and threw herself into his arms, giving him a tight hug. "I love you Natsu, thank you so much. This is wonderful!" she said into his chest.
He rubbed her back and kissed her head, giving a deep sigh of relief. With a soft chuckle he said, "I love you too Lucy."
Erza pulled into the parking lot of South Gate Park. It was already dark out and there were no other cars except for Jellal's Jeep. She wondered if it would be hard to find him, she had really hoped to get here sooner, but apparently that had been out of her hands.
She headed down in the direction of the lake, remembering their first kiss by the gazebo. It was right before the start of their senior year. She couldn't even remember what they had been doing here in the first place, but somehow they had become separated from everyone else. Erza had tackled Jellal, mad that he had teased her about her favorite music artist at the time. They had fallen down the hill in a tangled mess, laughing the whole way to the bottom. When they finally came to a stop, Jellal had ended up over-top of her, and his face had changed from a look of mirth to a look of longing.
Erza had been wondering for a while if he returned her feelings. From the day they met in elementary school, they had become the best of friends. United by a their intelligence and competitive dispositions, they had naturally been drawn to each other's company. They were always on student council, top in their classes, and star athletes on the teams in school. Their days were filled with each other. Then during their junior year and the summer that followed, Erza had noticed the flirtation had become a little more serious and every time he touched her it was like butterflies erupted in her stomach. So seeing him looking at her like that, so close to her face, had been all the invitation she needed. Erza had closed the distance, kissing him desperately, and the rest had been history.
Just remembering that kiss filled her with an overwhelming yearning to see him and be with him. She increased her pace to a run, nearly falling down that same hill again when she came upon the sight of the lake, the beauty of the scene stopping her in her tracks. Jellal had placed lanterns all the way to the gazebo, which he had decorated with soft string lights. The lake behind it looked lit itself, as it reflected the large, full moon and the stars. Jellal stood in the middle of the gazebo, looking so handsome in the dim, warm light. His bright smile lifted her heart.
She slowly approached him, nerves slowing her feet. Was this what she thought it was? When she stood in front of him, he finally broke the silence, "Well it looks like you found me."
She smiled up at him, "Yes, it looks like I have."
He grabbed her hand and went down on one knee. She covered her mouth, completely overwhelmed with emotion, unable to stop the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. He smiled sweetly at her and cleared his throat, as if trying to cough his nerves away. "Erza Scarlet, my light, my reason for living. I can't begin to tell you how much I hate that it took nearly dying to understand how important you are to me. I don't deserve your love, but I treasure it, you are the greatest gift that this life has given me." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box, opening it to reveal a beautiful ring. It was white gold, with a large diamond between two gleaming rubies that were the color of Erza's beautiful hair. He pulled it from the box and held it out to her, returning the box to his pocket,"For me it has always been you, there has never been anyone else in my heart. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?"
For a moment she just stared, the whole situation was just so much. The memories, the lights, the ring, the man in front of her saying such wonderful things. Then she looked in his eyes and she was sure, Erza knew this was exactly what she wanted. Still unable to speak, she shook her head yes. He slid the ring on her finger and stood, a huge smile across his face. Jellal pulled her close and kissed her with a desperate hunger that rivaled their kiss so many years ago.