A/N: I'M ALIVE! Partly, still a bit sick, but a lot better than before. And here is what I promised you, the long awaited chapter. Thank you for waiting patiently!

The people who love, cherish, inspire and protect you are your guardian angels. They are your friends and family.

Gray's POV

I was sitting on the couch in the lounge, watching Lucy and Juvia playing a game of Go Fish. They were both really into the game, neither one seemed to be losing. Even though Juvia was a junior, we had accepted her into our little group. She was one of us. I was glad.

As for Natsu, he was sitting on the other end of the couch, playing a game of The Scrolls of Skyrim. I was waiting my turn for a chance to play, but looking at Natsu's status, he wasn't going to be done anytime soon.

Suddenly, Erza and Jellal walked in. I saw them, then turned my head for a second look, my eyes narrowing. Was that….blood, on Erza's cheek?

My blood boiled, and my eyes narrowed. I stood up from the couch, marching over to the couple. Erza's eyes widened, realizing what was going through my mind. She raised and hand and brought it to her lip, which I could now see, was split.

I marched over to Jellal, grabbing the lapels of his jacket, and slamming him into the wall. He winced, his arms weakly coming up to push me away. I could see blood on his mouth.

"What the hell happened, Fernandes?" I snarled. Beside me, Erza grabbed my arm furiously, trying to yank me away from Jellal. In any other circumstance, she would definitely be able to, along with tearing my arm off, but my anger allowed me to stand firm.

Behind me, Juvia and Lucy paused from their game, looking over at us with wide eyes. Natsu got up and came over, his game forgotten. "Erza," he said quietly, his eyes narrowed. I could see the anger in his eyes. Not directed at her, though.

I glared back at Jellal, who looked exhausted. His tired eyes, brimming with sadness, stared evenly into mine.

"Jellal took me to see his band," Erza said. "I went outside because I got a call from my idiot dad, who wanted me to come home because he found out he had cancer."

My eyes widened a little. Erza's father was not the greatest father in the world. I was with her when she begged for her father's help. Well, not exactly. More like eavesdropping outside the window, since she didn't want me to come in. But I heard the whole thing. He told her he wasn't going to help her or her mother, and he did not care. I always knew how much he hurt Erza, but even more than that, he made her the strong woman she is today. I couldn't believe he actually wanted her now.

"After I got off the phone," Erza continued, "a gang jumped me. Jellal saved me just in time."

I looked at Jellal. "Is this true?" I asked him quietly. He nodded. "It's true. They attacked her. I should've come out with her-"

"It wasn't Jellal's fault," Erza interrupted, grabbing one of my arms and pulling me away from Jellal. This time, I let her, and in the next moment, I was standing in front of her. Her eyes were full of anger. "Don't you dare blame Jellal, Gray Fullbuster. It was not his fault. I went out when he was still playing. He didn't know that I had left."

"Do you know who the people were?" Natsu asked, his arms folded, the muscles flexing with controlled anger. Lucy and Juvia came up, Lucy putting her hand on Natsu. He visibly relaxed. Juvia just stared at me, with warm eyes full of concern.

Erza looked at Natsu, then back to me. "It was Sting and some more of the Sabertooth soccer team." She murmured.

Dead silence.

Natsu and I looked at eachother. Sting Eucliffe, I thought, my fists clenching with undiluted rage. The ass who broke two of my ribs, gave Natsu a concussion, and cheated in more than half the games we played against him. The ass who hurt Erza.

I looked over to Jellal. He was slumped against the wall, holding a hand to his head. My anger towards him vanished. I was surprised that he was able to hold his own against the despicable Sabertooth bully. I walked over Jellal, and held out and hand. He looked up at me weakly. His forehead was exposed, revealing the large lump on his forehead.

He grabbed my hand and I hauled him up. "Juvia," I said, and she hurried over to her brother, reaching for him. I handed him over to her, and she led him to the couch. Lucy quickly followed, going for the refrigerator in the corner of the room, hopefully to get him some ice.

I turned back to Natsu and Erza, who's eyes were fixed on Jellal and Juvia, who was tending to her brother. I walked over to Erza. "Are you hurt?" I asked, concerned. She smiled hesitantly, then winced when she stretched her split lip. "Apart from this? I'm fine." She said.

I reached out and pulled her into a hug. She leaned against me, her body trmebling. I smoothed her hair. "It'll be ok," I murmured, trying my best to comfort her. Yes, we had dated, but our relationship was so much deeper than that. This was my best friend, the only person who knew everything about me. Like hell I'd let her suffer.

Natsu looked at me. I caught his eyes. He was still pissed, but then again, so was I. But we couldn't exactly do anything about it. At least, not until the game, which was exactly tow days from now. If Sting wanted to play dirty, then so would we. I nodded to Natsu, and his eyes narrowed in understanding. We'll wait until Friday.

Juvia and I were walking back from the girls dorms, after walking Erza back to her room. Jellal was still reeling and unbalanced, so Natsu had taken him down to the nurse, to make sure It wasn't serious.

Juvia and I were walking close together, our hands nearly brushing. You could feel the tension in the air.

Suddenly, there was a tug on my sleeve. I stopped, and turned.

Juvia's head was down, but I could see tears coming out from her eyes. She had grabbed the hem of my sleeve, her fingers brushing the skin on my wrist.

She looked up at me, the tears running down the sides of her smooth face. "G-Gray," she whispered. She suddenly collapsed forward.

I caught her in my arms, pulling her into my chest. She clutched onto the thin fabric of my shirt and sobbed. I held her tightly, rubbing her back. I felt terrible. Her brother didn't looks so great. I hoped he'd be ok.

She looked up at me. "Gray," she whispered. "Will he be ok?"

I held her close, and leaned my forehead against hers. Her breath suddenly hitched, and my heart began to pound erratically in my chest. "He's being taken care of by the best nurse around," I whispered. "I know he'll be alright."

She relaxed, and melted against my body. I pulled back from her face and looked at her. She was still crying, and leaned her head into the crook of my neck. I let her, holding her close, running my fingers through her thick, wavy hair. Her body shook, and I held her.

Erza's POV

I threw myself onto my bed, worn out and still in shock. I had wanted to go with Natsu to the infirmary, but Jellal weakly pushed me away. "Why don't you go to your dorm?" He had whispered. "You need to rest. I'll visit you later." I could see in his eyes, what "later" meant.

I pushed myself off of my bed and stumbled into the bathroom. My whole body ached from Sting's attacks, and I flicked the light on.

I blinked tiredly at the mirror, taking in my split lip, my fatigued eyes. I sighed. My eyes flicked over to the shower.

I stripped out of my clothes, throwing them lazily on the ground, moaning when I stretched out my aching limbs. I caught sight of my body in the mirror.

There was a medium sized bruise on my stomach, just under my left breast. It was from Sting, when he punched me. I pressed on it slightly, whimpering from pain. It wasn't extrememly large, but it still hurt.

I turned on the shower and slipped in, relaxing under the warm water, the water pressure relieving the stress in my aching muscles. I smoothed my hair back.

I didn't even bother washing. I lathered on a bit of soap and scrubbed my body a bit, but otherwise, I just let the hot water soak my body. I stayed in there until the water became cold.

I stepped out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around my body. The mirror was fogged, so I yanked open the bathroom door to let some air in.

I had forgotten to close my door after Juvia and Gray had escorted me back. There was someone on my bed.

They turned towards me, and I caught a glimpse of blue hair, and a red tattoo. I relaxed, only for my face to heat up with realization.

Jellal was in my room. And I was in a towel.

I squeaked in alarm. "J-Jellal!" I stuttered, frantically holding my towel close to my body, to prevent it from falling. I still remembered the time when Lucy and I were in her dorm. She had just gotten out from a shower, wrapped in a towel. Natsu barged in, looking for her. She had jumped in alarm, the towel….. well, let's just say it wasn't pretty.

Jellal's eyes bugged out of his head, staring at me. "E-Erza!" He rasped. He sat there, frozen, unsure of what to do next.

I flew back into the bathroom and pushed the door close. "Umm, give me a moment!" I called, feeling flustered. Holy crap, I thought. That was close.

I pulled the towel off my body, reaching for the fresh pair of panties and bra that I had grabbed, thankful that I had decided to snatch them. If not, I would've been screwed.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door, then a creak, followed by a quiet expletive. I turned, realizing why.

I hadn't closed the door fully.

Jellal stood frozen, staring at me, clad in a pair of black panties and matching bra. My eyes widened, my face turning a deep shade of red.

His eyes traveled southward, landing on the bruise under my breasts. His eyes darkened, and he stormed forward, grabbing me gently by the waist. I gasped, feeling the warmth of his hands on my body.

He brushed his fingers over my bruise, and I hissed quietly. He looked at me, his eyes dark with pain. "Erza," he murmured. I could see the unshed tears in his eyes. I knew why.

I grabbed his face, holding it still, looking into his eyes. "Jellal," I whispered as sternly as I could. "This wasn't your fault. Do not blame yourself!"

"But you're hurt. And I couldn't do anything-"

"Jellal," I said, cutting him off. His eyes flicked back to mine. "Jellal, you prevent him from molesting me." His eyes widened. "He was going to take my clothes of, Jellal, and probably rape me. What you did was heroic, coming to help me. You saved my life, Jellal."

His eyes were wide. I leaned in, never taking my eyes off of his, and gingerly, pressed my lips against his.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the sink, my lips against Jellal's. He was standing in between my legs, his fingers roaming my body, his shirt discarded on the floor. My hands eagerly rose and explored his chest, running my hands up and down his hard abs.

He shuddered but didn't pull away from my kiss. His tongue swept into my mouth, and I moaned. He growled, and I felt his arm grab my leg, hooking it around his body. I could feel every inch of his hard body.

He pulled away from my mouth, and I whimpered. He chuckled, and latched onto my neck, liking and sucking. He kissed the skin where my neck met my collarbone, and I shuddered. The sensations were too much, and I writhed under his body. He continued to attack my neck with his kisses, sucking and biting the skin, while I fell apart under his ministrations. I ran my hands up and down his back, feeling the corded muscles rippling under my hands.

He pulled away from my neck and looked at me with eyes full of lust. They asked an unspoken question: do you want to continue?

I nodded, my mouth going dry. I wanted this, wanted it so badly. Jellal was the answer to all of my questions. He was the one I wanted.

His lips crashed into mine again, and his arms looped around my legs, hoisting me up. I gasped against his mount, and he wordlessly carried me out of the bathroom, stumbling to the bed.

I fell back on the mattress. Jellal looked at me and climbed onto the bed, hovering over me. His eyes burned into mine, and I reached out wordlessly to him. Please, my eyes begged. Kiss me.

And so he did.

Jellal's POV

How did it come to this? I asked myself. Erza lay underneath me, her hands roaming my body. I gasped against her mouth, cupping her face gently.

I stared hazily down at her, my eyes tracing her curves, her gorgeous body. Part of me was screaming at myself. You don't deserve her, it said. I didn't deserve to have this beautiful woman. I'd only hurt her.

And yest, the other part of me knew I wanted her. She was my salvation. She saved me from the darkness, she saved me from myself. I needed her. I needed her light, her love, for she was the one who broke my curse.

Erza blinked at me. Her hand reached up and caressed my face. "How is your head?" She whispered. I cracked a smile. "The nurse gave me a few aspirins." I said. "The pain is almost gone."

She smiled. "That's good," she purred seductively, making my pants suddenly very tight. I gasped, and she flipped us over, so that she was straddling me.

In one fluid motion, she reached behind her and unclasped her bra, letting it fall off. She batted it away impatiently.

My eyes widened as she sat above me, in all her glory. Her breast were large and round, her nipple pink and perky. My mouth went dry.

Erza chuckled, and grabbed my hand. She pulled it towards herself until it rested on her abdomen. "Go ahead," she breathed, her eyes glued onto mine.

I reached up her body, feeling the underside of her breasts against the tips of my fingers. She shuddered and moaned, leaning back against my hard member. I groaned in response.

"J-Jellal," she whispered. I rolled us over again, so she was under me. I ran my hand up her body, and for the first time, I touched her.

I caressed her breast softly, hearing her moan. She was gorgeous, I thought to myself. I experimentally rolled her nipple between my fingers, and her back arched, a breathy moan escaping from her plump lips. Her eyes looked at me. "Jellal," she breathed.

I bend down and kissed the hollow of her throat. She hummed blissfully, and I continued to kiss, angling downward. I gave her one more kiss on the swell of her right breast. Then I focused my attention on it.

Her chest heaved, and I lowered my lips down on her breast, kissing around the hard peak located in the center. My other hand was still caressing her other breast. She writhed underneath me, her hands reaching up to clutch onto my neck.

I kissed her whole breast, flicking my tongue against her sensitive peak. She cried out in pleasure.

I pulled away from her throughouly loved breast, and reached up to capture her lips with mine. She melted against my kiss eagerly, her hands running down my body, and running over my hard member.

My eyes flew open, and I groaned. With her quick fingers, she unbundled my belt and unzipped my jeans. I growled and yanked them off quickly, before crashing against her once more. I reached down and hooked her legs around mine, rubbing up against her heated core. She moaned.

I pulled back and looked at her, bracing my self against the mattress with one arm. Her chest heaved, her eyes lidded with passion. I looked at the one article of clothing left on her body. Then I looked back at her. She nodded urgently.

I reached down and hooked my fingers in her panties, pulling them off, revealing what lay underneath. She was wet, and my member pulsed at the sight of her. But before I could do anything, she grabbed my hand.

She pulled me back to her, her fingers yanking down my boxers. "You too," she murmured.

"Erza, what about-" I began, but she cut me off. "Top drawer." She said.

I looked next to her bed, where her dresser sat. I reached over and opened her drawer, pulling out exactly what I needed.

Her hands came up and grabbed the package out of my hands, tearing the foil. "Come here," she breathed.

I leaned over her and her hands traveled southwards, her hands rolling the rubber over my hard erection. She giggled.

I blushed and looked away, but she pulled me back to her. "I love you, Jellal."

I looked at her sharlply, my eyes searching hers for any doubt. There wasn't any.

"I don't know how you do it," I whispered, cradling her face in my hand. "And I'm still afraid. But having you with me, it makes everything seem brighter."

She smiled. "I will always be here for you Jellal."

I kissed her one more time, positioning myself between her legs. "I'm love you too, Erza Scarlet," I murmured, thrusting into her as gently as I could.

Her eyes flew open, and she gasped, her fingers digging into my back. A few tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes. I wiped them away, kissing her cheek. I stayed as still as I could, letting her get used to me. "It's ok," I whispered. I won't move until you're ready."

After a minute, she began to thrust her hips hupwards, grabbing onto my shoulder blades, nodding for me to continue. I braced myslef and pulled out a bit, thrusting back in. She moaned, and I panted, the feeling of being inside her filling me with bliss.

Our bodies rocked In time with eachother. I could feel her tight, wet heat around my member, and I groaned as she ran her hands up and down my chest. She was moaning at every one of my thrusts, her voice full of passion.

Suddenly, she let out a loud, breathy moan. "J-J-Jellal!" She screamed, clutching onto my neck, her body arcing off the bed. Her heat tightened around my member, and I suddenly peaked there, right with her, a snarl coming from my mouth. All I saw was white, and felt a sense of ecstasy. I collapsed next to her our chest heaving, coming down from our orgasmic highs.

I reached for her, grabbing her and pulling her in to me. She laid her head on my ches, and I wrapped my arms around her bare back. She smiled, and yawned, tracing invisible patterns on my chest.

I planted a kiss on her forehead. Her eyes began to close, her hands stilling on my skin. "I love you, Erza." I whispered, staring down at her face. She mumbled sleepily and smiled.

I hugged her close to my body, my own eyes closing. I ran my fingers through her long silky hair, holding her protectively. The last thought I my mind was that I'd protect the woman I loved, to my dying breath.

There will always be that one person in the world who will love you more than life itself. They will protect you from anything, even if it means sacrificing themselves. They will do anything for you. Why? Because they were meant to love you.

A/N: well, let me just go and hide right now...that was my first lemon, I really hope it wasn't too bad. Eek!

Thanks for everyone who followed, reviewed, and faved. Much appreciated!

#diesfromembarassment