Author's Note: This is where the story ends. The following chapter is an outtake. Thanks for reading!
The month of March was a rainy season for Magnolia. The warmer early spring storms came in from the ocean only to clash with the wintry air that still rolled off the mountains and created a deluge every year. Erza never minded the rain, even if her hair disagreed.
She hadn't even waited out the following week after her first date with Jellal before deleting Spark, and she didn't regret the decision. That holiday season Erza took special care to see that Mirajane felt extra appreciated. Ultear had been overheard grumbling that her brother owed her a similar gift, but he'd refused to explain what his sister meant. Though she kept her own apartment there were several nights a week Erza spent at Jellal's house.
Meredy had taken to her presence quickly and Jellal explained that her mother had died when she was still very small and it was unlikely she remembered the woman at all. When asked if the little girl's clinginess made her uncomfortable, Erza kissed her boyfriend's nose and told him she hadn't ever felt more like she belonged in a family since her own parents died. He'd hugged her fiercely, she admitted she loved him. It wasn't as hard to say so as she'd originally thought.
Jellal's daughter stood on a step stool next to her and messily squirted icing all over the rows of cupcake tops. She smiled up at Erza and licked the pink stuff off her fingers.
"Are they pretty?"
"They're gorgeous! Do you want any other colors? We can have whichever ones you want."
"Nah, I like pink." Meredy scooped the extra icing from the tray with a spoon. "I'm so excited to be five, Erza! It's gonna be great!"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think daddy will let me drive now?" Erza couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Sweetie, I think you're still a little young for that. But, I bet if you ask him nicely he'll take the training wheels off your bike for you." Suddenly Meredy jumped from the stool and bolted from the kitchen.
"I'll be right back, Erza!"
She stared after the girl in confusion, and then helped herself to a spoonful of icing. Meredy had insisted on decorating her own cupcakes for her party the next day and it was a bit of a disaster. Erza had already set in motion an order for a set of cupcakes decorated by Levy just in case the pink blobs didn't work out.
"I got you a present!" Meredy appeared at her side again and thrust a construction paper card at her.
"Oh, sweetheart, you didn't have to make me a present on your birthday!" Erza wiped her hands on her apron and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
"Well -" Meredy fidgeted. "I just thought you should know how much I love you here."
Erza opened the card and felt her eyes sting and throat close up. "Meredy, this is –" Inside the card was a drawing of herself – complete with a mane of bright red hair – and Jellal with Meredy in the middle. "This is so amazing. Thank you." She could only whisper as she brought the girl into a hug that Meredy eagerly returned.
"You make me and daddy happy and I don't want you to ever go." Erza didn't know what to say to that. She was incredibly touched by this child's thoughtfulness. Meredy sighed loudly and pulled away. "It's not as neat as what my dad got you, but I wanted you to know my heart."
Erza leaned down to Meredy's level. "I think you and your dad misunderstand how birthdays work."
"You'll like it, Erza. It's sparkly. I don't think I was supposed to see it, but I needed socks for puppets and it was just hanging out there. Who hides sparklies in their sock drawer?" Meredy chattered on and on while Erza stood frozen her hand poised to scoop more icing into the pastry bag. A sparkly?
She moved into Jellal's house that May and found the sudden change of having people around her at all hours to be less anxiety-inducing than anticipated. Erza didn't miss the lonely hours spent in her bed with no one to talk to and both eating and drinking alone. Now she had dinner with Jellal and Meredy every night, and their presence filled every gap inside of her.
There were nights when he was stuck at his station until late hours, and the responsibility of taking care of Meredy brought uncertainty at first. The little girl was incredibly sensitive to people around her, though, and together they worked out a schedule. It wasn't uncommon for Erza to fall asleep hanging off the edge of Meredy's bed or for Erza to keep her close in the bed she shared with Jellal. Neither wanted to be alone. Jellal never said anything about it; he only carried his daughter to her own room when he came home or gently woke Erza from her precarious positions on the single princess bed.
It was late July when Meredy flippantly called her mom during dinner. Erza sat in shock with her fork halfway to her mouth and stared wide-eyed at Jellal. He reacted with only a tiny smile and encouraged his daughter to continue her story.
He finally asked her to marry him on a sunny afternoon in August. Erza hadn't ever said that she had a serious weakness for his uniform, but she'd been reluctant to ask him to remove it enough times that Jellal caught on. When he wanted something it was common for him to show up at her bakery to take her to lunch, and it would usually be on a day when he wore the darker blue button up shirt.
Erza never checked the sock drawer to find the sparkly Meredy had mentioned, and instead opted to let Jellal work out his plan in his own time. He fumbled the proposal a bit, and dropped the ring box twice before getting his words out.
"We've been together for a year now, Erza, and I can't imagine my life without you in it." He managed to pop the box open and revealed the infamous, but secret, resident of his sock drawer. "Marry me?"
"Well," Erza bit her lip and tried not to smile. "Meredy was right. It's certainly sparkly."
"What?" He blinked. "I don't know why I'm surprised. I'm terrible at hiding things. How long have you known?"
"Oh, since her birthday. She didn't do it on purpose and she may not even remember telling me." Erza finally smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "Of course, I'll marry you. I knew you'd get around to asking eventually."
Jellal pulled her close and kissed her neck. "I'm always the last one at the party."
"You better not be late for our wedding. If you think Ultear was bad…" She winked at him and took the ring box from his hand.
"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm surrounded by women who'd probably eat me alive if I showed up even a second late."
"No one will be eating anything but cake on that day. I'm making a rule."
"Whatever you want, Erza." He pulled the ring from its velvet slot and slid it onto her finger.
The moment she walked through the kitchen doors at the bakery, Lucy noticed the difference.
The following January, Erza was late. Not just a little late, but a lot late. She didn't tell Jellal for a week. She needed to be sure. Meredy insisted that she'd always wanted a sister and never considered the baby to be anything other than a girl.
They named her Wendy, and she had a tuft of hair on her head that matched her father's. Erza watched him holding the child they'd created together and decided that swiping right was the best thing she'd ever done.