Thank you all so much for your reviews! I'm so glad you liked the chapter and took the time to let me know! I really appreciate it a lot!

Also, Meredy wasn't drunk, haha! She was trying to type without looking down to seem unsuspicious and it was really not that easy to mistype all the time so I had to do it over and over again - my fingers are just more accustomed to the keyboard than hers xD though it sure would be interesting to see how she acts after a bit of sake...

Hope you enjoy!

"Don't look," Erza strictly said, lowering her head to give him a stern look over the rim of her glass. Natsu winced, keeping from turning around, meeting her eyes submissively. A single drop of sweat crept down Lucy's neck as she stiffened as well. "So surprised, it's not a secret," Erza went on as if having held a regular conversation.

Lucy dared to let her gaze flash around the restaurant as unsuspiciously as possible. No one seemed to have listened, their cover not blown by Natsu's obvious stares to whoever appeared the slightest bit odd.

Then again, the restaurant was so posh and everyone was dressed so fancily, everything looked rather peculiar. Lucy herself felt a little out of place, not even the dapper attires at her father's mansion quite levelling the ambience of their current location. Still, she was the one of her team to feel the least awkward in her pompous array.

The most uncomfortable was by far Erza. Not so much about her clothes but her food. She had stared at it for a while now, having stopped eating soon after taking the first few bites. It looked fine, delicious even, smelling even better than Lucy's own dish.

"Is it not to your liking?" She asked, imitating the most noble accent she knew. Erza gave a vague hum, still frowning with distaste.

"It's fine," she managed, looking pale.

"Does it taste weird? Maybe it's poisoned…?" Lucy lowered her voice, ignoring any classy wordings. Erza shook her head, bringing her fork back up when another stabbed a piece of her octopus.

"Don't-" Lucy hectically grimaced when Natsu helped himself, munching thoughtfully. They avoided to call each other by their names as they tried to stay undercover, but his was constantly on her lips and she had to bite down on her tongue every time he needed scolding.

"Mh, good," Natsu mumbled between chewing, stealing more and more pieces. "It wasn't a secret?" He asked, and Lucy took a moment to follow. She glanced at Erza who filled her glass with water for the sixth time.

"Of course not,"

"Because you never said anything,"

"I do not recall you asking," she retorted coolly, sipping her glass where there was a faint stain of lipstick.

"I didn't think I had to," Natsu persisted, scowling at Lucy when she stopped him from eating any more of Erza's food. It was getting them too much attention. Just like Happy would have, which was why he stayed beneath the table, hidden by the long tablecloth.

Charle was staying beneath the table of the restaurant where Wendy, Gray and Juvia were eating. The team had split up to cover more locations in a shorter time while not risking to leave anyone alone at the camp. Lucy wondered whether the others were having more luck and prayed for Gray not to lose his clothes and give them away immediately.

"It was rather obvious," Erza said, finally ramming her fork into a small tomato of her salad. Lifting it, she eyed it miserably, looking even more miserable when having forced it into her mouth. Lucy furrowed her brows. Perhaps she was allergic to the dressing?

"So, you gettin' married then?" Natsu bluntly asked. Lucy cringed, starting to assume him to think that that was the revealed 'secret' and not their relationship to begin with. He merely assumed that to be the case, anyway, actually finding it as obvious as she said it to be, not even questioning them to be a couple. Not that they should not have already been for years, she admitted.

"Natsu…" Lucy hissed, shooting him a glance. He returned it with puzzlement. Then his expression brightened when Erza swiftly exchanged his empty plate for hers. She stole a glance to the side, and the other, making sure that they were not watched.

Then she smiled to herself, shily. Lucy's eyes widened.

"You think he'll ask?" She raved, clasping her hands together, suddenly remembering to keep her voice down.

"He'd better – if he knows what's good for him," Erza sternly said.

"If he values his life…" Natsu muttered.

"Exactly," Erza took another sip of her water. She looked a little less disgusted but still as pale as before.

Lucy frowned with slight pity for Jellal. It was true, Erza was definitely what was good for him but… she could well imagine the horrors of having to live under the same roof as the mighty Titania, enduring her chaotic, resolute and sometimes funnily twisted perception of things. She would not be surprised if Erza at some point just proposed herself or skipped the question altogether and simply made them husband and wife.

"Can he come on the next- er, trip," Natsu remembered to hide their missions of spying on head hunters.

"Of course," Erza nodded, "I'll bring him," she approved. Lucy sighed to herself with a hopelessly lopsided grin. She exactly knew why she could imagine Jellal to be compelled into whatever his beloved wished – it sounded as if she was talking about a dog or baby. Or a cactus.

They had eaten themselves through nearly every restaurant and bar of the entire town – every place that served something with gravy. It had taken over two weeks, but in the end, they had a proud collection of carefully smuggled gravy samples, all ready to be analysed back at the guild.

Erza had not been herself since that seafood restaurant, having continued to shove her orders into her guildmate's faces and excused herself more than once.

Now back at their camp – not risking to leave any of their data by staying at an inn – everyone was exhausted and stuffed from over a dozen days of eating out. Lucy was more than glad that the guild payed for the costly venture. She could still hardly believe that Erza kept her apartment, even though she had moved in with Jellal.

Furthermore, she could not believe how Erza – usually asleep within seconds and hardly awoken by intrusions or her own obtrusive movements – was still awake. Lucy had already fallen asleep twice, her stomach feeling just as full now as when she had dragged herself back from the last restaurant.

She opened her eyes, watching the restless tossing and turning of her friend, the blanket crumpled and torn on. Erza did not have a steady breathing, neither one that was quick enough for a nightmare. True, she had not eaten as much as the others but it had been days since she had properly slept. She should at least be tired.

"Erza," Lucy heard Wendy's voice whisper from the other side of the redhead, "are you okay?" She quietly asked. Erza froze for a moment, then sighed deeply. Lucy shuffled closer, putting a hand on her guildmate's still slightly heaving back.

"I'm fine," Erza croaked, her voice contradicting her words.

"You seem so stressed," Wendy scooted closer from the other side, "do you want to go home?" She asked. Lucy had not even thought of that. It was most unusual of Erza to be anything but focused on the mission – or a random picnic – but being homesick… It made sense now, seeing as she had not only one, but two homes now – the guild and Jellal.

It had been their longest mission since the two had become an item and he did operate rather recklessly on his own quests. Not that he could not hold his own in a battle but she had always been worried about him. The passing days must have been emotionally straining to her.

Giving a pressed breath, Erza nodded reluctantly. Perhaps her upset stomach had been due to stress, too – Natsu had said to have smelled that some of her trips to the bathroom in the restaurants had disguised a reunion with her meal.

"Did Jellal go on a dangerous mission?" Wendy went on. She had her hand on her friend's arm now, gently rubbing up and down. Erza shook her head.

"I don't know," she said, "I don't think so," she admitted. The comforting gesture of the young Dragon Slayer seemed to work, though. Erza's shoulders sank, slowly, tiredly, mental exhaustion starting to win her over.

"We'll be home soon," Lucy promised, more than sorry for the trip to take them at least another day or two, "and I'm sure he's fine,"

"He must miss you, too," Wendy smiled. Erza only nodded again, collecting her blanket back around herself. She was a small bundle by now, sighing repeatedly. Trying desperately to get a grip.

Lucy smiled when she heard Wendy's shuffling, joining the Celestial Spirit Mage in cuddling up around their friend, giving as much comfort as they could. It instantly relaxed Erza, who took only minutes to finally doze off, clinging to her blanket and now to Wendy with her arms, a single whimper escaping her lips the moment she drifted off into a restless sleep.

Jellal looked up when he heard the familiar rumbling of a cart. He did not take the time to find a bookmark, putting it face down on the table and crossed the hall to the front door. He opened it, spotting three silhouettes and a giant pile of luggage coming down the street.

She quickened her already striding pace. His heart skipped a beat, the sting of longing pushing forward again. Letting go of her cart, Erza hurried the last steps upon seeing him. She leapt into his arms, throwing her own around his neck. Finding his balance, Jellal relaxed, gently enclosing her. Her feet stayed off the ground while he held her.

Erza inhaled deeply, then warmly sighed down his neck, face buried in his shoulder. His features softened. She had missed him just as much.

She just hung there for a few moments, her weight growing heavier with every breath.

"Nap?" He asked, the distress on her face not having gone unnoticed. She gave a hum that vibrated against him, nodding. He carried her inside, carefully letting her sink onto the bed, stroking her back once before detaching her hands from his nape. "I'll be back in just a minute," he promised when she only reluctantly let him go.

"She wasn't feeling well for the last week," Lucy informed after greeting him. Jellal frowned. He pushed the cart into the alleyway between the houses, unlocking the cellar doors.

"In what way?" He asked, carrying down Erza's suitcases.

"She had stomach aches – I think from that one restaurant we went to – and was a little dizzy on the way back. I hope it's not food poisoning, but it just didn't stop, even after we ate somewhere else the next days," Lucy explained, following with a bag herself.

"And she was really homesick, too," Wendy reminded at the top of the stairs. Her guildmate nodded, retelling how Erza had not slept much and always been tired afterwards. She received more luggage from Wendy and handed it to Jellal who stacked them.

"Hm…" he thought out loud. It gave him another pang of guiltily joyful pain as well as pity. Her being homesick, that was. Having missed him. He was rather clueless about what to do in the case of food poisoning. "And none of you felt strange?" He questioned, shoving the last cases into the corner.

"We all had different meals," Lucy said. "And I think she overexerted herself; she was so stressed with the thought of not being here for so long," she added, a fond smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "She was a little irritable, too – well, more than usual," she grinned sheepishly, seemingly remembering too late that giving such comments in front of Jellal might not be the smartest idea.

He only nodded in response, too much in thought to notice.

"She already seemed better now," Wendy smiled, which her guildmate returned. They turned to go and he thanked them, assuring that they could leave it to him to take care of the qualmish Titania.

"I'm really glad we didn't have to bring her to the infirmary with all the brawling and partying right next door – I would've felt bad," Jellal heard Lucy say to her comrade as they walked down the street.

"Me too. She's always so happy to get home since they moved in together; I'm sure she'll be better soon," Wendy beamed.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, equally cheerful. Jellal sighed to himself. He ran a hand through his hair, watching them for a moment longer. They sure appeared to have a lot of faith in him… They knew Erza so well, they completely trusted her feelings when it came to him, simply adapting the confiding of their friend. It made him think of Kagura – how she only saved and accepted him through Erza's all-withstanding love.

He returned to the present when he heard the bathroom door open. A moment later, the mattress creaked with her flopping down. He locked the cellar, then the front door behind him. On silent feet, he followed into the bedroom, finding her in a tiny ball of herself, somewhere at the end of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he sat down. She only gave a vague hum, almost a groan. Her arms were around her stomach and not her knees as usual, making him worry. He stroked his hand down her back, relieved when she arched into his touch.

He watched her for a while, the uncomfortable frown of her brow and lips. He did not have a book about food poisoning, did he? Looking at her, he did not want to go out to the library, either, having to resort to whatever he felt would be right to do.

He cradled her close to him, shuffling up towards the headboard where he leaned against and let her snuggle into his embrace. She sighed, already seeming a little better and he asked her about the mission. Most importantly, about what might have caused her malaise.

"We ate at different places, one or even two per night," Erza said after briefly having recounted their initial findings. "I don't know how even Natsu and Wendy did not notice, but I found many of the platters to smell odd,"

"You never ate the same?"

"No, we chose different things on purpose. I know that after my octopus and the smell of Lucy's zander, I felt more nauseous than the day before. I had to throw up in the restroom but we couldn't leave; it would have attracted too much attention,

"And then there was that ginger dip in the bar – it was terrible,"

"But you like ginger tea," Jellal interfered, never ceasing to caress her back.

"I know," Erza frowned, "we intentionally didn't order drinks – drinks are almost always drugged in those quarters – but even the snacks we ordered tasted foul."

"Do you think they might have slipped something into the food then? If they knew you were there," he pondered out loud. She nodded, then shook her head.

"I was the only one to feel as bad afterwards. Natsu almost vomited but I think that was just because he ate too much,"

"Perhaps it's an allergy," Jellal supplied, receiving another nod.

"I'm just glad to be back," Erza sighed into his shirt, rubbing her face against it, "I don't want to go on a mission that long anytime soon again," she cuddled up closer, shortly tensing with a grimace rippling over her face. She brought a hand up to her stomach, which cramped.

"How about something nice to eat?" Jellal offered. He cupped her hand in his over her stomach, soothingly moving his thumb up and down.

"I'm not hungry…" she groaned, huddling up even more. He accepted, trying to come up with possible unirritant meals nonetheless. He kissed the top of her head when she tightened her grip on his shirt. "Jellal?"

"Hm?"

"I have to throw up," she croaked and he winced. Fastening his hold below her knees and back, he crawled off the bed with her in his arms. "I don't think we'll…" she clenched her jaw, "make it…" she pressed between sealed lips and he practically flew into the bathroom.

They made it in time. But she missed.

Erza apologised for as long as he took to clean the bathroom floor. She sat there, miserable, gargling water to get the acidy taste out of her mouth. She seemed to feel a little better after having vomited, though, and he made her bouillon with noodles and vegetables to fill her now only occasionally cramping stomach.

"Salad, pasta… ehm… octopus…" Erza tried to list what she had eaten in the different locations. "I'd know if I saw the menu," she said, blowing on her spoon full of soup.

She had refused to stay in bed, wanting to watch him cook. And not be more than two metres apart, he guessed. He understood too well, the same force pulling him towards her, having been unable to resist a kiss on the crown of her head whenever he had not needed to stir or chop.

Since she was not in bed, however, he had cocooned her in a blanket, another draping her shoulders since her arms needed to be free of the roll to eat.

"I can ask Meredy to get them; retrace your steps,"

"No, don't. We stayed together for a reason – the man who is after us must be there somewhere," Erza argued. "He knows Meredy now and you, too. It's too dangerous,"

"But if it is an allergy-"

"Then we'll find out another way," she said, spooning up more soup after swallowing. "Let's just hope I can throw up whatever keeps bothering my stomach – get it out of my system," she proposed to which he frowned, "otherwise I'll see Porlyusica," Erza ensured, and he agreed.

HAVE you read the new 100 Year Quest chapter? Full of Jerza! And Laxus that sly hunk! My cousin and I were fangirling about it and (kind of censored spoiler?) when Jellal said the 'gears are overlapping' thing she was like "how about your lips start overlapping soon?!" xDxD we might actually get some canon Jerza in two weeks... or more...

Anyway, have a nice rest of the week ^^