Hello! Thank you guys for so many reviews!

Mitzy123, I'm happy to see your reviews! Thank you so much! I'm really glad you liked the part about Ambrose (also the hooking up :D), cause it's always a risk to put focus on an OC or even secondary characters. So, thanks! And thank you also so much for so many praises on Jellal's character - he's kind of a poor devil but I'm glad to know that he's a realistic poor devil xD

Guest (no 1), thank you so much for your review! Don't apologise for bad English; my own could use some polish as well, don't worry. I'm very happy you took the time to write me a review and tell me what you think. And I really see your point; he is killing her mood and that's not very healthy considering it will effect the baby, too, however the pregnancy is not over yet and there's still room for them to try and solve it. I hope the crisis didn't turn you off.

Guest (no 2), thank you so much for leaving me a review! It's so hard to believe I can make people cry with words but knowing that makes me so happy I could cry myself. Thank you!

Blessism, thank you so much for your review! I didn't see that coming - I feel as if I'd gained a lawyer :D Thank you so much for going to the effort of reading the chapter and then letting me know how you felt - I loved hearing that you liked it and especially how it made you want to read the rest (as you're obviously immune to spoilers xD). That really motivates me to correct all of those little typos and missing commas I've found to be sewn everywhere... double the motivation for me, thanks! And I really appreciate your praises a lot; I'm happy to know you find it to be realistic, however sad it is to read about the lows and not only ups. Happy reading!

pilikali, thank you so much for your review! (and I have to say, even knowing that your mother tongue is not English, this is outstanding!) Thank you for letting me know how you felt about the chapter and that you find the portrayal realistic - makes me proud to know! Also was that a not-so-subtle hint at them having more than one baby...? xD

foxydame, such a looong review, thank you! I love how many details you mention and what you think about them ('the doomed spfa' xD) and don't worry, honeymoon comes first. Made me laugh how you set the priorities here :D Aye, sir to that ;D So glad you liked Erza's pinpointing - it's not always easy to keep the characters (and readers) in the dark realistically when knowing it all oneself, so I'm glad you commented on it. And then you joined the lawyer squad; you guys are really so sweet to defend the Jerza relationship like that! I'm very happy to know all of your opinions and of course, like every artist, proud you like what you read. That was one good point there with Brain - I almost forgot about that bastard of a tutor Jellal learned from.

Now then, my very mature community :D sorry for the wait after such a mean ending to the last chapter.

Hope you enjoy.

When opening her eyes, she found them to be crusty and dry. It took her a moment to register her surroundings, the bedroom clad in darkness. Feelings resurfaced more quickly than events, and she knew her heart not to be the only sore one once she perceived the quiet breathing of her husband. Quiet but not steady.

They had stayed in the kitchen for what had felt like hours, eventually ending up in what had actually have been a few. She had not dared to move, neither thought to have had the strength to do so. She had listened to his crying, silent tears of her own having tumbled down.

Neither had gotten up, even after having stilled – not until pigeon had walked in. Confused as to why there was no dinner for it or perhaps why the bedroom was not yet cosily warm, its curring had popped their bubble with reality. Grateful for the bird's distraction, she had collected and hidden the baby romper, a sickening tightness in her throat upon realising how heavy the lovely piece of clothing now was with negative emotions.

Dinner had been left untouched, all of his hard work – his hard work at distraction from the truth – abandoned. Her stomach now grumbled in response to the memory, but she did not lend it her ear. His breathing was flat, too flat for him to be asleep. Hearing but the ticking of the grandfather clock out in the hall, she did not know how late it was, assuming dawn to be knocking at their door. And she could easily bet her every possession on the fact that he had not slept for even a second.

Turning around – by now painfully aware of his hand to be avoiding her stomach – Erza faced him. At least he had the decency not to pretend, she thought, meeting sunken, swollen eyes. She held his gaze. Minutes passed. The clock chimed, striking an hour during which she had seldom been awake ever since she had taken up abode in his house. There was no sleeping in when sleep did not come to begin with.

Another half an hour and he would have to hurry to get to work on time.

Relaxing into the mattress, she welcomed his embrace as it dared to strengthen. He was still there. He had not left. He did not look ready for work in the slightest, either.

Swallowing to coat the dryness of her throat in saliva, Erza broke the silence in an attempt reassure them both.

"How about a nice hot bath?" She croaked nonetheless. She did not attempt a smile, knowing it would fail. Drawing a breath, Jellal shook his head ever so slightly.

"I can't, I have to work," he said sadly. Her forehead creased with a frown. She did not want him to leave.

"You're always overly punctual – it won't be the end of the world if you're not for once," she argued meekly. She knew he would not be convinced, and a guiltily smouldering part of her was glad he would not. The change in environment would do him good, perhaps better than she could provide comfort with the growing reminder of his tribulations practically embedded in her.

"I can't be late; we need that permission for the honeymoon," he argued, and she agreed with a hum. They did need that honeymoon, she reluctantly admitted. So she proposed breakfast instead.

Pouring hot water into two bowls, Erza quickly prepared some porridge for them both while he dressed. In ironed trousers and dress shirt, Jellal mirrored how she had wrapped herself into a bathrobe. They ate in the drawing room opposite the kitchen, in silence.

Crammed together on an armchair for maximum closeness, her legs partly stacked over his, they spooned up their breakfast, neither particularly liking it. His eyes appeared less red though, and he gradually became more tired than agitated. The clinking of spoons died down, and he took the bowl from her, stacking both on the coffee table without getting up.

With a long sigh, Erza leant into him. The side of his head met hers, his chest expanding against her shoulder blade in a mute, equally deep sigh. He endured to stay until there were only ten minutes left to get to the Council, the same urge to stay together written plainly across his features. At the door, she kissed him softly, seeing him off. She speculated that her mission had momentarily slipped his mind, not a word of it passing his lips.

Getting ready then, Erza forced herself into a cold shower, setting her mind on the job with her friends and nothing but that.

The clouds moved in the late winter wind, uncovering mild rays of sunlight to greet them through the high windows. The scratching of quills on parchment continued regardless of the time the peaking sun announced. Outside the office, steps echoed down the halls, accompanied by chattering.

Wordlessly, working with the precision of a machine, Jellal handed the finished document over as he had for the past hours. Giving a scrutinising look, Ambrose approved with a small nod. Filing it in, he went back to his own stack of awaiting paperwork. It diminished steadily, but when there was no shortly foreseeable end to it, he marked the last passage he had read and leant back.

Jellal did not look up while his colleague stretched, an old joint or two popping in a satisfactory manner.

"Shall we order in? Otherwise, I wouldn't mind a quick walk into town," Ambrose suggested. Handing over the next document, Jellal proceeded to write as if nothing had been said. He felt steady eyes on him.

"I'm not particularly hungry," he stated, skimming paragraph after paragraph. Ambrose frowned.

"Well, I'm sure you will be once you have to watch me eat," he laughed his distinctive laugh. His frown resettled at the lack of response. He had known something to be off since the moment Jellal had entered his office that morning, tactfully brushing it aside. The urge of getting to the bottom of the to him rather obvious war raging on inside Jellal's mind pushed through again.

He set his elbows down onto the table, crossing his hands for his chin to rest upon them.

"How about some tea instead?" He offered. Finishing his sentence without haste, Jellal finally dared to glance up without moving his head. Ambrose waited patiently, offering not a friendly, but an open smile. A politely inviting one – one that clearly said: it's okay to say 'no', all the while being understanding enough to consider accepting.

Sighing, Jellal set down his quill. His eyes lowered alongside it.

"Tea sounds like a good idea," he agreed, not merely to the hot beverage. With a brighter smile, Ambrose rose to his feet, making his way to the small seating area. His knees gave a different kind of popping, but Jellal was too occupied with the window to note. He opened it, and his co-worker pulled a in puzzlement amused face when the Jellal's hand reappeared with a pigeon sitting on top.

Quietly, hoping not to be heard, Jellal greeted the bird. Turning his attention back to the old man, he saw him struggle with a match that did not want to light up. So he crossed the room, deposited the pigeon on his shoulder, and sparked up a flame beneath the teapot with a snap of his fingers.

"Handy," Ambrose nodded in approvement. "I remember my son trying to imitate my sister's magic – had he seen you at that age, he would have dropped his admiration for her low-end flute charms like a hot potato," he laughed again. Unable to summon a genuine smile, Jellal bit down to the urge to pretend one. He sank into the cushioned chair closest to him.

Choosing to remain standing, Ambrose gladly shared his exclusive favourite tea. He remained silent for a while, passing another unspoken invitation.

Jellal stared down at the pigeon where it had hopped into his lap. With two fingers, he gently stroked down its back. The silence became unbearable, the mention of the old man's son feeling like another sack of sand on top of the pile on Jellal's shoulders.

"What is it like...?" He heard himself ask carefully. "To be a father, I mean,"

"Asking for a friend?" Ambrose chuckled good-humouredly, eyes twinkling knowingly. But Jellal only sighed again, deeply this time, sinking further into himself, gaze never straying upwards.

"No… not really…"

Lucy sighed, finally blissfully instead of exhaustedly. Not that she was not exhausted, her muscles aching, but the shower had done her good. Wendy stepped out after her, her hair now shiny navy blue instead of crusted in mud, thanks to the Celestial Spirit Mage's efforts. Almost having forgotten about her previous puzzlement, Lucy was reminded of it once she exited their generous hosts' – and clients' – bathroom, finding a curled up Erza on the couch of the bordering living room.

She looked comfortable now, in contrary to twenty minutes ago where she had done all imaginable things as not to join the others but hurry with her shower to be done before them. After having given it some thought, Lucy had labelled it as an attempt of hiding a couple of inappropriate lovebites, glad neither had had to explain them to Wendy. (She had heard about the previous education the poor child had been graced with, not jealous of her teacher in any way.)

Looking down now – hands freezing mid-movement from having rubbed her hair dry – she started to reconsider her plausible solution. She could have easily spotted the faint mark down her friend's throat, but her eyes were caught; glued elsewhere.

Everything was silent, now that the water's rushing had stopped, no tiles echoing their words. Not that she spoke any. The house itself was silent, too, the town's people celebrating their tormentor of a swamp monster's defeat, as well as tidying up the mess Fairy Tail had left in its victory. However, it currently seemed as if there was not a single soul in the world but Erza – Erza and…

Lucy could not help herself but sneak closer. On the tips of her toes, eyes still drilling into what she could not yet believe herself to speculate, she neared the dozed off Queen of the Fairies. She did not even have the time to be jealous; to long for her friend's ability of changing into any clothes she liked at any moment in time, the desire for a fresh, cosy pyjama too far to grasp.

"I wish I'd brough a change of clothes," Wendy lamented the obvious that Lucy would have, had her mind not been trained to something else. The blonde hissed, raked out of her thoughts but not distracted off her target – she doubted anything could distract her. Turning her head – reluctant to do so in the admittedly imbecile fear of her discovery to vanish, only having been a hallucination – she beckoned the young Dragon Slayer to her side.

"Look," she breathed, pointing a timid finger. Wendy blinked repeatedly. And if not even she brushed it off as too much to eat – they had not eaten since the late morning anyway – it had to be true, right?

Captivated, the two wordlessly stared for moments to pass. The sun crawled down the horizon, but their eyes were as if ablaze all by themselves, burning into their friend's pyjama shirt. Its buttons were not only tight around her chest, but around her stomach, too. Lying on her side, the fabric might have well fallen and concealed a small bloating or tiny mound, but with the button over her navel threatening to come undone, there was no way of misinterpreting the apparently not-too-tiny bulge.

So that was why she had not only kept from changing armoury, but downright refused to do so. Tough luck when almost all of your outfits for fighting were strapped tightly or revealed the midriff – or at least the stomach, such as the Heaven's Wheel Armour.

"It's… hard to believe…" Lucy said, unable to finish both the sentence as well as the thought. Wendy nodded.

"You know, I did notice how she loosened her armour – the hole of the belt in her back is so worn, it was rather noticeable when she used a different one now," she retold. "I never would have guessed her to be…" she stopped, too, neither sharing a glance as they were still too captivated. As if staring down the little Heart Kreuz emblems on the fabric would make them invisible alongside the skin and reveal a wee bundle of a baby to them.

"Now that you say it, I was wondering what was off, but I didn't suspect anything when the plate was as snug as always against her," she nodded. Erza must have been careful to make the bust just as wide for the illusion of everything being proportioned as usual. Then again, it came to Lucy, didn't breasts grow slightly with the production of milk?

The enlightenment came in the form of a shiver down her spine, insecurity making way to excitement. From the looks of it, Erza was not too far behind Levy – and Levy was having twins, her stomach inflated like a balloon.

"So that's why she didn't want to change clothes," Wendy spoke her friend's mind. "And showered alone," she added. She must have been pondering about that more than Lucy, who had previously branded it as lovebites. "I haven't seen her in her winter coat all day either," Wendy went on, starting to add everything up. It made the memory of the pills she had discovered early on in the couple's relationship flash back into Lucy's head, but it vanished as soon as it had come. There was something else preoccupying her.

"Do you think…" she glanced to the side, "he knows?" She asked somewhat guiltily. Wendy met her eyes, big at first, but reason took over the obvious shock they both still felt.

"He has to – they're always so close together," she argued, and Lucy nodded, relieved.

"You're right," she agreed. Then she winced. Erza stirred, a pressed breath telling them to have become too loud in their fuss. Pressing her lips together, Lucy unconsciously denied any words to have left her mouth at all.

Wendy straightened from where she had been leaning down and Lucy scrambled up from her half-crouch, swiftly crossing the room. The further noise only sped up Erza's rousing, but Lucy was long across the room, rummaging through her handbag as if having to unlock the door to her apartment. Which they were nowhere near, of course.

Opening her eyes – glancing emptily at her hands that rested on the rim of the couch – Erza gave a deep sigh. Lucy's hand froze, her brows furrowing in pity. That had sounded everything but happy – not even the fulfilled job, hot shower and short nap lifting the unusually quiet Titania's mood. She looked more defeated than victorious, the stark opposite of Levy while not looking too different stomach-wise.

The moment brown eyes landed on her, Lucy winced. Erza sat up, requipped, and stood. She walked over to the window, watching the sky as it darkened. Mute, she pretended as if nothing had happened – not that they had not all come to know her habit of daily naps, but with its origin discovered, Lucy wondered more than ever how she had never questioned it. How Erza had never had to defend herself.

Turning around, the Queen of the Fairies made her comrades flinch again. Without wanting to, Lucy's eyes flashed down to the now unsuspiciously in metal clad stomach, feeling caught when finding Erza's gaze to be piercing hers. Her eyes narrowed and Lucy felt drops of sweat to be pooling in the back of her neck.

"Is something the matter?" Erza bravely went for direct confrontation. Clearly a test. Wendy shook her head heftily, as if she had been the one addressed, and Lucy only now noticed how she, too, must have had a hard time not staring blankly. And been unsuccessful, so it seemed.

The warning of Erza's tone still rang on Lucy's ears, but she could not help herself.

"I was just wondering," she did not notice how her knees started wagging, "I mean, I just noticed how your belt is looser- the belt of your armour, I mean the one in the back, and, well, I just happened to notice and kinda started wondering and, you know…" she repeated, words fading into a mumble, fading into something incomprehensible as she sheepishly tapped her index fingers together. Wendy was stiff as a statue, waiting, perhaps holding her breath. Undoubtedly both cheering as well as fearing for her friend.

To their surprise, Erza gave a small smirk from the side. She put a hand on her hip.

"And why do think that is?" She asked, raising a brow. Lucy swallowed, unsure whether that was a threat or challenge – whether it was defiance or pride in her tone. So she muttered again, just as unintelligible, and even quieter than before. Erza exhaled strongly through her nose in laughter. "Then I'm just going to say 'yes'," she said, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement.

Lucy scowled. Now how were they supposed to know if she actually confirmed their presumption or just affirmed whatever she chose to have understood? Clenching her jaw, she dared to return the smug expression. The signs were so clear, but the unfazed attitude confused her. She had to know.

"Then," Lucy, felt her heart beat faster, "you're really…?" She asked, again not finishing. Erza's expression softened then, as did her voice.

"Do you remember my 'allergy'?" She asked instead of answering. Wendy tilted her head in mystification, frowning when Lucy gasped in realisation. Of course, her brain yelled at her, morning sickness! The frequent visits to the bathroom, the light dizziness, the tiredness, the big, if bizarre appetite, and-

"So that's why you were even moodier than usual!" She accidentally blurted, shrinking under the evil look that shot her way like lightning. Quickly turning to Wendy, Lucy began to explain, not least as a means of distraction of her faux pas. "Nausea is something you get during the beginning of pregnancy. It's called morning sickness," she said and Wendy nodded quickly.

"Levy mentioned that, I think," she tried to recall.

"She said she never felt sick since its different for everyone," Lucy supplied, triggering more nodding. Something else struck her then, and she turned her attention back to Erza. "But wait, I thought that only happened in the first trimester," she noted. She remembered her comparison to Levy again, knowing the stomach not to grow until far later – giving her a good idea of what to expect for an answer.

"I only forgot them once," Erza had retreated to a mumble, drawing circles on the couch's armrest while staring at her feet. "And I didn't remember, so I actually thought it to be some kind of intolerance…" she muttered, hard to understand with that pout of her lips.

Lucy had to smile at the cuteness that was the scariest woman in all of Fiore at the same time.

"Not really planned, I guess?" She joked lightly. Her eyes widened when it was Erza's turn to wince, her shoulders stiffening.

"Unplanned but not unwanted!" She immediately defended herself. "I…" her voice waned, almost into a whisper, "I really want it…" her hand came up over her stomach, head lowering. Lucy swallowed, unable to catch the eyes she was dreading to be itching with tears. She took a step forward, both she and Wendy creeping near with even less sound than before.

"… what about Jellal?" Lucy risked, suppressing a gasp when her friend collapsed onto the couch at her words. Immediately, they came to sit on either side of her on the couch, Wendy's arms slung around hardly palpably shaking shoulders.

Erza's sniffle was the first thing to break the momentary silence, as if pressed down on them with the invisible force of a looming tempest.

"He doesn't not want it, he just," she sobbed, "doesn't…" her shoulders jerked with another suppressed sob. Lucy's heart bled out when tears started to fall, fat drops seeping into Erza's skirt where they spread into the surrounding fabric. Mirroring Wendy, Lucy tightly hugged her friend, enduring the sniffles, enduring the hiccup instead of the words she knew would announce her own tears.

Erza's breath shook, transferring it to her entire body. Her armour glowed, trading for something more comfortable – something more huggable.

"He doesn't…" she tried anew, "he just doesn't want to be someone's father; he thinks he's not good enough," she rushed to outrun the upcoming sniffles, being beaten to the punch, "not worthy," she clenched her fists around her black skirt. "He still hates himself – and for this," her breath trembled as she attempted to calm it, "and he…" she sobbed, voice breaking. Lucy's pitiful frown tightened alongside her hug.

Erza's arms came around herself, holding her stomach fast yet carefully, as if someone could take it away.

"I thought he'd leave me…" she cried hoarsely. Lucy felt her own throat constrict. Not knowing what to say, she rubbed her friend's arm, putting her head to her shoulder. It hurt slightly with every jerk against her ear, but it was the least she could do – holding on, since it was the only thing she could do.

"He would never leave you," Wendy soothed, the confidence in her voice a more than pleasant surprise. "Everyone knows that," she said and Lucy felt herself nod.

"That's true, he's the most doting man I've ever met. You guys are inseparable," she chimed in. Exchanging a sorrily frowning smile with Wendy, Lucy waited.

Silence followed their appeasing words. Silence, and a mixture of sobbing and sniffling. Wendy used her long sleeve – the least muddy – to gently wipe her friend's tears away. With a shaky inhale, Erza gave her the hint of a grateful smile, lips quivering but curving more and more confidently. The smile did not reach her eyes. Lucy noted how exhausted she looked, mentally most of all.

"He didn't want us to tell anyone yet, and I know now that," Erza let out an abating sniffle, "that it's because of how torn he still feels," she explained. Both Lucy and Wendy nodded in understanding.

Releasing her, they promised to keep the secret which Erza thanked them for.
Neither spoke up again as the train sped through the arriving night, and Lucy insisted to drive the Magic Vehicle as the trains retired, leaving Erza in Wendy's arms as they brought her back to Era at all costs – even at the cost of their own queasy stomachs.

Guess who's back? (it's me, Author-San) just a quick question: would you like the talk Ambrose gives to be included or not?

Have a nice weekend!