133... yeah, this is definitely going to reach more than 150 chapters ':D Think I'll crack the 200?
Goku275, thank you so much for your review! And yes, you're definitely keeping the motivation coming, thank you! :)
SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, thank you for leaving me a review! I hope I'll do the case justice.
tiredstudent, (I feel that name in my bones, damn), thanks so much for your review! It'll be a while till you read this I suppose, but since I can't answer a guest, here ya go :D Hope you'll enjoy - or better have enjoyed the story until here once you read this.
"So then you are back," Meredy assessed through the lacrima.
"Yes, but in Era,"
"In the cool castle thing?"
"I would be," Erza had to chuckle at Meredy's idea of the mansion. "But we're currently at the Council, and we arrived so late last night, we stayed at a hotel,"
"Did you break in against their will again?"
"No," Erza pouted slightly, at the same time stubborn and most definitely not seeing any reason why she would not be allowed in whenever she pleased. Jellal had said so. She thought so. And this time, Jura had insisted that she should come. Why did people automatically assume she just barged in? "There's a… somewhat tricky case going on right now, and you know how men are impetuous and impatient, so I'm helping out," she reported, chest puffing out in pride.
The connection stayed silent for a moment as Meredy frowned to herself. These were the Magic Council and Jellal they were talking about – and from what she had heard of that colleague, the man was not exactly a brute either with his, what, seventy years? Opposed to them, Erza, being a Fairy Tail Mage…
"I'm afraid it will take a bit longer until we come home,"
"Alright, then I'll pass that on," Meredy said, "because you're badly missed here," she added. Erza smiled warmly. Meredy lowered her voice to a whisper, as if the person in question was not too far away from her, "There's someone in particular who can't wait to see you again."
"Who are you talking to?" The previously presumed-to-be-mute boy asked Erza, munching on his third sandwich. He could eat almost as much as her.
"A friend," she told him.
"She sounds nice," he smiled shyly. She returned it reassuringly.
"She is," she put a hand atop his head. "She's very pretty and has big pink hair," she explained, brown eyes sparkling up at her. "You'd like her,"
"Oh my god, don't tell me it's already there and I missed the entire thing!" Meredy gasped on the other end. Momentarily confused, Erza shook her head.
"Meredy, new-borns cannot speak," she gave a look to no one in particular. Then she relaxed it, seeing as her new fosterling eyed her insecurely. Extending her hand, he accepted without hesitation, moving away from the coffee table and next to her, cuddling into her side.
"It's your and Jellal's kid we're talking about – anything is possible," Meredy returned matter-of-factly.
The door to the office opened, revealing Jellal a moment later where rounded the wall of shelves. The boy retracted his arm, having wanted to grab another something to eat, now back to hiding in Erza's flank. Her smile grew soft with pity.
"I have to go," Erza said, returning the goodbye of Meredy. She did not need to ask who was missing her the most; she had a pretty good idea without having to dig.
Letting the lacrima sink into the cushions, Erza greeted her husband with a smile. It might have been nearly a month old, but her eyes would still flash to the ring on his finger, then back to his face, still checking whether it was all real. He noticed every time, his gestures becoming even gentler once he did.
"I see our chef has done a fine job," Jellal glanced at the nearly empty tray as he crouched down between the table and the sofa. He purposefully chose the furthest side from the boy, who did not even dare look at him. Erza stroked up and down the child's arm, keeping him close where he buried himself in her side.
"I'm sorry I spoiled our lunch; I couldn't help myself," she admitted to having eaten something, too. He shook his head.
"No, that's a good thing – we wouldn't want you having to gnaw on Jura during the meeting," he jested, and she smiled back. "He wants to see us in his office," he retold. His gaze wandered to the boy whose lips had sealed the moment Jellal had entered. Mute again, just as they had said.
In regard to that, he ordered the guard at the door to stay inside and keep an eye on the child; amphibian or not, she was not male and he hoped it would therefore not worsen the lingering fears.
Erza remained slightly agitated, even when they had already sat down in Jura's office, her hand resting safely in Jellal's. She knew she had always had a strong sense of protectiveness over others, especially those dear to her, but she could not shake the feeling that the perhaps only six-year-old stirred those motherly feelings she had first developed in the tower of heaven, strengthened within the guild and then anchored with Wendy's arrival. Not to mention endorsed by her pregnancy.
Jura clearing his throat brought her back to the present. In front of him, he had fanned out several documents and two envelopes. She did not glance to the side, but Erza knew Jellal could hardly read a single heading of the things clustering the conference table.
"I'm sure you know why I asked you to come – both of you," Jura began where he sat opposite of them. Erza felt Jellal's thumb trace her dorsum under the table, wondering whether it was noticeable how her mind still yearned to flee and return to the boy. "We received both your accounts, as well as those of our sister branch in Caelum while you were away," he explained. "This," he shoved over a report with the insignia of Hargeon's port at the bottom, "is what became of your warning call.
"We had every port informed after this happened," he said while Erza scanned the lines, finding dozens of culprits arrested upon landing in Fiore, "and we struck rich almost everywhere," Jura's expression was unreadable as he spoke. "Then there is the matter of former Dark Guild members having emigrated and wreaking havoc overseas.
"Nearly all of which – or perhaps all of which you purged within less than a week," he turned to Jellal. "Are you sure this is the right job for you?" He asked, and now they could unmistakeably hear the grin that had been carving its way onto his lips the entire time.
Jellal returned the grin, if a tad sheepishly. It was her turn to give his hand a squeeze, and he met her gaze to return the proud smile she beamed at him.
"Just in case you were reconsidering that choice," Jura picked up the first envelope, "we have prepared a counterproposal and would be happy if you took it into account," he handed it over. Frowning slightly, Jellal took it.
He hesitated at first. Erza released his hand for him to open it properly, and both of their eyes widened when the flap revealed a handsome amount of several thousand-Jewel notes. For an S-Class request, it would have sufficed as prepayment, but for a non-commissioned mission – or any regular one – it was more than generous.
Jellal opened his mouth, and Erza hoped for a second that he would not decline since she felt they could use it, but humility was greater.
Nonetheless, Jura was faster.
"Your salary rise – I thought I'd give it to you directly since your monthly wage has already been transferred," he expounded, leaving no room for debate when grabbing the second envelope. "I still don't think this is going to make up even a fraction of the expenses of future damages by Dark Guilds and the like that you saved us, but I hope it reflects our gratitude," he glanced from Jellal to Erza. "To both of you."
They exchanged a glance, the envelope by far lighter than the first. It held a cheque – a cheque amounting to more Jewels than any envelope could have ever held notes of.
"I included your remuneration for helping us with the weapon expertise, Erza," Jura nodded appreciatively. "I do hope you will accept it," he returned his gaze to Jellal. The latter swallowed. He must have been thinking the same as Erza – the house, the baby – a sick feeling of actually accepting what he deserved slightly overchallenging him.
So she returned the nod decisively. They did deserve the money – more than that, probably – and they had not yet learned to handle what little they possessed; this was a blessing. Not to mention a huge chance – a chance and a challenge, one she would take head on.
They had practically taken down an entire country's mafia within the span of a few days – they had more than earned the reward and his salary increase.
"I must say, it was rather amusing, the way the sister branch raved about you," Jura chuckled. "I was proud to call you one of us," his smile widened, Jellal's sheepishness rising alongside it. Erza had to smile back broadly, finding her husband's hand atop the table. "And really relieved when they said you'd turned down the citizenship," he laughed this time.
"Thank you," Jellal finally pronounced. His shoulders remained straight and a bit tensed, but his composure returned, features relaxing. "I'm rather content, too," he affirmed. Jura glowed with a smile.
"If I may ask," Erza cut in before they could be told about every delinquent arrest in detail, "what will happen to the boy overnight?" She asked. Jura retracted his lips, uncomfortable. She felt a twist in her stomach at that, taking a deep breath when the rubbing of Jellal's thumb on her hand told her to.
"Well, he is going to have to stay here," Jura slowly said, "seeing as we need his account, and since he doesn't have any family right now with them still missing – best case scenario,"
"Then we'll take him with us tonight," she proposed, eyes lighting up. She clenched her teeth when he shook his head.
"I'm really sorry, but I'm afraid we can't do that,"
"You're not going to lock him up in a cell, right?" She leaned forward urgently.
"Of course not," he declared, then hesitated.
"Then where is he going to stay?" She asked, unable to wait. It took him by surprise – the entire topic did.
"Uh," he searched for words, most of all for answers. Witnesses were usually adults, present of their own free will, or otherwise culprits with designated dungeon cells. There was no such thing as a hotel or day-care centre for minors. They had the mansions for esteemed guests or commuters like Jellal, but they could not just leave a child there by itself.
In a couple of hours, the above-ground levels of the Magic Council would be deserted.
"I'll think of something," Jura eventually said, "I promise."
It was not yet half an hour past their departure to the meeting with Jura, when steps came down the hall. The researcher inside Jellal's office – having found her task overrated since the boy she had to watch over was nowhere near capable of reading a single document he could spy on – harked when said child winced.
He had huddled himself into the far corner, having tried and failed to squeeze into the space between the last shelf and wall. With his head resting on his knees, arms slung around them, he had not spoken a single word or made a single noise.
Now, he started to whimper, something so upsetting within the previously silent office, that the researcher became uneasy. She had not yet reached the entrance door to peek when it swung open.
"So," the inspector strut into the room, "I hear our little star has made his new home here," he walked towards the space between the walls of shelves, when the researcher stood in his way.
"Sir, you are not authorised to-"
"Not authorised?" He raised both brows. "Then I suppose you are?" He let his eyes flicker threateningly. She squared her shoulders, but when his eyes found the child hiding in the corner, they blazed with a different kind of malice. His voice changed from arrogant to sweetly yet coldly deluding.
"No one is allowed in until-"
"Oh, but if it is just to see if our laddie here is a-okay," he pushed past her, leaning right over the boy who clutched his own head with his arms in fear. "We wouldn't want him running away, like he did before," he growled, the mocking of his tone darkening significantly. Meaningfully. His hand darted forward, grabbing the boy's chin. The latter shrieked, wiggling to break free but sharp nails clawed into his cheeks.
The inspector jumped when his hand was as if slapped, rather punched off. A barrier of hexagonal shapes had appeared, effectively separating him from the child. His breath got stuck in his throat, eyes bulging in shock at the blade where it suddenly glinted, a mere millimetre away from nipping at the flesh of his jugular.
It was nothing in comparison to the eyes that pierced him, beyond livid.
"Touch him again and I'll do more than just touch you with this," he felt his lungs ache with his breath hitching as the edge of the sword in her hands icily advanced to brush his skin.
"Erza," Jellal interrupted warningly. His hand over hers might have been the only thing to have saved the suspicious man's life, he realised, watching from the corner of his eye as the man caught his breath as quietly as he could.
Almost reluctantly, Erza retreated for her wide stance. The blade in her hand disappeared, earning her more gaping from the man, the perplexed researcher, as well as the newly arriving Jura and Ambrose. They all stared as she let out a breath to calm herself, kneeling down in front of the frightened boy.
Her knees were not yet fully resting on the ground when the child dived in, hiding in her as far as he could with her belly in the way. Hunching over him, Erza hugged him to her, her voice mellowly whispering soothing words as she shielded him against her.
She turned her head briskly to where the men stood between the walls of shelves.
"Either he comes with us or we stay," she demanded uncompromisingly. Jellal saw the inspector's eyes flicker for a second, narrowing slightly. When asking him to leave, however, he did so without complaint, something Jellal labelled as left-over fright of Erza.
It hit him then that there was a detail they had not yet taken into account; not yet thought to be important. The man was not a mage. Neither Jellal nor Erza had felt any magic energy, but the fact that he had not known that Erza possessed magic, having been stunned speechless for an instant, reminded Jellal to add it to their sparse list of information about him.
Another thing he noted mentally – presuming Ambrose had picked up on it depending on when he had entered the scene – was that the stranger was a poor judge of character, as opposed to Ambrose or Jellal. He must have assumed someone pregnant to be slow, careful and vulnerable – harmless – obviously not recognising or not knowing Erza from the Grand Magic Games either.
"I'm sorry," Jura broke the tense silence. The expectant silence. With a wave of his hand, he told the researcher to leave, and she closed the door behind her. "I really am sorry," he said when Erza opened her mouth defiantly, "but I cannot vouch for this, and I'm afraid neither can Jellal since he is involved with you and therefore can't be responsible for making sure the boy doesn't get away when it might oppose your actions," he turned to Jellal. "I know you'd never put anything above your wife's wishes," he emphasised 'wife', probably because he was still nonplussed by their sudden marriage revelation before the honeymoon.
Erza huffed. Why would she run away with the child? She was perfectly capable of defending him, so fleeing was not an option, even though she had to admit that the boy would have liked nothing more.
"Then I will," Ambrose stepped forward, surprising them. "I'll gladly supervise and vouch for the child returning here tomorrow morning," he said. "I've been meaning to exchange recipes with a young upstart chef," he added, twinkling at Jellal who returned a grin.
Frowning in thought, Jura took a minute to ponder. Finally, he nodded slowly.
"I'll allow it," he said, rather sighed in defeat. He shook his head with amusement as he gave his two subordinates a mildly strict glare, their grins disappearing while they all knew that would change the minute Jura left the room. He squared his shoulders. "I want to see all four of you here tomorrow at eight o'clock sharp,"
"Yes, Sir," both Jellal and Ambrose responded in unison.
Sure enough, their features brightened once unwatched. They waited with exchanging recipes and suspicions until later in private. And secretly, hidden well behind Erza, a small smile of relief had formed as well.
I actually found this unfinished, so the next one will most likely not be done until next Friday.