When work gets in the way... thank you for your patience!
Hope you'll enjoy!
Erza glanced down at her baby, glad to see her soundly asleep. She seemed to like the outdoors, the softness of the wind in trees and chirping of birds, and the fresh air, so different from her safe haven, but they had almost gotten her used to it by now. It also soothed the urge in Erza's legs; the urge to move and use her bored muscles – walks were quiet, but walking was active. A most splendid combination to adapt again.
The closer they came to the guild, the noisier it got. Soon, Erza was even gladder than before about her daughter's deep slumber when the usual riot of the guild reached them all the way down the street.
She exchanged a knowing smile with Jellal, then fumbled with the knot that fastened her daughter to her chest. They would want to see and hold her, she knew. She glanced back up once when he was not looking, stealing a peek at that ponytail she had convinced him to wear. It somewhat drowned in the rest of his hair, making her wonder how he had been content with her handiwork.
The moment their silhouettes became distinguishable – at least clearly labelled to be advancing the guild – the commotion quieted down. All safe for one.
Natsu was yelling fiercely, spitting flames at his suddenly alert guildmate, not understanding why the Ice Mage – alongside almost everyone else who was able to see through the gates – had stopped fighting. He and Lucy must have returned from their long mission that night, perhaps early morning. Erza wondered whether he knew – knew what the news he had been told truly meant.
Gajeel and Levy had yet to show up. No one had seen her or the twins since their birth a few weeks before Erza had given birth. Gajeel was acting like a proper dragon, previously unknown instincts having kicked in as he had fended off any visitor who had not been Porlyusica. It made Erza proud to know that her own overprotective husband was more relaxed, more trusting, so she told herself, than the Iron Dragon Slayer. And that despite his in comparison much shorter membership in the most chaotic of guilds.
Finally, the entirety of Fairy Tail had fallen silent, staring at the new arrivals on their threshold. Cradling Rosemary to her chest, Erza covered her baby's ears in anticipation. Sure enough, a massive 'congratulations' erupted, startling Jellal to the point of wincing. An ear-splitting squeal – almost a shriek – announced Mira's attention.
Having been behind the bar, unable to see the reason behind the sudden mood change until now, she had dropped the glass in her hand which chattered loudly at her feet. Not taking the time to walk around the bar, she practically threw herself across it, flinging more glasses to the floor, dashing over to the couple and, more importantly, their newest family addition.
Everyone's newest family addition, Erza reminded herself, her amused smile merging into a fond one.
"Oh. My. Gooosh," Mira swooned, unable not to have her body reflect her emotions as it wavered about with her hands clasped in front of her chest. Her eyes grew more and more, sparkling when Erza held her daughter so she would turn her little plump face towards the guild. "Babyyy," Mira squealed as quietly as she could with her breathing going into hyperdrive.
"Erza's kiiid!" Natsu hollered from where he stood, having realised what was happening. Within less than a second, he had spurted over, halting abruptly where Mira was reaching out a finger. She touched the soft cheek with as much care as if she were treading onto half a centimetre of ice. Rosemary gave a small hum at the noise around her, squinting her eyes shut even more tightly. The entire Guild Hall melted with the sound, held breaths being released.
"There you are," Meredy arrived, an excitedly fidgety Lucy right on her heels. The Celestial Mage looked beyond exhausted. Nonetheless, she peeked over Mira's shoulder who was still mostly blocking Natsu, not caring one bit with her full attention directed at the newcomer. "And there's our lil Rose," she drawled like one did with a baby. "I prepared the document," she then winked, and both Jellal and Erza smiled.
Since they had not admitted Erza to a hospital when giving birth – not having been given the chance anyway – there had been no doctor, no examination and no official registration. So, just like with the invented last name of Meredy, the Master had drafted a birth certificate they had to sign.
A birth certificate. Erza was still giddy with happiness. A birth certificate. An official birthday. Two parents and a family and a birthday. It was something supposedly taken for granted, but with a fate such as her own – a fate she shared with her husband – there was just no end to appreciating the blessing that was their daughter's birth in health and in safety.
"Let me seee," Natsu whined, trying to shove Mira aside who gave him a death glare, a dark aura surrounding her. His determination and not least ignorance succeeded however, and Erza had to smile even more at how his eyes widened. "It's so tiny!" He gasped, nearly spooking poor Rosemary.
"She's a baby, Natsu," Lucy scolded, unable to help herself as she pushed closer to see just the same. A gasp of her own escaped her then when the two-week-old blinked her eyes open. Lucy covered her still open mouth with one hand. "She's beautiful," she muttered, as if to herself. Erza glowed with pride. At the compliment as much as the fact that it were Jellal's eyes that were being admired.
"She got those from our side of the family," Meredy – eyes of a similar green as Jellal's – grinned self-complacently. Jellal gave her a teasing look. She did not take the hint, finding no mistake in her wording. "Come on," she then waved for them to follow.
Noticing Natsu's hands to be reaching out curiously, Erza seized the opportunity. Gently, she handed her daughter over into his arms. They stiffened but held on for dear life. His eyes were almost falling out of their sockets by now, the hair on his nape standing on end. He was unable to look up even once, completely entranced by the quietly complaining being.
"Hold her for a minute," Erza instructed, then glanced at a more than surprised Lucy. "Make sure nothing happens," she added, making the blonde jump.
"Me?!" Lucy was obviously bewildered by the decision to give the precious bundle into Natsu's care of all people. Jellal looked more than a tad dubious himself, but Erza took his hand, the blitheness she beamed at him transferring easily.
Following Meredy to another table, they delightedly filled in name, date of birth, place of birth and so on, Erza watching Jellal's swirled handwriting dance across the page. She had her eyes fixed on the spot where she would sign; where the parents signed.
Leaning on his shoulder, planting a kiss on his cheek, Erza could not help but overhear where her daughter was being marvelled at.
"You certainly seem taken," Lucy commented, having come down slightly from her own high. Slightly. She had not been aware that this was her guildmate's very first encounter with a baby this young, finding the endless sparkling of his eyes rather adorable. He was barely breathing.
"I want one too," Natsu whispered. She startled. "How do I get one?" He asked, as if hypnotised by the pretty green eyes that watched him with uncertainty.
"You don't," Lucy quickly said.
"Lucy, you know," Natsu managed to break free from the spell, spinning his head towards his teammate. It enticed another wince. Biting his lip, staring at her intently, he waited, nostrils flaring. Lucy swallowed.
"Nnnyeeeahuuum not tellin' you!" She then burst, awkwardly averting her gaze. Peering back almost immediately to watch Rosemary pull an unhappy pout at the noise.
"Why not?" I wanna have a Mini-Natsu – then he can fight Mini-Erza!" He laughed in exhilaration. Lucy rolled her eyes. She outstretched a finger to the baby who was starting to grow more uncomfortable with the volume of voice by the second. Not to mention the lack of familiar faces.
"You just want that 'cause you know that you can't beat Erza," she chided. Her own serenity fluttered out the window once wee fingers had grabbed her own. She had such soft skin. Baby-soft skin and a firm grip of discontent – as if to squeeze the finger in to obedience, somehow bringing back the faces she wanted to see. Lucy squealed as quietly as possible.
"But look, it's so cute," Natsu bargained, not having forgotten about his new dream. His eyes were sparkling again at how Rosemary was keeping a tight grasp on her prey, and it was evident how torn he was between holding on and holding out his own finger. Fortunately, he opted for the former.
"Lucy," he all but squeaked when Rosemary gave a delicate coo.
"No," Lucy firmly said. She looked over his shoulder to find both Erza and Jellal still busy, more than tempted to call for them to take back their child. How was she supposed to talk him out of this? He was the least romantic creature wandering Earthland – at least the most oblivious to the whole topic. How was he going to handle a baby, not to mention the entire framework of marriage?
And if that was not yet a concern, this baby was – or would be – a mage, they were sure of that. As would be his own.
Lucy sighed, shaking her head.
"You don't even know what magic they would have," she reminded, a futile attempt to get him to let the idea go. He pulled a thoughtful face.
"But fire's the best, though… I guess Natsu Junior would have… fire and celestial keys?" He pondered aloud. "You're gonna have to share yours – the cow one for example," he nodded decidedly at her. Lucy's face exploded in blush.
"What are you even saying?! What do I have to do with this?" She waved her hands about defensively, luckily not spooking the baby too much anymore who was starting to doze off after such a tiring day of meeting new people. Lucy deflated in a relieved sigh when Erza returned just then, an amused smile playing on her lips. Natsu was more than disappointed upon having the bundle taken away again, but he pursued his guildmate not a second later.
Erza had to chuckle, watching their exchange. Meanwhile, Rosemary gave a noise of approvement, grabbing hold of her mother's hair in recognition. Reunited, it did not take long for her to drift into a light slumber. She had been awoken from a deeper one after all.
"Come on, Lucy, we gotta train you up!" Natsu grabbed his guildmate's wrist, dragging her towards the entrance. Happy snickered gleefully while the blonde rammed her feet into the ground to no avail.
"Train me?"
"Yeah!" Natsu kept on pulling. Snickering came from all sides where the guild watched them leave. "With enough power, we can be done in no time and have our own Mini-Natsu to fight Mini-Erza before she has the time to surpass him!"
"Eh… you lost me there," Lucy pressed, holding on to the door frame but he merely tugged more fiercely to detach her. "What power are we talking about?" She asked, then added in a quieter tone, "And stop involving me in this…"
"Levy's kids took forever – I mean we've been waiting for ages. Erza was much faster, so if you train hard, we could have one in a couple of weeks— no, days!" He laughed deliriously.
"Wha…? That's not how it works!" Lucy complained, suddenly finding herself under his arm as he carried her down the street. She kept on shouting her protests until they vanished in the direction of his house. Frustrated tears tumbling down her cheeks and her hands clasped in prayer to her laughing guildmates was the last thing they got to see.
Spotting the same frown of amusement she bore as well as second-hand embarrassment on her husband's forehead, Erza could not help a giggle.
"Someone's in over their head…" Jellal muttered, returning her small grin.
"And wouldn't they all like to have a listen to that conversation," she shook her head, eyeing her cackling guildmates with played strictness. "In any case, the entire commotion knocked her out easily – we should remember that," she joked, gladly watching the sleeping face of her daughter.
"I'm not too opposed to joining her myself," Jellal twinkled, and she knew he was only half teasing. She shared his overall tiredness. Still, she shook her head.
"There's one more person who needs to meet her today," she softly said, smiling down at the peacefully slumbering baby. She was not the only one, an armada of smiles accompanying them as they crossed the Guild Hall.
Gray had kept his cool, and she assumed his two visits beforehand to have served their purpose – he had fuelled up on the cuteness in order to handle it maturely now. He might have even told the others, she pondered, seeing as the couple had merely been swarmed at a safe distance. Respect was not something Fairy Tail lacked, but caution had had to be implanted in their heads beforehand. And would only remain there temporarily.
"Makes you wonder if Levy's boys have their mother's hair too," Lisanna told her sister.
"Red hair is manly!" Elfman hollered. Evergreen punched him for it, making him endure a lengthy lecture about tact and the baby being a girl – not least most other cases where yelling his catchphrase was not appropriate.
"They haven't shown up once."
"Our poor Levy, locked up in her tower with that monster," Jet and Droy sniffled. It made Erza and Jellal exchange a glance. She felt her heart warm at the way he not only understood her wordlessly, but agreed without hesitation. The day was still young, but first, they needed to introduce their daughter to someone other than the perhaps new Dragon Slayer Twins.
After having knocked a few times, and not without asking whether the Master was in his office to begin with, the couple crept into the room despite not being bid in.
With his head tilted back over the backrest of his wheelchair, lips parted just like his newest grandchild but with a snore that rivalled her cries of hunger, Makarov was fast asleep. It was almost a pity, having to wake him, but Erza effortlessly convinced herself that it would be worth the disturbance.
Tiptoeing inside, she knelt down in front of her Master's chair. Jellal closed the door, coming to crouch next to her, watching the constant smile of anticipation tug at the corners of her mouth. Gingerly, she lifted Rosemary from her chest, needing her husband's help to detach the tightly grasped strands of hair the baby held on to as if to a lifeline. Not that they could blame her – she had been passed around one too many times that day, as shown at home with her over time decreasing tolerance for being parked in Meredy's embrace. She stirred lightly upon having her security taken away.
Makarov stirred too. He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, chin dropping to his chest as he shifted in his sleep. It was not until Erza fully set the bundle into his lap that he actively moved. His arms twitched, hands coming to hold on as if by instinct, perhaps a little too abruptly.
Certainly too abruptly for Rosemary, who awoke and struggled with her tiny legs inside her terrycloth cocoon. When that did not help, she voiced her discontent, mewling and waving her short arms for something to grasp.
"Laxus…" Makarov grumbled in his fading slumber. Another reflex. Erza had to smile widely. How long had it been since those memories had resurfaced for the last time? When the old man had allowed his mind to travel to times of less complication, a time before his only biological grand-son's crimes and re-entry into the guild he had once vowed to take over.
The feeling was undoubtedly still there, the reflex of both holding and soothing the child's whining having kicked in.
Another grumble, then the Master grunted, waking. A frown creased his wrinkled forehead. He looked bewildered once he came to, his thoughts obviously registering the impossibility of whatever the baby noises had transformed his dreams into. He blinked his eyes open, staring into the pouting, confusedly humming face of a baby.
His eyes widened slowly, his mouth forming words he could not articulate yet. Erza's smile grew, and she had to bite her lip when the saw the first tears welling up in the Master's eyes. His fingers jerked, closing around the bundle in a gentle fierceness, his entire being as if drawn into the new presence on his lap. He was completely and utterly enraptured.
Dry lips tried again, his hoarse voice – whether from age or the lump in his throat – scratching up in a single enchanted whisper.
"Erza…" he breathed. She sighed through her nose, now close to crying herself. He had not noticed her yet. Neither her nor Jellal. He simply laid eyes on the baby, and saw Erza. The child he had once taken under his wing, under his care, having watched her grow and thrive with the help of her family. Their family.
Their enlarged family.
He sniffled now, and she feared he was going to crumble when his shoulders shook, chest quaking with a heavy sob. Still smiling fondly, vision slightly blurry, Erza put her hand on his knee. He snuffled loudly, a smile of his own wobbling across his face before he finally raised it. It only stretched further, making hers mirror it of its own accord.
Jellal leant forward. He took and cradled Rosemary to his chest before she got squished. Erza used it as an invitation, somewhat falling into her father's arms. Makarov hugged her immediately, closely, sobbing into her ear as much as whispering his praises, his congratulations and his love for all three of them, hands patting her back in an uninterrupted rhythm.
They did not need to speak any more words, all of them merely fractions of what was already shining in their eyes; written in their hearts.