The world can be a cruel place, but at least that makes me write like a lunatic.
Thank you for your reviews, Miss Panda and damnyousillygoose, and thank you for bearing with me.

"True freedom is right here," he heard himself say. "True freedom," his eyes pierced hers, meeting nothing but sheer horror, "lies in Zeref's world." She clasped her hands in front of her mouth when he mauled the body of his childhood tormentor – their tormentor. She should have been happy; victorious.

But she was next.

"We're going to leave this island!" She screeched. He sent her crashing through the wall.

"If you want to leave, go by yourself," he towered her. He choked her, black magic painfully constricting her throat. Long scarlet tresses tumbled down her trembling shoulders, her body quivering when he forced her last breath out of her. She was no child, but now, she was no more at all.

Like ashes, she ran through his fingers, the lacrima absorbing her body, tearing it apart, shredding it to bloody pieces.

It felt like a knife plunged through his heart, all hate as if vapourised if only he could save her! Exchange his body for hers, redirect Etherion's power to free her. She had to be free; obtain the freedom he never—

Jellal woke up with a start. His heart was hammering, chest burning from the sensations his nightmare had left him with. Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling. The ceiling of a room – a room of his house, it slowly dawned on him. Memories trickled into his mind, and he shot a glance to the side, to the crib attached to his side of the bed. To his baby.

He heaved a sigh, sinking into himself. His shirt was sticking to him, the blanket becoming unbearable. A hand landed on his chest. He turned his head the other way, and it felt laborious to do so – not the movement, but to look her in the eyes.

"Freedom…?" Erza breathed, tilting her head. She looked as if she had been about to sit up, perhaps shake him awake. He must have talked in his sleep. Averting his eyes, he covered his face with the back of his hand. Both were hot and sweaty.

"That conversation," he quietly surmised. "I suppose I'll have to quit talking to Gajeel from now on, or do the exact opposite," he ventured a peek at her, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"I think you should—"

"Do the opposite," he finished for her, "I know," he added more softly. With another sigh, he turned to her, scooting backwards as not to touch her with his soaked clothes. Erza had other things in mind, shuffling right after him.

"What I was going to say was that I want you to do what feels right," she said, putting a gently reprimanding finger over his lips. "And if you choose to be brave, I'll be here for you every step of the way," she replaced her finger with her lips. "Or beat up Gajeel, whatever feels right to me in that moment," she added matter-of-factly, making him laugh.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"It's almost six anyway," she smiled, sitting up. "Shower with me?"

"What's gotten into you? You're not the one who can inherit my early bird trait," he grinned, allowing her to help him up.

"I didn't sleep too much either," she admitted on the way to the bathroom. They halted in the doorway, harking. When Rosemary gave no sign of rousing, they snuck out, leaving all doors open. "I feel kind of restless – can we take a walk before breakfast?"

"We can also take a run if we drop the little lady off at Fairy Hills first," he proposed, receiving a quick hug.

"There's one more thing we can do that won't require leaving the house at all," Erza lowered her lids as she stripped off her pyjamas. Having peeled out of his shirt, Jellal felt her trace his back with the tip of her nail. He captured it in his hand, turning to wind his arm around her, pulling her flush against him.

"Then I don't know why we're taking the shower now," he countered.

"I could help you understand," she bargained, shoving him back towards the bathtub.

"Please do," he leaned down to murmur above her ear, "right after the shower."

"In the—"

"No."

"One day," she pointed at him accusingly, lips pouting defiantly. They loosened when he slung both arms around her, holding her to him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Her gaze softened, and she hugged him back tightly.

"You shouldn't be," Erza closed her eyes, squishing her naked torso to his. "It's all over," she assured. Releasing him slightly, she allowed his head to drop to her shoulder. With a hand in his hair, she tugged on him enough to plant a firm kiss on his temple. "I love you so much."

"And I love you," Jellal returned immediately, muscles relaxing. Straightening, though not taking his hands off her sides, he managed a sorrowful yet gentle smile. "And I love—" he was cut off by a howling whine. She returned his smile, nodding. She knew what he meant without the crying reminder.

"I see what you did there," she pinched his biceps, giggling at his sour face. "Calling upon your daughter just so you won't have to make love in the shower," she tutted on her way to the bedroom. "Very clever, Jellal, but I will get what I want eventually," she threatened. It made him laugh, a different kind of warmth spreading through him than there had been earlier. A comfortable one. "The longer you stall it, the worse it will be, and by worse, I mean amazing—hush, Rosie, darling, Mama's here," she lowered her voice next door.

"Then I don't see how this is supposed to convince me to surrender already," Jellal welcomed her back with a grin. Erza shot him a playful glare. Rosemary squirmed against her, letting go and docking onto her repeatedly, trying to move her head. They blinked at the odd behaviour, then again when it stopped once Jellal had come closer – moved into her field of view, they realised. Erza beamed a smile at him, and he returned it just as affectionately. Green eyes stared at him, making sure he would not disappear unnoticed.

Jellal harked into the silence of the bedroom from where he sat on the couch. The loud crunching of crackers in Gajeel's mouth told him how the Iron Dragon Slayer was by far more relaxed than he was. He could feel the expectant eyes on him, pressuring him to focus on something other than his daughter.

"It's a surprise, though a good one," Jellal returned to their previous conversation. He had to smile when everything remained quiet, the crying concert finally having died down. Rosemary was not usually that defiant, but the twins' wails were contagious. "She doesn't like sleeping anywhere but in our bed – even her own crib took some getting used to," he chuckled, content with the silence. It was not as if the crib was all that far away from them, and even then, there was often a hand outstretched for her to grab.

"What? You can't let her sleep in your bed all the time – she'll become a spoilt brat." Gajeel's hand dove into the cracker bowl. He stuffed them into his mouth like Erza did with cake.

"Says who?" Jellal returned. He bit down the lip that threatened to pout, a hint of insecurity remaining in his voice.

"Common sense," Gajeel shrugged. "And anyway, you don't want her in your bed all the time. Just think – she'll come and steal precious alone time up to when she's, like, fifteen," he reasoned, "maybe even twenty," he shook his head as if already disappointed by her.

"I want her to come cuddle at any age…" Jellal muttered, pouting this time.

"My point is, what about precious alone time?" Gajeel repeated. Slightly puzzled, Jellal waited for him to continue. "How long has it been since you scored a goal?" Jellal frowned even more until Gajeel began to gesture. With a blush raising to his cheeks, Jellal could not help an awkwardly amused smile. Gajeel and flustered did not mix. Not that he should not have been after such a rude action.

Still, Jellal pondered on that. Images of Erza in different costumes went through his head – all of the most recent ones with a pregnant belly.

"You're already thinking for too long," Gajeel brought him back into the present. "I mean when she's finally not too tired or too busy with the kid, it's right there between you…" he pulled a face, obviously missing that part of his and Levy's relationship. At least its frequency. He almost sounded regretful on Jellal's behalf.

"It's been rather convenient actually," Jellal went on about his daughter's sleeping habit as if nothing else had been said. "We mostly slept for longer since Rosie can eat whenever she wants to and by herself," he leaned back into the cushions. His gaze travelled to the cracker bowl, a by him as impolite judged idea coming to his mind when he considered taking one. Gajeel unknowingly nipped that in the bud by shovelling half of the contents into his own mouth. "I'm more worried about jobs."

"I thought you had a permanent position," Gajeel raised a pierced brow.

"I do, I'm not referring to me," Jellal explained. "I get the feeling that it's finally reaching Erza – she wants to go out on a mission, use her magic and get things done. I really don't want her doing anything risky – she knows that – but I also don't want her to become pent-up and frustrated with having to sit around for days on end…" Jellal lowered his voice, well aware of the ajar bedroom door.

Not that it was a secret or something she was not supposed to hear. The girls were used to their husbands talking about them – there was more reason to them being this quiet than just the children sleeping. They were curious.

Right in that moment, in fact, they were exchanging glances, Levy giving her friend a sympathetic smile of understanding.

Gajeel's expression on the other hand changed at Jellal's choice of words.

"How I wish Levy had the same kinda pent-up energy," he bit his lip. "Doesn't Titania ever let it out on you instead of a stupid job?" He asked, eyes glued to the ceiling in what Jellal assumed to be churning memories of hot nights with Levy.

"Sometimes," he shrugged. Somehow, with Gajeel still sporting a blush, it did not feel half as embarrassing to talk about such intimate things. It was not as if they had not seen the other's wife nursing anyway. That, and admitting to her letting it out did not solely refer to having sex, but rather her fits of anger during the last stages of her pregnancy.

Gajeel groaned. For a moment, Jellal thought that was all he was going to get for a reply. It got the point across after all.

"And then I bet you regret letting the kid into your bed."

"Not really," Jellal had to smile. He would never regret that. "I have to watch myself in the shower though," he chuckled to himself. Gajeel groaned longingly at that, head tipping over the backrest of the couch. A slim grin spread across his features.

"Before Levy hit the seventh month, there was this one time when I was taking a nap and she woke me up by—"

"Don't you dare say another word, Gajeel!" Levy yelled from next door. Erza giggled at that, and Jellal's brows rose – rather at the fact that Erza apparently heard everything and did not care at all what he was confessing about their bedroom and or shower activities. Then again, he should not have been surprised that it did not bother her too much. Thinking about it now, he could picture her smug smirk in the face of Levy's beet red one while they quietly eavesdropped. "If you say one more word about that, you can cook dinner yourself, idiot!" Levy called, her voice as much of a mess as the colour of her face must have been.

"I was going to cook tonight anyway!" Gajeel shouted back. His own cheeks glowed more prominently now.

"Well, then for the rest of the week, you can make your own!"

"I didn't even say it, so—" he was cut off by a faint baby noise. His grimace worsened, and he winced when Erza poked her head out of the bedroom.

"Quit shouting already, you'll wake them—" crying erupted from behind her, "up…" she sighed. Inhaling to mirror Gajeel's groan from before, though for different reasons, she was about to disappear again when Jellal outstretched his arms.

"Let me," he offered eagerly. Smiling with amusement, Erza vanished, returning with her baby against her chest. While Levy could still be heard shushing the twins, Rosemary had already stopped crying, merely having been spooked awake.

Once having received her, Jellal's smile broadened even more. Cradling her to him, he met sleepily blinking eyes. Holding his gaze for another moment, Rosemary gave a soft coo, fingers furling and unfurling. She sank against him, gladly being snuggled close, falling asleep within heartbeats.

Erza watched with a warm smile as her husband's features mellowed. He traced his thumb up and down his daughter's arm, then shuffled backwards to lean into the armrest of the sofa, having her lay more comfortably with his torso curving. Erza went back to the bedroom, and the twins' complaints died down a few minutes later.

"That's exactly what I mean," Gajeel spoke up, having watched the scene unfold. "She'll be spoilt rotten."

"She does fall asleep on her own; she almost did just then," Jellal defended her mildly.

"Yeah, sure, she does now, but once she's older and smarter, she'll refuse to sleep unless you're there to tuck her in."

"I don't mind."

"She'll cry her little eyes out when you're not there," Gajeel argued. It hit home, Jellal's heart throbbing sadly at the thought of her shedding tears all alone. It had taken long enough for him not to grieve her every cry for food or a clean nappy. "Levy read a ton of books on child education, and they all agree that you have to set boundaries as early and consequently as possible," Gajeel retold. Jellal regarded his sleeping baby, unable to imagine denying her a thing. "Think of the bright side – more time with your wife," Gajeel's grin spread anew. He could obviously not let go of that topic, frustrated.

Jellal suppressed a sigh, Rosemary rocking with the remains of it.

"I read a lot of books on pregnancy and birth because it scared the hell out of me, but I haven't actually read anything on upbringing since she was born," he picked up his motion of caressing her little arm, wandering to her hand. It twitched, seeking to grab hold of something. "We've kind of guided each other so far," he said, eyes never straying from his daughter. She really was a patient yet demanding teacher.

"I'm tellin' ya, she'll be a spoilt brat," Gajeel huffed. Rosemary frowned at the raised volume, but with Jellal's finger willingly falling into her trap, being held tightly, she kept on sleeping. "See?" It had not gone unnoticed by Gajeel. "She'll dictate your every step – heck, with Titania in the house, you'll have two masters," he laughed shortly. "I bet with that early training, she might even kick Erza off the alpha rank," he smirked mockingly. "They become smarter the older they are, and they grow up way too quickly…" he let out a breath at that, almost as if seeing his children move out the house already.

"You make it sound as if we adopted a dog," Jellal pursed his lips.
"Babies are dumber than dogs up to the age of three," Gajeel waved off, "or so one of the books said." Jellal frowned. It was hard to declaim against that – he did not know whether it was true. That, and he liked both dogs and babies.

His attention was snapped back to the present when Gajeel harped on about the thing he apparently really liked.

"Hey, you wouldn't mind tripling your number of cubs for a day or two, right?" He turned with mischievously sparkling eyes. "I just feel like we could use a break, especially if we can, you know," he stopped mid-sentence, when there came a growl from next door. Levy knew how to shut up her boyfriend, his lips sealing without hesitation. Jellal had to smile, knowing that Erza was doing the same.

Deciding not to let the Dragon Slayer be beheaded – or the children wake up from another debate – Jellal returned to a previously made point.

"I didn't know you cooked," he offered a smile.

"Sometimes," Gajeel shrugged, an obviously not-so-secretly proud smirk on his lips. He sighed then, arms resting on the backrest behind him as he scooted down further. "I feel like the two of us are really ahead of the others there," he said, staring at the ceiling. "I mean we do laundry and cook; I don't think I've seen either Gray or Salamander turn on a stove in all my life."

"Or Elfman…" Jellal had to agree, though he did so quietly. Gajeel saw through him easily, making clear that it was okay to talk about their friends; that it was not slandering, but comparing and being proud of oneself. It sounded like one of Erza's speeches, minus the strict eye contact or the hands on her hips. Jellal was convinced she was nodding along next door.

So he surrendered, surprised by the relief coming rather soon as he eased himself further into the cushions, watching his innocently slumbering daughter as he went on. Saying it to her was something he was never afraid of.

"But Gray only just confessed to Juvia," he reasoned, "it's not like he'll have to become a housewife anytime soon."

"And Salamander is a hopeless case…" Gajeel snorted.

"I do think Lucy and Juvia would be happy to take care of the house and maybe sometime children," Jellal remarked. Levy herself was more of a housewife than the one enjoying reward-reaping requests, but Gajeel was attentive, caring and did not consider himself too good or too cool for putting on an apron and chopping up vegetables. He cleaned the house and changed nappies as much as he went out on missions.

It was a good balance. Of course a divide between one partner being at home and the other working was the most common, and apparently smoothly working solution. For the first time, Jellal wondered what it would be like once Rosemary was not dependent on Erza's milk anymore. Or once he had to return to Era.

"Sure, but we're the cooler dads and husbands," Gajeel grinned his trademark grin. He had not ceased being proud of himself, and Jellal smiled down at his baby, infected. Because even he could admit to himself that he was a good housewife – which would have to mean he was truly splendid.

Raising a brow at the plural of 'husband', he did not get to comment. Gajeel had gotten up, frowning his lips.

"We're starting on dinner," he loudly informed his wife, hustling Jellal along who cautiously pressed his daughter closer to him, being shoved into the kitchen. The door closed almost as soon as they had crossed the threshold. Nonetheless, Gajeel did nothing remotely related to cooking.

"We?" Jellal asked with amusement. Rocking slightly to keep Rosemary from rousing suddenly, he used one hand to unwind the baby sling from around his hips. She cooed with his movements, replying to his greeting hum with one of her own.

Gajeel, still trying to pronounce what he seemed reluctant to say, plucked Rosemary from Jellal's arm to help him strap her to his back and free his hands.

"About that wedding…" he lowered his voice despite the shut door. At the same time, he noisily rummaged through the fridge, then clinked with pots until even Jellal had to perk his ears to understand. "I wanted to write Levy a song for a vow."

"That's a great idea," Jellal smiled encouragingly.

"Shh!" Gajeel hissed, eyes wide in panic.

"Erza loves casserole," Jellal invented in an attempt to overplay the previous outburst. They harked. Erza's giggle faintly reached them, and Jellal grinned while Gajeel facepalmed himself.

"Moron," he muttered, then went back to rummaging, this time for a baking dish. He had to settle with a rectangular cake form.

Jellal doubted that the girls were guessing the topic, most likely suspecting a by far less innocent one that needed covering up.

"I do think it's a good idea – it's your thing," Jellal said, quieter this time.

"Only whenever I have the motivation to actually write it, I can't find the words," Gajeel exhaled sharply. Having slapped several ingredients onto the counter, he let Jellal inspect them, allowing him to search for a knife to start peeling.

"It doesn't have to be done overnight, right?" Jellal easily said, focusing on the courgette in his hands. Rosemary peered over his shoulder with great interest, more and more awake the more things he touched and worked on. "Weren't you going to wait for a little while?" He recalled in regard to the twins. They were not nearly old enough to remain silent throughout an entire ceremony, not to mention the time it took for them to be quiet to begin with.

Rosemary haaed, so Jellal obediently cut off a handsome, chocking-risk free piece of courgette, handing it to her as he had done with Erza and chocolate so many months ago. He had to smile when remembering that – his sleepy wife, back then hardly girlfriend, snoring into his neck. The memory resurfacing somehow made him ignore that he was, in fact, spoiling his daughter rotten by answering her tiniest plea.

Gajeel slumped against the counter, arms crossed tightly.

"What I'm getting at is that I want you to help me," he brought out between gritted teeth. He did not like asking for help, it was plain to see, but he seemed desperate enough to pierce Jellal with fiery, awkwardly flickering eyes. "Not soon, but sometime. You always juggle with words at work, don't you?"

"Not sure if juridical vocabulary is what you're going for," Jellal returned an apologetic smile. "Unless you want to sue her, I'd rather go for someone with poetic talent – like Lucy."

"But your vow was so cheesy and soppy," Gajeel started gesturing helplessly when noticing his voice to have become too loud.

"That was kind of a spontaneous move," Jellal said sheepishly. Rosemary dropped the slobbery piece back over his shoulder, so he popped it into his own mouth before it could get mixed up with the other slices.

"But it was really soppy."

"Thank you for repeating that." Jellal drily said. Gajeel grinned.

"So… we got a deal?"

"I'm starting to wonder where my end of it is," Jellal raised a brow, never ceasing to slice and dice. The Iron Dragon Slayer pulled a thoughtful face, spooking Jellal when his hand suddenly shot forward. As if automatically, Jellal had replied to Rosemary's next requesting mmh, raising a block of cheese. Her wish being his command was as much of a reflex as Gajeel's counteraction was.

"I'll educate her properly," Gajeel bargained.

"You'll let her cry and get bored to death all on her own."
"No one's died of boredom yet," Gajeel retorted. Jellal pursed his lips. Averting his eyes, he kept on preparing dinner, movements slightly more pointed by now.

"I'll think of something else."

"So then you're in?" Gajeel grinned triumphantly. Jellal gave a nod.

They continued cooking and switched topics in case the girls would come in. They still had a lot of time until the twins would be older. Jellal could not help but agree to Gajeel's earlier point – they were more mature than the other men their age at the guild. Even the Iron Dragon Slayer, always having been a rogue and an unorganised mess, now planned far ahead for what was important to him.

Neither mentioned it again, but Jellal could not help but question whether he himself was truly all that suited to raise his daughter.

The answer arrived not much later and in the form of arms winding around him from behind.

"You alright?" Erza lowly hummed into his ear, placing a kiss on his cheek. Jellal had to smile, feeling his muscles relax when meeting her lips.

"I am now," he warmly replied. Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"So soppy…"