CHAPTER 5: MOVING FORWARD...

It had been a month after Natsu was born. Jellal went to buy some groceries that day. It was raining quiet hard. It had been about two hours sine Jellal went to the super marker. Erza got more and more worried as time passed. Finally when she couldn't take it any more she decided to go look for Jellal herself. But it had been a difficult decision for her since couldn't risk taking Juvia ad Natsu out in such heavy rain. She wore her rain coat and put Natsu in a baby carrier and carried it in front like a bag and did same with Juvia except Erza carried her on her back. She took her umbrella and went out.

When she shut the door of their apartment she saw two shopping bags placed at the outside of the door. Curiously she searched one of the shopping bags and found a wallet in it. She opened it to check the owner of those bags and not surprised she found Jellal's driving license in it. This made her more worried than she already was. All type of bad thoughts were crossing her mind and this strange bad feeling she was having wasn't helping her calm down at all. Hurriedly she exited her apartment complex and started searching for Jellal.

She searched every place she could. His job place, their usual coffee shop, every park that was near their house and every possible place she could think the thought that Jellal might have returned home she decided to go back. On her way back she was still looking every place her eyes could see. When she was passing the bridge she saw a commotion at the other end of the bridge. With her bad feeling growing with every second worriedly she hurried to that spot.

And what she saw made her shock byond her wildest imagination. She felt extreme pain through out her entire being. Slowly the umbrella she was holding fell on the ground and exposed them to the rain. She couldn't care any less about anything at that time. Her entire world was spinning. The time stopped for her. Her breath was taken away. Her mind wasn't able to think anymore. It was like she had been paralyzed.

I don't know what my father was thinking that day. It was probably the instinct of hunting food for the baby. He probably wanted to give my mother, who just gave birth rescently, something nutritious to eat.

Two men with rain coats on some kind if uniform picked a wolf with slight shade of blue hair, which was lying dead in the river with its eyes open , by its back legs and put it in a big black bag with its mouth first. As this scene unfolded itself infront of Erza she thought she was dreaming. Hot tears fell down from her eyes but she was so numb to feel them. She couldn't trust her eyes anymore. Even if it was a dream Erza wanted to save Jellal and wake up quickly. Her feet took her to the truck in which that bag was being put at that time.

"JELLAL! JELLAL!" Erza shouted at the top of her lungs making her way to the truck hoping he would hear her voice even if it was a dream.

"JELLAL! Hey where are you taking him?! Hey listen to me!" she lost control over every thing. She didn't even remember anymore that Juvia and Natsu were with her. She wanted to save him and wake up quickly even if it was a dream.

Seeing and hearing a woman with two small children with her shouting at the top of her lung made people think she was crazy. But she didn't care as long as she could save him even if it was her dream.

"Hey! Leave Jellal alone! Give him back to me." Erza shouted with tears constantly falling from her eyes that she didn't even register. Seeing a crazy woman come near the truck shouting nonscence at them one of the uniform man held Erza when she almost reached for the bag and kept her away for it.

"Hey! Let me go! I want to save Jellal! Let me go!" Erza struggled with as much force as she could but the man who held he was stronger.

"Mam we really don't understand what you are saying but please keep out of it." Just as he said that the truck moved an he quickly climbed the back of the truck making sure Erza wouldn't get on it too. And the truck moved away from her and soon left her sight. She couldn't follow them because Juvia and Natsu held her down. Her legs gave in and finally she started pouring her eyes out. Slowly the crowed dispersed but a few people remained who seemed to be worried about her and the didn't register anything until she heard Natsu crying at the top of his lungs and Juvia pooking her from her back with an extreme worried look. She hugged Natsu tightly and started sobbing.

When her mind started registering things around her someone had left an umbrella above them. She didn't know what to do any more. Dumbly she picked up the umbrella and made her way to their home. She picked up the groceries shoppers from the ground and took them in with her. She wanted it to be a dream so bad that she was ready to kill herself even if it was a dream. It was the first time she cursed herself for having the ability to differentiate between reality and dream.

Erza stood in a wheat fied. She was wearing the same dress that she wore on their first date. Her frock and hair fling in the direction of the wind. Suddenly Erza felt a peence behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Jellal smiling at her. But he was standing at a fair distance between them.

"Jellal." Erza couldn't beieve her eyes. She was so happy after seeing Jellal.

"Hey it was a dream wasn't it. Sorry I couldn't save you." Erza said with guilty with her eyes down.

"But you are here now right. I am glad it was a dream." Erza looked up and still saw Jellal smiling at her. It was the smile she fell for.

"Hey..." Erza took a step to approach Jellal but he took a step back. Her smile faded and she froze at that spot fearing Jellal would leave her.

"What's wrong?" Erza asked with a tense voice.

Jellal didn't reply just smiled at her and after a few seconds he took two steps back and turned around and started heading away from Erza. Erza shouted his name as loud as she could telling him to turn back but he didn't. She still didn't move from her spot fearing he would disappear. After a while of walking away Jellal finally turned back. Erza felt so relief that tears came out of her eyes. But when Jellal didn't come towards her all her worries came back. She stared at Jellal who was only smiling at her. Finally he said something that Erza couldn't understand due to the distance between them. She tried to call out to him but he again started moving away from her slowly turning into a wolf and finally disappearing leaving Erza completely dumb.

Slowly Erza opened her eyes and looked around hoping all of it was a dream. She saw Juvia and Natsu sleeping soundly. Surprisingly she didn't remember when she put them to sleep. Then she felt some thing in her hands and saw that she was holding Jellal's driving liscence with his picture on it and a wallet placed near her hands on the table and two shopping bags were placed near the table. It was enough for her to know it was reality. She looked at Jellal's picture again and then looked to Natsu and Juvia.

"I leave the children in your care." My mother heard it like he said that.

She put Jellal's liscence with the empty glass vase that Jellal was supposed to put new fresh flowers in. Erza sat back and looked at Jellal's picture with determination in her eyes.

"Leave it to me. I'll raise them well." Erza said trying her best to hold her tears back and looking at smiling at Jellal's picture.

After that I don't remember my mother ever thinking about anything serious.

***************************************************************
"Rice!" a three years Juvia said with a stubborn face.

"I'll make it now. Wit a bit Juvia." Erza said.

"R.I.C.E!" Juvia said with even more stubborness.

"Just a bit more." Erza said politely.

"RICE!" Juvia shouted noe her wolf ears revealed and her hands turned into claws.

"Juvia!" Erza said a little louder. Tears started gathering in Juvia's eyes. She got on her four legs and started running around like a wolf shouting" Rice! Rice!" rapidly.

My mom said that whenever I sot angry and grumbled my fur would grow out and I would turn into a wolf.

"Oh, guess it can't be helped." Erza sighed. "Have some biscuits before lunch."

After hearing it Juvia came running towards the kitchen on fours. Took a biscuit and turned back to human with smile on her face.

Erza made some food for Juvia and tasted it before handing it to her. Juvia was eating the food Erza made her just now. Erza was itting next to Juvia on the floor near the small table Juvia was eating on. She was breast feeding Natsu. Juvia spilt her food from the folk. She looked up to Erza with apologetic eyes only to see her dozing off.

I seemed to eat alot, crying out and searching for food from morning till night. I was very different from my brother who ate little and was weak. It's not like our mother could discuess it with the neighbours, so she had to study every thing herself in the books. Day or night she had to brestfeed for two whole hours. Whenever her breast didn't produce milk she used skim milk instead. But when Natsu wasn't hungry he was still crying. Without knowing what to do, she stayed up all night holding him and caressing his back. Because of that she would always doze off once in a while.

*****************************************************************
Juvia was trying to reach for the ketchup on the dinning table but couldn't reach it. Erza was cooking near with two years old Natsu on her back and all her attention to the stove. After a few triels Juvia had an idea. She started pulling the cloth that was put on the dinning table. Seeing her plan working perfectly she continued to pull the cloth off the table. It was when the two sauce bottles also placed on the table made a click sound Erza looked back and saw Juvia pulling the table cloth. Erza hurried and jumped to grab the ketchup bottle that was about to fall on Juvia's head. And she successfully prevented that from happening

"That was close." Erza sighed in relief. Juvia who fell down during this proces when Erza jumped to save her stared at Erza in bewilderment with stars in her eyes. And poor Natsu was left in shock.

My mother took suspension from college to raise us. She had also already quit her part time job when I was born. The small savings my father left us were enough to sustain our living. According to our mother she was wondering whether to have us live us as human or wolves. She was at a loss over it. The problem was when we got sick.

"Juvia?" Erza called her out while doing laundry. Juvia always answered Erza on her first call but when no reply came Erza got worried.

"Juvia!?" Erza called out to her again while making her way to the living room where Juvia and Natsu were playing sometime ago. As Erza made her way near the room she heard some unplesent noice. She hurried to the room and saw Juvia vomiting while reveiling her wolf face with Natsu only stared at her by her side. Juvia's condition got worse by every minute. Erza was pretty sure by that time Juvia had already vomited almost every thing she ate that day. Erza hurriedly picked up Juvia, made them both wear hoodies, settled Natsu on her back,arrived Juvia in her hands and ran towards the nearest hospital.

When she reached the hospital she glanced at sick Juvia in her arms and halted her feet. At that time Juvia had her wolf face, Erza couldn't take her like that to the hospital neither could she ask Juvia to hide it because Juvia was unconsciously doing it in sickness. Erza became more worried than ever as niether could she think of any idea nor was Juvia getting any better but the opposite. Across the children's hospital was animal's hospital. But Erza couldn't take her there either because Juvia was human at that time except for her face. Erza got really conflicted. She couldn't decide where to take her.

My mom was conflicted between going to the pediatrics or the vets...

"Hello! My child ended up eating drying agent by mistake." Erza told a children doctor over the phone booth that was frortunatly near the hospitals.

"She is three years old." ( pause)

"Yes she vomited." ( pause )

"No there was no blood in it."

Then Erza called the animal hospital...

"It has 'silica gel' written on it." ( pause )

"But ... are there any complications." ( pause)

"Huh?! Her appitite."

Erza looked at Juvia who was standing on her feet with her now human face. She only burped and said "I am hungry."

"I see." relief washed over Erza. She smiled at Juvia and gently caressed her hair.

"Let's go home. I wanna eat."

"Yeah let's go." Erza put her index fingure infront of Juvia so she could grab it and they headed towards their home.

My mom regrets never asking how my father was raised when he was a kid. But that wasn't the only problem...

I am extremely sorry for the delay. Hope you all like it. And please don't mind my spelling mistakes since I am weak at that. I will recheck them again.

Thankyou all for reading :)