The sky opened up. Like a void, alarmingly quickly, it bared the stars; the cosmos themselves as if sucking them all into an endless galaxy. A blinding flash drowned out the stars: a comet. Or was it an asteroid? It didn't matter. Within seconds, there was another and another. The shower raced across space, unheeding of the specks humans formed endlessly further below.

Until Jellal changed his stance.

His aura was tremendous, magic power leaking thickly into the greying morning air. It was hard to swallow, let alone breathe. The earth seemed to shake, until Gray realised that it wasn't the earth at all. It was the sky.

One of the asteroids had changed its path, curving into that of another. They collided in an unheard severity. Splinters disturbed the shower, one dusting the starry sky. One of them came soring down at an appalling speed Gray found himself gasping at.

It pierced the atmosphere, tearing up the sky, streaking flaming vapour trails until it collided with the very tip of the tower. The crash boomed in their ears, nearly ripping them apart. Now sky and earth were both trembling under the immense force of Sema, withstanding only just so with the ancient, previously indominable magic stones crumbling in defeat.

Gray forced his eyes open against the wave of dust flattening the grass, bending the trees.

The twins were crying. They weren't nearly loud enough in the hail of rubble plummeting onto the ground. It was all happening so fast.

Gray caught a glimpse of skin – the girls! Somewhere between, falling, or were they dangling? His hands fought the pressure sent his way, rising, connecting with his fist in his palm.

Not fast enough.

The ground growled lowly, suddenly rising. Like a volcano, new land formed, right below the girls' still chained up feet. Gray had to dodge falling debris at lightning speed, ice magic protecting him more than once.

Something he saw wasn't needed anymore.

He reached the top of the magically created hill only by launching himself up. Like a plateau, the ground was flat and untouched. Hexogonal shields hovered above the group.

The girls looked as exhausted as they looked relieved. Erza must have summoned them some clothes and blankets. Apart from her, only Levy and Wendy had managed to slip out of their restraints entirely, the others at least still bound at their ankles, which made getting dressed more impossible than hard.

Gray could only stare at the scene for another moment. Erza's hands were bleeding. Jellal, his forehead drenched in sweat, was kneeling in front of her, tenderly wrapping her burst knuckles into the baby sling. He was saying something, words flying past his lips in an uncoordinated mess until Erza ran her mauled thumb over them, kissing him into silence. On her other arm, Rosemary was already suckling greedily, gladly.

"Gajeel!" Levy broke Gray's momentary trance. She had thrown over a dress that didn't quite fit her. She didn't seem to care. As weakly as she did so determinately, she crawled to the edge of the platform. A platform that only the calibre of a Wizard Saint could have built, and in record time.

When Gajeel arrived, the twins sobbing as much as their mother as they finally reunited, Gray tore his gaze away. Juvia! His mind screamed.

She was right there, sitting in between Lucy and Meredy, eyes big with the commotion unfolding around them. Wearing a towel. Of all the times he wasn't wearing a shirt! Gray cursed himself. Without hesitation though, he shed his trousers to offer them to her. They were wide enough to fit over the chain on each ankle.

"Are you alright?" He crouched down next to her. Juvia nodded repeatedly. Her face was steaming as she wiggled into his trousers, a creepy smile stretching from one ear to the other. Gray let out a small sigh, carefully hiding his own smile. He had missed her craziness, even just for the past few hours of uncertainty.

"We have our baby to worry about," Meredy chided next to Juvia, effectively ignoring how she was in no way related to Rosemary. As usual. Jellal was fussing about her being wrapped in nothing but a bathrobe. His hand was still clutching his wife's though, receiving soothing strokes of her thumb.

"That isn't helping, Natsu!" Lucy complained. Natsu and Happy were biting at her chains, now trying to burn them off. "Also you could do it with your hands." She turned her head away, hiding her blush at how he was breathing down her shoulder. She had to secure the towel covering her chest somehow.

"Did you pee yourself?"

"It's sweat!" She shrieked, appalled.

Shaking his head, Gray focused on his own target again. The storm of cursed magic and broken bricks had ceased, the air stilling for the first time since they had awoken in fright that night. Without giving much thought to everyone around, Gray picked Juvia up.

"Gray, my darling," she gasped. "The seal stone—"

"Let's get you somewhere safe first," he announced. She clasped her hands in front of her mouth, a charmed blush burning on her cheeks. He rose to his feet. Keeping a cool expression to hide his own blush, Gray was about to make his way off the platform with Juvia when Wendy caught his attention.

"Uhm, Gray?" She wiggled her foot where there was still one chain left. Apart from that, she looked unscratched, wearing one of Erza's long-sleeved jumpers that swallowed her hands too.

"Why don't we step away from these ruins first?" he suggested. Who knew what traces of dangerous magic were still left. It had stolen his girl— well, the girls, all of them of course – once. He would not watch it do so another nerve-wracking time.

"Gray," Meredy now too called him back. Reluctantly – reluctant to face them all with Juvia so possessively in his arms – he turned anyway. "The chains." Meredy too lifted hers noisily. He opened his mouth to reply but she was faster. "Would you mind making a key?"

His thoughts halted in their tracks. There was no way he could hide his growing blush now, creeping up his neck with embarrassment. Of course! He wanted to facepalm himself. Juvia put an understanding hand over his heart, making it skip an uncalled-for beat.

"Right," he said between gritted teeth. Then he sighed in defeat, trekking back to the others. "Right…"

Down below, having survived the snapped off trees Sema left behind, sat the farmer they had dragged up, gaping in silent horror.

"Well, apparently he only wanted to warn us," Lucy told Mira between sips through her straw. "Said he'd looked down on Fairy Tail until the third day of the Grand Magic Games; that Erza beating up all those monsters had him crying so much he couldn't even cheer. Bought a ton of merchandise afterwards – he showed us." The annoyance in her voice faded into a shudder.

"That's quite the adventure you've had." Mira smiled sweetly, not a care in the world as always.

Lucy sighed, then nodded. It had been quite the adventure, but she could have done without the life‑threatening excitement. She wondered how her teammates recovered so quickly. Even Meredy was relaxed, currently snuggling Rosemary on her lap where she sat next to Levy.

Lucy took her cool drink with her to join the girls' table. Erza had come over too, just then taking Levy's hands.

"Really? Thank you!" She beamed, giving a grateful squeeze. Levy giggled, then croaked when being squished in a hug. Even she was back to normal after only four days. With one hand, she rocked one of the twins in his baby basket. The other one was with Juvia on Levy's other side. The latter looked as happy as she looked jealous when Erza was already dashing away again.

"What was that all about?" Lucy asked. She caught herself praying that it wasn't another mission.

"I'll be babysitting Rosemary tonight," Levy explained.

Lucy opened her mouth in question when Erza was suddenly back. Without warning, she snatched away Lucy's purse, rummaging through until finding a pocket-sized mirror in which she checked herself. Lucy frowned.

Meredy snickered, the others watching with equal amusement.

"Alright," Erza handed the mirror back as if she hadn't just stolen it without consent, "it's time."

"You look great," Meredy supplied.

"Should I let down my hair?" Erza asked, already reaching up to untangle her bun.

"It's fine," Levy soothed.

"It suits you," Wendy added.

Gaining some confidence from their words, Erza nodded. Coming to think of it, Lucy noticed that she seemed somewhat… nervous?

"There's Jellal," Meredy notified. Lucy followed her gaze when Erza gasped lightly.

He was merely standing there in the doorway, having come back from town or their house or whatever. He wasn't injured as far as she could tell. They had come to the Guild Hall together that morning; he must have only been gone for half an hour maximum anyway.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked, slightly concerned.

Erza took another inhale as if preparing to hold a speech. She brushed down her skirt. "This is it," she prompted herself. "I'm going to ask him out on a date!" she declared, all ambitious and hopeful.

Lucy's face didn't even fall; she was too stupefied, because really?

Erza was in one of her moods again, fine. A typical Erza-move, but… she could not have been serious, right? Out of all the things she had pulled, this was the most ridiculous, even surpassing that disaster of a theatre performance. They were married! She did remember that he was her husband, did she not? That they had a baby? Right there in the same room?

Meredy glanced down at Rosemary, then back at Erza, seemingly asking herself the same questions.

"I'm going to ask my husband out on a date – treat him to a restaurant," Erza said, still determined to overcome whatever nonsensical jumpiness she felt. "Shh!" she shushed them, even though nobody had said a thing. Again, rectifying her skirt, she walked over to the gates with obviously played nonchalance. It would have been hilarious had it not been so dumb.

Lucy exchanged an unbelieving glance with Levy.

"I have the urge to cross my fingers," Wendy whispered. She watched alongside the others, just as captivated.

"She knows that she doesn't have to court him, right?" Lucy couldn't help asking. She couldn't believe what she was seeing either.

Hands behind their backs, both looking like blushing teenagers, Erza and Jellal greeted each other. Despite having seen one another on the same day! For weeks, no, months on end without more than a few hours at a time apart! And why was he just as fidgety?

"They have a lot to catch up on," Meredy argued. "I mean they've been in love for, what, ten years? Fifteen?"

"Still, I get that he's all romantic and likes to show his devotion but she's…" Lucy shook her head, never looking away, "well, Erza."

"Just watch," Levy twinkled.

"Oh my god," Meredy grunted with supressed laughter. Lucy frowned, but her cringing frown softened when Jellal answered Erza's somewhat blurted request with a lush bouquet of red roses and baby's breath. He was scratching his nape, shyly returning the question.

"He also asked me to babysit," Levy revealed. Lucy had to giggle then, the others joining in. Mira meanwhile passed out squealing, the tray in her hand clattering to the ground.

"What a bunch of weirdos."

"You can say that again." Meredy got up. With Rosemary on her arm, she joined the couple. When Jellal was done pulling Mira to her feet – the latter becoming oddly flustered by whatever Erza was telling her – he overtook Rosemary. Levy freed her lap of her book when he came over, but as expected, he kept hold of his daughter for a little longer.

"Thank you again for tonight."

"It's my pleasure." Levy smiled.

"It's so funny how Erza becomes all shy, asking you out," Lucy noted.

"Isn't she the cutest?" Jellal allowed a small grin. "After you of course," he tapped Rosemary's nose, "but don't tell her I said that." He glanced over his shoulder with slight unease.

Lucy frowned at that. "I thought she asked you out to dinner."

"She did." Jellal nodded. Then hesitated, making Lucy's frown crease further. "If it were something else, she could be less… restrained." He flashed her a glance. It went to Wendy, who wasn't paying attention. Then, for the split of a second, his hand around Rosemary's back loosened, fingers indicating what Lucy had only ever seen as an indecent gesture – something she had most definitely not expected from Jellal of all people.

Lucy's eyes somewhat bulged, cheeks flushing. So did his.

They found out rather quickly what had gotten into him when Meredy burst into wicked cackles across the entire Guild Hall. Jellal threw her a sour glare, but she was too busy bending over and clutching her stomach to notice.

Lucy sighed quietly, waving off Jellal's apology.

"I owed her for the other night when Rosie wasn't exactly quiet," he excused.

Meredy managed to hobble closer, wheezing, having to grasp Jellal's arm to steady herself. Still with a pink tinge crowning his cheeks, Jellal plucked himself free to gently deposit Rosemary in Levy's lap.

"We're even," he told Meredy with a light flick to her head. She hardly yipped, only just calming down. Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, she slumped back into the bench.

"This will be remembered forever." She smirked, catching her breath.

"It won't." Jellal left in three quick strides to relieve Mirajane.

Sure enough, Erza replaced him a minute later at their table. And not a moment too late.

Aah, Rosemary cooed, having looked sad about her father leaving. With a warm smile, Erza picked her up.

"You know she's going to want to be carried all the time if you do that," Levy remarked.

"We won't be able to spoil her tonight so it's fine right now," Erza soothed. Her smile fell into a pout right after though. Rosemary was stretching her little arms over Erza's shoulder, cooing almost urgently. Erza glowered slightly. "Am I only a vehicle to you so that you can get to Papa?"

Uh, Rosemary answered as if confirming. The girls snickered, never even shrinking when Erza shot them a glare. She was still pouting, ruining the scariness.

"Hypocrite," Erza tutted. When the others wouldn't stop giggling, she turned her back on them, consequently – purposefully – denying her daughter seeing Jellal. But Rosemary cooed again, reaching out after a short pause to orient herself. "How dare you?" Erza gasped when Meredy was new the desired target.

"Don't be jealous, Erza." Meredy took Rosemary into her arms with little resistance. "You gotta stay unyielding. You're the only one not spoiling her and she'll thank you for that in the future."

"In the distant, distant future," Erza grumbled, watching from the side how Rosemary delightedly greeted back Meredy's lap.

"Aren't you jealous?" Juvia couldn't help asking.

"I was there for the first two weeks and I'm still tired." Meredy shrugged. "This is pretty ideal for now."

"That's really admirable," Levy noted, stroking Rosemary's hair. "Maybe it's because I'm a mother myself, but I don't think I could stand being around a baby all the time if I didn't have my own."

"Good thing you stocked up on two then," Lucy elbowed her. The girls giggled, and even Erza regained her smile. "But I get you. I've always known that I wanted kids at some point, but I kinda forgot about that until, well…" Lucy grinned at the Gale in his basket, who was only just waking up.

"You guys are best friends," Meredy jerked her head from Lucy to Levy, "you just gotta become buddies with Gajeel too and bam – free baby access."

"Okay, first of all, don't tell Natsu that's a thing. He won't leave her alone," Lucy leant over the bench to tap Rosemary's nose, "and second – apart from Gajeel probably wanting me least of everyone as his bestie—"

"I wouldn't say that," Levy mused, only somewhat convinced of herself though.

"I just think it would make me feel… lonely? Rub in how I don't have one myself and how I'm ultimately not the one calling the shots?"

"That can be a good thing," Wendy whispered, showering Rosemary with attention as much as the others.

"Yeah, sure, but whatever achievements the baby makes as it grows up won't be mine, you know? I can't believe it doesn't bother you," Lucy glanced from Meredy to Rosemary.

"You mean because I don't have any biological family and am pretending that this one's mine?"

The girls winced. Frozen with shock, Lucy blushed a deep crimson. She began to stutter something but any attempt at words dried up when Meredy sniffled.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. That was so rude, I'm sorry Lucy," Meredy sobbed quietly. Lucy shook her head. Levy leant over for a hug. Juvia got up, Lucy on her heels, when Meredy yelped upon being picked up. "Jellal," she complained through another sniffle.

Jellal looked everything but comfortable – not about her, but because he didn't seem to have any plans of how to go on at all.

"What are you— Where are we going?" Meredy frowned.

He did too. "Somewhere."

"Why?"

"Because…" He frowned his lips now, indecisive and helpless.

"I'm okay, you can put me down," Meredy hissed as best as she could, looking around if the guild was paying attention.

"No, I have to—"

"Give her back, Jellal." Juvia surprised them all with how forcefully she said it. Hands planted on her hips, she barricaded the way. "She is my best friend and I am not only capable of consoling her, I insist to do so," she declared.

"Yeah," Levy agreed vehemently.

Speechless, both Meredy and Jellal only stared for another moment. Carefully, awkwardly, he then set her down. Her feet had hardly touched the ground when Juvia slung her arms around Meredy, squishing her into a hug. Levy flashed one last estimating glance at her awaking baby, then joined in. Lucy rounded the table, smiling when Wendy had already thrown herself into the group hug.

"I just thought… somewhere private would be nicer," Jellal managed, slightly baffled.

"Manly!" Elfman appeared out of nowhere, hugging the entire group hug, making the girls laugh despite everything. Jellal stepped back when chairs scraped and suddenly the entirely of present guild members – mostly clueless as to why – came to enlarge the hug tenfold.

"The power of a guild doesn't lie in its fighting strength," Erza tenderly noted, leaning on her husband's shoulder. He nodded slowly, dumbfoundedly. "I think I know who the guild will be cheering on the most in the upcoming 24-hour race," she quipped.

"Me too." He finally smiled. And he pushed the thought of the race he wasn't allowed to duck out of aside for the moment. Relieved, he tugged on her waist to bring her closer. Meredy hadn't only stopped crying, she was laughing.

At the open gates, Laxus stood with bored bewilderment at the giant cluster of cluelessly cuddling guildmates. "What the hell even…?"