Thank you, Anaira.V, for your reviews! I can't believe you read the story 20 (! ! !) times! I haven't even read it that often xD
But I'm rereading some of it now. I know lots of fans don't appreciate the way Mashima tends to forget his own lore, so I'm doing my best not to forget his or my story elements.
Enjoy some badass Jerza (as requested ;D)!
A whimper. Erza's eyelid twitched. She refused to open her eyes, not moving a muscle. It hadn't been a full hour since Rosemary had been fed. With the buffet never too far out of reach, she could help herself by now. She liked sleeping on her side, squished into her mother's chest. Sometimes, she wouldn't let go despite having stopped drinking, and sometimes, she would replace Erza's breast with her own thumb and suckle in her sleep.
Jellal had changed her some fifteen minutes ago. He even turned her from side to side whenever feeling her move. It wasn't saying 'yes' to everything, he argued, because she couldn't speak yet. They would have to have another discussion about spoiling the baby, but for now, Erza kept perfectly still. Rosemary might think her asleep and wait until her chances increased for attention.
Tiny fingers furled and unfurled against Erza's chest. She had to fight a smile. Rosemary was very observant and more active with every day. When particularly hungry, Rosemary's teeth could be felt through her gums. She was early in many aspects and keenly scanned her surroundings. If Erza gave in to a treacherous smile, she would be found out.
Warm breath vented against her cheek. Amusement. It took every ounce of discipline not to slap him.
"Fast asleep, are we?" Jellal chuckled.
Uh! Rosemary gasped. Her nose had merely grazed Erza, now whipping around. Mmmmmh! She wriggled. He stroked down her back, soothing an upcoming whine.
"Come on, let's leave Mommy to sleep for a little longer."
The weight in the mattress shifted. Erza waited until he had left the room to lump any and all blankets she could reach together, bundling herself up. She turned over, snitched his pillow, taking a deep breath. The thought of checking the bright screen of her lacrima occurred once and only once, quickly forgotten as she drifted off.
It wasn't until another door shut that she roused. Pushing through the fog of drowsiness, rubbing her sleep‑crusted eyes, Erza shuffled towards the nightstand. 05:56 in the morning. She could hear Jellal in the bathroom.
On silent feet, the fluff of the deep‑pile carpet tickling up between her toes, she snuck towards the bathroom. The handle didn't creak when she pushed it down in slow-motion.
Rosemary was sitting on the sink. Propped up behind the faucet, cosy atop a towel, she watched her father run a hand through his hair. He turned on the water, then back off quickly, earning himself a hiccupping laughter and grabby hands nearing the faucet.
"So." Jellal finished tying his ponytail. He twisted his head this way and that, let his hair flick about. "Red or blue?" He presented his ties. His shirt wasn't yet buttoned up all the way, the suit jacket still on its hanger. "Red?" Jellal held the tie to his neck.
Rosemary turned on the faucet with an accidentally convenient kick. Her laughter was dirty and triumphant.
"Red it is." Jellal turned the faucet back off, kissed Rosemary's head with a loud smack that made her gurgle with laughter, before sliding the tie beneath his collar.
Erza saw her chance for a favour.
Ha! Nnh! Rosemary announced her mother's arrival. Another smacking kiss, another happy hiccup.
Erza swatted Jellal's hands away, reopening his nearly finished knot. Buttoning his shirt up first, she brushed her knuckles to his chest more than was necessary. "We'll accompany you to town. I need to go shopping anyway, and the market opens early."
"What about breakfast?"
"I'll grab something on the way."
Jellal didn't say anything, but she could guess. The house; the loan. Caelum's Council had transferred them a handsome amount of Jewels, they had some revenue of Warren's lacrima sales, and then there was the 10-year quest's reward on top. And she wouldn't be spending much! Just a tea at a local coffee shop, a piece of their finest strawberry cheesecake, one for the way back and one for at home. Perhaps another for the next breakfast – another cake, that was. Why buy slices when you can buy the entire thing?
Outside, the sun had risen over Era. The air was still frigid, so Erza tucked Rosemary's hat all the way over her ears. Deep red fringe poked out on her forehead that Erza couldn't bring herself to hide. The moment Jellal let his key slide into his coat, she took his hand; grabbed it right out of his pocket.
"Are you okay with going to work today?"
He sighed. "It's not as if I have much of a choice."
"You can work from here. The crisis meeting was a week ago and I apologised." She squeezed his hand. A neighbour was opening the curtains a few houses down and promptly ducked away from the 'crazy tree lady'. Erza refused to feel awkward. "And they did honour our evidence. I solved the case."
"The investigations aren't complete. The blacksmith was a bullseye and there were no reports of a fire or a body. They haven't said anything about your letter or apology yet though. Or passed a final sentence for the woman. For now, custody will have to do. She hasn't said a word about the supposed hideout she claimed to know."
"Sounded to me as if it were all wrapped up. They can't ignore logic."
The café came into view. Oh, how Erza wished to spend her morning with Jellal, chat about something that didn't sit so heavily with him, drop a few hints on the kind of dessert she wanted for after dinner.
The streets were still empty, the streetlights still on. Jellal's breath formed a single puff in the air. Erza followed Rosemary's eyes that watched. Waiting for another puff. It didn't come.
"Jellal?" She tugged on his hand.
He released her. His gaze had sharpened. A light breeze picked up, and Erza could almost see a wolf's ear twitch backwards at the way he turned his head ever so slightly, his hair dancing in the wind. Something was up.
"Who—" Erza's voice got stuck when he shoved her. Light flickered on a flying blade. It rammed into the cobblestone just where Erza's foot had been a second ago. "An ambush?"
"Into the open!" Jellal pulled on her arm, ran into the plaza. Erza's body revolted. He had to stop when she did, bewildered, panicked as he wrenched on her arm. "The more public, the less they will attack."
"We can't risk the lives of innocent citizens."
Steps rushed within the mist. Several people, gliding through alleyways, scurrying through glimpses of light. Left, right, straight on. Jellal tore on her arm but she wouldn't move further towards the fountain. He let out a howl of frustration. She couldn't remember the last time they had fought together close to civilization, but clearly, it wasn't working.
Someone somewhere shut a window in fear. A blade flew – small, double-edged. Erza summoned a sword. She sliced through the kunagi, the metal halves of it clattering to the ground. Behind her, hexagonal shapes zinged into being, shielding them. She raised her sword.
"Show yourself, fiend."
Jellal let out an unbelieving sound. "Let's get out of here."
"We cannot—"
"We can. We have to. We have Rosemary to protect."
Erza reached towards her waist, fumbling to find the securing strip of the baby sling. She froze when boots clacked towards them, slow and menacing. The stench of cigar prickled their noses. He moved without haste. Morning light streaked the tip of his boot, his leg, finally his entire body, lighting silver-white hair on fire as he stepped into the open. All that was missing was him clapping his hands.
Erza smirked. "What business do you have with us?"
He laughed a dry, low laughter. It sounded rehearsed. "I will be asking the questions." His lips moved almost mechanically. The skin around it was like leather, had suffered in the sun or perhaps been stretched one too many times. There were no wrinkles at the corners of his eyes to speak of a humorous demeanour. "Starting with the woman you just mentioned. How come you—"
Light flashed. The man barely dodged magical energy that struck the ground like lightning. Another man in the shadows gasped behind his boss. The boss himself staggered, raised his arm. Three blades appeared from his sleeve.
"Jellal!" Erza stepped in front of him.
"Not this again." Jellal pulled her back, and Erza rectified her stance to keep her sword in front of Rosemary. "He's wide open! Where's the point in holding a chat?"
"It's… how these things go." She shrugged. "How else will we know his motives?"
"We let the police interrogate him in his cell."
"He was going to tell us now."
"Exactly!" The man puffed, indignant. "I was going to anyway! Maybe I'll just order my men to kill you instead." He sassily put his hands on his hips. His black gloves had the same leathery texture as his skin, and his cape swished dramatically.
Erza pointed her sword straight at him. "I'd like to see you try. But first, you will tell us what it is you want, you scoundrel!"
"Fine!" He sounded relieved, content past the pouty lower lip. "You won't live to tell the tale anyway." A few of his minions drew in closer. Erza could hear more chimes of Jellal's shield, felt it expand, the pressure of condensed magical energy grinding closer. "We just happened to overhear what you said. About Hara."
"We didn't mention a name," Erza said.
"Did she seriously use her real name?" Jellal frowned.
The white‑blond man stomped his foot. "We heard you and we know you work for the Magic Council anyway!" He pointed at Jellal. "The woman will be freed and you will be the one bringing her out. Smuggle her, plead with the Council, we don't care."
"And if I don't?"
"Oh, you will." More blades appeared from his other sleeve. Armed men clustered the alleyways. Some of them stepped into the light, rifles aimed. "You have the choice: bring us Hara or the girl dies."
"And the baby," a henchman whispered from behind.
"Yes," the white-haired man cackled, "or the— the what?"
"The baby. Look!"
Jellal tensed from head to toe.
"She brought a baby to a battle? Who the hell brings a baby?! Is that supposed to keep us from hurting her?"
"I thought this was an ambush…" Erza was starting to lose interest in them. She let her sword disappear, traded it for her trusted Benizakura. "I'll end this quickly."
"Erza—"
"Take her for a moment." She reached for the end of the sling again.
"Erza?" The henchman's eyes widened. He shook his boss by the shoulder. "Erza Scarlet – Titania. You know, from the Grand Magic Games. The Pandemonium, the 100 monsters. The battle with the three crazy strong chicks!"
"What?!" The boss exploded. His hands went up, tousling his hair. "But she has red— never mind. You're right!" He stared at her, at the bright scarlet flowing down her shoulders. And at the scarlet peeking out from beneath the baby hat. "She— She had a baby?! I mean, it's not impossible, but anyway, isn't she, like, twenty—"
Erza kicked him straight in the face.
"Boss!" The henchman shrieked.
Sunlight flashed on countless blades all around. Guns loaded.
"Jellal!" Erza's clothes glowed. She tossed him a new baby sling, Rosemary on his arm.
Guns fired. Jellal sent his shield outwards. It crushed several people into nearby buildings, forced others back into the alleys. Erza jumped up. Her feet met the shell of his shield. She rode it forwards, propelled herself up and over the cluster of madly shooting criminals. Bullets whizzed past her. Bricks splintered, rained down. She rushed past them, zig-zagged through the enemy line.
Twirling around, Erza skidded to a halt. Stance wide, she whirled up dust, one hand on the ground. In the other, her sword glowed.
"Here she comes!" The bandits spun around. Guns rattled. Bullets hailed down, ruptured the street, missing Erza by milliseconds where she darted out of the way.
Benizakura disappeared. No new weapon traded in. The men stared, confused why she only dodged, excited where her coat had disappeared to reveal a most skimpy purplish garment.
Light. Blinding, huge. Beneath their feet. A giant ring of light, infused with runes that circled dizzyingly. Not one but seven, left in Titania's wake, tearing through the two alleys and onto town square where Erza had lured them out. A trap.
"May the seven stars bring judgement upon you…"
Rosemary expertly secured to his chest, her little arms and legs dangling, Jellal had his fingers outstretched. He raised his eyes, then his voice. His gaze pierced the white-haired man with deadly precision. "Grand Chariot!"
The night sky ruled over Era. Golden light came crashing down, shaking the earth, obliterating every last will of resistance into bruised unconsciousness.
The ground was still shaking, the world basked in light, when Erza changed clothes. She watched her husband more than she watched the spectacle – his hair whipping in the wind, his suit's jacket flapping, the way his eyes blazed with starburst.
Her gaze fell to Rosemary. The spell was over, the sun returning, but Rosemary was still spellbound. Remains of magic shimmered in her eyes. Mouth agape, she exhibited no fear, only amazement, enthralled by her father's sublime powers.
Erza found her heart beating faster – faster than in the heat of battle. What a bond they shared. How much Rosemary already loved his magic. Oh, for her to inherit something as rare and beautiful as True Heavenly Body Magic!
What he had feared so much…
Equipping a gauntlet over her coat, Erza grabbed the limp form of the white-blond man by his collar. "How did you know about the sentence of the woman?"
"Erza—"
"How do you know my husband works for the Council? Are you the bandits? Did you stage the robberies to get reward money?" She shook him. His head flapped back and forth with the resistance of a potato sack. "Answer me, knave!"
"Erza, he's out cold." Jellal placed a hand on her shoulder. She could feel him tug her back with rising urgency. Steps were nearing rapidly, though not stealthily. Many steps, clattering greaves – Rune Knights. Before they arrived, she quickly punched the white-haired man in the gut. "Erza!"
Her gauntlet went back to her requip dimension. "That's for looking at my baby funny."
"This is exactly why you were never elected a Wizard Saint…" Jellal muttered.
"He looked at her funny!"
"And we grilled him medium rare." One of the henchmen dropped from the roof where he had waited to attack, sizzling, motionless. His face slapped onto the cobblestone. "Well done…" Jellal pulled a face.
The Rune Knights came to a halt. Some of them pointed their weapons, first at Erza and Jellal, fearfully, then at the culprits. Regarding the state of them, the staffs lowered. The commander stepped aside.
"What did she do this time?" Wolfheim growled.
Jellal's back straightened slightly. Erza noted with alarm how he hugged Rosemary closer to himself despite the flawless baby strap holding her in place. His fingers twitched, a flare of his shield manifesting for the split of a second like a reflection of the sun. She couldn't imagine how tense he must have been during the proceedings, sitting with the Council in a small room. His nightmares kept on haunting him, made him afraid for Rosemary's safety more than an actual armed ambush.
More Rune Knights stepped aside to let the Council assess the situation. A window opened somewhere. The streets filled with hushed murmurs. Erza glanced around and at the Council – their formation, their presence. A man darted through the shadows, apparently unharmed enough to flee, but he was stopped in his tracks. A wall of rock shot up in front of him, and within a second, he was paralysed, forced to the ground. Draculos' two raised fingers kept the runaway in check.
More murmurs. Relief? In any case, Erza realised now too how much her letter had upset the Council; how hard they were trying to appease the public with their authority. The men once elected as the strongest Wizards of the entire continent, fearing the irrational powers of a bunch of over-magicked teenagers.
Erza bowed her head respectfully. Jellal's eyes went wide, but he copied her, and she let him report their battle rather humbly without interfering. It was like standing trial for show all those years back in front of the old Council – they needed the humility. If that was what it took to protect her guild and her family, Erza would gladly get down on her knees.
"A listening device?" Wolfheim snarled. The failed escapee trembled. He tried to run away twice, but was recaptured easily, eventually revealing their tool for spying on Hara's trial.
"We will let an expert check its functionality," Jura proposed, turning the fork-shaped item this way and that. He waited a moment, seemingly mystified by Erza's silence. But she only nodded, and so he handed the device to the captain of the Rune Knights.
The Rune Knights arrested the bandits with some difficulty, seeing as merely one was conscious and therefore able to walk. Erza walked with Jellal as the group departed towards the mountain where the Council's building was located.
"If they had a listening device, they should have recognised me today. I'm the one who called the woman out as a fraud," she argued.
Jellal didn't reply. He didn't even look at her. Instead, he quickly scanned the group – the Council at the very front, the carriages flanked by Rune Knights. Erza yelped with surprise when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a side alley. Her back met the wall. Still holding her wrist, pressing her arm against the wall above her head, he loomed over her.
"Jellal—"
Her breath stopped when he kissed her. Hard. Mmph turned into mmh. Her shoulders sank, her free arm sliding beneath his jacket. She snuck it into his belt on his back. He kissed her again, the back of her head grazing the wall with his lips suckling her in, commending her head up to tilt up and follow.
Releasing her wrist, Jellal's hand found her jaw. "Erza," he whispered, kissed her again. She shuddered with his voice vibrating against her mouth. "I love you so much. Thank you."
So then he noticed her change of attitude.
She smiled into the kiss.
"Grateful enough to do me against this bakery?"
"No!" He pulled back, flustered. She giggled. "I was going for a hug, but I didn't want to squish Rosebud." His eyes flickered to her lips, cheeks flushed. "And you are delicious."
It was Erza's turn to blush. She caught herself with a smirk. "You know how to reward me."
"Handsomely," he pecked her lips, "at home."
"I can live with that…" she grumbled. Jellal chuckled, and she did too, and Rosemary cooed her approval in a way that could have almost counted as laughter. "See you after work?" She received Rosemary. She distanced herself; let him go back without nosing around the Council building to find out more about the bandits. Without possibly upsetting them again. It earned her another kiss.
"I'll send a pigeon if I can make it to lunch."
"We'll be home either way," she promised.
He had to run to catch up to the procession.