Erza gasped as she was hit with a memory of one of the multiple times she secretly met up with Jellal. She stumbled, quickly catching herself, before heading off to find a seat at one of the tables. 

'What's going on?' 

Her thoughts were all over the place; she couldn't focus, couldn't think. Her breath came out in small gasps as she struggled to calm her thoughts. 

'I don't understand any of this. Only Jellal could know that. It has to be him! Is he okay? Why is he in pain? What's happening?'

 Her thoughts were too muddled to comprehend the situation.

'But...sharing memories through a sensory link? I've never heard of that happening before. Is this a part of Meredy's power? Or perhaps Jellal's?'

Erza shook her head frantically. 

'No, no. Only Meredy could do something like this!'

Erza lost her balance and fell from her seat. "Urgh," she groaned, quite loudly. Lucy looked up from her conversation with Natsu and quickly headed toward her.

"Erza? Are you alright?" Lucy leaned down to offer the scarlet-haired mage her hand.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Just, uh, a bit troubled and confused." Lucy frowned, sliding onto the bench across from the red-headed mage.

"Why? One moment you're sitting down, looking deep in thought, and the next you're on the ground! What's up?" the blonde asked, seeming very concerned.

"Well, I-" The re-quip mage was hesitant in sharing this new information. "-I think Meredy has connected me to Jellal using a sensory link."

"And? What's happening?" Lucy prompted.

Erza replied. "I-I'm not exactly sure. I'm feeling pain, that's for sure. Lots of it."

"So, Jellal has been captured by Scar and his brothers..." Lucy's muttered with a grim expression.

"That seems to be the case, yes." Erza attempted to stand but fell back onto her seat with a loud thump. "We need to find him and Meredy as soon as possible." She clutched her side, wincing. The pain felt like molten fire, flaring stronger than ever. Lucy hurriedly got to her feet in an attempt to make sure Erza didn't fall out of her seat again.

"You are in no shape to go out on a mission. You are staying here until you're fully healed, and cleared by Wendy." Lucy waved Natsu and Gray over.

"Yeah, what's up? I was about to get some food, and then head out to go find those three thugs." Natsu frowned. "And Popsicle here wanted to come too."

Gray scoffed. "I wanted to come with you? More like you begged me to allow you to come."

"As if, Ice Breath!" Natsu and Gray glared at each other until Erza's voice snapped them out of it.

"Boys! This is not the time!" Although injured, the scarlet-haired beauty could still strike fear into the hearts of idiots with only six words.

"Of course not, w-we were only joking, weren't we buddy?" Gray laughed, nervously.

"That's right pal!" Natsu replied as he slung his arm over Gray's shoulder.

"Now," Lucy continued "As Erza was saying..." 

The rest of the sentence was lost to Erza. 

She was no longer in the Fairy Tail guild hall, with her comrades, but in a dimly lit room. Before she could clearly assess her surroundings, a fist collided with her face. As she looked down at her lap, dark blue hair fell into her eyes. Her normal armored top and blue skirt was replaced with black, dirt-ridden pants. Pain flared in her side, or more precisely, Jellal's side, as he took in a small gasp of air before he was hit again. And again. And again.

"I don't know anything." Jellal said trying to maintain his rough voice. The man in front of him grinned, showing off multiple missing teeth. He grabbed Jellal's chin, maintaining eye-contact.

"Is that really the case, Jellal Fernandes?" He hit him again, and Jellal's fists clenched, his fingernails digging deeper into his palm.

"Stop it! We don't know anything!" Meredy's voice broke into a sob. "Stop hurting him!"

The mysterious man shook his head and walked over to the pink haired girl, as she struggled to get up on her knees. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, forcing her to groan at the pain of his crushing grip. "Besides," Meredy said, managing a smirk. "the key broke. It's not just one key anymore, but small pieces scattered to who knows where."

The man standing in front of her grinned and turned back to Jellal. "And that, my dear sir, is exactly what I needed." He began walking out of the cell, but before his shadow had disappeared completely, his voice echoed back, "Boys, he's all yours." The last thing Erza felt was Jellal's eyes widening and she was suddenly back in the guild hall.

---

"-za!"

"I think we should slap her."

"Probably not the smartest idea."

"I don't know what's wrong with her!"

"I'm going to do it."

Erza's eyes snapped open just in time. She caught the hand coming at her cheek with a glare aimed at the salmon haired boy.

"And what were you just about to do?" she asked, her eyes reflecting her deathly calm demeanor.

Natsu's dark eyes widened. "Oh nothing, just about to calmly shake you back into reality." He laughed nervously.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "That's what I thought." Gray watched the whole exchange with a stupid smirk on his face. He nudged Natsu with his elbow. "I told you that was a stupid idea, Flame Brain.

"Who ya callin' a Flame Brain, Ice Princess?" Natsu's fists ignited. Lucy didn't even bat an eye at the daily aggression between the two wizards, instead, she turned to Erza.

"What was that? Are you okay? It's like you were in a totally different place!"

Erza took a deep breath. "I-I think I was inside Jellal's mind." She sighed "or at least, I could see what he could see, feel what he could feel, etc."

Natsu's loud and obnoxious laugh broke the shocked silence. "In his mind? That's impossible, but a great excuse! I'll have to use it next time, good one, Erza!"

The scarlet-haired mage's eyes were red with anger. "Do you believe that I would ever, and I mean ever, joke about something like this? Jellal and Meredy might be in danger!" Her voice had risen an octave higher. "I don't think they can get out of this alone. We need to find th-."

Levy's light laughter had interrupted Erza. "Oh guys, Gajeel just told me the best jo-, oh. Did we interrupt your conversation?" Levy scanned the four of them and noted the looks of worry that coated their features.

"What's the deal?" Gajeel's gruff voice asked.

"Well, Erza believes that this sensory link sent her into Jellal's mind," Lucy explained, picking up her small wrist to show off the pink band.

"Crazy, isn't it?" Gray looked questioningly toward the pair of wizards standing at the head of their table.

Levy looked up at the ceiling in a thoughtful manner. "Through a sensory link, you say?" The four wizards nodded. "Hmm. I've read about a few cases like this. It's not unheard of, but very rare. The pair of mages has to have a very close and they need a strong bond for that to be possible. The cases that I've read about have always been about married couples."

Natsu had broken out laughing. "So you're saying that Jellal and Erza are so close, they're like a married couple?" He laughed hysterically.

Lucy was just loud enough to be heard through Natsu's annoying laughter. "Well, considering their past together, it wouldn't surprise me if they had a bond strong enough to make that possible."

The master's voice broke through the chatter that erupted from Lucy's statement. "What did you see, child? If we're to locate Jellal and Meredy, we need some details to help us along the trail."

Erza swallowed, trying to recall the little details. "The room was very dimly lit. I had a hard time making out his hands, which were right in front of me."

Levy nodded, analyzing each and every word that Erza spoke,"So that cuts out recognizing the man who was beating him."

Lucy nodded in agreement with the short, blue-haired girl. "It also means that it isn't in an old building or something, which means it's probably underground."

"There was the faint sound of water dripping too." Erza looked at Levy and Lucy, hoping for more deductions.

"That adds to the idea of wherever they are being underground. Possibly an old bunker of some sort... with water damage?" Levy paused for a moment. "Did you see anything on the walls? Any symbols or drawings or... anything?"

Erza screwed her eyes shut, trying to put herself back into that place. "I-I think? Wait, yes. It was very faint, probably from years of being on the wall, but there was a light right next to it, so I managed to see it."

"Good, good." The master murmured. "Perhaps draw it for us?" Erza nodded and grabbed the paper that Levy handed her, as well as a writing utensil.

Once she was confident that she had gotten all the details, she tried to show it to the group. Natsu was the first to talk.

"Um. What is that?" Everyone nodded in agreement.

"This is the symbol I saw! In perfect detail, might I add!"

"Not to burst your bubble, Scarlet, but that's just a circle and some lines." Gajeel squinted at the paper. "It reminds me of a kids drawing of a sun."

Erza blushed. "Well, I never claimed to be the best artist!"

"Good thing you didn't because that would be a lie." Gray facepalmed.

"Maybe describe it to Reedus?" The master injects before Erza could attack Gray.

"That's a good idea!" Lucy added.

Erza and Reedus huddled near his easel, Erza explaining the symbol she saw, and his paintbrush flying all over the canvas while Lucy, Levy, Gray, Natsu, Gajeel, and the master watched impatiently.

"Finished!" Reedus announced proudly, presenting his painting with flourish.

Gajeel was the first to speak. "It's the Phantom Lord symbol." He paused then called over Juvia.

"Juvia! Come over here, I need your help!" Gajeel shouted across the guild, causing everyone's attention to turn to their group.

Juvia looked up, seeing the urgency on the group's faces, and walked over. "Juvia is here. What is the issue?" Her gaze caught on the Phantom Lord emblem. "Oh no."

"Oh no is right. Since the Phantom Lord has been destroyed, I don't think any previous members have used any of its old facilities. My guess is that these goons found one of the old bunkers, and decided to use it." Juvia nodded, agreeing with Gajeel's statement.

"Juvia agrees. But what exactly is going on?" Juvia looked questioningly at the Master. Makarov sighs, knowing he would have to explain the situation to everyone... again.

"Jellal and Meredy have been taken and are being held in a Phantom Lord bunker. We know this because, through a sensory link, Erza was able to see through Jellal's eyes and saw the old emblem on the wall. We need you and Gajeel to figure out where they are."

"Juvia and Gajeel will do it for sure." She nodded firmly, placing complete faith in their combined memories.

"It's obviously an old bunker, but we need to figure out which one, Phantom had a lot of bunkers." Gajeel cupped his chin, in thought.

"Juvia knows of five bunkers, but only two of them underground."

"Yeah, so do I. The one near that lake, with the entrance being that rock?" Juvia nodded, waiting for Gajeel to continue. "And that other one was at the edge of the forest."

Juvia turned back to the group. "Only two of the bunkers that Juvia and Gajeel are aware of are located underground. Juvia can tell you the locations and then we can go scout them out."

Gajeel raised a hand. "I can lead one group, and Juvia can lead the other. Who's in?" Almost immediately, the guild erupted with shouts of "I'm in!" and "Let's go kick some wizard butt!"

"Quiet down! I will choose the groups. Not everyone can go." Groans began to ensue after the practical statement, Natsu's the loudest of all.

"As Gajeel said, he will lead one team, and Juvia will lead the other, seeing as they know the locations." Gajeel grinned idiotically, Juvia, on the other hand, had put on a confident front.

"Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Cana and Freed will be part of group one with Juvia."

"Yes! I'm all fired up now!"

"Gray~sama is part of Juvia's group!" Juvia squealed in excitement as she clung to Gray's arm.

"And," The master cleared his throat, "Levy, Mira, Elfman, Evergreen and Laxus will be group two, with Gajeel."

"Master, why are the groups so small?" Max inquired.

"Yeah master, if you want I can go!" Shouted another guild member.

"Oh, me too!" Shouted Jet and Droy.

"Silence! I can't very well send the whole guild, can I? The groups are made, and on their way, they go!" Makarov walked back to his office, but Erza refused not to go, so she grabbed his arm.

"Master, I have to go too!" She was tired and worried, but all that mattered to her was getting Jellal and Meredy back safely.

"I'm sorry, Erza but you are in no shape to go on a mission." He paused, finding Wendy with his eyes. "You must let Wendy heal you."

Wendy hurried over and touched Erza's arm, gently. "I'll do my best to get you back in shape as quick as possible." She smiled cutely.

The master gave Erza a grateful smile. "Once you're healthy again, you may go as well."