Erza rolled over in the bed and slowly opened her eyes to the window outside. It was twilight when she got to the cabin and the stars were just now starting to twinkle into existence in the sky so she obviously hadn't slept that long.

She smiled softly to herself as she realized that Jellal must have carried her to bed and tucked her in. But of course he didn't linger. He would stay in his own perpetual torment to keep her at a distance. Which was exactly why she was here. Erza stood and quickly requipped into more comfortable clothes. Her pajamas were simple soft cotton. She thought longingly of wearing something more feminine in satin and lace but honestly that wouldn't get her to open up to him and discuss what she wanted to.

Erza quietly toed down the stairs. She wanted to talk but she didn't want to wake him if he had fallen asleep. When she reached the main room of the cabin she became confused. Jellal was nowhere in sight. His bag was still there so he couldn't have been far. Then she saw a piece of paper on the coffee table.

Erza,

I don't know how long you will slumber. I wrote this note in case you woke before I came back however. The fridge is stocked and the pantry too. But I decided to go out back and perhaps try to fish us up something for tomorrow. I would try to convince you to go back but honestly I'm smart enough to realize trying to convince you of anything is like trying to push a large boulder up a steep hill, rough going and nearly impossible. If you care to join me there is another pole in the shed behind the cabin, and the pond itself isn't much further past that.

Jellal

Fishing wasn't really what she wanted to do right now. Fishing required silence to actually catch the fish. She wanted to talk. But regardless she wanted to spend more time with him. Perhaps she would just walk down and sit beside him for awhile.

Forgetting what she was currently wearing she went through the kitchen, she remembered there was a back door there. Outside she found a worn path and followed it sure that it would take her to her destination.

Sure enough not long after she found Jellal seated at the edge of the water. His shoulders stiffened momentarily as he heard her approach. Then just as his shoulders relaxed back into the initial fishing pose.

Jellal didn't turn back to her. "That was a short nap."

"Mmm, well I didn't really need to sleep. I think the walk to the cabin just exhausted me a bit. Just a nap to recharge I guess."

Jellal turned to face her. She was in her pajamas and she looked quite comfortable. Her hair was slightly tousled from her sleep but he would never tell her because then she would fix it properly and that would be a shame. It made him think of other ways her hair could end up tousled so, and he felt his gaze turned heated. The pajamas weren't sexy per say. They looked comfortable and feminine because of the pink color. It was nice to catch her projecting her femininity. Something he was sure many others didn't see. He hoped others, specifically men, didn't see this side of her. But truthfully it wasn't his place to wish such things. He watched as she stretched her arms above her toward the sky. When she did so the top button released and opened to give him a glimpse of more ivory skin. He cleared his throat and turned away. He was supposed to be relaxing and yet he found himself more heated now then he was when she had first arrived. This fishing trip was not going according to plan.

"I would tell you to sit down, but I would hate for you to get grass stains on your pajamas."

Erza stared down at herself as she realized what he said. She quickly requipped into her everyday attire. Then sat beside him, leaving the space of another body between them.

"Have you caught anything yet?"

"No," he answered in a clipped tone. But that wasn't really my reason for coming down here to begin with. "You didn't grab the other fishing pole?"

She shook her head. "No, I wasn't in the mood to fish. Not that I don't like the sport. I just had other things on my mind."

That was an invitation he shouldn't take. He really shouldn't. Yet he suddenly found himself saying, "such as?"

Erza turned her eyes on him. Her dark chocolate eyes looked deep into his own. "I'm really surprised you asked actually. I figured you came out here to get away."

As always Erza was observant. "Even, if I hadn't asked you were still going to talk to me about it I'm sure."

"True, but despite all that I'm still nervous about it." She looked out across the pond. The moon was rising above it in the sky and the reflection it was casting on the surface of the pond was quite picturesque. "Jellal, you can't run forever. Not from the law, nor..." she paused to clear her throat as the words became lodged up inside her. "Nor can you hide from your feelings, Jellal."

Jellal lost himself in deep thought for a moment. She was right and always had been. "I don't know any other way to keep the Magic Council, the Rune Knights, and especially Lahar off my back."

"You could always join Fairy Tail for real. Truly become Mystogan, I mean it's not ideal but it's an idea."

Jellal shook his head. "No, that didn't work that well last time." He looked at her face and noticed how worried she truly was about the whole thing. "I...Erza?"

"Is it wrong that I want this? Is it wrong that I want you to stop making excuses? Is it wrong that I'm tired of the running away? Is it wrong that I want to tell you to stop running?" Her eyes glistened with the tears she wouldn't shed. "Most importantly is it so wrong to love you despite the fact that you will never truly love me in return?" She got up and ran back to the cabin as the tears actually escaped her.

Jellal's eyes rounded as he became shocked at her revelation. "She loves me? But...I..she loves me...." Jellal quickly got up and ran after her, not caring that he left the fishing pole cast in the water. He didn't know what he would say when he found her again. He didn't know what he would do. He only knew he had to confront her properly. He had to get her to tell him properly or withdraw her confession, or...geez who knew. He just had to get to her and somehow make this right. Even if it meant running away again.

Meredy finished explaining everything to Oric. His eyes widened at the truth of everything. "Wow, okay I see why you won't say anything. But wow....that's...how long will you have to stay to help her out?"

Meredy shrugged her shoulders. "It really all depends upon her I guess."

"Were you thinking about leaving Crime Sorciere?" Oric asked. He mostly wanted to know because his sister was pressuring him to join Fairy Tail already. Honestly Oric wouldn't join Fairy Tail without Meredy. If she were to leave. If she were to become ensconced into the life of Crime Sorciere again he would attempt to follow her.

Meredy shrugged her shoulders. "It really all depends upon Jellal in that regard. Personally, and pardon my language, I just think he needs to get his shit together in regards to his feelings."

Her phrasing didn't really bother him. Of course he had never heard foul language come from her before but he didn't mind it exactly. "I don't know what you mean."

"For as long as I have known him Jellal has been closed off from his own emotions. But there is one thing he has never been able to hide, not from me or Ultear actually. He's in love with Fairy Tail's very own Queen of the Fairies. He's in love with Erza Scarlet."

Oric really didn't know how to respond to that. "Oh." He paused over what it would mean if Jellal would give into his feelings for the scariest female mage of all of Fairy Tail. "If he did confront his feelings?"

"Well, then we would probably have to figure out a new course of action I guess. I mean I don't think he would want to run anymore. But I also don't know of a good way to get the Rune Knights off his back. It's all very frustrating."

It was all very frustrating, for Oric as well. Because he knew one thing for certain. If Meredy and Jellal decided to leave Fairy Tail in the end he would most definitely follow. If that meant he would never know his nieces or nephews so be it.

Levy went up to Jaspar. Gajeel shadowed her and touched her shoulder for encouragement. "Jaspar, I think we need to reassess our deal with you."

Jaspar turned to her and prompted her to continue. Levy explained everything that Mikayla had told her. She went over the sad story and felt her own eyes feel with tears rehashing the sad moments to the jewelcrafter mage.

"So what you are saying is that you want me to help out these two babies. Try to prevent them from suffering?"

Levy nodded. "Babies shouldn't have to suffer like that. Plus, if I were their mother I wouldn't want to worry like she must be after her first loss."

Jaspar nodded back at her. "You know I don't have to quit working on your own ring during this duration. It would change the way we have been working on thus far. But I could take the ring with me rather then having you give it to me a few hours here and there."

Levy looked down at her ring. Could she bare to be without it for so long?

Gajeel looked down at Levy as she hesitated. He pushed his mind into her own. The ring is only a symbol. What is more important? I know you know the answer here. You are one of the smartest people I know. But you are also one of the kindest. Either we wait and potentially have to wait longer if some of the magic doesn't stay grounded in the ring, or we let Jaspar have the ring. Let him finish the magic he has already been instilling into the ring. Who knows he could even get it done faster.

Levy smiled up at Gajeel. Okay, I don't know when you learned all the right things to say but thank you for your encouragement.

Levy handed Jaspar her ring. "I'll keep it safe." He said in response to her gesture.

Levy grinned at the elder man. "I don't doubt that for a second." She led the elder man over to the small girl. Rory was still holding her and rubbing her shoulders. But a majority of the crowd had dispersed.

Levy smiled at the look in her eyes as she looked up at Sting. Do you think I look like that when I look at you? She asked Gajeel.

Not to me, but maybe to everyone else. I mean to me you are much more enticing, in oh so many delicious ways. He sent her a few visuals and her face became bright red.

You'll pay for that later.

Bring it on, shrimp.

Sting looked down at Mikayla. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and shelter her from the world outside but somehow that didn't feel like the right thing to do in public.

The instability of her magic was a fearful thing. But he was more worried about her health. He knew that she said she was the stronger of the two. But that didn't necessarily mean she was strong. Isn't it possible since she was born prematurely that her immunities would be weak? Well, then again she had said that she had taken some of Kerwin's immunities. She could very well have as much immunity as a dragon slayer.

"Can we...I mean I want to.." Sting never had a loss for words but right now he couldn't formulate a proper thought. He was afraid everything he said would scare her. So it surprised him when her small hand reached for his large one.

"We will talk. We need to talk. Most importantly I want to talk." Mikayla smiled shyly back at him. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He snorted back his emotions and nodded briefly at her.

It was only then that he looked around the room again. He was looking for where the small bluenette mage and Gajeel went but when his eyes landed on Yukino and Rogue was when he realized things had really changed. Rogue was smiling at the girl that Sting had previously thought was his mate. His face was lit up in a way that Sting never had seen before. He momentarily wanted to be jealous. But then he looked back at Mikayla and realized how foolish that would be. So he resigned himself to be happy for his best friend, no, he corrected himself mentally, his best friends.

"...as your shadow I will always have your back." That particular line kept playing again and again in her head. It would be the moment she would always remember as the moment she fell in love with him.

Yukino of course always had feelings for him. He was dark, brooding, and sexy in his own mysterious way. But she had never reacted more then visually taking stock of his sex appeal. Not just because of her shyness. But also because she didn't want to hurt Sting.

Yukino knew what Sting had thought. He was overly affectionate, and it was obvious he wanted her to be his mate. But somehow that didn't really feel right to her. Sting was handsome in his own right of course. But she didn't want him to be in her life like that. The idea of kissing Sting never repulsed her exactly. She just wasn't moved by the thought. But when she thought about kissing Rogue...the daydreams always became out of hand.

Rogue brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Not because it was in her eyes, it was too short for that. But because he thought he lost her for a second. "Hey, you're a million miles away."

"Oh, uh...sorry." It was then she realized that Frosch was no longer at their side. She looked around confused for a moment. Frosch had made her way over to Lector and the pretty pink exceed. Yukino smiled. "Looks like Frosch is making friends."

Rogue nodded. Then looked back at Yukino. "Yuki...I...do you?" Yukino was surprised by the blush that stained his cheeks. She only recalled him blushing one other time. It was when he had unintentionally cupped her breast while they were tailing Frosch that one time. She was sure his thoughts were along those lines. The kiss they shared seemed ages ago and she wanted more.

"Rogue?" Yukino looked up at him. She licked her lips, cautiously, purposely. She let her fears and shyness strip away from her and trailed her fingertips up his chest. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Rogue clutched her wrist and before she knew it he was dragging her behind him. She nearly laughed but the hold on her wrist was a bit forceful. "Rogue? Please, you're hurting me a bit."

Rogue stopped in the middle of the street. She propelled into his back caught off by the momentum. He turned and looked ashamed. "I'm sorry."

Yukino grasped his hand with her own and weaved their fingers together. "Together," she smiled at him.

Then he was smiling again, and they were quickly walking toward their hotel.