A/N: Happy new year everyone! Wish you guys a joyful and healthy year ahead! Nothing is more pleasant than christening the year with a new chapter, am I right :)

Since we don't know exactly what Erza did in the year Fairy Tail was disbanded, I'm taking liberty with it.

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They moved in together during the year Fairy Tail was disbanded.

Natsu and Happy left a message behind for Lucy, claiming that they were going on a training journey for a year and disappeared without even coming to say goodbyes to them directly. Everyone in the guild was shocked by Master's sudden decision since he didn't even offer an explanation for it, just saying it was time for all of them to go their own paths and spread their wings.

And Master Makarov disappeared right after that, too. The others slowly started to disperse as well, when they realized what Master said was the truth and Fairy Tail was no more. Most chose to go to other towns where there were more job opportunities, some remained in the line of wizard work, others strayed into different vocations of their choosing.

Both Lucy and Erza were not quite alright in the aftermath, Erza for having lost a home she had found for herself ever since she was a small, beat-up child running away from the Tower and Lucy for losing every single one of her friends in just a few days' time. But at least they still had each other.

Slowly, they started to pick up their lives, bit by bit. If Master Makarov truly wished for them to move on their own path, Erza would make sure to do him proud.

One month after Tartaros's defeat and Fairy Tail's disbandment, a new Magic Council was formed by the remaining Ten Saint Wizards, a crucial development to maintain order and balance in the magic world. Along with it, a new department inside the Council was established as well, the Magic Intelligence Department which specialized in gathering intel about the dark magic world. Dark guilds, Zeref cultists, and the like. In hindsight, the reason for the former Council's destruction was that they didn't have enough information about Tartaros and its members, and as such were not prepared for the sudden attack from the dark guild's side. This time, the new Council wanted to make sure to mitigate any chance of making the same mistake.

The Magic Intelligence Department, or M.I.D for short, would operate in the shadow and report directly to the Council themselves. No one outside of the Department knew about its existence except for a small group of authorized personnel, a necessity to preserve its members' identities so that they wouldn't be recognized when mingling inside the dark magic world to gather intel.

Simply put, the Magic Intelligence Department and the Magic Custody Enforcement Unit were two sides of the same coin. The Magic Custody Enforcement worked and orchestrated official missions for the Council in broad daylight whereas the M.I.D belonged to the shadow and focused on those missions that required more unorthodox, precarious methods.

At least that was what the new Council told Erza when they scouted her out and offered her the position of Head of the Magic Intelligence Department. The Requip mage was the perfect candidate for the job, they said, since the position required someone who excelled in stealth and covertness, had experience in authoritative and leadership roles, and was familiar with the ins and outs of the dark magic world to the point they could identify most of the member's characteristics and magic types on sight and derived a suitable strategy in a nick of time.

A specialized force to gather information and obliterate darkness in the magic world? Erza was inclined to accept the position.

As her new job demanded her to relocate to Crocus where the Magic Council was, they moved to the capital in a month's time, leaving Magnolia but not the memories of their roots behind. Both of them still kept their Fairy Tail guild marks, as a symbol of strength and pride in Erza's case and the undying hope for their guild to reunite in Lucy's.

They found a cozy two-story house in the central district of the capital, with a decent enough rental term. There was space for both hers and the blonde's home offices in the house, a small library filled with the previous tenant's books which Lucy was absolutely mesmerized with, a living room, kitchen, master bedroom, and a guest bedroom as well. Erza kept a separate warehouse just a block away for all of her armors and other battle accessories.

The day they moved in together, Lucy was speechless at the amount of stuff Erza had, nevermind the blonde should have guessed that since Erza always had numerous suitcases with her in every single one of their missions.

"Erza, just exactly how much stuff do you have?" The Celestial mage moved around the various boxes littering the floor, checking their labels just to confirm they were all Erza's.

The redhead scratched the back of her neck self-consciously, "A lot, I admit. Do you mind though? I can move them to where I keep the rest of my armors if it bothers you..."

"I'm just wondering what's in all of these." Lucy turned and looked at her, curiosity shining in bright brown orbs, "Aside from your armors and weapons, that's it."

Erza looked away from those inquisitive eyes and mumbled, "They are mostly mementos from my previous jobs. Reminders, of sorts. I... uh... like to collect souvenirs for every mission I have completed."

"Uh huh. So what is this?" Lucy picked up a star-shaped rock in one of the boxes laying near her feet.

"That was from a mission I took at a mountain village. A guild dispute nearby somehow poisoned the only water stream in the region and they needed someone's help to figure out a way to purify it."

"How about this?" Soft footsteps were getting closer now. Erza looked at the hand-made bracelet in the blonde's hand, feeling a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips at the memory, "A small girl gave it to me after I saved her from a monster that was terrorizing a nearby town. She was Wendy's age back then, sometimes I still wonder how big she must have gotten now." In the amount of time for her to come up with her answer, Lucy had already crossed the distance between them and was in front of her now.

"So you remember every single one of your missions? And the souvenir you got from it, too?"

"Yes." Erza nodded, feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks at Lucy's focused eyes, "It's just that... When I was at the Tower, I didn't... have a lot of things. We were not allowed to have possessions... So after I left, I collected everything I could get my hands on and stored them. Stuff... Just to remind myself that I'm not at the Tower anymore and no one will come and take them away..."

The Requip mage sighed before continuing, "That's why I like to bring a lot with me on missions, too. It gives me comfort to feel them close to me. You must think it's silly, but I..."

"I don't." Lucy shook her head and curled both hands over Erza's shoulders, intertwining them at her nape. The redhead's own hands instinctively wrapped around the blonde's waist in a practiced manner. "I don't think it's silly, Erza. I will never think so. I think it's a part of what makes you who you are."

"What makes me who I am?" The redhead lifted an eyebrow at that.

"Yes. Strong, kind, and sentimental. Hurt, but never hurtful." Lucy's smile was so soft, so adoring, "And my girlfriend."

Erza's eyes crinkled at the corners in amusement, "Your girlfriend, huh? That might just be the nicest thing anyone has said about me."

The Celestial mage chuckled before shuffling even closer and burrowing her head into the side of Erza's neck. The Requip mage was already familiar with the comfortable silence that enveloped them in the few seconds that followed, "So... Should I move all of these boxes to the warehouse or not? It might take up too much room for us here."

"Let's leave them here." Lucy breathed out into her skin, "I think I would love to have them around as well. We can find space for all your things here, Erza. All your past memories, and any new ones too."

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After Lucy's training as a junior editor at Sorcerer Weekly started and Erza's own job turned much more demanding, their lives got quite hectic.

Jellal had contacted her two weeks ago about a potential lead on a new dark guild consisting of Zeref cultists. Avatar, they called themselves. They were different from all the other dark guilds Erza had uncovered during the few months in her new position in the sense that they were deeply connected to Zeref's ideology whereas others simply involved breaking official magic laws or fighting with other guilds over miscellaneous disputes. After the fall of the Baram Alliance, this was the first sign of activities from Zeref's followers which Erza could not afford to make light of.

After gathering enough evidence for a full evaluation of threat, Erza got permission from the Council to officially launch an investigation into the situation, which would be her biggest case ever since the Department was founded and the redhead was ready to put everything into this matter.

In the meantime, Lucy slowly got used to the ropes at the magazine as well. The blonde usually spent her days shadowing Jason everywhere he went and working hard to come up with her first story as well. Being the exceptionally gifted writer she was, the Celestial mage's talent was quickly recognized by every single one of her colleagues and for that Erza couldn't be any prouder.

As they gradually settled into their new lives, there was a part of Lucy that still couldn't be at ease without harboring that eternal hope for Fairy Tail's revival someday in the future. The blonde said the time spent in Fairy Tail was the happiest in her life and she would love to return to it one day, her home, which Erza agreed wholeheartedly. As much as the redhead was content with these new developments in her life, a piece of her couldn't help but long for the old time being a part of something special. Something unique. The place where she felt belonged.

And so, they kept a side project of finding and keeping tabs on their former guildmates' whereabouts. Erza supplied every piece of information she could get from her missions for the Council and Lucy noted down all the things she learned at the magazine and during her occasional journeys with Jason to interview people in other towns.

Admittedly, the side project added a new weight to their already considerable workload, but both of them were happy with it. Busy as they were, Erza and Lucy made sure to always keep their Sundays clear of any schedule just for each other. They would go on picnics at the park, explore libraries and museums in the city, visit bakeries and sweetshops, or simply spend the day lazing around in the house. Such was the case of today.

It was some time after breakfast, both of them were not in the mood to go anywhere and had decided to spend the entire day in bed. Erza was leaning against the headboard, Lucy sitting sideway in her lap with a magazine in hand, probably the latest issue of the Sorcerer Weekly, head resting on the redhead's shoulder and humming under her breaths as she read. Erza closed her eyes in contentment, keeping her fingers running through the blonde's golden locks and answered the occasional questions that Lucy found interesting in the journal.

She could fall asleep like this, Erza mused. If this was a few years ago, the Erza back then would probably scoff at her for wasting a perfect day that could be spent training and learning battle strategy instead. The ease and comfort from being with Lucy all this time had made her softer, somehow. But Erza did not mind it one bit.

It hit her, then. How much she wanted more days like this, when the world around didn't seem so vast and instead shrunk to coil itself inside the quietness of their room, where everything faded into background and left behind no malicious trace that demanded her attention, how there was no weight on her shoulders but only the slow, easy beating of her heart to remind Erza that she was alive.

How the warmth emanating from Lucy's body was the only thing centering Erza to the world around them.

"Hey, Lucy?"

"Yes, dear?" The blonde hummed, eyes still focused on the magazine but always so in tune with everything of Erza. Pet names were another habit that Lucy had developed recently as well. Terms of endearment, she said. But never in public because she knew Erza would get too flustered to function properly sometimes. Only in the privacy of their home.

"I think I love you." A simple declaration, not meant to shatter the peaceful bubble embracing them, only to lap quietly around it.

With her eyes still closed, the only thing Erza could feel was her girlfriend's giggle reverberating in her own chest, and a lingering kiss to the base of her neck that followed, "I love you too, my strawberry marshmallow."

The tiniest bit of anxiety uncurled from her body, and the redhead held Lucy tighter in her embrace, "You don't seem very surprised by my confession."

When Erza opened her eyes, the blonde's smile was there to greet her, "Erza, I already know. It's your eyes, darling. You can never hide anything with your eyes, especially your feelings. I have known for a while that you're in love with me then. And I'm in love with you, too."

Betrayed by her own eyes. If it was the enemy, the redhead would be cautious to not let them figure out her feelings that easily. But it was Lucy, and so Erza simply nodded. As long as they were on the same page about their feelings, it didn't matter who was the one to realize it first.

"Wait. Did you just call me strawberry marshmallow?"

"Yes." Lucy blinked innocently at her, "Is there a problem with it?"

Erza scrunched her nose up in dissatisfaction, "Marshmallow just... doesn't sound so tough..."

"They don't." Lucy grinned at her narrowed eyes, "They are soft, and squishy. A delight to eat, too."

"Well." At that, Erza leaned forward to pin the blonde down on the bed, reveling in Lucy's pearls of laughter dancing around the room, "How about you get eaten by the marshmallow instead?"

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A few hours later, Erza found herself laying on her back, Lucy cuddled close at her side, hand trailing at a faded scar just under her left collarbone. "How did you get this scar? It looks older than the rest."

The redhead hummed, feeling her heart gradually slow down its rushed beating, "A fistfight with Mirajane when we were twelve. She gave me this and I gave her one on her shoulder in return."

The Celestial mage moved southward, and Erza had to suppress a shiver as the blonde's finger paved a path down her body to come rest at her right hip where a jagged burnt was. "And this?"

Erza had to swallow down the lump in her throat before replying, "The Tower."

"...Oh."

The redhead turned over and wrapped her other arm around the blonde's waist, "Sometimes, when a kid was too stubborn or too weak to work, they would burn steel or iron spearheads until they were searing hot and place it on the kid's body instead of just whipping them like usual... When I first met Natsu, it took me a while to be comfortable enough around him." But now, Natsu's fire was so familiar, so home, and Erza was struck by a wave of longing for a past she could no longer recreate.

Lucy grew quiet after that, as if she was afraid of asking any more questions and making Erza remember all the horrible things in her past again. The Requip mage tightened her hold on the girl in her arms, "It's alright. It was a long time ago, and I'm here with you now, safe and sound, aren't I?"

At Lucy's tiny sigh, Erza trailed her hand up the blonde's side until it came in contact with a patch of rough skin, "What about you? Where did you get this one?"

"Fell down a tree in our garden when I was younger." Lucy's voice was small as she recounted, "I cried a lot after that, my mom and dad were so scared they had to take me to a doctor right away. I was actually an active kid, never liked to sit still for a long time, so small scratches and cuts were quite common."

"A tiny troublemaker, huh?" Erza smiled, "I would have loved to see that."

Amidst the drowsy silence cocooning them, Erza allowed the tiredness to lure her into a calming state. So this is what lovers do, the redhead sleepily closed her eyes as she realized. They learn about each other's scars.

She had almost already fallen back asleep when Lucy asked, a small hint of hesitation in her normally cheerful tone, "Erza, will you teach me Requip magic?"

The unexpected question chased away any trace of sleepiness in the redhead. She opened her eyes again to look at the blonde, brows furrowed together in confusion, "Why do you suddenly want to learn Requip magic? I'm not saying I won't teach you, I just want to understand your reasons first."

Lucy nodded before explaining, "I don't want to be too dependent on my Spirits all the time. The battle with Tartaros has taught me I really need to improve my combat skills in case my magic power depletes when fighting. And Aquarius..." To this day, Lucy still couldn't say Aquarius's name without that sharp hitch in her breath. Erza gently patted the girl's back, "Aquarius lent me her power back then. And I think I can do the same with my other Spirits too."

"So, what you're saying is that you want to utilize your Spirit's different attributes to boost your combat power, right?" The redhead surmised.

"Right." Lucy confirmed, "Do you think it's possible to do so?"

Erza spared a few minutes to mull it over. They would still need to research more into the matter to be sure, but it should be possible considering it was, in theory, rooted in the same principles as her Requip magic. "There are certain differences between me changing my abilities with my armors and you changing yours with your Spirits. One is the fact that my armors are unanimated and thus easier for me to divert their power into my body. We will need to talk with your Spirits and figure out a way to safely merge their power with your body first."

The blonde's eyes brightened up, and Erza chuckled at the unhindered excitement in her voice, "So you will teach me then?"

"I will." Erza agreed with a nod, "But be warned, I can be harsh in my teaching methods. Don't expect any leniency just because you're my girlfriend." It would certainly be beneficial for the blonde to improve her hand-to-hand combat skills as well, the redhead would make sure to integrate them into their training sessions.

Lucy just grinned eagerly, unperturbed, "I know. I won't assume any otherwise."

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Just when her investigation into Avatar's situation hit a dead end, Erza happened to run into Gray during one of her missions at the town near where he and Juvia lived together. After the weird marking pattern appeared on his body, a side effect of the Demon Slayer magic he had obtained from his father, the man regularly visited Porlyusica for help. Having discussed the situation with him, they came up with a plan for Gray to infiltrate the dark guild and gather as much information as possible about their connection with Zeref.

Gray agreed with her request partly because he was personally interested in the Book of E.N.D. After all, his late father wanted him to destroy it, and Gray would do everything in his power to fulfill his last dying wish.

Aside from Gray, Erza had also placed two other of her subordinates inside the guild. However, since no one in her Department was as powerful as Gray in terms of magic power, the Ice-Make wizard successfully secured himself a seat at the top of Avatar's hierarchy while her subordinates could only be placed at lower levels.

They also knew Levy was going undercover as one of the cultists at Avatar as well. Erza knew Gajeel, Panther Lily, and Levy had joined the Magic Custody Enforcement Unit a few months back. Gray had called her, using the portable communication device Warren invented, to complain about the small bluenette's poor disguise but fortunately none of the members of Avatar had shown any suspicion about the matter yet.

It turned out Avatar was a much bigger organization than they thought, Gray was only inside one branch since each branch was kept secret from other branches and even the headquarters as well. Originally, it was supposed to be a simple investigation, Gray would retreat as soon as he had learned everything he could about Avatar's members and organization structure. But a few months down the road, they learned of Avatar's Purification Plan. Avatar was planning to wipe out an entire city just to summon Zeref since they seriously believed he would appear at a site of concentrated death. As such, Erza and Gray had to extend their mission to stop that from happening.

The situation was becoming much direr than Erza had planned. That was why she had to go and personally oversee the operation at the Magic Council branch closest to where Avatar's headquarters was, merely a month right before Lucy was supposed to have her big break by covering this year's Grand Magic Game at Crocus.

"I'm sorry that I have to be away when your most important article comes out." Erza sighed when they were waiting at the station for her train to depart, "The situation at our branch over there is just too critical right now." The blonde didn't know about the mission, as usual with all of Erza's work since confidentiality was required and both of them had already gotten used to it.

"I have told you already, it's fine. I know if it was possible you would have stayed at least until the Grand Magic Game had passed." Lucy shook her head.

"Will you call and tell me all about it?" The redhead inquired, "If I don't answer right away, it's probably because I'm tied at work. Still, I will call you back as soon as I can."

"Yes, of course." Lucy nodded and took her hand, "Please be careful, Erza."

"I will." The redhead leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek, "Remember to keep up your daily training as well. I know for a fact you're too capable now to let preparation for the Game take up large chunks of time on your hand."

Their frequent phone calls during the month that she was away were the reprieve Erza needed from the intensity of the situation at Avatar. They were mostly updates about Lucy's covering plan, tidbits about their days, and all the places Erza managed to see around the town during the rare free hours she allowed herself to have.

However, on the last day of the Grand Magic Game, which Lucy often complained to her that was not as exciting as the one they participated in last year, the blonde's voice took on a more upbeat tone as she explained Natsu's sudden appearance at the Game and his quest for getting their guild back together.

Erza even managed to talk to the Salamander for a few minutes. The redhead couldn't help but smile upon hearing the familiar excitement in his loud, obnoxious voice. The belief Natsu had was contagious, both Lucy and Erza easily agreed to join him in his quest since they had always wanted the same thing as well.

Lucy said she and Natsu would start with reuniting their team first, and that meant finding Wendy, Carla, and Gray. Erza frowned at hearing this. Both she and Gray were indisposable at the time, but Lucy didn't know about Gray's current predicament so Erza had to try her best at subtly reasoning with Lucy to convince the Celestial mage to go to Wendy and Carla first.

As soon as they said good night to each other, Erza immediately switched to Gray's communication line.

"Something came up." The Requip mage said in lieu of any greeting, "Natsu and Lucy are going to gather every one of our former guildmates to revive Fairy Tail. They will come to you and Juvia's place soon, I imagine."

The Ice-Make wizard was stunted into silence for a few seconds before he replied, "Shit. That is not far from here. But the last time I was there was six months ago, so I'm not sure whether Natsu can sniff me out or not. The Purification Plan is in a week, hopefully they won't find me before then."

Neither of them needed confirmation from Gray to know he would rejoin Fairy Tail along with everyone, naturally. Erza simply nodded, "I have managed to make them go to Wendy first. But Lucy's smart, and Natsu is like a bloodhound at this kind of thing." The blonde wouldn't go find Erza unless she informed the Celestial mage her mission had concluded, but there was no telling what trace they could discover about Gray's whereabouts.

"Don't I know it." Gray mumbled, "I will go try and see if there is any way to push up the timeline of the Plan. If the idiot gets here, there is just no way this undercover mission can continue. Natsu and subtlety don't mix."

Their apprehension came true, Lucy and Natsu managed to come get Wendy in just two days and even rope Sabertooth into finding where Gray was. The next time the dark-haired man called her, it was to Code Blue, which meant something unexpected came up and the operation was in danger of being exposed.

"They're already here." The redhead could hear how unsurprised his tone was, "In the dungeon. Making too much of a ruckus as usual."

"Let me talk to Lucy," Erza sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her girlfriend would be easier to reason with as compared to the Fire Dragon Slayer in this situation. Some rustling went on before the blonde's confused voice came through the communication device, "Hello?"

"Hey love, it's me." Erza allowed a few seconds to pass so her voice could register for the blonde, "Don't freak out, Gray and I will explain on the way. You guys need to get out of there first. Tell Gray to go to Avatar's gathering and I'll meet you there."

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They kept the communication line open on the way so Erza could help Gray explain the mission to Lucy, Natsu, and Happy. How she and Gray couldn't simply wipe the dark guild out right from the start without understanding the full scale of their organization first. How one false step and they would be unable to stop the Purification Plan in time, so they had to wait until today when all the branches gathered together. How they had to keep Gray's whereabouts a secret even to Juvia, at Erza's discretion.

Upon arriving at Avatar's village of choice for sacrifice, Erza was pleased to learn that Gray's information about Avatar's members proved to be accurate. The dark guild wasn't hard to defeat, the only threat she was anxious about was their sheer number, but that was easily overcome with Natsu and the others' help.

Wendy, Carla, and Juvia showed up in the middle of the fight. Erza was surprised to see Carla could transform into human form now. In the end, it was Natsu who defeated the Battle God of Yakuma that the leader of Avatar summoned, effectively putting an end to the entire organization. The Requip mage was happy to see how much stronger Natsu had gotten in the one year they were parted.

The Magic Custody Enforcement Unit arrived in the aftermath, Gajeel and Panther Lily leading the charge. They wanted to take Gray into custody since he was supposedly one of Avatar's members but Erza intervened before he could proceed any further. Gray was under her protection for the mission and thus immune from any charges that could be placed upon him. Any disagreement Gajeel had, he would need to take it up with the Magic Council themselves.

So many of her friends in one place was making Erza nostalgic for their time at the old guildhall. The redhead moved closer to Lucy for their customary end-of-battle hug, only for the blonde to narrow her eyes at the sight of her approaching before pulling Levy with her far away, out of Erza's vicinity.

Erza could only blink in surprise. Did everything that happened make Lucy mad at her or something? The blonde had never avoided her touch before, and Erza didn't know if there was any other explanation for her behavior.

But the Requip mage was nothing but determined. Whatever it was, she wouldn't let it squeeze its way in between her and Lucy that easily. And so Erza waited a few minutes for the blonde to finish catching up with Levy before approaching her girlfriend again.

"May I cut in for a second? Lucy, will you talk to me?" Levy gave Erza a sympathetic smile and patted the blonde's shoulder lightly before leaving. Lucy simply crossed her arms and huffed, but she was not moving away so the Requip mage took it as a good sign.

"Are you mad at me for not telling you about Gray's involvement?" Erza frowned, because she thought the Celestial mage understood that Erza was not at liberty to discuss any of her mission with people outside of the Department, including her girlfriend.

Lucy only narrowed her eyes, "Is that what you think? I'm not mad at you for not telling me. I know perfectly well you are not allowed to do that, for both of our sakes."

"Then, what is it that's making you irritated with me?" The redhead was even more confused now. Last time she checked, she hadn't done anything that could warrant cold shoulders from Lucy. They were still fine just a few days ago.

"I'm mad because you don't let Gray tell Juvia where he was going. Erza, do you know how that makes Juvia feel?"

Alright, so their first serious disagreement, and it wasn't even about their own relationship. "I truly feel sorry for Juvia, you know that. But she can't know. What Gray was about to do was extremely dangerous and the more people knew about it, the lesser the chance of achieving our purpose. Not to mention, it would put Juvia in danger too, for possessing information about the mission and getting involved with an undercover agent."

"I know all of that." Lucy shook her head, "We have been together through how many missions of yours in the past year? Of course I know exactly how it works. But the least you guys could do was letting Juvia know Gray was going on a mission. You don't have to tell her what the mission is about. Just like you do with me all the time, remember?"

Erza's eyebrows furrowed tight in deliberation.

"Think of it this way." The blonde uncrossed her arms, "If it was me who just disappeared one day without any warning, how would that make you feel?"

Worried about your safety. Anxious about everything. Angry at you for not telling me. Doubting myself for doing something to make you go away.

"Juvia is our friend, Erza. She is attached to Gray, yes, just like I'm with you. But she is perfectly capable of refraining from doing anything that could jeopardize your mission, especially if it would bring Gray troubles. It has been six months, Erza. The love of her life just walked out on her one day, how do you reckon Juvia would feel after all this time?"

"Disposable." Lucy stressed, "Erza, anyone would feel like they're disposable in that situation. When we found Juvia at their house, she was delirious with a high fever. She was giving up on all hope of Gray ever returning again. Who knows what would happen if Wendy wasn't there to heal her in time."

Erza looked down to the ground, boots scrubbing in the dirt in contemplation. Maybe the blonde was right, it was unintentionally harsh of her to stop Gray from at least telling Juvia he was going on a mission with her. Especially when Juvia and Gray were living just by themselves in the middle of nowhere like that, leaving the Water mage entirely alone. If Lucy suddenly disappeared on her without a word, Erza couldn't even begin to fathom how that would make her feel.

"You're right." Finally, the redhead looked up into Lucy's waiting eyes, "It was wrong of me to do so. I realize it now. I'm sorry for not fully taking Juvia's feelings into account."

The Celestial mage just sighed and stepped closer, one hand reaching up to graze at her jawline, "I know you were trying to protect her, protect both of them. But next time, please try to keep in mind that everyone has someone who cares about them, their wellbeings and whereabouts. I'm not the one you should apologize to, you know. Have you told Juvia you're sorry yet?"

Erza shook her head. She had intended to do it, really, but simply hadn't found the time yet. She had been here with the blonde ever since the battle finished. She would go and apologize to the Water mage now, hopefully the bluenette could forgive her for the heartbreaks she caused.

Being in a relationship meant learning new things every day it seemed, Erza surmised with a small smile.

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After that, Erza and Lucy returned to Crocus to tie up loose ends of their work before going back to Magnolia. The redhead was glad she had the foresight to designate and train a replacement for her place beforehand. He might not be as capable as Erza yet, but given time and experience, the Requip mage was sure her deputy would grow into the position.

Lucy quit her job at the magazine with Jason's full support. The man couldn't contain his excitement at hearing Fairy Tail was getting back together and had made Lucy promise she would give him exclusive interviews every once in a while. The blonde simply chuckled good-naturally before agreeing to it.

Since they were the ones with the most information about other members' whereabouts, Lucy had tasked herself with reaching out to each of them and convincing everyone to return and rebuild Fairy Tail from scratch. Although Erza's handwriting had improved considerably from all the reports she had to write in the past year, between the two of them, Lucy would always be the designated writer for everything and Erza simply signed her signatures along with Lucy's at the end of the letters the blonde wrote before sending them out to their former, hopefully once again, guildmates.

The result was better than they had hoped. Upon returning to Magnolia and coming back to where Fairy Tail guildhall once was, they found every single one of their guildmates already returned without needing much convincing. It seemed like Fairy Tail spirit still resided inside each of them after all this time, waiting and longing for the freedom to spread its wings in the sky above once more.

Rebuilding the guild would take hard work, but their family was nothing but strong-willed. Erza could already feel it, the impending excitement of new adventures awaiting them in the future, with everyone united again.

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A/N: Because what is a relationship without learning and growing together?

Votes and comments are welcome!