A/N: Yay! The last one. Sorry that this took so long. I had my son and moved and just craziness got in the way. Anyhoo, here it is. I hope you all enjoy it. I decided I couldn't go with a tragic ending, so here's my sweet little fluffy ending to this little tale. Thanks for reading!

Story Time

Who Is Vee?

When they finally found it they were disappointed. It was a very old church in the middle of some wasteland of burned trees and crumbled rock. Inside it was just as desolate with only one item that stood out among the wreckage. A white crushed silk wedding album. Or, at least that's what Lucy thought at first. Natsu picked it up and weighed it in his hand and Lucy pretended not to admire the firm focus in his expression. He hadn't told her what this book was, only that it was important to destroy it. Now, seeing its beautifully crafted cover, Lucy was having second thoughts. Maybe Natsu didn't see something romantic when he looked at it, but Lucy knew a heartfelt gesture when she saw one.

"You're just going to burn it?" She asked, concern flowing through her voice.

Natsu just stared at the thing in the middle of the room with a small frown. He seemed to be having second thoughts. It had been a long trip; they were on some small, vacant continent on the opposite side of the world. There were no other people even though there were abandoned castles and marketplaces scattered everywhere.

He lit up one hand with a scowl.

"Don't-!"

Natsu stumbled from the impact when Lucy tackled him, but managed to hold the book out of her reach. "What the Hell Luce?!"

"You can't destroy that!"

"Why not?!"

"It's too precious!"

"What are you talkin' about!?"

Lucy hopped and managed to swipe it from his grasp but Happy then grabbed it from above. The Exceed went to stick his tongue out at her when a rock hit him in the face, causing him to drop the album on the ground. He held his nose tightly and glared at her with tears in his eyes, "Hey!"

Natsu held Lucy's arms behind her back as she thrashed. Then a light flashed over the room and their fighting stopped. They just stared, mouths hanging open.

…

Darkness welcomed her. Cloaking her body like a warm blanket in the bleak, frigid winter, slowly easing the chill from her bones. Shadows weighed gently over her body as warm bath water. Movement was overrated, she could stay here forever in the comforting embrace of this black abyss.

It was death. It had to be. What else could possibly be this quiet and comfortable? It was like sleeping, yet somehow it felt more permanent. Dreams came and passed, floating like clouds through her mind. Time was irrelevant here. The only thing that mattered was the pure, soft silence.

That is, until she heard some sourceless sound. Quiet were the voices at first, but soon they blossomed into a cacophony. Surrounding her, dragging her from that comfortable silence she knew so well.

That well known darkness soon made way for something new and sharp. Black nothingness quickly gave way as yellow light faded around her, shaping her, swirling and spinning like screaming lightning.

Confusion and dissatisfaction was plain on her face as two figures made themselves known in the overwhelming light that whirled around her in the shape of an orb. One dumbfounded face was wide eyed, mouth open, the other held a few fingers to parted lips.

The gentle weight of wind gave way to a heavy gravity that wanted to pull her to the ground. It felt like waking from a wonderful dream she couldn't remember. Vala crumpled to the ground as soon as her legs materialized.

Reality was harsh. And bitter cold.

Three sets of wide eyes stared from above, but Vala was too busy coming to terms with what had just happened to acknowledge them.

Of all the things the trio expected, this wasn't one of them. /they figured it was another demon of Zeref's book that he didn't want unleashed. At least that's what they suspected.

Well, until the book exploded.

The auburn hired girl was in a clump on the floor, staring blankly at the mossy, crackled white marble floor.

Her fingertips touched the gravelly marble. It was incredibly old, degraded over hundreds and hundreds of years of weather and wear. There was a familiar sense to everything around her, especially the chill in the air. She lifted her head slowly but an open wall that was once a windowsill caught her eye. It was massive and wide. There were fallen stones scattered across the marble where there was once an arch forming the top of the opening. Now it was free, the pitched roof was even gone. It was broken, dotting the ground with massive, horse sized slabs all around. It had caved in, or, according the slight charring, it was bombed with fire and oil. It was amazing that the old structure stood at all.

A memory floated past her eyes, a young man who caused endless desolation wherever he stepped. The contradiction of his gentle persona paired with such a horrible curse was what drew her to him. Her hand lifted from the marble to touch her lips to draw out the memory of a soft kiss. The sensation made her heart squirm delightfully.

Foreign thoughts were finding their way back to her as she sat there listening to an echo of a memory. A memory of a young man who couldn't die using magic to seal her dying body away. It was vague, but it was there. Nervous and timid, Vala looked to her hands, hoping to every deity that they weren't wrinkled and gray.

Breath caught in her throat as smooth cream skin appeared on her hands. What a beautiful, relieving sight. Unsure of her plight, or who these people were, she finally addressed the couple standing above her with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was having company." Her muscles were atrophied so badly she couldn't stop shaking. Even gravity itself was too heavy. She shakily pushed herself to a seated position, one palm pressed to the side of her aching head, the other propped her up against the floor. A grey eye remained open, but squinted to look at her new friends in her natural language, "Had I known I would have made tea."

Lucy's mouth fell open. What the hell was happening right now?! This girl flies out of a book speaking a dead language? That is some serious bedtime story content right there. All joking aside, Lucy was confused. The tattered white book was mere confetti under the girl's body. The blonde mage never thought much of Zeref. Yes, he was Natsu's older brother from another time. Yes, Natsu took it upon himself to run this wayward errand for him. But she never expected him to be a romantic. The careful way he put that book away, made from delicate cotton spun paper and silk.

That's what made her try to take it from Natsu. Something wasn't right about destroying something so carefully created and it was better to leave the thing intact. At least until they could figure out what it was.

They got their answer the second it hit the ground.

It lit up and flipped its own pages, exploding with bright yellow light as a girl her own age suddenly materialized under the glow. Something about this wasn't adding up. If Zeref had sealed his lover away in one of his books, why wasn't she a monster like his other demons? Why wasn't she just old bones?

Lucy and Natsu exchanged the same baffled look. Didn't he love her? Why would he want her vessel destroyed?

The silver eyed girl glanced to each party, thinking she had lost her marbles when her eyes rested above the pink haired man's shoulder to something floating there.

A flying... blue... cat? What in the world? And a man with pink hair and flames surrounding one hand? The beautiful blonde to his side was looking at Vala with curiosity. There was only one way to solve this mystery, but she was just simply too tired to make any sense of it. Her eyes were growing heavy, her body was shivering cold.

Natsu took a step toward Vala and shouted something in his own language. She could understand it, but it wasn't her native tongue so it took a few moments to decipher his shout of, "Who are you?!"

Lucy looked to Vala on the ground then asked Natsu something quietly. They were speaking Japanese. And that man had two pointed canines.

A skull cracking headache forced Vala's eyes shut.

Pointed canines. Cowlicked black hair. Gentle eyes and blood red anger. Love; sweet, sweet love. Rough handwriting and embarrassing sketches.

Random thoughts pierced her mind, tingling like a waking limb. Hands flew to her head, pushing tightly to contain the invading feeling of those unidentifiable memories. One thing finally began to take form, importantly. A feeling of sickness and motion. The feeling of being crushed against a wall, and blood. Lots of blood, and burning hot tears on her cold skin. Back then his skin felt hot on hers as she felt herself beginning to die. Everything faded until only a pinhole of life remained, holding her to this world.

And then that's where she remained, gripping onto that thread. It felt like that warm tingle of magic when she first reached it, but somehow stronger. She could feel him doing things around her body. She could sense his presence and the muffled sound of a raw voice. And then that pure, caressing darkness.

Zeref.

Then more motion happened, and more Japanese. A set of arms wrapped around her, the pink haired man picked her up and started speaking to his blonde girlfriend. Vala couldn't exactly understand what they were saying through the fogging headache and tingling memories. All she could think about was that black mage. I wonder if he ever learned out how to die…

Her mouth was very dry, her lips cracked. She was wrapped in blankets and plopped on a bed of some sort. It was all so vague and distant as her mind pieced her memories back together.

Days came and passed before her mind was clear again. She had to process what happened to her, and by that time they were on the road to their home- Fairy Tail Guild.

"How did you find me?" Vala asked in the dark of night as he sat watching the campfire with a solemn expression. "I was in some strange book in an old, decimated church continents away." He didn't look up to answer. He just watched the fire sullenly. Her heart felt tight in her chest as another theory formed, "Is Zeref dead?" Her voice came out sounding so much more broken than she expected. Losing him forever was a concept she had a very difficult time grasping. He was the only thing she knew anymore. So much time had come and passed while she was sealed away that she didn't know anything anymore. Even her language was long gone, her people were wiped out around 300 years ago by a poorly recorded genocide. There was not one person who carried on her culture or history, no one except for her.

Natsu's big eyes lifted. He seemed to be trying to figure her out, like a puzzle. Then, after a little bit, "Nah, he's not dead. Still wishes he was though. He did a lot of bad stuff, he hurt a lot of people and tried to end the world."

Vala went still, watching his expression for any hint of a joke. If it was, it wasn't very funny.

Natsu frowned a little, "For some reason I hoped you were a bad person, like you forced him to do all that. But you're just normal. Weirdly normal." His brow creased slightly, "I've been hoping for someone else to blame ever since I found out he's my brother."

Her throat felt like it had cold steel thrust into her thyroid and a flutter of anxiety thrilled through her blood, "Y-you're..." She stuttered then leaned forward onto her hands to look at him with intensity as old theories and notes sprung back to life. "Natsu, you're not supposed to be alive. What did he do? How is this possible?" Her eyes clouded over in thought as she tried to recollect everything Zeref had ever told her about reanimation of the dead. "This can't be real, I must be in Hell."

"From where you're sitting I can see why it might feel like it."

Then, her hand reached to her belly and sat back on her heels, eyes absent. "I never got to tell him." Vala's voice cracked as warm tears filled her eyes, "I never told him." A fat tear rolled over the round of her freckled cheek. What kind of horrible person doesn't tell their lover that they're pregnant? What kind of awful person was she that she kept it from him for months. The awful kind of person who doesn't trust their lover. She was to blame for all that happened. If she had just told him then maybe their baby would be alive. Maybe then she wouldn't have been sealed away in that book.

Natsu stood and plopped himself down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder, staring at the fire. "He knows about the…" He didn't know how to refer to it. Baby? Fetus? Nephew? Neice? It was just a weird topic. "I think it's a big reason why he went crazy at first. He figured if he had never met you you would have lived and died and been peaceful." Vala went to talk over him but he cut her off, "But you know what wouldn't have happened. You guys were gonna meet no matter what, but apparently you weren't meant to die." He paused, thinking for a second on how to say it, "I'm sorry about your loss." A deep frown appeared in his lips, he was sincerely sorry.

Vala felt that hollow feeling in her heart begin to fill up again. Just hearing another person acknowledge her sorrow seemed to take some of the burden. She pulled at the hem of the dress Lucy let her borrow. It was far smaller than she was comfortable with. Ahh, how the times had changed.

"Will I be allowed to see him when we get there?" She asked quietly.

Natsu swallowed hard, "Erm, I don't know. But I'll do everything I can to make it happen. All Zeref wanted was to be normal and to live and die like everyone else. Maybe if he sees you he can stop hating everything so much and let himself just... Die, I guess."

When Vala knew Zeref he didn't necessarily hate anything, just himself. He suffered with severe depression, but he never externalized it if he could help it. She wondered if seeing him would make it better or worse. It could go either way. He was prone to experiencing very mixed emotions.

Eventually the four of them made it to the guild. Time came and went and soon a month had passed. Vala was working with historians and apprenticing under them, knowing she would have to live on her own eventually. They had so many questions about her culture and she translated a few Japanese books into English. Every day Natsu helped her reach her magic. She learned more and more about her capabilities and why it was important to leave them untouched as much as possible. Zeref was right from the start. If she played with her magic, it would cease to defend her. Though, it could be pushed onto other people if she needed to. She could guard up to three other people from any kind of magic. It simply wouldn't have any effect of anyone under her protection.

Lucy, Natsu's roommate (and future sister-in-law-ish) was the best at teaching her about the new world. Arranged marriages were outlawed for the most part. But more importantly, she could wear pants! Woo!

"I just need a minute." Vala panted as she trailed far behind her friends, hands on her knees.

"Hurry up or we're going to be late!" Lucy called back at her. Vala rolled her eyes and dropped her head to try and even out her breathing. When she opened her eyes she saw her favorite couple standing behind her with their little red headed daughter strapped to her daddy's chest.

Erza looked her up and down with a strange expression then shared a secretive glance with Jellal.

With a deep breath, Vala threw herself back into a walking pace to catch up. But Erza's heavy hand dropped over her shoulder, "Oh no you don't. We are taking a detour."

Vala looked from Erza, to Jellal, to their daughter, Rose. Jellal was a very quiet guy, but his love for his wife was incredibly fierce. Vala had come to refer to them as the Ultimate Power Couple. Erza obviously loved the nickname.

"Where are we going?" She finally managed to ask after a fifteen minutes of silent hiking.

"We're taking you to the hospital.

Vala spun on her heel and started walking the other way, but Erza grabbed the back of her collar. The princess glared at her friend, "I'm not going. I refuse."

"Vala, you've been here for a month and you still haven't seen a doctor." Jellal said with reproach.

"I don't need one—"

"Yes. Yes you do, now either we can do this the nice way, or we can do this the hard way." Erza always had such a sweet, convincing tone about her. Vala couldn't help the nervous thrill ringing through her belly as she imagined what the 'hard way' entailed.

Vala was very close with Erza, they had more in common than they liked to admit. It was never outright stated that they both loved criminals, but it was silently understood. Jellal lived with her now; they were married shortly after Zeref's war. Vala couldn't help internally kicking herself ever time she heard the war referred to as such.

No one arrive back to the guild from their beach trip until the following day. Vala waited impatiently at Erza's place.

"Do you think I'll be allowed to see him, you know, considering the circumstances?" Vala asked, biting her lip, baby Rose asleep in her arms with a toothless open mouth. The baby loved Vala's old-world songs in her lost language, something about the tunes made her go to sleep. Or perhaps it was the tone of her voice. Either way, Jellal had, more than once, frantically brought a screaming Rose to Lucy's apartment at night for Vala to soothe her to sleep with a softly sung song. Vala had an insane amount of pride in her newfound baby-soothing superpower.

Erza was arranging her armor on a stand while Vala balanced Rose on her knees. She was enjoying a spot of sunlight in Erza's deep windowsill, observing her friend's frantic cleaning session. If she didn't know better, she would accuse Erza of nesting. A secretive smile came over her amused expression.

The redhead didn't even turn to look as she spoke, as if her words were a given, "I'm sure they'll make an exception for someone brave enough to bear Zeref's child." There was a smile on her voice that Vala didn't return. She was still shocked by the news that she was still somehow still pregnant. About 5 "months" according to the ultrasound. The princess looked to Erza with weak resolve. She wasn't even sure if this was something she wanted anymore. The world was different now, and Zeref was…

Vala frowned. No matter how awful thing had turned out, she had to remain positive. If anyone could get permission for her to speak with Zeref, it was Erza.

Rose hummed a gummy hum in her sleep and Vala felt her heart strain. She had had an interesting few weeks ahead of her. Between telling Natsu and the rest of the guild what was going on, she also needed to get the rest of her life in order within the next four months. As of yesterday she was 26 weeks pregnant with a little boy, or so the doctor suspected. If only she could explain to him that she was far, far, FAR past the prescribed 40 weeks gestation.

She had only ever been with one man, so there was no question of who his father was. It was more a question of how this happened and why they were both able to survive Zeref's death predation. The more she learned about her hidden magic, the more she wished she had just listened to Zeref's warnings to begin with.

Damn curiosity!

It didn't help that Erza bugged her every day about contacting Zeref. The renowned swordsman hated Zeref more than any other living person, but she still requested that Vala tell him she was alive and well via letter. She thought it was dishonest to leave it open ended until now. But Vala held all of the power in their relationship. She could easily move about her life without ever telling Zeref she lived or that they were parents. But, to be a decent person she would have to tell him eventually, just not quite yet. It was frightening to know that her body was cultivating a killer's child. She wasn't sure she could handle the abuse she would endure if her baby's parentage was revealed. That was why she planned to talk to Lucy first, before telling Natsu.

He'd be so excited, she knew, so he would have a hard time keeping his mouth shut about it. Lucy on the other hand would be able to look at it all a little more pragmatically.

As she gained more control and comprehension of her magic, the better grasp she understood why she was alive, why her baby survived, and why she wasn't aging anymore. It must have been a natural reaction when Zeref killed those Knights. She pushed that shield around the baby. But the shield was too small and it caused her placenta to partially abrupt, which is what nearly killed them both. The blood loss was ultimately what nearly ended her life, not Zeref. Once the waves of death ended, her shield reinstated and began healing her body rapidly, including the connection between her and her child. The doctor had seen the scar and clots on her placenta; he told her they were both lucky to be alive. She was reminded again and again how resilient a human body could be.

Zeref hadn't seen any of that happening, and with the massive hemorrhaging and silent pulse, he assumed Vala was dead and sealed her body away. She figured he sealed her away in case he finally learned how to reanimate the dead, like he had wanted for Natsu. But perhaps decided against it last minute, considering how badly that all turned out.

Soft cooing noises came from the pudgy little baby in her arms as Rose began to wake. Her father had just walked in and, seeing his little angel awake, he scooped her up with a giant loving grin. Rose squealed happily.

Vala watched with a brittle smile.

She was alone in all of this.

No, that was an exaggeration.

Lucy, Natsu, Erza, Jellal, and the rest of Fairy Tail would never make her go through this alone. They had taken her in as their own, and they appreciated the hell out of her refusing to become a freeloader. Historians aren't paid much, but at least it was something to help with bills.

The following day was The Day. The Day when Natsu appeared in Lucy's living room with a signed laminated card. It was written exemption for permission to visit the most dangerous enemy the world had ever known. Her heart leapt to her throat as she cradled that card like a newborn kitten. Natsu ruffled her long hair causing it to static up. Vala glared playfully until it morphed into a broad toothy grin. After two months of nail biting and waiting, her reunion with Zeref was finally pushed into motion. Thank the God her belly wasn't showing yet.

...

Months passed in silence. Zeref had a feeling Natsu was not planning to come back, and he couldn't blame him for feeling that way. It was only natural. But then came a heavy knock to his metal door to break his concentration.

Light suddenly filled the white room, temporarily blinding Zeref. With one eye open, he managed to catch a glimpse of his visitor. Pink hair and a slight scowl. Natsu was suddenly standing before Zeref who still had his eyes shut to adjust to the light. Natsu pressed his lips to the side and folded his arms over his chest, thinking hard on something.

"Can I tell you something?" He started to say, but quickly backed off. Zeref squinted his eyes to try and see in the bright light. At the sight of his little brother's distressed face he pressed his brows together.

A slight blush faded across the twenty-something looking young man's cheeks. He scratched the back of his head and looked to the ceiling, "Er, I, uh..." He sighed and sunk to sit before Zeref, deflating. "I'm in love with someone, I think, and that story you told me... It kinda freaked me out."

"I am the exception, not the rule." He started to say. "Loving someone is an incredible feeling. Don't let it go just because I am a monster."

An iconic grin stretched across Natsu's face, baring pointed canines. "Can I tell you a secret?" Zeref raised a thin brow and Natsu's grin grew, "I'm going to ask her to marry me. Erza said that I have to anyway because we've been living in sin or something..." He rambled on for a little while and a satisfied smile found a home on Zeref's face. Even after knowing everything there was to know, Natsu was still the happy go lucky person he always was, even before the devil himself.

"Oh!" Natsu hit his fist his open palm. "I almost forgot! There's another secret!" He grinned brightly and reached his hand to Zeref's inner arm, releasing one of the many metal shackles with a key. "I have to show you something, but don't freak out or I won't be able to get you out of here again."

Zeref was confused. Natsu was gone for several months, presumably trying to comprehend exactly what he had admitted. Why was he so incredibly happy to see him? So much so that he was trying to get him out of his cell. Zeref couldn't help the suspicion that rose.

"I appreciate the offer, Natsu. But I am here to repent." Zeref stood, hoisted up by his brother, standing for the first time in months. "Allowing me the right to leave won't help me do that."

"Yeah, maybe it won't help you feel like shit about everything." Natsu rolled his eyes, "or it might make you feel even worse. And in your screwed up head that might make you feel better."

The chains around his wrists and ankles remained in place when Natsu lead him away. Natural sunlight was incredibly bright after years of confinement. People walking down the halls were bowing around them like they were in their own private bubble. The only one to come near them was a pretty blonde who came and whispered something in Natsu's ear, glancing over to Zeref. He knew Lucy had to be saying something about him, but it wasn't the first or last time someone would speak ill of him. But, to his immense surprise, she smiled up at him and ran ahead, a rolled whip bouncing off of her hip with every step.

She ran ahead to open a door, which then lead to a small colonnade. There were walkways that went in four different directions with a burbling fountain in the middle.

"I found her, that girl you were telling me about." Natsu started to say. Zeref's heart collapsed. "She's pretty cool, but-"

"Natsu, please don't do this." Zeref cut him off, knowing Natsu had to be mistaken. "I'm trying to live out the rest of my days in suffering. I deserve none of your pity."

A door behind them opened and slammed with a high powered lock shifting into place. Natsu's grin deepened, becoming more sincere by the second. "Everyone should get a second chance."

Quiet tapping slowly made its way across the garden and stopped right behind him. Natsu motioned for him to turn around with his finger and Zeref braced his heart for more pain. Instead of the bitter disappointment he expected, his throat caught with something akin to relief.

She was swathed in a yellow dress that fell in undefined pleats to her knees and wove into lace up her neck and down her arms. She was looking at him with a mirror image of his own astonishment; eyes wide, mouth agape. A hand covered her trembling lips, silver eyes becoming pink as she held back tears.

Natsu snuck out at some point and the guest wandered to the fountain's edge to sit. She was nervously pulling at her dress's lace sleeves, avoiding all eye contact, "That brother of yours is tenacious."

His voice was quiet as his eyes traveled all over her. He had no right to feel anything for Vala anymore. But that logic didn't stop his heart from squirming in his chest, "How is this possible?"

Vala sighed and her tough act fell as her lips trembled miserably in an attempt to respond. This encounter hurt her just as badly as it was hurting him. "You sealed me away just as I had learned to reach my bloodline's magic, it healed me and removed my ability to age, just as you suspected it might."

Just like the night she bled out in his arms Zeref's face crumpled and fell to his chest to hide the raw emotions from his lover. "Your heart, it stopped, how...?"

Although she trembled, Vala finally scrounged up the courage to look at him. It helped that he was looking away from her. It gave her an opportunity to look him over without hitching a sob. He looked so tired with that same silly cowlick, but his clothing was much different. He looked very much the part of a prisoner in a white tank and long tan pants with tight stone shackles around his wrists and ankles. He peered at her from under his lashes and it took every ounce of energy in her body not to kiss him, that shy look of his always got her. Oh how she had missed this man.

"I'm not sure." She spoke with growing strength. "Natsu and Lucy argued over my book, the one you sent him there to destroy," she shot a quick glare, "and when it was dropped to the ground I was somehow released." That was when she finally bristled. "Why did you want them to destroy it? It would have killed us!"

"It's been centuries Vala." His words were terse through clamped teeth, "For all I knew you were rotted bones trapped on earth when you should have ascended centuries ago."

He lingered on her wording, but decided to leave it for a future conversation… But what if this was his only opportunity to speak with her like this? Zeref lifted his eyes to look at her as she ran mindless fingers over her lace sleeves. None of this felt real. He wanted to touch her and know she wasn't an illusion.

Vala managed some semblance of a smirk, "It took some time, but it turns out that I am a bit more resilient than you ever gave me credit for." She rocked forward with that amused smirk as if telling a secret. "I can be immortal if I want to be, and pass my gift if I deem it necessary. Magic does not affect me at all, not even Natsu's fire. If I wanted, I could hold onto my gift, press it inward and live forever."

Zeref was intrigued by this, was that why she was unaffected by his magic? He heard her take a very deep breath to brace herself for something unpleasant. It was amazing the small things he remembered about her habits.

"…Or, I could shelter the unborn baby inside of me, protecting it from your magic while I took the hit." A hapless smile formed, "and then I might have woken up a few hundred years later to learn that our cells froze when you sealed us away."

Ice ran through his veins. Obviously the gods were never planning to forgive him for killing so many, but now he understood that they just plain hated him. There was no other explanation. It felt like he had just stuck a fork in an outlet. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he could only stare at Vala's silver eyes. Why was she always so damn amused! Nothing about any of this was even remotely funny! A hot tear dropped from his eye, barely skimming the skin of his cheek before hitting the ground.

"Don't look at me like that." Her words felt like a slap, folding her arms over her belly protectively. The motion brought him back 300 years when she told him she needed to protect someone from him. Now he knew the truth of that statement. Vala's silver eyes were like a forged blade, "You used my memory as an excuse to kill and maim, you destroyed everything we dreamed of the entire time we knew each other." Her own angry tears began to form; "You ruined my homeland and killed them all without discretion! My entire culture is gone! There isn't one other living person who speaks my native tongue. It was genocide! Zeref…" Her heart felt so tight in her chest looking at him. He didn't look the part of a killer, he never did. It made it so much harder to be angry with him when she knew she had to be. She felt helpless. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

"I love you." The words were like a tiger leaping from his mouth, he couldn't contain them if he wanted. They came so fast that even Vala looked shocked. He had never said those words out loud. He knew it was far too late for them to mean anything, but he needed to get them out. He wanted to say them each and every day. He shut his eyes when she stood up, waiting for her to hit him in some way, not that she ever had before. He simply felt he deserved to get hit for saying he loved her after ruining her life. Or maybe she would just walk away and go on living as if she had never known him. He couldn't hold any of her choices against her from here on out. The heat of her breath warmed his lips. Zeref held his breath. He didn't dare to hope.

Silver eyes bore into his black eyes when they finally opened. "You're about four hundred years late for that, Z."

His heart sunk once more, remembering her little nickname for him. After refusing to return those words as she died in his arms he had no right to her heart. He had never wanted to change history more than he did at that moment.

She then poked the center of his chest hard enough to push him back a step, "You're also a bit of an idiot if you think I didn't already know that." She smiled, incapacitating him. "It's amazing that you are dense enough not to know how desperately I love you. I always have, and always will." Her smirk became teasing and she rolled her eyes to the side, "Even against my better judgment."

He didn't have time to come up with a cogent response before she grabbed his hand. "Do you want to feel him kick?" She placed it on her belly so he could feel the rolling, spastic motion that came from within. Zeref's heart jumped to his throat.

Vala went on and on as if everything was completely fine and normal, "…Natsu said he'll fight anyone who tries to say you can't see him after he's born. Obviously he'll have to be born in a hospital so you can't be there..."

She chatted on about the restrictions of their future meetings. How Erza had pulled some strings so that he was allowed to see Vala in this greenhouse as long as they had a chaperone. Vala laughed at the thought of being chaperoned anywhere with Zeref, as if the very thought him as an enemy was humorous.

"Natsu needs to knock Luce up so Vee can have a friend his own age. Erza has been nesting, so that's obviously happening soon."

Zeref didn't even question her name choice for their son even if it was very strange. "Lucy? I actually thought he was pining for Lisanna all this time." He felt the corner of his lip quirk up, "Is he always so fickle?"

Vala waved her hand at him, "Nah, he's just a victim of the rumor mill. He's always had a thing for Lucy; he's just a bonehead when it comes to girls."

"Well, if you are hoping for a niece of nephew from my brother then you might not have much longer to wait. He's planning to propose." Zeref explained with a small, tentative smile. She grinned back. He then sighed, his happiness quickly faded, "I'm so sorry this happened. I should never have dragged you into my world."

Vala knew it was coming. It took a bit longer than she expected, but she knew her black mage was going to find some negative aspect of this outcome. She was pretty happy to be here in this day and age, even though it was difficult to comprehend.

She poignantly rolled her eyes at him with a smirk, "You tried to keep me out of your world. You threatened to leave me in the middle of the woods where no one could hear me scream, remember?" She stifled a laugh and touched the side of his chin with her fingertips. His eyes grew wide. "You warned me time and time again that you would be the death of me, and you almost were. But something about you and me was meant to happen. Maybe if we had remained together then Natsu would never have existed. Maybe Fairy Tail wouldn't have existed. The dragons wouldn't have been released. It could have thrown history off balance." Her thumb traced along the edge of his jaw, blushing at her own admission. "I know you don't exactly believe in fate. It's not logical enough for you. But I do." Vala grew a little shy. "I wish I could make you see that there is still beauty in the world. I wish you could see yourself the way I've always seen you."

Zeref was briefly quiet to consider everything she said. Then,

"Vala, I may not have been evil back then. But I am now. Do you even know what I've done?"

Vala rocked back and folded her arms. "It doesn't matter what you were capable of anymore because you can't use magic." Vala pointed out with a small frown, she was intense and dismissive with a waving hand. "Now stop doing that, you're making this so much harder than it needs to be."

Zeref pried his eyes away from her and stared at the ground by her feet. "I can't forgive myself. I used your death as an excuse. And Mavis—"

Silver eyes went sharp, "Who?"

"Uh, well I, um..." Zeref sputtered, cleared his throat and swallowed. His face was beet red. His stalling only made Vala appear more upset as he hurried an explanation, "After you had been sealed away for a few centuries I truly lost myself to the loneliness. I latched onto the first person I was able to grow close with. She founded Fairy Tail, and I killed her."

The corner of Vala's lip twitched a little, "and that's all?"

"No," he admitted, shoulders sloping. Vala wasn't a jealous person before, he wondered if she would be angry with him. "I kissed her and she died instantly."

The auburn haired girl's eyes widened, "Wow, I'm so sorry you went through that. It must have been incredibly difficult to get past."

He was quiet again. Vala placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched at the contact. The touch seemed to break him from his thoughts, "I usedher death as another excuse to kill and maim."

Now she felt bad. Vala knew about Mavis, it was just fun to push his buttons. Especially when he thought she was angry with him. Oh, but his face was so funny when he scrambled for an excuse. But she felt so, so mean.

"I know killing and maiming isn't the only thing you do." Her heather grey eyes slunk over his frame with a suggestive little smile. "I know you can tie a mean double Windsor and you have an incredible knack for teaching. Maybe I can get you to write a book or something. Be a good citizen for once instead of the kind of guy who kidnaps princesses and makes dragons."

A smile curved the corners of his lips and his black eyes brightened, "I don't know if I can help myself. The last time I stole a princess it worked out so nicely for me."

It was Vala's turn to blush. She ran her hands over her belly and shifted nervously. "I'm happy you're still alive, Zeref. I was afraid you'd died and I'd be alone for all of eternity."

She didn't have the wherewithal to stop him when his hands collected her face between them. Her heart quavered when his lips softly crushed hers, "I'll never leave you alone if you'll let me."

...

"LUCY!"

"WHAT?!"

"NASHI IS WALKING!"

Lucy ran into the other room to catch Natsu on the floor with their son with a massive grin on his face. His fingers were being grappled by their one year old who had a matching grin to his father. Lucy leaned against the doorway with a smile.

A knock came to the door around noon, the auburn girl on the other side of the door rocked on her heels while waiting and humming.

"Hey Vala, what's up?" Natsu looked around her silhouette with a disappointed scowl, "Where's my nephew?"

"Lisanna and Bixlow have him for an hour. I wanted to see if you guys could come with me to visit Zeref…?"

"Nashi just took his first steps so I don't think Luc-"

"We'll be right there! You go ahead and we'll catch up in a little bit." Lucy cut in, carrying their curious little boy on her hip. He reached out little hands to his aunt who tickled his foot with a smile as the boy squealed happily.

Vala always admired Lucy and Natsu since the moment she met them. They had a very special kind of love; you could see how much fun they had together. With a smile and a promise, Vala got on her way.

Tenrou Island was pretty far from banishment, but it was a safe place for Zeref to live away from the rest of the world. It had taken 5 years to convince Erza to let him live out his days there, but Vala could be very convincing. Or, at least Rose was. That little girl had the hugest crush on Vee and it worked to Vala's advantage more often than not.

Zeref tended to stay somewhat near the dock in case his wife and child decided to stop by. His eyes would light up and his entire demeanor would change at the sight of his little boy.

Vee loved to play with his little cousin, even though, in his own words, the infant was "bo-ring!"

Zeref was far too paranoid to try and have any more children, but Vala was wearing him down. That tenacity was the reason he fell in love with her to begin with, but he was terrified something might go wrong. He loved Vee more than he could express, but he couldn't imagine life without Vala. Not again.

With a bright grin, Zeref collected his wife from the boat into a lifted hug. She giggled and kissed his face. Natsu rolled his eyes behind them with Nashi on his shoulders, Lucy trailed behind with about a thousand pounds of baby supplies.

Their family was strange, but they'd made it through every rough shore imaginable. They'd survived death, and they'd survived wars. They'd been forgiving, and they'd been hateful. But at the end of the day, Zeref was able to look at Vala and tell her he loved her, that she was his salvation, and that he'd never let anything separate them again. Not for all eternity.