I really don't have a reason for not posting this sooner considering I left it sitting in the Doc Manager tab, but in my defense, I graduate college in two days and I had quite a few things going on up until now.

Fluff alert - it may or may not be pretty corny. And don't forget to enjoy the block of text called an authors note at the end.

I apologize for the lack of snarky chapter title.

Chapter 22 - "The Wedding (or, "The Last Chapter")

"COOOOOOOOLLLL!"

The familiar sound of everyone's "favorite" reporter rings out in time to the snaps of his camera. It was Erza Scarlet's wedding, and it was the hottest story Sorcerer Weekly had had in awhile. Erza had generously allowed the irritating reporter to take pictures and conduct interviews for an hour before the ceremony, but had kicked him and all other reporters out of the magnificent cathedral before the wedding could start.

It was a truly beautiful ceremony – while it's certain that Jellal would have preferred a small, quiet affair, Erza's tendency for the Dramatic (combined with the obsessiveness of Mirajane and the overall exaggeration Fairy Tail brings to everything it's involved in) resulted in a very extravagant ceremony. And when a new reporter tried to sneak behind the scenes a few minutes before the ceremony, the poor young man was met with Maid of Honor Mira (In Satan Soul), Best Lady Meredy (Who literally glowed with threatening energy), and, worst of all, A furious Erza. Between the three of them, the reporter was expulsed from the area and curled up sobbing.

The wonder in the former felon's eyes sparkled for all to see when his scarlet haired beauty stepped into view, her majestic dress trailing behind her and a sniffling, tuxedo'ed Makarov walking her. On the groom's side stood Meredy as the uncommon "Best Lady", dressed in a gorgeous dress with the addition of a bowtie, along with the Groomsmen – Laxus, Gajeel, Natsu, Gray, and Cobra. On the bride's side stood Mira in a complimenting style of dress to Meredy, as well as the Bridesmaids – Lucy, Levy, Lisanna, Milliana (to Juvia's dismay), and Wendy. The wind and poison slayers had almost immediately fallen into the same Older Brother/Little Sister relationship Wendy had with all of the other Fairy Tail slayers, proving that the small dragon could charm anyone.

The ceremony itself lasted around half an hour, and the joy between the Bride and Groom was so palpable that everyone could not help but tear up. Including Laxus and Gajeel, an occurrence that all wordlessly agreed to give each other a pass for.

"Erza Scarlet," Jellall began his vows. "You have always been my light. Even when lost in darkness, it was you who brought me back. I always believed we walked separate paths – me in the dark, and you in the light. Being here today is something I thought I would only be able to dream of. You've taught me my own worth, my own power. And I now accept that you were always right. Our paths have always been intertwined, and you've made me see that – No longer will I hide from my true feelings. I am stronger with you. And I will walk with you wherever you go." His hand only shake alittle as they gently slide the ring upon her finger, and she smiles brighter than ever before.

"Jellal Fernandez," Erza began, her eyes misty. "I've always seen you as you truly are – a wonderful man. We can never get back the time lost to dark magic, but know that I've always believed we were meant to be. Our paths were always intertwined. And you may think you walk in the dark, but it has never mattered to me. Because I will walk with you anywhere. No matter how dark the night gets, know that I will always be at your side. No matter the battle, you can always count on my sword. Together we can overcome anything, and I will love you through every obstacle." As her dainty but powerful hands slide the ring on his finger, an identically bright smile stretches across the bluenettes face, his eyes crinkling and his tattoo scrunching up.

Richard sobs loudly from his place in the congregation, a misty eyed Racer elbowing him to try and quiet him.

"Do you, Jellal Fernandes, take Erza Scarlet to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, til death do you part?"

"I do," Jellal breathed in wonder.

"Do you, Erza Scarlet, take Jellal Fernandes to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, til death do you part?"

Erza nods enthusiastically and the priest hesitates. "I need you to actually say 'I do'," he prods. Erza blushes bright red.

"I-I do," she mumbles through her grin.

"Then I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss- okay," the priest breaks off awkwardly as Jellal and Erza immediately step towards each other and passionately kiss before he even finishes his announcement. Cheers and applause ring out through the space, with some woops from a few certain pervs (Cana, Bickslow, Bacchus, Sting, and Cobra to name a few). The couple breaks apart breathlessly and turns to run down the aisle hand in hand, giant goofy grins on their faces.

At the reception, things kept surprisingly tame just long enough for the newly-weds to have their first dance. But after that final important moment, the party really let loose. It took place at the Fairy Tial guild hall, with the main doors wide open and an outside area set up to increase the amount of space. It was almost as big of a party as the Royal Ball – a revelation that brought a blush to Lucy's cheeks. The alcohol flowed freely, a feat that given the inclusion of both Cana AND Bacchus, meant that Master would be feeling the effects of that particular bill for awhile.

Jason was the only reporter officially allowed inside the party (although others tried their best to sneak in, only to find some rather harsh runes set up by Freed and Levy), and his "COOOOL!" catchphrase rang out periodically. His pencil scratched furiously in his notebook, his camera doing its best to capture as much as possible – luckily Erza had the foresight to have him sign a contract giving her and Jellal the power of veto to go over the content he gathered.

More than a few pictures were taken of Lucy and Laxus in various forms of (for them at least) appropriate levels of PDA. It seemed the reporter was determined to document every single couple at the party. When the sun had been down for a few hours, and almost everyone was drunk, even the enthusiastic journalist called it a day for his work and joined the festivities. Mira immediately took advantage of this by coaxing all the secret gossip she could out of the poor drunken sap. At one point, after one too many heated caresses on the dancefloor between the "blonde powercouple" (as dubbed by Jason), the couple tried to sneak away to the storeroom only to find it locked with a large sign on it that read "DO NOT ENTER. THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO HAVE SEX."

Lucy blushed bright red and bit her lip. Laxus snorted and pushed harder only for the sign to switch its letter around to read "THAT MEANS YOU LAXUS AND LUCY. NO INTERCOURSE ON PARTY GROUNDS." Lucy "eeped" in embarrassment and stiffly walked back to the main party area, Laxus guffawing behind her.

The Lightning Slayer kissed the top of her head and slipped away to grab some fresh drinks. Lucy smiled at his retreating form, winking at him when he glanced back over his shoulder. She took a seat at a table and stretched. With an exhausted groan Gray flopped down in the seat next to her, his shirt and coat gone but his pants and bowtie still in place. She snickered.

"Ugh, I'm not sure how much more dancing I can do!" he gripes, but the goofy grin on his face and liquor on his breath testify that he was enjoying himself just fine.

"Juvia wearing you out?" she teased and he grinned dopily before seemingly catching himself and trying to hide it.

"Of course not! I mean… maybe," he admits.

"Good to see you finally giving her a chance," she smiles. Gray grins sheepishly.

"Hey Ice Princess!" Natsu sat down on the opposite side of Lucy, grinning brightly. "Hey Luce! You two taking a break as well?" he cheerfully chirped. His coat was gone and his dress shirt was unbuttoned about halfway with his scarf wrapped around his head like a bandanna. He flashed a toothy grin at his mate across the room, who blushed and waved back before returning to listening to the gossip her sister was prying out of Jason.

"Natsu, I don't know if I can eat anymore fish," came Happy's groaning voice as he flops down on the table, belly plump and a half-eaten fish in his paws. Natsu looked at him.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'll make sure I save some so you can finish tomorrow!" he says, gently rubbing the cat's belly. Happy giggles and squirms at the action.

"Hey guys!" Wendy's tired voice announced her arrival as she flopped down and almost immediately dozed off with her head on the table. A tutting Carla floats over to land next to her.

"Oh child, it's much too late! You should be going to bed now!" she scolds half-heartedly. Wendy smiles.

"Just a little longer, Carla!" she whines.

"Yea, let her live a little, Carla!" Natsu pipes up. Wendy smiles at him gratefully and he pats her on the head.

"I'm not sure why I'm surprised at how big this party is," Erza sighed, pulling up a chair to join the rest of Team Natsu, her wedding dress more manageable without the long train but no less gorgeous.

"Of course it's big! You're Erza!" Natsu exclaims happily. Gray nods.

"He's right. You deserve the best," he adds in a rare show of getting along.

"Yea we haven't even fought once this whole time just for you!" Natsu boasts. Erza raises an eyebrow.

"And why would you two fight? You're best friends aren't you?" she says lowly, eyes flashing. The fire and ice mages freeze and suddenly are sitting next to each other with arms around each other's shoulder's awkwardly.

"Oh yea! He's just joking! He's such a kidder!" Gray squeaks.

"Yea, you know me! I'm a jokester! Of course we're best friends! And we never fight ever!" Natsu croaks. Lucy, Wendy, and the Exceeds sweatdrop at the display. She knows exactly what she's doing, Lucy thinks to herself in amusement.

The celestial mage takes a moment to sit back and watch her friends bicker and banter just like always, a contented sigh escaping her. A lot has changed since the beginning. Gone are the innocent days of old. Now, she's mated to a powerful S-Class Dragonslayer. Natsu's matured and mated to his childhood friend, his naivety dead along with his father. Gray has confronted demons he never thought he had, Wendy is more powerful than she ever thought she could be, and Erza is getting the closest possible thing to a happy ending she ever could have dreamed of. They've all matured through loss and hardship… and yet here they all are, a team through everything.

And even though everything else has changed, she doesn't think that ever will.

Laxus comes up behind her and hands her a fresh drink, something fruity that hardly burns at all. She looks up into his stormy eyes and smiles warmly. Yes, much has changed, but at the end of the day, it's still Fairy Tail. And there will always be more adventures to be had.

"Wanna join me on the dance floor, Blondie?" he croons, eyes smoldering and hand outstretched. She smirks and finished her drink swiftly, placing her dainty hand in his.

"Lead the way, Sparky."

D'awww.

Fear not my friends, the sequel is coming soon (update: I'll post the first chapter tonight cuz I forgot this final chapter in the doc manager tab for far longer than I ever should have)! But it is a crossover with Harry Potter. I need to stress this because that means you'll actually have to look in the Fairy Tail/ Harry Potter Crossover section. Cue ironically dramatic comedy voiceover (you know the one. You know exactly the voice I'm talking about.)

Enjoyable scenes to look forward to: A confused Order of the Pheonix. Aes rather eventful sorting ceremony. Surprise visits from Virgo at inopportune times. A very confused slytherin house and an excessively innocent-seeming Mirajane. A sexy tryst that occurs in a particular bathroom. A pissed off Moaning Myrtle chasing an embarassed and uncomfortable Jellal around said bathroom. A staring contest between Laxus and Crookshanks. Bickslow teaming up with a certain pair of twins to combine their pranking forces into one unstoppable force of havoc. A confrontation between Natsu and a sentient tree. An incident in which the dragonslayers all get trapped on a moving staircase, unable to escape from their own motion sickness. The delightful shenanigans of a drunken Cana trying to teach Divination. And so much more. Oh and sex. A pretty decent helping of sex. After all, do you really think Laxus will be able to resist Lucy in a schoolgirl outfit? Every. Single. Day? While surrounded by hormonal, pervy teenage boys?

Such fun such fun.

As for the still enjoyable, yet more serious/dramatic scenes (Cue ominous music): Instances of racism, both subtle and overt. A boggart opening up old wounds. A forbidden romance between star-crossed lovers, destined to burn. The dark realities of a prejudiced Wizarding World, at the brink of war. The begginings of a genocide. A dark lord finding power in a mysterious stranger, cloaked in death. A sense of morals that falters into shades of gray. Do the ends justify the means? Just how deep can hatred run?

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN.

(No but seriously it takes place during sixth year/Half Blood Prince, so it's pretty far into that darkness that slowly grew over the course of the series. And if you haven't read Harry Potter for some unknown reason... Go do it. Right now, dammit. There's a reason it's so fucking popular. And you're going to need at least basic understanding if you want the full enjoyment of the sequel.)

Stay tuned! :D