Note: It's that time of year again—happy birthday to my favorite sister! Sorry this is pretty short and last-minute, but to be fair, I wrote you another story too lol Anyway, feelings on weddings aside, Erza seems like the type who would take an interest. Maybe I got the idea from that time she bought a wedding dress and fought in it. Was that in one of the movies or something? I blame that.

It started when Erza was wandering down the street towards her favorite bakery, minding her own business, and spotted the beautiful lace dresses in the window of the new bridal shop that had opened up on the corner. Or maybe it started before that, when Zeref was defeated and Jellal had been pardoned but still hadn't come for her. Or maybe it was even earlier than that, when Jellal had told her, with the worst poker face in all of history, that he had a fiancée.

He had an imaginary fiancée, did he? An imaginary wedding in the works? Well, Erza would show him.

Although she had no wedding prospects in the foreseeable future, she marched right on in, the bell above the door tinkling merrily. Just to look around, she told herself. The dresses were pretty and awakening her latent girly instincts and she just wanted to ooh and aah a bit. Maybe she should go fetch Lucy. This seemed like something she would enjoy.

But she did not invite Lucy.

The girl behind the counter darted out to greet her, wild brown curls bouncing about her shoulders. "Can I help you, miss? Are you looking for a dress for your special day?"

Erza blinked at her owlishly for a moment and then gave her a radiant smile. "Why yes, I am. Maybe you can help me find the perfect dress."

Okay, maybe it was a teensy little lie, but it wasn't like it was hurting anything. The dresses were just so pretty and she was dying to feel the lace against her skin and admire herself in the mirror. It wasn't like she would actually be getting married any time soon, so she might as well make up an excuse to try the dresses now. When would she get another chance?

It was every bit as exciting as she had hoped, slipping in and out of half a dozen dresses with the shopkeeper's help and watching goggle-eyed in the mirror as the snow-white dresses transformed her into a fairytale bride. She hadn't grown up daydreaming about a future wedding like many girls had—the Tower had been no place for daydreams—but that didn't mean she hadn't thought about it once or twice. She knew she wanted to get married someday. She had dreamed about the dress and flowers and cake, and the groom at her side.

She was nowhere near attaining that now, but this was the perfect time to indulge in a little whimsy and fantasy. As the shopkeeper cooed over how pretty she looked in the dresses, Erza talked all about her imaginary wedding. She talked about the lilies and roses lining the walls, the huge catering spread, the scores of friends and family gathered around. They couldn't be here today, sadly, but she had come by herself to get a feel for her options before her mother and sister came back with her to pick out the final dress. Oh, and had she mentioned the cake? She had picked out the most beautiful design. It was strawberry, of course.

Erza threw herself into weaving the story with an excess of enthusiasm, chatting away gaily. The only thing she avoided talking about was the groom. Jellal kept springing to mind, and she didn't want to be thinking about him. She couldn't think of anyone else to choose or even what kind of person she would pick, so she was left with a hazy, unfocused image.

"He loves me," was all she said. "And I love him."

After all, that was the most important part, wasn't it?

She had so much fun that she accidentally bought a dress. It was just too perfect, and it had taken her breath away when she caught a glimpse of the lace wrapping around her body and draping to the floor, glittering against her pale skin and fire-bright hair. So what if she wasn't really getting married? She could still get a dress. She would need one someday. Hopefully, she thought acidly, before Jellal's imaginary fiancée needed hers.

In a fit of pique, she coughed up half a year's worth of jewels and took the dress. It was just too perfect—she didn't need to wait for her mother to come along. No, she didn't need alterations. She'd take it as is and worry about tailoring later if need be. Yes, she wanted it right now.

Leaving the bemused shopgirl blinking after her, Erza swept back out of the store, already stuffing the dress into her requip space. It wasn't like she was ever going to wear it again, honestly. Where would she possibly wear it to? But she had plenty of space to keep it, and maybe one day her impulsive buy would become useful.

She did her best to push the incident out of mind, because she felt a little silly about the whole thing. This would be her little secret.

She went to the bakery instead, since that was where she had been going anyway. She bought the biggest strawberry cake they had available, because she could. On the way back down the street, a window box of delicate pink and red tulips caught her eye. Glancing around surreptitiously, she juggled the heavy cake box and managed to grab a fistful of flowers. She liked flowers. They were pretty, and she had honestly spent way too much money today to actually buy some.

She hurried down the street with her cake and stolen tulips with the roots still dangling down, anxious that someone might stop her and ask what she had been doing. She wondered when she had turned into a miscreant like Natsu and Gray.

Maybe it was better to avoid social contact for now. She hurried through the city, passed a few stragglers on the outskirts, and slipped into the trees along the forest's edge. She could eat her cake out here in peace, without anyone giving her strange looks or her guildmates bothering her. It would be like a picnic.

But people wandered along the fringes of the woods sometimes, so she forged deeper. The team had just cleared the forest of bandits last week and Erza herself had taken care of an upstart group of vulcans harassing travelers not that long before, so it should be peaceful enough.

She drifted among the trees, the leaf litter crunching underfoot, and relaxed a little as she breathed in the fresh air. It was nice and warm and sunny, the perfect kind of day for a…picnic. The leafy trees stretched skyward and cast dappled shadows along the ground like lace, and wildflowers peeked out from behind the undergrowth in sprays of cheery color to rival her pilfered tulips. This was really a beautiful place, now that she was looking. The perfect kind of place for a…picnic.

After a few minutes of wandering around admiring the greenery and searching for glimpses of rabbits and squirrels darting along the ground, the already heavy cake box began to feel like a hundred pounds and she decided it was time to pick a spot already. Her arms had grown tired long before, but she resolved to stick it out for just a minute longer. She was sure the perfect picnic spot was just around the corner.

And she was right! Wrestling the box through a particularly thick tangle of undergrowth and tight-knit tree trunks, she stepped into a clearing. It wasn't terribly big, but there was a large, relatively flat stone that she could set her cake on and there were pretty purple and red wildflowers sprinkled about the shrubs along the edges and the sun shone bright overhead, unfazed by the trees ringing the clearing.

Erza grinned, pleased to have discovered such a wonderful spot. She put the box down and flipped open the lid to reveal the delicious cake inside, but then hesitated as she stared down at it. There was an itch tickling at the back of her mind and running along her body, and for once it was one cake couldn't fix on its own.

"Oh, fine," she said with a huff.

Closing the lid, she pulled herself back to her feet, closed her eyes, and requipped into her wedding gown. It was a little too long and a bit tight across the chest since she hadn't waited for alterations, but it didn't matter. The silk and lace whispered along her skin, and the breeze set her gauzy veil fluttering. She clutched her tulips to her chest and kept her eyes firmly closed as she carefully set the scene in her mind.

She could imagine everyone lining the aisle, beaming and wriggling with excitement as they admired her. She could imagine the elaborate plans that had been laid for the wedding and reception. It was all there.

She stepped forward, the hem of her dress rustling along the leaves littering the ground. Someone was supposed to walk with her up the aisle, right? Her father was long gone, though. Less than a memory. The Master, maybe? She offered her arm to her imaginary escort, before realizing that Makarov was painfully short—or, occasionally, enormously humongous—and she would have to bend over awkwardly to make it work. Not exactly the elegant picture she was going for. But since this wasn't a real wedding anyway, she just pretended he was a little bit taller.

She opened her eyes just in time to avoid walking straight into a tree on the other side of the clearing and decided this would be the altar. Closing her eyes again, she imagined her groom smiling across at her, his–

No, no, no! She shook her head sharply to clear out the image of Jellal. He wasn't here. He could have his own imaginary wedding; this was hers. She was left with that hazy image again, a blank space where a person should be. She didn't bother trying to figure out who should go there—it was enough work making sure Jellal didn't encroach on it.

She focused instead on the ceremony, and that was when she came to the realization that she didn't really know much about the specifics of weddings at all.

She guessed at the words as best she could, speaking them out loud as she made them up on the spot. She struggled through, blurting out phrases she knew from stories and skipping over all the parts she didn't know or making up words to fill in the gaps. There were supposed to be vows too. What should she–?

"Erza?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. Her eyes flew open and she whipped around to see Gray standing a few feet behind her, staring at her like she had lost her mind.

"Gray?" she squeaked. Blood rushed to her face as she realized he had stumbled across her dressed in a wedding gown in the middle of the forest, mumbling nonsensical bits of marriage vows under her breath. "What are you doing here?"

"I was out on a job," he said slowly, still gaping at her with wide eyes. "I was taking the shortcut through the forest on my way back. You know that path that leads all the way through? You're actually right next to it. I thought I heard you and came to investigate. I didn't realize you were, uh…"

"I didn't realize," Erza said faintly. Perfect spot indeed. "It's not what it looks like, it's–"

"It's not your wedding?" Gray scratched at his head and gave her a smile that was equal parts bemusement and amusement. "I think you forgot to send out the invitations."

"It's not like that," she repeated. "I was just…practicing."

"Practicing?" One of Gray's eyebrows crept up his forehead and nearly disappeared beneath a fringe of dark hair. "Did Jellal finally suck it up and propose?"

All the breath whooshed out of Ezra's lungs and her face fell. "No," she mumbled. "He hasn't. I'm practicing letting go."

Gray blinked at her, face screwed up in confusion. "But–"

"He hasn't come for me," she said with a sigh, wrapping her arms across her stomach and staring down at the fistful of drooping tulips dropping bits of dirt on her pristine dress. "He's been pardoned, but he still hasn't come. And he might never. And even if he does, do I really want to be waiting around on him forever?

"He's not here. I'm not practicing my wedding to him—I'm practicing marrying someone else."

Gray's mouth opened and closed a few times and his whole face scrunched up. "That's…kind of weird."

"I guess so," Erza mumbled, staring at the ground.

The dress had made her feel powerful, like a strong, independent woman taking control of her own future instead of pining away for a man who might never come back, but now she felt small and silly, like a little girl playing dress-up in the woods. She didn't know what she had hoped to accomplish with this ridiculous display.

A pale hand intruded on her field of vision, and she started in surprise and looked up to see Gray holding out his hand to her, one eyebrow still cocked.

"Well, since your groom was inconsiderate enough to miss the wedding, may I have the first dance?"

She stared. "But I thought you thought it was strange."

"I do," he said with a shrug. "But I don't have to understand, do I? I just have to support you, whether I understand your reasons or not. If it's important to you and you're important to me…"

Erza swallowed hard. That was possibly the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. She realized suddenly how much she really wanted that, in a friend or lover or, maybe someday, a husband. Someone who would love her quirks and all, no matter how silly or annoying some of them might be, and someone for whom she could do the same in return.

"Okay," she said, clearing her throat and accepting his hand. "You may."

Her sense of rhythm was totally directionless without music to accompany it, but she attacked the task with as much enthusiasm as she gave anything else. She quickly took the lead, because someone had to and she didn't much trust in Gray's ability to dance. She was pleasantly surprised when he followed along easily, with more grace than she would have expected from him.

"I didn't know you could dance," she said.

He smiled sheepishly. "Not very well, anyway."

He punctuated the admission by stepping on the hem of her dress and leaving a muddy bootprint stamped across the white lace.

"Gray!" Erza screeched.

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Now my dress is all dirty!"

"I mean…you've been dragging it through the dirt the whole time, you know. It's too long to be running around the woods in."

Erza frowned at the stained hem of her dress in dismay, noticing the dirt and leaves caught in the fabric. "Oh, bother. I'll have to wash it."

"Make sure you bring it to the dry cleaner's."

"Why?"

"You can't just wash it like normal clothes. It's too delicate."

"Really?"

Gray snorted. "Oh, Erza. It's a good thing you're practicing in advance."

Erza grumbled but let it go. She could deal with that later. She led them twirling around the clearing one more time before coming to a stop and looking up at Gray innocently.

"You may now kiss the bride," she said.

Gray's eyes went as big as saucers and his face turned a most satisfying shade of red. "Wh-what?" he sputtered.

"It's part of the wedding ceremony," she explained seriously.

"B-but–! I don't– We don't– That's not even supposed to happen now. You can't really think–"

The smile struggling at the corners of her lips finally broke free, and she couldn't help but laugh. "The look on your face!" she chortled.

Gray stared at her blankly and then relaxed visibly. "I can never tell when you're serious and when you're just messing around," he muttered.

"Silly," she said with a chuckle. "Let's eat cake."

She produced forks and a knife from her requip space—she was always prepared for cake—and carved apart the confection with gusto despite Gray's grumblings that her cake was too sweet and he didn't want any. He was just crazy.

She was halfway through her second slice when Gray interrupted.

"Erza?"

"Hm?" She turned just in time to get half a piece of cake smashed directly into her face. "H-hey!"

Gray cackled smugly as she spluttered and scrubbed at her face. "Payback."

"How dare you waste perfectly good cake? Ah, don't let it ruin my dress!"

"Here, here."

Gray gallantly sacrificed his shirt to be a makeshift napkin and managed to save her dress from any pink stains. Erza finished her piece in a huff and carefully packed away the rest of the cake.

"I guess we should head back to the guild," she said.

"Probably," Gray agreed. "But aren't you forgetting something?"

Erza followed his gaze down to the dress and sighed. Yeah, it was better not to wear that into the guild, but she found herself strangely reluctant to take it off. She felt like she had set out to accomplish something today, to prove something to herself, and although she had definitely achieved something, it felt like she was still missing something as well. But maybe whatever that was wasn't something a pretty dress could fix, but something she needed to accomplish herself.

She requipped back to her usual clothes and felt like a normal, ordinary girl out in the woods on a normal, ordinary day. The magic was gone. Actually, hadn't she felt a bit silly from the get-go? When had that changed? Sometime after Gray had shown up, she supposed. They had been so busy teasing and laughing and even just taking each other seriously that she had forgotten to be embarrassed.

"Here." Gray offered her the bouquet of tulips that she had abandoned nearby when cake became the highest priority. It had somehow lost the roots and clumps of dirt dangling from the stems and gained a small collection of wildflowers peeking from between the petals. "May I kiss the bride now?"

"H-huh?" Erza searched his face and found his dark eyes thoroughly unreadable. Her hands tightened around the cluster of stems he'd handed her. "Okay."

She wasn't sure what to expect from this either. She didn't know why he had asked or why she had accepted, what he intended or what she did. Her heart thumped against her chest like hummingbird wings and she had a hard time swallowing past her dry throat. What did it mean?

Gray leaned down, and Erza swore her heart stopped beating. He kissed her on the cheek and leaned back, and she wasn't sure whether she was disappointed or relieved.

"You're a wonderful woman," Gray said solemnly, dark eyes glittering. "You deserve someone who will love you just the way you are and treat you like a queen. And I'm sure you'll find someone one day, whether it's Jellal or not. You aren't ready yet, but you will be someday and then you'll find what you're looking for. Who knows? Maybe you already have and just haven't realized it yet. It will happen one day. Now, let's head back."

He bent over to scoop up the cake box and headed off without a backwards look, presumably towards the path and back to the guild. Erza stared after him.

He was right: she wasn't ready. This had been a gesture, a good start for letting go, but she wasn't entirely ready to move on just yet. But she would be, someday. She hoped Gray was right and she would get that chance.

She followed after him, but only made it a few steps before stopping in her tracks. "Maybe you already have," he had said. She lifted her hand to her cheek and brushed her fingers along the place his lips had touched. Could it be…?

A smile broke out on her face as she hurried after his retreating form again. Letting go of Jellal was closing one door firmly shut behind her, but it wasn't the end. It was already starting to crack open dozens of new doors, and she could only imagine the possibilities. Maybe she wasn't quite ready yet, but someday…

Someday soon she would like to have a proper wedding, with her friends and guild and husband. And who knew what the future held? All things considered, Gray hadn't been a half-bad groom.