I do not own anything! Only.. Councilman Shinra. Well.. technically, the word 'shinra' isn't even mine. Sob sob..

Erza Scarlet never liked parties, especially the formal type. The corsets, the fake smiles, the holier-than-thou females of rich families who walked aloft on their petty misconceptions that they were the queens of the world; those things just didn't sit will with her. The redhead's definition of a good time on a Friday night included several rounds of beer, loud music, and the occasional game of strip poker with the gang. She stopped short and let a nostalgic smile tug at her lips. She missed her friends.

Taking a look around at the opulent surroundings she was in, she realized that Natsu and Gray would probably not feel at home here as well. She couldn't really account for Lucy, but then again, the girl was always full of surprises.

The day was November 30th, the occasion was the wedding reception of the daughter of Councilman Shinra. Erza had been sent as a representative to bring Fairy Tail's best wishes and to show their support to the Council since Master Markarov couldn't make it himself. The night had so far been successful, she had mingled with the right people, been seen with the right people and most importantly, said the politically correct things to the correct people.

Of course, Councilman Shinra had really outdone himself this time. The event took place in the grand ballroom of the most magnificent five star hotel in Magnolia. The massive space had been magically modified to appear like a winter wonderland. Roman inspired ice sculptures stood at the sides of the hall, the ceiling shrouded in draperies of white velvet and charmed to mirror the sky outside, which consequently rained down fine petals of snow and cherry blossom petals which evaporated over the heads of the unsuspecting guests below.

Raising the nearly empty champagne glass she held to her lips and draining its contents, nineteen year old Erza scanned the room out of the corners of her eye. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, she spun back to face the bar where she had parked herself since dinner had finished a mere half hour ago. The sudden whimsicalness had made her mood to mingle vanish into thin air, and she found that at times like these, alcohol was indeed, a good friend. The barman appeared in front of her holding a glass of beer. Placing it in front of Erza, he murmured

'Compliments from the gentleman in white' he nodded towards the other end of the bar where, a man around her own age gave her a flirtatious wink and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair.

He was good looking, she had to admit. But then again, so was she. She wasn't vain, she knew that much. But she realized long ago that her above average looks had drawn the eyes of many men in the past. The man in white who sat there at the corner of the bar had probably seen her long, flowing red hair, her plunging black sleeveless velvet gown with its ruby embellishments, and red hooker heels and probably thought he'd get lucky tonight.

Yeah right.

Smiling sweetly at Mr. White, she grabbed the glass of beer and drained it in one gulp. Never the lightweight herself, she slammed the glass down on the counter, gave him one final look and marched off in the opposite direction. Having bored herself and deciding she had spent too much time pretending to be what she was not, she decided to find the happy couple, give them their best wishes, and be on her way. With any luck, she won't have a hangover tomorrow morning.

In the middle of the crowd, surrounded by what seemed like his entire posse, Councilman Shinra was holding -well, for lack of a better word- council. He addressed the gathered crowd about the degrading state of the justice system with flamboyant waves of his arms. Each finger, Erza noted, had different colored ring on it. Rumor had it that each of those rings had a magical beast sealed in it. The redness of his cheeks and the dots of sweat on his brow indicated that he had long since given up his lucidness to the call of liquor.

Upon noticing the arrival of the young redhead, the Councilman exclaimed merrily and extended his flabby arms to Erza, enveloping her in a bear hug ; which was a feat in itself since the man was a foot shorter than her.

'Now this, my fellow men.. This is a fine example of future justice! Young, inspiring members of guilds, seeking the truth, never losing sight of the path of righteousness,' he announced loudly

'One day, my dear Titania, when you join us, we shall right this government, we shall show them how justice is meant to be dealt!'

Wary of the increasing jealous stares and whispers, Erza disengaged herself from the councilman and smiled politely.

'Indeed your grace, but there must surely be better candidates than me?'

'Ah nonsense! I never agreed to this elitist-aristocratic monarchy bullshit anyway' he replied happily

'The council needs more fresh blood such as yourself to make it prosper in years to come. Oh! And speak of the devil! There he is! Seig my boy!'

The councilman waved energetically to someone behind Erza's shoulder. Something lurched in her stomach and she fought down the urge to turn around sharply at the sound of that name. Suddenly becoming hyper-alert of everything around her, she drew in a steadying breath and turned around elegantly with a practiced smile on her features, praying that no one saw her moment of discomfort.

He was just as handsome as before. Even more so. Now clad in a black tuxedo with his hair slicked back, he drew not only her attention, but the stares and whispers of everyone in the room. His eyes, on the other hand, were focused on her alone. Those piercing dark orbs traced her figure hungrily as if memorizing her every detail. It might have been the alcohol, or it might have been her imagination, but she swore she saw him lick his lips, which made her mind plunge unwillingly into dark forbidden fantasies of red silk, blue roses and bare skin.

The loud boom of Councilman Shinra's voice brought her back to reality. Mentally berating herself for spacing out, she turned her attention back to the short blonde man as he greeted the newcomer just as warmly as he did with her.

'Miss Scarlet, may I introduce you to Master Seigrain. He is one of the newcomers to the council. He and Mistress Ultear have been breaking new ground in the fields of magical research and innovation. It's a shame that dear Ultear couldn't make it tonight isn't it?'

'It is' he replied effortlessly. With hands clasped behind his back and a pleasant expression on his face. 'Unfortunately, she had other matters to attend to'

'And Seig, my boy, I shall introduce you to Miss Erza 'Titania' Scarlet' , one of the most powerful mages in Fairy Tail and also, one of the most sought after women in Magnolia today,

She blushed furiously as Seigrain took her right hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He pressed a chaste kiss on her knuckles and flicking his eyes upwards to stare into hers, he said,

'It is without a doubt, a momentous privilege to meet a woman such as you. The rumors do not do your beauty any justice at all. In the circles I've roamed, they call you Aphrodite reborn,'

A hundred replies sprang to her lips at once 'Why did you leave the tower?' , 'How are my friends?' , 'What sick, twisted game are you playing now?,' but instead,

'Of course, we all know each other by many names. I find myself not being sure what to call you sometimes,'

'Indeed?' he asked, with a tinge of steel in his voice.

'Oh come now, children, play nice' boomed the councilman. 'Go on, talk.' He said, while waving the two youths away, Erza did not fail to notice the roguish wink the councilman gave Seig as they parted.

As if on cue, the magical instruments chose that precise movement to start up a merry melody. The blue haired man was just about to say something when a hand appeared on Seig's shoulder. Mr White stood there, a Cheshire smirk on his face.

'I'm afraid I'll have to steal her from you old chap' he said in an outlandish accent. 'All's fair in love and war innit?' 'And its not like you lack for choice yourself'

Of course Mr White was referring to the many ladies that had gathered around the trio, hoping to score a dance with one of the handsome gentlemen. However, Seig slid his arm around Erza's waist and she stiffened in shock.

'If this was war, you'd be dead, old chap' he said while leading Erza away. 'I saw her first,'

Before she had the chance to argue, Seig spun her into his arms and swayed them in the middle of the dance floor. She draped her arms on his shoulders experimentally but still maintaining a professional distance between them.

Several moments of silence passed before a deep chuckle resonated through his chest. The soft vibrations of his shoulders made her look up into his smoldering eyes.

'Why so serious?' he whispered in a horrible impersonation of Joker from Batman.

At that moment, she must've looked like the cat which ate the canary because he threw his head back and let out a bark of unsuppressed laughter. He then –on purpose, she decided- tightened his arms which coiled around her waist so that she was pressed closer to him.

She could smell his cologne, she could hear his heartbeat through his chest, she could even feel his warmth. This moment, was all she dreamed about for nights on end. And yet, she knew, this moment was wrong.

He had slowly steered them to an isolated corner of the dance floor. The lighting was dim and they were out of earshot of most people now.

'Why?' she asked, barely breathing out the question. Almost afraid to break the fragile passion of the moment. For she had decided, the moment he took her into his arms, she wanted to treasure this memory forever.

'Hmm?' came his non-committal reply

She pushed him away from her. Enough was enough. Pretending around the councilmen was one thing. Pretending to her was betrayal.

'Why this? Why now? Why you? And .. why me?'

He took her hand in his again and began to drag her away from the dance floor. Her whines and struggles were only met with the tightening of his grip and the quickening of his pace. When she finally wrested her bruised wrist from his arm, they were in an isolated corridor, half shrouded in darkness. The party seemed lightyears away as the faint hum and tinkle of music barely made its way to their ears.

'I want answers,' she said adamantly to his turned back. 'I want you to release my friends, I want-'

'What?' he answered stiffly, and she fell silent instantly. In that instant, she cursed herself for being so weak around him.

'There's always something you Fairy Tail people want isn't there?' he said, closing the gap between them.

'You want more jobs, you want more jewels, you want a bigger HQ, you just want everything don't you?,'

'This has nothing to do with the guild! This is personal , this is about us and-'

'Us?' he interrupted again 'So there's an "us" now? What happened to the traitor Erza who left the tower all those years ago? Wasn't it about "us" then as well?,'

Something in her eyes shifted. Setting her face in a determined frown, she stepped away from him and said

'Stay away from me Jellal'

In a flash, he was in front of her again, pinning her to the wall behind them with both arms encasing her sides, his lips mere inches from her ear.

'Oh Erza, my sweet, beautiful Erza,' he murmured softly 'Do you really think I can stay away from you so easily?'

His nose brushed the outer shell of her ear as his lips ghosted the surface of her neck, tempting her in slow seduction.

'I am your past, and I am your future, in life and even in death, we are bound to each other, '

Delicious shivers ran down her spine as he separated her legs with one of his. His right hand traced the contour of her shoulder and arm, his fingers splaying itself on her back, the other trailed down to her thigh, sliding under the fabric where the slit ended just above her knee.

In spite of that, she reigned the last of her self control and bit out,

'If this is some kind of sick game, if this is some kind of trick to get me back to that tower and Zeref-'

His hand, which had moved from her back to the base of her neck, suddenly grabbed a fistful of her fiery hair and jerked her head back painfully. She winced and looked up as he loomed over her viciously.

'Do not mention that name here,' he ordered. 'For your own safety more than mine. How would you like it to be caught whispering the taboo name of the dark sorceress who is feared by all?'

'And besides, the one who is casting spells here is you,' she widened her eyes, bewildered. But he continued on without interruption.

'From the moment you entered my shallow existence, all I have wanted was for you to be by my side. It was that wretched longing that drove me to such insanity as to be possessed by such-"

He drew in a breath as to calm himself down. Probably to not reveal more than he already did.

'In any case, if you find me so repulsive, then, undo this enchantment you have over me. Free me from the very thing that binds me to this earth, for I would gladly be released from this maddening desire that consumes my entire being every time I look at you!'

Tears stained the corners of her eyes as an overwhelming emotion built up in her throat.

'Then let us die together, Jellal, and find our peace and freedom in eternal rest'

'I sealed my fate when I let you leave that tower, woman. It is damnation I chose the moment I decided to spare your life,'

'Thank you, Jellal' she whispered.

It must've been the alcohol, it must've been her imagination, but until today, she has never felt a more passionate kiss than his, so full of emotion, so full of anger. She remembers his every touch as if it was burned into her memory. She remembers feeling his desire as he ground his hips against hers in that dark corridor. She vividly recalls him teleporting them to the bridal suite and barricading the door.

Despite her feeble protests, he undresses her without much effort as she does to him. They tumble onto the bed in a flurry of hands, legs, touches, moans and whimpers. He knows instinctively what to do, and how to please her. And she commits every one of their actions to memory, fearing this will be their last moment together.

And as they reach their peak together, him within her, her on top of him with the dominance she could never relent, a shuddering cry forces its way out of his throat and tears roll out of the corners of her eyes. It was their Nirvana. Their piece of heaven. Only between them. And whatever the future brought for them, they would at least have this moment to share.

Later that night, he spoons her in his arms. She is asleep, looking very much like an angel. He trails soft kisses down her arms and for the first time, feels complete. He realizes now, that she is his freedom . And wherever she is, there will be forgiveness for his deeds waiting in her arms.

'Please forgive me,' he whispers

He places his palm over her eyes and mutters an ancient spell. She squirms in her sleep and for a mere moment, her body is suffused with a green, magical glow. Seconds later, the spell is complete and she is asleep again, at peace, as if nothing had ever happened.

He regretfully wakes and dresses. He knows that when she wakes, she will not remember tonight. Not him, not the party, not even Mr White. And the next time he meets her, she will be his enemy again. The next time he meets her, he will give her to Zeref, and the Tower of Heaven will be complete.

As he opens the door to leave, he looks back on her sleeping figure. Temptation is too much for him to handle and he moves back to her and places a soft kiss on her lips.

She is his.

And as long as their hearts know that, he knows that they will never part. In life or even in death.

Please Please Review. You'll make me very happy