It is now the time my readers. Time to send off this story. I made this chapter a long one with time skips. Hope you all enjoy. It's very fluffy. Thank you for reading this. It had been a long five months. At least for this writer. I've enjoyed writing for you all and I am very happy that this story has gotten so much love. Really, nothing better than checking my email to see that people have reviewed, favorited and followed the story or even me. I hope to bring more erlu and other fairy tail girls stories soon. Actually have a few ideas...but you can PM with ideas and I'll put them in my to-do. Enjoy my lovelies!

Year X804

Morning came early in the Scarlet-Heartfilia residence. Two years they had been living together. Two years they had been girlfriends. What woke them? It was not the fact Erza always rose early to train and it was not Lucy's many failed attempts to beat her girlfriend to rising and making breakfast for their little family of them and Ember.

"Mommy! Momma!" Ember jeered and jumped onto their bed. "It's today! Today!" The five-year-old roused her "mothers" with her usual way when they slept in on their only day off in the week. Lucky for them, that day was the same for them, and it went to their little girl and their significant other.

Erza groaned and grabbed the girl, yanking her off from jumping on her legs and laying her in the space between her and Lucy. "Five more minutes," Lucy muttered and cuddled up to the two on her right.

"But it's Fantasia!"

"Yes indeed! Your first year on a float!" Erza got out of bed and whisked Ember off the bed. "You'll be up there with your daddy. Just be cautious around his flames."

"I know." Ember pouted. She perked up quickly, her mind going to other things quite quickly. "What will you be doing momma?" The girl had come to understand the situation her parents were in. She already loved Erza like family so the adjustment was not as traumatic as Lucy and Natsu feared. She had grown to be a daddy's girl, though. She currently was learning to use elemental magic, being taught by members of the guild to use flame magic (Natsu was elated to pass on his knowledge), water magic along with ice magic (Juvia happily took Ember in as one of her pupils along with her daughter Yuki and Gray put up little fight to be a teacher to Ember, due to Erza's persuasion skills), wind magic (Wendy adored having a student) , and iron magic (Gajeel just wanted to piss of Salamander by teaching his daughter the ropes of the craft and the kid had the puppy dog eyes down pat). Ember was a strong child, with her parents being "Salamander" Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia, the strongest celestial wizard that was alive, but she still had ways to go like any young wizard.

Natsu and Lucy eventually grew back together. There was always moments there was the tenseness, the lingering rawness that their separation caused. Still they kept their promise to Ember to never be unable to be around the other. Natsu had a new mate named Willow and had given his blessing to Erza to be with his former wife.

"You know my dear," Erza whispered softly to Ember before sending the girl out. She grabbed her clothes for the day. "You ready for this?"

"Doesn't matter if I am; we've been doing this parade for years." Lucy got up and stretched, grunting as her spine cracked. "Damn it, I'm only twenty-nine, why do I feel so old?" she grumbled.

"If you trained with me you'd be more limber."

"Well not everyone is a health nut like you." Lucy glared as she grabbed her clothes.

"Pfft, I eat cake every day. That isn't exactly healthy!" Erza cackled and kissed Lucy's cheek. "But I do try."

"Are you saying I don't try?"

Fuck. "No! You're beautiful," Erza said quickly and hastily buttoned up her blouse. "I just have to do more training since I sit around most of the day for my job and you actually have to take missions and such. You try but not in the way I do!"

Lucy grinned, amused by the loss of composure on her girlfriend's part. "Why thank you, Erza." She kissed Erza's cheek as a tick appeared on the knight's forehead. She took off her pajamas and grabbed her clothes. She silently got dressed, her mind wandering to her routine she would be doing upon her float.

"Why you were messing with me. You scared me, you twerp." Erza grabbed Lucy, who was halfway through getting dressed, for she was clad only in a skirt and undergarments, and pinned her down onto the bed.

Lucy gasped in surprise and blushed. "Erza!"

"This feels like last night," Erza teased. "You are quite cute like this."

"Shut up you perv," Lucy grumbled as she looked away to hide the blush blossoming over her cheeks.

"Come on baby, let's have the fun we had the night before. I'll get the candles!" Erza cheered.

"Erza!" Lucy squeaked and squirmed in Erza's strong grasp. She gazed up at her smirking lover, the fight in her dying. "Erza…"This time, the name fell from her mouth it dripped with a voice of love and need. The lips that formed the word longed, but in a second later they were fulfilled. Their kiss was passionate yet brief, them being cut off when Ember called from down the hall. Erza got up and went to help the girl get changed into her costume.

Ember stared into her mirror as Erza pulled the zipper up on her dress. "You sure this is okay with you, sweetie?" Erza asked.

"Mommy's happy with you." Ember nodded her head. "It's okay." She turned around and hugged Erza.

"Thank you, sweetie," Erza whispered softly. When their relationship started, Lucy stated that she would always put her daughter above all else. Erza knew that any serious steps that happened, Lucy made sure her daughter was okay. She made sure she was okay with moving in with Erza, she made sure Ember would ever want Erza to be another mother figure to her before Erza filed for adoption and in the recent weeks, Erza made sure Ember was okay with what was to happen today. She never thought it could actually happen, but recent news allowed her to put together the final pieces of her life together. She knew that it all fit so perfectly.

"Make her happy, momma. Be like Elise." Ember was referencing the story her mother had found years ago. Lucy had found a book among the spoils of her childhood home. It was a book her mother read her called A Golden Heart and Scarlet Passion. Lucy had only told her mother that she found herself liking girls during her time while in the Heartfilia household. Of course, one would never take a child's declaration seriously, but Layla had. She read her daughter stories in which she found where it was the typical fairy tale but with a female knight or princess. One of Lucy's favorites was the story she rediscovered. It was the story of a young princess, named Lucille, who was put up to given away to the man to rise from a series of duels. Amongst the number of lords, kings and princes, a single farmer with rusting armor and an ass of a steed rose victorious. Upon removing the helmet, it was seen it was a woman by the name of Elise, who had a sea of red silk for hair and beauty equal to her ability. The princess took her nonetheless, saying that the woman was strong and courageous enough to run the kingdom and take her hand in marriage. In the end, the knight that was never of noble class prior married the princess, wearing beautiful armor befitting her skill and beauty. It was quite amusing to Lucy that she had ended up with essentially a real-life Elise.

"I will." Erza chuckled at the reference. "And making her happy? That's all I ever want to do." Erza kisses Ember's forehead before the girl runs out. She smiled and stood up. She requipped into her armor and walked out, heading to the guild. She had some last minute arrangements.

Lucy stared up as she maneuvered her keys with practiced precision. She was in her Aries form and used her wool skills to create clouds of wool in different shapes. She heard the roars and cheers. She could hear the blasts as different types of magic were cast. She looked back at saw the float where Ember was with her father. Natsu skillfully controlled his flames, making it move as if it were alive, making it whip around and move. He had shaped a dragon and it flew, so excellent in flight. She saw it nearly die and dip when the flames were taken by Ember, creating an illusion of it tucking away in hiding, but Natsu would take it back, creating the inferno again. Lucy couldn't help feel her chest swell with pride upon seeing her daughter control it, even if it lacked power at times. She gazed back in front of her. She saw the front float where Erza was. She saw the dancing swords and the beautiful polished armor her lover wore. Her knight was in one of her best forms. To the public eye, she was so perfect, and Lucy knew the perfection to be true.

She felt her float stop and looked around anxiously. She saw Erza dismount from her float and requip into an armor she had only read about. It was a plated armor, allow Erza to move with grace. It was a polish color and had inlays of red within the metal, curling over Erza's chest plate to create an emblem. It was armor so perfect, what you would imagine Joan of Arc to wear. She walked with a purposeful stride and was sure. She was a scarlet knight with a motive, the woman of a princess's dream. Just like in the story…what is she planning? Lucy blushed as Erza drew closer. She looked around at her comrades and saw a few had amused smirks. She saw ice puppets surround Erza that were courtesy of Gray. They looked like King Elliot, the arrogant young king who fought for Lucille's hand and was taken down first by Elise; Lord Vicent, the nobleman who ran the trade of the country who was a drunkard and violent; and last of all, there was Prince Dante, the exotic man from a faraway land with skin like argan oil who seemed almost perfect besides his disinterest in it all. Best of all is when Erza drew her broadsword and took a battle stance.

Lucy laughed at Erza taking down each puppet and felt tears of joy spill down her cheeks, releasing the happiness swelling and overfilling her heart. She looked up and saw fireworks caused by different magic types: fire, ice, exploding rounds that let out a luminescent light, the word 'fireworks' exploding upon reaching the sky and creating it, and several others making it feel like they were countless stars or even a thousand little suns that had daylight of only a moment.

Erza hops up onto the float and looks down at Lucy. "My love, you've always had my heart. I always wanted to be with you. I've wanted to ask you this for years. I didn't know how to ask. All I knew is that it had to worthy of you and be what you dreamed up. You always dreamed of having a knight to sweep you off your feet after fighting for your heart. I like to think I've put up enough of a fight and can try to fit the mold."

Lucy smiled at her and wanted nothing more than to tell her that she was exactly all Lucy could ever want. She wrapped her arms around Erza's neck and tried to kiss her but was stopped by an armored finger being pressed to her lips. "No, not yet," Erza whispered. She pulled a small box from a pouch on her belt. She knelt down onto one knee and opened the box. The citrine diamond on the ring sparkled under the bursting lights. "Will-"

"Yes."

"Let me finish." Erza chuckled and tried to speak. "Will you-"

"Yes." Lucy covered her mouth. She laughed and sobbed. She could not help it. This was just all too embarrassing and beautiful.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes. Yes! Of course, I will." Lucy yanked Erza into a kiss. It felt like a moment where they were blocked from reality. The roars were deafening but they did not seem at all bothered. They were finally to a new chapter of their lives, leaving the chapter they felt had been given too many pages.

Year X805

"Damn it, this is too big…"Erza grumbled. She felt like a child wearing their father's coat. This tux was perfectly fitting a month ago! She sighed and took off her jacket. She adjusted her vest and straightened her bowtie. She flinched when she heard Mira walk in. She turned and saw the woman who wore a purple dress and following her was Juvia, who wore a blue dress. Erza knew that Cana wore a green dress, Lisanna wore a yellow dress, Levy wore an orange dress, and Wendy wore a red dress. Their bridesmaids picked rainbow dresses (Mira insisted it was just sooo cute. Lesbian wedding and rainbow dresses. So original.)

"You okay, Erza-san?" Juvia asked.

"It doesn't fit! What could've happened to it?"

"Of course not, you got Gray's coat," Mira giggled and picked it up. Gray was giving Lucy away (last time it was Makarov, but rest his soul) and thus he wore a suit. A month ago he and Erza went to the tailor together. They were at the cleaners up until this morning. So they got…mixed up.

"God fucking dammit." Erza grabbed the jacket Juvia held out to her. She slipped it on and relaxed. She rubbed over the jacket, feeling the softness of it. "Yes this is it. It's perfect and comfortable. I'm so stupid."

"Oh Erza, why did you wear a tux? I thought you always have had a wedding dress in your requip," Mira mused.

"…Lucy finds tuxes sexy." Erza blushed and pulled her shirt cuffs out of inside her coat a bit.

"They do have their charm. Juvia finds Gray-sama very handsome in a tux." Juvia blushed.

"You find him sexy in anything," Erza sighed.

"Very much so." Juvia ran out to go find her husband and get him his jacket. She also had to make sure he did not strip out of the rest of his suit.

Mira looked at Erza. "So…how are you doing? You're getting married!"

Erza sat in a chair and looked at her lifelong friend. "Honestly? I'm completely fine. I would've rather done this a year ago. I bought her engagement ring when we had just moved in together almost three years ago."

"It took you three years to grow a pair and ask her? You, the Titania?"

"It's scary! You wouldn't know. You still haven't ever been married," Erza spat.

"Shh, let's not get frazzled." Mira stroked Erza's back. "You're about to marry the love of your life. Don't start a ruckus."

"You're right," Erza sighed. She shyly confessed what clouded her mind and made her stomach feel twisted. "I'm a bit nervous, okay? I mean what if she regrets being with me? What if she's already gone-"Erza felt a small slap graze her left cheek, adding to the nervous flush, taking the tickled pink to a vermillion red.

"Erza, your doubts are so fucking stupid," Mira snapped, her face darkened by a glare. Erza recalled seeing the hints of her scar from her Satan Soul form starting to appear on Mira's face.

"But-"

"Not buts! She loves you. You've been together for three years. If she had doubts, you think she would've tossed away the steady family life she had to risk losing her daughter? No. She could've discarded you and said no love is so sweet to be worth that. Every doubt has been left and all you have is to see the final moments of her being a Heartfilia again. She'll be a Scarlet come that sealing kiss. Be happy and erase every doubt and fear. I know this love is here to last. I always knew you two would make it if you ever knew the pleasure of being together." Mira calmed down during her speech, her voice melting into a serious tone instead of angered. Erza calmed as well, knowing she was being ridiculous to need the reassurance.

"You're right. You're right, Mira."

"I know I am," Mira said simply and stepped behind Erza. She grabbed the silk ribbon lying on the dresser in front of Erza and tied it. She smiled at her old rival through the mirror. "You look lovely."

"How does she look?" Erza asks quietly. She remembered how many times the bridesmaids had giggled over that damned dress and Erza's curiosity of how it looked. Erza wanted to know! She had made it her goal in life. It got to the point where the dress had to be kept in the homes of the bridesmaids. They had to move it every few days, for the reason Erza would figure out who had it and would try to get a peek.

"You know you'll have to wait," Mira giggled, saying the line for the thousandth and last time.

"She must look so radiant. Like a goddess! An angel!" Erza chirped and grinned. She claps her hands together. "Let's go. I can't stand not being married to that woman." She walked to the door but stopped when she heard a small sniffle. "Eh? Mira?" She turned around just to be hugged by the woman. The grip would crush others, but to Erza it was pleasantly tight.

"I'm so happy for you two. Erza, I've seen how you were torn up by this over the years because of her. I'm glad you got her in the end. And I'm happy Natsu found someone who makes him happy and they love him above anyone else. I'm just so happy!" She smiled brightly and tears made her blue eyes sparkle more than normal.

"Thank you, Mira. And don't cry. You'll ruin your makeup and it looks too lovely to be ruined." Erza carefully dabbed the tear away with a tissue. "Now let's get into place!" She pulled from Mira's grip and walked out of the dressing room. She looked around and smiled as she walked through the corridor. She was so ready to finally be married.

Lucy on the other hand was not ready. Oh, she was mentally and emotionally ready, but physically ready? Not at all. She was still working with Levy and Lisanna to finish getting ready.

"Ow!" Lucy winced as she felt tweezers tug at her eyebrows.

"Sorry Lu-chan…"Levy muttered and kept working.

"You're in my way!" Lisanna grumbled. "And Lucy, please stop flinching." She gently grabbed Lucy's chin and started applying lipstick to her lips.

Lucy sighed and shut her eyes. She heard the door open. "Mm?" she hummed, waiting to hear the voice of the person who walked in.

"Luce." Her eyes shot open and her gaze fell upon him. He wore a dark blue suit and no scarf. In the place of the white scarf was a red tie she figured Willow made him wear. She saw the pale scar on his neck, a crack in the tanned skin. He looked at the ground and his hands were in his pockets. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure…"Lucy looked at Levy and Lisanna. "I got it. Just get into place." The two quickly left and Lucy turned away. She applied the stain to her lips.

"Did this much work go into it last time?" he questioned.

"Yeah, but I didn't have a little flower girl to pay attention to last time." Little Ember was the flower girl. She looked at him. "Natsu…you didn't have to come. I would've understood if you didn't."

"No…I wanted to," he cried softly. He walked closer to her and pulled up a chair. He sat across from her. "I mean, the little flower girl was just too cute to pass up!" He smiled weakly. He shook his head. "You look beautiful. The dress…it's actually better than the one from our wedding. Erza's…she's lucky."

"I'm the lucky one here," Lucy sighed.

"No doubts? You're not afraid?" he asked. He stood. "Wait. I have to do something…"He walked to the window of the room and threw it open. "Come on man! You can still run."

"Natsu!" She glared at him. He laughed.

"Happy did it when I was getting ready for our wedding," he chuckled.

"That damned cat!" Lucy muttered darkly.

"Though…he might have saved us all pain if I did listen." He sat on the windowsill.

"We wouldn't have Ember." Natsu nodded his head. That little blessing! How dare he forget her…his only child. For now. "Natsu I'm so sorry…"

"You've been saying that for years." He walked over to her. "How about I give you a gift? Don't get hung up on the past. I'm with Willow. And…her and I are expecting."

Willow, a mage that had joined the guild two years ago. She was a few years younger than Natsu and had a very quick attraction for him. She really was made for him. She could put up with him and encouraged him. Ember loved the woman and Lucy felt content with having the woman around her daughter as a parent. "That's great!" She hugged him tight. She felt his warmth radiate. He was almost like a fire in himself.

"Yeah…we'll keep it secret until you guys get back from the honey moon. So we don't steal the attention away. Act surprised, okay?" He nuzzled into her hair.

"I will," she laughed. "I'm happy you found someone who makes you happy."

"Same here. Now, don't you have somewhere to be? A stripper who will give you away?"

"Yeah…I wanted either him or you to give me away."

"But he and Erza are closer. And I would make things awkward. I know. Just go. I should get back to Willow. Good luck," he hummed. He walked out and Lucy felt a plethora of joy fill her chest. Today was an amazing day. She had no doubts and seeing Natsu happy made taking the step into a new life all the more easier.

Everyone body that was involved in the ceremony quickly moved to get into place. The bridesmaids got in order from purple to red, going in reverse rainbow order. Ember was behind the last bridesmaid, holding her little basket of rose petals to toss before her mother came up. Lucy held to Gray's arm. The man gazed around lazily, only slipping off a few words to Lucy.

"Thanks for this, Gray," Lucy whispered.

"Yeah, I couldn't say no." He shrugged.

"Just be emotional for a bit. You're a brother to Erza and me." She kissed his cheek. "You're a good man."

He blushed slightly. "Thanks…"He smiled softly. "And thanks for picking me over flamebrain. He'd never stop bragging if ya did."

She laughed softly. "Don't I know." She breathed out slowly as she saw the people in front of her walk up to the alter. She gripped tighter to Gray's arm. "My doubt doesn't exist…but fear does."

"Now, it's just walking. The talking part is the hardest," he mumbled. He was bored by the speech at his wedding. All he really focused on was his beautiful blushing bride. "Just focus on your soon-to-be-wife. It will make this all tolerable, because that minister is going to be boring as hell."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience. How sweet," she whispered. She saw her daughter walk off in her cute white dress with ribbons of rainbow tied in her hair and hemming the bottom of it. She smiled at the sight of the child scattering petals down the aisle and then being led to her seat by her father.

Erza smiled as she saw Ember skip down the aisle with her little basket of petals. She tensed in anticipation of seeing her bride. In the moment her love came into her sight. It felt like being hit with the realization of loving this woman all over again. She's flawless! Erza thought. The dress she had wanted to see for months was in her sight. Her bride was perfect! The strapless dress exposed the flawless pale skin of her dear and the skirt of splayed in a way that made it look like a ball gown worn by the fairest princess. No! This woman was a queen. The Titania had seen the real queen in this woman. Even if her love was farther than she liked she could still see every detail of her. Lucy's hair was tied in a bun with the exception of the locks of hair that framed her face. Her lips were colored, making them all the more enticing. It took a fair amount of control to keep Erza from stepping from her place to kiss Lucy prematurely. She never thought Lucy could get any more beautiful, but in this moment she had surpassed her own bests. It was true; a woman looked her best on the day of her wedding.

Erza pulled her love close once she got up to the alter. "My god you're stunning," she breathed.

Lucy blushed. "I like your tux," she whispered softly. She gripped to Erza's hands, everything around her becoming her blur. She didn't see the crowd, she didn't see the church, and she didn't see the minster. All she saw was the woman standing in front of her. All she saw was the love of her life.

"Friends, we gather here to celebrate the love of Erza and Lucy. In the years, we have known the pleasure to see their love bloom and strengthen. Today we all gain the pleasure of seeing them being finally bnded in the unity of marriage," the minister, Freed, spoke. He was ordained for some odd reason. "Now I would like to tell a story about our lovely Erza here and the beautiful proposal that happened at last year's Fantasia. A we all know she had enlisted a number of Fairy Tail members. Some would think this was something whipped up in a few weeks, but it was a few months in the making. Well…six months for Erza. She had thought of dozens of ways."

Erza blushed and looked down at her polished shoes as a few people grinned and chortled.

"There was hollowing out a book and storing the ring in there," Freed went on, "but local bookworm Levy Redfox quickly rejected that, claiming that Lucy would reject that out of the principle that a book would be harmed." A small blush spread across the bluenette's cheeks as more people chuckled. Lucy muffled a giggled with her hand. "Then there was…ah! There was that stretch of three weeks where she said everyday 'today is the day I do it!' The people who knew she was planning to propose had a running pool. All of us lost. The money is the reason we have an open bar for the reception." More laughter broke out. "There was that one time it nearly happened! Erza on one knee, by the table where Lucy sat writing…and Lucy did no see her. Erza cleared her throat twice and said Lucy's name three times and nothing happened. Fates, it was just so frustrating for those who waited for the cute couple to finally be engaged." Lucy blushed. She didn't remember this. Was she really that distracted? "However, by the end it was one of the best proposals seen by most of us. It makes sense that it happened like it that. That's just them…not perfect, it took way too long to finally happen, but you want what they have. Make each other smile and work to the make the other happy. Makarov, he'd smile at this love. He'd be happy to have two of his daughters find a love pure and unconditional as the one you two have."

Lucy gazed up when she heard Erza sniffle. The mentioning of the master would make Erza emotional. She had no memory before the traumatic events of her childhood, so she adopted Makarov as her father, not a father figure but the man was her father. Period. The celestial wizard leaned in and kissed away a tear, recalling the day she had to part with her love years ago. Erza had done the same to soothe her. She wanted to do the same. She smiled when the tears were replaced with a tinge of pink upon Erza's flawless skin. God she loved this woman! She would give up her life for her. She would kill or die for her. She would make the stars sparkle the most radiant, working herself to being drained if it was what it took to see even a small smile from her knight. From her queen! The woman who had given her the world with only being her romantic, sweet, strong and zealous self…the woman she was going to be calling her wife.

Freed cleared his throat, snapping the two women out of their little bubble. "The couple has prepared their vows," he announced, turning to Erza. "Erza, please go first."

Erza took the parchment Mira held out to her and took it. Her fingers shook slightly as she unfolded the paper. "Lucy…I really find this hard to do. I've said so much over these years, every word I could possibly want to tell you. I tell you every day what I want you to know. I love you. I always have. I've overused those three words so much, and with that one would think they've become cheapened…but to me they're gold. I have silent vows, to always love you and keep you and Ember happy. But…I guess that isn't much of a vow to do," Erza spoke, the words pouring out. She hadn't spoken what was on the paper, just what was in her heart. "So here they are." She sighed and looked Lucy in the eyes. "I vow to always be honest with you. I vow to take care of you when you're sick and wipe away your tears when you cry. I vow to hold you every night and kiss you every day. I vow to be your knight in shining armor, your sidekick, your big spoon, your anchor, your loyal reader…I vow to be your wife until the day time seizes to exist and even the afterlife I am no longer existent, because it would take everything of me to be gone for me to stop being hopelessly in love with you."

"And Lucy," Freed instructed, a small smile playing across his lips. Lucy carefully dried her eyes before taking her vows from Levy.

"E-Erza," she choked out, "I was in love with you from the second I saw you. I was baffled by how anyone could be afraid of such a strong woman who used her strength for the reason to bring good to the world and protect those she loved. I was a coward, such a horrible coward for pushing it all aside. I thought I had killed any chance at being with my soulmate…but here she is. She's front of me and looks nothing short of perfect. I thank Fates, God, Kami, or whatever force that had made me fall for such a woman." She paused, feeling a small sob bubble up in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak but was abruptly interrupted when Erza hugged her. "Okay…I'm okay." She sniffled and giggled slightly. She returned to the task at hand. "I vow to never hold back my feelings, because that's what prevented me from marrying you so long ago…"She smiled softly. "I vow to be stronger so that you can be the weak one when you need to be. I vow to be what calms you when you're stressed." She laughs. "I vow to kill all the bugs in the house that scare you. I vow to always keep treating you for who you are: my queen. I vow to take every bump in the road we may face and never give up. I'll always fight to keep this. I need to keep you." She kissed Erza's cheek. "The world is scary without a knight with shining armor. The stories are boring without someone else to live them with."

Freed shook his head and smiled softly. Already so affectionate and stealing little kisses? They still had another part of the ceremony! Perfect couple, well, they're not perfect, but they are very cute. I wish I would just find a man already…, he swooned mentally before returning to his task. "Have you the rings?" He looked at the bridesmaids. Juvia handed him Erza's wedding band and Wendy gave Lucy's to him. He opened the little boxes and took out the rings. He handed them to the ones to place it on their significant other's finger. "Erza, now say as you slip the ring on Lucy's left ring finger, 'with this ring, I swear my eternal love and to always be with you. Until death do us part."

Erza grabbed Lucy's hand and kissed the back of it before slipping the gold band onto her finger, slipping her engagement ring back on after it. "Lucy, with this ring, I swear my eternal love and to always be with you. Until death do us part."

"With this ring," Lucy started as she slipped the gold band with rubies laid within it onto Erza's finger. "I swear my eternal love and to always be with you. Until death do us part."

"I now pronounce you married. You may kiss your bride," Freed announced.

Erza had never felt any more relieved to kiss Lucy than she had in that moment, quickly claiming those lips and pulling her wife close. Her wife. Years ago she could only dream of this day, but now it was life. It was what Lucy would be all her life. Lucy Scarlet. Erza found it a lovely name!

Lucy smiled against Erza's warm lips. Her life was filled with doubts for years. She was only sure about a few things in her life. Her love of the guild, her love of her celestial spirits, her passion or writing, her love of her daughter—that ranked above almost everything else—and her love for her wife. She never doubted loving Erza. She really just denied it. It was so idiotic! This was bliss. This was her soulmate. The person whom she will spend her lifetime loving. She would love this woman no matter what. They had to love through every bump in the road, every fight, and every problem big or little. They were going to love their wife every day and never stop loving her…

Year X815

And they never did.

Lucy leaned against a tree and watched Erza train their seven year old son. The boy had eyes filled with steely resolve yet a childish grin on his lips. He had a hair clip in his hair, keeping his longer blonde hair out of his face. His name was Keitaro, a name meaning blessed. Erza came up with it, saying she and Lucy were so lucky to be able to have a baby related to the both of them. They had found a conception spell. It was often unsuccessful, but they were blessed enough to be able to conceive within a year of trying. Lucy held their five year old daughter Stella. The little girl had scarlet red hair like Erza. The child listened to her sister speak rather than watched her brother train, perplexed by the story Ember told about her recent job. Ember was sixteen and an S-class in the guild. She had adopted a personality that was a mix of the people who raised her. She was reckless and boisterous, but often kept a composed and at times timid personality.

"So I was surrounded by about half a dozen of these mutant wolves. One hand I have fire and the other I have wind. They all lung and I have only seconds to put in an attack…"Ember explain casually, raising her voice only a bit to speak over the sound of clashing wooden swords.

"Then what happened!?" Stella asked. Her were eyes as wide as the moon and as bright as the stars she was named for.

"I made a fire tornado! Swept them up and charred those little puppies," she hollered, getting into the accounting of her job. She was like Natsu in that aspect. As she grew, she developed a love of fighting. Of course, she never fought her nakama. She was told explicitly by Erza to not to. Erza could not take having to calm her daughter down as well.

"Oh wow!" Stella gasped in awe.

"Heh, yeah, it's pretty awesome. Your nee-chan is no weakling, huh?" Ember laid back and basked in the sunlight of the lazy summer day. She groaned in pain when Keitaro sat on her stomach. "What do you want Kei?"

He dropped a small black wire onto her face. "Thanks for the bobby pin." He sat back and rested his head on Lucy's shoulder. He gulped from his water bottle.

"Working hard?" Lucy questioned.

"Mom is working hard. I'm suffering hard!" he whined.

"It's conditioning." Lucy gazed up. She saw Erza standing there. The redhead wore a leather armor that didn't show as much as most of her armors, but didn't cover up her figure like her heart kreuz armor. For a woman in her early forties, Erza was looking better than most. The only wrinkles she had were the laugh lines around her mouth and the crinkles in her forehead she got when she furrowed her eyebrows. The sunlight caught the silver strands in her ruby hair. The woman would often complain about the stretchmarks left on her stomach and the bit of softness on her belly that just would not go away. Lucy would never say it, but she preferred the softer belly over the abs Erza had in up until she had Stella. Nonetheless, Erza was downright enticing.

"It's crap!" Keitaro groaned. He then yelped when Erza glared at him. She hated when the kids swore. It was Ember's fault really. She swore a lot around her siblings and it irked her parents to no end. "Sorry!"

"At least it wasn't anything worse," Erza sighed. "Then I'd have to get the soap." Keitaro smacked his lips, as if the thought brought the taste into his mouth. Erza had the old method from when Makarov had weak attempts to keep the children from swearing in the guild as they grew up. It barely worked on anyone.

Stella stood up. "Momma?" She looked at Erza.

"Yes sweetie?"

"Fairy hunting!" She ran off. "Come on!" Fairy hunting was a game played by the kids. It resulted in spending hours searching in every nook and cranny for the fairies. Erza let out an exasperated sigh and ran after the girl, fleeing the field and going into the thicket.

"I'm going to join!" Keitaro suddenly got back some life and ran off.

"They're all such dorks," Ember chuckled.

"You used to be like those two. Your mom would exhaust you. Usually how we got you to sleep during summer nights." Lucy smiled.

"Yeah…I remember that one day mom had sprinkled glitter in a trail because I felt demoralized. It kept me hunting another year because I had a lead." Ember rolled her eyes and laughed. She was just so gullible as a kid.

"You grew out of it instead of giving up and feel defeated."

"Yeah…"Ember pulled her legs to her chest and looked up. "You know, I actually hated mom for a year after you left dad," Ember confessed. Lucy flinched and looked at her daughter. "I felt like she stole you from dad. In age I saw that that wasn't the case. I went along because I realized…when you sat me down before you decided to move in with her…that you were putting me before your own happiness. You were selfish in that time. I thought it was mean of you to marry dad…but you did love him. Just wasn't enough. I didn't really understand any of it. I was afraid dad wouldn't be around anymore. I gradually began to accept it. I don't know why I'm saying this now…I guess because it can't hurt our lives. Erza is my mom and I have three half-siblings. Keitaro, Stella and Zack make me realize that you two are hapy with the lives you have. You love them so much. I was really afraid that you would love them more than you loved me…but that was so dumb! You guys tried to be considerate of me. Even when you had decided to divorce and marry other people, you two tried to keep me happy. I was for most of it." Zack was Willow and Natsu's son. He was a little Natsu in his appearance, but had always been shy. He only really spoke to people in the guild and even then you'd be lucky to get more than a hundred words per conversation out of him. He did not possess the ability to use magic. When his friends were off on jobs, he was either going through the irony that was his social awkwardness yet his love for performing in theater and drinking in as many books as he could.

Lucy bit her lip and fiddled nervously with her wedding ring. "Ember-"

"Don't say a word. I understand," Ember declared. She smiled slightly. "You love her."

"She's my soulmate...I'd be an empty shell without her. I spent a decade longing for her…and this decade married to her still isn't enough to satisfy that. I needed to have spent as much time as I could from the moment I knew."

"You risked it all for her."

"I did. I had as normal as a life could get when you're a mage," she sighed, "but I burned that up when I finally got her. Then I burned the ashes when I realized that I could no longer keep up the façade. I replaced all the wood with steel. A man of flame with a woman of steel…It was the best thing that I've ever done in my life. That and having you, Kei and Stella."

"Nice addition. I was about to be a smartass and ask." Ember snickered and got up. "I'm going to relieve mom of her duties with the stars." She jogged off, leaving Lucy alone for a few moments. She basked in the sunlight. Her eyes fluttered clothes and she listened to the sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds. She suddenly felt warmth against her. She opened one eye to see Erza. The woman quickly had her laid out in the grass and their lips clashed like swords. Lucy was of course taken by surprise, and by the time Erza had let her up, she was breathless. "Well hello to you too…"

"I forgot to say it today," Erza whispered shamefully.

"W-what?" Lucy arched up a single brow.

"To tell you I love you. I mean it's our tenth wedding anniversary next week. I should say it more!" Erza pulled her lover close and kissed her flushed cheeks. "I love you. I love you. Lucy, I love you so much."

"I love you, too, my knight." Lucy kissed her nose, chuckling when the woman crinkled up her nose. "You don't have to say it every day. I know you love me. I know when you kiss me, when you hold me and I can see it in your actions. These ten years have been everything I wanted them to be. You've made my life amazing, Erza. You don't owe me three little words every day. You put up with my idiocy every day. That's proof to me."

"Me? Putting up with you? I'm the crazy one here." Erza poked Lucy's chest.

Lucy laughed. "That's true." She laughed more when Erza pouted like a child. "But I was trying to make a point! You loved me even though I can be a mess. You're perfect."

"No." Erza shook her head. "Alone? I am a mess. With you? Yeah, I'm perfect. Because I'm complete with you."

"Perfection means without flaw. And I see no flaws in your characters. I love everything about you. Even what annoys you about yourself."

"So my stomach?" Erza sneered when saw Lucy nod and scoffed when the blonde proceeded to try to tickle the skin. "Anyways…I looked into it. The Latin origins of the word, perfectus, means complete. I feel complete with you. You make me feel like a whole."

"With that, we're both perfect," Lucy whispered and gently kissed Erza. "Because you were always that missing piece of my heart, but now I have you. I'm never going to let you go."

"Please never do," Erza breathed and kissed her once more.

"Until death do us part. I swore that with the rings on our fingers. It'll take Death himself to stop me from loving you every day. Even in death, you'll be my forever and always."

"What a gooey writer!" Erza laughed.

"Shut up. It's true!" Lucy huffed.

"You sound like friggin' Shakespeare. What's next? Compare me to a summer's day?"

"Shut it!" Lucy tackled her wife and started tickling her.

In the fits of fighting and giggles, all they could think was how happy they were to be so weak that one winter night. All the pain and risks they took were all worth it, for that they thank whatever power compelled such a love to happen. This love was a strong inferno of passion, but it would never go up in flames. Ashes would never scatter, lest they be the ashes of themselves, worn away by death and left souls to be forever intertwined.

And that is a wrap on Burn the Ashes! Thank you all for reading. I enjoyed writing this for all of you. Remember that I am open to suggestions. I can't believe I finished this story. I never really have finished a story...wow. And almost a hundred followers. I've never gotten that on any of my old accounts on here. You're all so lovely! I hope that you came here for more than the smut because I'm sure I disappointed those who came in for purely that reason. Goodbye for now!

-She Fell For Fiction