A/N: Special thanks to the talented HoneyTeaCake who drew the beautiful cover image.

Juvia's small hand was pressed against the window's glass, her eyes wide as if trying to follow every drop's journey before they hit the ground. Watching the rain was a frequent habit of Juvia's, as it seemed to rain often around the small cottage she called home. Her mother Silvia was currently occupied at a sewing table a few feet away within the sitting room, stitching a complicated pattern on a tiny, velvety blue dress she had been making for her 10-month-old daughter. Sylvia was dark-haired and dark-eyed, which contrasted tremendously against her porcelain skin. She looked rather regal and intimidating, with her slanted eyes and high cheekbones. But currently, her expression was warm and focused as she worked.

Little Juvia was standing upright on the plush couch, leaning against the back cushion, her chubby little arms stretched towards the window. Her eyes wandered skyward, as if pondering where all this water was contained before making it's way down to earth. The sound of the steady rain beating a gentle rhythm on the window pane was then momentarily overshadowed by the sound of a door, and her father Benjamin's deep, and exuberant voice.

"Well, well, what have my two wonderful girls been doing while I was away?" he asked merrily, his gray eyes twinkling as he entered the room. His six-foot tall frame seemed even larger because of the low ceilings of the cottage, but other than his broad shoulders, he actually had quite a slender build. His clothes and light-blue hair, which was parted to the side, and neatly slicked back, were completely dry, even though he had clearly just come from outside, and didn't appear to have been carrying an umbrella.

"You were gone longer than you said you would be," and there was a questioning tone in Sylvia's voice, though she smiled up at him from her work.

"That's because I was in the arms of beautiful woman, and couldn't bear to part from her," he said quite seriously, although his grin gave him away.

"Don't say things like that in front of Juvia," she admonished, though she allowed him to place a kiss on her lips when he leaned down over her just the same. "Did Mrs. Aldereen talk your ear off again?"

"Not literally, thankfully," he said, tugging at the both of his, as if to show that they were still in place, and then walking over to his daughter on the couch. She held her hands up to him, as he lifted her high in the air. She giggled and cuddled into her father's neck while he hugged her.

"She's been lonely ever since she lost her husband, and she's always giving us all those cakes and breads. Listening to her stories is the least I could do," he said, one arm around his daughter, as he placed a bundled, plaid handkerchief, which obviously contained more baked goodies, onto the coffee table. He then sat down on the couch, his daughter now on his lap.

"She's such a dear," Sylvia said fondly, knotting up a thread before cutting the excess off with a pair of tiny scissors.

"Yeah," he agreed, as he tickled Juvia's sides, eliciting a gargled laugh.

Juvia squirmed happily in her father's grasp.

"You're definitely sure she has no idea who we are, Ben?" and there was a hint of worry in Sylvia's tone.

"Definitely not," he said confidently. "You think an old woman keeps up with who sits on the magic council? She's not even a magic user for one thing."

Ben grasped Juvia's face between his thumb and forefinger. "So, judging by this adorable, smiling expression, I'm guessing this isn't our little rain drop's doing this time?" he asked in amusement, turning his head to look out of the window at their rain-drenched back garden.

"No, I don't feel any magical presence this time. This is natural rain," Silvia agreed. "And speaking of the rain, what are you thinking walking around without an umbrella in this downpour?"

Ben laughed. "But I don't need one. Besides, I'd feel silly using an umbrella when I've gone without one since I was sixteen."

"That's not the point, Ben, and you know it," Sylvia said in worry. "We need to keep a low profile. We don't want to seem suspicious."

"I know, I know," Ben said apologetically, waving her off. "It's just a bad habit. I'll remember to take one next time."

"It's bad enough that it keeps raining around the house any time Juvia starts crying. We don't need any other mysterious phenomenons that have to be explained away to nosy neighbors. " She sounded worn.

Ben sighed, as he looked from his wife, who looked more concerned than stern, to his daughter, who sat in his lap, looking up contentedly at him. Juvia's hair was exactly the same shade as his, but she resembled her mother in nearly every other way. However, her power was undoubtedly one other thing she had inherited from Ben.

"I'm getting scared, Ben," Sylvia admitted, putting down her needle for a moment, to look her husband in the eyes. "Every day, I think this will be the one when we're found out. Everyday, I think Juvia will be…" she trailed off, her eyes now downcast.

"They don't even know she exists, love," Ben assured her calmly. "And, they have no idea where we went."

"But if they find out - " Sylvia started, tears forming in her eyes as she looked from her husband, to her daughter on his lap.

Ben cut her off before she could expound any further on her worries, having heard them many a time before. "Then we'll send her away. It's as simple as that."

"Can you really do that?" Sylvia asked him earnestly, her forehead creasing.

"To protect her, I would. I would do anything for that," he said, and there was no hesitation in his voice, though he subconsciously held Juvia a little tighter.

"I just don't understand it. Having this power so young…" Sylvia trailed off, her thoughts obviously mingling with her sewing task, as she began to add buttons down the back of the tiny dress.

"Yeah," Ben agreed absentmindedly. "Neither of our parents were mages, so I'm not sure how it works in families where both parents are trained in magic, like us. Maybe this is the norm?" And he looked into his daughter's large, dark eyes which blinked up at him expectantly.

"Listen here, my little rain drop," Ben said affectionately, obviously wanting for a change of subject. He held Juvia upright on the couch, so she was again facing the window, which streamed with water each time the wind blew against the glass.

"I want you to know how important the rain is." Ben pointed out of the window, as he tried to direct his daughter's vision towards their back garden, bursting with blooms of every color, and rich, green grass. "Without rain, nothing would grow. Water flows within every living thing on this planet - the world, the people, the animals, the flowers, even a little butterfly needs water to survive," he said softly into her ear.

Juvia listened intently to her father's low voice, though her gaze was unwavering as she continued to focus on the water pelting the damp dirt road beyond their garden fence.

"Water is life, my little rain drop, and if you take water away, you take life away. That's why, you have to use your magic to make people's lives better," he finished gently.

Juvia reached out to touch the window again, as if she longed to feel the stream of liquid that flowed past against her little finger tips.

"Are you saying all that for Juvia's sake, or to make yourself feel more important?" Sylvia teased from behind them.

Ben didn't have to look at her to know his wife was smirking. He also grinned. "Just like an ice mage to be jealous of the base element…" he said lazily to Juvia, without glancing back to see his wife's reaction. "And remember one more thing, my little rain drop," he said in a carrying whisper, as he pulled her attention away from the window, and drew her close so they were nose to nose. "Ice wouldn't even exist without water," and this time, he did turn towards Sylvia, who gave him a sideways glance.

"Don't teach her nonsense," Sylvia said rolling her eyes, but she was clearly more amused than annoyed.

"What nonsense?" he asked seriously, although he was still smiling. "That's just the facts of life," he stated, his eyebrow raised. "And not only that, my little rain drop," he went on, a wicked expression on his face, as Juvia eyed her father in wonder, "but when you put ice into water, it melts. Or, I guess in this case, it's when you put water into ice -"

Ben's explanation was interrupted, as a heavy piece of rolled up newspaper was slammed onto the top of his head.

Juvia jumped a little, but Ben seemed unperturbed by the violent interruption. They both turned towards Sylvia, who's cheeks were puffed out in irritation.

"Calm down, my love, This is an innocent talk, I swear," he assured her with his customary cocky grin.

"Oh?" Sylvia questioned doubtfully.

"Of course. What do you think I'd be telling our young daughter? Your mother's mind goes to such impure places sometimes," he said to Juvia, shaking his head in regret.

Sylvia's eyes narrowed.

Juvia stared from her father to her mother in confusion.

"As I was saying, my little rain drop," he went on, as if he hadn't just been attacked by his wife, who had grudgingly resumed her seat at the sewing table, "Water melts ice, and once that happens, they become one and the same. That's what makes them so perfect for each other," and he gave another sideways look at Sylvia, who did not look back, but was now smiling to herself as she finished adding all the buttons to Juvia's new dress.

Juvia looked curiously from her father to her mother, and then back out the window again. "Rain is good?" Juvia asked her father suddenly, her young mind clearly still lingering over her father's previous words.

Ben smiled down at his daughter, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the rain. "Yes, my little rain drop. The rain is very good," he assured her, before taking her small face in his hands again, and turning her earnest gaze towards his once more, "so make sure to always shower the world in your warmth."

Juvia woke suddenly in her dorm room, her forehead and neck slick with sweat. She sat bolt upright, breathing heavily, and looking around the darkened room in a panic. By the light of the moon, she could see that there was nothing stirring, except for her bedroom curtains due to the slight breeze wafting in through the open window. She had been having a dream. One that she felt she may have had before - perhaps many times before. But, as she tried to recall what it was about, the details slipped away from her the more she attempted to maintain her hold of them, as if they were purposely running from her grasp. All she was left with, was a memory of a cloudy downpour. Was she dreaming of the rain?

It must have been a nightmare, she thought, as she grabbed a tissue to dab at her forehead.

After all, she absolutely hated the rain.

A/N: I really debated whether to post this story. I've been dying to write something about Juvia's past for ages, but I generally don't like working on angsty, multi-chapter fics, and this definitely fits those categories. There will be many flashbacks still to come, as well as plenty of Gruvia (I promise!) as I work through her past, and fill in the gaps, so I hope you'll follow along. ^_^