AN: I thought about this today and I hope you enjoy it! :)

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Sandcastles

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Looking at the ocean as he sat on the beach on that sunny afternoon, Gray wondered if there was ever a time he thought such moment would ever be possible. Peace, prosperity and oddly enough, no one had blown up the Fairy Tail building for four years. That's gotta be a record.

The giggles caught his attention and his heart got so filled with love he got light-headed for a moment.

His beautiful, perfect and amazing wife was playing with their children by the water and he couldn't help it but to smile at the view. Their oldest, Grisa, was almost five and such a beautiful little girl – thankfully took after her mother, everyone said, aside from the black hair and the temper, their girl was a mini-Juvia just like River, their two-year-old boy was a mini-Gray in all but the bright blue eyes he inherited from his mother.

Juvia was laughing at something Grisa said as the girl went to the water – with some very strict rules – and she looked down to talk to River, who seemed to be very reluctantto get in the water.

Gray took a moment to stare at his wife and for the thousandth time he thanked her mentally for not giving up on him and giving him his family. For the past seven years, she only grew more beautiful, long blue hair falling in waves at her back, bright blue eyes as kind and caring as ever. His eyes wandered over her body and her swimsuit made him have ideas for later; she was beautiful inside and out and he was a lucky bastard. He focused on the small swell of her stomach where baby number three (and definitely the last) grew strong inside her.

Gray got up and went to be with his family, grabbing River from behind and throwing him up, making the boy have a fit of giggles just like Juvia did as well.

"Why aren't you playing with Grisa?" Gray asked once the boy was safely in his arms.

"Scary fish." River told his father in all seriousness his two-year-old self could muster.

Gray looked confused and his wife explained. "Apparently Grisa showed him the fish encyclopaedia Happy-kun gave her for her birthday and River saw all the scary ones." She sighed.

"They live very far away from here, buddy. Come on play in the water." Gray told the boy, who shook his head.

"Big teeth." He told his father and Juvia sighed.

"Juvia will stay here with him, go play with Grisa, Gray-sama."

Gray shook his head. "Nah, you go. You and water are a much better combination." He smiled when she chuckled. "Besides, River and I can build a sandcastle! How about that, kid?"

"Yay!" River raised his arms in celebration. "Sandcastle!"

The Ice Mage laughed. "I guess that is settled." He gave his wife a peck on the lips. "Go. Just don't turn my Ice Mage into a Water Mage while I'm not looking."

Juvia giggled; it was a long joke from since she was pregnant and they bet what type of magic their child would be more likely to be. When, at the age of four, Grisa made a leaf freeze while Gray tried to give her lessons on magic, Juvia joked around saying she would turn Grisa yet. Of course she didn't care the type of magic, but it was fun to tease each other like that.

"We will have another Water Mage in this family by the end of the day!" She told him and went in after their very active daughter.

"In your dreams!" Gray called after hee but Juvia was already reaching their daughter and kneelig in front of the little girl. Gray looked to his son. "How about we start on that sandcastle, buddy?"

"Yes!" He was very excited and sat on the ground far enough the waves couldn't touch him – Gray smirked, it appeared he had another Ice Mage in his hands.

They were half way through their sandcastle when River looked up past Gray and gasped. Before Gray could even reacted, the little boy got up and ran towards the water. Gray's heart began to race and he got up, already expecting an enemy and his first thought was to protect the children and Juvia. But what he saw, confused him and made him sigh in relief.

Juvia had created some water monster to entertain Grisa as she always did when they went to the beach – it even had algae as hair and teeth and two starfishes as eyes – but Grisa was clearly giggling in amusement as she "ran away" from the monster.

"Away! Go away!" River yelled, water already on his knees, and caught Juvia's attention and the blunette was just as confused. "Go away, monster! Run, Grisa!"

Even with his "babyish" talk, it was clear what he was saying and the couple finally realized he thought the monster was real and his instinct was to protect his big sister. Gray felt so proud of his son at that moment he couldn't even put it in words.

"Baby-" Juvia tried to explain she was the one creating the monster and there was no real danger, but before she could, River made a quick move with his hand and there was a small ball of water hitting the monster and with the shock of it, Juvia unmade the water monster. "What in the world?"

Grisa gasped. "You defeated the monster, River!" She ran to her brother to hug him. "Not even I can do that!"

"Yay!" The little boy raised his arms in cheer and hugged his sister back. "Yay, River did it!"

Gray looked at his wife, who looked back completely in shock. Usually children with both parents as mages, started to show signs after they were four, like Grisa had.

River was two and a few months. They hadn't even started to teach him the theory of it yet.

"Was that…?" Gray asked, in awe.

"Our two-year-old using magic to throw a small ball of water? Yes." Juvia walked towards her husband while the children talked excitedly going back to where Gray and River were building the sandcastle before.

"Oh my god." Gray was clearly flabbergasted as his wife. "He's only two."

"I know!" She put a hand on her stomach – she was four months along, then. "His instinct to save his sister might've triggered?"

Gray grinned. "That's my boy; even scared of the fish, he wanted to protect his sister." He was so proud and happy. It clearly meant River was special, he began with something hard, like his mother. Moving water was one thing, actually forming something with the element was difficult. Juvia had made it rain when she was little, now his son followed his mama's steps and was mostly likely going to be the best just like Juvia. "He is definitely your son." He put an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

"And yours." Juvia snuggled closer to him. "Protecting his big sister without worrying about himself. And Grisa is already as stubborn as you."

Gray snorted. "They got all that from both of us, thank you very much." He put a hand over her stomach, rubbing the skin. "This one will be just like them, you know? Amazing."

The blunette giggled. "Yes. It seems we cannot help it but to produce amazing babies. Juvia always told you we would."

"You proved yourself right twice today." She frowned. "Amazing babies I knew, but earlier you said we'd have another Water Mage before the day was over. Now we do." He pointed out.

"Oh, that's right." Juvia chuckled and she looked down to her belly. "This one will be the tie breaker, then. Juvia guesses another boy and he will be a Water Mage like his mama."

"I agree with boy." Gray didn't care, but his gut was saying they were having another boy. "But clearly Ice Mage." He shrugged.

"Juvia guesses we are going to know in a few months and then in another few years." Juvia kissed her husband until the kids called for them and they went to sit next to them.

"See, daddy?" River threw himself in Gray's arms and sat between his legs while Grisa sat by Juvia's side and she resumed the building of the sandcastle. "River saved Grisa!"

"I saw it!" Gray hugged his son and kissed his cheek. "You were very brave. Mama and I are very proud." The boy buzzed in excitement.

"It was a pretend monster, Daddy." Grisa rolled her pretty blue eyes like her mother's (who chuckled). "Mama wasn't really after me!"

"I know, princess." Gray chuckled. "But even so, it was a big deal. You'll understand when you get older."

"You always say that." Grisa pouted, just like Juvia and Gray thought it was the most adorable thing in the world. "I want to understand now."

Gray looked at his wife. "Try to make the next one less stubborn, please."

"Juvia will work on that." She giggled and started to explain their daughter why certain things would be better left for her to know when she was older while the four of them kept building the sandcastle between laughter.

Gray would've never guessed one day he'd have his own family, that he'd be happy and with that very same family, they would be carefree enough to just go to the beach and build sandcastles.

He never knew how much sandcastles meant until that moment.

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AN: Some Gruvia family Fluff I know we all crave! I hope you liked it! ❤️

09/21/2017 ~ BonneyQ