Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, it belongs to Hiro Mashima.

AU in which Juvia never went to Tenrou Island and instead experienced the seven-year gap like the rest of the guild. This is set after the seven years are over and the Tenrou group returns to Fairy Tail.

There's Lyvia in this one, so if that's not your cup of tea, here's a warning. Some Gruvia if you look that way and squint. It's Gray-centered, and this is just a one-shot. Well, enjoy!

Given Time

The day he returned to Fairy Tail hadn't been a normal day for Gray Fullbuster.

It had been, in fact, a rather momentous day, because apparently, after seven long years of waiting, seven years of mourning and regretting the losses of their precious friends and guildmates, the Tenrou Island group had returned to the rest of Fairy Tail and the family was complete again. Gray and the others, of course, had known nothing of the seven-year gap until they had returned. And he still didn't know what to make of it. Everybody who hadn't been to Tenrou Island had been a crying mess the moment they'd entered through the doors, and the Ice Mage had received more hugs in an hour than he cared to receive in a decade. And all those feelings and emotions everybody kept expressing… Confusion, chaos, and, most of all, overwhelming happiness had flooded the guild, and their cheers and cries could be heard from miles around, perhaps even beyond the borders of Fiore. And yeah, Gray supposed he was happy that everybody was so glad they were back, but…it had been a little too much, even for him.

This was perhaps due to the fact that there was an uneasy feeling in his gut, something he couldn't get rid of no matter how much he drank, or fought, or paced around trying to figure it out.

Now, a few days after his arrival, Gray was having a drink at the bar like usual. If not for people reminding him every five minutes that he had been gone for seven years, he would have thought it was an ordinary day, like before he went to Tenrou Island. But, something wasn't right. The Ice Mage took another sip of his drink when Mirajane, who was behind the bar as usual, suddenly caught his attention.

"Oh, Gray, have you seen Juvia anywhere?" she asked, and suddenly he remembered.

'Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit. Shit. No. No. God, tell me I'm not this stupid. God tell me I didn't forget,' he thought. Juvia. Juvia hadn't been with them to Tenrou Island; she hadn't been selected. He didn't know why she hadn't been; her powers could rival his. Or…they could, seven years ago. Of course. She had waited all those seven years – she had been aging, living, drinking, breathing, thinking – here, not there when the seven-year gap occurred. How in the name of Mavis could he have forgotten?

"You see," Mira continued, "I'm worried about her. Since…she didn't experience the gap with us and she doesn't know we're back yet. I asked around and they said she was on a mission."

Gray hesitated. "Did they say when she would come back?"

"Actually," Mirajane said slowly, "come to think of it, she's to come back to—"

A loud gasp was his answer.

"G…Gray-sama…?"

Gray was frozen on his spot (pardon the pun). He couldn't face her. Not after he'd forgotten about her and had left her – though it wasn't his fault – alone for seven whole years. If she had left him for seven years and suddenly come back, sipping beer and pretending nothing was wrong—

Another voice interrupted his thoughts, and this one he recognized. "Gray?"

It was Lyon.

He heard footsteps coming towards him, heavy ones, and a strong hand shook his shoulder and forced Gray to turn around, facing the man he had once had such a strong bond with. Lyon looked older; he looked more mature, no longer the man who was driven by madness to defeat Ur. He was taller than before, his muscles firmer, his skin had more scars than he remembered. But his eyes were the same. And now they were wide in shock and disbelief.

"Gray, you…" The Ice Mage seemed to choke out his words. "Gray, you bastard!" he cursed, pulling the younger man into a firm hug, but letting go almost immediately.

When Lyon let go, Gray spotted a shiny object from the corner of his eye in Lyon's hand. No, not in his hand…on his hand. It was a silver band embedded with a single blue gem, on his ring finger.

Gray was at a loss for words. "Lyon…"

Before he could say any more, he turned his gaze towards the Water Mage, who was in shock. And, as Gray looked at her, it was his turn to be surprised: she had changed.

Juvia was no longer the fan-girl he had left seven years ago for Tenrou Island. Her hair was long again, and loose, not curled or cut. Her style was relatively the same – still dark dresses and high-heeled knee-length boots – if slightly more casual.

But that wasn't what alarmed him: in her arms was a small bundle. Not a bundle, he realized. A baby. A baby with light blue hair and fair skin and rosy cheeks.

On her ring finger, Gray spotted a ring identical to Lyon's.

Oh.

Oh.

"Gray-sama… Juvia…" The Water Mage was close to tears, her voice shaky and cracked. Even her voice had changed slightly; it was lower, more mature. "Juvia… Juvia thought you were dead. We all thought you were dead. She thought… She… How? How are you…?"

Lyon put his arm comfortingly around her shoulder and sat her down, taking the baby into his arms while Juvia broke down into tears.

Gray could do nothing but watch. Lyon shot him a look, and the younger Ice Mage started explaining. About Tenrou Island, about the seven-year gap, about…everything. He left out the part in which he forgot about a certain Water Mage.

Juvia was quiet for a while. "So…that means that—" she stopped her sentence. "Gajeel-kun?" She jumped up, her hand covering her mouth in fear she would cry even more, and raced to meet the red-eyed Iron Dragon Slayer. Gray half-expected him to respond coldly, but instead Gajeel hugged his Rain Woman and they stayed that way for a while. The Juvia noticed Natsu and Lucy and Happy and Erza and Mirajane, and everybody else who had been gone for all those long years, and hugged every single one of them, crying the whole time.

Gray turned to Lyon, now out of words after he had explained the series of events. He stared at Lyon, then at his ring, then at the baby he carefully cradled in his arms, holding it with so much care and love…

Finally Gray found his voice. "What's his name?"

"Ur," he answered. "It's a girl."

"…Oh."

Lyon met Gray's eyes. "We almost named her Gray, you know. But that's not really a girl's name."

"Guess not."

"She's only six months old," Lyon continued, with more than a hint of pride in his voice. "My little girl…"

"When did you get married?" Gray blurted.

Lyon hesitated. "About two years ago."

The younger Ice Mage nodded and looked at Juvia—who was now Juvia Vastia, he realized with some discomfort. She was still emotional, hugging everybody. He felt a little hurt. She hadn't paid much attention to him.

"Don't think she just forgot about you, Gray."

Gray jumped and turned back. "Huh?"

But Lyon was looking at his wife. "She was heartbroken. It took her years to even look at another guy." He hesitated. "What I'm trying to say is…just…it's hard for her, all right? Give her time." He stood up, taking Ur with him. "She gave you seven years to come back." And with that, Lyon was gone, and greeting the other Tenrou Island members with his wife.

Gray turned back to his drink and gulped down the last of his drink before ordering another one. And another. And another. He had time to waste, after all.

Ah...yeah. This was something I needed to get out of my system and I wrote it in...half an hour, maybe, so it will probably have loads of mistakes.

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!