This story came from this latest chapter of Fairy Tail, and I'll go ahead and warn you about spoilers. So if you haven't read chapter 390, then abort abort abort!

Now, back to what I was saying. Mashima of course had Juvia knowing that something was wrong with Gray, and as you all know, I do NOT ship Gruvia. Therefore, this idea was born.

I take some of my inspiration from that scene on Galuna Island where Lucy puts her hand on Gray's shoulder and asks if he's okay. Yes, I realize that I probably read to much into that, but who cares? I love it, and I can see Lucy being a friend he can turn to.

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND

Gray slipped away from the party undetected. It was a celebration, the party to end all parties, to laud the defeat of the demons. It had been a close call, for him especially until Lyon had shown up. Together they had done what their teacher hadn't been able to do, banish Deliora to the depths of hell itself. Only Deliora hadn't been wearing his own face at the time of his destruction. He'd been wearing Gray's father's.

And that was why he was sneaking away by himself.

He couldn't stop seeing it, the way his father would wince with every hit, the way his voice would cry out when Gray's attack threw him back. It was all just stuck there in his mind, playing over and over again. He couldn't make it stop, and no matter how many times he reminded himself that it wasn't his father he'd killed, it didn't help.

What he'd done felt like murder, and no amount of reasoning could erase the sense that he'd killed his father. It hurt, seeing him again, remembering how he'd fallen under Deliora's attack, his blood spilling out onto the ground. He'd died in a brutal, sadistic blood bath, and Gray had seen the whole thing. It had left him scarred, plagued with nightmares for years, and now it all felt like it was coming back.

Those same terrors were going to sweep him up again in the night, take him on a journey he never wanted to revisit again. Only this time, there would be a new stop...just one more memory to torment him further.

He felt as if he'd never be rid of Deliora. No matter how much time passed, that demon would always be with him, clawing at him, taunting him with his failure to protect his family, haunting him with visions of killing his father. He'd never be free.

Gray and Lyon had killed him. They'd trapped him in ice so he couldn't escape the body he'd stolen, and then they'd driven a pair of icy spikes straight through his head and heart. He was dead, well and truly gone, and yet it didn't feel that way. Even now, knowing he was all alone, he felt like Deliora was just behind him, a nightmare that just wouldn't quit.

The past was never going to relinquish its hold on him. He was cursed. He was certain of it. After all, it had been he who's family had been slaughtered, he who'd gotten his teacher killed, he who's father had been stolen away and used as a body suit for his own murderer. And what had he done to deserve it? What horrific thing had he done in a past life to earn such heartache?

Gray sank down to the ground, using a massive tree as a back rest. He couldn't go back in there tonight. Everyone was so happy. He couldn't bear to dampen their spirits, but he knew he couldn't pretend to be okay. For some unexplainable reason, he was sad. He felt like he'd lost his father all over again, and that pissed him off.

Silver wasn't his father. He had his face, his voice, everything that was so familiar to the little boy Gray had been, but it wasn't the man he'd loved with all his heart.

He knew that. Damn it, he knew it! But he just couldn't stop the pain that seared through his chest.

Seeing him again, hearing that voice after so long...it had gotten to him, had sent his mind reeling. And he'd been sure he'd gotten his shit together enough to deal with it, but here he was...all alone in the woods, his throat clogged with unshed tears. He was a damn mess.

"Gray?"

The soft call had his head jerking up and his eyes widening. "Lucy? What are you doing out here?"

"I was coming to check on you. I heard about...what happened..." she said, easing herself down beside him.

"You mean that Silver was actually Deliora? Or the part where he possessed my father's dead body?" Gray asked bitterly.

Lucy was quiet, her mouth dropping open in shock. "You had to fight your dad?"

"No!" he snapped, his head shaking violently. "That was not my father! He used my father...he wore his body like a fucking suit!"

"Gray..." The blonde's voice cracked as she laid a hand on his arm. "I-I didn't mean...I only meant that it must have been hard fighting when he looked like your dad."

Gray's shoulders slumped and a mirthless laugh left his mouth. "I'm sitting here yelling at you when I'm the one who can't quit thinking of him as my dad. He was a fucking demon, and I can't stop seeing my father." He quieted, his anger falling away abruptly, and then a ragged sound left his mouth. "I killed my dad."

"Oh Gray, no. Don't say that," Lucy cried, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her heart ached at seeing him so ravaged. It was like they were back on Galuna Island. "You know that's not true. Your father died a long time ago. He wasn't your dad. He was a monster."

"Don't you think I know that?" he shouted, turning haunted eyes on her. "I know he died back then! I watched him bleed out all over the goddamn ground! But...that doesn't seem to change anything! Every time I close my eyes, I still see my hands making that spear, still see me launching it at my father's face. And no matter how many times I wish it away, I still see the life fading away from his eyes."

He sobbed then, his tall frame shaking with the force of his cries, and Lucy held him, her own tears slipping down her cheeks silently. She didn't know how to help him, and she wanted to. She wished she could spare him this memory, wished with all she had that she'd been able to kill Deliora for him so that he wouldn't have had to. But nothing could take this away.

Gray had killed the being responsible for his parents death. He had avenged them, but it had come at a price. And she didn't know why. Gray was a wonderful man, strong with a heart of gold. He didn't deserve this, but she couldn't save him. All she could do was give him something to hold onto while he wept, while he mourned the loss of the man he'd lost twice.

It didn't matter that Silver hadn't actually been his father. He was the face of the man that had raised Gray, and it had to have been like seeing a ghost. She couldn't imagine having to fight someone who looked just like her dad, or worse her mother. She didn't know if she could have done it.

But Gray had. He'd pushed aside those painful memories, and he'd faced his past. He'd found a way to combat the part of him that couldn't help seeing his father, and he'd defeated Deliora. But it hadn't come without cost, and he was paying it now.

"Gray, look at me." She reached for his face, and nearly sobbed at the devastation she found there when he lifted his head. "Y-You did what you had to do. Don't you dare feel guilty for that."

"I know that...I just..." Gray let the words die because he had no way to explain what was going on in his head. He wasn't even sure what he felt. He was just lost.

It was like he was a child again, watching his parents broken and bleeding, their lives ebbing away right before his eyes. Only this time, he was the one bringing death. He'd never done that before, never taken away a life, but did a demon count? If felt like it did, but maybe it was because the hell-spawned beast had stolen his father's face.

"Listen to me," Lucy whispered, brushing the hair from his face. "You are a good man, Gray Fullbuster, and part of that was because of your father, right?" At his nod, Lucy continued. "Then how do you think he would feel about you doing this to yourself? He loved you. He wouldn't want you feeling guilty for destroying a demon who looked like him. That...wasn't...him. It was a thief, a murderer, a heartless beast who would spend the rest of his days slaughtering innocents, ripping families apart, and you stopped him. You saved all those lives, Gray. Why can't you see that?"

Gray's eyes well with fresh tears at her words, and he swallowed hard. "You really believe that..."

"Of course I do, Gray!" She frowned at him. "I know you. You always fight so hard. You always try to do the right thing, and more times than not, you forget to consider yourself." She smiled sadly at him and shook her head. "You've been running from this long enough. It's time to stop. It wasn't your fault your parents died, and Ur made her own choice. She loved you and Lyon, and you claiming responsibility for her decision lessens her sacrifice."

His chest ached at her stern words. Maybe she was right. Had he tainted Ur's gift with his guilt. He knew she loved him, but he had felt so horrible for leading her to her death. He still did. He had taken Ultear's mother and Lyon's teacher away.

Lucy seemed to see his doubts, because she raised her voice. "Gray, stop it! You made a bad choice, but you were a child! You lost your whole family, and you were hurt and angry. There isn't a soul in all of Earthland that couldn't understand that. Ur understood it, and she didn't blame you for it. Otherwise she wouldn't have fought so hard to save you. Don't take what she did and make it bad. It was a show of her love for you. Just accept that, and move on."

Could he do that? Could he finally leave it in that past? It had been there for so long now that it felt like a part of him. And now, with what had happened, he felt so overwhelmed, defeated. He didn't know how to fight it all. "I...don't know how. I feel like Deliora has haunted me my entire life, and I don't know how to stop it. It's always there in the back of my mind, invading my sleep. It won't leave me alone."

The thought of going to sleep sent a shiver of fear up his spine. He knew the nightmares that awaited him. He'd had them for a month after their trip to Galuna Island, and he had no doubt it would only be worse this time.

"You have nightmares?"

Gray looked over at his blonde friend and nodded tiredly. They'll be back tonight, I'm sure."

Abruptly, Lucy stood to her feet, and Gray gazed up at her in surprise as she held out her hand. "Then come stay at my house."

"W-What?" He was sure he'd misheard her. Lucy didn't invite them to stay at her house. They just sort showed up and crashed.

A soft smile touched her face. "Come stay with me until they're gone. Nightmares aren't so bad when you're with a friend."

Emotion clogged his throat at her offer. He could see the understanding in her eyes. She meant what she'd said, and he couldn't for the life of him find the words to thank her. So he simply reached up and took her hand, let that one action be the first step toward finding his way out of this mess.

And for once he felt like he could actually do it...