Until Afterwards
by Contrail

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

It was a cold, clear night. But then, they often were up here in the northern mountains. A large campfire crackled in front of him - it had been needed to cook dinner, and even an ice mage like him could appreciate the warmth it gave, particularly after a long day of training in the snow. Juvia was sitting next to him on a log they had taken advantage of, head resting on his shoulder after she had fallen asleep there. With one arm wrapped around her shoulders to make sure she didn't fall off, he remained there, enjoying the quiet.

Glancing down at his companion, Gray watched as the firelight gently flickered across her features and sighed. He was glad she had chosen to come with him. Preparing himself for the task that had been set before him would have been much harder without her by his side, supporting him anyway she could. Seeing his father again had ripped open old wounds that had never properly healed, and that day they had met at his parents' grave hadn't been the only time he'd found himself unable to hold back tears. But Juvia never judged him for his weakness, and slowly he found himself sharing memories of happier times with his parents and Ur with her as well, the first time he'd done so in years.

Sometimes during quiet moments, when they were just sitting together like this, or Juvia is cooking breakfast while he gets ready to face the day, he would forget about why they were out here and a sense of quiet joy and contentment would steal over him briefly. It almost made him wish they could just stay here like this, just the two of them. Maybe after this training was done, she could continue to stay by his side, just like this. Maybe they could even…

But not yet. Not until he has finished what he needs to do. He knew what she still wished for from him, even though she tried not to let it show as much these days. (And he was almost glad for the times she did - it reassured him that what they had been through hadn't broken her spirit.) He couldn't afford to lose his focus, though, not with END still out there. He had to defeat END, to make sure no one else would lose their loved ones to the destruction demons wrought. To make sure that everyone he cared about would be safe.

(And the woman currently leaning against him was the one he had to keep safe most of all.)

As they made their way through the town they had decided to restock their supplies in, Juvia walking beside Gray with one hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, she considered the changes she'd seen in him over the months they'd spent together. The trust he placed in her, not just in her ability to work with him, but by sharing emotions and memories with her that she didn't think he would with anyone else. The way that he would sometimes look at her with such softness and warmth in his eyes that it made her heart pound and her cheeks flush. How he was more comfortable with her touching him, as long as she didn't push things too far. Yes, they were much closer now than they were before.

She still wasn't sure whether she deserved to be so close to him after what she'd done. But she'd resolved to do the only thing she could do to make up for it, what Silver had asked her to do. She was going to take care of Gray to the best of her abilities for as long as he let her. Juvia could tell that his mission to defeat END weighed upon him, no matter how willingly he had taken it up. If there was anything she could do to lighten his burden even a little, she would.

Juvia's love for him remained in her heart, of course. It always would. But while she couldn't help the way her heart lept sometimes, or keep from slipping into romantic fantasies upon occasion, she tried to keep her feelings in check. (Spending so much time around him made it difficult at first, but it became easier as she became more accustomed to, even comfortable with, being at his side like this.) The last thing he needed to worry about when he had so many other things on his mind were her feelings for him. How close they'd become gave her hope for what might come once they'd seen the task his father set for him through. Until that day she'd wait patiently, and dream…

(And if sometimes fear crept into her heart about whether there would be an after for them, well, who could blame her? She had faith in Gray's strength, of course she did, but he would be fighting the strongest of Zeref's demons. She was sure he had no intention of dying, but she knew that he was going to defeat END if it took his last breath. And she feared that it might.)

I wanted to get this done before chapter 418 comes out and possibly josses it. I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone is after the time skip, and where the story goes from here. How about you? :^)