Italics mean his thoughts - 'I'm hungry.'

"Natsu Dragneel I swear to freaking Zeref himself I will KILL you with this exact spoon in my hands, right now, if you call me a smelly, sad, snowman ONE, MORE, TIME!" Gray bellowed in pure fury at the offending Salamander.

Natsu and Gray were both leaning across the table so that they were face to face in the restaurant as they finished their dinner along with Gajeel Redfox the Iron Dragon Slayer, or commonly known as 'Black Steele Gajeel'. The Dragon Slayer paid neither of them any mind as he ate the fork off of Natsu's plate without a moments of hesitation.

"Oh yeah, I dare you, you Pervy Popsicle." He said as he made a move to push himself more into Gray's personal space.

"All right you asked for it Dragon Breath!" He hollered as he began thrusting the spoon towards Natsu's face at a blinding speed. Though before the spoon could reach its target it was suddenly gone. Both Natsu and Gray stopped their argument to look at his now empty hand... Gray moved his hand in the motion he had used to hold the spoon . Open. Close. Open. Close.

Before both he and Natsu turned over just in time to see Gajeel...

Eat it.

They both stared in disbelief before they both began assaulting Gajeel with their words.

"Hey what's the big idea that spoon was MINE, you Tin Can!"

"Wow Gajeel now Ill never know if Gray actually would have done it. I mean I doubt it, I don't call him Pansy Popsicle Princess for nothing." Natsu said smugly.

"Hey listen here Natsu don't test me because the only thing left on this table is a knife! And Gajeel how could you do that? I mean maybe I wanted to take that particular spoon home! Ever consider my feeling when you ate it?! Was it at least tasty? HUH? Was that spoon worth the sleep you'll lose over knowing you took something precious from ME?!" Gajeel's only response was to reach past them both and eat Gray's knife.

'Over a month. It had been more than a moth since he had left for this mission with both Gajeel and Natsu. Why, he couldn't even say. They had been sent to track down a dangerous man known by the name Orion. He had been destroying every home he came into contact with, and had been taking food from restaurants. He had also stolen the Mayors most prized jewel worth millions. The kicker was that in the jewels place he had left an apology note explaining that the jewel could by him enough food for a few months. What a dope. Wow, come to think of it he didn't sound all that different from a certain Ash for Brains.' Gray laughed at the thought for the first time all day.

Slowly his thoughts returned once again to the reason he had been so depressed these last weeks.

'Blue hair, deep endless eyes that resembled the ever changing sea, and a smile that shone like a thousand stars.'

'Juvia Fullbuster.' He smiled softly. 'They had gotten married at the tender age of twenty and three years later I still love her as much as I did when we had started dating at eighteen.' His heart began to ache once again. How he missed her. The only time he got a break was when he saw her face in his dreams, and even then it was only of her saying goodbye. He raised his hand and placed it over his heart.

'Yep,' he thought grimly. 'Its still beating.'

He could almost swear that he was hollow inside, that his heart was gone, left back home with her. He felt so incomplete. So lonely. So dead without her.

He raised his eyes to the slightly opened window of the hotel he was staying in and felt relief then he saw that the sun was setting.

'Finally, tonight was the night that I will catch Orion. Then, I'm gonna take the first train out of here.'

"Geez, who knew such an idiot would put up such a good fight!?" Gajeel said with a huff of annoyance. Orion had actually put up a good fight. Much like Natsu he had used fire magic, though he wasn't nearly as powerful. In the end he had returned the jewel and was now in the mayors hands. Natsu had tried convincing Gajeel and Gray to let him go, but they hadn't listened to him. He seemed to have found a friend in him, since they had been so similar.

"I personally thought that he was kinda cool." Natsu said as he pouted, slightly. Gray only rolled his eyes in reply.

"Oh come on Frosty, I know that you miss your precious water droplet but would it kill you to lighten up? We'll be home in two hours. Stop being so Gloomy!" Natsu crossed his arms as he spoke. Gloomy. Gray lips lifted into a smile at the word.

"Yeah well, I would already be home if two certain Idiots hadn't refused the mayors offer of a ride in his magic mobile!"

"You could have taken the train Freezer Burn!"

"You destroyed the Train! And then Gajeel started to eat the railing!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Kinda. Sorta." He said, a sheepish expression marring his face. Gray threw his hands up in frustration.

"You know what? I'm going on ahead. See you morons later!" With that Gray threw a wave over his shoulder as he began running towards Magnolia.

'If I run and I don't stop Ill be home in forty-five minutes! Fifty tops!' He thought to himself with a smile.

'Don't worry Juvia, I'm coming home. Don't give up on me!'

Gray could see his house coming into view and it sent his heart into overdrive. 'I'm home!' He yelled to himself. In a flurry of motions Gray unlocked the front door before running up the stairs to his and Juvia's bedroom. As he neared their bedroom door he could faintly her the sobs of the woman he loved. His heart broke at the thought of her sadness. In a rush to reach her he slammed the door open causing her gaze to snap up to meet her gaze. His breathing ceased. The room became lit up by the thunder outside and he could see her face.

She looked as though she was tired, and hadn't been getting any sleep. Her blue eyes were widened in shock and her complexion looked pale. But most important she had tears running down her face.

Quickly Gray moved towards her as she did the same. He reached out before bringing her face to meet his.

Their lips met in a flurry of emotions. Sadness. Hope. Longing. Heartbreak. Empathy. Love. Her lips were as soft as ever. She tasted clean, like freshly cut mint and of her fallen tears. He could feel her hands moved into his hair and he held back a groan as she tugged at it. He gently pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged slowly. He then moved his tongue to lightly ask for entrance before her mouth opened up to him. As their tongues meshed together she whimpered at the contact. He pulled her closer as she did the same to him. After a few moments they slowed the kiss and ended it with one last chaste kiss on each others lips. Gray brought his forehead to hers as he slowly, sensually ran his fingers against her cheeks.

In a quick motion Juvia brought him into a tight embrace. he could hear and feel her soft cries as she spoke.

"Your here! Your here!" His heart felt lighter at her words. She was right, he was. He had made it home.

"I'm here." He spoke quietly while moving his head to lie on her while he changed their positions so that she could lie in his lap. She soon fell asleep, and he smiled at the notion. 'Good it looked like she needed the rest.'

Gray had just finished putting his joggers on when he heard the soft cries of his wife. Swiftly he made his way to the bedroom. He hated when she cried. 'Might as well stab me in the heart', he thought with a frown.

He soon reached their bedroom door and tentatively called out to her.

"Juvia?" She looked up and her face turned from despairing to relief. As he walked towards the bed she turned on the bed side lamp. He sat down on the bed behind her before pulling her so that her back rested against his stomach. He gently laid his head in her hair. Her smell brought him comfort.

"I'm home." He spoke as much to Juvia as to himself.

"Yeah you're home. It's been so hard without you here. I swear I cant function properly if I don't have you by my side. I'm so lost."

"I know, I feel the same way. The whole time I was on the mission Natsu kept hitting me for as he called it being a, 'Sad Snowman.' I feel like I don't how to live when your not their to keep me going. Does that make me crazy?"

"If it does than I can say with confidence that I am 100% crazy, my love." She said as her covered his hands with her own

"Why were you crying when I came in?" His arms tightened around her as he spoke.

"It was a nightmare. I keep dreaming that you go on the mission and never come back. That you die. That I lose you, Gray. I dream that I never see you again, every night that you're not with me. And everyday that you're gone I live my nightmare, because you don't come home." Her eyes began to fill up with tears as her lips trembled.

"Juvia." The one word held so much emotion as he spoke. His voice nothing but a broken whisper.

"How do I live without the sun, Gray? Its impossible. Nothing can live without a sun. Nothing." Her voice cracked at the end.

"I'm here now and I don't ever want to leave your side again. Juvia can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"I dream that when I come home you've given up on waiting for me. That I was gone for too long." his eyes began to fill quickly at the thought before finally, slowly they overflowed.

"I will always be waiting. Forever. That's a promise, my love." She says, her voice strong and passionate.

"And I promise that I will always come home to you."

"I love you Gray."

"I love you Juvia, with everything that I am. And I also love how you look in my shirt." As he spoke he couldn't seem to control his growing smirk.

"It was comforting." She spoke as a giggle escaped her.

With that they lay down together. He pulled her into his arms as their legs tangled together.

'Finally,' he thought. 'I'm home. Here, in her arms, this is home to me. My dreams had lied. She would always be here. And even if I was separated from her again I knew that we would be reunited again. For the rain always returns.'

'And I know much like the rain, I can always be found near Juvia.'