Author's Note: Wow! I was not expecting such a big response on the last chapter but I am so happy everyone is enjoying the story so far! I do need to give you a forewarning on this chapter though… so yeah. You have been warned.

Seas of Change

Chapter 11: Surrender

Calypso was a hole-in-the-wall tavern on the outskirts of Torenju, a modified cave in the side of a mountain. Lyon led Juvia through the shipwood tables and stump stools to a lantern lit corner near a fake fireplace. Two steel mugs of ale were placed before them as the waitstaff disappeared behind the bar and into the cavern that Juvia could only assume held the kitchen.

As she had followed Lyon through the door, it had not gone unnoticed to her how everyone moved out of his way. It was obvious he commanded a respect of the patrons that was hard won and drawn about somewhat in fear and awe. Men with eyepatches, missing legs, hooks for arms—they all shifted and went silent until Lyon had taken his seat across form her in the corner.

"Are you hungry, Juvia-chan?"

Her eyes stopped taking in the movements and whispers of the other pirates when he spoke. "No. Juvia has already eaten."

Lyon motioned toward the cup before her. "A drink then."

"Juvia cannot figure out if everyone is watching her or watching you."

He blinked, then glanced over her head. Juvia felt the undeniable urge to shrink down and hide; her back was to every other guest housed within the stone walls, placing her safety in the hands of a man she had just met. She shook her head. Lyon was not just a man, he was a pirate, the same as the man who had assaulted her in the street. The same as the crew of the Titania. The same as Gray.

Gray… hadn't he mentioned someone named Lyon before? His name sounded familiar, but Juvia struggled to place it. Had she heard of him during her conversations with Cana, or perhaps her meals with Erza? She felt as if she knew something, as if she should be weary, and yet the familiarity of his cool demeanor and distant affection drew her toward him. She was not fool enough to believe she trusted Lyon. Yet, in a city full of pirates, who else could she trust but one who had already proven himself to be in some way an ally?

"You have nothing to fear, Juvia-chan." He smiled with confidence. "You are safe with me."

"Please do not call Juvia Juvia-chan."

He raised an eyebrow, as if surprised. "Just Juvia then? We're past formalities. You move quickly."

She felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment.

"You said Juvia could decide after this meal if she wanted your assistance."

He nodded, taking a full drink of his ale. "Crocus is far from here, and Torenju is an island. Did you have a plan to leave and navigate your way back?"

An island? No one had ever mentioned that they were not ported on the mainland in a special alcove protected by the mountainside. She had known full well it would be treacherous to attempt to scale the mountains into the valley beyond it, but it was a risk she had been willing to take. Sailing alone without provisions for an unknown number of days… Juvia felt her hope falter. She had escaped the ship, only to find her trap was created in layers.

The way Lyon watched her, she couldn't bring herself to say no.

"Juvia's situation was dire."

"In that case," he pushed her drink closer. "tell me how you came to Torenju, and maybe I can lend you my assistance to Crocus."

Her eyes landed on the mug as he moved his hand from the handle, motioning for her to drink along with him. The liquid glimmered in the lamplight, and Juvia found herself reaching for the mug. It seemed Lyon held nothing against her, but she needed to gain his trust in order to garner the favor she needed. She could not sail to Crocus alone. She had no ship, no provisions, and no money. She knew nothing about sailing.

She lifted the mug to her lips and took a deep drink, the first she had ever taken with a pirate. Reckless, but they were reckless too and if she were to succeed she needed to show a bit of her own contempt of danger.

"Juvia was a captive, but she escaped."

Lyon waved off the waitress who stopped to take his meal order. "Which ship?"

Juvia felt herself hesitate, overcome by a tightening in her stomach. This felt a lot like the betrayal Gray had done to her; she owed him nothing, and yet there was a part of her that felt as if she were leading him right into a trap. She wanted to escape, not hurt him. Lyon seemed to detect this, and explained he had to be sure he was not going to start a war over ferrying her back to Crocus.

She took one more swig of the ale, decision made.

"The Frozen Banshee."

Gray stormed through the streets of Torenju, heart pounding. Where would Juvia have fled to in this city? He had gone through all the alleyways and trade shops along the pier without luck. With no clue as to how long she had been gone, his search could very well be futile. Juvia could have wandered nearly anywhere. Men and prostitutes split out of his way as Gray continued into the heart of the city, trying to trace her path. There were places Erza had said she may have heard of, but Juvia knew nothing of the city and was likely far off course from what he would have considered neutral territory for an outsider.

Torenju was crawling with members of the Balam Alliance that night. Gray could feel a snarl pulling at the edges of his lips, the way his hair stood on end and the deep creases that formed on his face along with his glare. Like hell he would let them have her. He'd break the Pirate Law and fight on neutral ground if he had to. Juvia was never meant to get mixed up in this power struggle between the Fiore Seas and their enemies.

He should have taken her to Crocus to begin with. Cobra would have never picked up on the way her name could make his heart race, never would have known about the fear he held for her.

Maybe if he had let her off in Magnolia…

It was too late for what-ifs; Gray placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, pushing the door open to one of the more inviting pubs on the east side of the city. It slammed into the wall with a clanging sound, capturing the attention of everyone inside. He gave the bar a once over before stepping back out into the mud and cobblestone. She wasn't there, and the fact remained that he had only himself to blame. He was trudging through a pirate city looking for the only person who was not a pirate at all, like a rose thrown overboard into the sea. Juvia would stand out among the dinge of the city and it would not only be his enemies plotting to take hold of her innocence.

That didn't make his anger toward her any less. For a woman who detested pirates as strongly as she said she did, Juvia was a fool to thinks he could handle the city of Torenju on her own. He had warned her that he and his crew were not the pirates she was conditioned to fear. Torenju was busting at the seams with the very men whose tales were meant to scare all manner of people off the seas. There was no way to get out of the city except by sea, and not a soul would offer their assistance without expecting something in return.

That was if the Balam did not get to her first.

He closed his eyes in frustration and tried to refocus himself. If Gray was going to find her, he had to think like someone who would be searching for safety in a land of thieves and murderers instead of hunting her down like a crazed man. At the very least he knew Juvia to be clever; she had outsmarted everyone aboard the Titania. She was the same woman who fought his crew and injured Gajeel the night he overtook her ship. She was resourceful. If she still had no trust for him, he had to believe she would have even less for the people of Torenju.

He had spent all this time pushing her away and for the first time, Gray had to put his trust in Juvia to buy him enough time to find her. She could handle herself for a while, but she needed him in a way so desperate she couldn't understand. He felt the urgency in the tips of his fingers, tingling and keeping him on alert, the way his skin bulged at his pulse.

Fuck it. He wasn't going to bother ignoring it anymore. If Cobra was nearby, he could sense the erratic heartbeat beneath Gray's skin and the rest of his crew would start looking for her too. If they were using it to their advantage, he would do the same.

Lyon leaned back in his seat, the chair tilting as he crossed his arms. Juvia set her second mug of ale down, deciding now was the stopping point for both her story and the drink. At some point the drink had begun to dull her senses and she had lost track of time. How long exactly had they been hiding away in this hovel of a tavern? She glanced behind herself and noticed most of the patronage had changed.

"It appears you have been severely wronged, Juvia."

The tone in Lyon's voice did not match what Juvia had expected from him; she turned her attention back to the silver haired man across from her, who appeared deep in thought. He placed a hand on the table and moved to stand.

"So you will help Juvia?"

"I haven't yet made up my mind. Captain Fullbuster is formidable, and it seems he would not willingly let you go." Lyon remarked, offering her his hand.

Juvia took hold and held firm as Lyon hoisted her out of her seat; her sealegs had come back with the influence of the drink, and she had taken hold of his offered elbow faster than he was able to offer it. He released a friendly sigh and guided her out of the tavern.

"He will never know." Juvia responded robustly. "He does not know Juvia is gone."

"Somehow I find that doubtful. A man doesn't fight to keep something hidden if he plans on giving it away."

The cool sea air outside the cave-bar was a welcome rush against her face; Juvia breathed deeply and allowed Lyon to guide her back toward the city without question. Just a few more moments as she gathered herself again and eased the swaying that seemed to overtake her body, then she would demand an answer or leave. There had been enough time wasted and she needed to be out of the city by nightfall.

"I think there is a lot about Gray you don't understand." Lyon remarked. "A lot about pirates… there comes a time for each pirate when they realize the fight is more interesting than the sea it happens upon."

Juvia pulled away slightly, her elbow held tight by Lyon as she lost her footing. She couldn't possibly be this affected by only two drinks, could she?

"If you want my assistance, Juvia, you must know that it comes at a price. Nothing is free."

With whatever sense of self she could muster against the fog in her head and the weakness of her body, Juvia steeled the heels of her boots into the dirt and pulled them to a stop. The gentleness Lyon had held up until the point turned into a sharp pain in her elbow as he held her with the same force she used to keep him from pulling her away. He lowered his head and shook it.

"What kind of price?"

"Just worry about leaving Crocus, and everything else will fall into place."

Juvia shifted on her feet, adrenaline pumping against the alcohol and pulling her away from the intoxication and back toward her current situation. They were no longer on the well lit path he had used to bring her to Calypso, instead blockaded by tall buildings without windows on all but two sides. She could feel the way Lyon twisted his grip to hold her in place as men began to blockade the exits.

She lifted her foot and slammed the heel of her boot firmly into Lyon's foot.

Lyon groaned but refused to let go; the distraction was enough to allow her to kneel and grab the knife from it's hiding place against her thigh. Juvia twisted the knife into an angled hold she had seen Natsu use when sparring on deck with the crew and turned, using her lowered angle to propel her upward and inflict the most damage as Gajeel had shown her. Lyon leaned away from her strike then took hold of her by both wrists, using the momentum to slam her into the alley wall. She gasped at the force of air sucked out of her lungs, wincing as Lyon applied pressure to her hand until the knife clattered to the ground.

"I can see why he likes you. You are not what you appear to be." Lyon stated, pressing a knee between her legs to keep himself out of her range of attack. Hi chest pressed against hers to hold her into the wall. "Gray has always been that way, ever since we were young. He pushed away what truly mattered."

Juvia lifted her head and held Lyon's gaze, his eyes dark as he stared down at her. The calculating way he watched her, the mention of Gray as a child… her eyes registered the shock she felt inside. She knew where she had heard Lyon's name before. He was the adoptive brother Gray had mentioned as being the one who led the mutiny on the pirate ship that had saved them. The resemblance to Gray, the cool demeanor, the way he seemed to dance around anything involving Gray- she knew without a doubt that he was the same Lyon.

"Juvia is no good to you. Gray-"

A clanging noise of steel-on-steel resounded down the alley; Lyon smirked.

"He's already come for you."

Gray pulled his sword out the moment he heard a feminine gasp; he recognized the man who approached him as belonging to the crew of the Reitei Vengeance. Lyon was here; if Lyon was here, he had no doubt Juvia was the woman he had heard. The man in front of him pushed off quickly and Gray held his stance, waiting for the other to advance. He ran forward and Gray side stepped, slamming the hilt of his sword into the man's neck. He crumbled to the ground and Gray turned his attention to the alley, forcing himself to remain calm.

He could walk into almost anything, but there was hope- if it was Lyon, Juvia would still be safe. Gray couldn't imagine him hurting a woman, especially if his objective was to get to Gray and force his hand. He needed the bargaining chip. Two more steps and he was at the mouth of the unlit corridor and completely exposed.

Juvia, pinned to the wall with Lyon tight against her. The men at his back were not just his own, but members of the Oracion Seis stood among the ranks as well. He was outnumbered, but Juvia was alive just as he had dared to believe. That was what mattered.

"Get off her."

Lyon conceded with a dramatic swooping of his hand, refusing to let her go but at the very least removing his body from her own. Gray focused on her face and not the movements or jeers of the pirates surrounding her. Whatever Lyon had become to join the Balam, he was not a man to take advantage of a woman. He was detaining her, as he continued to do by pinning her arms against her back. Juvia limped away form the wall and stumbled with the awkwardness of Lyon's hold, but she lifted her eyes to Gray and he felt the way his chest tightened.

"I didn't expect you so soon."

"It's neutral ground. Let her go." Gray took two more steps closer, holding himself tall and firm. He watched the men behind Lyon shift with doubt before righting themselves again.

Lyon shook his head. "It's not that easy Gray. You should be happy it was me."

"Let her go." his voice was firm. He watched Lyon, but his body was attuned to any motion Juvia made.

She shifted in Lyon's hold, trying to wrangle herself free to no avail. Gray shook his head to tell her to stop, an echo in his ears from the rushing of his blood as he saw her lower her head. She had registered her own defeat. He returned his gaze to Lyon, who watched him with a silent coolness that put Gray on edge. Lyon knew he was in control.

"You're not in a position to make threats. As you said, it's neutral ground." Lyon glanced toward Juvia for a moment, then tossed her back toward the men behind him. "However, I'm itching for a fight. We'll call it a duel."

Gray watched as Juvia stumbled into the hold of the men positioned behind Lyon; she stomped her feet and swung her arms to keep them at bay, knocking one man in the jaw and kneeing another in the groin. His body urged him forward to help her as they took hold of her around the waist and wrestled her to the ground. She lay on her back in the dirt and muck, struggling with the weight of the men on top of her. It pissed him off.

The moment he stepped forward, Lyon drew his own sword.

"Well?" he tipped the point of his weapon upward toward Gray. "I don't think you have much time."

Juvia yelped in pain as her arms were pulled away from her and held down by the knees of two different pirates. Gray knew Lyon wouldn't touch her, but he knew nothing about these men and with Juvia held immobile, she couldn't hope to help herself. The fear echoed in his head but he pushed it aside, offering her no words and instead focusing on Lyon.

What had the Balam done to him?

Lyon dove forward with a jabbing motion that Gray side stepped and met with a swinging slash propelled by his footwork. Their weapons clashed loudly and they remained close, each trying to pressure the other into backing down. Gray stepped harshly on Lyon's foot, earning him a gargled sound of pain as Lyon stumbled back. He focused his gaze on Lyon and not on Juvia. If he looked at Juvia, he would lose, and right now he couldn't lose.

He couldn't lose her.

Gray started with the next attack, an arcing swipe as he twisted his body; he hit steel and continued forward, pushing Lyon back with his continued rotations. Lyon ducked the last one, sending an elbow into Gray's stomach. He stumbled and fell to one knee, holding his abdomen as he fought to recapture his breath; Lyon wasted no time in moving forward with another attack aimed at Gray's shoulder. Gray lifted his sword just in time, the steel resting on his skin and barely keeping the blade from slicing through his neck.

Lyon kicked Gray down and lifted his sword to jab into his back; Gray saw the motion out of the corner of his eye and counted down.

Juvia screamed.

At the last moment Gray turned onto his back, allowing Lyon's sword to graze his arm and stick into the street; his legs swung around and pulled Lyon's feet out from under him, and he fell backward.

Gray jumped up and took hold of Lyon's sword with his empty hand, ignoring the man he had been sparing with and instead sprinted toward Juvia. The men holding her down had no way to stop him with about weapons or available hands, and Gray knocked them back easily; a knee to the face, sword hilt to the side of the head, a boot to the neck. The other man fell off of Juvia in a quick motion to miss the swing of Lyon's sword in Gray's hand.

He dropped the sword and took hold of Juvia's hand, not allowing himself time to pause. He had to get her out of her, and now. Lyon would be standing soon and was not likely to let them go easily. Gray ran toward the end of the alley and took a right, dragging Juvia through the mud and down a separate street, changing off to the left and then bursting through a doorway into a brothel.

The women screamed, the Madam ordered him out, but Gray kept on with Juvia until he hit a back room with an unusually ornate door. He kicked it open, pulled Juvia inside and then shut the door with a swift motion.

"Your arm..."

"It's nothing." he ignored her inquest, turning toward a liquor cabinet in the back of the room.

It was ordinary enough, but Gray had spent enough time in this particular establishment to know there was a trap door behind it triggered by lifting the bottle of gin. He reached for it and winced, registering the pain of his shoulder wound for the first time. Lyon's sword had more than grazed him, and it bled as he pulled the gin bottle and the door opened.

Gray turned toward Juvia, taking hold of her once more to push into the underground passage; it was warm and stuffy, but it would get them to the harbor. He followed behind her and made sure the door clicked shut before stepping down to meet her at the bottom. He moved to pass her, but Juvia lifted her hands to his chest.

"We need to keep moving."

"You're hurt."

Irritation washed over Gray, and he found himself pulling her hands away as much as he wanted to feel them there. Everything she touched felt like it was on fire and his body still screamed for them to run, but she was having none of it. Did she not realize what kind of situation she had just put them in? The fact that he had to run all over Torenju to find her?

"We keep moving." He didn't spare her a glance; if he did, he would do exactly as she said and right now was not the time. Right now, he needed to get her back to the ship. He would worry about everything else then.

Gray did not return Juvia to the Titania. He took her to the Frozen Banshee.

She had tried multiple times to get him to stop so she could check his wound, but Gray had been silent the rest of the way through the underground passage. He refused to look at her, refused to touch her, and yet he expected her to follow. After watching the battle that unfolded between Gray and Lyon, Juvia felt she had a responsibility to follow him. Juvia's desire to leave had caused his pain, and despite everything she had said and done, he came to save her.

To go back out would be suicide. Lyon and his men were probably looking for her now.

Gray motioned for her to walk up the ramp and followed closely behind her. The ship's exterior appeared nearly pristine with the repairs; she could hardly remember the way it looked before its battle with the navy. Once she stepped on the deck, Juvia turned to face him as he followed her up. He pushed past her before she could say anything, and it was obvious he expected her to follow. Juvia stalled, trying to read his body language.

She witnessed tonight exactly what made Gray the captain of his ship- she would be lying if she didn't say there was some fear that came along with knowing just how skilled of a fighter he was. The same commanding air he held about himself with his men he was using with her now and she found herself complying with whatever he wanted. It was nonverbal, but the message was strong.

They entered Gray's personal cabins, and Juvia was surprised to see all of his things still there. He must have continued using his ship as his base of operations since they docked in the harbor. Juvia walked around as the door closed, running her hand along the familiar objects. Gray's chair, the one he had leaned in asleep nearly naked the first night she was on the ship. The liquor cabinet he poured her rum from. The desk they sat at while he pulled the splinters from her hand.

Juvia felt her back press into the edge of his desk, the wood firm and cool through the fabric of her dress. Gray lumbered above her, eyes closed and knit with anger. The pounding her in her chest echoed through her veins and limbs, skin hyper sensitive to the closeness of his body and the way he moved. She could not remember a moment she had ever seen anger in his face like this- it was not the calm rage with which he had fought Lyon. It was not the aggravation she saw from time to time when his crew fought among themselves. It was different. It was an anger reserved for her.

"Do you know what they could have done to you?"

"Juvia had it under control—" she found herself instinctively fighting back. No, she did not have it under control. If Gray had not shown up...

His hands slammed on the wooden surface about her, wrists pressed against her sides. She felt herself edging further up the table, toes supporting her weight as she pushed away from him. He was close enough she could feel his breath on her skin, the heat radiating from his body causing her to feel damp all over. He was strong and full of some primal emotions, pressing her further into the desk as he leaned closer.

He opened his eyes and Juvia found herself fighting for breath. She should not be reacting this way. She just tried to escape- he had betrayed her. And yet, try as she might, she couldn't pull her eyes away.

"They would have killed you. They may have done worse. They're pirates, Juvia." He grit the words out behind from behind tightly laced lips, the emotions in his eyes holding her captive.

He was angry—angry with them, angry with her, angry with whoever allowed her off the ship. He was scared and he was relieved and he was furious; the way his irises moved about her face caused a jolt to run through her body, hair standing on end despite the heat she felt. She knew her skin was flushed and it was on display for him to see, the adrenaline still running through his body appearing to distract him. Never had she been able to see through Gray so clearly.

"You are a pirate too." She remarked, meeker than she intended but with enough force to warrant response.

A hand moved from the table to her leg, pushing up on the fabric of her dress. She twitched at the touch. "I am." He answered, his voice dropping a few octaves. "That's why I know what could have happened."

Her eyes flitted from his face to the hand on her leg, watching as his arm shook while he held it in place. She felt warm and then embarrassed as the desire for him to touch her everywhere increased. Juvia turned her attention back to his face, assuming that was the safest route. She could still pull anger out when she thought of the feel of his lips and the way he dismissed her afterward, the intimate words he had shared with Lucy. Juvia settled her attention on his lips and, the ultimate tool of his betrayal and the one thing she wanted the most.

"Gray... why do you care what happens to Juvia?" her words held more bite, and emboldened she glanced toward his eyes.

They watched one another in silence, both daring the other to make the first move.

"You ignore Juvia. You kiss her and then—"

She was cut off with a growl before he pressed himself into her, lips full on her own, hand fisting in the fabric of her gown and lifting the skirt high enough that her skin touched the coolness of the wooden desktop. Juvia made a surprised noise beneath the pressure of his mouth, but Gray pulled her closer to drown out the sound with a hand on her back. His hands moved about her body in a way that kept her motionless and electrified.

It hit her suddenly that she did not know what to do, and Gray seemed to know everything—and instead of feeling inadequate, her body tingled with anticipation. This kiss was rougher and more demanding than the one they had shared on the wheel deck, laced with threats and promises she couldn't decipher but wanted to uncover.

"What would you have done?" he broke from her lips, his voice still holding an angry rasp despite the way he whispered. "If he had touched you like this…"

His hand snaked along her abdomen, settling over her breast and Juvia's breath hitched.

"Gray—"

"… or this?"

His other hand lifted her leg about his hip, pressing her against himself. Juvia whimpered at the warmth radiating from him, the hard curve that pressed into her most intimate parts. There was fabric there she wished removed for reasons she couldn't understand. This was wrong and far from ladylike, savage and uncouth, and yet she craved it like she had never craved anything before.

"Juvia wouldn't—"

He tugged her closer, hands digging into her thighs, lips against her chin. "You couldn't stop them."

"Gray…" she could feel moisture in places that embarrassed her, and she longed to edge away as well as have him as close as possible. "… Juvia—"

"I couldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Gray's hand slid along her thigh, fingers sliding beyond the fabric of her undergarments, straight into the warm folds of her womanhood. She jumped and moaned all at the same time, melting into the coaxing of his fingers. It was far from gentle, mixed with the rawness of his anger, but it told her a story much deeper. He was mad, but his anger came from a place he wasn't ready to explain to her just yet, it stemmed from an emotion neither of them were ready to name.

His attention refocused on her, eyes heavy with desire and concern, and Juvia knew there would be no stopping this. He had exposed himself fully for her to see and as much as she wanted this, he needed it. They exchanged no other words as Juvia lost herself in the feel of his desire and the heat of his body. He did not ask her for permission, Juvia opened for him like a flower in the moonlight, spread across his desk and awaiting the shipwreck for the scare she had given him.

She wouldn't risk calling it love making; this was something far deeper than that, erupting from brokenness and empty spaces in both their souls, from rage and relief.

Gray tugged her hips to the edge of the desk. Juvia felt his velvet flesh hard as stone, thick and warm, press deep inside of her. When had he removed his pants? She sucked in a deep breath, hands holding the edges of the desk until her body accepted him fully and he stopped. He had not waited for her permission or asked how she felt, but he waited still for something from her. She glanced toward him with half glazed eyes, chest heaving as she took each breath. The room had suddenly gone from cool to blazing hot, and she would be damned if he tried to stop now.

She reached for him, hand landing on the back of neck. "Gray-sama…"

With his names on her lips, Gray thrust inside her and she found her hand fisting into his hair, body sore and stretching but still allowing him entrance to the most pleasurable places within her. His motions were rough and fast, demanding. She arched into him as he pulled back and then pressed himself inside as deep her body would let him. It hurt, yet Juvia found the feeling of him claiming her, feeling her, needing her this badly to be pleasurable. The pain eased the more they moved. The table was cool against her bottom and he was throbbing within her and Juvia wanted to scream and cling and moan and demand from him everything he could give.

There was a sound of crashing as he swiped a hand along the desk to clear the contents; Juvia could hear distantly the echoe of them bouncing and hitting walls while he shifted her further along the table, flipping her onto her stomach and climbing atop without leaving the space deep inside her. Gray took hold of her hips and lifted them, angling Juvia against her chest as he knelt and thrust deeper inside her; she took hold of the edges of the desk to support herself as her body rocked back and forth with his motions, her legs spread about behind him as he worked his way inside of her. His fingers tore into the skin of her hip and Juvia found her voice hitch at the sensation.

He hissed and growled, increasing the tempo. Juvia cried out and lifted as well as she could to offer more friction in the places that seemed to feel the best. Her body reacted on its own, clawing and demanding more of him, accepting his anger and the need to feel close, offering her apology with every rhythmic thrust that filled her.

Just when Juvia was sure she could take no more Gray paused, shuddering and crying out as he held her in place. She could feel the wetness seeping from where they were joined, how the hardness that had filled her so deliciously became lax and soft. He held himself above her, one hand pressed into her back to steady himself and the other still holding her hips as close to his own as he could.

"Gray… sama?" she whispered, turning as best she could to get a good view of his face. He nuzzled into her small of her back before he moved from above her and off the table.

The loss of him brought with it the familiar rush of emotion that accompanied the fear of rejection and abandonment. She turned and sat up quickly, pulling her skirts down to cover the indecency within them. Her face flushed, tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. Was he going to pull away again, the same as he had did after the kiss? It had been hard and enraging before, but now that she had shared this with him… her heart squeezed in her chest.

When had she become so attached to him? For as long as she had tried to push him away, to paint him as her enemy, she still sat praying this was not the end.

She couldn't let him push her away again; Juvia turned on the table, prepared to fight him tooth and nail until he admitted he needed her too. She could feel the nauseating reality of expected loss bubbling just within her ribcage. Just as he came into view Gray reached out and settled his navy tripoint hat on her head, adjusting it so the feather would point toward the back.

His face softened in ways she had not seen before as he looked at her. "I won't treat you like a captive anymore. Keep the hat; no one will touch what they know to be mine. They won't try it again."

She looked at him, vulnerable and bare-chested, handsome and warm and hers. He turned and she leaped from the table, arms wrapping around his waist. Juvia pressed her face into his back, the tears that flowed from her eyes mixing with the sweat of their sex.

"Juvia will not leave. Juvia is yours."