Where Do We Go From Here?

By: juvia0613 (FayeValentine00)

Chapter 11

Gray woke up later than usual the next morning. The Ice Make Wizard knew he was tired yesterday and he and Juvia had probably stayed up too late talking, but it still surprised him that it was after 10am when he finally got out of bed. Unsurprisingly, Juvia was still sound asleep. Gray could tell that she was downplaying how she'd been feeling lately because Juvia kept assuring him that all of her symptoms were "fine", "nothing" and "not a big deal."

That was part of the reason he was going with her to see Levy and Gajeel. Yes, he wanted to check in on Levy and he wanted to thank them both for helping Juvia, but he also wanted to know how Juvia had really been doing. Knowing that Gajeel had a pregnant wife, Gray was pretty sure the Dragon Slayer would prioritize Juvia's health and wellbeing over keeping a secret for his best friend... at least, he'd better.

Gray got out of bed, cleaned up the broken plate still lying on the kitchen floor, heated one of the random leftovers for breakfast, took a shower and got dressed all before the Water Wizard woke up. It was nearly noon when Juvia finally opened her eyes. That was the most she'd slept in a long time. Lately her sleep had been sporadic despite her fatigue, yet all that sleep had a downside. Her body was sore and achy.

With a groan, Juvia rolled out of bed and put her feet on the floor. Coming to terms with her pregnancy yesterday had allowed so many things make sense. For example, she'd been nauseous for the last couple of weeks but no vomiting, so she'd ignored it. Also, her boobs were sore... really sore. Sometimes just walking around was painful, but that was something that randomly happened during her period, so she just chalked that up to PMS. She'd also had to pee more often. To the point where she thought Gajeel might forbade her from drinking fluids while they were travelling. Thankfully, he hadn't but it was touch and go for a while.

It was amazing how a new day and a long conversation with Gray could make everything better. She now felt prepared to tackle the new adventure of parenthood. That thought right there might have been when it really hit her. Juvia and Gray were having a baby together. For all that yesterday had been tiring, stressful and scary, today it felt exciting! This baby, created by their love, was a little miracle and it was amazing!

When Gray walked into the room, Juvia was awake, sitting on the edge of the bed with a hand on her abdomen and tears in her eyes. For a second, he was concerned. He'd wasn't sure if Juvia was still worried or if she was happy and it wasn't until she looked up at Gray and flashed him her best smile, that he realized it was the latter.

Juvia flew off the bed and leapt straight into his arms, hugging his neck tightly. "Good morning, Gray-sama!"

With a chuckle, Gray returned her hug, relieved that their normalcy was already returning.

That afternoon Gray and Juvia made their promised visit to the Redfox home. They spent several hours with the couple apologizing, thanking them and gathering information. However, the most important thing they accomplished was getting Gajeel, Levy and Lily to swear to secrecy. The night before, Gray and Juvia decided to keep the pregnancy a secret until after the wedding. That meant no one outside of that inner circle could know. Thankfully, they understood and agreed. By this point, Levy was 7 months pregnant, so she wasn't out to gossip much anyway and Gajeel only gossiped with Levy, Lily and Juvia anyway so they were safe.

With only two weeks until the wedding, both Gray and Juvia cancelled their upcoming jobs claiming a need to focus on the wedding. However, the truth was that Juvia wasn't feeling great and Gray was worried and overprotective. Juvia had only been sick a handful of times but, every time, Gray was there to hold her hair or rub her back or bring her some water and crackers, but since neither of them knew anything about pregnancy and what was and wasn't normal, it kept them on their toes. Thankfully, they were able to find a good doctor who could put their minds at ease.

Juvia also spent a good deal of time with Levy, asking questions and comparing notes. Both women were thrilled about the prospect of raising their children together. They also discussed serious things like what boundaries they should set for children in the guildhall. When Levy and Gray were young, all the kids were orphans with nowhere else to go and the guild was home, so it just made sense that the kids hung out in the bar.

Al and Bisca had somewhat ended that tradition with Asuka. Although the little girl was in the hall sometimes, it was sparingly, and Levy often wondered if they should follow suit. Little did they know that in a few short years, the guildhall would be more kid-friendly than they could ever imagine.

Before they knew it, it was the night before the wedding. Cana and Mira had made it clear that Gray was not to see Juvia before the ceremony which meant they had to sleep in different places. Gray ended up inviting Leon, Natsu and Gajeel to their house while Juvia took Meredy, Lucy and Wendy to Levy's place. The reason for going to Levy's was two-fold. Juvia could keep an eye on the Solid Script Wizard while she kept an eye on the bride-to-be.

The night was a lot of fun. The girls sat around chatting and gossiping but before long, Juvia was fading. At one point, the bride's eyes met the Wendy's and Juvia realized the younger girl her secret. It was obvious by her expression, but the Dragon Slayer didn't say anything out loud.

Fatigue remained Juvia's #1 symptom even now and try as she might, the bluenette had trouble keeping her eyes open which surprised Meredy and Lucy. Both of her friends had assumed she'd be too keyed up to sleep but Levy and Wendy smoothed things over. It was only 11pm when the Water Wizard admitted to feeling nauseous, claiming nerves, and headed to bed with Wendy on her heels to make sure she wasn't going to be sick.

The Water Wizard all but collapsed onto the bed. Gray had spoiled her too much lately, letting her sleep whenever she needed it and now, she was a wreck.

"How far along are you?" Wendy whispered even though it would have been impossible for someone to overhear thanks to the laughter in the next room.

"10 and a half weeks," Juvia answered without hesitation, giving Wendy a big sleepy smile from her fluffy pillow. It was pointless to even deny it when she was certain Wendy could sense the little life inside her.

The Sky Dragon Slayer leaned down and hugged Juvia's shoulders tightly. "Congratulations!" she said in an enthusiastic half whisper with a slight blush on her cheeks. It made Juvia happy that Wendy's adorable innocence was still firmly in place. "Is that the real reason you and Gray took some time off?"

"Yes," she admitted. There was something about Wendy that just put Juvia at ease so telling her the truth was very easy. Maybe it was because she literally owed her life to Wendy and Carla. Without them, she wouldn't be able to have all this happiness, so keeping anything from her seemed unfair.

Wendy giggled. "Actually, everyone was worried about you and Gray. We heard that you were going to help with wedding plans but then we hardly saw you the entire time. ... I guess Natsu was right. He was convinced you are pregnant, and Lucy got mad and told him to stop spreading rumors. I don't think he'll ever let her forget that he was right."

That made both women laugh but within minutes, Juvia Lockser was asleep and the next day she would become Juvia Fullbuster.

The next morning, Juvia was put through the ringer. Truthfully, she wasn't feeling 100%. If this was any other time, she probably would have stayed in bed, but it was her wedding day and she was determined to enjoy it. Juvia was thrilled to marry Gray, of course, but now that they had a baby coming and already had their house together, this step felt more like a formality than anything else. The Water Mage wished she could talk to Gray and see if he felt that same way.

The bride-to-be felt achy and bloated. Almost overnight her boobs felt more full than usual. Although she wasn't showing, in the last few days, her clothes had been a little tighter. The problem was that Mira was the holder of the dress so Juvia hadn't had the time to try it on over the last 10 days. She ended up spending the entire morning stressed that the dress wouldn't fit right.

Nearly every woman in the guild stopped by the Redfox home that morning to say hello, bring food or offer some kind of gift or service. Between Juvia's crazy mood swings and all the emotions she felt about finally marrying Gray, Juvia cried so many times that her makeup was reapplied four times. The last time, Levy had sat in the corner snickering to herself and promising Juvia, "I totally understand!" over and over, almost causing the Water Wizard to lose her cool. Juvia was glad Gray wasn't there because she felt like she was going crazy.

Finally, around noon, her hair and makeup were done. Levy had forced a nauseous, moody Juvia to eat a little something and then it was time to get dressed. Juvia had confessed her fitting concerns to Levy a few days before the ceremony so somehow the pregnant woman had convinced their friends to let her be the only one in the room when Juvia changed. This way the finished product could surprise them.

The Water Wizard was so nervous pulling on the dress that she wanted to cry all over again, but she held it together. She didn't realize at the time, but Levy was just as anxious. The dress pulled on fine which was the first battle. But the second battle, zipping up the dress, and that was a little more problematic.

The dress zipped up okay but no longer fit like a glove. The waistline felt a little too tight, but it was probably only be noticeable if you knew what you were looking for. She was certain Gray, Wendy and Gajeel would notice. However, the much larger problems were far more obvious. It was fair to say that her cups runneth over.

"Levy-channnn..." Juvia was looking at herself in the mirror about to cry all over again when Levy jumped in.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Forcing a bright smile to the Water Wizard, Levy jumped into action. As quickly as possible, Levy used her magic for supplies and some sewing skill to let the top out just enough so that the neckline of her dress didn't look obscene. Thankfully, the alterations weren't obvious either. Her breasts still looked more impressive in the dress now but at least she wouldn't spill out.

Levy seemed satisfied with her handiwork, but she still looked a little concerned. "Juvia... you and Gray plan to tell everyone soon, right?"

"... Yes." Juvia answered, watching Levy in the mirror's reflection. She wanted to pretend like she didn't know why her friend was asking but it was obvious.

"That's probably a good idea..."