It was a long drive back to Lamia scale. Sherria and Lyon would take turns driving, Gray's magic was to depleted for him to drive and he didn't want to leave Lucy anyways. Lucy was always calmest when being held by Gray or Lyon, who she thought was Gray. Sherria had to force Lucy's fever down three more times during the trip. Each time she would talk to Lyon just outside of Gray's hearing. Gray didn't have to hear them to know what they were talking about. Lucy wasn't doing good.
Sherria was a great healer, on par with Wendy, but she had focused her skills on healing injuries, not illness. It was one of the things her magic struggled with. Because Wendy could increase a persons energy she was much better at healing things like sickness and poison. Sherria was doing the best she could but she wanted to get Lucy back to Lamia Scale as soon as possible.
It was near dark on the second day of travel when they reached the guild. Jura was waiting for them and Lucy was taken to the infirmary to rest. She was looking better thanks to Sherria but her fever wouldn't stay down and she still had yet to fully wake up. Gray refused to leave Lucy's side and instead laid down next to her, holding her to him. They were finally somewhere Lucy could get help. Feeling relieved Gray closed his eyes and let himself drift to sleep.
Gray was being watch. He could feel it before he was even fully awake. His arm tightened around Lucy's waist, reassuring himself she was still there. He forced himself to stay relaxed as he assessed his surroundings. He could feel the sun in his face so it was daytime. The room was quiet so he assumed they were alone except for whoever was watching them. He heard a strangled whimper come from the other side of the room, near the door. That's where their intruder was.
Gray was facing the door, he opened his eyes, his glare meeting that of the person watching them. He was faced with dark blue eyes full of tears. Juvia was watching them. He wasn't even surprised, just angry and hurt. There was only one way Juvia would know they were at Lamia Scale, only one reason for her to be there. He had been holding out hope that she wasn't responsible but right now he was angry and worried and Juvia was the cause of all his pain for the last four days.
Gray didn't think about his actions, all he could think about was everything that had happened to them, all the pain that they had suffered, all the crap they had suffered during this last job and how it was all because of Juvia. He was across the room before Juvia could react. He slammed his hands down on the wall on either side of her head, ice forming over it. His rage was effecting his control over his magic.
"What did you do, Juvia!" Gray shouted at her.
Juvia tried to shrink down, maker herself smaller. "Juvia didn't mean too."
"What did you do!" Gray repeated.
"Juvia didn't want Lucy hurt. She just wanted to make Lucy sick so she wouldn't be around Gray. Juvia didn't mean this to happen. Juvia was trying to protect her beloved." Juvia couldn't look at Gray, the words coming out in the barest whisper.
"Juvia!" Gray grabbed her by the arm. His out of control magic instantly froze her arm where he grabbed, the ice slowly started to spread out from there. Juvia screamed out in pain. Gray was freezing Juvia solid, not just across the surface. It was one of the most painful things she had ever experienced.
"Gray, get off her!" He was yanked away from Juvia by Lyon. Juvia's left arm was entirely ice. It spread from her fingertips up to her shoulder and over part of her chest. She sank to the ground holding the frozen limb.
"Let me go, Lyon! She knows what happened to Lucy!" Gray was struggling against Lyon's hold.
"Juvia has already informed us of what happened." It was Jura's calm voice that spoke. Gray stopped struggling to get free from Lyon and watched the tall Wizard Saint enter the room.
"Lucy ate a rare and very poisonous mushroom. Juvia was able to provide us with a sample of the plant and we now have an antidote. It is quite possible she has saved Lucy's life." Jura explained, holding up a bottle with the antidote.
"You poisoned her! What the hell is wrong with you!" Gray lunged at Juvia again, Lyon was just fast enough to catch him before he could reach her.
"Juvia is sorry. Juvia didn't know. Juvia is sorry." Juvia kept repeating herself.
"Gray, you're going to kill her if you don't settle down." Lyon said, fighting to keep control over Gray. Anywhere Gray would touch on Lyon was cover in ice. It didn't bother the follow ice mage near as much as it would anyone else.
"That is enough." Jura didn't shout but his voice filled the room and everyone quieted down instantly. "This is a place of healing. If you wish to fight I suggest you take it elsewhere."
Gray shoved Lyon off him and followed Jura to Lucy's bed. He helped her feed the antidote to her. Lyon walked over to Juvia and helped her up and over to one of the beds on the opposite side of the room from Lucy. He started working on undoing the damage Gray had caused.
"Juvia did not want Lucy to die. Juvia likes Lucy. She was one of the first people to be nice to Juvia, even before Juvia joined Fairy Tail. Juvia was just … jealous." She told Lyon as he melted the ice on her arm.
"You don't have to explain to me, Juvia. I understand what it's like to hurt people when you think you are doing the right thing." Lyon told her.
"Lyon … understands?" Juvia sounded confused. She didn't expect anyone to understand her.
"Well, I never acted out in jealousy …" His eyes flicked over to Gray and Lucy. Juvia could see the jealous look in his eyes.
"You like Lucy too?" Juvia asked.
Lyon couldn't help but laugh. "No, not Lucy."
Juvia gasped and covered her mouth with her one free hand. Her face was bright red. "Lyon is in love with Gray?"
"What! Gray! No way!" Lyon sighed after getting over the initial shock at her accusation. "No, Juvia, I love you. I want to marry you and have children with you, as many as you want. I want to be with you, Juvia. Gray has always been in the way of that."
Juvia didn't know what to say to that. She had heard such things from him in the past but she had always been too distracted by Gray to take him seriously. Now she was having to face the harsh reality that Gray did not love her. It was devastating to her but siting here with this handsome man telling her how he wanted her … It softened the pain, just a little.
Lyon had been trying hard to keep his feeling for Juvia in check since she walked into the guild that morning. He was crazy for her but he knew how she felt for Gray and had long since sworn to himself to keep his feeling controlled until Juvia's feelings for Gray changed. He had listened to Juvia's story about how she found out about Gray and Lucy dating. He had been furious with Gray, still was to a degree. He was constantly telling Gray he needed to be honest with Juvia about his feelings but Gray had always chickened out, lead her on. He always let Juvia believe there could be something between them one day and then for him not to have the courage to tell her he was seeing another woman … it really pissed Lyon off.
Nothing Juvia had done was intended to harm Lucy. She had told Lyon, Sherria, and Jura everything, often with tears running down her face. She had caused rain storms in hopes they would give up on their trip. Had taken Lucy's things. The rock slide had been an attempt to block the road only the days of rain made the cliff side more unstable. Everything she did was an attempt to make Lucy uncomfortable so she would leave and Juvia could take her place.
The night Lucy got sick Juvia had added some mushrooms to her bowl while she danced with Gray. She had been only intending to give Lucy an upset stomach. She knew they would be hitting a town the next day and had hoped Lucy would choose to stay there and meet up with the team on their way home. Juvia had planned to run into them with an excuse of finishing up a job in the area and suggest she accompany them for the remainder of the job and the journey home. She didn't know how toxic the mushrooms she had given Lucy were going to be.
An awkward silence fell over the room after Lyon's declaration. He quickly finished undoing Gray's magic without looking Juvia in the face. He knew she didn't feel the same way and he was a fool for saying anything.
"You're probably going to feel cold and numb for most of the day, but you'll be fine." He said when he was finished.
"Thank you." Juvia said in a quiet voice, testing out her arm and moving her fingers.
"It's probably best if you don't stay around here." He told her. "But don't leave town, not until the master talks with you."
Juvia nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed for a moment while she thought. "Juvia has not eaten for a long time. Would Lyon know a place Juvia could go?"
Lyon looked up at her and noticed the blush on her face. Was this Juvia's way of asking him out on a date? Even if it wasn't he wasn't going to miss the chance to take this fascinating water mage out. "I know a great place for lunch. Let me show you."
Gray watched to two leave. Jura had been standing near the doors but once Juvia and Lyon left he did as well. Apparently he had been acting as baby sitter. Gray didn't care. He meant what he had said before, Lyon could have Juvia. He would be happy to have her out of the guild and if he had his way she would be.
Lucy's mind was fuzzy as she started to wake up. Her body felt weak and her eyes refused to open. She had weird dreams about being trapped in a volcano during a blizzard. What was that about? She felt something cool and hard against her side and somehow she knew it was Gray. She wanted to say something but her mouth and throat were dry and scratchy. As if someone would read her thoughts Lucy felt something cold pressed against her lips. She gratefully took the ice and let it melt in her mouth, alleviating a little of the painful dryness.
After two more slivers of ice, Lucy picked up a slight flavor to it. There was just a hint of spice to the ice, like cider. Gray was feeding her his own ice, it somehow made the whole thing more intimate. When he placed the next piece in her mouth she couldn't suppress the light moan. She could pick up all the layers of flavor that made the ice distinctly Grays. She felt him tense up next to her at the sound but when she opened her mouth he was there with more ice for her.
After two more pieces she wasn't thirsty anymore but she was enjoying the sensation of him feeding her. With the next piece she flicked her tongue out over the pad of his finger. She moaned again at getting a full taste of him. She felt him stiffen again and his body weight shifted on the bed. Lucy was worried she had pushed him a little to far but when she opened her lips again, he was there was another sliver of ice. She again flicked her tongue over his finger.
Lucy wasn't sure what had started their little game but she was enjoying it. In the back of her mind she knew they would have to get up soon and get back onto the road. They were only a few days from Seven. The had a job to finish but Lucy decided that once they were home she was going to spend a whole day in bed with Gray feeding her ice chips.
When she opened her lips for the next ice chip she was surprised to be greeted by Gray's lips instead. His kiss was hard and desperate. It pulled out something in her, a need to comfort and reassure him. She threw her arms around him even though they still felt heavy. She pulled him on top of her, held him close as his kiss stole her breath away. She could feel cold tears falling onto her face and she didn't understand. She didn't understand why Gray was upset, she only knew that he needed this.
"Lucy, I'm so glad you're alive." Gray said when he finally broke the kiss. Lucy looked up into his teary eyes while she tried to catch her breath. She was still confused as to what was going on.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Lucy asked.
Gray hugged her close to him. "You ate some toxic mushrooms. We are at Lamia Scale. They helped you. I didn't think you were going to make it."
Gray felt it was best to just give her a summery of what happened. He could explain the rest when she was feeling better. He wasn't trying to protect Juvia, he was protecting Lucy. He didn't want to upset her to much right away.
"Is everyone else alright? Where is Natsu, Happy, and Erza?" Lucy asked, looking around. She didn't recognize where they were but it was set up similar to the clinic in Fairy Tail. This must be the Lamia Scale guild hall. She and Gray were the only one there though.
"Everyone else was fine. They continued on with the job while I brought you here to Sherria. You have been out for nearly a week." Gray told her.
It had been two days since Lucy had been given the antidote. Gray hadn't seen Juvia or Lyon during that time. He had talked with the Master of Lamia Scale, told her everything they had experienced during their job. Juvia had accepted the blame for most of the events except for the Vulcan and animal attacks. While she was responsible for the rain that drove them into their path she hadn't ever intended for that to happen. He had been told that Master Makarov would be contacted and it was up to him to decide Juvia's punishment. Makarov wanted to talk to Lucy before anything was decided.
Gray was under orders to keep Lucy in bed when she woke up and he took that to heart. He was reluctant to leave her even for the few minutes it would take to get her food. When he came back with a tray for her his was relieved to see Loke sitting with Lucy and she was laughing.
"Loke, I'm glad you're here. Does that mean everything is alright?" Gray asked. He sat the try and Lucy's lap and sat down next to her when she moved to make room for him.
"We have all been worried about Lucy but she is regaining her strength." Loke said, he smiled at Lucy.
"I don't know, I think I might still be dying. Loke hasn't made one perverted comment since he showed up." Lucy almost sounded like she was complaining but Gray knew it was just her worry over his strange behavior.
"As much as it pains me to say, I have come to accept I will never be able to sway your affections from Gray." Loke placed a hand over his heart with a mock pained look. "Perhaps one kiss before I die from heartbreak."
"I'm not normally into dudes, but if it's your dying wish and all I guess I can make an exception." Gray said before leaning in towards Loke who fell backwards off the bed he was sitting on in an attempt to get away from Gray. Lucy almost chocked on her food laughing at the two of them.
"So what's going to happen to Juvia?" Loke asked once he had righted himself.
"The Master hasn't decided yet. It's not like with Laxus where he was intending hurting the guild. Juvia was just being stupid." Gray sigh. Much of his anger at Juvia had faded now that Lucy was awake and doing well. Juvia was crazy and impulsive but he did believe her when she said she hadn't meant to hurt Lucy.
"I think she's dangerous and someone needs to deal with her." Loke said. He knew the dangers of indulging bad behavior. They had let Karren get away with almost literal murder in Blue Pegasus and it lead her to think she could always get her way and eventually lead to her death.
"What does Juvia have to do with this?" Lucy asked. "I thought I just ate some bad mushrooms?"
Gray and Loke both looked at each other before answering. "Juvia put the mushrooms in your soup." Gray told her.
He was then forced to explain everything that had happened during their job and what had happened while she was unconscious. Loke filled in part, like apparently he had run into Juvia after leaving Clayford. She was already on her way to confess what had happened but Loke had added and extra level of fear to motivate her. He wouldn't say what he did only that she wouldn't dare endanger Lucy again. Lucy was having a hard time taking in all the information they were giving her but sadly she didn't have any trouble believing what they were telling her. It just hurt to think her friend and guild mate would do that to her.
"Lucy!" Lucy just had time to look up from her lap before Happy flew head first into her chest, crying. "I'm so glad you're alive!"
"Erza wouldn't let us come see you any sooner, Luce." Natsu explained as he rushed over to her bed too. Gray moved out of the way so their friends would have room to check on Lucy.
"We had a job to finish. You would have just been in the way here." Erza said, the only one to enter the room calmly. Lucy could see the worry lines on Erza's face. She got up and gave Erza a hug, ending up in the middle of a group hug with Natsu and Happy.
"I'm sorry I worried you all. I guess I could watch what I eat from now on." Lucy smiled at them. She was escorted back to the bed by Erza. Once she was back in bed she wanted to hear all about how the rest of the job went.
"It was totally boring. There wasn't a single good fight." Natsu complained.
"You most not be counting all the fighting you did with Erza." Happy snickered.
"I wasn't fighting her!" Natsu said.
"You're right, a fight would mean you were able to land a hit on her." Happy teased.
"Come one, man, you make me sound like a loser!"
"Maybe that's because you are!"
Lucy couldn't help but laugh at her friends. Being around them had a way of melting all her worries away. Everything had turned out well in the end. Lucy was alive, the job had been finished, and Team Natsu was still in one piece. The rest of what was going to happen, With Juvia and with Gray and Lucy's relationship, it could be figured out another day.