IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE BELOW! SERIOUSLY, THIS IS IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO KEEP UP WITH THE STORY!

Our relationship, now that I can officially call it that, had a routine to it. Ever since a couple weeks ago, Gray and I have a rhythm going of how to get around the…obstacles of being secretly together. One of them mainly being his relationship with Juvia. Actually, all the obstacles had to do with his relationship with Juvia. Obviously we couldn't be seen together since their dating status had been made very public. Almost every issue of Sorcerer Weekly, which has dubbed them Gruvia, has an article about them and some date they went on or whatever. I think the journalist who writes about them is a little obsessed.

The other guild members have also become too used to seeing them together, so hanging out there is off the table. Besides, Juvia makes sure that if Gray is sitting near me, which is usually at the bar, it's 4 seats down. Honestly, ever since she found out we use the storage room to make out, she glues herself to him at the guild unless 1 of 2 things happen. One, Gray gets into the occasional guild brawl or one on one fight with Natsu. The second thing is if she goes to the bathroom. Which, she rarely does.

Juvia mainly spends her time watching me, drawing target symbols onto any part of my body with her eyes. Of course, I always catch her, and she goes back to fawning over Gray. I really don't know why. I mean maybe it's because she knows I watch her boyfriend like a hawk every time they walk in together. Or maybe it's because watching Gray is almost as good as talking to him and she wants to catch me making eyes at him. Or maybe it's because she knows those few times a week he's not with her, he's with me, screwing me like an animal. Obviously, she doesn't know. But I always make sure to smirk and roll my eyes at her when we meet eyes.

"Raphael," a sing-song voice called. "Stop it. This is the fifth time today."

I turned back around to give Mira a look. "Ok, well then maybe she should stop staring at me and imagining me drowning or whatever it is that she thinks about when she just stares at me like that."

"You're acting like a couple of little kids. So what, she's staring at you, but she's not attacking you. She's not up here rubbing it in your face."

"Yeah well you can totally tell she's thinking it."

"No you can't."

I huffed. "Fine. I'm being paranoid. But how am I supposed to feel?" I leaned in closer. "I'm having an affair with Gray because I…."

"Because you loove him," Mira cooed.

"No I don't. Well, maybe. I don't know I told you that was never made clear."

"Well if you're in love," she started, cleaning out glasses, "then why don't you just reveal yourselves to the public?"

"It's not that simple."

"Raphael, if you're worried about backlash it's alright. People'll understand when you tell them you're in love."

Just as I was about to respond, this week's issue of Sorcerer Weekly showed up. Mira bought a copy along with quite a few others and laid it down in front of me. I immediately scanned it for an article on Gruvia (god every time I hear that I just want to drain myself dry of blood). Sure enough, one was in here. And it was way different than the others.

The article, which in its usual way, was decorated in an array of bright and glittery graphic design to bring more attention to it. It was much more longer than the others which were usually columns accompanied by a couple photos. But this…this was a page full of only pictures, pictures that would've otherwise been smaller and still easier to see. However, these photos were blown up so that you could see…more. And by more I mean that you could see what body parts were touching which parts as Gray and Juvia made out in a secluded area of the large park in the middle of Magnolia city. The journalist was having a field day with it too.

Oh. My. God. For the first time since the start of the relationship, we finally have physical evidence of Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockster getting hot and heavy in public! Usually when our camera men catch them together, it's always a kiss on the cheek or a sweet kiss on the lips. But never have we ever seen them together like this! Just look at the way he's holding her hips, although this writer personally thinks that one of those hands wants to slide further down and cup an "asset" of Juvia's . And see how she clutches his head perfectly in her hands, like she can't get enough of him!

Sources say that Gray took Juvia here to Magnolia City park for a nice late night picnic, possibly some ice cream and watching the sunset on top of the bridge. Never did any of us expect to get such hot pics of one of the cutest guild couples of the year, making out so heatedly in their own little world. We also have a few pictures of their date on page 43 if you'd like more toned down photos of their relationship. Has their relationship finally come to a more physical level? And will we be seeing more oh so hot photos of Gruvia?

Also on page 45, please feel free to vote for which magical couple you think should win the special winter issue of Sorcerer Weekly's Guild Couple award.

For some sick reason, I leafed through the photos. Juvia, for one, appears to use a lot of tongue and I swear to god she's trying to dry hump him. Someone seems to be horny. Gray's eyes are closed in almost every photo and is his hand trying to go under her dress in this one? What the hell Gray? Are we getting a little too caught up in the moment? I sighed. Obviously we're going to have to talk about this later on. Luckily tonight's the night he's with me.

After some time, almost all of Fairy Tail, or rather, anyone who really cared, was buzzing about the photos of Gray and Juvia. He was getting pats on the back and she sat there blushing so hard she looked like a tomato. But when I watched Gray for like the tenth time, he seemed a little…upset. Huh?

"Oh Raphael," Mira started. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"Well, look at these photos. You can't be feeling too good about this."

"You got that right," I answered. "But there's not much I can do about it can I? They're a couple. Couples make out."

"But you were with him first. So reveal yourselves as a couple now so that it won't blow up later."

"Mira I already said it's not that simple. Don't you think I want that? Don't you think we both want that? Well we can't. Our relationship was a secret in the first place and it was mostly sex in the beginning anyway. Besides, Juvia's blackmailing us both remember?"

"I know she's blackmailing you about your past, but what will she do to Gray?"

"She'll tell everyone about how we um…were…were in a compromising position in the storage room during that huge party we had a couple months ago."

"Eww don't remind me," Mira cringed.

"Hey, don't even pretend like you never knew people go in there for things besides getting out more beer and supplies. Plus, I can't go in there because I'm pretty sure Alzack and Bisca are using it now. I don't know why, everyone's been waiting for them to admit that they-"

"Raphael, off topic."

"Oh yeah, sorry," I said, shaking my head. "Anyway, I already told you that if Gray goes near me, that if she even has inkling of something going on between us, she will tell everyone and spin it anyway she can to make me look bad. Not only that, but she'll make sure Gray wants nothing to do with me."

Before she could respond, Mira was called over to another table, leaving me to my own thoughts. What exactly was I going to say tonight? Hey before we have amazing sex, let's talk about you making out with your girlfriend and the whole city knowing about it? Come on. She is his girlfriend after all and that's what couples do to each other. But I'm his girlfriend too and that's what we do to each other. Well, we actually do a lot more than that considering Gray swore that he wasn't planning on sleeping with her.

I trust him, but sometimes I think he goes a little over board with trying to convince the world and Juvia that he's in love with her. I sighed just as Mira came up to me, tray in her hand and a slip of paper in the other.

"You know the drill," she said, walking behind the bar and casually slipping the note she had to me.

I knew his hand writing perfectly. I looked over my shoulder and as Juvia was busy conversing with Lucy, our eyes met. His deep dark blue eyes bore into mine, and it took all my strength to look away before Juvia noticed who he had been staring at. Our note system had been working well so far, with Mira as the messenger. They were usually times and places to meet up and such or sometimes silly little notes. God, I wish I could just talk to him on my own!

I opened up the note as it read:

Still meeting at yours tonight at 9 right? I can't wait to see you. All the things I've been thinking about we could do while simultaneously trying to speak to you telepathically by boring the information into your luscious backside…Anyway, we also need to have a semi-serious conversation. I think you know what it's about.

-Gray

I folded up the note, and shoved it into my jacket pocket. I looked up at the clock and decided it was time to go. I only had 2 hours before Gray showed up. Well more like 2 and a half hours. Unfortunately when you date a guy who's already got a girlfriend, you can never expect him to be punctual. Especially if the girl he's trying to shake off, is Juvia. I've always wondered how he does it, considering how much I see them together. Oh well. As long as this goes well, I really don't care.

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I couldn't go straight home from the guild tonight though. I had to go visit the pet store and pick up some very special…cream. See, Rogue hasn't been to the guild for an entire week. In fact, his…condition is partly one of the reasons we can't start back up on requests right now.

Rogue is shedding. Like all snakes do, his skin flakes off and at some point large amounts of it, like casings, are left about on the ground. Also like all snakes, after Rogue sheds his scales are shiny and vibrant. Except Rogue isn't a normal snake. BloodVipers don't just shed their skin. They shed magic and it causes all sorts of issues. For example, although he is a cold blooded animal, Rogue is cold when it's hot, like during the day, and sweats and sheds his skin at night, when it's cooler. You have no idea how disgusting it is to clean that up.

Another symptom, although I think it's just Rogue with his attitude, is that he's very catty. Always making smart remarks here and there. He's been temporarily moved out onto the balcony and into the extra bedroom because of his rapid changes in temperature. Thankfully, we're at the final stages of the shedding process. When Rogue sheds he sits deathly still in a trance, and slowly his skin sort of, detaches itself. He does it every few hours or so and when it's fully detached, he slithers out of it leaving me to dispose of it. All that's left is the old skin of the end of his tail, which is about a foot long.

This is probably one of the grossest things about Rogue that I'll never get used to. It's like when some little kid gets a puppy for her birthday. She's all excited to walk him, play games, and cuddle, but when it's time to clean up his shit, it's just one of the most revolting things she could never really handle. This is the fifth bottle of cream I've bought this week, all because Rogue isn't exactly average size for the snakes this stuff is usually used for.

When I came home, he was on the balcony, standing so still I guess he was in one of his trances again. But the minute I turned away to go busy myself with other things, he snapped out of it and came slithering my way.

"Oh no you don't," I said turning around blocking him from the door. "You are not getting your gross skin on these floors."

"For god's sake I want to go inside! It's so cold out here I can barely molt! And besides, it's just my tail, it's not that bad."

I thought about it for a second. "Fine, you can come back inside but only because I got more of that cream. We should put it on now anyway."

Rogue slithered in, his new skin gleaming in the light. It was a much brighter red, as his new skin always was, before it eventually settled in to a darker hue.

"Mmmm, that stuff makes my skin feel all tingly and I feel so warm and nice inside."

"Good, it's supposed to help relax you so you can molt faster," I replied, unscrewing the cap to the bottle. I sat down at my small dining area, holding Rouge's tail up. I saw the dry casing of skin around his tail, slightly grossed out, but I knew what I had to do. I squeezed a large glob of the cream onto my hand, which came out a bluish color. Then, I pressed both hands together and began to massage it into the dry skin. I didn't really feel much, but at times I did feel the occasional scratch of dry skin against my palm. When it was all rubbed in, I got up and washed my hands as Rogue went about his business.

"So while I'm here, going throughout the terrible process of shedding my skin, what exactly will you be doing? Or maybe I should say who will you be doing?"

I rolled my eyes and ignored him as I went into my room, cleaning it up a bit. Rogue slithered right in.

"Hey what are you doing? You know you're not supposed to-"

But he interrupted me. "I know it's Gray. He smells like vanilla and the smell mixes in with your scent. You two have been spending an awful lot of time together hmm?"

I folded up some clothes. "Yeah we have. He's my…."

"Boyfriend. The word is boyfriend. You know, someone that you're romantically involved with, possibly sexually active with. Gives you…what's the term? Warm fuzzies. Ah, just as I am feeling warm and fuzzy and the moment as well."

"We haven't really talked about it yet. But I guess, technically, he is my boyfriend. I mean let's face it, he said he has crazy feelings about me and we've been keeping up our relationship despite, you know."

"Despite," Rogue did that annoying thing where people drag out the first word of a sentence, usually a counter word. "the fact that, you know, he's dating Juvia, his actual and only girlfriend to the public and all of the magical community? And who will expose your relationship at the drop of a hat?" Rogue chuckled for a moment. "Ha, I just thought of that stupid hat she wears just falling off the top of her head. Hilarious."

"Yes," I sighed, exasperated from listening to him pick apart my relationship, "despite those very facts."

Rogue made a quick tilt to the side with his head, the snake equivalent of a shoulder shrug. "Ah well, just clarifying. I've been reading all your Sorcerer Weekly's and I'm pretty much just playing catch up with this whole love triangle."

I stroked the top of his head, liking the way the white of his Fairy Tail tattoo stood out against his skin. "Since you're basically high, and experiencing what I would call a yearly period, I'm going to take that as the best compliment you've given me. Now please get out of my room, dead pieces of snake skin don't set a mood at all."

He rolled his eyes and slithered off, murmuring about how warm and bubbly he felt. I sighed. Now what? Should I cook? I mean it's not like we planned to go out today or anything. Maybe I'll do it when he gets here.

Hours Later…..

I heard a knock on the door as I washed dishes. I glanced up at the clock. It was only 7:30. It's obviously not Gray, he would never come this early. I wiped my hands off and went to answer the door. Before me stood Makarov and…Natsu? I looked at them confused as they both walked in and sat on my couch.

"Hey Natsu, Makarov," I greeted. "What uh, what brings you two over? Wait don't tell me, Natsu, you're drunk again?"

I watched him blush as he remembered being dragged over by Gray to get sobered up.

Makarov cleared his throat. "No, we have a much more serious matter to discuss. We will have a discussion about it as an entire guild, but since this concerns your…past, I thought it best for you to know early on."

I slightly tightened my jaw at the word past, but I didn't get upset. "That's…that's fine but, why is Natsu here? I would rather he not know about some of the things that I've done."

"Natsu here says he has something on his own to discuss with, so we made the trip here together. Don't worry, I'm not going to have you talking about anything too personal here. We shall discuss that privately later."

"That's fine then," I responded, nodding. "So what'd you need to tell me?"

"The Bariam Alliance has become more active in recent times. Us guild ma sters have decided we need to take action against them, for they are looking for a powerful and dangerous kind of dark magic. I know you've tangled with them before."

I nodded, though not proudly. "They don't play around. At all."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, speaking for the first time.

"Dark guilds kill, Natsu. They kill for…lots of reasons. Mostly profit and sometimes to get rid of someone or some people they deem nuisances. The lower level ones claim they kill people who deserve it. But the Bariam Alliance…." I shuddered, unable to think of the monsters that used to haunt me.

"I hate people who kill for money," Natsu growled. Well isn't that good to know….

"Anyway," Makarov started, "as I said before, I only came over to warn you in case after I tell the entire guild, you would like to talk about it. Plus, I just wanted to check in with you."

I nodded to him as he hopped off the couch and began to walk away. "Hey where're you going?"

"On my way back to the guild, preparing papers and whatnot. Plus, give you and Natsu some time to…speak privately, as that seems to be the case with what he'd like to tell you about."

And with that, my tiny guild master had left my apartment, leaving me alone with a pink haired flamethrower.

I let out a breath of air as I relaxed. "So Natsu, what'd you come all the way over here to tell me about?"

"Uh well, I uh…"

"Come on Natsu, it can't be that hard can it? Just tell me."

"You remember that night Gray brought Happy and I over right?"

I nodded. "You helped me get rid of all that nasty coffee. You were piss-happy drunk."

"Yeah well, I don't know if I was still drunk, or tired and hallucinating from the second mug, 'cause you put extra milk in it, thanks by the way, but I uh…"

"You…?" I said trailing off with him.

"Are you and Gray dating? 'Cause I swear I saw you two kissing on the couch next to me. But I can't tell 'cause I was so drunk that night."

I almost blanched at the question. Was he honestly serious? Did he really not know that Gray and Juvia were the ones dating?

I patted Natsu's knee. "You must of been having some sort of weird dream. Gray's not my boyfriend. He goes out with Juvia remember? Don't you read Sorcerer Weekly?"

He nodded in realization. "Ooh yeah. I remember now. Lucy wouldn't stop showing me pictures of those two making out. Personally I don't bother myself with that gossipy stuff."

"Good," I said, smiling at him. "You're too innocent and cute to be worrying about that stuff."

Natsu stood up, blushing at the word cute. "Yeah well…anyways I gotta go. Lucy's been complaining' about her rent again. Gonna need to find another job for her."

"Ok well, take care Natsu. I'll see you around at the guild alright?" I hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He blushed even more before leaving. When he was gone, I went into the bathroom to shower. It was around 8, and I knew I had an hour and a good chunk of time before Gray came over, but I wanted to take some time in my hygiene routine before he got here.

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It was 9:30 when there was a knock on my door. I forced myself not to run to the door and rip it off its hinges. Instead I calmly walked to the door and opened it, smiling seductively at my guest.

"Hi there," I said, glancing at the paper bag he carried with him.

Gray held it up. "Wonton soup and fresh spring rolls?" he also had his overnight bag, the one with a change of of clothes and such. Although, no one really cared if Gray wore the same clothes ten times over. Just as long as he kept them on, it was fine.

"That sounds wonderful. Thanks for buying dinner by the way." I took the bag from him and led him to the small dining area. He set his bag down in the chair and followed.

I grabbed two bowls, some spoons, napkins, and of course, a bottle of merlot and two glasses. As I set everything in place, I felt Gray's hands gently hold me by the waist, pulling him towards him. I leaned into him, closing my eyes and relaxing against his chest. He inhaled deeply, smelling my hair and groaned. Then he moved his head to kiss my jaw and then my cheek.

"I missed you," he breathed.

I reached up and wrapped my arms over his neck and shoulders. "I missed you too Gray." I unwrapped my arms, turned around and kissed him slowly, smiling as I pulled away.

"But right now I'm kind of hungry because I wasn't sure if you wanted to have dinner with me or not," I said giving I'm an apologetic smile.

He rolled his eyes and smiled back as he sat in one of the chairs. "I don't think I've ever had your cooking before. We always eat hotel food or takeout." He opened the bottle and poured for both of us.

"Really?" I asked, pulling back the chair and sitting down, opening the container of soup. "Ah well, I guess that's true. Maybe one day, if you ask nicely." The container was still warm and when I poured some into our bowls, each of us with two plump wontons, steam rising from the surface. I tasted the broth and moaned.

"I'll ask only if your food makes me moan like that," Gray said, biting into a large spring roll.

"Where'd you get this stuff anyway?" I asked. We had finished our food and were now finishing off that bottle of merlot.

"There's this tiny Chinese place on Cupid Hill. They basically only do take out 'cause they don't have a seating area. So I was near there, I was coming here and I thought, why not? Thought you'd like a surprise."

"I do like it. Thank you Gray." He smiled before leaning over to kiss me.

When we'd finished our drinks we decided to move on to the bedroom. No not for that, at least not right now. We had some things to talk about first. Gray sat up on my bed, moving himself all the way so he could lean against the headboard. He'd taken his orange hoodie off, and I could see those perfect arms of his. His legs were splayed open, basically suggesting I sit in between them. I stared at him for a moment, for some reason debating whether or not I go sit.

"What're you waiting for? Come 'ere," he said, looking me straight in the eyes, his beckoning me to come forward. "Don't worry about wrinkling your nice dress."

I feigned exasperation and came over, siting between his thighs and leaning against his chest. He wrapped his arms over mine and I could feel him smile.

"I think it's kinda cute that you dress up for this kind of thing, even though I'm the only one seeing you. Plum is a nice color on you."

I shrugged. I wore a simple plum wine colored dress with a skirt made of stretchy synthetic material. "It's better than walking around naked."

Gray laughed a bit. "Now you know I wouldn't mind either of us doing that one bit." I felt his hand slide down my thigh then back up again, pulling it back up, his fingers touching my bare skin. Immediately his lips were on my neck, kissing and sucking in just the right places.

I enjoyed it for awhile, but I knew what he was doing. "Not that I'm not enjoying your little distraction, but you know we need to talk."

He groaned a bit in frustration at such a reminder, but he kept going anyway, his hand traveling farther up my bare thigh and his lips dipping lower to kiss more of my neck.

I pushed his hand away with my left hand and yanked his hair with my right, effectively separating his lips from my neck. "Gray I'm serious."

He looked at me for awhile before shifting the way I had been sitting in his lap, so that now I was leaning against him more and his lips were closer to my ear.

"I didn't mean for anyone to find out."

"I assume by anyone, you mainly mean me."

"It's just… it's basically been a month now and I've barely kissed Juvia, especially in public. I've convinced her that I'm not really big on PDA, but when we're sort of in private she expects something from me."

"You'd think she'd be smart enough to know that an exhibitionist like you has absolutely no problem with PDA, you know, because the entire continent knows what you look like half naked."

"I am not an exhibitionist."

"You pinned me underneath a window outside in plain sight and made out with me, and practically had sex with me inside the guild. But that's besides the point. Continue."

Gray sighed. "Anyway, she mentioned it again and since we're in the park, far away from everyone and alone, I thought, what's the harm if there's no one who's gonna see?"

"So you did it to shut her up."

He nodded. "If I'd known someone was there, watching, I would've just listen to her complain a little more before taking her home."

"Well you certainly seemed to be…enjoying it." Flashes of photos of Gray's hands on Juvia's body came back to me. His hands should only be touching me like that, grabbing me, holding me. I exhaled slowly through my nose, trying to calm down before I just screamed.

"No no no, don't you dare say that," Gray said. "My body was enjoying it, not me. Besides I was like, half hard the whole time."

"Oh yes because that makes the situation so much better," I said rolling my eyes. "Thanks for being able to get it up all the way for me Gray."

I felt his hand reach down and cup my breast, massaging it. "It doesn't make it better really, and I know that, but it should at least count for something."

"First of all, stop trying to seduce me into not being upset. Second, this is not a situation where you can work my ego."

"One, I'm just telling you the truth. You're the only one I can seriously get turned on for. Two, I can't help that your breasts are a distraction. I'm not even really trying to please you I'm just, playing with them."

"Well then stop it." His hand stopped, but soon his arms were pulling me up so that his forearms were directly beneath my chest. It was silent for quite awhile, the only sounds being made were our breathing.

Finally, Gray broke the silence. "Are you mad at me?"

That was a good question wasn't it? I mean, obviously I was pissed, but was I mad at him? I mean he did do it mainly out of obligation and not because he wanted to. And Juvia is his girlfriend. At least, that's what the entire city thinks…

"Yes and no," I answered.

"Yes and no?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because…because Gray I have a right to be extremely angry with you. You're my boyfriend, did you really think I wouldn't get mad at photos of you french kissing and groping another girl, who also happens to be the girl I despise most of all? Don't you know what it feels like to be in the shadows, unable to come out? It should be me out there on your lap going to second base in public. Me being able to smile and blush that we got caught by stalker paparazzi. But no. It has to be Juvia. Which is why the answer is also no. This is all her fault. She's probably sitting in her house eating up all the attention she's getting, and all because she gets to say she's your girlfriend."

"But she's not my girlfriend."

I tired around to look at him. "What?" Is he going to break up with her? Is he going to tell everyone about us?

"Juvia isn't my real girlfriend. You are. You're the one I care about."

"So what you're saying is, you don't care about her?" I asked.

"Well…it's not that easy…"

My head had whipped around so fast, even Rogue would've been proud. "Do you care about her? Do you care about Juvia?" We both knew what I was really asking. Do you have feelings for her?

"Raphael, you and I both know it'd be hard to have to spend that much time with someone, to have to pretend to be in love with them and not feel something. This isn't some sickly romantic love triangle where I have equal feelings for both of you and I refuse to just choose one of you. My feelings for you outweigh the way I feel about Juvia. If they didn't, I wouldn't be here."

He stared into my eyes for a long time, trying to see if I was convinced enough. And…I was. Gray was right. If he didn't have feelings for me, if he really cared about her more, then why was he here in my bed, trying to have sex with me? Why was he constantly sneaking around Magnolia at night, coming to see me and then leaving in the morning so he wouldn't get caught? If he didn't choose me, if he didn't want me, then what was he risking his whole reputation for?

"I believe you," I said. "I do, I really do. But I don't trust her, not for one second."

He smiled at me and I felt myself leaning in to kiss him, slowly pulling back as it ended.

Gray's eyes were heavy lidded with lust as he looked at me. He pressed his lips against my collarbone, sucking on the skin there and sledding his hand up my thigh, the cold of his fingertips making me shiver.

"Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?" He pressed himself against me, his hardness rubbing between my legs, forcing me to let out heavy sighs.

"No," I answered as I let him push me down, pressing my head back into the bed as he began to nip at my neck. "I'm still…a bit…upset. But not too upset to…not…have sex with my boyfriend."

Gray had my dress up over my waist and stomach, my legs folded up beneath my back as he yanked it up over my head. He already had his pants and shirt gone, though I never felt his touch leave my body for a second. He lifted his body to pull my legs out from underneath myself and wrap them around his waist, leaning back down and crushing his lips against mine. I felt him smirk as he eagerly ground into my pelvis.

We never did talk about the attack on the Bariam Alliance…..

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*FLASHBACK*

"No," I said, casually crossing my leg over the other, leaning back. "That's not the deal we're making and you know it."

The man across from me stared down at me angrily from behind his large desk. Behind him stood two guards, their faces twisted into dark sneers. Rixon stood at the corner behind me, and from the moment we got in here, his face was emotionless, his eyes unreadable.

Jev sighed, running a hand through his bright red hair. He was much older than I was, but still quite handsome, his eyes silver and vibrant.

"Miss Aisuru, we here at Anubis Head just want you to feel as inclusive with us as possible. It doesn't affect our deal at all."

Rogue slithered near me, resting his head in my lap. "You may feel that way, but I don't. I told you I would work for you, but I never agreed to being marked."

One of the guards forgot his place to be silent. "What you got against us that have a mark huh? Think you're too good for a little-"

Rixon's fist suddenly hit the wall, cracks splaying from the impact. His face told the guard to shut the hell up.

"Look, I get it, you don't feel a need to show allegiance, as long as you do your job and get paid."

"But?"

"But…the mark shows loyalty to us. We need to make sure who your loyalties lie with."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. Talking about something like loyalty in a place like this… "Are you kidding me? Don't you understand what it is we all do? What you're running here? There is no loyalty in a place like this. Your loyalty, your trust, is to your own, and if you're stupid enough to think I'm putting it in a bunch of complete psychopaths, than I can go elsewhere."

At the threat of turning him down, Jev shot up from his seat. "No! You…you are a special kind of mage. The kind that we need here at Anubis Head."

I smirked. "So then we have a deal?"

"Not quite," he said, returning my smirk. "You see, you may not trust us as a group, but you must prove your loyalty. I'm not the only one running things around here. My associates need to see what you can do, that your powers are real. If you thought you could get out of showing us that you'll uphold your end of the deal, you're sorely mistaken. A mark on your body shows none of that."

My eyes flicked over to Rixon. He mentioned that this wouldn't go over as easily as I'd want it to. But this is what I wanted so….

I looked over at the man across from me. I held up my left arm and pulled down my sleeve, baring my anarchy mark. "This," I said, "proves that I am who I say I am. But I guess since you're not even truly in charge, I'll show your associates just what I can do."

Jev stood, smiling that he got his way. "Perfect. We'll all gather together shortly. In the meantime, prepare yourself. My associates want to be impressed."

He turned to Rixon, finally acknowledging him in the room. "I trust your recruit will be well informed and able to impress our…associates. She has to, you're the one who recruited her after all."

Was this guy seriously pretending like I wasn't even in the room? How rude.

I spoke up before Rixon could. "I'm not his damned recruit. No one fucking recruited me, got it? He may have told me about this place, but that was it. I came here on my own and for my money."

Rixon didn't even try to say one word, even as Jev cut his eyes at me. He and his bodyguards left the office, leaving Rixon and I alone together.

For the first time since we got here, Rixon sighed. "Now why the hell would you say that?" he asked.

"Because it's true and you know it. Everyone thinks that you recruited me, that I'm here because I'm so devoted to…to whatever the hell this is, but I'm not. Fuck, I was under surveillance before I even knew who you even really were."

Rixon rolled his eyes, and huffed, moving to lean against the front of the large mahogany desk. "That's not important right now. Are you sure you're ready for what you have to do?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to know? He just said that I have to prove that I'll do what I say I can do. Is the branding on my left arm not enough? What, does he think Rogue is just a fairly large pet snake?"

"They want to watch you kill someone," Rixon answered.

What?

"They're malicious like that. Of course they know you're the real deal. Magic rolls off you in waves and pumps through your blood constantly. But that's not enough for them. They need to see what you can do, so that they can see where your starting rank will be."

"For the last time I'm not joining you-"

"It's not about joining us or them. This place, joined together or not, and trust me, you're not the only one who's refused the emblem, is all about moving up in the ranks. We do jobs for Jev's associates, make him look good and ourselves less disposable."

I thought about it. Did I really want to move up in the ranks in a dark guild? Was I actually prepared to kill for someone's entertainment, like gladiators fighting to the death? The answer….

"Who are these associates?"

"Grimoire Heart."

*END FLASHBACK*

I woke up from my dream just as Gray got up, getting ready to leave. His back was to me, as I watched him silently put his clothes back on. It must've been around 4 am, so the streetlights were still on,the light casting a soft glow into my room. He told me he liked leaving early like this, telling me that he had to force himself not to stay by getting used to his own bed once more. As he turned around, he looked startled, seeing me awake instead of asleep like he thought he left me.

"Hey," I said softly.

Gray smiled at me. "Did I wake you up?"

I shook my head. "No I…I had a bad dream as embarrassing as it sounds."

His face turned into a look of worry and he actually climbed back into bed. "What happened?"

"Well, it was less of a dream and more of a memory. My memories come to me in dreams a lot. Anyway, this was a dream about…something that happened before I got to Fairy Tail."

Gray was quiet for a moment. "Is it about that past that you hate talking so much about?"

I nodded. "And it has to do with why Makarov wants us all at the guild in a couple of hours."

He gave me a look, clearly not having no clue what I was talking about. I doubt anyone knew besides some S-class mages, some of the older members, me, and then MiraJane. So I told him about the Bariam Alliance and how they were becoming more and more active. I just hoped the branch I knew about wasn't part of it.

"Except he won't tell me what exactly they're doing or why. That's what he was saving for today so he could tell all of us."

I felt Gray's arms pull me close to his again half naked body. "It triggered your nightmare, didn't it? Something to do with them."

"Please don't try and guess," I told him.

He leaned down and kissed my mouth softly. "Turn around," he breathed.

"Gray…" I wasn't really in the mood for sex right now, especially after a talk like this.

"I'm not going to try anything. Just…trust me alright?"

So I turned around and I felt his arms wrap around tighter, holding me against him, his cold breath against my neck. I felt his heartbeat against my shoulder. I wondered if he could feel mine against his arm.

"Don't leave," I murmured.

"I'm going to have to in a couple hours. You know I can't be seen here or with you. Juvia would drown the whole city."

"Juvia can go evaporate in hell," I said.

I felt his chuckle vibrate against my back. "That was a good joke. Mean, but good."

"Hey what can I say, I have a bit of a bite."

"Don't I know it."

Around Noon that same day…..

Even though he could've used the stage, Makarov stood atop the bar and explained to the entire guild what the Bariam Alliance was. Using Mira's light pen, Reedus drew a chart, showing the different types of guilds associated with it.

"Phantom Lord was part of one the sub guilds," Juvia said a bit too happily, "at least until we were disbanded."

I watched Gray give her a strange look saying, "Uh, you sound a bit too happy about that first part."

Makarov continued. "The 3 main dark guilds part of the Bariam Alliance are, Grimoire Heart, Tartaros, and Oracion Seis. We, the Ten Wizard Saints, have decided to take out one of these three, and that will be Oracion Seis as they have become noticeably more active."

"I recognize too many of these names," Lucy said, her eyes darting from familiar guild names.

"They're all just a bunch of sub guilds," I said, stepping up to where Makarov was. "They do all the dirty work for the Bariam Alliance. You know, hit men, prostitution rings, drug traffickers. The Bariam Alliance has more important things to do than worry about every single way they taint and murder people."

"How…how do you know that?" Lucy asked me.

"Yes Raphael, how do you know that?" Juvia said, smirking at me, her arm linked with Gray's.

I looked over at Makarov. Was it ok that I tell them? He nodded solemnly at me, giving me the ok. I breathed in and out slowly. "I know because of those guilds," I pointed to a box with an X through it that led to Grimoire Heart, "is Anubis Head. Or maybe I should say was. They've been disbanded, all either arrested or dead in a raid conducted by the Rune Knights by the order of the Magic Council. You know, before the whole place collapsed onto itself. Anyway, Anubis Head was Grimoire Heart's main sub-guild. They were an assassin guild and carried out most hits for Grimoire Heart. They…they were brutal."

"But Raphael," Juvia said, again, "that still doesn't explain how you know who they are and what they do."

I heard a loud hiss, and saw Rogue looming from behind, staring right at the back of Juvia's head.

"It's because…because…" I looked into Gray's eyes, his filled with concern. How could I tell him? Tell him that I…. "It's because they were after me alright? Before I got here they were hunting me down, so why wouldn't I know a thing or two about people who are trying to kill me?"

"But-"

"Juvia!" I shouted. "It doesn't fucking matter how I know alright? All you need to know is that they don't care about who they hurt or who they kill. As long as they get what they want they will cross every fucking line. Got it?" I stared at her dead in her eyes. She pretended to look shocked that I yelled at her, I even heard her murmur an apology. But I saw the small smile on her face as she hid it away in Gray's chest.

"Anyway," I huffed, "Oracion Seis is no laughing matter either. They only have six guild members. Six! Yeah it seems funny now, but they're pretty powerful if they're in the Bariam Alliance."

As I stepped down, I heard Makarov say, "Thank you Raphael for that important insight. Know this my children. Oracion Seis poses an urgent threat that can no longer be ignored. This means that they must be dealt with immediately. We, along with the fellow guilds we are sworn to protect, will take them down before they can do any of us harm."

"What do you mean by that Master?" Gray asked. He was still holding Juvia to his chest, his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"It's too dangerous for us too fight them on our own without bringing the wrath of the entire Bariam Alliance upon ourselves. Fairy Tail will be joining a coalition of magical guilds. It shall be us, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter."

Everyone seemed to be surprised that we'd be working alongside other guilds. Natsu almost sounded irritated at the idea of working with them.

"Ugh but Gramps," Natsu said, "We can handle it ourselves. Hell, I can probably do it all by myself!"

"Don't be so stupid!" Erza and I said in unison. "The Master has made a wise decision," she said. "so shut up and do as he says!"

Makarov cleared his throat. "I will be sending a team of our wizards to the rendezvous point tomorrow. Those wizards are: Erza, Gray, Natsu with Happy of course, and Lucy."

"What?" Lucy cried. "Why me? Send…" she looked around until her eyes spotted me. "Why don't you send Raphael? She clearly has a better idea of what we're up against."

"That may be true," Makarov said, looking at me, "but I want you to go Lucy. Not her. The decision is final."

Eventually everyone dispersed, going off to their usual groups and business. Lucy huffed and went to go pout next to Natsu who had gone back to eating his food.

"Not my Gray-sama," I heard Juvia say, clutching Gray's arm. They were sitting in a booth, his arm resting along the edge as Juvia rested her head on his shoulder.

"I have to," he shrugged. "You heard the Master. Not only are these people dangerous, but his decision is final. Besides I'll be fine, I'm part of the strongest team. Don't you have faith in me?"

"Gray-sama is the strongest," Juvia chirped. "But Juvia…Juvia just doesn't want you to get hurt."

"I promise I won't. I'll be back in a few days, a week at best. Don't worry." Then I watched as he tilted her chin up and kissed her eagerly awaiting mouth. That kiss lasted way too long for my liking

"I don't understand why you torture yourself like that," Mirajane said. "You know it pisses you off seeing him do that and yet…"

I put my head down on the bar, murmuring curses until I was sure I was foaming at the mouth.

"Did you talk to him about the photos?" Mira asked, putting an iced tea with some tequila in it down in front of me.

"Yeah we did, but we still have yet to talk about, you know, revealing our relationship."

"I think maybe you should tell him about your past first," she suggested. "When you were up there, I saw him looking at you while Juvia tried to get you to blurt it all out. He looked concerned and confused. I have a feeling he might want to know a bit more about this dark guild that was chasing you, considering he's your boyfriend and all."

"I know, I know," I said sipping the iced tea. "I know I need to tell him before Juvia does. I don't plan on keeping this charade up for long. I want Gray to know everything about me before Juvia or anyone else can tell him something that will make him change his mind about me."

"Speak of the devil," Mira said and when I turned my head Gray was there at the bar.

"Hey girls," he said leaning his, now naked, arms up on the bar. He turned his head and gave me a quick smile.

"Hey Gray what can I get you?" Mira asked.

"Can I get a pitcher of goji berry iced tea and a chicken caesar salad wrap? Actually, make that two wraps."

"Coming right up!" she said cheerfully. Before she left, her eyes locked with mine, telling me to be careful.

"Since when do you drink goji berry iced tea?" I asked.

"It's not for me it's mostly for Juvia, but I happen to like the way Mira makes it," he commented.

It was silent for a moment, you know, since we weren't really allowed to be speaking to each other. Wait a minute, what am I saying? "Sit down," I told him.

"What?"

"Sit. Down."

"You know I can't-"

I turned my body to face him. "Just sit. You look like you have a couple questions for me so now's the time to ask." I glanced over to his booth to see Juvia, but she was having a conversation with Lucy and Cana.

Gray sat down, and immediately his shirt was gone. "Were you really running from Anubis Head? How come you never told me about them?"

"Yeah I was really running from them," I sighed. "It's…difficult to talk about, and I didn't know how to tell anyone besides Makarov."

"Why were you running?"

"Because of…because of my abilities, lots of dark guilds approached me. I rejected them all, but Anubis Head…."

"What, couldn't take no for an answer?" he asked.

"Something like that. Plus besides that, I was special to them. All because of my mark.

Suddenly I felt him grab my left arm, his cold fingers tracing out the eye of anarchy. "This thing seems to cause you a lot of trouble."

I smiled at him. "It does doesn't it? Makes me feel connected to my dad so, I don't really mind."

"Neither do I," he murmured, his deep blue eyes going into a trance as he brought my arm up to his lips…

…And I gently pulled it away. "Gray," I whispered. "You can't do that here. Juvia's right across the room."

"You're right," he said, clearing his throat and straightening his spine. Mira came back with his order at that moment, although her timing was a bit too coincidental. He smiled and thanked her, before calling Juvia over back to their booth where they were being all lovey dovey and cooed over by other guild members. Somebody set me on fire please.

"Sooo," Mira said, getting me another spiked iced tea, "did you tell him?"

"Yeah but Mira, I told him the bare minimum of the truth and now I feel terrible. I think…when he gets back from defeating Oracion Seis, I'm going to tell him everything about what happened with Anubis Head. And whatever happens after, will happen"

Mirajane grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. "It'll be fine, I'm sure of it. Gray's more understanding than you'd think. And if there is a problem, I'll talk to him or you could even have Master explain it to him in more detail."

"Thanks Mirajane. I just really hope it doesn't come down to that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxXxXxXxXxxxxxxxXxXxXx

At around 1 am, there was a knock at my door. I tried to ignore it, but the knocking became more persistent and louder. It better not be Natsu looking for a late night snack. Again. I got up and went to the door, praying that none of my neighbors would complain about the noise.

"What?" I yelled as I yanked open the door.

"Hello to you too," Gray said as he walked in.

"Gray? What the fuck? You're leaving in like the next few hours? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you before I left. I…I just want to be with you right now," he said as he sat down on my couch.

I sat down next to him and sure enough, we were cuddling on my couch.

"I wanted to be here earlier," he whispered, "but I had to make sure my roommate was asleep."

"Who's your roommate?" I asked.

"You've met before, briefly. Maybe one day you can come over and meet him."

"So you're gonna make me wait until then? Can't I just know his name?"

"It's Lyon."

"You're rooming with him?"

"Yeah it's…complicated."

"That seems to be the story of our lives," I said rolling my eyes. For a moment we just laid there, Gray's arms securing to his body.

"Hey Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"When are we going to let everyone know the truth? You know, about us?"

"What, you don't enjoy being my mistress?" he laughed a bit and I could feel his smirk against the back of my neck.

"Until you start buying me underwear, I'm not your mistress."

"I'll buy you as much underwear as you want," he said, kissing the shell of my ear. "Especially if I get to be the one to take it all off."

I laughed, but not for long. "I'm serious Gray. I don't want to keep this up forever."

He held me tighter, and I could feel his heart beat increasing. "I don't either, but I don't know what to do. Fuck my reputation, I couldn't care less. But you? Raphael, Juvia will destroy your image and I don't want that. We both know what happens to the other woman in these situations. It's not pretty."

"Yeah I know, but so what? As long as it wasn't just sex, which with us it isn't anymore, does it really matter? I was with you first, our relationship was a secret before anyone else found out, before Juvia found out and fucked it all up."

"You may be right about that," Gray said, "but you know in the end no one's going to care about that. They'll question why we kept it a secret in the first place, or if we really had feelings for each other, why did I go on and start dating Juvia in public and not you?"

Because if you did, you'd find out I was a monster and want absolutely nothing to do with me, I thought. If Juvia didn't know about me, then I wouldn't give a shit about what she'd tell everyone. All that would matter was that Gray was with me, not pretending to love her like he has been these last few months.

I turned to face him as best I could, burrowing into his chest before coming up to look into his eyes. "You already know how I feel about you. Hell, isn't that all that matters?"

His arm came around then, up and over to pull me closer to him by the waist. "You have, as you like to say, crazy romantic feelings for me, and you…Raphael you drive me insane with a feeling that I can only describe as romantic and loving."

At that moment he kissed my lips, slow and sweet and possibly perfect. "Hey wait," I said as we pulled away, "did you just declare your love for me?"

Gray shrugged. "I think I just did, yeah."

"You drive me insane too," I said after a moment.

"Hey, I just do that to women. Nothing I can do to stop it."

"Yeah well, they better keep their insanity to themselves because if not, I'll stop it."

"Are you claiming me Raphael?" he asked. "Cause seeing you possessive like this is kinda hot."

Gray leaned down to kiss me, afterwards I said, "Yes. I am claiming you. You were mine first. And I have no plans on letting go any time soon."

We made out for a little while more, kissing, laughing, and smiling as our bodies were forced together on that couch. Eventually we fell asleep, Gray spooning me, his arm holding me against his body, keeping me there. And I'm the possessive one. I listened to his breathing and the beating of his heart as he slept. If only I could do the same. I kept waking up, realizing the huge step I was taking in order to further our relationship. I realized how happy I was that he came over. Otherwise I would've been freaking out for an entire week, anticipating his return so that I could tell him everything.

And I mean everything. Like I did when Makarov came over, I wouldn't hold back on Gray. I would tell him from the point I left Aaron up until I met Makarov. After that I'd let him judge me and risk losing…losing him as a friend, a boyfriend, and someone I love. I hated it. I hated the whole god damned situation. I felt trapped. Like I was in a room where the walls were slowing closing in but there was also an exit. Except that exit might lead to something worse than being crushed to death.

At around 5 am I woke up again. This time Gray had to get up as well. He needed to be back in his apartment to get his stuff ready and then be picked up by the rest of our friends. Plus I have a feeling a certain someone will be making an appearance to tell him goodbye. At first he refused, his eyes fluttering open and then closing to go back to sleep. He tried to convince me to stay asleep as well, holding my body against his so I couldn't escape. But I wasn't having it.

"Gray!" I shouted. "Get up!"

"Jeez Erza, I'm up, I'm up!" When he finally realized where he was and who he'd been talking too he blushed a bit. "Sorry, usually Erza…"

"Yeah I know. But you need to leave, like now. Don't want to mess this up all because you slept in."

"No, I don't," he said, coming closer until his lips were kissing me. He slipped his tongue in, but before he got carried away I stopped it.

"Seriously get out. You know Erza doesn't like to be late and I'd be really disappointed if the guy I had faith in got his ass kicked."

"Yeah well like I told Juvia," Gray said, putting his shirt back on. "I'm part of the strongest team here, so I think I'll be fine. Just have a little faith."

"You'd think with all the faith you're begging people to have in you, you'd be able to take Oracion Seis down all by yourself."

"Hey I'm not Natsu alright? I'm not surprised he thinks he can take the whole world down all by himself."

"He has a fiery spirit," I said. "It's cute."

"Oh so what now I'm not cute enough for you?" Gray asked, getting up in my face instead of heading to the door.

"You're more than cute Gray. You're sexy. Now stop being jealous and get out." Because if you don't leave I will blurt out the words we need to talk when you get back.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving jeez. One day you want me to stay, today you want me gone. Make up your mind woman."

"I want you to leave and go kick some ass. Now hurry!"

With that he left, and for a moment, I panicked yelling through the open door, "Wait!"

Gray's head popped back in. "What?"

"Be careful Gray. I mean it. Watch out for the others too."

He smiled at me and blew me a kiss. "Whatever you say Raphael." And with that he was finally gone.

I collapsed onto the couch and screamed into a pillow. It smelled like vanilla and mint and frost, just like Gray did. Why couldn't I just say it? Now I'm going to wait a whole week for him to get back before I can tell him. I have a terrible feeling if I don't, someone else will.

A/N: Hmmm, will Gray ever find out about Raphael? And if so, who'll be the one to tell him?

IMPORTANT: As I was writing this chapter I mentioned a new element to the story that may have seemed out of the blue. To make this less confusing I have gone back and edited EVERY CHAPTER of this story. Some of them have major changes, others are minor and a few just had spelling and grammar errors. Below is a list of the chapters with major changes and a brief note of what I changed.

Chapter 1: The person Raphael fights and kills has changed. Pay attention to their conversation.

Chapter 2: Raphael tells Makarov about what she'd been doing before he found her. Makarov enlists spies to find information on the people Raphael was being hunted by

Chapter 3: Makarov tells Raphael what his spies found out about those who are hunting her and has her make friends with Natsu, Lucy and Gray

Chapter 4: Raphael does not go along with Gray to find Natsu and Lucy because it's her job. She goes because they're friends. Also their argument has changed.

Chapter 5: Only change is the conversation between Raphael and Gray on the train

Chapters 6-9: No major changes.

Chapter 10: A mention of Raphael's relationship with Levy

Chapter 11: The nature of Raphael and Erza's fight changes. Erza learns more about Raphael before leaving to go help Natsu and the others. Therefore when the guild collapsed, Raphael did not save Erza's life.

Chapter 12: The name of the bar tender who hits on Raphael has changed

Chapter 13-14: No changes

Chapter 15: The reason why Erza wants Raphael to fight has changed since she didn't save her life in chapter 11

Chapter 16: Raphael finds out Laxus was one of Makarov's spies and goes to thank him.

Chapter 17: Gray and Raphael's short make out underneath the window is hotter. When Gray tricks his way into Raphael's hotel room, she is in her underwear, not her pj's

Chapter 18: No changes

Chapter 19: Juvia's blackmail against Raphael changes and is more drastic than the revelation of her relationship with gray. Raphael confesses to Mira what she'd done and

Chapter 20: No changes

Chapter 21: In the last 8 hours, I changed the last scene of this chapter. Sorry!

Note that if you want this story to make sense to you, you HAVE to go back and read these chapters. You don't even have to read the whole thing. Just look for the parts above mentioned in each chapter. Also: These notes didn't give away much of what I changed so it really won't be ok for you to just read these notes and wait for chapter 22. Once chapter 22 comes around you need to be caught up. Thank you for putting up with this! I just really wanted to make my story better so I changed stuff. Please don't be mad! Also review what you think about Raphael's decision to continue to put off telling Gray about her past. Trust me, there are repercussions.