It's Monday! I appreciate everyone who responded with thoughts and encouraging comments on last week's chapter. I was thrilled to get to connect with so many of you! Hearing from you guys means the world to me, so thanks!

guest: Angst? Absolutely! I hope it doesn't disappoint. I appreciate the support!

Kaede: You're right! People never know what they have until they're about to lose it. Thanks for chiming in!

darling spider: That's a good guess. And you're half right. Because only half of your guess is involved. ;) Thanks for always encouraging me!

guest: That moment when you realize the ship you just fell in love with is one that nobody else writes? (Or maybe only a handful authors.) I've been there, and it's the worst feeling! That's one of the reasons a lot of my other fics are centered around less popular ships. Typically it's because some super-talented author got me hooked on a rare-pair and the lack of fics meant that I needed to write a few of my own. With more common ships like Nalu and Gruvia, I typically just read someone else's stuff to get my fix...it's much less work for me. ;) Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

guest: Juvia has it the worst for sure! You've got a big heart. I'm glad to see that you can sympathize with our girls, but not blame our guys for this mess. Anyhow, I appreciate your thoughts! Thanks!

- K. Chandler

Gray clenched his teeth. His jaw ached and a dull throb had built up at the base of his skull. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. He felt like he had the weight of the entire kingdom resting on his shoulders.

Three more days. That was all. He would only have to keep up appearances for three more days. He knew he should have been pleased, but he couldn't help feeling all the more weary. Gray wondered if this was how Lyon felt all the time. If it was, it would certainly justify how obnoxious and impatient his cousin always was. Even a week of this was making Gray feel awful.

At least Knightwalker's latest update had been promising, if not incredibly annoying. Levy had managed to identify the poison that had been used on Lyon. It hadn't been a single substance, but three different chemicals that probably would have done little damage on their own. Mixed together, they formed a slow-acting elixir that proved to have deadly potency.

One of the substances was a tincture that came from a particular flower that only grew in the far northern part of the kingdom. It was distinct enough that one of Knightwalker's men had managed to track down the man who had sold it. He was a member of the Love and Lucky Merchant Association, the same group that Jude Heartfilia was part of. In fact, Heartfilia was more than just a member, he was the unofficial leader of the group! Knightwalker described recent events that had left members of the association indebted to him.

Several of the more prominent businesses of Love and Lucky had been crippled by such severe debts that they had faced bankruptcy. Being part of a merchant association meant that all members would share in that burden. In this case, they all faced the loss of their livelihoods.

But Heartfilia had mysteriously managed to come through with an unearthly sum of money. Just like that, he had single-handedly resolved the association's outstanding debts. It was more than a little suspicious, and Gray would have thought the connection to be sufficient evidence of his involvement.

Gray couldn't understand why Knightwalker wouldn't simply have the man arrested so they could be done with all this nonsense. After all, they only had three more days before the wedding. What was the point in dragging this out?

But Knightwalker insisted that it would be more prudent to wait, dismissively reminding Gray that this arrangement had been his idea. That left Gray with no choice but to continue with the charade.

And that annoyed him. But just when he thought his day couldn't get any worse, he ran into the one person he had been hoping not to see, at least not until after he had resolved this fiasco.

"J-Juvia!" stammered Gray, his heart leaping to his throat. He opened his mouth. Then he shut it again, not quite sure what to say.

Juvia took an involuntary step backwards, pressing herself against the wall. She looked so small and uncertain. She was too pale, and her features had a weary cast to them, almost like she hadn't been sleeping.

But to be honest, he hadn't been either. He could imagine that she was feeling just as exhausted as he was.

"Oh, Juvia…" he sighed, his stomach tightening with guilt. Juvia was always such a lively and expressive person. Seeing her with that forlorn expression in her eyes sent a pang through his chest.

Gray clenched his fists, locking his hands behind him to keep himself from reaching for her. He couldn't let her know anything was wrong. If he let her get too close, all of his carefully erected barriers would crumble, and his ruse would be over.

Gray forced himself to break eye contact before working his features into a mask of nonchalance. "It's been a while since I've seen you," he said, trying to sound casual. "How are things going?"

Juvia plastered a brittle smile onto her face. Then she pointed at him before clasping her hands together in would-be merriment.

Was she congratulating him? Gray felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

Still, he barreled on, pretending not to notice. "So I guess you've heard the news, huh? I'm…I'm really excited," he forced himself to say, his tongue feeling too big for his mouth. "She's…a nice girl," Gray said finally.

Juvia bit her lip, disappointment sparking in those expressive eyes of hers. Gray hated himself for making her feel that way.

But he steeled his resolve, forcing himself to breathe. He couldn't let his emotions put everyone in danger like that. That was the whole reason for this subterfuge from the start.

More importantly, he couldn't let anyone know how close he and Juvia had gotten. She'd be safer if nobody thought to use her as a bargaining chip like they did Lyon. Imagining Juvia in that bed instead of Lyon made Gray shudder. He refused to let Juvia get tangled up in these machinations.

As that horrible night flashed through Gray's mind, he was struck with a sudden recollection. Juvia had pushed Gray aside with such determination, only to have her expression replaced by one of utmost horror when she knelt by Lyon's bedside. There was something eerily familiar about the way she had reached for the prince's hand, and Gray couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

Still, Gray couldn't help but ask.

"They say she's the one that rescued me when my last ship blew up," Gray said deliberately. "I don't really remember, though. If it's true, then it must be fate that we've found each other again."

Juvia gave a little gasp, her eyes scrunching in dismay. She looked like she couldn't breathe.

She was involved somehow.

Gray flinched, pushing the revelation aside. "Juvia? You okay?" he asked. He had only wanted to gauge her reaction. He didn't mean to cause her any more hurt.

Juvia gave an awkward little shrug. She pointed, first at herself and then away. She had somewhere else to be.

Gray ground his teeth, feeling sick to his stomach. He hated himself for what he had just done. Gray wasn't sure why he cared about Juvia's involvement. Knightwalker's investigations were pointing in an entirely different direction.

His gut churned as he watched her listless figure retreat down the hall.

"Juvia!" he shouted.

She stopped, turning to face him slowly.

Gray's throat closed up. What was he going to tell her? He wasn't sure. What could he even say, at this point? He'd broken her trust. Even if it wasn't real, he'd still hurt her.

"Nothing changes, okay? I'm still gonna try and help you," he choked.

To that, she could only nod, her lips pressed tight together, as if to keep from crying.

Gray started to reach out for her, wanting to give her some measure of comfort. But then he let his arm drop back to his side. He wasn't allowed to hold her. Not when he was supposedly marrying Lucy.

But how he wanted to reach for her. To hold her. To tell her the truth.

But he couldn't. Not yet. He'd gotten this far, and he could not jeopardize this investigation.

He took a shaky breath, Gray swallowed at the lump in his throat. Seeing her like that broke something inside of him.

Three more days…

Just three more days before he could make things right. He'd have to stay strong until then, for all their sakes.

Poor Juvia...but also poor Gray. As much as he's living the consequences of his decisions, it isn't easy feeling like the last line of defense in a game that's so much bigger than you are.

What Juvia does here is very mature and classy. She doesn't throw herself at Gray. She hasn't tried to sabotage him and Lucy. No. She congratulates him. And for anyone who's ever suffered disappointment or been defeated, you know how difficult that can be. Bravo, Juvia! That's the way to take the high road with your head held up.

Next time, in Silence, a little break from all the angst as the wedding draws near: Gray knew that he was in for trouble the moment Natsu started grinning.

Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.