"What brings you here?" he asked, although he already knew the reason why. Erza was thinking about him. Him as in Jellal Fernandez.

It wasn't because she held a grudge against him for what he's done; it was common knowledge between their team that he was manipulated and Erza was a very forgiving person. He knew Erza had stopped having the nightmares he sometimes caught her having when they were in missions. She no longer came to the riverbank because she was afraid of him.

However, Gray never grew to like Jellal. He did forgive Jellal for what happened in the past as in that time the man had no control of himself, but he hated how much a guy ruled over his friend's mind and heart. He would never forgive that fact that Jellal had once broken her, yet she still feels like she owes him something. Grey already knew the woman beneath the armour, the armour she wore to protect and shield her heart, but he still hated seeing her vulnerable. But vulnerable is what Jellal made her. He hated seeing a woman so strong and dominating crumble to a man with many sins. But he recognized they were similar in many ways: both of them cowards when it came to feelings.

Gray knew about the long history Erza had with the azure haired wizard. He probably knew the most since Erza only talked about Jellal at the riverbank. Although the scarlet haired mage wasn't afraid of Jellal, the way Jellal controlled what she did, scared her. That was the reasoning why she came to the riverbank lately.

-

She sighed at the question, focusing her attention to the river instead of staring off to space. She didn't answer right away and let the water flow around her hand as she put her hand in. Gray waited patiently for her to open up, it became a pattern throughout the years. She would talk and he would listen. No matter how repetitive her problems seemed to

be, Gray gave her a listening ear. She was grateful for it. She would always be thankful for the friendship she had with the ice mage.

She looked at him dead in the eye, expecting her mouth to go on and explain, rather her throat turned dry unable to utter a word. She tried again but the only thing that came out was a choked out croak.

"You don't have to tell me..." he told her, but his face would say otherwise. Erza could clearly see her comrade was worried. She remembered the promise she made to him and the one he made to her. Gray promised that she would always have Fairy Tail as her family. And that they would always be there. That he would always be there, and in turn, she promised Gray she would never cry alone. She wasn't only to break her promises, but she ended up breaking that one too many times. Gray, on the other hand, was true to his word. So tonight, she decided she was going to tell him because she was tired of running away.

"Gray, you have always been there for me, and I appreciate that," Erza started, steadying her voice. "I trust you. You said I would never have to cry alone, so tonight... if I cry tonight, please keep that promise."

Gray could hear her voice becoming small. He was never good with comforting people, but seeing her almost broken, had hurt him too. He would try his best, because he couldn't stand the thought of Erza feeling alone. She was too good for that. She didn't and would never deserve that. He put his arm over her shoulder and gave a sympathetic nod and squeeze to show her that he was there.

"Gray..." her voice cracked, "I want to... I want to move on." When she said the last part, her voice no longer faltered. He looked at her confused.

"What do you mean?" he was genuinely surprised at the statement. Normally, he would have been filled with joy that a friend would no longer be heartbroken over a guy, but this was Erza. He knew she was emotionally attached to Jellal, even after all she's been through. He knew she felt like she owed him a debt. He even knew that the Erza had feelings towards Jellal. Gray would even go as far as to say Erza loved the ex-criminal.

"I thought you loved him..." he tried choosing the right words to use, "Are you sure?" he questioned softly. He was almost expecting her to break down, but she didn't.

"I need to move on and I should," Erza simply stated, there was no emotion in her voice. "It's time. Seven years passed, Grey. Maybe we could've had something before, now... it's just not going to happen. He doesn't love me Gray! At least... not enough."

He was about to counter that statement until Erza cut him off. Gray knew Jellal loved her, and that was the very reason Jellal didn't let himself be with her.

"If he truly did love me, he would see that what he's doing is just hurting me more," she continued and in his head he would have to agree. He thought Jellal was a fool for it. He understood the reasoning but to Gray knew that it was mostly because Jellal was afraid to hurt her again, and not the fact that he couldn't be associated with good people. Yet, Gray couldn't blame Jellal for holding back. Can anyone that's done something that bad accept what they did and move on with Erza Scarlet? The Queen of the Fairies, the Titania? Gray couldn't think so, not if he was in Jellal's shoes.

"He pushed me away that day on the beach and told me he had a fiancée. I know it was all a lie, but it meant that he could never be with me. I've waited for him, for so long to change his mind, but he's stubborn. He won't, he already made that decision a long time ago. I can't change that fact. He loves me enough to not give me false hope and that's why he doesn't come back. He wants me to move on too. I think I already knew that from the day at the beach, but since the war... it's crystal clear now. I've tried stalling, trying to deny the truth, so I brushed my hair; my hair was my way of never letting go of him, it was what made him special to me. But I'm tired of it all, Gray... I've accepted the truth. It's bitter, but I have to swallow it."

Not matter how strong her voice was, he knew she was hurting hard. He knew that although she's talking about it being accepted, all of it was to convince herself.

"I never really knew where my feelings with him stood, Gray. You said that you thought I loved him... but maybe I didn't. Jellal probably knew that too. Maybe I was just in love with the idea of it all. Maybe it's just because I still felt that I owed him something, that I'm in debt to him. Maybe he was just a childhood crush I was never able to emotionally detached myself from... until now Gray. Moving on... it would be good for me. It's what is needed."

He was amazed at how she said all of it with sureness, but Erza didn't let her armour down completely. "Do you want to? How do you feel?"

Silence.

She broke down. This was the first time in fifteen years Grey had seen her fully broken down. His heart ached to witness it. He knew that Erza rarely cried in front of others, but Erza being broken down was something he knew he never ever wanted to see. But here she was, all because of that man.

Gray pulled her into a tight hug trying to comfort her. He could feeling her tears soaking through his shirt as he gave her a shoulder to cry on. Erza held on him tightly, he knew that she was afraid of feeling lonely. He would do anything for her to make sure she never felt that way, and tried his best to make sure she would never be in that situation in the first place. He couldn't bare the pain she carried, so Gray would let her do anything to release it.

"Of course I don't want too, and I feel horrible. But it needs to be done." She choked between sobs until it slowed to heavy breathing. She now had her head on his chest, exhausted from her emotions. He held her hand to comfort her telling her that it would be okay.

That's the end of the second chapter. Hope you enjoyed. Please review for constructive criticism. I try to update as soon as possible.