Juvia smiled as she took one last glance at Wendy as she slept in bed before leaving her room.
"You know she's very cute when she's asleep." She said to Gray.
"I guess." He said.
"Oh you're not fooling me." She giggled.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I saw the way you held her. Admit it, deep down you love children."
"I do not. I am a powerful aberration who's feared by both the living and the deceased! I love watching the failure of others, I love scaring people, I love some occasional theater but I do not now nor will I ever love children!"
"And yet you just tucked a little girl into bed like she was your own."
"Well that's...Uh... That's not..." He would have blushed if he still had blood flow. "That's not what it looks like! I was just being a gentleman."
"So you say."
"Excuse me?"
"Gray I lived with you for a hundred years. I know when you're lying and may I say you're terrible at it."
"And may I say you don't know what you're talking about. You're not a mind reader."
Juvia sighed at his denial but she realized getting him to admit what was fairly obvious was a futile effort so she decided to give up on the subject.
"I'm sorry." She said. "You're right I'm not a mind reader. Maybe I'm just deluding myself into thinking you love children. Again I'm sorry."
She turned to walk away.
"Juvia wait." He called quietly.
"Yes?" She said turning back.
"You know you're awfully pretty when you argue with me." He said with a teasing grin.
Now it was her turn to feel like blushing though she couldn't due to having no blood flow like him.
"You think I'm pretty?" She asked trying not to smile.
"Not always." He said looking down at his gloves hands. "Sometimes you're beautiful."
"Is that what you really think or are you just being a gentleman again?"
"Well it's more of a fact than what I think. I mean you heard what those other ghouls said. The ones who were hitting on you the other day."
"Oh...Yes but I didn't think they were serious. I thought they were too drunk to see what I really look like."
"And what do you think you look like?"
"A corpse."
"Well yes you do but a very lovely corpse."
She looked down at her feet, feeling very shy all of a sudden.
"You know I think this is the first time you've ever complimented me. I mean you've always spoken to me in a polite and friendly manner but you've never said things to me like I was lovely."
"I didn't think you needed anyone to tell you that. I thought you already knew. But if you really don't know how beautiful you are then I'll say it more often."
"But if you really don't know how beautiful you are then I'll say it more often."
Juvia gasped as those words triggered a long forgotten memory of when she was alive. She had heard those exact words being said to her before. She couldn't remember when or by who but she knew that someone had said those words to her in life.
"Are you okay?" Gray asked when he noticed the shocked look on her face.
"Yes I'm fine." She assured him. "I just remembered something."
"What?"
"I'm not really sure but I-"
"Wendy I'm home." They heard Erza call as she stepped into the house. "Wendy?"
When her daughter didn't come downstairs to greet her, Erza went upstairs to look for her. When she found Wendy asleep in bed she was greatly confused. Why was she in bed so early?
"Wendy." She said in a soft voice while giving her a gentle shake.
"Mom?" She said waking up.
"Honey why are you in bed? It's only a little after five. Are you sick?"
"No I just felt really tired this afternoon."
"Oh I'm sorry for waking you up. I was worried that you had gotten sick."
"It's okay Mom. I should probably get up now and help you with dinner."
"That's okay Wendy. I can cook dinner on my own, you just get ready for supper."
"Alright."
She may not show it well but Erza really did regret cancelling their plans for today and Gray and Juvia could sense that. Another thing that the deceased could do was that they could feel the emotional aura of the living and right now they could feel just how much Erza loved her little girl.
"I don't remember much about my life but I think I wanted children." Juvia said to Gray.
"How do you know you didn't have any?" He asked.
"Because I died a virgin remember?"
"Oh yeah still even though you never had kids you seem to have a natural way with them."
"So do you."
"Juvia you know that I-"
"I know what you're going to say and you're wasting your time trying to convince me to think otherwise. By the way where's Natsu? I thought he'd be back by now?"
"Oops! I meant to go look for him after I saved Wendy but she was so upset that I decided to bring her home first. I guess I forgot. I'll go get him."
"I hope he hasn't gotten himself into any trouble."
"Knowing Natsu he's probably in a whole lot of it as we speak and while we're on the subject of missing friends, where's Lucy?"
"She had to work later than she thought."
"Where does she work anyway?"
"I'm not really supposed to tell."
"Why not?"
"She made me promise not to and a promise is a promise."
"Why doesn't she want anyone to know?"
"Let's just say she's a little embarrassed by her job."
"It can't be anymore humiliating than what those imps do for a living."
"It's not but I won't tell. I can't tell. Friends don't tell."
"Alright I'll stop twisting your arm."
"Thank you."
"Now if you'll excuse I have a very putrid and not so intelligent ghoul to retrieve from the other side."
"Let's just hope you find him before Lucy does. You know what she'll do to him if she finds out he brought Wendy over there."
"Oh I know very well what she would do to him and if it comes to that I want to watch." He said in a voice of twisted excitement that made Juvia shiver a little.
"Gray by any chance were you a butcher in life?"
"Probably not. I find the smell of raw meat disgusting."
"Oh I never knew that. So does that mean you were a vegetarian?"
"No it just means I prefer cooked meat over raw." He straightened his jacket. "Ta-ta sweetheart. I'll see you tonight."
"Alright. Be careful over there and try not to cause any trouble."
"I make no promises."