Chapter 16

It didn't take long for both Juvia and Gajeel to join Fairy Tail once again. A month after the attack on Phantom Lord the Fairy Tail guild had been rebuilt. The iron dragon slayer had come to the guild after Juvia. Neither of them knew how Gajeel ended up joining previously but whatever had happened seemed to happen again because he was sitting in a corner sulking quietly.

Lucy didn't spare a single moment as soon as she saw Juvia she walked right up to the bluenette linked their arms together and declared that they were going to be friends. Lucy ignored the shocked faces of many of her guild mates and Juvia herself. Lucy searched for Gajeel amongst the shocked crowd and seeing the look of confusion on his face. She merely stuck out her tongue at him and pulled the other woman to the request board.

In their previous time line she had eventually developed a friendship with the grouchy male. However that was mostly due to the fact that he was kind of dating Levy. Lucy didn't like not being on good terms with the people in the guild.

She would make friends with him on a later date. Natsu still hadn't forgotten how badly beaten she had been by him and liked to keep him far away from her. She knew he would calm down eventually but right now the events were still fresh in his mind.

Juvia blinked in shock in a few times unable to really comprehend another girl wanting to be friend. She never had any friends before. Gajeel was the closest thing she had to a friend in Phantom Lord and this blonde woman accepted her without batting an eyelash.

Juvia couldn't understand why she had been accepted by Lucy especially since she had been part of the guild that had attacked her and her father. Juvia wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do with a friend or if she could even trust this woman. She could act nice now and stab her in the back as revenge for her actions in the past.

Lucy dragged Juvia over to the request board and took a simple mission. It wouldn't take them long two days at the most. Lucy kissed her husbands cheek and ran out of the guild pulling the confused woman along for the ride.

Wendy took one look between her mother running off and her father and decided that her time would be better spent with her mother. She was less likely to set something on fire and was generally more responsible. She grabbed Carla and took off after them.

Natsu rolled his eyes at Lucy and kissed Wendy's cheek as she ran out. He smirked at the look of dejection on Happy's face when Carla refused to let him come with them. Juvia had been lonely in the guild and her crush/obsession with Gray made it hard for her to make female friends.

However she was actually a very capable fighter. She was a good addition to the team but she was easily distracted when it came to Gray for whatever reason so he hoped that Lucy helped her kick the habit.

Juvia was a nice person. It would be nice if people could talk to her without her going psycho on everyone that she assumed wanted to get with Gray. Natsu was also sure that if she could keep her head on the fights at hand she could be powerful. Juvia's skills had increased over time but she was held back by the simple fact that she didn't pay attention and she was better than that.

Hell, he was pretty sure that if he could get her to train seriously then she could take out that sand guy from the Spriggan 12. Water was an inherent weakness of sand. He'd mention it to Lucy later. He knew that Lucy was preparing for the final battle with everyone. Erza had won against that guy but she had taken way too much damage. In the end, her magic and his weren't a good match for each other but if they planned it better then they would win.

Cana, Lisanna everyone they were all kind to Juvia but it was a well-known fact that if they got too close to Gray she would freak out on them. No one really wanted to deal with her or being nearly drowned on a regular basis. Juvia pushed many people away because of her jealous behavior and her obsession with Gray made it hard to talk to her or even joke with her.

This time Lucy was determined to build a strong friendship with the other woman without her calling her a love rival every couple of minutes. It had gotten frustrating and annoying in the past and there was no way in hell she was going to let it happen again. There was also the fact that Juvia was a badass woman who was powerful, confident and beautiful. Lucy couldn't stand to see her making a fool out of herself because she wanted to be stubborn.

Natsu looked around the guild and noticed Mystogan and Siegrain were sitting with Laxus. The three men had formed a pretty strong friendship in the time that they spent away while the twins really did act like twins. Mystogan and Siegrain could read each other so well that no one could tell that they weren't really twins.

They had technically spent a lot of time a part since they didn't grow up together. However they had the same likes and dislikes so it was easy for them to build a good strong, sibling relationship. Mystogan was a bit more reserved while Siegrain was able to be more open but all in all they were settling in well in the guild. They both also made a devastating team and more than one person wondered why the hell they worked together when they were so powerful, neither one actually needed any help.

Then again the three men learned a lot from each other and Laxus was less of an ass when he hung around people who could smack some humility into him so that was a plus. Natsu kind of wanted the three of them to take on Gildarts. He was curious to see who would win but Lucy reminded him that if that fight actually did take place then they make break the continent but hey- a guy can wish.

Freed and Levy had been spending some time together. For a minute he wondered if they were dating or something when he realized that Freed was teaching Levy about runes. Levy had been ashamed that she couldn't take on Gajeel. She hated the fact that she had to run away and leave her friend behind. She was determined that she would never have to run away ever again and decided to learn more about runes and improve her skills.

Natsu was sort of proud of her. Levy was someone who never tried very hard to stand out and she wasn't an extremely violent person unlike most of the mages in Fairy Tail. She spent most of her time reading and learning but she never really pushed herself to be powerful.

Levy was content to sit back and be called average. She knew she was capable and she was able to make enough money every month for her to live on. She was able to protect her team and that was enough for her but now she was determined to be able to stand her ground. No matter how powerful her enemy. It was something that never truly happened before.

The last time when she teamed up with Gajeel to become an S-class mage Levy hadn't truly believed that she would have the power to do so. She was content to sit back and let Gajeel do all the heavy lifting. There wasn't anything necessarily bad about that.

Levy didn't like to fight all that much however he had to admit that if Levy learned defensive runes then maybe she could put up the rune enchantment. Freed would be able to fight without worrying about the barrier but it all depended on how much she learned and how powerful she became.

Gajeel never really had many friends. Looking at him now sitting in the corner of the guild it seemed like that was something that wouldn't change anytime soon. If Natsu remembered correctly then Gajeel spent a lot of his time trying to get close to Levy.

He was either seeking forgiveness or because he started to like the short blue haired girl however he spent a lot of time with Panterlily. For the first time in many months Natsu wondered where the heck was Panterlily?

The exceed said that he was going to help the other exceeds build their village and they probably were done with that months ago. To be very honest, after the drama of Edolas it was only when Happy and Carla flew back to the village to visit did he remember that they were even around.

Panterlily also wanted to explore Fiore a little. It was something about a vacation since he never had one before but Natsu couldn't help but wonder when he would return. It had been a very long time, maybe even too long. He wondered if something might have happened to him.

"Have you heard from Lily?" Natsu asked Mystogan.

The man shook his head, "I told him everything that I knew about the other timeline. Lily said he was going to do some recon but he has not contacted me in a long time."

Natsu didn't like not knowing where his friends were but at the same time Lily could take care of himself. If he had decided to do something it was highly unlikely that he would return until his mission had been completed. Natsu figured he would wait a little while longer and keep an extra eye out for him. He couldn't exactly go looking for someone when he had no idea where to even start looking for him.

He looked around the guild and realized that he had the house free for a while. Natsu decided to have a guys night. It had been a long time since he had hung out with just the guys, doing nothing but playing cards, drinking and fighting.

He had been so focused on Lucy for so long that he didn't realize how much he really missed hanging out with his friends. He knew that it was important for him and Lucy to connect as husband and wife, but he had other relationships that he needed to keep in mind.

His relationship with Lucy was something that private and different from having friends. Natsu needed to remember that there was more to life than just his wife, daughter and training. Natsu loved his family. He adored his wife but he also needed a break once in a while.

He had the feeling that Lucy was gone because she needed a break from him as well. They didn't need to be connected to each other every moment of everyday. They had worked on their relationship for just the two of them for over a year. Now it was time for him to work on himself.

He didn't want to be that person that forgot the rest of the world just because he got a wife. Things had changed but that didn't mean he couldn't hang out with the guys and have some fun. Which was probably what Lucy and Juvia would be doing as they got to know each other. Maybe when she got back he could propose that every now and then she and girls get together for a weekend while he and the guys went fishing or something. They needed the down time.

He grabbed Laxus and the rest of the guys including Gajeel and dragged them all off to his house. They all decided to play cards, drink, eat and have a mini party while the men of Fairy Tail celebrated Natsu's marriage and generally just had a good time.

They all made sure to include Gajeel, Siegrain and Mystogan since all three men were never present for a guys night. Natsu heard something break and he really hoped that it wasn't something that Lucy really liked because she would probably have them all sleeping in the woods for a couple of days.

Meanwhile Lucy, Juvia, Wendy and Carla had already finished their job and were sipping lemonade on the beach while Wendy and Carla played on the sand. Juvia couldn't help but smile at the young girl playing on the beach.

"You have a beautiful family Lucy-san."

Lucy smiled at her. She really wanted Juvia to be comfortable around her. At least comfortable enough to talk to her about her problems. Hopefully Lucy could stop her from obsessing over Gray. Her clingy nature had him running for the hills on several occasions until eventually he had come to care for her as well. She had a sneaky suspicion that Gray had always cared for the water mage but his problems with his past had him running from her promises of forever.

Lucy couldn't really blame him either. Gray was a young man. Only about eighteen years old if she remembered correctly and who in their right mind wanted to settle down at this age? She knew that things with her and Natsu were different.

They had time travel to deal with so the normal rules didn't apply to them. It made sense that Gray ran for his life every time that Juvia asked for marriage and babies. She needed the girl to calm down and just be able to have a normal conversation with him.

"Thank you Juvia, and you don't have to add 'san' all the time. Just Lucy is fine. We are friends after all."

Juvia blushed at her words. She had never had a girlfriend before. She had seen many people talk and laugh with their friends but no one ever wanted to hang out with her. Now there was this blonde haired woman who seemed totally fine with having her around.

Juvia had grown up in an orphanage and no one ever wanted to be her friend there. Looking back at how lonely and isolated her life had been as a child, it didn't really surprise her where she ended up. Phantom Lord took on anyone capable of fighting.

Due to her loneliness many people hurt her so she had learned to hurt them back. She was ashamed to admit that once they were too afraid to bother she had been relieved. She only ever wanted a friend. Jose helped make her the monster that she was but she knew that there was a better way in Fairy Tail.

"Juvia wanted to thank you for making an effort to be her friend."

Lucy smiled at her, happy that she was finally opening up, "You're family now Juvia. Fairy Tail always takes care of their own. You can come to me at any time."

Juvia bit her lip, "Juvia loves Gray-sama but she doesn't think he feels the same way."

Lucy nearly spat out her lemonade. She really didn't expect Juvia to actually admit something like that. This was technically their first time out together. She was expecting talks on fashion and hairstyles' maybe even offering to help her find a place to stay in Magnolia not relationship advice. Then again Juvia was a person that felt things very deeply.

Lucy thought back to the person she had known and Juvia was also very stubborn. Once she made up her mind that was it. She wouldn't change her mind. She had chosen Gray the first time they met and she never stopped caring for him. She decided that they were going to be love rivals even though Lucy never felt like that towards Gray and nothing she said ever managed to make her understand.

Juvia had a very one track mind but at the same time everything that she did came out of place of love so it was hard to be mad at her. Lucy really wanted Gray and Juvia to get together. They made a wonderful couple but her clingy nature terrified Gray.

She couldn't help but remember all the times that things had went sideways. There were so many misunderstandings and times that Juvia nearly drowned her for some reason or the other. For the life of her there was no way she was going through all that drama again, never again.

"What do you love about him?" asked Lucy and Juvia actually looked confused for a moment.

"He took Juvia's rain away. Gray-sama says that he doesn't mind the rain because he is an ice wizard, so he is used to the cold weather."

Lucy smiled at Juvia. She knew that it meant a lot of Juvia that Gray didn't mind if it rained. The fact that he was somehow able to make the rain stop by accepting her. Gray was probably the first person who ever accepted Juvia even though he was supposed to be fighting her and not getting himself a stalker. He hadn't even been trying to stop the rain but was just being honest was just a bonus point.

Gray really was a good man. He was a bit of a loner but he was honest. Once you were able to earn his trust then you would have it for life. He wasn't always open with his feelings but that didn't mean that he didn't have them. It just made it hard to understand what he wanted.

"Juvia, Gray is a hard person to love."

Juvia immediately defended him but Lucy merely raised an eyebrow and gave her the disapproving mom look that she sometimes gave Wendy when she tried to sneak more candy. Juvia blushed and settled down, realizing that she was over reacting and that she had interrupted her new friend while she was talking.

"Juvia is sorry. Juvia just…"

Lucy passed her a bowl of fruit and shook her head, "Its sweet that you want to defend him but you have to realize that loving someone doesn't mean that you ignore their flaws, you accept them."

Juvia looked confused so Lucy smiled at her gently and tried to help her understand, "Gray is not a person who shows his emotions easily Juvia. I believe that in time he will come to love you but for now it would be best if you tried to be his friend. Make your intentions clear. Tell him clearly that you care for him and you want to be with him and then give him time to come to terms with what you're asking for without pressuring him for more."

Juvia listened closely to what she was saying and she felt like she had to ask, "You speak of flaws, does that mean that things with Natsu aren't perfect?"

Lucy laughed at her question, "There is no such thing as perfection Juvia in anything in life, not in friendships or even relationships. We are human. People make mistakes. We get jealous or confused or misunderstand each other. Natsu isn't perfect. He isn't even the type of man I imagined myself with when I was younger. I thought I would marry a quiet, well-read person who enjoyed the same things that I did."

Juvia smiled as Lucy got lost in her thoughts. She looked older in that moment, like she had seen a life time of battles and hardships and somehow managed to make it to the other side.

When she thought of Natsu there was a light in her eyes that spoke of warmth and love and Juvia couldn't help but wish that someday she had a love like the one Lucy had with her husband. She wanted to look that happy when she thought of her partner.

"Natsu was loud, brash and rude. He got on my last damn nerve more times that I could count. I punched him in the face and kicked him out a window so many times I lost count. He made me crazy but he was honest Juvia. He cared about me. He protected me and every time something went wrong he always tried to make it up to me. He wasn't the man I imagined I would end up with but he was the person I needed. I can't see myself with anyone else. Sometimes all you need is someone who is willing to try to make it right no matter how hard it is. That's what I have with him, someone who will always try for me."

Lucy looked at her friend and saw her deep in thought when Juvia spoke again. Some time had passed and it seemed like she had been digesting everything that she had said.

Juvia bit her lip, "If I take my time and be his friend after letting him know that there isn't any pressure on him to answer my feelings isn't it possible that someone else will steal his heart away?"

Lucy shook her head, "You love him Juvia but what do you know about him? Do you when his birthday is, or his favourite colour or his hobbies? You love him for being kind and helping you but being in love is something very different. You need to learn about him and let him get to know you and build a relationship on a solid foundation. They say the best relationships are built on friendship and I can honestly say that I married my best friend and we have a strong marriage because we built a relationship off an equally strong friendship."

Juvia listened closely and she had to admit that she did know very little about him. She did want to know more. She wanted him to be able to come to her whenever he needed someone to talk too or just because he missed her.

"Be his friend Juvia, get to know him and let him know you. Don't pressure him too much. A lot of men run at the thought of commitment and Gray is one of them. A serious relationship scares them but friendship is something that he understands very well. It will give him time to fall in love with you and it will give you time, to understand him and fall in love with him."

Juvia listened to her and decided that when she returned to the guild she would talk to Gray but for now she was going to enjoy being here with her friend. She had to admit that Lucy did seem to have a point so she spent the rest of the evening sipping lemonade and asking Lucy about her adventures being a mom and a wife. She learned about the guild and everyone in it and not just Gray even though she paid extra attention every time he had been mentioned.

Lucy smiled gently as she watched Juvia watch the ocean. This is exactly what she had hoped for when she invited Juvia out for the day. She wanted the girl to look beyond just Gray and see everything and everyone else that Fairy Tail had to offer. She had done it eventually, being friends with Cana and Lisanna, getting comfortable around Gray and being his friend and supporting him but she had been trying too hard and eventually it had backfired and probably made her more miserable than happy.

She hoped that Juvia finally had a more healthy relationship now that she had given her some advice. Lucy settled more into her chair and enjoyed the rays of the sun on her face. It had been so long since she had something as relaxing as this.

Natsu was so energetic that whenever they went to the beach together they ended up swimming or dancing on the sand or playing with Wendy in the water but being here in this moment with no one around was so relaxing that she sighed out loud.

She hadn't realized how much she had missed having some time to herself. There was no way in hell that she would ever trade anything for her family but doing something as normal as going to the beach with a friend and sunbathing was something that she hadn't done in a really long time and she missed it. She decided that she needed to make more time for her friends, even though she had joined the guild again she didn't spent much time with the other girls.

She and Erza were close but they didn't hang out much unless it was during a mission or a shopping trip that didn't last very long. Lucy didn't think that she and Cana ever hung out in this time line and even though she and Levy spoke about books all the time she hadn't ever made plans with her either.

She hadn't even realized how little time she was spending with the guild until now. When she sat back and thought about it and the only reason why she was thinking about it was because she wanted to make friends with Juvia.

She and Natsu were so caught up with the fact that they were in the past and everything that they were looking towards that they had essentially forgotten to live in the moment. She decided that when she got back she would make some plans and spend a weekend with all the girls in Fairy Tail. Maybe even go to the spa for the weekend or something. She didn't want to spend all her time with her husband and forget about the people around them.

Lucy was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when some guys who were hanging out on the beach approached the girls who were sunbathing.

"Hey beautiful." Came a cheerful voice and Lucy resisted the urge to sigh.

Juvia opened her eyes and came face to face with two guys with brown hair and brown eyes. They were the typical beach boys wearing shorts and showing of their tan and muscles. Lucy couldn't help but think that Natsu was better built than they were. She wasn't into the overly muscly type. She preferred a leaner build just like her husband.

Juvia noticing that Lucy wasn't going to say anything since she kept her eyes closed decided to make them go away. Honestly they didn't look like they were creeps. They seemed normal enough and neither girl was feeling particularly threatened they were mostly annoyed. The two girls didn't come here to try and pick up guys and didn't they come to the beach get hit on.

Lucy was married and Juvia had decided that the only person for her would be Gray. They had been enjoying the peace and quiet after a very emotional conversation. They were not interested in anything that these newcomers would have to offer them.

"You're blocking our sun boys." Replied Juvia not bothering to be polite and greet them, hoping if she seemed cold they would go away. She just hoped that they would take the hint and leave.

One of them shuffled so that they weren't blocking the sun when someone cleared their throat and asked, "We were wondering if you girls would be interested in going out for dinner tonight?"

Lucy sighed, flashed him her ring on her left hand and replied, "Sorry boys, I'm married."

Lucy sighed in relief when she heard them move away when one of them turned back to her probably to say something else when Wendy cried out for 'mama' and Lucy immediately got to her feet. Juvia followed Lucy as the two women rushed past the beach boys without a backwards glance.

They missed the looks on both guys faces when they realized that Lucy was a mother and when they returned to their friends they were laughed at good naturedly. However one of the guys looked at Juvia and noticed her guild mark on her thigh and the guys were suddenly very aware that they were betting on mages that could probably crush them in their sleep.

"Wendy where are you?" cried Lucy when she looked towards the sand and couldn't find her daughter.

Wendy dropped down in front of them with a cheeky grin on her face, "Did you see mama? I did it. I managed to fly all on my own."

Lucy sighed in relief, pulling the girl to her chest and hugging her tightly. She had been terrified for a moment that someone had tried to hurt her before remembering that Wendy was a Fairy Tail mage as well. She would have caused a tsunami or hurricane if someone really tried to kidnap her or something. Juvia decided that they all had enough excitement for the day and decided to go back home before something crazy happened.

Wendy on the hand grinned cheekily over her shoulder at the two beach boys who were trying to hit on her mother. Carla merely rolled her eyes at the girls over protective reaction but then again it did save them from actually having to talk to them too much and now they were on their way home. In the end everything more or less worked out for the best so before someone, somewhere decided to blow something up they got on the train and headed home.