Over the next two weeks Juvia didn't see or hear from Gray very much, she began to wonder if he was avoiding her, leaving her to dwell on her attempted kiss at the housewarming party. Meredy had been spending a lot of time with Lyon and whenever Juvia saw him he continued to insist that Gray was not avoiding her.

Juvia arranged roses all day at work for an upcoming wedding and her fingers were sore and bleeding by the end of the day, she had ignored two phone calls from the new number Bora was using to contact her and felt thoroughly frustrated by the time she stepped off of the bus at the stop near her building. Shifting her bag onto her shoulder she turned to walk down the sidewalk and saw Gray leaving an electronics shop just ahead of her, he had a large headphones on and he didn't seem to have noticed her. She followed him all the way back to their building and she stopped in the lobby to check her mail before going up to their floor. Just before she reached the entrance to their hallway, she heard Gray frantically yelling her name, she broke into a run and when she got to her door it was already open, her belongings strewn down the hall.

Cautiously slipping inside she found Gray darting room to room shouting her name, when he spotted her standing just inside the doorway, he moved immediately toward her throwing his arms around her, "Oh thank the gods," he said under his breath, he squeezed tightly. Juvia was shocked, not just to see her apartment a complete wreck, but to find herself in Gray's protective grasp as well. He pulled her away from his body and looked her over, "are you hurt?"

"No, I wasn't even here," she looked around seeing the damage, her dishes were in jagged shards on the kitchen floor, her clothing had been tossed about recklessly, her television set had been thrown through her glass table, and her mattress and sofa cushions had been slit open, now all the stuffing was pulled out and tossed around.

"Let's get you somewhere safe and call the police," Gray said taking her hand, they went to his door and Juvia tried to gather herself as Gray unlocked the deadbolt to let her inside. Juvia pulled out her phone once she had sat down, calling both the police station and her brother. She put her phone onto the end of the table and leaned back onto the sofa, Gray sat across from her on the coffee table and put his hands on her legs "Juvia, I-" his words broke off and he glanced at the ground, "you, um, at the party-" again he didn't make a complete thought.

Juvia felt embarrassed as soon as he mentioned the party and stood to leave, "I'll just wait next door, the police will be here soon."

Gray suddenly moved, he took her gently around the waist kissing her, Juvia's heart fluttered, she hadn't expected him to kiss him and she no longer knew what to do. Heat built in their connection, instead of pulling back Gray pushed his entire body against hers and cradled her in his arms.

The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled the two from their moment, Juvia turned to see Gajeel with his eyebrows raised. "wow someone breaks into your place and this one is clearly trying to steal your heart right in front of your brother, crime in this town is out of control.

"shut up," Juvia said quietly, her fingers brushing absentmindedly against her lips.

"I was just- just glad she wasn't there when it happened," Gray stammered.

"Jeez, remind me to stay away from you when you're feeling relieved," Gajeel joked, "let's see what the damage is." He turned to investigate Juvia's apartment as the police arrived, "I am shocked I beat the cops here, they sure take their sweet time, hope they move quicker if there is a robbery in progress."

The officers took photographs and began to ask questions about the break-in, "is there anyone who would do this? Anyone with a grudge against you?" Juvia shook her head.

"What about Bora," Gray asked.

"He's right," Gajeel agreed, "that guy is trouble and hasn't stopped trying to contact you since you dumped him."

"Wait, he is still trying to reach you?" Gray asked, "why didn't you say something?"

"I haven't seen you lately, and well, last time I did it didn't necessarily go well," she admitted.

The police took down the information about Bora, including all of the different numbers he had used to contact her over the last few weeks. Juvia had been told to go to the court house and file for a restraining order because although the officers didn't have proof he had been involved in the break-in, they saw enough to say Bora was harassing and stalking Juvia. When all of the paperwork had been completed Gajeel looked at his sister and said, "Guess you should grab a bag and stay with me until you get your place to the point that you can stay there again."

"No, it's fine," she said, "I'll stay at my place, I don't want to intrude, and I don't have any way to get to work from your place, the bus doesn't run that far outside of town."

"No, it's not safe for you to stay there until the landlord gets the locks fixed, and what if Bora comes back?"

"She can stay with me, I'll take the couch," Gray offered.

Before Gajeel could oppose the offer, Juvia nodded but immediately asked, "Are you sure, Gray?"

"I can keep an eye on you this way too," he explained, "I can even meet you after work to make sure you get home safely too."

"Okay," she eagerly nodded, "Thank you."

Gajeel threw his hands up in disbelief, "What the hell kid? You choose him over me? Cutting deep."

Juvia giggled, "Don't take it personally Gajeel, Gray is closer to work and I can get things from my place as I need them.

"Fine, but you better not let her get hurt," Gajeel warned, "and keep your hands to yourself and off my baby sister."