Hey everyone! Thanks for the follows and reviews! Initially I wasn't going to put Levy in this story since I couldn't find a way to tie her in, but I feel like I've found a good place for her and I hope she contributes to the story!

Once again leave some reviews if you would like to even contribute some ideas or something I'm up for stuff like that! In order for this chapter to be a tiny bit longer I added some perspectives and it'll also tie in more story and enhance the experience I hope. Lemme know if you guys enjoy that. I'm currently also working on another story so if you want to get some alerts for that give me a follow!

I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters - xoxoxo MBN

The next day Juvia woke up with a terrible headache, she recalled everything from the night before and took in one large breath to try and adjust her feelings about it all and think clearly. "Juvia needs to make a checklist…" First she stumbled over to her dresser.

"I need to get more food… More meat products specifically." She threw on a casual dress in a lavender color. She never could get used to the fashion in the world above the water, but Juvia had also not visited the underwater world in years. Her dress flowed down to her ankles, a tight brown leather holder wrapped around her waist which helped show just how curvy she could be. A pair of brown leather ankle boots with a rolled top was sensible considering the weather. Juvia moved over to her white umbrella and snatched up quickly. "I also need another medical kit…" She cringed at what she had seen last night.

Surprisingly when she exited everything was cleaned up from her living room from last night, not so surprising, Gajeel was nowhere to be found. "Check list number 3, stay on the lookout for the brute."

A little brown basket sat on her kitchen counter with a white thick scarf to cover her shoulders in case it was chilly. The couch had a tiny blanket on it that someone like Gajeel couldn't possibly use, "Invest in a larger blanket…"

Juvia left her small house and was instantly met with cloudy skies with a tiny drizzle, nothing too severe. She started walking to the indoor market continuing a now sarcastic checklist in her head complete with threatening to rip Gajeel's piercing out of his ears if he doesn't stay in the house like he is supposed to. "For someone trying to hide, you would expect them to act like a rat in a basement…"

~Gray's Perspective~

"How is the research going?' A fluffy feminine voice passed through his mind as he started to head off the ship and into the port once more.

He gave the blonde a not so very energetic expression and waved at her before walking across the deck and down the ramp. "Looks like he wasn't successful either." A rough voice called from the top of the ship's sails.

"N-Natsu get down from there!" She squeeled at the pink haired man who just chuckled at her and continued to swing around like a monkey.

A book flew through the air and knocked him out of the sky, making him flip a few times before barely landing on all fours, a worried blonde running over to see if he was ok before hitting him in the head herself. "Gray we will be back for you by sundown, I expect more intel." A low but still feminine voice called to him.

It made him a little more motivated knowing that Erza was expecting more results from him. He had asked a majority of people near the harbor and they were either too afraid to talk or didn't mind the pirates.

The clues didn't add up. Why were some people afraid and others not? He though that people would be willing to throw degenerates into jail. All he could find out that this Port was frequented by Jose's ship every few weeks but only stayed for a couple days at a time.

"That would mean they aren't selling here or else they would frequent more often. What would they make a stop here for?" He started heading toward the famous in building market that the Port was known for because of their crappy weather. If they weren't selling, maybe they were buying.

That is when he saw her, the curly blue haired woman from the tavern last night. Through the crowd he could spot her out, she had a basket filled with fish and other meats and was currently haggling for medical supplies.

Gray was trying to deduce why she would need such things. If she needed that much food that would mean she was taking care of more than just herself, but she wasn't getting anything but meat currently, which is, what Gray considered a somewhat masculine diet.

She won her haggle and proceeded on her way, Gray hurried to the booth she was just at and put his hand on the fragile wood counter. "Sir I am with the Naval Officers and I have a few questions for you." He paused to hear their lack luster reply, turning his head to try and find the bar maid, she was now frequenting a store selling hand stitched blankets and other merchandise.

"What kind of questions do you have?"

"First what did that woman buy from you?"

The guy looked a little alarmed but pointed to his Aloe Vera supply and went on and on about different medicinal herbs she purchased. Most were for anti-inflammatory or pain- Arnica, Comfrey, Elderberry, Garlic, Licorice Root and other herbs.

That meant she had someone who recently needed these things and probably a lot of it. When Gray turned to find her again she had mysteriously disappeared. "Sir do you frequently see her?"

"Who can forget a pretty face like that? She comes here every few weeks to buy from me. I keep a lot of things in stock just for her. Why has she done something wrong?"

"No, I was just curious about her…"

"Did she entrance you too? Every man in this village goes to her tavern just to hear her voice."

"I see…" He grunted and waved to the man at the counter thanking him for the intel and leaving. Hopefully he will run into her again and be able to ask her questions. Maybe he will start asking her co-workers what her habits and patterns were, he had a hunch that if he followed her, he would be led to a good clue.

~Gajeel's view~

He was unable to sleep due to the events that happened the previous night, all he could do was throw all of her herbs, bandages and things back into the small box she kept. It had his name on the front and it made him grumble.

Her voice rang in his ear for him to stay but he couldn't just sit and stare at the wall forever. He shved his hands in his pockets and left without waking her up. He grabbed his large black leather coat with a hood and started to blindly walk around the town, his hood was up to keep attention from himself.

Gajeel wandered for a long time before deciding to head for the docks to try and get some info on the Naval force that pulled in. A large ship with ornate sails sat in the dock for a couple hours with no real movement. He kept to the shadows and watched as everyone emerged from the depths of the ship. The way they acted it seemed like the Navy sent their circus clowns rather than their best. If these were the people trying to catch Jose they will be running around for a long time.

A dark navy haired man came off the ship and then shortly after the ship departed, probably going into the waters to try and find Jose's ship. Now that he knew what the Naval officer looked like it would be easier to hide from him. Gajeel started to head back to Juvia's house when he happened to almost cross paths with the Naval guy, he seemed to be going toward Juvia's work place. Gajeel ducked into the nearest shop, the bell ringing louder than he had expected, it attracted the man's attention but not enough for him to investigate.

The pirate hid behind the shelves and watched the short guy continue to walk, "May I help you?" A cute voice almost scared him out of his mind.

It came from behind and below him, he turned around as slow as possible to keep composure and there stood a petite girl with scraggly blue hair held back with an orange headband. "No I don't need any help thanks…" He glared at her and she seemed only slightly affected by it.

"What are you here for?"

This bitch, Gajeel grumbled and pushed past her and into one of the isles labeled MAPS. "None of your business shrimp."

"Well that's just rude." He smirked and started pulling at books and flipping through the pages, hoping that she would go away when she saw him do it.

It only drew her closer in, "Trying to go somewhere specific?" Her voice purred as she started fumbling through books as well.

"You don't talk to many people do you?" He hissed at her, she clenched up just a little and looked more embarrassed than hurt.

He almost felt bad for her since she started to resemble a small kitten to him. "N-not many people come in for books since only a small majority of people can read… A-and fisherman don't travel very far so… No I don't."

Well now he felt bad. "Look, I'm not here to make friends…"

"Me neither! I just wanted to help since I know a lot…"

"Book smart?"

She nodded her head and gave him a small smile like a little kid that accomplished something. "Obviously cause ya ain't street smart."

"Wh-what does that mean?" The blue haired girl puffed her cheeks.

Now that he looked, she had a nice narrow waist and a little curve to her hips still. She wore a long brown skirt with an orange band at the waist and a thick white long sleeved shirt. "It means that you shouldn't talk to strangers..?" He paused not knowing how to call her.

"Levy..." The short bookworm huffed at him and crossed her arms.

Gajeel grabbed a book that said Magnolia on it and dropped it into her arms. She grabbed it and put it against her chest tight. "I'll buy this." Levy grabbed some paper wrapping and sealed it with a thick yarn like string. He dropped the money on the counter and headed out

"Don't judge a book by its cover!" She called out before the door closed. "What a weird guy..."

He was headed to Juvia's work now, curious on what that bastard would want to do there. It was already tough enough knowing the men who stop into the harbor go to the tavern just to see Juvia but there was no way that punk was here for that.

~Juvia's view~

Juvia hummed her way back to her home after buying the things she needed at the market, a large blanket was draped over her shoulders since it couldn't fit in her basket. She decided to take a detour when she started to hear whisperings down an alley that caught her attention.

"Gajeel." She heard his name and it made her stop. Juvia hid at the corner and tried to listen in.

"How hard can he be to find?"

"You say that but we still haven't seen him at all."

"Well if we come back empty handed then Jose will punish us instead."

Punish? Juvia heard their voices travelling farther away and she lost the conversation. She closed her umbrella and darted into the alleyway to catch up with them. If she could find out why they wanted Gajeel then maybe she could convince him to stay hidden.

"It's not OUR fault he didn't comply with orders."

"Our orders are to find where Gajeel is and bring him back to the ship so if we don't do what we are told then we'll get sent into the sea."

Juvia stayed as quiet as possible as she trailed the loud mouths, they seemed like they weren't on high alert at all for the Naval Officers. Juvia took a step forward and ended up splashing into a puddle that was deeper than she though. Her breath caught in her throat as the men stopped and looked around. Her heart quickened and she felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. "I thought I heard something."

"Probably a rat."

They kept walking and Juvia let out the air she was holding and was able to calm herself down. It was enough spying for one day though and she headed back down the alleyway, hoping the men hadn't turned around she looked back for a brief moment only to run right into Gajeel. Juvia gasped at first, and realized it was him.

"YOU!" She hissed at him loudly, grabbing him by his ear and pulling him into the alley. "Juvia wants answers now."

Gajeel rolled his eyes, "There isn't anything important to say." She pulled harder causing him to give in just a little. "What do you want to know?"

She let go of his ear and huffed. "Why are you hiding?"

"I'm hurt."

"Don't lie to Juvia, Juvia just overheard some of Jose's crew Gajeel. You disobeyed an order. What was it?"

Gajeel was beyond shocked at this point. She could see a hint of fear in his eyes. "I was told to do something I didn't want to do."

"What was it?"

"That isn't important."

"It is to Juvia…" Juvia crossed her arms and stared up at him.

His heart squeezed and he roughed up his black hair trying to find the words. "I didn't kill someone."

"Wh-who?"

"A kid… Jose did a pretty big breaking and entry and there was a child there. I was told to kill the kid. I didn't." Juvia felt so relieved to hear that her big thug still had some morals left in him.

She always hated the fact that he joined those damned pirates. "Well Jose wants you back… You need to stay actually hidden Gajeel…"

He leaned against the brick walled alleyway and sighed, "I can't hide forever Juvia…"

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't like before where they forgive me and I go back to make more money. If I go back I'm toast."

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Juvia opened her umbrella to shield them both from the rain that was starting to pick up. "What about the Naval Officers?"

Gajeel slammed his fist against the wall, "Can you just mind your own business for once? I have everything under control."

Juvia was startled but she glared at him. "Juvia cares about you, so it's Juvia's business too Gajeel!" Her voice broke screaming his name as loud as she could go.

"The Naval Officer think I killed the boy."

"But you didn't."

"I didn't but someone else did, I was pinned for it though. That is why they are after Jose's crew."

"But more so you…"

It was another gap of silence filled by the heaviness of rain. "You need to get that meat back to the house…"

"Walk me there?"

Gajeel shook his head and pulled up his hood. "I got some thinking to do… I'll be back shortly."

Juvia watched him walk away, the world seemed to get a little more black and white and her heart felt very empty. "Oh Gajeel…" she started on her way to the house where a certain gentleman was waiting at her door about to knock.

"E-Excuse me can I help you?" The Naval Officer turned to face her, a stoic look on his face.

"I have a couple questions for you ma'am…"

Juvia took a deep breath in and then smiled. "Of course, let me just put these silly things away."

It took her several minutes to put the meat and herbs away, she purposely neglected getting the medical box with Gajeel's name written on it and put it on her to do list for after work. Juvia put the large blanket on her bed and then came back to the living room to see this Gray man inspecting her living room. "So what kind of questions do you have for me Sir?"

He ran a hand through his hair and decided to sit on her couch now. "Miss Juvia do you live alone?"

"Why yes Juvia does." Why does Juvia seem suspicious? At this point, Gajeel's attitude came in handy.

Gray leaned back and got a little comfy and crossed his legs. "Do you have any family here?"

"May Juvia ask under what circumstances I am being questioned?"

"Miss Juvia there are Pirates out there who have murdered and looted and prestigious family, we have gotten reports that they have been and may still be here."

Juvia sat on her small recliner and crossed her arms, "And this has to do with Juvia how?"

"I'm just asking all willing citizens to give me information so I can arrest these heathens…"

"Juvia thinks you should get all the facts before you start jumping to amateur conclusions." Juvia couldn't help but defend her friend and it may back fire in her face.

She couldn't help doing though considering she knew the facts or at least close to it and this man doesn't. Gray lifted an eyebrow at her and glared. "Miss Juvia you seem like a caring woman, everyone here loves you and has nothing bad to say. But a lot have confirmed you have a visitor that appears only every few weeks just like the Pirates. If I find out you are harboring a Pirate Ma'am you could face criminal charges."

Juvia breathed in and fixed her hair into a bun. She stood up and stood over him, "Juvia thinks you should watch what you say Mr. Naval Officer. Juvia says you don't know everything and to come back when you have a crime to commit her with…"

Gray was surprised by her brazen attempt to scare him. "I'm saying this for your sake Miss Juvia…"

"Juvia doesn't need your help…" She walked toward the door and opened it. "Juvia has a job she has to do soon so can you kindly leave?" Gray grunted and walked toward the door. He stopped in the door frame and looked back at her.

"If you do, let me know." Gray then turned and walked out.

Juvia's body began to shake in fear, her friend was being attacked on two battle fronts and there may be nothing she could do about it. If she gets caught her secret would also be revealed. Her throat felt hot and dry and she ran for her toilet to throw up.

Right as she started to hack up pure stomach acid, Gajeel came lurking in through the front door. Closing it behind him quietly so he wouldn't draw attention. "Juvia why was he here?" He called out to her and the only thing he heard was retching sounds from the back of the small house.

At first he couldn't help but wreath but he shrugged it off, "What the hell Juvia what did he do?"

She picked herself up and washed out her mouth with water, ignoring Gajeel's presence, blew her nose and coughed a couple of times. The fear had finally dissipated enough for her to answer, "He is watching Juvia… He is starting to piece together everything Gajeel… He…" Juvia stopped and recalled his gesture to help, the look in his eyes were sincere and he was searching pretty damn hard for information.

"Gajeel, Juvia thinks we need his help."

"No."

Her heart ached, she was running out of options. "Gajeel, Juvia can't be caught like this. If people start finding out mermaids are real… If they figure out what Juvia can do…" Her emotions caught in her throat.

Gajeel turned away from her slightly to not look at her getting so emotional. Thoughts started flowing through his head but every time he went to speak it felt like his throat hurt. "I won't let them get you Juvia…"

She shook her head and pat her cheeks, "You can't promise that at a time like this. Juvia is going to work. If Juvia misses it at this time people will talk and word will get out…" The bluenette threw herself around to go toward her bedroom when a large arm found its way around her waist.

"I won't let them get you…" He grumbled, it was all he could muster.

Her heart pounded and she was starting get what he meant, but at the same time it felt like someone was squeezing it. "Juvia needs to go… Please stay here this time…" Juvia could feel the coldness in her tone and he let her go. Without a word she went into her room and shut the door to change.

It might be the last time she put on her barmaid outfit though. She started to appreciate the cute white fluffy dress and the black leather binder that went around her waist. Juvia exited her room and saw Gajeel laying on her sofa and using the large blanket she got. Wordlessly she left hoping that things would work out for the better.

I'm so excited to keep writing, shout out to dianaloveanime for getting me to put Levy in because now I'm excited to incorporate her in! Updating the character list as we speak as well so hopefully more people will find it that way.