A/N: AND HERE IS CHAPTER 4. First off thank you to the following readers who reviewed! And to others who read. please, please please review! it makes me happy (:

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boriqualoka

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simplenicole

Chapter 4: Settling In

Juvia walked around the house that was to become her home for the next...well indefinite period of time. She seemed to feel lighter since leaving Magnolia, which she chalked up to relief of being out of range of her attacker and Gray. She could just live as she wanted and didn't have to worry about any of them.

"Juvia?" She heard Gajeel call her from downstairs and looked down the stairway calling back to him.

"Juvia is upstairs Gajeel-kun!" His heavy footsteps climbed the stairs until he joined her in what she assumed was the main bedroom of the house. The house was pre-fitted with furniture. The master bedroom had an elegant wrought iron bed, with fluffy, albeit slightly dusty covers and pillows.

"Juvia likes it here. Its so...peaceful." She smiled blissfully walking around the room as Gajeel watched her.

"Okay, well, that's good. But don't do anything when I'm gone okay? I'm gonna have to take missions, but I'll try to take day long ones, so you won't be alone. " Juvia nodded, suddenly looking pensive.

"We really are on our own aren't we Gajeel-kun?" She asked him, looking out the window.

"Yeah, well, sometimes, you have to be alone. It's how the world works." He stretched, the day had definitely taken its toll on him. He was already dreading the return trip to Magnolia in the morning. But he had to look for work, he also had a rapist to find. "Okay, I'm gonna find a bed to crash in. See you later." He was halfway out the door when Juvia called out to him.

"Wait, Gajeel-kun!" He looked at her, standing in the middle of the room, toying with her sleeve.

"Juvia...Juvia thinks...well she wishes for Gajeel-kun to stay with her." He stared at her. She couldn't possibly mean...?

"The bed is big enough for the two of us Gajeel-kun." She didn't meet his gaze. "You are leaving Juvia tomorrow aren't you? Juvia doesn't want to be alone on her first night here." Gajeel groaned, suddenly crouching on the floor.

"I swear woman, you're killing me." He got up and ruffled her hair.

"If that's what ya want then fine. But don't say I didn't warn ya. Lily says I snore like a chainsaw."

Juvia laughed.

"Juvia doesn't mind, but Juvia warns Gajeel-kun, Juvia moves in her sleep a lot."

That first night, and for the first time in a while for Juvia, in the new Redfox-Locksar household, the new tenants slept peacefully through the night.

… … …

"Yo, Mira! Fire Chicken!" Natsu yelled, bursting through the guild doors.

"Hai Hai," the barmaid said, looking away from her conversation with Levy to smile at Natsu and the others as they filed into the guild.

"Mira," Erza leaned on the counter as she prepared the Salamander's food.

"Yes?"

"Did Gajeel and Juvia go on a mission together?" Mira Jane looked up from her cooking to her friend and then walked over to signout desk, rummaging through the notes.

"Uhm..not that I can see, no. Why?" She looked at Lucy and Erza's pensive looks curiously.

"They just left Magnolia on the afternoon train, with bags and suit cases." Mira's eyes scrunched in confusion.

"Juvia left?" Gray said as he and the others joined the conversation, catching the attention of the guild members.

"Yeah, " Lucy said, pacing worriedly. "She was with Gajeel and they had a huge amount of luggage with them. Seemed like they were planning on being away for a while." Erza thought for a moment.

"Well if her things are still in her apartment, then I guess everything will be fine. She's bound to come back soon right?" She looked at the others for reassurance.

"Yeah."

"Well of course."

"She loves Gray so she's obviously gonna come back."

At that last statement from Happy, Gray scratched his head. He felt like he was forgetting something important. Ahhh, whatever. It'll come to me later.

Watching from the loft, Makarov shook his head. All hell would break loose soon. He hoped the ensuing brawl wouldn't send him to an early bankruptcy.

… …. …

Gajeel opened his eyes to find himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling,

Ah? That's not my roof. And my room isn't even this bright. What the he -

"Mghh." A shift in the bed drew his attention away from his confusion as he turned to his right to see Juvia sound asleep next to him, using his shoulder as a pillow.

"Guh-waah!" Gajeel shot up and scrambled away from her, falling backwards off the bed in the process. He lay there panting as he checked himself over, relieved to discover that he was still wearing his pants, even if he was shirtless.

"Gajeel-kun?" He looked up to see Juvia peering blearily at him from the bed, hair mussed from sleep. "What are you doing on the floor?"

"Um, ah nothing." He looked over at the clock and grunted. "Damn. I've gotta go anyways. Gotta find work." Juvia seemed to wake up at that statement. She looked down at the bed and picked at the threading on the comforter sheepishly.

"Juvia is sorry that Gajeel-kun has to do this for her. " Gajeel rolled his eyes while shrugging into his shirt.

"Oi, woman, how many times you gonna say sorry? I'm saying this only once, we're nakama. We were even before we joined Fairy Tail. I may not have liked you, but I respected your power. Now, I think you're alright too." Juvia smiled shyly as Gajeel bent to pick up his bag,

"Tch. Gotta get on that stupid train. Stupid train sickness." He started out the door and down the stairs, hearing Juvia scramble out of bed and come down the stairs behind him.

"You're leaving now?" She asked him, leaning on the wall, watching as he fixed his shoes.

"Ah, yeah. It's an hour into Magnolia, remember?" Juvia looked a little downcast as she replied,

"Oh that's right."

"Anyway, here." She looked up to see Gajeel holding out a small but thick packet towards.

"Ara? What's this?" She asked, even as she opened it to find something close to 30,000 jewels inside it. She looked up at him wide eyed.

"Gajeel-kun?!"

"The old man said it was to 'start our new lives' " Gajeel said, making air quotations. She chuckled.

"Master is too kind. Gajeel-kun, could you thank Master if you see him? It would make Juvia happy."

"Ah. yeah. Sure whatever. Listen," Gajeel seemed to get serious here. " Don't do anything stupid. No lifting anything heavier than a pound of meat. Got it? Don't go overboard with the cleaning either. If you go out, be careful and watch where you're going dammit. If any one messes with you, kick their asses. Understand?"

"Hai Gajeel-kun." She nodded furiously. "See you tonight Gajeel-kun!" She waved as he walked away, raising a fist in the air as acknowledgement of her farewell call.

She watched his receding figure through the forest from the door until she couldn't see him anymore and then went inside. Juvia surveyed the dusty interior of the house and then looked down at the packet of money in her hands. All of this, her situation, forcing Gajeel to live like this. It was all that stupid rapists fault. She looked down her shirt to see the brand. She knew she could've gotten Wendy to fix it. She knew that, but the other part of her, the part that held her pride and dignity dear, refused to allow someone else to see the branding of such scum on her. It was bad enough that Master and Gajeel had to see it. She shook her head. No, no. Now wasn't the time for such thoughts. She had a lot of work to do. Gajeel had gone to work hard for the sake of both of them... she wasn't going to sit here and do nothing! She looked at the money again.

"Yosh! Juvia will make a feast for Gajeel-kun to come home too!"

Nodding in satisfaction of her resolve, Juvia set off to get ready for the day. She dressed in her usual garb, albeit buttoned higher than she would normally have worn it, she stepped carefully out of the house, locking the door behind her and made her way through the forest towards the market place.

.. .. ..

Gajeel staggered off the train in Magnolia, cursing his genes as he made his way to the guild. He took a couple deep breaths to calm the roiling of his stomach. There was no way he was going to let anyone see such a pathetic expression. He took one last deep breath and entered the guild. He had only taken two steps in when he found himself being lifted off the ground by his shirt collar and shaken, by a furious Titania.

"YOU! Where is she?!" Gajeel struggled against her hold, seeing the entire guild watching fearfully. He figured the woman had been in a crazy mood all morning.

"Oi, what are you going on about you crazy woman?!" Her eyes flashed dangerously as she shook Gajeel to shut him up.

"Don't screw with me! Her room in the dorms is stripped bare! Every thing is gone! I saw he leave with you yesterday. So I'll ask you one more time. Where. Is. She?" Her eyes didn't allow for any excuses Gajeel could tell that much. He wondered what kind of lie he was going to have to tell them to get himself out of this one.

Dammnit Juvia, you're going to pay for this!