A/N:

I'll try to keep my author's note short this time as I'm sure nobody really wants to listen to me ramble, lol.

Again, I would like to thank all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed. But I especially thank Destiny1027 for making such a beautiful fan art of the scene at the end of the third chap!

Seriously, it's amazing! I have the Url (I couldn't post the link) on my profile if you want to see!You should also look at her other art. She's a very good artist :D.

Hope you enjoy the chap.

Still exhausted, the water mage flitted open her eyes only to be scorched by the sunlight that shone upon her face. Though painfully sober, she felt hung over. Had it not been for the concern she felt for her baby, alcohol would've become her primary coping mechanism. Since that was not an option in her eyes, all the lonely girl could do, was turn to numbing the wound by pretending it never happened.

Her new coping mechanism failed miserably.

Why was alcohol off limits during a crisis like this? It wasn't fair. The depressed mage, despite all her problems, had never felt the need to resort to such a thing. Yet, somehow she craved the very thing that had turned her world upside down. She was like a firefly, unable to resist the glowing light that would inevitably lead to her demise. Fortunately she had a little bit more willpower than a firefly.

Once her eyes had adjusted, Juvia let out a loud yawn and commanded her body to move.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, she spotted herself in the mirror, looking normal weight so far despite her increased appetite. It would take time to start gaining weight. But still, she couldn't help but picture herself with that large, protruding belly she was bound to get, though that was the least of her worries.

Abortion aside, there was really no way to escape the difficult road ahead of her. It would take time and patience to be at peace with her role as a mother. And although abortion would be the easiest route to go, she couldn't live with herself if she ended the pregnancy out of fear.

Juvia looked down at her belly. "Don't worry. Juvia will take good care of you." She cooed.

The attachment wasn't as strong as a mother's love yet, but it was growing. She always felt it when she spoke to her. "I mean mommy will take care of you." She corrected herself.

The blunette knew that she needed to get to a doctor soon, but to do so without anyone knowing or being there to support her would be tough. To tell the truth, she wanted more than anything to have somebody to confide in, but she still didn't have the courage to reveal her secret. Everytime she talked to Gray, her insides ached with desire, desire to tell him, but the feeling always faded away once he was gone. It was then replaced with an empty feeling that came from the hole in her heart.

It was her plan to tell Gray as soon as she could, but when she was with him, the words slipped away from her grasp like jelly.

The tired mage felt her stomach drop when she suddenly recalled him telling her that there was a mission she was needed for. Still puzzled by his mysterious behavior a few nights ago, she replayed the scene again in her head. He broke into her dorm, but why? There had to be a reason. But like his feelings, his intentions remained hidden, impossible to decipher.

Dragging her fatigued body to the kitchen, she grabbed a bowl and her favorite mug from the cupboard and set it on the counter. She filled the bowl with cheerios and turned on the coffee maker. Retrieving the carton that was sitting near the coffee pot, she poured the milk.

When it was ready, the water mage took the coffee pot by the handle and began pouring. She pulled open the silverware drawer, picked out the only spoon left, and dipped it into her cereal. Though it took a few seconds, the pregnant mage finally acknowledged the clash of tastes on her tongue and spat the coffee-cereal mixture back into the bowl.

Recognizing defeat, she set the bowl in the sink, on top of the mountain of dirty dishes, and reached for her mug. For the second time, it didn't make it past the back of her mouth.

Milk. Spoiled milk.

"Juvia cannot even get herself breakfast anymore? She's becoming delusional!" she grumbled while tossing the milk in the garbage on top of the empty ice cream container.

"So what was that mission you mentioned a few nights ago Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, ignoring the implications of her statement.

Gray shifted his eyes around the guild to see if anyone heard her, wearing a slight blush. " Geez! Do ya have to talk so loud?" He said in a low, but irritated tone.

The water mage lowered her voice. "So sorry, but you said there was a mission for us. Did Juvia hear you wrong?"

"Did I just hear her say that Gray spent the night with you?" Fairy Tail's barmaid broke in. "What were you two love birds up to?!" Mirajane clasped her hands together, ditsy with excitement.

Both of them nearly jumped out of their skin. The white haired S-class mage would fit right into a horror movie, the way she could ambush her victims like that.

"That's not what she said, you heard wrong." Gray told her.

"Well okay." she smiled deviously. "But we'll all find out eventually."

Her words echoed through Juvia's head. Eventually.

Time was ticking.

"Come on Gray, we should get going." Came Erza's authoritative voice as she approached, ready to leave.

As it turned out the mission was not only for her and Gray, but for all of the ice mage's usual team. This came as somewhat of a relief to the pregnant woman, Their destination was a tiny village near Clovertown; where several of their inhabitants had gone mission. Though nobody told her why she was needed for the task, Juvia assumed that the reason would make itself known soon.

Although, she was worried for the safety of her baby; it would be difficult to turn it down, since she couldn't say the reason. But she was with the strongest team, so she decided it wasn't too dangerous.

While they travelled by foot, she tried to avoid walking near the dark haired ice mage. It was awkward but she needed to clear her mind. He seemed to notice it, but didn't react.

I'm sorry, Gray-sama.

"I don't understand." The red-haired S class mage complained. "We've been to this area before, how could we be lost?" She said looking around for any sign of civilization. "We should have made it out of the forest by now."

"Why did even take this damn short cut anyway?" Gray grumbled.

Erza turned to Gray. "Well obviously because it was supposed to be shorter!"

Soon, the sun began setting and it was getting dark.

"Don't you think we should stop here for a while? I mean we've been walking for hours and it's getting dark." Lucy reasoned.

The redhead in the lead stopped for a moment while still facing forward. "Hmmmm…. I suppose you're right. We don't want to get lost traveling in the dark. Let's set up camp."

"Do we even have any equipment?" Gray questioned, doubtfully.

"Of course! I always come prepared!" And with that Erza began unpacking items from her massive pile of luggage, which she always carried around. "Natsu! You and Happy go find some firewood!" She commanded.

"Aye Sir!" Came the simultaneous response. They were gone in a flash.

The requip mage took a peg and began to pound it into the ground. The remaining mages couldn't help but be amused at how much of a struggle it was for Titania Erza to drive a couple of pegs into the ground.

"Do you need any help with that?" the ice mage offered, but she continued to work furiously at it.

Gray looked over to the blue haired girl who was fidgeting nervously, looking down at her feet. He walked over and stood next to her, hands in his pockets. Unable to speak, he stood there as neither would acknowledge each other's presence.

The crickets were chirping, but the sound was partially blocked out by the clanking sounds of Erza's painstaking efforts as she was now using her sword to drive each peg into the ground thoroughly. Each time she moved onto the next peg, the last one would pop out of the ground. "Damn you fiends!"

"I hope those idiots don't get into any trouble." Lucy commented.

"Tch. Yeah right." Gray replied sarcastically. "I guarantee he won't be back for a few hours."

True to what the ice mage had said, Natsu and Happy returned after several hours with the gathered wood. Since they were unscathed nobody bothered to ask what took so long. By then, the moonlight had become their only source of light. Luckily it was nearly full, giving off enough illumination to see their surroundings. The dragon slayer was holding an enormous stack of wood, while the exceed carried only a few tiny sticks. They tossed their findings into a pile and without further delay, they lit the fire using Natsu's powers.

When it came time to sleep, the tiny tent that Erza had set up was barely enough to fit all of them. The space was so cramped that none of them could lay down without touching the person next to them.

"What the?" Natsu scoffed defiantly "I'm not sleeping in there so close to that ice perv!"

"Yeah? Well same here fire breath!"

As the two got in each other's faces, it appeared they were ready for a full out battle. Gray ripped his shirt off and Natsu took out his flames.

Juvia, looking for an excuse to be alone anyways tried to solve the problem. "Juvia can sleep outside the tent so there is more room." She offered.

"What! you can't sleep out here in your condition!" Natsu argued. They all looked at him, confused. Juvia eyes bugged open, mortified.

"What do you mean?" Lucy finally asked.

"She's obviously just wants to do it because of this loser!" He accused pointing a finger at Gray. The expecting mage let out a sigh of relief under her breath.

"What!? You seriously still trying to pick a fight?! BAKA!" The dark haired man shot back.

"I'm just saying!"

Happy added. "She liiiiiikes him!"

"No! Juvia's not doing it only for Gray-sama, she's doing it for everybody!" She insisted. Despite her efforts, they ignored her and continued to insult each other.

"Why don't you sleep outside Gray? HUH? You a wuss!?" Natsu challenged.

"Shut up bastard!" He shot back. The redheaded mage wasn't going put up with it any longer. "Be quiet! Both of you!" Her angry voice was enough to silence the two of them.

"Are you sure you want to sleep outside?" Lucy asked considerately.

"Yes, Juvia likes the outdoors anyways."

What a lie.

Later the same night Juvia gazed up at the moon, lying on top of her blanket. The anxious mage hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. It was impossible with all of the thinking she was doing. In addition, the sound of Natsu's loud snoring could be heard from a mile away.

"ZZZ-Zzzz-ZZzzz-hngGGggh-Ppbhww-zZZzzzZZ...Luuuucy... ZzzZ-hngGGggh... keep doin that... ZZZ-Zzzzz"

Too annoying.

While the night sky had been beautiful enough to grab her attention,the trees blocked her view. She sat up and had a sudden impulse to take a walk around the woods. Careful not to forget where the camp was, she headed off through the trees until she something caught her eye. She squinted her eyes and spotted an open area, where she could see the moonlight glistening over a small river. The restless girl made her way over to the riverbank and picked up a pebble. She crouched down and tossed it, remembering her conversation with Gray. The pebble once again went as far as the eye could see.

"That's cheating you know." She heard a few footsteps and looked up to see the ice mage standing next to her. "It's not fair because you're a water mage."

"Why are you out here?" She wondered.

"Same reason as you, I'm guessing. I couldn't sleep." He sat down next to her. "Natsu's snoring."

There was a long awkward silence. "You alright? You seem like something's on your mind." He finally asked.

"Gray-sama…. how many times are you going to ask Juvia that?" She said, smiling faintly. His persistence was eating away at her heart; slowly but definitely. "Anyways, if Juvia didn't know better, she would say something's on your mind." The crickets could now be heard, in the stillness of the night.

He shrugged his shoulders. His concern was genuine, but hidden behind his detached demeanor. It would have been easier for him to play her 'we don't know each other' game, but the forlorned look on her face was impossible to ignore. It drove a dagger through his heart.

" I guess I just can't shake this feeling that…" Juvia could have helped him out, but instead she allowed him to trip all over his words again. She wanted him to work for a change. There were so many times that she struggled to say the right thing to him. Only her problem had never been finding words, it was deciding which ones to say and which ones to keep to herself. She wanted him to know what it was like trying to say the right thing, since he always seem to avoid saying anything at all. "well it just seems like...you're hiding something."

Inside, Juvia hormones were causing an emotional roller coaster. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do. The Jimminy Cricket inside of her was screaming; "Tell him!" but it was against her better judgement. They needed to work in harmony on this mission. Not to mention, the rest of the gang would have to get caught up in their drama.

Around them the trees were swaying in the wind and an owl was hooting its repetitive song. The crisp, cold air against her skin felt like a gentle nudge on the pregnant water mage to give in to her longings. She was naturally an honest person, but the fear inside devoured that part of her like a hungry lion. Instead, she withdrew from the temptation and threw the weight of the conversation onto Gray.

"Gray-sama, why did you come to Juvia's dorm room the other night?" She blurted out. "You're paying so much attention to Juvia." His hurt expression made her hesitate a little. "It's not like you" she finished.

He shook his head "You don't get it."

She shot him a quizzical look. "Please explain."

"You really expect me to tell you, when you won't even tell me what's going on? Why are you trying to change the subject?!"

The lovesick mage couldn't take it anymore. "Gray-sama, there is something I need to tell you." She began. "But she can't tell you now."

The ice mage was not surprised. "Then when?"

"Not now." Her voice sounded brittle and her airways practically constricted as she squeaked the words out. "Can it just wait a little longer?"

He thought about if for a moment. It was so hard to resist telling her 'no it can't!' but her pitiful eyes appealed to his better nature. If she wasn't ready, then he wasn't.

"I don't like this." He replied bluntly, but with concern. "You're keeping stuff from me, but I can't force you to tell me."

"I just have one question. Is there... somebody else?"

"You've already asked me that before."

"No. Just answer." The dark haired mage looked in her eyes. "Is there someone else?"

"Juvia told you before... she could never love someone else." The words rolled off her tongue so easily. It was truth.

That was all it took; he didn't know why, but she looked perfect. The moonlight against her eyes made them sparkle, and her hair was beautiful. He couldn't see a lot in the lighting, but what he could see, was amazing. The ice mage leaned in close to her, his gaze so full of passion that it made Juvia want to melt. In fact, she almost did.

"Gray sama? What are you doing?"

"Something I should've done a long time ago."

"…..?"

With his face near her's, his gaze intensified, mesmerizing her before making his next move. Before she knew it, the blued haired girl lost track of reality. She closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly. When his lips met hers she couldn't stop trembling as chills shimmered down her spine.

Is this really happening? It can't be!

Her heart rate began to increase as the weight of his body pressed up against hers. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and hung on tightly as he nibbled at her mouth.

Feeling a powerful burst of affection, Juvia could not hold back any longer as she took the lead, allowing herself to indulge in the heat of the moment. The sweat began pouring down their skin as she shifted her weight so that she was pressing down on him, and greedily went in for more. This was what she had waited for; this was what she had ached for. It was finally coming true and nothing could contain the fire that radiated within her. The volcano was erupting.

The man unbuttoned her shirt, impatiently. While she was preoccupied with his mouth he found the back part of her bra and unattached the hook and eye, allowing it to fall off of her. The frisky man slid his hands around to the front, where her breasts were. He began fondling them, caressing them gently, and she let out a tiny whimper.

"I... *pant* like that sound." He said in a throaty voice.

She tried to stay strong but was no match for his practically orgasmic touch. Surrendering to his unmatchable energy, she allowed him to push his weight back onto her, this time pushing her to to lay down in the sand.

The normally detached mage began to explore the rest of her body. When he reached the areas he liked the most, such as her hips and breasts, he gave them a brief squeeze and she cried out. Their senses were heightened, though the sound of the roaring waters next to them were barely noticeable. They were too distracted by the touch and smell of their partner. As they breathed heavily, they tried to make sense of the insanity.

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing." He said between breaths. "But... I can't stop."

"I mean we had never even kissed. You're just..." It was funny that Gray was the one talking, but she liked it. His actions were an act of passion the could not be rivaled by anything she could do, but the words were just the icing on the cake. The reserved man was not one to do much talking, but when he did; you really had to read between the lines. He would never say cliches such as 'I love you' or 'you're beautiful'. It wasn't his style, but quite frankly, she didn't care. He could say whatever he wanted at that moment and it would sound like words of affection.

With every touch, she felt a rush of ecstasy flow through her. Her breaths became more and more shallow as the tension between them was rising exponentially. He moved in on her, unleashing a part of Gray she'd never seen. She always imagined that in this kind of moment she would be the more passionate one.

Juvia wanted to say something back, but it was hard to, with all the excitement. Without warning, the ice mage was suddenly overcome with lust as he moved his hands down. She smelt so good and her skin felt so soft. He hoisted her up on him and began to tug at her skirt, pulling it down.

But suddenly their mutual exchanges came to a screeching halt.

Juvia's eyes shot open as she remembered that there was a third person; the one who was growing inside her. And there was someone else, who was not here.

The way they touched felt familiar; it reminded her of the night she conceived. Although it was impossible to remember exactly what it was like that night, what she did remember was emotions. She remembered the heat.

It was too much to bare.

"Gray-sama, we have to stop." She said in a serious tone. Her voice was still breathy as she tried to regain her composure. The blunette sat up and grabbed the ice mage's hands, removing them from her and shook the sand from her hair.

She knew that she had every right to sleep with whom she wanted, but she was having Lyon's baby. She had always believed her and Gray were soul mates, but now, sleeping with him didn't seem right.

"Are you even kiddin me? Why should we stop now?"

"Because... Juvia can't do this." She said while buttoning her shirt back up and fastening her skirt. She felt her heart rate steadily falling back to normal.

There was a long pause before he answered back. "Are you... scared?"

In all honesty she was scared, and although they weren't talking about the same thing she answered him without lying. She nodded her head.

The ice mage looked disappointed, but he respected her wishes, knowing that there was more behind it. He crossed his arms and sighed, perplexed. "You know, I always knew you were kinda shy, but to do this to a guy is just plain cruel."

"Are you mad at Juvia?"

"Nah. I'm joking." The water mage had a look of relief. "Sort of." He stood up with his shirt in hand and put it back on. " You're right...I don't know what came over me. Let's just pretend this never happened, okay?" And with that his raging hormones finally began to calm down.

That was the last thing the pregnant girl wanted. As he started to walk away she followed him. "No. Gray-sama, wait!" He snapped his head around only to meet with her moist lips. His eyes widened at first, but then relaxed when he felt how right they felt against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held tightly. When they finished their eyes were locked on one another and the dark haired man was the first to speak.

"You don't have to prove anything to me. I can wait, the same way you've waited for me. If this is hurting you... I don't wanna do this." He said, finally letting go of her. "I'm the one who wanted to take things slow anyways."

"Thank you." She said, almost in a whisper. "We should get back to camp now. The others might worry if they wake up." She pointed out.

He nodded his head in agreement and they began walking.

As they approached the tent she added. "Gray-sama?"

"What?"

"Can Juvia switch sleeping places Gray-sama? It's cold out. You like the cold."

He groaned reluctantly. "Sure."

Sorry if that was a shitty make-out scene. I'm not like, a lemon writer or anything.

Needless to say, please review! I really am interested to hear what you have to say and it is what keeps me going!