First, I would like to give a special thanks to fyilth, kiraito, fairytaillover416, gralu4ever, and especially to ErzaDreyar for your awesome reviews, and to all of you who took the time to favorite and/or follow this story. I couldn't be happier. Now, I was going to make you guys sweat it out for an extra day or two before I updated this one, but your lovely reviews have spurred me to update earlier. But, even though this is the last chapter, please don't forget to review. It would make me so happy. Also, I have a couple more Fairy Tail stories in the works at the moment, which will most likely be multi-chaptered. They are primarily Gralu (because I'm a huge obsessive fan of this ship), but I won't start updating them until they're completed. I tend to procrastinate and I have a bad habit of not finishing things I start, so I vowed to myself that I wouldn't post anything until it was finished. But it shouldn't take thatmuch longer. You know, if you're interested. Ok, enough gabbing, onto the story!

Chapter 2

Sheer Agony, Sheer Ecstasy

Warm shafts of sunlight filtering through the window pane were what woke Lucy the next morning. It seemed the storm had passed sometime in the night, not that she had really noticed. She had been…preoccupied. Lucy smiled as she recalled the events of the previous night.

The warmth of the sun felt pleasant on Lucy's skin. She stretched out and rolled over, her fingers feeling their way along the bed sheets for another. When her hands came up empty, she cracked one eye open, then the other.

She was surprised to find herself alone in her bed. She raised her head from her pillow and scanned her apartment for Gray, but she didn't see him anywhere. Perhaps he was taking a shower. She stumbled slightly as she crawled out of bed. Her body was sore and there was an uncomfortable ache between her legs. It could have been worse, she surmised. After all, it was her first time.

Lucy tiptoed to the bathroom door and leaned her ear against the wood, listening closely for any sounds coming from the other side. It was utterly silent. Taking a chance, she cracked open the door, only to find that her bathroom was empty.

She felt a small flower of apprehension begin to blossom in her chest, but she ignored it. Surely Gray wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. It wasn't like him. Lucy passed her bedroom on her way to inspect the rest of her apartment. By the time she reached the kitchen, her apprehension had turned to full blown panic. He wasn't here. He left. He really left.

Tears threatened to cloud her vision, but she gritted her teeth and forced them back. What had she been expecting? That Gray would wake up the morning after the most amazing night of her life and confess his love for her?

She laughed shakily. Who was she kidding? Last night was just a distraction from the pain she was feeling over the loss of her mother. Nothing more.

So why did this pain feel so much worse? Why did she have an uncontrollable urge to crawl back under her covers and cry her eyes out?

Lucy shook herself mentally and forced her body to stand from the floor where she had unknowingly slid down the side of her kitchen cabinet. She trudged back to her tiny bedroom to gather some clothes for the day and take a shower.

As Lucy neared her bed, something white lying on the pillow beside hers caught her eye. With trembling hands, she picked up the small piece of paper, unfolded it, and began to read.

Lucy,

Went to the guild. See you there.

P.S. Took a shower before I headed out. Hope you don't mind.

Lucy blanched as she read the note that Gray left behind. It was not a letter written by a lover, but neither was it that of a friend. Someone from the outside looking in would barely call this the letter of an acquaintance.

That was when it hit her. She could feel it. She could feel Gray slipping away from her. She should have foreseen the consequences her actions would have on their friendship, but she was selfish. She used Gray for her own needs and now she was going to lose him.

Oh god.

A wave of nausea rolled over her and she rushed to the bathroom. But because there was nothing in her stomach, all she could do was heave and gag.

She laid her head against the side of the cool tub and took deep breaths. Her body felt like lead and her head was spinning. After several minutes of staring off into space, trying desperately to numb her mind against the pain she felt lapping at the edges of her bruised heart, Lucy dragged herself up and stepped in the shower.

But she didn't feel the heat of the water as it cascaded down her body before swirling around the drain. She didn't smell the strawberry scent of her shampoo, or feel the beads of her favorite body wash as she gently massaged them into her skin.

And she didn't see any hope of her friendship with Gray surviving. And all it took was a single night; one evening to utterly destroy the camaraderie that she held so dear.

But she did feel the tears that fell from her eyes as she rinsed her body clean, regretfully washing away the scent that Gray left on her skin along with it. She did smell the acidity of the selfishness and deplorable weakness that had cost her one of her most cherished friends.

And she did hear the sound of her heart breaking.

Just friends. Nothing more.

~*0*~

Gray couldn't stop fidgeting as he paced aimlessly around the guild hall. He would pause and pretend to look at something along the walls occasionally so that his actions didn't garner too much attention from the other members, while never truly absorbing the random flyers and mission requests his eyes scanned.

His mind was on only one thing: Lucy. He cringed contritely as he recalled the way he had bolted from Lucy's apartment while she slept on peacefully, a breathtaking smile on her sensuous lips. He could still feel the pressure on his own lips when he had stolen one last tender kiss before he left; the last one he would ever have from her. It was a heartbreaking reminder.

He felt like a coward. Gray knew he should have waited for her to wake up so they could clear the air between them, but instead he ran.

But the truth was that he simply couldn't bear the thought of enduring the 'let's stay friends' speech. For Gray, spending the night with Lucy had been nothing short of mind-blowing; the most incredible night of his life. He smiled a little to himself as he replayed some of his favorite moments in his head. The taste of her skin, the exquisite feel of her supple breasts, the way she fit so perfectly when she was wrapped around his—

He snapped himself out of it. What was he doing? He couldn't think this way. He needed to let it go. It was just one night. One night couldn't define his entire existence. He didn't live for Lucy; he lived for himself. He didn't go on missions and battle monsters and psychopaths and evil itself for Lucy's sake. He did it for himself, and for Fairy Tail.

Just because he gave his body over fully to her for one night did not mean that he gave his heart and soul to her as well.

No, he didn't run because he had fallen for her and simply didn't want to be the pathetic guy that she slept with once and then permanently threw into the friend zone. He just left because he knew that things were going to be awkward between them and he wanted to spare her feelings if she happened to harbor any regrets about her choice to be with him.

He must have been unconsciously watching for her arrival, because he zeroed in on her the moment she stepped into the guild. Her eyes were downcast and her mouth was twisted into a frown.

So she was regretting last night. Gray's stomach sank. Though he expected it, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. But what did he hope would happen, that they could share such unbridled passion and continue to go on as if nothing had ever occurred? Gray was no fool. He had known the ramifications of their actions, just as he knew that nothing would ever be the same between them again.

Their eyes met across the crowded room. His were brimming with the bitterness of defeat. Hers were wide and forlorn. She looked so lost that he felt his heart clench. He wanted to go to her, to erase that look in her eyes; though what he could possibly do for her in a guild filled with watchful eyes he had no clue.

However, at that moment, the pink haired flame brain approached her and gained her attention. She looked his way and gave him a smile. It was small, but genuine. And then he knew. It was over.

Just friends. Nothing more.

He tried to ignore the pain in his chest as he went to sit at his regular table. No, he didn't run because he fell for her. Gray was not in love with Lucy Heartfilia. Not at all.

~*0*~

The days stretched excruciatingly into weeks, and still the awkwardness and avoidance of the two mages remained. Missions with Team Natsu were agonizing for both of them, but they never said a word, neither to each other nor to anyone else. They nursed their anguish in secret, and buried it down deep where no one but they could see it.

They would pull it out only when they were alone, glaring at it with hatred and screaming at it in their misery and grief. In the dark of night, as they lay in their beds, they would torture themselves with the memory of their shared union, which once held beauty and passion but now only served to create a large gaping hole in their chests. But never was a word whispered to their friends, their comrades, their fellow guild mates. Because what could they do to ease the pain of their aching loss?

The weeks passed in a blur of hidden affliction. They still smiled and laughed and joked with their friends, but it felt hollow and fake. Every smile, every laugh that passed their lips, shattered another piece of their hearts.

But they tried. They tried to forget. They tried to move on. They tried to be happy.

And then they would remember.

Just friends. Nothing more.

~*0*~

She saw him across the guild hall sitting where he always did. Juvia was by his side, gazing at him in rapturous adoration. He was laughing at something Cana had said. But did it reach his eyes?

Please. Just one glance. I'm here. Please see me. Just this once.

But he didn't even turn his head. He never looked at her anymore.

~*0*~

He saw her sitting at the bar, as far away from him as possible, while Natsu chatted away in her ear. She smiled at something he said. But was she genuinely happy…by his side?

Please. Look at me. I'm right here. Just one glimpse, and you'll see that I…

But she didn't even look his way. She couldn't see him anymore.

~*0*~

Two months. Eight weeks. Sixty days. And still the pain didn't ease. Still the heart ached. Still the body craved. But they never spoke, unless it was necessary. In stilted, jolting lines and with downcast faces. The pain was hidden well, but others noticed. Something had changed between them, they could see it. But exactly what changed was uncertain, even to their closest comrades. They wanted to help, but they were at a loss.

Their friends were scared for them. They had to intervene. They had to fix their broken comrades. Because they knew that Gray and Lucy were broken. They rarely laughed or smiled anymore. And when they did, it was worse than tears.

"Another round?" Mirajane asked Lucy once she noticed the girl's empty glass.

"No thanks, Mira," she said as she gave her a sad smile.

"You wanna talk about it?" the beautiful white-haired mage offered kindly as she removed Lucy's glass.

Lucy jerked her head up, stunned.

"What makes you say that?" she gasped, but the edges of her battered heart pricked sharply, making her wince.

Mirajane looked at the petite blond girl in front of her with eyes filled with pity. After a few moments, she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"No reason," she replied airily. "You just looked like you had something on your mind."

Lucy's eyes fell to the bar. She frowned at the grained patterns beneath her fingers.

"I'm fine," she muttered, but her voice quaked. It was only a little thing, but Mira could hear her pain.

Lucy hadn't meant to let the anguish slip through, but she had been thinking about Gray more and more often. She normally tried to avoid thoughts of the raven-haired mage during the day, but the ache in her chest had been getting worse instead of better.

She threw her head in her hands. Why? she wanted to scream. Why wasn't this getting any easier? Why couldn't she just get over him already? Why did this have to hurt so much?

She felt a hand rub her shoulder consolingly, and looked up into Mira's compassionate eyes.

"It's ok," she whispered as she threw her arms around her blond friend. "Everything will work out, you'll see."

Lucy allowed a few tears to escape silently as Mira held her. She wanted to believe her so badly, but it was hard. She felt so…broken. How was she supposed to just pick up the pieces of her life and move on when this, all of this, was her fault?

If only—

She pulled away from Mirajane's embrace and rubbed her eyes before anyone could see her tears. There would be questions, and she wouldn't even begin to know how to answer them. She glanced around the guild surreptitiously and was pleased that no one seemed to notice her miniature breakdown.

"Thanks, Mira," she sniffled. "You're a good friend."

"Anytime," Mira assured her, but her eyes shone with worry. Something told her that the poor girl's problem would not be easy to fix.

Almost without her volition, Lucy turned her head in search for one person. She found him in front of the request board, perusing the missions that were available. She had gotten better about not looking at him, but the hole in her chest festered, and she couldn't help herself. Of course, she knew she would pay a hefty price for taking even this little peek when she was alone in her bed later that night, but she didn't care. Just one glance; that was all she needed.

As if someone was listening Lucy's silent prayers, his body shifted in her direction. Their eyes met, for the first time in over two months, and they gazed at one another. Lucy both loved and hated the intense longing she felt toward this man, the overwhelming desire she had to touch him, to feel him just one more time.

She turned away abruptly to hide her tears so he couldn't see. Tears that streamed relentlessly, no matter how hard she tried to contain them. Just because he had looked at her. For the first time in weeks, he had truly looked at her. Her, and not at the ground, or over her shoulder, or at the walls. But her.

She had to leave. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. She couldn't bear it if he knew what one simple glance from him had done to her.

"I'm sorry, Mira, but I have to go," she rushed as the tears splashed down her cheeks and onto the bar.

Lucy dashed out of the guild and into the pouring rain, desperate to get away. Away from her friends, away from the missions, away from the pain. But not away from him. Never away from him.

In the girl's frantic attempt to flee, she didn't notice the anguish that was playing its discordant melody across the ice mage's face, or the white-haired takeover mage's dawning revelation as she gazed from Lucy's retreating form to Gray's twisted features.

Mira now understood what was happening between her two friends. This was not unrequited love as she had once suspected. No, it was much worse than that.

They broke each other's hearts.

Mira felt overwhelming sorrow for her friends. She had to find a way to help them. But, for the first time in all her years of playing matchmaker, she was at a loss. The situation seemed unsalvageable. But it couldn't be. It just couldn't be. Her heart went out to them.

No. There had to be a way.

Gray trudged over—request board forgotten—and sat in Lucy's now vacant seat.

"What can I get you?" Mira asked cheerfully while scrutinizing him from the corner of her eye.

His eyes were tortured and his mouth was turned down in a grimace. He looked like he was suffering from one too many sleepless nights.

Gray responded with a grunt, but otherwise said nothing. He raised a finger and twirled it in a circular pattern on the ingrained wood of the bar. Mira took a quick peek and realized he was tracing the ring of water that had been left behind by Lucy's glass.

She took a quick glance around the guild to make sure there were no eavesdroppers trying to listen in before she leaned forward and whispered, "Aren't you going after her?"

Gray's head shot up and he stared at the takeover mage in front of him with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Wh-what?" he croaked, truly stunned by her words.

Mira sighed wearily and stepped back. Though, when she spoke again, he voice was still hushed to avoid being overheard.

"You know what I don't understand?" she mused, and continued without waiting for his reply. "If two people love each other, why can't they just say it? It's not that hard, really. I can't tell you how many people I've seen who live their lives in misery just because they couldn't confess their true feelings."

Gray's mouth gaped open in shock, but he closed it with a snap.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said coldly through narrowed eyes.

Please, he begged silently, don't do this to me. I can't—she's not—

Mira huffed and crossed her arms in front of her, staring him down. Gray glared for a few moments before he lowered his gaze. He knew she would see it as an admission, but he didn't have the strength to disagree with her. He was so tired. Tired of warring with his own feelings, of denying what he wanted, even to himself. The effort it took to simply breathe in and out every moment of every day was so painful that he couldn't bear it.

"You love her," Mira said softly. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," he breathed, and even that hurt. But what was the point in denying it? Mira was too observant for her own good.

"You want to be with her," she continued her interrogation.

"Yes."

"You would do anything for her, no matter the cost," she said shrewdly.

He flinched at her choice of words. He remembered saying something very similar to Lucy once. Mira had no idea just how right she was, what he had done for the blond mage already. And look where that got him.

"Yes," he finally answered.

The white-haired mage nodded to herself with a sly smile as if she had solved some great mystery.

"Then you should go tell her. Right now," she hinted not-so-subtly. Gray gaped. She had said it like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"It's a little more complicated than that," he responded, an edge to his voice. What an understatement! "Besides, I'm not really in the mood to get rejected today."

She leaned forward again and waited until he was looking directly at her before she spoke.

"Is she not worth taking that chance?"

His eyes softened. He gazed at nothing, or rather, at something she couldn't see. Slowly, his lips lifted into a smile as hope dawned on his features. He looked back up at his friend.

"Mira…"

"She needs you, Gray," she said somberly. "She's hurting, and something tells me you're the only one who can make it better."

"Thank you," he breathed gratefully, "for everything."

"You're welcome," she quipped, clearly proud of herself. "Now, go."

Mira snapped the towel she was holding playfully in his direction to get him moving.

Grinning at her in thanks, he bolted off his stool and burst through the double doors of the guild hall, taking off into the stormy night.

Mira smiled fondly at the place where Gray had disappeared and shook her head. Some people could be so dense and bull headed.

"Good luck," she whispered. She said a silent prayer for the two of them, hoping fervently that her friends would allow themselves to find happiness.

But she wasn't really worried. Not at all.

~*0*~

If anyone had bothered to pull back their curtains on Strawberry Street on that dark and stormy night, they would have seen a tall, dark figure standing on the sidewalk in front of a small apartment complex, drenched down to the bone by the heavy downpour. The man's face was angled toward the corner window on the second floor. A light was burning in that particular apartment. And that small detail gave the man hope.

Gray shivered. Not from the cold, which didn't affect him the same way it did others, nor was it the unending torrent of rain that plastered his clothes to his skin. No, it was because he had not walked down this street in more than two months. It was because the memory of that night was flooding his mind, spurring him on. And it was because he was finally going to be able to hear her voice after several long weeks of nearly complete silence.

As he climbed the stairs to her door, doubts nagged his mind. What if she rejected him? What if she refused to hear him out? What if she wouldn't even let him through the door?

"That's enough," he hissed through gritted teeth. This was going to be difficult enough without working himself into a panic.

Gray hesitated only for a moment before he rapped his knuckles sharply against her door.

He could hear shuffling on the other side, followed by footsteps. It seemed to take an agonizingly long time as he listened to the sound of sliding locks. Then the door swung open slowly.

Lucy's eyes widened as she saw who was waiting for her on the other side. She said nothing, merely stared open mouthed at the man in front of her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. This couldn't be real.

After several moments of gawking, she was brought back to reality by the clearing of a throat. She blinked several times, unable to form a response.

"Can I come in?" he asked awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as Lucy continued to stare.

She jolted from her reverie and stepped hastily aside. The door closed behind them with a snap, making them both flinch.

They stood a few feet apart, staring at one another. Neither was willing to break the silence first. Instead, Gray and Lucy took the opportunity to study each other.

Gray took in every inch of her, committing her to memory. She looked tired, but not in a way that suggested she merely lost a few hours of sleep the night before. It was a bone-deep exhaustion, like she lost not one, but many nights of rest. There were bags under her eyes and her hair was dull and lifeless. The way she clung to herself suggested that she was struggling not to shatter into a million tiny pieces. Her mouth was etched into a permanent frown, and her cheeks looked hollow, like she had missed a few meals.

But even in this state, she was still beautiful to him.

The first thing Lucy noticed was the haunted look in Gray's sunken eyes. It was as if someone had died. His hair was messy; his clothes were unkempt and sagged off of him. She worried if he was eating properly. He seemed to hunch in on himself; Gray was a man who had lost all confidence. And he, too, looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. But the most disturbing thing was how vulnerable he seemed, like a small gust of wind, or a single word, would be enough to finish him.

But beneath all that, he was still Gray. She had to look closely, but she could see him. And even if his eyes were haunted, and he had lost weight, and needed a good night's rest, she couldn't help but be irrevocably attracted to him.

Gray knew that standing in Lucy's kitchen gawking at her all night was not going to get them anywhere.

"Can we talk?" he asked apprehensively.

"S-sure," she stammered, surprised by his request.

She strode to her living room and sat gingerly on the couch, patting the spot beside her to indicate he should sit as well.

Gray lowered himself carefully onto the edge, resting his elbows on his knees as he steepled his fingers.

Now that he was finally here, he had no idea how to begin. His tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth.

"Can I get you some tea?" Lucy offered just to have something to say to break the tense silence.

He shook his head. He didn't come here for tea.

"Lucy…" he began, then paused. The awkwardness that surrounded them was stifling. He was itching to shed his clothes, but he resisted. Now was not the time to start stripping.

He sighed in frustration as he struggled to find the right words.

"Why is this so difficult?"

"You said you wanted to talk," she prompted. "Maybe you should start with that."

He raised his eyebrows dubiously. If it was as easy as she made it sound, didn't she think he would have just spit it out already?

"How are you, Lucy?" he asked in concern.

She was taken aback by his question. Was this why he showed up on her doorstep in the middle of the night during a rainstorm?

"Fine," she responded warily.

He arched a brow, clearly displaying his disbelief.

"I'm…okay," she amended, though they both knew that was a lie.

He remained silent as he stared her down, waiting for the truth.

She sighed.

"What do you want me to say, Gray, that I'm miserable; that I can't sleep, I barely eat, and I cry myself to sleep almost every night? Or maybe you want to hear how furious I am with myself every waking moment for destroying our friendship because I couldn't just have a good cry over my dead mother and move on with my life? Or maybe—" Lucy was gaining steam; she couldn't seem to stop now that she had started. It was as if the last two months of holding everything in was finally breaking through the floodgates and spewing out of her. "Maybe you want me to tell you how much I miss hearing your voice, or seeing your smile, or just being able to sit beside you and not think about all the ways I've ruined both of our lives."

Gray's cheeks burned with shame as she finished her rant. He had come here to try to clear the air between them and confess his feelings for her, but instead he had forced her to admit her pain aloud.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make you say all those things."

But she wasn't looking at him. She had brought her knees up to her face and was hiding behind them. Her shoulders shook and she let out a sob. Gray lifted his hand to caress her hair, or her back, or any part of her he could reach, but he hesitated. He wanted to touch her, so badly, but he feared that he would only succeed in making things worse. He dropped his hand back into his lap, feeling utterly useless.

"Lucy," he breathed. Her name sounded like a prayer as it fell from his lips.

The reverence in his tone was enough to cease her sobs. She looked up at him through red rimmed eyes.

"Why did you come here?" she asked tremulously. She was close to her breaking point. She didn't know how much more she could take before she would shatter.

Now it was his turn to be honest. After everything she had just told him, he felt he owed her that much.

"I came here," he began, but looked down at his fingers in contemplation. "Why did I come here?"

What was wrong with him? Just spit it out.

He sighed and slogged ahead. Even if she rejected him at this point, at least he would know. And who knew? Maybe hearing her rejection would give him the strength he needed to finally move on, though he had little hope that that would ever happen. He needed to find the right words to say to help her let go of her guilt so she could be happy again. He just wanted his friend back, even if that meant he had to sacrifice his own happiness in order for that to happen.

Gray slid off the couch and got down on his knees in front of Lucy. He needed to be close to her. He knew the chances of Lucy returning his feelings were slim to none, but he just needed to touch her, feel her under his hands. Just one more time.

"You regret the night we shared, I get it," he stated. Gray could see that she was about to interrupt, but he held up a hand to quiet her. "Let me finish. You regret it, and I guess I kind of understand. I can't deny that things have changed drastically between us. But I don't regret a single thing we did that night. I never did."

Lucy's eyes widened at his confession. Gray continued quickly.

"Lucy, that night…was the most incredible night of my life. Being that close to you, getting to share something so intimate with you, I could never regret something like that."

"But," she finally managed to jump in, "you left. You—you weren't there when I woke up the next morning. You were…gone."

She seemed to choke on her words, as if they were a two-edged sword.

Again, shame overwhelmed him.

"I know," he whispered dejectedly. "And it's something I've lamented ever since."

"Why?" she whimpered.

"Because…I knew that you didn't want to sleep with me because you were romantically interested in me," he said broodingly. "You just wanted a distraction from your grief. And I was cool with that. I'm not a fool. I knew that one night wasn't going to suddenly change your mind and make you fall in love with me. I could say that I left because I wanted to spare you the embarrassment of explaining that, while you had fun and all, you just wanted us to remain friends…but that would be a lie."

Gray was coming closer to the real reason for his visit, and he could feel it looming over them with a sense of ringing finality. It was like a dark cloud had entered into her little apartment.

"Okay, so then what is the truth?" she asked in bewilderment.

Gray steeled himself for the pain of rejection that he knew was just over the horizon and continued.

"Lucy, the first time you kissed me that night, I was shocked. It was the last thing I expected, not only because of how quickly everything seemed to progress, but also because I had never viewed you as anything more than a close friend. But, as the night wore on, I began to detect a subtle shift in my feelings for you. It was so gradual that I didn't really notice it at first. Instead of telling you No when you came onto me, I allowed you to use me—" Lucy blanched at his choice of words, "—to help you cope with your pain.

"Instead of groping you senselessly—" he smirked as a blush spread across her cheeks, "—I took things slow so you would feel desired.

"And instead of fucking you—" as Gray said this he caressed her cheek, his face inches from hers, "I made love to you."

Lucy's heart stuttered in her chest, and then crashed against her ribcage in a wild rhythm. She felt dizzy. Her eyes fluttered closed as he rubbed his thumb along her bottom lip.

"The real reason I left," he breathed softly against her skin, "was because I couldn't bear the thought of hearing you say that you felt nothing for me, that our night together meant nothing more to you than a way to grapple with your demons. I know it was a gutless thing for me to do, but I couldn't let you break me."

She forced her eyes to open, not an easy feat considering the daze she was floating in. Gray's words, mixed with his closeness, were doing delicious things to her body. She couldn't breathe.

"Say something, please," he begged her.

She tried to focus. He was expecting an answer, but what was the question? Had he asked a question? No, she thought in a stupor, not a question. He just wanted her to speak.

"I missed you so much," she murmured. "I—"

Could she confide the true depth of her emotions? Could she say it? One deep breath. Another.

Take a leap of faith.

"Gray, I…love you," she exhaled on a breath, so low she wasn't sure if he could hear her.

Gray was breathing hard. His heart was pounding so vigorously that it was almost painful. He blinked, hardly daring to believe.

"Look at me," he commanded gently, reaching up slowly and cupping her face in his hands. "Is that true?"

She nodded her head, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she smiled tenderly and leaned into his touch.

Gray wrapped his arms around Lucy and kissed her fiercely.

"I'm in love with you, Lucy," he confided. His heart was still battering against his ribcage, but the pain felt like pleasure to him, because it was beating for her. Everything he did was for her. He realized that now. "I'm tired of trying to live my life without you. I can't do this anymore. I'm sick of pretending you mean nothing to me. I can't—"

Lucy shushed him by placing a finger to his lips.

"You don't have to anymore," she murmured softly.

Lucy closed the distance between them and pressed a tender yet ardent kiss to his lips. This time, their embrace did not speak of regret, or of pain. It was a whisper of forgiveness and of bittersweet ecstasy and of words unspoken.

Forgive me. Never again will I leave your side. Never again will I cause you pain. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Never taking his lips off of hers, Gray cradled Lucy in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. They needed to make up for lost time. The anguish they had suffered, the pain, the regret, the utter loss that had broken them every single day for the last two months, eight weeks, sixty days, disappeared in an instant. And all that remained was the all-consuming love that the two mages knew would surely engulf them in a blazing wildfire of passion. As the rain beat harshly against the window pane, lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the scene as the two lovers burned in the night.

~Finis~

Once again, thanks so much for reading. If you loved it, or liked it a little bit, or even if you HATED it, I'd love to hear from you. So leave a review for me and tell me what you think. Oh, and before you say anything about the 'blazing wildfire' and 'burning' between Gray and Lucy (because Gray is an ice wizard), let me say this. Love is passion,love is fire. Love burns and melts even the most frozen of hearts. So, yes, they burned.