This is the next installment in my Riders on the Storm AU. It isn't necessary to read Riders on the Storm to follow this story.

"Watch out, Erza!"

Gray Fullbuster tackles his teammate to the ground, and they both narrowly miss being backhanded by a Forest Vulcan. They remain on the hard ground, Gray atop Erza, and watch as Natsu and Taurus take out five Vulcans by barreling into them like two bowling balls.

At the sound of a small cough, Gray looks down at Erza, blushing slightly when she raises an eyebrow at him. "Uh, sorry."

Gray removes himself from Erza, offering her his hand to help her up.

Erza accepts, and when she is standing, brushes off her armor and skirt. She looks on as Lucy sends Loke to help Natsu and Taurus knock out the last of the Vulcans and round up the pigs that they stole from one of Magnolia's farmers.

"It seems they have this well-in-hand." Erza chuckles as Natsu launches himself at one of the pigs, which moves just fast enough that Natsu ends up with a face-full of dirt.

"Think we should help them?" Gray asks, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Nah."

While they are busy snickering, a pig runs straight at them, knocking them both to the forest floor again, this time with Erza on top of a blushing Gray.

"That beast!" Erza hisses furiously. She stands, helps Gray to his feet, then stomps her foot, and demands, "Stop running!"

The pigs all freeze, and Gray worries for a moment that they all had heart attacks.

"Line up!" Erza points at the ground in front of her. The four pigs scramble to obey, and once they are single file, Erza turns on her heel toward Magnolia, commanding, "Follow me!"

Half an hour later, the pigs have been returned to their owner, Team Natsu has been paid in fresh eggs to last them each a week, and the team are on their way to their various homes. Lucy, Gray, and Erza walk along the street together, talking about the many things they are going to make using their fresh eggs: Lucy is going to make French toast and banana bread, Gray is going to make omelet muffins, and Erza is going to make cake.

"Of course." Gray smirks.

"Is there something wrong with cake?" Erza demands.

Gray gives her a sideways glance and shakes his head. "Nothing at all."

"That is correct. Now, all I will need are fresh strawberries."

"Oh, have you ever been to that market over by Book Land?" Lucy asks. "They have great produce!"

"Thank you, Lucy; I will try it tomorrow."

"Actually, I've already got some," Gray offers. "I won't be able to eat them all before they go bad; I can bring them over to you."

"Nonsense. You live on the way to Fairy Hills; I'll just stop at your place on my way home."

"O-okay." Gray nods.

"See you guys later!" Lucy waves goodbye as she turns toward the guild hall.

"Bye!"

Gray and Erza continue West, walking a little closer than they had been before.

"I haven't seen Juvia for while," Erza says, breaking their comfortable silence. "Tell me about you two, Gray."

Gray trips over a cobblestone and nearly falls, except Erza catches him by the shoulder, pulling him back to his feet.

"We, uh…there's nothing to tell."

"I see. You still can't tell her your real feelings, then?" She asks with an amused shake of her head.

Gray blushes furiously and looks at the ground. His heart is pounding so loud and so fast he wouldn't be surprised if Erza could see the outline of it against his bare chest.

"I, uh, did tell her my real feelings," he says morosely.

"Oh?" Erza sounds genuinely surprised. "I understand; that's why she has been away."

"Yeah," Gray sighs forlornly. "I think I hurt her real bad."

"Probably." Erza replies with just a hint of indignation thrown in.

Gray looks at his friend for a few seconds, then turns back to the street. "I don't love her, Erza. I mean, I do…you know, as a guild mate. But I'm not in love with her."

"That's a shame." Erza shakes her head. "I know she comes on strong, but she is a woman worthy of loving."

"I know that." Gray grits through his teeth. "I'm not the only man in existence, you know. Someone else will love her like she deserves."

"I agree." Erza nods.

"You do?" Gray looks at her in surprise.

"Yes. She has never considered anyone but you, and perhaps it is time that she did. She should not torture herself."

"Exactly."

"But you should have told her a long time ago."

"You mean other than every single day?" Gray asks tensely.

"You could have been clearer," Erza says, anger seeping into her voice.

"How?" Gray exclaims. "How do I get any clearer than, 'Leave me alone!'? Huh?"

"You strung her along, and you know it!" Erza shouts suddenly, making Gray tense up. "You lived with her for six months! You mean to tell me that nothing happened between you two?"

"That's right! And if you recall, I ditched her for another six months without a word of explanation."

"How could you, Gray?"

"You asked me to!" Gray shouts back. "To run interference between you and Jellal!" He says Jellal's name with a heavy dose of mockery, and Erza gasps in shock. "You're so interested in me and Juvia? What about you and that tattooed blueberry? We ran that op for an awful long time, Erza; what happened between the two of you?"

Erza winces.

"That's what I thought: you chickened out, or he did, and you decided to call me up and put me to use as your buffer. You even put me in between your rooms! Explain that to me, Erza." Gray practically snarls at her, and somewhere in the back of his head, he is telling himself to calm the fuck down, but he is too far gone. "Tell me!"

His shouting jars Erza from her shock, her features taking on a feral look as she unconsciously crushes the eggs in her arms, and growls, "Fuck you, Gray!"

Gray's survival instincts kick in full force, making him jump away from her. Erza rarely swears—certainly not that word—so when she does, Gray knows that she's about to pull out a sword and behead someone...like him.

Erza sneers at him with contempt, and walks briskly away from him, her fists clenched at her side. Just as she disappears behind the last row of houses before the hill leading up to the dormitory, Gray punches the brick wall nearest him; his skin splits at the knuckles, and blood streams through his fingers and around his fist.

He rests his head against the wall and swears.

The Next Morning

Erza sits in front of her mirror, brushing her long, red hair until it shines. Normally when she gets a lacrima-text from Meredy that she and Crime Sorcière are near Magnolia, and implying that she'll insist they stop by the guild hall, Erza's gut bubbles with anticipation. This morning, however, her gut is roiling with anger; anger at Gray, at herself, and at Jellal.

Why is it that Meredy always has to insist that they stop, hmm? They've all been pardoned, dammit!

He's busy.

Excuses!

Erza exhales slowly as she sets her hairbrush down on the vanity with exceeding gentleness.

Meredy was probably just joking; texts are notoriously difficult to interpret.

You dumb b—

Erza steadfastly ignores this voice, choosing, instead, to focus on how often Jellal has been visiting Fairy Tail in the last few months. Sure, he was training Lucy, but he and Erza definitely spent a lot of quality time together.

What does Gray know? Neither of us 'chickened out'!

Her chest constricts a little at the thought of Gray, and she quickly pushes him from her mind.

Though she and Jellal are not as far along as she wishes, after talking with Lucy about Laxus, Erza is sure that Jellal is just a little insecure, too, and maybe even intimidated.

As Erza looks at her wardrobe, she decides to forgo her typical skirt and (intimidating!) armor, opting for a pair of jeans and a plain yellow t-shirt. She has always felt that yellow complements her red hair nicely, and brings out her violet eyes. She even puts on some mascara and pink lip gloss, though she feels silly doing so. Sometimes she just wishes her team would let her do things differently without making a big deal about it. Invariably, Natsu will demand to know why she looks so weird, Lucy and Wendy will giggle, and Gray will tell her she looks nice before he punches Natsu in the face.

Well, maybe Gray won't be so complimentary today.

Erza leans her forehead against a wall and groans when she can't push out the thoughts of Gray again.

How could she let herself get so carried away? He was just being honest with her, sharing things she knew he would never share with another, and she attacked him for it. Worst of all, she blurred the lines between him and Jellal, and made him pay for her frustrations with the tattooed mage.

She immediately begins stalking through her rooms of armor and weaponry, searching for the piece she knows he's admired for years. She finally finds it: a broadsword made of the finest steal, with a handle gilded in gold. Erza loves this sword, but Gray and Team Natsu are far more important, no matter how much Gray's implications offended her.

Why did you invite Gray on that mission?

"He was tailor-made for that mission!" Erza shouts aloud.

Why couldn't he tell Juvia?

We were trying to protect her; plausible deniability and all.

Really?

Fine! I should have let him tell her.

Why did you put him in the room between yours and Jellal's?

Erza grunts and slams her fist down on her vanity, cracking it in two.

"Damn." She mutters, wondering if she can have it repaired, even as she watches the mirror topple forward and shatter on the floor.

She sighs, and starts picking up the glass.

There goes your wish…for the next seven years.

Silly superstition.

To prove she puts no stock in such things, she makes another wish that Jellal will choose to stay in Magnolia this time. Or maybe invite Erza to accompany him and Crime Sorcière for a while. It wouldn't be entirely out of the question: Lucy and Laxus's marriage has already begun to change the dynamic of Team Natsu, as well as that of the Raijinshu, making Erza's absences less meaningful. After all, Laxus is S-class, too, and he'd do anything for Lucy, including go on missions with Natsu and Gray.

Not that Lucy and Laxus have been taking a lot—or any—missions lately; they've been married for a month at this point, and they still hardly leave their lake house for more than a few hours at a time. Erza shakes her head and smiles at the memory of their wedding; she had been so upset at their elopement in the train station, but it had turned out to be a beautiful ceremony, during which she had bawled her eyes out.

An unsettlingly large part of her heart hurts as she remembers wishing that Jellal would look at her the way Laxus looked at Lucy. Even just once. She doesn't understand: she had always been secure in her feelings for Jellal, and in his feelings for her. Then he was pardoned, and that all changed because nothing changed: Jellal continued his nomadic lifestyle with Crime Sorcière, his sporadic and limited communication with Erza, and his infuriating stoicism when he did bother to come around.

Not to mention that the last time he was in Magnolia—two weeks ago for Lucy and Laxus's reception—he left unexpectedly during the celebration. He didn't even say goodbye.

Erza looks at herself in the mirror again and deflates, her head falling forward and her shoulders drooping.

What are you doing, Scarlet? You can't just waste your life waiting for Jellal to sweep you off your feet, waiting around for him to spare you a moment like you're a puppy eagerly awaiting the return of her human.

That is too harsh.

Is it?

Yes! I do not wait around like a puppy! I take missions, I vacation with my friends; I have a life outside of him.

By all appearances, sure; but, on the inside, you only ever think of him.

You're just being stubborn.

If you mattered to Jellal, you wouldn't have to chase him, or wait for him.

Erza shakes her head vigorously, then does a few jumping jacks to clear her mind. She does not need her so-called conscience bringing down her mood. Erza starts forcefully humming her favorite song in order to drown out that pesky little voice still trying to rain on her parade.

Juvia.

Suddenly, Erza's brain is inundated with memories of the Rain Woman's obsessiveness over Gray: making dolls, cookies, and shower loufas in his likeness; following him around everywhere he goes; counting the number of days she's known him.

I am not like Juvia!

Oh, no? In love with a blue-haired mage whose favorite activity is walking away from you?

Shut up!

Maybe it's time to take your own advice and move on.

Erza huffs, grabs a pink zip-up hoodie and the broadsword, and slams the door behind her.

When she steps outside, she freezes in her tracks: Gray is leaning sullenly against the entrance gate at the end of the path. He looks up sheepishly at Erza, then walks slowly toward her, silently asking if it's okay to approach her. Erza just stands there, but her head nods slightly of its own accord. He eyes the broadsword warily the closer he gets, but doesn't let that stop his approach.

"Erza, I'm sorry about yesterday." He holds out a very large bowl of freshly washed and cored strawberries with a smaller bowl of melted chocolate in the middle. "I should have kept my mouth shut." He smiles softly at her, saying, "You look pretty…as usual."

When she can't seem to make any words come out, Erza just throws her arms around Gray. He returns her hug, inhaling deeply.

"I'm sorry I got so mad at you." Erza finally finds her voice.

"It's o—."

"Don't say that." Erza shakes her head. "It isn't okay: I treated you poorly, and behaved childishly." She holds out the sword to him, giggling when he jumps back. "I have something for you, too."

"Your broadsword?"

"Your broadsword." She holds it out to him again. He takes it tentatively, still giving her a disbelieving look.

"You're giving this to me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I messed up bad, yesterday. I want you to know how sorry I am."

"Erza, you don't have—."

"Do you accept my apology?"

For a moment, Gray looks like he's not sure what to do, but he soon breaks into a smile, and says, "Of course. Do you accept mine?"

"Of course!" Erza shouts boisterously, then takes the bowl of strawberries from him and shoves a handful into her mouth. She stops mid-chew and grabs the wrist belonging to Gray's bandaged hand. "Ut a'end?"

"What was that?" Gray smiles affectionately at her, pinching her cheek cutely.

Erza rolls her eyes, finishes swallowing, then asks, "What happened?"

"Scraped it." He shrugs.

Erza gives him a dubious look, but links her arm with his, and starts walking toward the guild, asking, "Do you know how to use a broadsword?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't ask me that."

I don't know why I'm torturing myself with this fic, but it seriously won't leave me alone, so I've given in to it...like a chump. I swear, though, that I am working to make it as stellar as I know how so that at least the pain of an angsty Jerza/Grayza triangle will be worth it in the end.