As Fairy Tail became more and more popular, their rival Phantom Lord started to become less popular. Customers barely came by and profits were dropping like flies. The owner Jose Porla was seething with rage over the whole ordeal.

"How is he doing it?!" Jose shouted to his employees angrily. "How is that old coot Makarov and his old fashioned business popular again?!"

"Well sir." His employee Sol said. "It would seem that Makarov's employee Gray and this new employee he's hired are really bringing in customers."

"What employee?"

"I don't know sir."

"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?! Aren't you supposed to be keeping tabs on that pub?! Spying on them?!"

"I didn't think it was worth spying on for now."

"Morons! I'm surrounded by morons!" He shouted to the top of his lungs. He then turned to his other employee Briar. "Briar this employee Gray that Fairy Tail has, you used to date him right?"

"Yeah but I dumped him."

"You think that he would be willing to take you back."

"Duh! He worships the ground I walk on."

"Get together with him and see if you can figure out what's made Fairy Tail so popular."

"Not a problem."

"You sure about that Briar?" Jerome another employee asked. "Because I hear he's dating this new girl who has him wrapped around her little finger. He might be over you."

"Gray? Over me? Ha! He is just putty in my hands, trust me once he hears that I want him back he'll jump at the opportunity."

Speaking of Gray, at the moment he was at the department store buying something very special for Juvia. He had just made the purchase when his phone rang.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hi Gray it's me Briar."

"Briar? What are you doing calling me?"

"I wanted to talk to you. Meet me for lunch why don't you?"

"Uh... I don't know. I mean I guess I could."

"Great, I'll see you at noon."

Fx

Normally Gray would have said no because now he spent his lunches either with Juvia or Lyon but Juvia had gone swimming and Lyon was on a date so he decided to see what this was all about.

At noon he went to meet Briar at a local restaurant. She was wearing her best make up and her most revealing and provocative outfit. Clearly she was planning to seduce him but Gray was nothing if not loyal.

"Hello Gray. It's so nice to see you." She greeted. "I've missed you."

"Have you now?"

"Yes especially since you've been so busy with that pub of yours. Fairy Tail sure has gotten a lot more popular lately."

"Yes it has."

"Unfortunately though it's threatening to put Phantom Lord out of business."

"Maybe it needs new material."

"It does but we don't really know what kind of new material we need. What exactly is your secret over there? Is it this new employee I'm hearing about? What's he doing that's getting everyone's attention?"

"Well actually it's a she."

"She?"

"Yes and she's a very beautiful woman and you know what she does? She sings and dances better than anyone I know."

"Oh come on, when it comes to dancing she can't be as good as me."

"As a matter of fact she's better and she doesn't have to take her clothes off to get customers."

Briar could sense the disdain in his voice.

"You know Jerome told me the stupidest thing. He told me that you have this new girl in your life and that you probably wouldn't take me back."

"It's not that stupid Briar. In fact it's kinda true."

"What?"

"It just so happens that I'm in a relationship with this new singer and dancer at the pub."

"And you're choosing her over me?"

"Pretty much."

"But what's so special about her?"

"Hmm let's see." He started listing things on his fingers. "Big time beautiful, sweet, kind, outgoing, sings like an angel, and oh yeah she doesn't dump me for some perverted photographer."

"Oh so this is just about you getting back at me, is that it?"

"No it's not. Briar you said so yourself, we never connected, we were never close, we never had anything."

"Oh what and you actually have something with her."

"Yes I do. I have something with her that I could never have with anyone else. Now if you'll excuse me I need to meet up with her to discuss work."

"Gray you can't just reject me! No man has ever rejected me!"

"Looks like I'm the first."

He stood up from the table and went out the restaurant door, leaving her in utter shock.

"Want some ice for that burn?" Jerome asked.

"He rejected me? He actually rejected me! And it was for some other woman! How can he do that?! I am his perfect woman!"

"Have you seen his new girlfriend?"

"She's not that good looking."

"Are you kidding? She's a goddess!" Jerome opened up the newspaper and looked at a page that contained a photograph of Juvia. "Hubba, hubba. Oh Gray you lucky dog!"

"Give me that!"

She snatched the newspaper from Jerome and looked at the photograph. She then tore the entire newspaper to shreds in jealous rage.

"You know jealousy is a very ugly thing." Jerome told her.

"Shut up!" She screeched.

Meanwhile Juvia had just gotten back from her swim. Trying to find a place to dry off without being seen was such a chore and hiding her fish tail from Gray was even harder. She hated lying to the man she loved but she was afraid that once he knew the truth about who and what she really was then he would either be frightened by her or disgusted by her.

As she walked back to Gray's apartment she heard someone calling her from the ocean. Poking it's head out from the ocean surface was a young dolphin. This dolphin in particular happened to be a very dear friend of Juvia's and she would swim and play with him all the time. Being a mermaid she could understand and speak the language of dolphins very well. Dolphins and every other creature of the sea.

"Hello." She smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you Juvia." He said. "I miss you and so do all the other creatures down here."

"I know, I miss you all too."

"Are you happy here Juvia?"

"Yes I am but it's really nice seeing you again."

"I have a message for you from Porlyusica the sea hag."

"What is it?"

"She says that the month is almost at an end and that your time in the human world is almost up. You must return to the sea before the next week is over or you will never be able to come back to the sea again."

"So soon? Oh I wish that it could be longer."

"You don't have to come back now, you have until the end of next week."

"Alright. Can you ask her when I can go back to the human world?"

"Porlyusica thought you would ask that so she told me to inform you that if you choose to return to the ocean then you can never go back to the human world."

"What?"

"She says that the next time you touch sea water before the week ends you'll lose the ability to grow legs forever."

"But I'll never see Gray again. Can't there be some way I can stay with him?"

"She says that if you avoid touching sea water next week then you'll have your legs for the rest of your life but you can never become a mermaid again."

"So I won't ever be able to go home? Isn't there any way I can go home and be able to go back to Gray?"

"No."

"Oh dear."

"Juvia you wouldn't really choose to stay here forever would you? Porlyusica said that you wouldn't just lose your tail, you would also lose your ability to talk to me and everyone else down here. We wouldn't be able to understand each other anymore. You don't want that do you?"

"Of course not. I would hate to abandon my home in the sea but I love Gray. How can I just leave him forever?"

"Why can't you just come back to the sea and be with us again?"

"Because life isn't that simple when you're in love."

Juvia hugged the little dolphin while trying to take in the news she had just been given.

How could she choose between her home in the sea and her true love Gray?