Consequences

By: juvia0613 (FayeValentine00)

Chapter 19

When Slate was nearly 6 months old, Gray and Juvia pushed their son's stroller through Magnolia, enjoying the warm, clear afternoon. Originally Gray was scheduled to leave on a job with Team Natsu that morning but when Juvia tried to wake him up, he wouldn't budge. Instead, the man had pulled her into a bear hug, kissed her thoroughly and announced that he wasn't leaving.

Much to the Water Wizards surprise, it was Gray's suggestion that they take a day out as a family. Such a normal, domestic family thing that was a rare treat, especially for people in their line of work but it was even more special because the Ice Devil Slayer had been the one to suggest it. Gray's made a point of letting Juvia sleep in while he packed Slate's diaper bag and got the baby fed and dressed.

Normally Juvia wouldn't have read into things but he was acting strange. Yes, Gray was a wonderful father and lover and he was always attentive and loving but that day he seemed to go out of his way to be extra nice. It left the bluenette curious.

They spent the whole day as a family; shopping, eating and talking. They'd let their feet dangle in the river which made Slate laugh hysterically. They'd held hands and generally just enjoyed each other's company. It felt amazing and was a scene that would have seemed impossible to Juvia's 19-year-old self just a couple of years earlier.

When it was getting close to dusk, Juvia realized that Gray seemed to be heading in a specific direction but it didn't make any sense. Street by street, they got closer and closer to their destination and before long; the trio stopped in front of Lucy's apartment.

"But Juvia thought everyone left on a job."

"They did," Gray answered casually, picking up their sleeping son and handing him to Juvia so he could fold up the stroller and carry it with him.

His expression gave away nothing yet the good memories of the first time they'd gone to Lucy's empty alone brought a blush to her cheeks. "Then why are we here?"

"You'll see. Let's go inside first."

"... Okay."

The Water Wizard followed Gray up the stairs but the whole time her mind was racing. She was completely confused. It only got worse when they got to the top of the stairs and he pulled an actual key from his pocket.

"How did Gray-sama—?"

Her words cut off when he opened the door and her jaw dropped. Looking into Lucy's apartment, there were flowers and candles everywhere. The whole room was warm and beautiful and romantic looking. Juvia's eyes flitted between the scene before her and Gray several times before he chuckled and put a hand to the small of her back, guiding her inside.

"Who did all of this?" she whispered, still looking around at the flowers that must have numbered in the hundreds.

"I asked Lucy and Erza to help."

Juvia truly didn't understand what was going on. Cradling Slate in her arms, she walked around, looking at everything. The room smelled like roses and there was a bottle of wine on the table with two glasses as well as a new toy for Slate which was an adorable touch. It looked like something from a fantasy.

"It's beautiful," she said when the initial shock wore off but she still didn't get it.

As she'd been looking around, Gray had set the stroller back up. He took Slate from her arms, gave him a soft kiss and then laid him back down before turning to Juvia.

"Gray-sama, what's going on?" her voice was trembling. The blue-haired woman was nervous and she didn't even know why. "What is all of this?"

He crossed the room with a bemused expression, pulled Juvia into his arms and kissed her once before smiling down at her. "You really have no idea?"

"No…" she whispered. It was one of those moments when Gray took her breath away. He was so handsome and was looking at her so lovingly that she could hardly think straight.

When Gray snickered with amusement, she pouted. "Will you tell Juvia?"

"Obviously!" he scoffed, good humoredly. "Okay... here it goes."

She watched him take a deep breath and for the first time that night; he looked nervous too. Seriously, what was going on?!

He took a step back and took her hands in his, meeting her eyes. "We've been through a lot," he murmured and she nodded in agreement, her eyes growing wide as an undefined seed of hope began to take root.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much you and Slate mean to me. I can't image what my life would have been like if I hadn't met you." As he spoke, Juvia's chest tightened and tears formed in her eyes. Gray was saying words that had once seemed impossible but now meant everything. "There has never been a day since I met you that I haven't thought about you and, when we're apart, I miss you. You and Slate are the family I never thought I deserved yet you've always treated me like I was the only man in the world." That made them both smile.

"But now I want to make it all official." Gray reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. When he got down on one knee, he held up the ring and her tears flowed freely. "Juvia Lockser, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Will you please marry me?"

She was crying so hard the Water Wizard had trouble speaking but she nodded and finally managed to choke out the syllable. "Yes!"

She fell to her knees in front of him and threw her arms around his neck. When he kissed her, the tears didn't matter. There was nothing but pure joy in that moment.

It took them both a few minutes to recover before Gray pulled back, took Juvia's left hand and put the ring on her fourth finger. It was a classic solitaire design and just looking at it made her heart flutter. "I love you, Gray-sama."

"I love you too."

Gray climbed to his feet, helped Juvia up and led her over to the table. He poured them both a drink and grinned as she took a sip.

"What's so funny?" Juvia's heart was still racing but his amusement was wearing off on her.

"Now do you want me to tell you how I got the key?" Gray literally had tears of mirth in his eyes and Juvia's curiosity was peaked all over again.

"Sure."

As her fiancé told the story, he was grinning the entire time. "When I was talking to Lucy last week about helping me with this, the whole team was there and everyone was more than happy to make it perfect. But towards the end of our planning, Lucy suddenly asked. 'I don't mind at all but why do you want to use my apartment?'"

Gray laughed out loud before he continued. "Right at that minute, it was like a lightbulb went off in Natsu's head and I swear he guffawed. He'd noticed that we'd been in Lucy's apartment the night of the party and I bribed him with food to shut up about it." That made them both laugh. "Apparently he hadn't put 2 and 2 together until that moment. Immediately after that, Wendy and Erza turned bright red too and I realized the only person who didn't know was Lucy herself!"

"Ohhhhh!" Juvia felt her cheeks grow red at the memory and the knowledge that all of their friends knew exactly where and when Slate was conceived.

"So... I had to admit to breaking in and everything else. To say that Lucy was surprised was an understatement... but after the initial embarrassment wore off, she agreed as long as I promised we wouldn't have sex in her apartment this time."

They were both laughing when Gray reached out and pulled her into a hug. "But she didn't say I couldn't kiss you."

"Mmm... that sounds nice," she beamed up at him, tilting her head to accept his kisses.

That was when they heard Slate waking up and reality set back in but neither was complaining. Their son was the best piece of their puzzle. Juvia gave Gray one last kiss, set down her glass and when to retrieve their son while he grabbed a bottle. They sat together on Lucy's couch, watching their son and still riding high from their engagement.

Juvia looked around the room again and smiled. "They really did a beautiful job."

"That's because they all love you almost as much as I do. They just want us to be happy."

"Juvia is very happy."

"Me too."

Two months later, Juvia was walking down the aisle towards the love of her life. He looked incredibly handsome in his tux but she would have been just as happy if he'd stood there in his boxers. Just that thought made her giggle, earning her a raised eyebrow when she reached his side.

Gajeel was the one giving Juvia away and, when the Iron Dragon Slayer put her hand into Gray's, her best friend looked into her soon-to-be husbands' eyes and repeated the words he'd said a year ago. "If you do anything to hurt her, I'll kill you." But this time, both men were grinning.

Gray and Juvia said their vows and their "I do's" and when the priest told him to kiss the bride, there was no hesitation. They'd earned their chance to have that moment in front of their family and friends and when Mr. and Mrs. Fullbuster were officially present to the crowd, the cheers were deafening.

Epilogue

"Mom! What are you doing?" Five-year-old Slate was knocking on the bathroom door because she'd been in there longer than normal. That was a part of parenthood people didn't usually tell you about. No peace.

"J-Just a minute!" she called back, trying to stay calm but her heart was pounding as she looked at the positive pregnancy test.

A couple of months earlier, she and Gray had decided that maybe it was time to have another child. Natsu and Lucy just had their first daughter and Slate was beginning to ask for a brother or sister of his own. That was one of the reasons she and Slate hadn't joined Team Natsu on their current job... just in case.

Gray wasn't due home for at least a week and Juvia knew she'd never be able to keep the news a secret until he got home. However, his words from that terrible day still haunted her. "I should have been the first person you came to!" So, this time he would be.

Juvia put the test in her pocket, opened the bathroom door and threw her arms around her son.

"Ew! Mom, what are you doing?! You're being weird!" Slate made the same kind of tsundere expressions and comments that Gray used too and it always made Juvia laugh. Today was no exception.

"Mom needs to go talk to Dad. Should we go on a trip to find him?!"

Her enthusiasm wore off on her son who worshipped the ground his father walked on and beamed up at her. "Really?! Now!?"

"Yep! Let's go."

They had to go to the guild and talk to Mira to get exact directions to the job they'd accepted and within hours, she and Slate were on a train. The young boy had asked her several times why they were going but Juvia would only tell him that she needed to tell Gray something.

But Slate was a smart kid and he knew his parents dynamic well so he was wary. "Don't you think Dad will tell you to wait until he gets home?"

The Water Wizard only laughed and shook her head. "Normally, yes but, this time, Juvia thinks Dad will be very happy."

It took a day and a half to track them down and as soon as Slate caught sight of Gray's back, the little boy was off like a shot.

"Dad!"

The Ice Devil Slayer spun around just in time to catch his son in his arms. "Hey Buddy!" He smiled as he spoke to his son but when he looked up at Juvia, he was clearly confused. He picked Slate up, ignoring the stares of his teammates and turned to his wife. "What are you guys doing here?"

Juvia couldn't keep the huge smile off of her face. "Gray-sama told me that he should have been the first person Juvia came to so, this time she's doing it right."

She knew he understood immediately because it only took three steps before he could pull her and Slate into a huge hug, kissing Juvia firmly on the lips. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

Both Gray and Juvia were beaming with tears in their eyes while Slate and the rest of Team Natsu looked confused.

"Gray, what's going on?" Erza asked, smiling at their happy reunion but not sure what to make of it.

That's when the Ice Devil Slayer turned to his friends and was thrilled to announce the news to their friends with a smile. "Apparently, we're having another baby!"

This time everything was different. They were happy and the Fullbuster family was able to do things the right way. Life had truly never been happier and when their daughter was born early the next year, their family was complete.

The End