The last time Lucy talked to Gray was when they had their last mission which was weeks ago. She was kind of scared to admit it but she was missing the young man so much. So much that she thought she liked him. Correct that, she thought that she loved him. She loved how warm and fuzzy she felt when Gray was near. The way he would act made her fall in love with him more. Gray was the first person she ever felt this way to. And she was missing the feeling she got every time Gray was with her. Lucy wanted to talk to him so badly but couldn't find the right time to do it. She tried to have a conversation for him for weeks but something kept interrupting them. Like Natsu suddenly coming out from nowhere and all other lame excuses that she could think of. But the worst one so far was when she spilled hot tea all over him.

She was coming towards him to talk while holding a glass of hot tea. When she found herself standing in front of him, she couldn't utter a single work. She just waved her free hand and he nodded in response. But suddenly, some idiot bumped over her and she spilled the entire glass towards Gray's naked torso. Lucy started to panic and said the word sorry for about nth times. She stood their blushing from the embarrassment while saying sorry over and over. Gray winced at first but told her he was okay. Besides it wasn't her fault anyway. Why should she even be sorry? Again the words just kept on coming out of Lucy's mouth. Gray laughed and said he was fine. Lucy didn't know if the laugh was a good thing or a bad thing. But somehow it calmed her nerves. She even started giggling herself. Walking closer to Gray, she put her handkerchief out then, cleaned Gray's bare chest. A blush made its way to Lucy's face. Gray himself tried to hide his reddening face but completely failed since Lucy met his eyes staring at her. Everything was going well until Juvia ruined the mood. She came in running towards them shouting 'Don't dare touch Gray-sama! Juvia will do it." Juvia grabbed Lucy's handkerchief and continued doing what was her job. Before Lucy could turn around and walk away, Gray grabbed Juvia's hand and told her to stop. Also, he added that he can do it by himself. Gray stood up, went to the men's washroom and did his business but not before saying goodbye to Lucy. Lucy also bid her farewell. But before she could leave, Juvia threatened her life if she were to go near Gray-sama ever again. Juvia's face was so serious that Lucy got the hint that she might actually get killed by this woman. Starting then, she never tried to talk to Gray every again. But everything will change today. She would talk to Gray even if it kills her. Moreover, she had Erza and Natsu to protect her. She didn't know why she never thought of it before. Maybe it was the fact that she was too scared to even think. But now, she had the courage to talk to him.

So, here she was in the guild looking intensely at Gray. Gray was sitting on the stool in front of the bar with Juvia sitting beside him. He looked ultimately bored while Juvia, on the other hand, looked so happy that she was beside Gray. She kept staring at him like a fan girl. Lucy felt a pang of jealousy in her chest. She hated the fact that Juvia was always sitting beside Gray. She couldn't bare it anymore. She wanted to talk to Gray right now. With a bright and warm smile on her face, she went in front of Gray. She felt Juvia's death glare towards her but completely ignored it.

"Hi Gray! It's been awhile since we had a normal conversation. What's up?" Lucy tried to act normally. But inside she was so happy that she started this conversation with Gray. The warm and fuzzy feeling was starting to rile up inside her.

"Uh… Hi Lucy!" Gray said to her stuttering. Lucy took note that Gray's eyes were darting around the room. It seemed like he was looking for something. Lucy felt sad and angry. She couldn't believe the guts of this guy. She took out all of her courage just to talk to him and he wouldn't even dare to look at her face. Also, she couldn't help but think maybe Gray didn't care about her. She took deep breaths to calm herself and sat on the stool next to Gray. She faced him trying not to let her emotions get the best of her. But she couldn't help but worry about this young man. Gray looked like he's uncomfortable since she came over here.

"Gray, what's the matter? You look kind of worried. Is there something you want to tell me?" Lucy's face was full of concern.

"I'm fine just uhh… a little dizzy." Gray seemed like he was lying from Lucy's point of view.

"Natsu! You squinty eyes! Don't you dare call me droopy eyes ever again! You wanna go for it?" Gray pointed his finger accusedly at Natsu. He stood up and ran towards Natsu giving him a punch on the face. Thus, the fight began. The feeling that Lucy had had slowly flew away. It was replaced by emptiness in her heart.

"What the hell Gray? I didn't even say anything! You're just imagining things! Stupid exhibitionist!" Natsu shouted back while fighting strongly with Gray. Lucy sighed and decided to go home since she knew she wouldn't have any chance to talk to Gray once a fight broke out in this guild.

Once she was outside the guild, she summoned Plue to walk with her. She felt so calm every time she was with Plue. The Canis Minor had a way of making Lucy feel better. They walked side by side together. Lucy was walking on the elevated cement (A/N: I don't know what you call it so, I ended up describing it. If someone knows how to call the elevated cement beside the river, please tell me. Maybe I knew it but just forgotten about it. ) while Plue was walking on the ground. Lucy then, started babbling about what she felt.

"Don't you think Gray's acting weird today?" Lucy said to Plue.

"Puun." Plue replied.

"I mean he never loses his cool. The stuttering was definitely un-Gray like. And lying to me about getting dizzy is another issue. You don't need to be a doctor to even figure that one out. He never lied to me. I guess there is first time for everything." Lucy's tone of speaking became sadder.

"Purupun."

"OH! Don't forget about the part when he suddenly picked up a fight with Natsu. Natsu didn't even say anything. Besides, he doesn't even want to do anything with Natsu. It's as if he's trying to get away from someone. And his weird actions started when… I came near OH-MY-GOSH! I think he's avoiding me. But why?" Lucy began to think of things she could've done to make Gray avoid her but found out she'd been nice to Gray since they met. Maybe she didn't let him borrow her underwear but still…

"Puun. Purupun." Plue stated.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe it's just a coincidence that this all happened when I went near him. We'll see for tomorrow. I plan on approaching him again. Since today didn't work out as I expected." Lucy smiled at Plue as they walk beside each other.

-Next Day. At the Guild-

Gray was sitting on a table this time. No surprise, Juvia was there with him. She was trying to flirt with Gray but the guy knew better than to flirt with Juvia. Gray ignored her every innuendo which made Juvia flustered. Lucy disregarded the fact that Juvia was there flirting with Gray and threw herself into the war zone. She acted naturally while approaching Gray. Then, she tried to start a conversation. But this time, she would closely observe Gray's action. She really wanted to know if Gray was trying to avoid her.

"Hi! Can I sit with you guys?" Lucy asked while wearing a smile on her face.

"Uhh… Sure." Gray said while having second thoughts about letting Lucy sit here. Luckily for him, the said girl sat beside him. His face started to get filled with worry. Lucy noticed it. She started to get the feeling that Gray was really avoiding her.

"Uhhm… So… How are you?" Lucy started with the basic start of a conversation.

"Fine. Uhh... I… hmmm… need to… uhmm.. I need to do something." Gray quickly said. He stood up and tried to leave. But he was stopped by a hand encircling his wrist.

"I can come with you if you need help." Lucy wanted to make sure that her theory was right.

"NO!" Gray shouted. His shout wasn't the angry kind of shout but Lucy was taken aback. She removed her hand from Gray and left it dangling beside her. A hurt expression can be seen on her face. She wanted to cry but stopped the tears from falling. Gray noticed this and couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Oh, sh*t!" He said to himself.

"I'm sorry Lucy. I have to go." Gray ran as fast as he could as he went out of the guild.

Lucy couldn't believe what just had happened. Gray was totally avoiding her. She was sure of it. He only acted weird every time she was near him. Not knowing what to do, Lucy stood up and sat beside Erza, who was eating a slice of strawberry cake. She could feel Juvia glaring at her for chasing Gray away. She even thought that Juvia might kill her now if she got the chance. But Lucy couldn't care less if Juvia kills her, she just wanted to know why Gray is avoiding her. She didn't even do anything.

"That's right! I didn't do anything! What the hell is the matter with Gray? I can't believe I fell in love with this guy! If he wants to avoid me, fine! I won't even dare to go near him ever again. He wants his space? He can have it because he won't see me approaching him anymore. Bring it on!" Lucy thought to herself. Her sadness turned into angriness.

For the past few weeks, Lucy didn't even look at Gray. Okay, maybe she stole little glances towards him but at least she tried to suppress her desires. Anytime Gray would come near her, she would walk to another direction. It was really hard to avoid Gray because he was the only thing that was in Lucy's mind. She had been trying to fight the urge to approach him. This was harder that she thought. So, she thought of a solution. She decided to stay home today and continue on writing her novel. At first, it went good but then she found herself writing about Gray. She groaned, stood up and went to her bathroom. Filling up her tub with hot water, she stood there looking at her reflection. She saw a girl with blond her and brown eyes but she wasn't sure if it was her. This girl's eyes were full of sorrow while she knew that her eyes would usually be filled with happiness. She ran her fingers over the reflection hating what it looks like then, moved her head sideways. She turned off the running water, took off her clothes and dipped into the hot water. The hot water felt good around her body she couldn't help but sigh. While relaxing herself, she tried to get over Gray but she couldn't. Every time she thought about his smile, his hair, his eyes… She loved his eyes. Whenever she met his eyes, she felt calm and cared for. His dark-blue eyes made her want to drown into his gaze. She shook her head trying to get a 'Gray-free' mind. Then again, she thought of him more and more. A growl escaped from her lips as she stood up and wrapped a towel around her body. She didn't bother to wrap a towel around her hair. She just wanted to be happy. She wanted Gray to talk to her again. Was that too much to ask for? This is so unfair! She went outside her bathroom to change into something more decent. But then, she found Gray sitting on her couch acting coolly. Her eyes went wide but slowly went back to its original size. She turned around wanting to get away from Gray. But she was stopped by a hand gripping her wrist. She didn't dare to look at him because she knows that she'll melt into him if she looked into his eyes.

"Lucy, I…" Gray started off. Not even caring that Lucy was wearing a towel and that her hair was still wet. Well, he actually kind of cared because he was blushing crazily. Good thing Lucy wasn't looking at him or he'll be dead by now. But he couldn't help it, Lucy looked so damn hot. He removed the thoughts away from his head and started getting serious.

"I… I… don't know what to say." Too bad for Gray, he chose the wrong words to say.

"You don't know what to say? I know what to say! GET-OUT-THIS-INSTANT!" Lucy's voice was cracking. It sounded like she was about to cry.

"But Lucy… Damn." He took deep breaths to think over what was he going to say while still not letting go of Lucy's wrist.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Gray said softly. Lucy was shocked with what he said. She couldn't help but snicker.

"Me? Avoiding you? Are you sure that I was the one doing all the avoiding?" Lucy was on the edge of crying.

"You noticed? Sh*t!"

"Of course I noticed! You stupid exhibitionist! I've been trying to talk to you and all you did was avoid me! You don't know how much it hurt me to see you do something like that! Don't you ever tell me that I'm avoiding you because you were the one who was doing the avoiding…" Lucy started crying. Her hands began to tremble because of anger and hurt.

"You don't even know how much I missed you!" With that said Gray turned Lucy around and hugged her tightly. A gasp escaped from Lucy's mouth.

"I'm sorry, Lucy." Gray's words were sincere. His hand started rubbing Lucy's back while the other was on her head letting it rest on his shoulder. Lucy hugged his torso tightly and cried her eyes out. Soon, her crying died down then, she began to speak.

"Don't think that this hug will solve anything. I need an explanation." Lucy said still holding her head down.

"I avoided you because of Juvia." Lucy snapped her head up and tried to get away from the hug. Apparently, she got the wrong idea. But Gray's hold became tighter.

"Let me go or I'll call Loki on—" Gray's lips crashed on Lucy's lips. It was only a brief kiss but it meant everything to Lucy.

"Don't you ever tell me that you'll find other guys to protect you. I'm your one and only knight in shining armor." Gray's lips where touching Lucy's earlobes and his breath sent shivers down to her spine. Lucy leaned in loser to Gray. His voice was so raspy Lucy found it hard not to lean into him.

"You didn't let me finish. I heard Juvia threaten your life and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you." Gray said to her. He let her go and looked at her shocked expression. Lucy looked down on her feet and lifted her right hand. What happened next was a shocker to Gray. Lucy slapped him on the face. It wasn't that painful but it was enough to move Gray's head to the side. His eyes went wide. He couldn't believe that Lucy would do something like that. Moving his head to face her, he saw Lucy shaking. Either from anger or from sadness.

"I guess I deserved that." Gray said jokingly.

"That was for avoiding me without telling me the reason." Lucy said still not looking at Gray.

"And this is for protecting me"" Lucy said while wrapping her hands around Gray's neck. She moved her head closer to his and kissed him. She closed her eyes liking the feeling of Gray's lips on her. The kiss started slow and passionate letting them know what they truly felt among each other. Her hands started playing with Gray's hair while Gray's hands were around her waist. But soon, the kiss turned into a strong and erotic kiss. Gray licked Lucy's bottom lip asking for entrance and Lucy willingly accepted his invitation. His tongue grazed over her teeth and gums. Then it battled for dominance with Lucy's tongue. The kiss went on for ages but they needed air so they broke apart.

"Thank you." Lucy said while she blushed.

"If you are that good at kissing, I can't wait till I know how good you are in bed." Gray's perverseness emerged from his being. Lucy face turned redder. Realizing what he said, he started to come up with an excuse.

"That's not what I meant! Well, I think it's nice to make love with you… Damn! That's not what I meant either. But it is true! I mean… I don't expect us to be together. I'm not saying that I don't want to. I do! Then maybe we can do it. Oh, sh*t… I love you?" Luckily for Gray, saying the 3 words worked to distract Lucy from what he said.

"I… I love you too." Lucy said softly while looking into Gray's eyes lovingly.

"Does this mean that we're together?" Gray asked stupidly. Lucy couldn't help but giggle. Her laughter sounds music to Gray's ears.

"Yup!" Lucy exclaimed happily.

"Oh, why not tell me about this earlier?" Lucy wondered out loud.

"The girl stalks me every day. I asked Erza to send Juvia out on a mission so I could talk to you." Gray stated coolly.

"Oh. I have an idea how to get rid of her. Meet me in the guild tomorrow." Lucy said while pushing Gray out of the door.

"What's the rush? And where's my goodbye kiss?" Gray quickly said.

"I have to think about tomorrow. Bye!" Lucy gave Gray a kiss on the cheek and waved goodbye. Somehow, Gray had a feeling that tomorrow's going to be a long day.

-NEXT DAY, MORNING. IN THE GUILD-

Gray was sitting on a stool when Lucy arrived. Lucy was wearing a serious look on her face. She scanned her surroundings to look for Gray and found him sitting on the stool. She quickly made her way to the young man's side. Not minding what the entire ruckus was about, she caught a glimpse of Juvia walking towards Gray. Lucy's insides begun to turmoil. She couldn't stand to see Juvia. So, she ran towards Gray and made sure that Juvia was looking at them.

"Hi Luc-" Gray couldn't finish the sentence because Lucy grabbed him by the collar and kissed him in front of the entire guild. All the members of Fairy Tail were looking at them now. The fighting and talking died down and was replaced by whistling and shouting. Chants and cheers could be heard. Once the kissing was done, Lucy turned to Juvia to brag. But Juvia didn't seem angry at all, she was even smiling.

"Juvia is happy for Gray-sama and Lucy!" Juvia happily exclaimed.

"WHAT?" Gray and Lucy said in unison.

"But what about the threatening and the stalking?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, Juvia planned those. Juvia knew if Juvia threatened Lucy and if Gray-sama heard it, it would turn out great. Juvia saw it in a movie with my boyfirend."

"What about the stalking?" Gray hooked his arm around Lucy's waist. Lucy seemed like she was about to faint.

"Juvia saw it in the movie too."

"So, what you're saying is: you planned all this stuff to get us together?" Lucy added.

"Yes." Juvia exclaimed.

"I'm so embarrassed and so grateful at the same time. Sorry and thank you, Juvia." Lucy said.

"Juvia is happy to help Gray-sama and Lucy."

"Maybe you should just have had set us up on a date. Instead all of this movie stuff." Gray stated.

"Juvia wanted to be entertained." Juvia showed them a huge grin.

"Well, thank you. Now, I can be with Lucy." Gray looked at Lucy passionately.

"Juvia has to go." Juvia waved her hand and went towards the front door as if she was meeting with someone.

"Did you hear her say boyfriend?" Lucy looked into Gray's eyes. Gray just gave her a nod.

"JUVIA! WAIT! I want to see your boyfriend!" Lucy was about to run but was stopped by two muscular hands encircling around her waist. Gray leaned into Lucy's ear until his lips were touching Lucy's earlobes. Lucy could feel Gray's breath on her and it made her shiver. She couldn't stop herself from falling towards Gray.

"Juvia can wait. Me, on the other hand, can't wait to know how good you are on bed." Gray smirked while Lucy blushed like a tomato. Gray carried her bridal style and went into Lucy's house to do their business.