AN: Surprised? Me too. I wrote this today, on the bus. LOL

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Much Stronger Than Forever

Part II

Chapter Eight – Terrified

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"You said it again my heart's in motion

Every word feels like a shooting star

I'm at the edge of my emotions

Watching the shadows burning in the dark,

And I'm in love and I'm terrified.

For the first time in the last time

In my only life."

Katharine McPhee feat Zachary Levi – Terrified

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Juvia became used to spend time with Gray during the following week, always making plans to do something the next day and the Water Mage found herself more and more eager to see him and she couldn't deny the feel of butterflies in her stomach whenever he was close. It was so foreign for her to feel that way about a man she didn't even know; everyone else swore that they knew each other more than anything and Juvia couldn't deny that she had felt a connection from the start.

During those days Gray, mostly, filled her in on what she had done for the past two years from his perspective and she got even more details from her history than when she had spoken with Gajeel and by the way Gray told her, it appeared that they were always fighting together for one reason or another.

He said he didn't mind her help, but often he got worried about her safety because usually their foes were very strong and when he told her that, Juvia could feel her heart beat faster and a sensation of heat flood her cheeks. What was happening to her?

During their time together around town, he often took her to places that even though were filled with people, it also provided some sense of intimacy; they tried to go to the Guild that afternoon, though, but the moment she stepped inside people surrounded her and started to talk at the same time - all the faces and names turned into a blur and, seeing the panic on her face, Gray asked them to back off and took her away from there.

Usually, she would've hidden her fears like a master, but without much, Gray had the skill to know what she was feeling – he had the advantage of knowing her for two years longer than she knew him, it wasn't a fair competition – and Juvia found herself telling him about what she was feeling and the sentiment was as of fear as of relief at the same time; he knew her, after all, but she didn't know him. Not like her older self did.

To leave the mess of their Guild behind, Gray decided to take her to a pond just on the outskirts of town, where people went to get some quiet time - she sure needed it after meeting Fairy Tail in full worried state.

"I'm sorry about that back in Fairy Tail." Gray told her after they were far enough of the mess that was their Guild. "They were worried about you and with Gajeel and I threatening them to give you space or else, they probably thought we killed you and hid your body, so, seeing you was kind of a relief to them."

Juvia couldn't help but to giggle at his words. "You and Gajeel-kun working together even to hide a body would be surprising." Juvia had seen, more than once, when Gray appeared to pick her up to their outings, how the Dragon Slayer and Ice Mage bickered.

"There are reasons we would work together." Gray stared at her with intensity for a moment before turning his attention back to their path around the pond a secluded park. "If he'd been there when we got you from your kidnappers, though, I don't think that son of a bitch could've handled me and Gajeel beating him up at the same time for what he had done to you. I guess it was better he arrived later on."

Juvia saw a shadow pass through Gray's eyes and even though Gajeel had told her what he knew happened to her, he wasn't there, but Gray were.

At that point, she had been afraid to ask, to be honest. She was afraid to learn what truly happened during those days she was held captive, thinking it was for the best she couldn't remember. But, horrible or not, it had been a part of her new self's life and if Juvia wanted to understand this new life, she needed to know it all.

"Gray-kun..." Juvia asked quietly and saw his jaw clench, like it always did when she called him that (she was told by Levy-san that she used to call him "-sama" instead). "What really happened during those days? Gajeel-kun wasn't of much help in that aspect. Juvia knows the basics, but..." Gray stopped walking and Juvia did the same. "I need to know."

Gray stared at her for a long time, maybe deciding if he ought to tell her or if she was better not knowing. Finally, he shrugged. "You were amazing."

Okay, that was so not what she was expecting to hear.

"What?" Juvia frowned in confusion.

"You managed to keep your faith that we would come for you, kept the other girls' hopes up, came up with a plan to contact us and even bruised and scarred, when we arrived there, you had beaten the hell out of the Boss and pretty much saved yourself from that bastard." Gray told her. "Sure, we had a hand on it by undoing the runes that surrounded the place, but if we had done only that, you would've fought your way out and would come out whipping ass all the way back to us, leading the other girls to freedom, because that's the type of person you are."

Juvia blinked twice in surprise before he spoke again. "I, on the other hand, was completely useless: wanted to break things, to kill anyone who dared to take you away because I had just realized how important you are to me. And even when I managed to rescue you, you already saved yourself and all I did was to rough up that bastard a bit. So, even though I was fucking terrified, you were amazing."

Juvia felt her eyes burn with tears and she tried to blink them away as she saw him suddenly get uncomfortable with his confession - she knew he was not a heartfelt confession kind of guy, but his words left her completely warm inside while it appeared that his cheeks were the warm ones instead.

He cleared his throat and turned to the pond they had been circling while talking. "Hey, wanna do something fun?"

Juvia knew he was trying to lighten the mood up and nodded, drying a stray tear - she hadn't cried in so long, not with her eyes. Gray smiled and, with a movement, froze the pond with his magic.

"Come on." He waved so she could get closer and, confused, she did just that. Gray kneeled in front of her and grabbed her ankle, lifting it slightly and using his magic again to create a blade of ice underneath her shoe and she gasped in surprise. "Hold on." Gray said as she put her foot back on the ground and Juvia leaned down to grab his shoulders for support and after seeing that she was not going to fall, Gray did the same with the other shoe.

"What...?" She asked, still using him as support as he slowly got up from the ground.

"We're ice skating." Gray informed her and, with an incredible sense of gravity, lifted his foot and then the other, using his magic each time to create ice blades of his own.

"We're gonna fall!" Juvia exclaimed when he started to move towards the frozen pond.

"I'm here with you. Come on." Gray offered his hand and with some hesitance, she removed it from his shoulder and followed him with trembling legs, still using him to not fall. "There you go."

"Juvia doesn't know what to do." She told him once they reached the pond.

"Let me guide you." Gray said simply and the blunette, even doubtful they were not going to fall, let him take the lead..

It took Gray a while to teach her everything there was to know about skating without follow and he thought it was highly amusing to see her concentrated expression as she tried not to fall.

Being a fast learner, Juvia was free of Gray's hands in no time and she giggled gleefully as she skated a few meters away from him without slipping or falling and the Ice Mage couldn't help but to smile himself and skate towards her.

"This is fun!" Juvia exclaimed in excitement.

"Lyon and I used to freeze the town's lake all the time when we were kids just to skate." Gray chuckled as he skated beside her. "It was one of the few things I had to make me forget about my revenge. I've liked ever since."

"Juvia can see why." Her smile widened and when Gray was about to answer her, a blast of wind caught them off guard, making her hat fly away. "My hat!" Juvia exclaimed and try to catch it, but lost balance instead.

Gray, seeing the disaster bound to happen, reached for her, but instead of preventing the fall, she pulled him down.

"Damn it." He swore, feeling the hard ice underneath him.

"Ouch." Juvia said and Gray turned and saw the blunette on her back, a hand touching the back of her head and he got worried right away.

"Juvia!" Gray exclaimed and scooted closer to the fallen girl as she made some kind of noise he couldn't identify. "Are you okay?"

"It's been years since I've had a bump in the head." Juvia let out a pained chuckle. "Juvia is more used of bumping people instead."

Gray let out a breath of relief to know that she wasn't so bad. "I should take a look at it."

"Well, the treatment is to ice on it, Juvia will say that we're good so far." She waved towards the frozen pond. "Here is good."

"Are you sure?" Gray asked, worried as he leaned over her to try to take a look on her bump.

"Yes." She nodded and Gray sighed in resignation: she was right, the ice would help out a lot.

"Sorry you fell. It was my fault." He mumbled and Juvia shook her head.

"Juvia had fun, don't worry." She shrugged. "As soon as she is up, Juvia will try again."

"No surprises there; you don't give up, otherwise you would've left me alone a long time ago." Gray rolled his eyes, propping himself over one elbow and for a few seconds, Juvia stared at him strangely, as if she was trying to figure something out. "What is it?" Gray frowned after a moment.

"Oh." She breathed.

Worried, Gray asked "Are you alright?"

"It… it happened again." She mumbled, looking at him wide eyed.

"What did?"

"I'm… I'm not sure, but" she gulped "I think Juvia has fallen in love with you again."

Gray's eyes widened in surprise and everything but them seemed to have stilled. There were no sounds of the birds chirping close by, the fading noise from the town nearby, only the two of them, lying down on a frozen pond. "You… what?"

Juvia reached for his cheek and touched it with hesitation. "Is this it? Is this how the other me felt when she realized she loved you?" She whispered. "Like you were the sun she expected but never got?"

"Juvia..." Gray breathed, unable to tear his eyes from hers, they were the eyes of the person he loved and she was telling him that even after losing memories of him, she still loved him back.

"I don't know if this is an old feeling creeping out again, but..." The blunette said. "I think it's love. Again."

Gray didn't know what to say, so, he did what he knew best: he acted.

His lips crashed with hers with an urgency he didn't know he could feel towards anyone. She loved him! And it didn't matter if she never got her memories of him back, because she fell in love with him again and maybe he fell a little for her old self as well.

She. Loved. Him.

So, he kissed her, again and again because just like a few days ago, it could be the last time and if she objected being pressed against a frozen pond while he kissed her until neither could breathe, just to kiss her again, she didn't complain.

"Gray-sama." She muttered when their lips parted for the fifth time and the man stopped midway to kiss her again.

"What did you call me?" He asked; maybe he heard wrong.

Juvia seemed confused for a moment and then it dawned her why he stopped. "Gray-sama." The blunette told him.

"Do you remember me?" He asked.

"Maybe. I don't know." Juvia answered. "It's all confused in my head." She made a pained face and then grabbed the sides of her head. Gray was suddenly up and with her in his arms, feeling terrified that something was wrong. That maybe they did something wrong.

"Let's go to Polyuska."

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AN: Did you miss me?

Thanks to: shadowswithouthope, Wow, Guest, Guest, iamsassy112, Guest, amarin, StealthyMaster, Guest, strawhatgirl, beanie hats, njdaphne, nessa2302, missmelxx, arvi-chan, moonfairy014, goatgod, TheLittleKittyMeows, anchooovyy, Aya-himexX, gruvialover, DoomedToBeACrazyFanGirlForever, BrigitteoO, .Oujo.1967, Guest, NollyLvn, memeMe, JoshTyron29, Duchess K, otaku03, fyriagita, Anani00, NelielNyx, ColdBurn-3, SeptemberGurl, majinbuu00, siriuslight, Contrail, Darkhope, Mrs Murasaki-sama, PandaPrincess42, sparkles princess, mgaa, GreenWolf82 and Tiffy-chan858, who reviewed! I hope you liked the fluffiness of the chapter! :)

(Really, this came out of the blue. I was riding the bus to work and the next thing I knew, I was typing the chapter. Sorry about the mistakes and OOCness!)

12/03/2014 ~ BonneyQ