Author's Note: This is almost 10,000 words, wow, this took much longer than expected but this is one of my favorite fics I've ever written.

Anyway please read and review! :) And check my other stories/oneshots! I worked almost a week on this lol. Oh, and of course, nothing belongs to me but the plot.

"It's always been you, every time."

Gray Fullbuster had a very well-known reputation, not just in Fairy Tail and Magnolia, but all of Fiore. Since joining in a team with the infamous salamander, Natsu Dragneel, his exceed, Happy, fiery celestial spirit mage, Lucy Heartfilia, and almighty Titania, Erza Scarlet, Gray's rowdy, but powerful reputation spread like wildfire. Younger boys aspired to become ice make mages, and surpassing Gray in strength and skill. Girls and women of all ages swooned at his name and longed for him to notice them when he would go to various towns for jobs. Several members of other guilds, both light and dark wanted to challenge him to a fight, with hope that maybe some day the S-class mage would be beaten. Though in Magnolia and all of Fiore he was known as a heartthrob, one of the most powerful mages around, and an inspiration, he still held the reputation for being one of the coldest, and uncaring wizards.

However, anyone in Fairy Tail could challenge that accusation. Gray, being raised in difficult and tragic circumstances like many of the other members in his guild, maintained his distant demeanor to avoid too close contact. Though he tried his best to avoid being too close to anyone, it did not stop the blue-haired water mage, Juvia Lockser, from falling madly, and irrevocably in love with him.

Juvia first met Gray when she was a dark mage for Phantom. She remembered first setting eyes on Gray and falling in love with him parts of him she didn't even know about. She remembered how cool he looked, his light icy skin glowing under the rain, the fire in his eyes, and how she immediately submitted loss to him to avoid hurting him. Juvia felt the a spark ignite in her that made her cheeks flush red just looking at him standing in front of her. She had turned around, clutching her heart in confusion, flustered, and yet wanting to look at him more. Gray was so beautiful to her.

Regardless of her refusal to fight, they had matched each other's skills in an intense ice vs. water battle. She was so sure he would let her die, but he didn't. It was not only his handsome face and fit body that had her in a trance; he was the first person who was truly kind to her. He showed her mercy after their fight, and made her feel pure bliss in the rain just lying down next to him. She felt like it would be okay to be under, and the cause of the rain because Gray liked it, and did not mind like all people she met did. And for that, she felt she indebted her life to him; not as a slave however. Juvia wanted to be there for any struggles he had to be his shoulder to cry on, or to just be a lending ear to vent to. She wanted to be the first person he would want to talk to, see, if not think about, as well as the last. She wanted to thank him everyday for being there for her and for bringing her out of the dark place she was in before joining Fairy Tail. She wanted him to take her comical confessions of love towards him seriously, and ultimately, she wanted him to love her as much as she loved him. Gray brought light to her rain, and Juvia wanted to be the sun and the moon to him.

Though he constantly fought with Natsu and often got caught in a dogfight between all the male members of the guild, it was all for fun and never personal. As much as Gray loved working in his group on guilds who also served as his closest friends, he could never bring himself to share any deeper emotions than that with anyone, whether in terms of friendship, or romance. And that, was his biggest fall.

Today, Gray's reputation as the cool and mighty S-class ice make mage was shot. He had been a wreck for over two months. Lyon had announced then at a dinner party consisting of Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus, that Juvia had accepted his wedding proposal, and Gray immediately fled the scene with no words. All he remembered in the corner of his teary eye was Juvia sitting in her seat next to Lyon, not sparing him a glance with her eyes set on the floor. Upon running outside the guild, Gray looked up and thanked the heavens for the sudden pour of rain. The rain felt too familiar. It was the same rain that poured during his first fight with Juvia. Being followed by Juvia everywhere, he had already gained the ability to distinguish which was the heaven's rain, or was Juvia's tears falling from the sky. During their first meeting, it was a time of anger, hurt, and betrayal for her, and he already knew these heavy drops were her cries. But what did she have to be sad about, he wondered. Juvia finally had the chance to marry someone who gave her more love than what she could do with. She had a chance to be with someone who was better than him. He had no reason to thank the heavens for the rain after all.

The day was here. Juvia and Lyon would be married in the Magnolia cathedral that evening. Makarov will serve as her fatherly figure and would give her away. Sherry and Chelia would serve as bridesmaids on Lyon's behalf, along with Erza, Lucy, Levy, and Meredy. Gajeel and Natsu were assigned to the duty as groomsmen on Juvia's behalf, along with Jura, Toby, and Yuka. Asuka, Bisca and Alzack's daughter would be the flower girl, and Wendy and Romeo were assigned to present the bride and groom's rings.

The cathedral was a spectacular sight. It was a sunny day, and Mirajane and Ultear had designed together a truly beautiful setting for Juvia and Lyon. Each pew had a white satin seat cover, lined with aqua blue and silver to compliment both the bride and groom's color preference. They had the same color scheme with the chains of flowers that linked from pew to pew. The flowers were various colors of blue, yellow, and white. Asuka was to throw red and white rose petals onto the red velvet carpet leading up to the center-front of the cathedral. Back at Fairy Tail, the party following the exchange was set up in the same scheme in the formal hall. The cake was about 10 feet tall, 5 feet wide in pure white with decorations of blue. The tables and everything down to the cutlery and plates were blue, white, and silver; it was truly a wedding for a water and ice mage.

Nearly everyone was in their respective places while waiting for the wedding to commence. The bridesmaids were with Juvia in a separate room, making last minute adjustments, as Lyon was with his men. While Lyon paced the room nervously, Toby was still trying to figure out how to make his tie, who was shortly helped by Yuka, and Gajeel sat in a loveseat in the middle of the room, bored, and slowly losing his patience. With all the commotion, Gray stared at himself through the floor-length mirror in a sharp white tuxedo. His entire suit was white, apart from his black vest on top of his white dress shirt. His tie was the same color blue as Juvia's hair, and his shoes were black and polished well.

Gray frowned miserably at the sight. Lyon had asked him to be his best man, blissfully ignorant of Gray's unspoken, and now unrequited feelings for Juvia. As much as Gray wanted to decline, and beat Lyon to a pulp for stealing her away from him, he knew it was wrong. Wrong, because Lyon had considered him a brother, and wrong, because Juvia was never his from the start to claim. All Gray could do, and all he has been doing for the past few months, was mentally beat himself up over not telling Juvia how he truly felt about her. He had only come to terms and admitted his feelings for Juvia after the Grand Magic Games.

Gray's only thoughts after the games was Juvia's horrified face when he was brutally attacked, and practically dead in an instant. She instantly began bawling with such tenacity in her eyes, that it frightened, yet saddened Gray. He knew that of all people, she had cared for him most, and loved him the most. It was a spectacle. He had warned Juvia and pushed her out of the way when they were ambushed, taking all of the hits that would have sent Juvia to her grave. Instead, Gray took them for her, and though he did not regret it, he wondered why. When Ultear sacrificed herself rewinding the world one minute, he managed to save himself seeing the outcome of the next upcoming minute. The rest of the day, Gray fought along her side in unison, protecting her, and Juvia finally got to see the side of him that truly respected, admired, and trusted her as a mage and as a whole being. Though her antics of comical swooning over him continued, he went home that day with the door behind his back, falling down to his knees, and bawled over how much he hurt Juvia over the years, who patiently waited, practically years for her feelings to be returned. Gray wept inconsolably for the first time since his beloved mentor, Ur's death, and all that came in vision was Juvia's radiant smile; she had more strength than anyone he knew. He wept the more he thought about her smile, and how much pain he must have brought her.

Though Gray finally understood his love for Juvia, he could never bring himself to confess to her. He waited for the right time to be alone with her, when she was serious and not in the middle of one of her fantasies. He wanted her full attention, and for her to understand why it took so long for him to come to conclusion with his internal battle of his feelings. But the time never came, and the clock stopped.

Shortly after the games, Juvia had given up denying Lyon's offer for a date. She had no reason to say no. Her only motive to keep her from saying no was the hope that Gray would return her feelings back. With no confession and his demeanor the same towards her, regardless of how much she thought their relationship had progressed during the games, Juvia's patience of waiting years had run out. And at the time, Juvia was glad she let go of Gray and gave Lyon the chance he had been yearning for.

Lyon treated her like a queen. Their first date was at a beach resort, and out of respect, he didn't rent a room for them like she suspected he would. They enjoyed a day under the sun, and in the water where he allowed Juvia to show off her water mage powers. He clapped and gave her a large grin whenever she would perform one of her abilities, and Juvia smiled at the fact that someone was actually admiring her for the powerful mage she was, not wanting to take advantage of her in any way. His behavior went unchanged. Lyon would participate in any date ideas she had, he would help her train and vice versa to help each other understand the strengths and weaknesses they had, and he was the first to confess his love to her. Juvia knew when he had truly confessed his love for her, because it wasn't the usual comical confession that he would give before, like she gave Gray before. Lyon had his eyes locked onto her, his hand grasping her hand that he placed over his heart, and he gave her a look that she wanted to replay forever. Only Juvia didn't want that look from Lyon; she still wanted it from Gray. But Juvia accepted his confession, and eventually his proposal anyway. Over time, she really began to develop feelings for Lyon; he was great to her, and she loved him. But Juvia still pondered everyday after accepting if she was truly in love with him or not.

Juvia's uncertainty and Gray's hopelessness overcame the great relationship they had built up in the past few years since she joined Fairy Tail. She had loved him since she was 17 and he was 18, and now, over a year past the Tenroujima incident at 25 and 26, Juvia no longer possessed the strength to wait for him as much as she wanted to. So in her room, she sat at the balcony seat in silence, while Gray made the last touch to his suit.

He continued to carry the plastered frown on his face while examining himself. Gray felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at the mirror to see his best friend/enemy, Natsu giving him a small sympathetic smile. "You're going to be alright, Gray."

Natsu had known almost immediately of Gray's feelings about Juvia and her engagement when he stormed out the room, and he had chased after him. When Natsu had found him, he wanted to chuckle because seeing Gray on his knees, head down in the rain was too dramatic like a movie, but he sympathized, and kept silent as he made the same gesture as now, placing a hand on his shoulder. There in the rain, the two had stood silently, Gray's tears being disguised by the rain crashing down on him. And like it was then, Gray just gave a small, forced smile to Natsu.

With that, Natsu patted his back and left to gather the groomsmen. The wedding was ready to start in ten minutes and they had to get into position. Gray turned from the mirror and walked towards the door, before being stopped by Lyon. While the other men left to the alter, Gray had his back to his brother and didn't speak for a few seconds. The silence was eerie. Gray was expecting a small vent about how nervous he was like he had done for the others, but the words that came from Lyon's mouth were a surprise.

"I'm sorry."

Gray gulped. He had felt a large lump in his throat, blocking his breathing, and soon, some water followed in the corner of his eyes. But he would never let Lyon see him struggle. Gray nodded without a word, though his strength to keep from weeping again was weakening the more Lyon's words rang in his head. 'Guess he knew all along', Gray thought to himself, his head hanging low. He headed towards the guild's small garden for a walk by himself before getting into position.

In this time, seconds before the bride's arrival, all the men in line to Lyon's left. Music began to play in anticipation of the bride, and Lyon stood tall at the front while many of the guests, that included all of the lights guilds in Fiore and Magnolia citizens, stared at him and the setting in awe. Nearly all members of the light guilds attended the ceremony. Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale had jurisdiction over the seats in front of the alter, and both guilds were awaiting the much anticipated moment in both joy, shock, and indifference.

"I'm still not really convinced," Cana pouted with a furrowed eyebrow, sulking in her seat. She was whispering amongst her father, Gildarts, who returned for the day from traveling to attend, all the Strauss siblings, Laxus, and of course, the Raijinshuu. Cana, was one of the few who was highly skeptical and uncaring of the wedding between Lyon and Juvia. She, Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gajeel, and Meredy were the only ones who were privately consoled by either Gray or Juvia of their uncertainty and grief, or felt a missed connection between the two still.

Mirajane was also one of the few who believed that Gray and Juvia were truly meant to be together, but being the positive woman she was, she chuckled, "Don't say that, Cana. I'm sure they're both in this together. They love each other, why else would they be here...right?"

She began sweating nervously when everyone around her didn't respond and looked away in disapproval. Much of Fairy Tail still believed, and claimed to still see how much Juvia still loved Gray. As for Gray loving Juvia? Only Natsu, Erza, and Lucy understood the situation and how sad he felt for finally understanding what it was like to love someone who did not reciprocate the same feelings back.

The orchestra began to play, signaling the walk of the bridesmaids, and eventually the bride. All guests sat up in their seat, the only person out of place being Jason, the overly-excited editor and photographer of The Weekly Sorcerer. Lyon and his men had straightened up and Lyon gleamed in anticipation of seeing his future wife. He had wild fantasies about this day, but he never believed he stood a chance because of Gray. He shook off the thought and watched as the bridesmaids walked in a single file line slowly behind one another.

First in line was Chelia. She wore the same uniform dress as the other girls in a sleek, fitting, one shoulder dress that fell to the floor. It was a silver with blue jewels along the breast line to sleeve. Simple, yet elegant, and she secretly thanked Juvia for picking out a decent dress for them. Following her was her older cousin, Sherry who was too busy smiling at her boyfriend, Ren from Blue Pegasus in the crowd. Levy was next behind her who blushed as she got closer to the alter and saw Gajeel's stare. Lucy and Erza were next in line. Lucy fell into Natsu's trance as they continued to be engrossed in each other's eyes. She disliked when Natsu stared at her for amusement, but they looked at each other in awe. Erza wondered as she situated herself in her position what her wedding with Jellal would look like. Jellal was still in disguise and hiding so he was unable to make it. Erza gave a small frown in disappointment until she saw a familiar staff and head mask in the Fairy Tail seating area. Though he still carried the staff and covered his face with the mask, Erza instantly recognized Jellal in Mystogan's attire and felt him smiling underneath. Lastly, Meredy approached the alter as Juvia's first bridemaid. Though Meredy and Juvia fought to nearly death the first time they met, their relationship blossomed and she became Juvia's closest friend. Meredy only smiled at Ultear, who sat a few seats away from Jellal. The women were lined up with their partner; Chelia with Yuka, Sherry with Toby, Levy with Gajeel, Lucy with Natsu, Erza with Jura, and lastly, Meredy with Gray. Meredy took a glance at Gray who was expressionless; Juvia was constantly telling Meredy of her uncertainty about the wedding, but now Meredy understood the feeling was mutual from both parties.

This was the moment. The tone of the music changed and all the guests stood from their seats and faced the cathedral doors. Many of the guests looked at each other in excitement for their friend, whether they were coming from Juvia or Lyon's side. Only a few members in Fairy Tail were married, and Bisca and Alzack were the only wed couple within the guild. Soon, Juvia would join the party of the wedded.

Juvia stood at the end of the laid carpet next to Master Makarov, who could only offer his hand to hold hers in attempt to compensate for the height difference. Her white, satin, sleeveless gown hugged her curves well. It was a simple gown with a sweetheart cut down the chest, and she wore matching white gloves up to her elbow to pull the piece together. On top of her head was a small beret resembling a tiara that held up her veil masking her face. Juvia's hair was curl-ironed into loose waves just how she liked it when she had decided to become a newer version of herself, or Juvia version 2.0, as she liked to call it. Her makeup was lighter than usual, and she wore no jewelry. She was dressed rather simply for such a formal wedding, but Lyon still felt his jaw drop a little at the sight of her walking closer to him, and he wondered how he was so lucky to even have a chance to be someone to her.

The attendees admired her silently; women were cooing and squealing amongst themselves, some members were crying, and Obaba of Lamia Scale was spinning one of her guild members whilst wiping her joyful tears away. Everyone took a seat as soon as the bride reached the front of the alter, where Lyon had lifted her veil in order to reveal her face. She wore a melancholic, and yet satisfied expression, finally looking up from the ground to meet with her loving fiance's. He gave her a small in return to put her at ease from the cold feet he thought she was having. "You're as stunning as ever."

Juvia and Lyon turned to minister who smiled down at the couple as he began this everlasting ritual.

"We have come together in the presence of Our Creator and these witnesses to join you, Juvia Lockser, and you, Lyon Vastia, in holy matrimony. This is a special time of celebration that the two of you will long remember, and because of this, we are grateful to share in your joy."

'Grateful,' Juvia repeated the word in her head, feeling sick to her stomach. 'Joy.'

The minister continued, "Marriage is a serious commitment meant for your welfare and enjoyment. Marriage also offers each of you the opportunity to grow together as a couple and as unique individuals."

This is what she already had with Lyon. Admittedly, she was thankful for the great relationship she had with him and how much he had helped shaped her into the better woman and mage she was now. Marriage was just an official bond being made, right?

"In each of you, Our Creator has planted an idea of how you would like to be treated in a loving marriage. This idea is a seed of desire that requires each of you to give to the other in constant and consistent positive behavior that reflects your desired results. Only then can these seeds, these ideas, come to fruition, manifest in reality, and deliver abundantly. If these solemn vows which you are about to make are kept faithfully, your marriage will surely prosper in all the goodness you both desire," the minister recited before gesturing the couple together. "Please face each other and join hands."

"Lyon Vastia, do you have anything you would like to say to Juvia Lockser before we begin?" he asked, which was the welcome for the vows. Lyon beamed at the opportunity and nodded, taking a deep breath.

'No. Juvia is not ready for this,' she thought to herself, dreading, whilst she took a long blink before opening her shrouding eyes to Lyon's naïve, loving eyes.

"It's so useless for me to say all this because I would sound like a broken record repeating everything like a song, but if it's music you want to hear, I will keep singing it, and singing it, until you press stop," Lyon chuckled. "When I first laid eyes on you, I literally asked you and myself if this was true love at first sight. As cliché as it was, and still is, I fell in love with you from day one. You gave me a lost daze when you noticed me staring at you, and I thought I had messed up my first impression."

The attendees had laughed with Lyon and he continued.

"It's still very hard for me to believe that I had even a slight chance with you because I know how hard it is for you to give all of you up to someone else," Lyon's large grin faded into a gentle smile and Juvia recognized his change in voice. Lyon did not mean this to say that it was hard for her to love someone; she knew that Lyon meant that it was hard for her to give her heart to him because her heart was no longer hers to give away. Her chest began to ache but she continued to listen.

He went on, "I know I was never your first choice, but if I had to rewind back to the times when you wouldn't even spare a second glance at me, just to get you to fall in love with me all over again every day, I will do it for you. I will give my life, and the next to make sure you are happy because nobody truly deserves happiness and a second chance more than you," Lyon pushed the falling veil off her face and gave her the gentle smile that she could stare at her entire life. Juvia's breathing became harsh.

"I will make sure that the silverware will never be put into the glass cups because I know it is your biggest pet peeve. I will make sure that you have an equal amount of meat when you make your sandwiches because I know that 'odd numbers are ugly'," he joked with her, quoting her on another one of her peeves, and she managed a giggle remembering how long it took for him to master how to make her sandwiches properly. "I will make sure that you are under arms and protected during thunderstorms, I will make sure that there is always fish crackers and red wine at home because they're your guilty pleasures, and I will make sure you always carry an umbrella with you wherever your path may take you because I know that nothing makes you feel sadder than the rain," he took her hands and kissed both the backs of her palms.

Juvia couldn't resist any longer. Tears began to drip, then stream down her pale face and she whimpered with each breath she tried to take. Lyon had embedded everything about her into his mind and he loved her unconditionally. 'Lyon loves Juvia so much. Juvia is so sorry,' she cried to herself internally, which only made her cry more externally.

Lyon's genuine words and Juvia's tears provoked the audience. More cried audibly or began to tear up. Gray turned his attention away from the couple. He never proved to Juvia, or even showed or told her how much he loved her, and cared for her, yet here his brother was, doing everything right that he had never done. Gray knew how much Lyon deserved Juvia.

"I will make sure that anything that annoys you will never be done, and that everything you love is done for you at least once a day. I will make sure that you are adored, cherished, trusted, and loved through any storm, moment of uncertainty, or any moment you need to remember what a wonderful woman you are. I am sorry for any pain I may have caused you, or didn't see you endured on your own, but assure you that a real man will take care of you from this day on. I love you, Juvia Lockser. You are my rock, and my strength. Thank you for giving me the chance to experience this world with you and for showing me beauty from a different lighting, changing my views for the better, and for molding me into the man I am today. I wish I could be a better man, and I wish I could be more for you, but I know at the end, that is still not enough," Lyon finished and he gave her a gentle look that said, 'it's okay.' Juvia didn't understand. But his words took her breath away. She did not realize how much he loved everything about her, and how much positive impact she had on him. Juvia felt guilty.

The guild members continued to cry silently over Lyon's vow. It was so easy to distinguish between the two who loved one more than the other, and how much Lyon gave of himself to Juvia. Lyon was Gray's brother, raised from the same circumstances and endured the same type of pain, if not worse after they went their own ways; yet he still gave all of himself, leaving himself vulnerable. Juvia began to hurt and cried more hot tears hearing his last words. Her guilt took over and she wished so badly that she could return every last of his feelings, deeper and stronger. But she could not bring herself to do so, even until now.

"Please don't cry, my love," Lyon whispered, only loud enough for her to hear. "This is our big day," he paused for a second, "pardon, my big day."

With that, he turned to face the minister, signaling him to continue with the ceremony. Juvia was shocked. What did he mean? This was also Juvia's day. Was it not? Incredulous and dumbfounded, she turned to the minister as well, glancing up at Lyon with a worried expression.

The minister went on, "Juvia Lockser, do you have anything you would like to say to Lyon Vastia before we begin?"

Juvia was still staring at Lyon's profile. He held a poker face, but gave her a tiny smile in anticipation of her vow. She blinked away the tears in her eyes and could feel her lips still pouting. Lyon gazed down at her and gave her a nod.

Juvia murmured, "Juvia is sorry," she apologized with a frown. A ball had formed in her throat. "Juvia loves Lyon."

Gray felt his hand clench into a fist upon hearing the words. He had hoped for the possibility that she still loved him deep down. But that hope was useless. Gray heard the words he needed to know that she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. 'Why would she anyway,' Gray thought to himself, releasing his clench and feeling a single tear stream down his cheek. He quickly nudged his arm against his face and scratched his nose to mask the fact he hid his pain. But it was not quick enough.

Lyon would not give Juvia his usual warm, pearly smile. He still gave her the same small smile and whispered back in response to her vow, "I know Juvia does."

She felt relieved to know that Lyon knew this and she smiled from cheek-to-cheek. The couple turned back to the minister and asked him to continue on and he did. "Before we unite these two in holy matrimony, are there any objections? Speak now, or may they forever hold their peace."

This was the moment that could change everything. Things could be proven, hearts could be broken and mend, and everyone had set their eyes on Gray and the couple to see who would speak up and confess their undying, unrequited love first. The majority had their eyes glued onto Gray who look down at the floor, knowing that if he looked up, all he would do is break down from expectations not being met and chances being missed. Gray refused to look up, and Juvia could see him in the corner of her eyes. He rarely had his head up during the wedding, and she was almost expecting something from him; half of her wanted to forget all about Gray and the other half prayed that there was still a chance of she and him being together. But these two seconds gave them their answer.

"I object."

These two words came from the last person expected. They came from Lyon, who had closed his eyes to hold back tears. Gasps came from the attendees and soon whispering about the objection followed. Gray's head shot up and he had his usual angry demeanor, but this time, with a hint of confusion and sadness.

"Oh, this is interesting," the minister said nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Lyon still had the small smile kept on his face and he turned to meet eyes with Juvia who had buried her face in the palms of her hands. She began to weep loudly, sniffles, hiccups, and whimpers escaping her. Her cries had summoned the heavy rain and thunder. The rain began to crash hard on the cathedral roofs, and the thunder had startled some of the guests.

Lyon could only chuckle. Though he hated to see her sad and upset, he would not falter. He removed her hands away from her face only to see her face stained with her makeup and her frown. Lyon knew he was the reason for her sadness now, but it would be worth it.

"No more tears, Juvia. You already knew this was coming. I told you, it was my day, right? I wish I could say it was our day," he wiped the black stains off his fiancee's face, cupping her cheeks. "But I know it is not your day because you do not belong here. As much as I want to be the man that will do all the things I said, I can't be. I will still be here for you to watch over you and love you from afar, but I will not hold you back from your destiny because I choose to be selfish. You know where you belong and where your heart is. I wish it was mine because I would become infinite with it, but it is not, and that's okay," he caressed her cheek and Juvia squeezed the hands that held her dearly as she tried to hold back her whimpers.

"Repeat after me," Lyon asked under his breath, "Say, 'it's okay'."

Juvia swallowed hard and squeezed his hands tighter. She nuzzled one cheek against his palm and felt her lips quiver. "It's okay."

The rain still poured, but did not crash down so harshly anymore. Lyon smiled in satisfaction at her response. "Good," Lyon said. "I'm sorry. I love you, Juvia. Please forgive me. I know your destiny is not tied with me, and this is our answer. You will always be my first everything."

Following his last words, Lyon took her face gently and kissed her forehead like he would do every night he slept at her place. She began to cry a new wave of tears at his comfortable, familiar touch that she would never feel again. He turned, and released her hand as he walked down the aisle and out the cathedral into the carriage that would have escorted them to the party.

Juvia stood in silence with the crowd who was astonished at the sight. It was a wedding full of surprises and nobody knew how to handle the situation or what to say to Juvia, Lyon, or Gray. A few seconds after the shock kicked in, Juvia kicked off her heels and ran out the cathedral.

"Lyon!" she cried loudly, fighting the loud thunder and rain, looking around desperately outside of the cathedral for any sight of him. No carriage, no witnesses, no life. She had let him slip through her fingers in a matter of seconds. Juvia continued to scream out his name and the more hurt she felt crying out, the harder the rain began to fall again, and the louder the thunder roared.

Inside the cathedral, the attendees listened in silence to Juvia's cries and nobody knew whether they should step outside and bring her in to console, or to leave her alone. Gray was more at a lost for words. Would he be the last person she wanted to see, or the first? But for now, he did, and said nothing like the rest of the guests who looked down and listened to Juvia's eerie cries.

The harsh rain and thunder would not stop, meaning Juvia was still in the same stage as when Lyon had left. Erza had gone outside about fifteen minutes after, and Juvia was nowhere to be seen. She had called her name repeatedly and received no answer, making her worried. She had announced Juvia's disappearance to all the guests who immediately rose to go out and find her. It had been almost thirty minutes since Lyon left, and the guild members scattered all over the city to find her. Most had gone back to Lamia Scale, hoping to see that she was there with Lyon. Lyon was back at Lamia Scale, and he said she never came by in that time.

Some checked at Lyon's home, others had gone to their designated honeymoon spot, and a few members of Fairy Tail stayed indoors hoping she was there, or would return back there. All were worried about Juvia in this state of devastation, especially being around the rain and thunder. The only places they figured she would be is with Lyon, at his home, at her home, or at Fairy Tail. The last place she would be is outside under the rain. They lost hope slowly upon knowing that she was not found at any of the spots they checked.

Gray was at Fairy Tail and checked in with Makarov. "Is she in her dorm room? The mess hall?"

Makarov shook his head. "No one is home. I sent everyone that was here looking for her out to look in all parts of Magnolia."

Gray pushed back his hair and hung his head back in frustration and worry. 'Where are you, Juvia?'

He began to think of places she might go and realized that though he did not want to admit it before, he spent a lot of time with Juvia and knew her the most out of all their friends in the guild. They had secrets between just them two, and activities they did alone together outside of jobs. One of those activities was going for a walk together in Fairy Tail's large garden. They often did that together when they wanted to be away from the craziness of the guild, yet didn't want complete solitude. When they would take walks together, they'd often talk about their futures, pasts, weaknesses, strengths, and other facts about themselves that very few to no other people knew about them, except each other.

Remembering this, Gray ran some distance to get to the large garden that the guild had only constructed recently. Not many of the members appreciated the landscape as much as Gray and Juvia, and Levy and Lucy, especially considering the garden was primarily their idea.

The garden was their thinking spot. As much as Juvia did not like the rain, Gray knew more than enough about her to know that she occasionally still sulks in her rain pour. She had confessed to him that as much as she despised the rain, it brought her familiarity and silence to think and be by herself.

There she was, sitting on a white marble bench with her back towards Gray. Juvia hung her head down, and she clutched her white, dirt-filled dress with one hand, and wiped her eyes with the other. She was still hiccuping, and giving little whimpers and he could tell she had not stopped crying yet.

He stepped in the puddles coming closer to her, and she put her arm up behind her with her right hand and her left hand grasping her face. "Please don't, Gray-sama. Leave Juvia." So she remembered that he was the only one that knew of their escapade spot, he said to himself.

Gray did not listen to her and stopped in front of her. Juvia had again buried her face in her palms like she did at the alter before Lyon. She was trying so desperately hard to stop her tears and from letting anyone see her. "Don't," she murmured, letting out cries when her strength was failing.

He sat next to the weeping bride with his hands in his pocket. Gray looked up and noticed the rain had again calmed, and began to fall more silently. "It's okay, Juvia," he said, and her sniffles and whimpers came to a halt. Juvia looked up at him angrily and frowned. She stood from the seat and clenched her fists. It was not okay when Lyon had told her so earlier. This time would be no different.

"Okay? What is okay? Is Juvia going to be okay? Is that what Gray-sama is saying?" she asked furiously, nearly yelling at him with bloodshot eyes that were ready to release tears again at any moment. "Because Juvia is not okay. Juvia never will be. Lyon is gone. Lyon is the only one that ever loved Juvia and Juvia let him leave because Juvia is a liar, and does not deserve him."

Rain began to fall harder again. Lightning struck the ground and the thunder roared. But she did not budge. "What does Gray-sama know about being okay? Gray-sama will never understand Juvia's feelings."

Angry with her assumption, he jolted up from the seat and stared down at her with eyes Juvia had never seen before. The fire in his eyes consisted of anger, sadness, and passion. Juvia froze at the sight and just stared at his brown orbs. She always did love his eyes.

"You think I don't feel pain, Juvia? You don't think I've ever felt hurt when someone's left me?" Gray's voice raised to match his fiery eyes and booming thunder. Juvia stepped one foot back in fear of him. 'How can Juvia forget about Ul?', she mentally punished herself. Regardless of her hesitance now, Gray did not back down.

"You think I'm invincible. Everyone in this goddamn guild seems to think I'm made of iron..well I'm not!" he shouted, as he surrendered to his knees and hung his head like when he had collapsed the day he found out about Juvia's engagement.

The rain had began to calm down to a silent, yet eerie fall and Gray pressed his fists to the floor, refusing to look up at Juvia who looked down at him, regretting what she said with a frown.

He continued, but his tone had quieted down to a level only she could hear, "I do have feelings Juvia. I do feel other things than anger. I feel happiness. I feel happiness when you are with me, even though I never had the courage to tell you before," Gray's fists clenched harder until his veins protruded.

Gray still refused to look at Juvia in shame. Her lips quivered at his confession and she stared down at him expressionless, unsure of what to say.

"I feel excited when you used to bring a flyer to me and tell me how much fun it will be to go on another job with me. I feel unstoppable with you fighting by my side. I feel pain when I would fail to protect you and I feel like you will not come back to me," he paused with every other word, swallowing back more tears and still keeping his head hung, eyes on the ground. Juvia subconsciously had one clenched fist across her chest on her heart while listening to him. She felt her body chill at his words. Juvia did not know how much of an effect she had on him. She felt angry with herself for not realizing the great impact she had on both Gray and Lyon.

"I feel hurt when I feel like you are slipping through my fingers and like you'll never be in my reach. I feel love when you are with me. I feel lost when you are not with me. And I felt, and still feel sad and regretful that I waited until the day of your wedding with another man to tell you all this; all that you make me feel, and to tell you how painfully in love I am with you, Juvia," Gray finally had the courage to look up at her and they had the same expression in their face. Both had slightly red eyes, full of water with tears already running down their cheeks. He looked up at her with such a lost, and pained expression; she had only seen him this upset when Ul melt into the ocean.

Juvia's heart felt it had literally been struck. She knew she was still in love with him. Gray had never once even hinted a possibility of having any feelings towards her. Memories of her always pining over him, clutching onto him, seeing his indifference towards anyone asking him how he felt about her made Juvia remember why she left and stopped bothering him.

She took another step back and her voice raised a notch, "You think Juvia is stupid? Gray-sama never cared that much about Juvia, and certainly does not love Juvia. Juvia chased, and chased, and chased, and gave everything to Gray-sama to prove Juvia's love, and it was unrequited and ignored!" She ran out of strength as she found herself in the same position as earlier, knees collapsed on the floor, and bawling into the comfort of her palms in front of him. Her loud cries summoned harder rain to fall and Gray felt worse seeing her cry again and knowing it was his fault. She did not believe him, and even thought he was lying about his feelings to her.

'I am a monster,' Gray said to himself, his rage growing.

"Juvia gave everything up for Gray-sama and he never noticed. Juvia waited years hoping Gray-sama would finally return Juvia's love, and now is only the time. Why!" her anger was obvious in her tone, but her hurt took over as more tears flowed down her face. "Juvia left to find someone else that will return Juvia's feelings and found Lyon. But Lyon left anyway!" she had vented out her sadness about the outcome of earlier that evening. "When will Juvia finally be happy? When will Juvia finally find someone who loves Juvia and will stay? What is wrong with Juvia?!" her voice roared and she bawled harder in misery.

She continued to weep in safety of her own arms and said nothing else. Gray couldn't find the right words to speak. She was right. She had every right to leave and find happiness because he did not give it to her. Gray felt angrier with himself for being so blind to everything she had done for him, and why she left.

The tears would not stop from the both of them. "Juvia, I would never lie to you, please. I'm sorry I never proved it to you before, or even had the courage to tell you all of this, but it scares me. Please understand.." he pleaded, while holding both of her hands that covered her face away from her. Juvia did not refuse his touch, but still refused to look at him. "I was so cruel to you, and I realized that. You deserved to love someone who was much better than me, and that was Lyon. But just because he is not here with you does not mean that he did not love you. And just because I was not the man before you at your wedding does not mean that I did not love, and still love you even til now."

Juvia finally looked up. Her shiny, wavy hair had flattened in the rain and stuck to her skin. Juvia's dress was full of dirt, tears, and her own foot tracks. She was a disaster, sadly on her own wedding day, but it was the most vulnerable Gray had ever seen her; and yet, Gray thought it was one of her best moments.

The rain had settled to a soft pour and the thunder had stopped. Her eyes were as sad as they were when he first met her, and Gray could not forgive himself for making her feel the same sadness as she did before.

"I never really was good at sharing my feelings, so I can't really blame everyone for thinking that I am above having or showing them. That was my biggest downfall because it took me so long, but I knew I loved you when I realized I wanted to be the one to always protect you from the world. I wanted to be your umbrella when you were feeling sad like you did for me every single day. You strengthen me and shed light in the darkest parts of me. I want to do everything we used to do together, all day, every day for the rest of my life. I can't see it with anyone else but you, and I am so sorry it took me this long to realize and to tell you," he confessed lowly as he lifted her chin with his fingers. "Please forgive me and give me a chance to start over. If I have to work every day my whole life to prove this to you and to get you to forgive me, and fall in love with me all over again, I will do it as long as you are right next to me."

Juvia's hand ran up from his arm and held onto his hand, crying into it. As much as she wanted it before, she never really believed that Gray would love her and that this moment was real.

"Please Juvia. I know that you may hate me, not trust me, and all that. But I will work to get you and I back to where we were. I've missed you badly. All I have done in the past couple months is daydream where we would be at today if I had never let you stop loving me and I had the courage to tell you what you needed to hear to get you to stay. I beat myself up everyday for letting you go and for causing you so much heartache," Gray brought her face closer to her and she let him inch closer to her. His tears had stopped but his stained face was still apparent in the rain, and Juvia wanted to kiss each trail that fell down his face. She had never seen him so sad.

"Give me a chance to get us to where we were before and I will make you love me more than you ever have. I want you more than anything, because when I see you, and into your eyes, I see eternity. I see light, hope, and a future with you that I can't envision with anyone else. I know you don't love me anymore, and you would much rather be with Lyon, but I will dedicate my whole life to you, just to get you to miss me, and fall in love with every last bit of me, like I do with you. So please Juvia-" Gray was cut off by a pair of velvet lips. Juvia had yearned for this day for years and it felt as cold, yet soft as she had daydreamed Gray's kiss would be.

"It's always been Gray-sama, every time."

One year later...

Today was the day.

"The bride and groom would like to thank everyone for coming today and helping make this day special."

There was another wedding today at Fairy Tail, and this time, there were no objections and no tears of sadness being cried. Only laughs, smiled, and pure joy.

"Everyone, please sit and enjoy the bride and groom's first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Fullbuster," the man in charge of the event and music had asked all the guests politely as they obliged to their seats, watching Gray and Juvia dance slowly in the middle of the floor to the music being played.

Fairy Tail members awed and beamed happily for their fellow guild members who had finally overcome all odds and declared all their love for each other. Both the two were miserable before until they had reconciled at Juvia and Lyon's wedding, and they were currently working their way back up progressively well.

The lights in the large, elegant hall were dim just for their solo dance together. They hadn't done anything like this since they had to learn how to dance for the job Natsu's team had taken on a few years ago. Juvia had both arms around Gray's neck as she cradled her head against his chest and nuzzled it. The smile she wore was so blissful and genuine. Gray tightened both his arms' grip around her small waist when he felt her nuzzle him and kissed the top of her head. He rubbed his thumb up and down her back without leaving his hand where it was sitting on her waist.

"I...I love you, Juvia," Gray whispered to Juvia before pecking her ear. She chuckled at his hesitation, knowing that he was breaking down his walls consistently to prove himself to her. Juvia leaned her head back to resist his hot tickling breath and Gray smiled at her. He hadn't seen her so happy in a long time; her laugh was exhilarating, and he felt at peace knowing her genuine smile and laugh was because of him.

"Sheesh, Gray is so clingy now," Juvia mocked him, and he remembered all the times when he used to call her clingy and creepy; he now realized she had her own way of proving her love. He smiled hearing just his name used informally and more personally without the "sama" suffix. They had definitely gotten closer in the last year, and Gray kept to his word about working hard for her affections and trust.

Gray pouted jokingly at her response and she giggled at his expression. "Juvia knows. Juvia has, does, and will always love Gray like the sun loves the moon, and the moon loves the sun. The sun searches for the moon during day, while the moon searches for the sun at night, and they chase, and chase, until they become one. And when the sun and moon meet, it is love, and true beauty. Gray is the sun to Juvia," she said cutely with a shy smile while nuzzling his chest more.

"And you are the moon to me."

The two danced in silence with peaceful, happy smiles on their face before other family members and guild members were allowed to share the dance floor with the newlyweds. Gray felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up from beneath Juvia's hair. Lyon had looked at him with a small smile and Gray nodded, returning the gratitude and handed Juvia's hand over to him. She looked at Lyon with the same light in her eyes that made him fall so desperately in love with her.

He had one arm on her waist, and the other held her hand as he twirled her and guided their dancing feet. "Thank you for coming, Lyon-sama," Juvia told him. He continued to stare into her orbs and the two exchanged smiles. His heart ached a little hearing that she had started calling to him formally again.

"I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world. I'm just happy to see my brother happy, and you happy most of all," he said, never losing the go-lucky expression on his face.

Juvia's tone had become a little serious. "Can Juvia ask you something?" Lyon noticed the change in her tone and his eyebrows raised, worried. She did not wait for him to give her permission to ask. "Why did Lyon-sama leave Juvia?"

Lyon knew this question would be asked eventually, and he had no excuses. "Because Juvia, when you see someone you love miserable, you give up everything to give them happiness, even if that means sacrificing your own happiness for their sake. And that is what I did for you and Gray. I knew how much you still loved him. And I knew so easily that he had fallen in love with you as deeply as I did for you around the same time. I would be a cruel, selfish man if I kept my brother and the woman I love from being happy, especially if their happiness would come from being together, and I was the only one standing in the way of that achievement," he had explained and Juvia finally understood and felt peace in her heart.

"I always told you that you made me a better man, and I wanted to be a better person on my own by choosing my own path, even if that meant hurting you back then to help push you onto a better path than the one we walked together. And for that, I am still so sorry. But I know how happy you and Gray are, so I do not regret it at all. I have always known you loved me. I never doubted that. But you and I know that you were never in love with me, and that's okay now. I will give up my own life to grant you a lifetime of wishes and happiness, and all I ask is that you do not waste any of those moments."

Juvia's eyes had become teary but he would not let her cry another moment. Lyon pressed his finger gently against the bottom of her eye to stop the tears that wanted to flow down. "Please don't cry, my love. This is your big day."

Those words sounded familiar. It was exactly what he had said when he had tried to stop her from crying on their wedding day. Only this time, it was also her day, and not just one side's. Juvia laughed a bit and he smiled down at her, relieved at being able to stop her from crying. "Be happy."

Juvia stopped their dance and hugged him tightly. "Juvia loves you," she muttered under hear breath and Lyon separated the hug, and kissed her forehead lightly.

"I know. Be strong, and don't be afraid anymore, Juvia. You're in good hands now. I know Gray won't forget to stock your fish crackers and wine," Lyon said under his breath to her before he turned and left the guild.

Lyon was a man that Juvia felt she would have never deserved for as long as she lived. But that was okay with her, because she had Gray. It had hit her now. Lyon had never said that he would be the man to do all the things he said he would in his vow. He had meant that he would be the one to remind and make sure Gray remembers all of her, and do everything in his place.

Still in the middle of the floor, Juvia watched as her husband walked towards her seeing her alone now. Gray had his hands in his pockets cooly, wore a smirk, and his eyes glistening against the lights. Seeing him now was like seeing him for the first time and falling in love with him all over again. No matter what happened, it was always going to be him, every time.