AN: See! This time I behaved and updated in less than three months! :)

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Love In The Ice

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Gray frowned in confusion when he saw his girlfriend video-calling him, since he had dropped her at her apartment just a few minutes before. He answered the call, the phone on its support, showing him, to her, and he glanced quickly at the screen just to make sure she was alright, but besides being a little sheepish, she seemed okay.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Gray wondered, slowing down just in case.

"Juvia is so sorry, Gray-sama, but she thinks she forgot her phone in your car somewhere, it's not here. Can you check?" She replied, and Gray pulled the car over.

"Wait." He turned the light inside the car, on, and looked underneath the passenger's seat when he didn't find it on it and saw the phone there. "Yeap, it's here."

"Oh, good." Juvia sighed in relief. "I really can't afford to lose it and buy another one right now." She told him when he showed the phone to her. "Can you bring it to Juvia, please?" She pleaded, putting her hands together. "Otherwise you will be gone all weekend and Juvia won't be able to reach you, or anyone else, when she's at the diner. Please, please, please?"

He rolled his eyes for good measure. "Fine, you don't need to beg, jeez. I won't make it my hostage." Gray snorted. "I'm not even that far. I'll be there in a few minutes and I will accept some of those cookies you told me you baked this morning, as payment." He started the car again.

"You are the best boyfriend in the world." Juvia smiled and Gray smirked a little. "Juvia will give you some to take to your parents as well, since you are coming back here!"

"I don't know if they will arrive there without being eaten, but I'm not complaining." Gray shrugged. "See you in a bit."

"Okay!" She hung up, cheerfully and Gray drove back to her apartment.

Once he stopped in front of her building, Gray put her phone on his pocket and locked the car before he headed towards the building. He found the keys she had gifted him a month before and opened the door.

Gray frowned when he heard some commotion echoing through the building and his blood ran cold when he heard a scream of help, his heart stopping for a second when he recognized the voice.

Juvia.

A second later, Gray was running up the stairs, towards his girlfriend's apartment and he saw some of her neighbors were opening their doors to check on what was happening, but he didn't mind them, he had to get to her.

What he saw when he arrived, made his eyes go wide. There was a man inside the apartment, Juvia was on the floor and the man had his hands around her throat as he proceeded to choke her. Juvia was fighting the man the way she could, and his body moved by instinct when he saw her arms go limp.

Gray pulled the man from his girlfriend and punched him on the face a few times, not really giving him time to recover. The attacker lounged at Gray, screaming and breaking a few trinkets Juvia had in her apartment. Gray managed to throw in another punch, making the man take a step back.

Gray glanced at Juvia and saw she was coughing and he was relieved he wasn't too late, but the couple of seconds he got distracted were enough for the attacker to grab Gray by the shirt and pin him on the wall.

They were almost the same height, Gray noticed off-minded and the man punched Gray. He was strong, Gray had to give him that and got another punch a moment later.

Before Gray could react, he saw Juvia behind the man, holding a tray – probably the same one she had baked the cookies he asked just a few minutes before (god, it has only been a few minutes since they talked on the phone?) – and then hitting him. Gray was quick to punch the attacker once he was distracted and finally knock him out.

He looked up from the unconscious man, panting, and saw Juvia standing there, her eyes were wide, though by the redness on her face, they would be swollen soon. God, what had happened? How long had that man been there before Gray arrived?

"Juvia?" Gray called her and saw her eyes roll back as her body went limp. "Juvia!" He cursed himself when he didn't manage to catch her in time and he kneeled next to her, cradling her body next to his, touching her face tenderly. "Juvia, wake up, come on. Please, wake up."

"I called the police! They will be here in a few minutes" Gray looked over his shoulder to see Juvia's neighbor, Martha, standing in her nightclothes, a robe carelessly tied on and the older woman looked as spooked as Gray felt to see Juvia unconscious. "Oh, poor thing."

Gray's attention returned to the blue haired woman in his arms. "Juvia, wake up. Come on, you are scaring me here." He whispered to her but she didn't move. Gray noticed how pale she was, contrasting with the red patches of skin that were red.

From time to time, he glanced at the man he had knocked out just to make sure he wasn't waking up and a few minutes after the altercation, he heard Martha saying: "Here! They are in here!"

Gray looked over his shoulder once again and saw two policemen enter the apartment. "She's unconscious." He told them, unnecessarily but he didn't know what else to say. "I-I-I got here and he was attacking her, I-I... She hadn't woken up."

One of the policemen stepped out of the apartment and yelled for the paramedics to come while the other one, looked between the couple and the unconscious man. "Who are you?"

"Her boyfriend." Gray told him as the officer went to cuff the other man. "He was attacking her when I arrived."

"Who is this one?"

"I don't..." Gray started to answer but then he finally managed to think for a moment. Of course. They had spoken to the Detective just a week before and by the general description Juvia had given of Bora, it would be too much of a coincidence to be anyone else but the son of a bitch. "I think he is her ex. I've never seen a picture of him, but..." Gray felt Juvia stir in his arms and he looked down to her, relief flooding him to see her eyes open. She blinked a few times and he asked, gently. "Juvia, can you hear me?" She looked around in terror until she spotted the policeman and the man who attacked her. Juvia held onto Gray, glaring at them. "You are safe, you are safe." She calmed down slightly.

"Miss, do you know this man?" The officer asked.

"Bora." She hissed, her voice rough because of how she was choked.

"Her ex-boyfriend." Gray explained to him. "He is being looked into for crimes in Oak Town."

"What crimes?"

Before Gray could answer him, the paramedics arrived, a gurney between them and Gray's attention went to them. "She was being choked when I got here and she was unconscious for... I don't know, five, seven minutes?"

"We need to take a look at her." The female paramedic told him while the other went to check Bora. "Let her go so we can put her on the gurney."

Gray nodded and looked at his girlfriend, who didn't seem to want to let it go. "Juvia, they need to examine you." She held onto him tighter. "Juvia?" The blunette shook her head, hiding her face on his chest.

"Miss Juvia, I need to see your injuries." The paramedic said but Juvia didn't release him in the slightest.

Gray was about to suggest for him to just carry her when he had an idea – Juvia's desire to see him taken care of would probably take priority over herself being comforted by his embrace. "Hey, Juvia... They need to look at me too." He lied, knowing he would feel guilty about it later, but the situation called for it. She tensed. "Bora managed to hit me too and the paramedics need to have a look too and they can't do that with us so close together."

"...okay?" Juvia's voice was hoarse and he could see her worried look as she touched his cheek, where he was sure would be purple soon.

"I'm fine, but they need to examine us, okay?" Gray took her hand and kissed it. "I will stay by your side, but you need to let her examine you." It took her a couple of seconds to loosen her grip on him. "Good. Thank you." He said, relieved and nodded at the paramedic. "I'm right here."

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Gray waited while Juvia was being examined at the hospital – choking was a serious matter and could have major consequences later on. He saw some policemen a few steps away from him and he took his phone from his pocket and cringed at the time, yet he needed to make a few phone calls.

Finding his father's number, Gray pressed it. He was feeling very tired, the places where Bora had hit him, were throbbing but her had taken punches before, he would be alright with some painkillers and ice.

"Hello?" His father's sleepy voice broke Gray's thoughts. "Gray?"

"Hey, dad." Gray cleared his throat.

"Is everything alright?" Silver asked, concerned. "It's one in the morning."

"Dad, I can't go home tomorrow. Today, I mean." Gray passed a hand over his face – damn it, his knuckles hurt.

"Why? What's wrong?" He heard his mother ask what was happening. "He says he can't come home tomorrow." Gray could hear his mother saying 'Put him on speaker'. "Gray, you are on speaker so your mother can hear you too."

"Gray? What happened?" Ur asked.

"I..." Gray sighed. "I'm at the hospital, Juvia... Juvia's here."

"Is she alright?" Ur gasped.

"What happened?" Silver wondered.

"Her ex-boyfriend attacked her, he's a son of a bitch but I don't have time to explain why." Gray was frustrated. "She's being looked over right now, but the paramedic said she would probably be okay." He let out a shaky breath when he remembered her screams and seeing her unconscious. "When I got at her apartment, he had his hands around her neck."

"He what?" Silver sounded flabbergasted.

"I pulled him off her, hit him a few times. He got unconscious and so did Juvia." Gray tried to summon up. "The police showed up, then the paramedics and they brought us to the hospital."

"How are you? Are you hurt?" Ur asked.

"The bastard managed to hit me a couple of times, but nothing to worry about; I've got into worse brawls with Lyon." Gray reassured his mother. "I just wanted to let you know I can't go home." His parents were silent for a couple of seconds and Gray could see them in his mind having a conversation with their eyes.

"Don't worry about it, son." Silver said.

"We will go to you." Ur said, decisively.

"You don't have to-" Gray tried, but his father cut him.

"Yes, we do. You are hurt, your girlfriend is in the hospital. If there's a time for us to go, is now."

"It's too late to go tonight, but we are leaving early." Ur told him.

"Okay." Gray didn't say, but he was glad his parents were coming, how childish was that? Crap, speaking of family, he needed to call Gajeel to let him know what happened. "Mom, dad, I need to call some other people and I need to find Juvia's doctor and the police said a detective was coming to question me."

"Of course. Call us if you need anything, Gray." Ur told him.

"Send us a message once you see her. Or you can call us, it's fine too."

"I will, dad." Gray told them. "My phone's battery is very low, I'll ask someone to bring me a charger, but if I can't and you can't get in contact with me, don't worry, okay? We are at Magnolia's General Hospital."

"Got it." Silver said. "Don't worry, kid, she's a tough girl, she will be fine. See you in the morning."

"Thanks, dad. See you in the morning."

Gray was about to call Gajeel when he saw Juvia's doctor and he walked towards the woman, Doctor Walls, and he was suddenly nervous something was awfully wrong. Gray had met the doctor when they arrived and he explained what had happened to the best of his knowledge. "How is she?"

"I gave her a sedative, so she could sleep for a few hours – she doesn't have a concussion, which is good. I think she must've fainted due the choking or shock, but aside from a few bruises, she will be physically alright." The Doctor told him and Gray sighed in relief. "I would like to keep her overnight just to be safe, though."

"Yes, thank you." Gray offered her his hand and she shook it. "Can you tell me her room number?"

"Of course; room 314, bed four." Doctor Walls informed. "She's probably there already, I asked the nurses to take her after the exams."

"Thanks."

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It wasn't often Gray realized how fragile his girlfriend was, mostly because she was always such an energetic and positive person. Juvia had been through a lot of crap yet, she kept smiling and being the kind person she was – Gray was certain were he the one going through some rough trials, he would be a wreck.

Seeing Juvia on the hospital bed, bandages around her neck and bruises getting purple all over her face, Gray wondered where she got her strength from.

"Fuck, Juvia." Gray squeezed her hand and saw the red tips of her fingers – she probably scratched that bastard a lot. "Good." He whispered, glad he had pulled the curtain of her bay to give them some privacy, thankfully the bed next to hers was empty and the other room occupants seemed to be asleep, their own curtains, draw. "I hope the doctors took the evidence from this." The blunette didn't move and Gray gulped, feeling guilty. "Shit. What if you hadn't lost your phone? What if this had happened tomorrow? I would be at my parents' and had no idea what was happening." Gray muttered. "If this had happened a couple of months ago I would've been out of the country." He closed his eyes and kissed her hand. "Fuck, I wouldn't know what to do if something had happened and I weren't here."

He felt his phone vibrate and saw the notification about it being only with twenty per cent battery and groaned in annoyance – he had calls to make, even though it was almost two in the morning.

Gray got up from the chair next to her bed and kissed her forehead. "I'll step outside for a few minutes, okay?" He told her even though she was pretty out of it. "I'll be right back."

The moment he was outside, Gray moved his hand, flexing his hurting knuckles and was going to ask the nurses for something to help with the swelling of his hand when he felt someone grab him, turn him around and pin him on the wall.

Gray's eyes widened when he saw Gajeel was the one who had grabbed him, but before he could say anything, Gajeel growled: "What did you do to her?"

"What?" Gray all but shrieked, confused and he gasped when Gajeel put his forearm on Gray's throat, pressing it kind of hard.

"I'm her emergency contact. They said her boyfriend had hit her." Gajeel's red eyes were boiling with anger and Gray knew he didn't care they were in a hospital, if the older man thought he had hurt Juvia, he was going to pay.

"Fuck, Gajeel, it wasn't me!" Gray managed to say. "Bora is here."

Hearing the son of a bitch's name, Gajeel frowned and stopped pressing his forearm on Gray's throat. Thankfully the corridor was deserted at the moment so Gajeel wouldn't get himself arrested for it. "Bora?"

"Yes!" Gray pushed Gajeel away, glaring at him. He liked the protective streak, but not to be the reason for it. "I would never hurt her!"

"What is going on?" Gajeel was clearly upset, concerned and angry at the situation. "Where is she? How is she?"

"The doctor said she is going to be alright." Gray told him. "She's resting and I'll take you there in a bit." He sighed, tired. "Juvia didn't tell you about the visit of a detective last week?" Gajeel's confused look said it all. "I'll take that as a no. You do know that I know what happened between her and Bora, right?" That time Gajeel nodded. "Well, after that, no news until last week when Detective Ryan appeared."

It took Gray a couple of minutes to tell him everything that happened, including how Juvia's phone had made Gray turn and go back to meet her.

"She didn't tell me any of this." Gajeel looked confused.

"My bet? She thought she was protecting you." Gray told him. "She said you were very worked up about Bora before and that he threatened you back then." Gajeel nodded. "Juvia probably didn't want you to worry."

"She's stupid, then." Gajeel was angry. "Idiot."

"Alright, calm down."

"Oh, shut up. You would've been pissed too if you were the one who was kept in the dark about this crap."

"Yes, but you would've told me to calm down too." Gray said. "You can yell at her when she's out of the hospital."

"Shit." Gajeel hissed. "Show me where she is."

Gray just nodded and led them towards the room. "She's on the bed of the far end. The doctor told me she's sedated for a few hours, though so don't expect her to wake up for a while." Gray hesitated. "It's not an easy sight, I must warn you. I wish I could've arrived sooner." He said, feeling guilty.

"You did what you could." Gajeel finally seemed a little less angry – at least at Gray. "She's alive and she will be alright. When she wakes up, we are going to have a little chat about this." Gray nodded one time. "Do you... know where Bora is being held?" Gajeel asked, trying to be nonchalant about it.

"No." Gray told him honestly. "He will be under police protection, though, so it would be no use for us to know where he is; we wouldn't get near him. Plus, Juvia would be pissed off we went after him."

"Pfff, I can handle her." Gajeel looked down to Gray's hands. "Got him good, I hope."

"Enough to make him unconscious."

"Hm." Gajeel gaze went to the closed curtain of Juvia's bay. "Will have to do until we get to see him going to jail."

"Yeah." Gray agreed. "You go ahead and see her. I need to call someone to bring some clothes to Juvia for her discharge tomorrow and a charger – my phone is dying and I don't want to get out of touch, my parents are coming."

Gajeel nodded and entered the room. Gray watched his friend's face harden in anger when he pulled the curtain to see Juvia lying on the bed. A moment later, his expression saddened and he stepped inside the bay.

It would be a long night, Gray knew, and the moment he stopped to try to rest, the guilt of everything would finally settle in but until then, he needed to get a level head.

Gray grabbed his phone – 15%, shit – and found Lucy's contact easily. It rang three times before Gray heard it get answered.

"What?" Natsu's voice surprised him for some reason – so much that Gray pulled the phone from his ear to check if he had called the right person and he had.

"Hey, Natsu. Can I speak with Lucy?"

"Gray?" Natsu's tone was clearly of confusion. "Do you know what time it is, man?"

"Yeah. I need to speak to Lucy, though." God, Gray was so fucking tired. He wanted to go home and curl with Juvia under his blankets and sleep for a week.

"What's going on?"

He sighed. "Remember last year when Juvia freaked out about meeting her ex's friend?" Natsu agreed. "Remember when I told you if you met him you could kick his ass because he's an asshole?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I met said asshole tonight, punched him but he got to Juvia before I got there." Gray informed his friend. "We're in the hospital."

"What? Is she okay?"

"She will be." Gray said. "Can I please talk to Lucy, now? I need some things from Juvia's apartment and she lives the closest out of all our friends."

"We are at my place, but sure, I'll drive us there." Natsu clearly put the phone away but Gray could still hear him talk to his girlfriend softly, to wake her. Gray flexed his hand to try to soothe the pain once more and thought again how he really needed to have it looked at.

A few seconds later, Lucy's sleepy voice came from his phone. "Gray? What's wrong?"

"Hey, Lucy. Sorry to wake you two up, but I really need you guys' help." Gray looked down to his watch on his wrist and saw it wasn't even two thirty in the morning yet and he felt even more tired.

It would be a long night indeed.

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AN: I hope you liked it! Did you enjoy seeing Gajeel once again? It's been a while since he appeared! Next chapter we will see more of our girl while she's conscious, don't worry.