AN: Heeeeeere comes the drama!

Juvia blinked a few times, trying to understand Lyon's words. What did he mean about her being his bride? She was meant to be Gray's wife. Wasn't she? It was what everyone told her, that she was supposed to be given to marriage to the 31st Duke-

"You were supposed to be the Duke." Juvia whispered, eyes wide and she took a step back. "Not Gray-sama. You." She was supposed to marry Lyon Vastia, not Gray Fullbuster. Everything she thought about fate joining her and Gray was void?

"Hey, hey, hey." Lyon was by her side a second later, holding her by the shoulders. "You went white as a sheet." He led her towards a chair and made her sit down. "Don't faint on me now. Gray would skin me alive." Hearing her husband's name, her eyes became wider. "Okay, not mentioning his name, then."

"Juvia was supposed to marry you instead of Gray-sama." She whispered.

"You never made the connection." Lyon finally understood, and spoke softly. "I was first in line to succession, Gray was the second – when I gave up being Duke, he was the next to get the title. And with the title, he got you."

The Duchess stared at Lyon for some time, thinking how much different everything could've been if he hadn't given up the title, if she had married him instead of her husband. Would she still be happy? Would she fall in love with him?

She didn't have much more time to think about it, because the next thing she heard was her husband's angry voice and steps. "What did I tell you about still being here in the morning? What are you doing to her?" She felt Lyon being pulled away from her side and her husband putting himself between the two of them.

"I was going away, but then Lady Juvia summoned me to talk." Lyon scowled. "I wished not to mistreat her and came, where I told her why I am here."

Gray al but snarled. "We've had this conversation, Lyon."

"Yet here we are, having it again." Lyon snapped. "I am trying to do the right thing! I am tired of feeling a coward, of burdening you with my responsibilities. You were supposed to have gotten a good and free life, married someone you wanted to and not doing it out of an obligation our grandfather commanded to. It was all me but I was a coward and I left it all for you."

"Guess what, it is my burden now." Gray yelled at his cousin. "I told you before that I am the Duke."

"Goddammit you don't get it!" Lyon became angry. "People had never been happy that you are not a Vastia, but they tolerated it because they thought you would find some lesser noble woman from Winter to marry and ground your claim; but you did not." He pointed at Juvia. "They had been trying to kill her since the day you married her and just yesterday they almost succeeded."

Juvia's eyes widened and Gray's body tensed as he asked, voice low: "What?"

"I didn't know until I was halfway here." Lyon sighed. "At first I was going to come here to see how you were doing, if you were happy and meet her." He looked at Juvia. "And for the first time in years I truly regretted stepping down." With Gray's growl, Lyon returned his attention back at his cousin. "But then an old friend of the Vastias told me that there are radicals wanting me back – that's not news, I've got supporters everywhere – but he also told me that there is another group that likes you, but doesn't want her as your Duchess; they'd rather have a Winter girl beside you."

Juvia finally got up from the chair, her legs wobbly as she walked to stand by Gray's side. "Why" her throat suddenly felt dry "why did you say that if you had me, you could be Duke again?" By the corner of her eye, she saw her husband tense even more.

Lyon stared at her for a moment. "My plan was fairly simple and it would help all of us to stay alive and well. The document says the 31st Duke and by all means, that is I and I could easily win it in any court of law; plus, the fact that you haven't consumed the marriage would help. If I were to marry you, Lady Juvia, it would mean that I am the Duke, not my cousin otherwise I wouldn't have won the plea."

"How does that benefit us?" Gray said between gritted teeth.

"My marriage to Lady Juvia would've been seen much better than yours, as I have the right name to be the Duke and the attempts on her life would be significantly lower and she would still maintain her new title. You, Gray, would be anything you want, you would be free of your currently duties and live your life as you should have in the first place. And I know how you will react if something happens to her because of you, Gray." Lyon looked at his cousin right into his eyes. "Even if I don't claim the Duchy, she would be safer with me back in Snow Storm Castle – all the demands from the document would be met. You are fond of her, Gray, as you should be of the woman you wedded, and it would destroy you the moment you knew why she was hurt or dead." Juvia looked at her husband and saw that he had gone pale and it worried her. "I am trying to save you from yourself. Stop this now before it goes any further and ends up in heartache."

The three of them stayed in silent for a minute before the older man sighed. "I am going to stay at an inn in the town. I'll let one of the guards know which one. When you have an answer for me, I will be there. Don't take too long." Lyon bowed in Juvia's direction and walked out the door.

A moment later, Juvia turned to her husband just to see his jaw set and eyes bright with anger. "Gray-sama, we need to-"

He looked at her, eyes cold. "You are not to leave the castle, do you understand me? Not even with guards."

"Gr-"

"Do you understand me?" He almost yelled and she shrank back.

"Y-yes." Without another word, Gray turned and walked out of the door his cousin had just a minute before and Juvia, once more, found herself alone. This time, she cried.

#

When Gray once again didn't go to their bed that night, Juvia put a coat, grabbed a candle and went searching for him. Gajeel followed her a few steps back, watching over her as always. Earlier that day when he found her in tears at the dining room, he had been worried and let her hold on to him until she stopped crying and went into a state where she just stared at nothing for almost half an hour before she got up and closed herself into her room.

At the moment, though, Gajeel recognized the look in her eyes enough so not to interfere with whatever her plans were.

Once they stood in front of Gray's office, Loke was outside, his usually easygoing demeanor gone, instead he was in high alert and with a deep frown in his face. When he saw the Duchess, he sighed in relief. "He had meetings all day and is exhausted, angry and feeling hopeless."

She straightened her back. "Juvia will help with that. Don't enter, no matter what." Both guards frowned in confusion and the Duchess sighed. "We will mostly like have our first fight; I just don't want you two getting caught in the crossfire." They nodded and, gathering her courage, Juvia opened the door and stepped in.

Gray was sitting on a chair in front of a big fireplace, where the only light inside the room came from. The large carpet made of grey fur her husband once told her came from wolves had an empty bottle of whisky lying in the middle of it and Juvia saw Gray holding an empty glass. His eyes were close, the buttons of his shirt, unmade and he looked so tired she felt her heart hurt.

"Go away, Loke. Not in the mood." He muttered.

"Not Loke." She said quietly and before she could do anything else, he was already on his feet.

"Juvia." He breathed, putting the glass on the small table by the chair. "I thought you were already asleep."

"Couldn't." She said, casually walking towards the carpet and picking up the bottle. "My husband had yet to come back to our bed." Juvia stepped closer to Gray and put it next to the glass.

He put a hand over his eyes and then passed it through his hair. "Lyon's words this morning made me try to gain information. I spoke to the man who almost shot you with that arrow, then I gathered my councilmen." Gray's dark eyes finally met hers. "It's real, Juvia. The threat against you. Those stupid old men hid it from me because they didn't want to break our marriage, but some of them also think that what Lyon suggested has some merit."

It took her a moment to speak. "You were discussing if we should dissolve our marriage or not."

"Yes." He looked down, ashamed. "I hate to say this, but Lyon is right when he says that you would be safer with him." Juvia noticed his fists tighten. "I can surround you with a thousand of my men and they could still get to you and I don't want you dead. My cousin is right, it would destroy me." He finally looked at her. "Maybe you should go, it could be safer. I want you safe."

Juvia stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. "Do you know what safety is for Juvia? It's a cold distant castle where its people barely knowledge me. It's a place she's not allowed to go outside, a place she has to ask for permission to do anything. For eighteen years that was Juvia's life: safe. But what does it matter to be safe when you live in a prison? Actually, that was no life at all." She took a step back before turning around and walking towards the fireplace. "It was a surprise to learn that Juvia should have been married to someone else. That she wasn't supposed to be yours."

Gray stopped the urge to groan with that statement. "Juvia..."

"Let me finish." Juvia looked to him over her shoulders before her gaze returned to the fireplace. "Today Juvia was wondering how much her life would have been different."

"You were thinking about how your life would have been if you married Lyon, instead of me." He stated; his tone dry and anger started to build inside him. He was concerned about her and she was thinking about her life with some other man already? It hurt him deeper than he thought it would.

"Yes." She nodded.

"And what was your conclusion?" Gray asked and he knew that his tone was as icy as the lands he ruled over.

"I... got the conclusion that I could have been happy." She stated and, for some reason, Gray felt like someone was putting a knife into his stomach and was twitching it slowly. When he was opening his mouth to say something, she continued to talk. "I could have been happy until I met you."

Gray stopped, with his mouth still open and frowned. "W-what?"

"As far as Juvia could tell Lyon-san is a good man; he was very concerned with Juvia even when he didn't know who I was, he looks as if he'd treat his wife the best and any woman would have been lucky to get someone like him to get married, Juvia included." The woman was looking to the floor, them. "And he would've treated me like a queen, and would have been nice and I would probably end up loving him after some time. I would have been happy." Her voice cracked a little and Gray could only look to her in surprise; somehow his heart seemed to have been broken and he didn't know why.

She turned around then, and he could see she was crying. "But one day, I would have met you. I know I would meet you. A-and I know that when that moment happened, I would still have fallen for you." She tried to wipe her tears off with one hand. "One look at you and my heart would beat faster, my hands would sweat and, for a moment, I would forget that I was married to a nice man." She took two fast breaths and tears started to fall again. "Then every time I saw you, I would feel that and I would end up hating myself for it."

"Juvia..." Gray was dumbfounded with her imagination.

"I know, Gray-sama." She shook her head. "Just like I know that you wouldn't even look at me if I were the wife of your cousin. And I know that even if you did, it would never happen between the two of us; you are too honorable to do that."

"You overestimate me." Gray tried.

"No. You wouldn't." She shook her head and stayed in silence for a few seconds. "And, by the end... my heart would have been broken." She moved her eyes to his. "Today my head came up with many different scenarios, and every time I had the same thought: 'Thank God destiny made the man I love and my husband to be the same person' and then I felt so relieved."

Gray's heart cartwheeled with her words. "Juv..."

"First I thought that..." She continued, ignoring his try to interrupt her. "Since I would have met him first, my heart would have been empty for Lyon-san to fill." Juvia laughed nervous. "Maybe if I had met him before..." The woman smiled sadly. "But... You still would have overwhelmed me. You still would have made me fall for you without even trying. And I still would have loved you more than I thought it was possible."

They were both silent.

"How?" Gray asked in a low voice after putting his own thoughts together. "How do you know that? How can you possibly know that when you said yourself that you would be happy with him? That he would treat you like a queen?"

"Because I know myself." Juvia smiled sadly, while trying to dry her cheeks, but her falling tears made it hard. "And I don't want to be a queen to the man that I love." She gave a few steps and put a hand on his cheek. "I want to be his partner and equal. And you do that. You helped me enjoy life, you set me free."

Gray looked to her in disbelief. "But..."

"Don't." She put her finger on his lips pro prevent him from talking, while her hand was still in its place, on his cheek. "You can try the rest of your life to tell me that I am wrong, and it wouldn't change what I feel." She removed her finger and stared at his eyes for some time. "It doesn't matter who I was married to, what world I was in; I am so much in love with you that I would find you, even though we couldn't be together." She smiled softly. "That's my conclusion." She leaned and kissed his lips lightly.

"You would be safer..." He whispered when their lips unlocked.

"Juvia doesn't want safety. Juvia wants to stay here. She'd rather live a week with you by her side with a hundred people trying to kill her, than fifty years safe and without you."

"I could make you go." Gray said, their noses touching, lips hovering hers. "I could make it happen."

"If you want me to go, Juvia will go." She whispered and grabbed his shirt while he put his hands on her hips, bringing her closer. "I just told what I feel because if you do tell Juvia to leave, I want you to know that it is because you are afraid, not me."

"Juv-" He was interrupted by a peck on his lips.

"Tell me to go and Juvia will be gone in the morning." Before he could answer, she kissed his lips – she figured out that if she kept asking questions and kissing him at the same time, the odds turned in her favor. "Tell me."

"I should."

"What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say that I am leaving?" Juvia asked and Gray pulled her even harder into his chest.

"Don't." He growled and the blunette beamed at him.

"Never." She kissed him again, that time deeper and longer just like they did before went to sleep and she could feel his body lose the tension he had been carrying on his shoulders from the moment he'd seen his cousin the day before. When they had to part for air, she let go of his shirt and took a step back and Gray sighed. He was about to suggest they return to their bedroom when he felt Juvia's small hands touch his chest where his shirt was open.

With a gasp, Gray was about to ask what she was doing when their eyes met and he became bewitched. She caressed her way up his shoulders and pushed the shirt away with absolutely no complain from him.

The moment the shirt fell on the floor, Gray felt the air around him get tense, especially when his wife took a step back, reach for the knot on the belt holding her coat together and undo it. His breath got caught in his throat when she slid it off and let it also fall to the floor. He had seen her nightgown every time they went to sleep, and he had seen that one many nights, but that night it was different.

"Juvia." His voice was hoarse. "We don't have to just because-"

She smiled. "Juvia is not doing this just so no one can nullify our wedding although it is a nice plus. She is doing this because Juvia is in love with you. She has wanted to become your wife in every sense for weeks now. I am certain; you are the one who still hesitates." She stepped closer to him once again. "I know I've told you a lot of times tonight that I love you, and I do, but I am not asking you to tell me back. I can love for the both of us in this marriage. Just don't shut me away. Stop not returning to bed when you are upset. It's harder to cure you with love when you are nowhere to be found."

Juvia stepped away from him again and went to stand in the middle of the furred carpet. She turned away from him and took her nightgown off; her naked back made Gray's heart beat faster, especially when she looked over her shoulder with a smile. "Juvia wants to do this because it feels right. It's your decision now."

It took Gray less than a second to make up his mind and stride towards his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist and kiss the side of her neck. She was correct, it seemed: it did feel right.

"We should've gone to our bedroom." He whispered in her ear when one of his hands traveled up and massaged a breast, earning a low moan from her.

"Didn't want to give you time to change your mind." She gasped and Gray couldn't help but to chuckle – only his wife could've walked in when he was in one of the worse moods of his life and ten minutes later make him forget about it.

"Maybe you'll be the one who will change your mind this time around." Gray told her and turned her around, just to see a look of determination in her eyes. "Or not." He mumbled when she reached for the lace of his pants and suddenly Gray felt his cheeks get warmer – it wouldn't be his first or second time with a woman, but Juvia was different. What if he did something wrong and traumatized her? He was about to tell her to slow down when he noticed a slight tremble of her hands. "Hey." He grabbed her hands. "Why are you shaking? Are you afraid?

Juvia nodded, but before he could tell her anything, his wife spoke, eyes down in shame: "I'm afraid to do something wrong or that you won't like."

And just like that Gray's fears fled through the window. He kissed one of her hands. "You won't."

Feeling much more confident than before, Gray pulled his wife closer to him and kissed her, trying to transpire all the desire he had for her. He tried his best to kick off his boots without losing a single moment of her body pressed against his, but when he noticed it would require more than willpower to get them off, he cursed when he stopped kissing his wife and took the boots off while she giggled. When he had kicked them off, he shut her up by kissing her again.

Gray pulled her up by the back of her thighs and she wrapped her legs around his waist; he lowered them to the furs and carefully laid her down. Their lips unlocked and Gray pulled back from his wife to look at her and his breath got caught in his throat with the sight. Her blue looked like a halo, spread on the grey wolf furs. Her mouth was getting redder because of his kisses and her blush went from her cheeks down to her breasts and her eyes, oh, her eyes held so much trust and lust he just wanted to do his best.

He kissed her lips and trailed towards her jaw and neck with expertise – they had gone that far – but when his lips reached for her collarbone and then on the top of her breasts, Juvia gasped in surprise and right after a startled yelp pleasure when he reached her nipple while his hand squeezed her other breast. He did the same with the other breast after a few moments and her reactions pleased him very much, especially when she had not tried to be quiet at all.

"Th-this..." She tried to talk, but Gray's other hand had been slowly traveling between her legs and she gasped when she felt him brush her sex. "Gray-sama!" She became an adorable shade of red when tried to close her legs and Gray smiled before kissing her lips.

"Trust me?" He asked her in a whisper and she nodded without hesitation. "Then trust me on this."

With the slightest moment of hesitation, Juvia did what was told and Gray kissed her lips once more and at the same time, his fingers mapped the outside of her sex before gently opening the outer lips – to which she gasped in the kiss, but made no movement to stop him. Gray kissed his way down to her chest once more just when his fingers found the bundle of nerves, and his wife let out a startled moan.

"What- wha-?" She tried to ask, but Gray was gently caressing it and making her feel things she never felt before. The first finger he introduced inside her she had bit her lip and even though it felt weird, Gray's ministrations on the unknown spot made her feel good. The second finger he introduced, though, made her squirm in delight – his touches were making her get somewhere, she knew it. "Gray-sama." She moaned his name and immediately he stopped kissing her breasts and kissed her lips instead, his fingers now in a slow pace of going in and out of her. "This feels good." She was able to say before he curled them inside her and she let out a tiny scream.

After that, Juvia couldn't keep up with what happened, not with Gray touching her so intimately and making her want to... she didn't even know what she wanted to do, but perhaps Gray did. "Please. I need... Please." Gray moved his fingers faster and a few moments later she heard him mutter something, but for the life of her, she couldn't understand because her body was suddenly on fire and she felt pleasure like never before.

On the back of her mind she could still feel Gray's fingers inside her and hear his muttered words, but she felt boneless in the most delectable way. Lips pressed on hers and she lazily kissed back, her mind still foggy. "What was that?" She asked, dreamily and Gray just chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"We can stop here if you want."

His voice made her feel more alert as she shook her head. "No." Somehow, making her feel so good only made Juvia want him more, even if she didn't complete understand it. "I want everything." Juvia saw him stare at her eyes, as if searching something. He mostly like it found it as the next thing she knew, Gray was on top of her, kissing her lips once again.

Juvia noticed his hand between them as he unlaced his pants and pull it down enough he could free himself, and when it touched her center, Juvia suddenly got worried, but pushed it away. She didn't even want to see it. Better not know exactly the size of what was about to enter her.

"I'm sorry, this can be uncomfortable." Gray muttered and she nodded.

"Don't worry." The blunette smiled sweetly. "Juvia wants this."

Gray nodded and kissed her again and put a hand on her sex once more before his fingers were traded by his shaft and Juvia's breathing got faster as he gently nudged forward. It hurt a little bit, but by the way her aya had told her, she thought by the time it happened, she would be begging for death.

Instead, it burned a little as her insides stretched to accommodate him and it felt weirder than anything else she's ever experienced and when finally stopped moving forward, Juvia was biting her lower lip and a couple of tears fell from her tears, which was weird because she wasn't in enough pain to cry. When Gray saw them, he stilled and kissed her lips lightly.

"I'm sorry." He whispered and she shook her head.

"Juvia is fine." She told him and repeated the gesture, kissing him. "It just feels weird, but I'm not hurt."

"Are you sure?" Gray asked and Juvia could see his brows furrowed as he mostly likely tried to contain himself.

"Yes." Juvia grinned and raised her hips, making both gasp. "You can move."

Gray nodded and slowly moved his hips and after a while, instead of only feeling the burning, Juvia started to feel slightly better and she held on to her husband's back, her fingernails digging on his skin and whenever he brushed somewhere nice inside her, she moaned.

"You are so wet." Gray whispered in her ear and she didn't know why, but it made her feel hot all over to hear him breathless while moving inside her. "So fucking tight. I can't believe it." Juvia just whimpered and when he started to pick up his pace, Juvia searched his lips and crashed them together in a messy kiss just when he suddenly thrusted inside her and went still. Juvia could feel something warm inside her, but was much more interested in kissing her husband and caress his back.

His weight didn't bother her, yet the moment he seemed to move, he exited her and fell beside her on the furs, both their breathings hard. Gray looked at her and she looked at him and both fell into laughter.

"Why did we wait again?" Gray asked when he saw Juvia cuddle next to him like she did when they were at their bed.

"You said we weren't ready." Juvia answered, kissing his jaw. "But I'm glad we waited." Juvia traced some mindless patters on his chest with her finger. "It was much more special this way."

"Yes." Gray smiled and pulled her closer to him, trying to shield her from the cold even if thy were close to the fireplace – he found her discarded coat not too far away from where they were and with some trouble, managed to grab it and put it over them. "We should've done this on our bed, not on the floor."

"Stop it." Juvia said. "It happened and Juvia wouldn't trade for anything else. It was perfect." Gray sighed and nodded. "Juvia guesses that no one can annul our marriage now, can they?"

"No." Gray smiled. "But we should probably do it again just to make sure." Juvia fell into a fit of giggles and nodded. A few moments later, he asked: "How are you feeling?"

Juvia thought for a second, trying to feel the new places of her body she just discovered. "A little sore, but that's all."

"Good." Gray caressed the side of her body from her breasts to her hips. "I will make it better for you once you get used to it."

Juvia's face became so red Gray couldn't help but to chuckle. "Ab-about that... what exactly happened... before you... in... me?"

Gray, who hadn't felt that serene in a very long time, just laughed and kissed her, trying to make her forget about her question and more focused on their bodies together. He knew they would have all types of problems; people would try to kill her, they would try to take him down as the Duke, but at that moment, nothing else other than Juvia's arms around him mattered.

Maybe that was what happiness was all about.

#

AN: YEAAAAAAH!!!!! *yells incoherently for hours*