AN: Just a small chapter to wrap the story up! :)

#

The Lady Of His Heart

#

The last time Gray and his father had waited outside the chambers he shared with his wife while Ur and the Maester were inside, he had received the worst news of his life and while that time he knew was nothing like before, he was still scared.

The sounds from inside weren't really putting his worries to rest.

"What is taking so long?" Gray asked.

"Those things take time, son." His father told him. "You took all day to be born."

"You are not really helping." He looked at his father. Silver was seated on one of the chairs a couple of guards had brought to them earlier, Star was calmly lying down on the floor next to him while Blizzard sat back on his haunches, watching Gray walk from one side to another; perhaps Star knew what Juvia was going through. "What if…?"

"They will be fine, son." Silver told him.

"I know. I know." Gray sighed and finally sat down next to his father. "I just… I feel so helpless."

Silver nodded in understanding. "There's nothing we men can do about this, son. That's a woman's business and let me tell you, they are much better equipped for it than we would ever be." He reached for Star's head and caressed the soft fur. "Juvia-chan is strong, stronger than we know. Don't worry."

A loud groan came from inside the room and Gray prayed to the old gods of his family and also the new just in case, to protect his wife and their child. She had been inside the room for hours, in pain while he was outside, waiting.

For months the young couple had been anticipating the birth of their baby and he could see she was scared and he was sure she could see the same in him. Per her request, they kept it hidden the fact she was pregnant by wearing large dresses, coats and capes that concealed her bulging stomach until she was almost as far as she had been when she had been attacked.

Blizzard put his head on Gray's lap and he started to pet the wolf, feeling slightly calmer to have something to do, even if it was just caressing his direwolf's fur.

Star and Blizzard followed Juvia around whenever they were at Winterfell and they'd watch carefully any person who interacted with Juvia or came too close to her. Even Silver or Gray, they kept vigil. Gray thought they were being that way because they felt guilty about Juvia's first pregnancy. Direwolves were much smarter than they had thought.

The door opened and both men got up. Ur came out and Gray's heart was beating fast inside his chest and fear flooded in his veins. Did something go wrong?

"I just came out to tell you she's going to start pushing soon." Ur told them. "Just a little more time and you can meet your babe, Gray." She tried to return inside, but Gray called his name.

"Is… is she alright? Is the baby?"

Ur offered him a sympathetic smile. "She is in pain right now, but the moment that baby is in her arms, trust me: she will be fine. Everything is proceeding as it should."

Gray gave her a nod and she returned inside.

"Just a few minutes more, son." Silver patted on Gray's back. "Just a few minutes and you'll be a father."

The next few minutes were one of the longest of Gray's life. The painful groans form inside grew louder and more frequent until they became so loud even Star sat, staring at the door while Gray stood, frozen in place, heart beating like crazy inside his chest. His breath got caught in his throat when there was silence inside but the moment he heard the cry of a child, his child, he finally breathed again.

"There we go!" Silver exclaimed, happy as he patted his son's back roughly. "Ha!" Gray was shaking when his father pulled for a hug; he still couldn't believe his child had just been born. "Oh, thank the gods!"

"I…" Gray tried. "I need to see them."

"Of course you do, son." Silver nodded. "You'll see them soon."

True to his word, just a few minutes later, Ur opened the door and she was smiling. "We are not done here, but I know better than try to hold you back here." She told him. "Come in and meet your son."

His eyes widened and Gray nodded, stepped inside and the moment he was in, his eyes locked with the form of his wife, holding a small bundle in his arms. The smell of blood made him unsettled until she looked up; she was tired, he could see, her hair was a mess and crying but he could see it was from relief.

"Juvia?"

She smiled, then. "Come to see him, Gray-sama."

It was as if the whole world stopped existing and only he, his wife and their child existed. He sat on the bed, facing her and Juvia moved the blanket so he could see the baby nestled in her arms.

Gray felt as if someone had punched him on the stomach the moment he looked at his son. He had some dark blue hair on his head and since he was quietly resting, his eyes were close but Gray prayed he'd have Juvia's beautiful eyes.

"How…" Gray gulped, overwhelmed with emotion and without taking his eyes off of his son. "How is he? How are you?" He wanted to have the baby in his arms but he knew Juvia needed it more than he did – besides, just seeing him already filled his heart with joy.

"Sore, but fine." Juvia told her husband and then looked down to the baby. "And he is perfect. Absolutely perfect." She whispered.

"Aye, he is." Gray nodded and smiled, leaning to kiss his wife's lips lightly. They kept staring at the newborn in wonder for a few minutes before Juvia winced in pain and Gray went on alert. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong." Ur stepped close to them and put a hand on Gray's shoulder. "I usually only let the fathers come inside the room once the afterbirth has come out. As it can take it up to half an hour to come, I knew if I did that to you, you would get worked up." The older woman stared at Gray. "Let me-" Ur tried to take the baby from Juvia, but the blunette held on to the newborn tighter and her eyes widened in panic. "Juvia, you shouldn't deliver the afterbirth while holding the baby." She said gently.

"No one will take him from me." Juvia said and Gray understood why she was feeling that way. A year before, when she learned about losing Sapphire, she had pleaded for her baby to return and she was panicking now that she had a living child in her arms. He really couldn't blame her for being afraid.

"How about he stays with me?" Gray asked, gently, to his wife. "You know I won't let go of him."

"Yes." Ur nodded. "How about the little one gets to know his father while you finish here?"

Juvia was looking at them, doubtful. "He stays here in the room where I can see him."

"Of course." Gray agreed. "I'll go sit with him by the fire, huh? You'll be able to see us, then."

Another pain unsettled her and Juvia knew she would need to let go of her son and Gray, as unreasonable as it sounded, was the only person she trusted the baby with.

"Alright." She whispered and kissed the baby's forehead before she gently passed him to his father. "Don't leave the room." She repeated for good measure.

"I won't." Gray told her and once both Ur and Juvia made sure he was holding the infant the right way, Gray got up and walked slowly towards the fireplace, where there was a chair Juvia had taken to like during the coldest days in Winterfell. Once he was settled, Gray looked down to the baby and he was even more mesmerized than before. He was so tiny, everything was small and fragile but perfect at the same time. "Hello, son." Gray whispered to the newborn. "Your mother and I have been waiting a long time to meet you and now that you are here, I never felt happier."

The baby yawned and made a distressed sound when Gray's arm relaxed a bit but he was quick to adjust it once more and the baby slumbered again.

"You mother was right, you are perfect." Gray said in awe. "We will probably be unreasonably protective of you, but bear with us, please. It has been a tough year."

For a long time, Gray talked to his son, even if he was asleep the whole time and Gray had looked up a few times to see Juvia's progression and a few of those times, she was staring at him as if to make sure he still had their child safely in his arms.

Juvia, he was absolutely sure, would be a very protective mother, like a she-wolf with puppies. She might've not been born in the North, but she was sure northern.

Once she was done and Ur had guaranteed it was fine, Gray walked back to the bed and gave the fussing baby back to Juvia, whom only had eyes for the little boy.

"He is hungry." Ur told the young mother. "Let me help you." Gray watched intently as Ur taught Juvia on how to feed the newborn and it didn't take long for the child to latch on and start to drink on earnest. "You two are naturals. I will go to Silver so you can have some time for yourselves but I warn you: he will want to come here to meet his grandchild very soon."

"Thank you, Ur-sama." Juvia told her.

"Thank you, Ur." Gray glanced at the older woman when she put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it before she left the chambers.

"How come we made the most perfect baby in the world?" Juvia asked, looking up to her husband. "I can't believe he is real."

"He is." Gray told her. "He is ours."

"I am so happy to hold him, feel his warmth, to smell him, to just… see him." The blunette said. "I love him so much."

"I do too." Gray put a hand on the top of the child's head. "Both of you." Juvia smiled and kissed her husband.

#

An hour later, the young couple looked up when they heard a knock on the door and it opened to reveal both Silver and Ur alongside with the direwolves. The older man was clearly buzzing in happiness to meet his grandchild.

"How are you, my dear?" Silver asked, sitting on the bed to take a better look at the baby and aw-ing in cue.

"More than fine." Juvia answered and she smiled when the direwolves came close to smell the child. "Well, come on, you two." Juvia called and both wolves, as if they understood her, stepped close and started to smell the top of the babe's head.

"This is Flint." Gray said, petting Star and then Blizzard. "He is the one you two have been so protective about." Blizzard wagged his tail while Star started to lick the baby's hair and it made the baby fuss a little. Gray chuckled at their reaction but pushed them away slightly before they woke him. "Alright, alright, I'm happy you liked him, since you will be fundamental to keep him safe."

As if they understood, both wolves sat down, eyes locked at the baby as Juvia passed him to her husband and when Gray got up so Silver could hold his grandchild.

"What should we call him?" Silver asked, clearly in love already.

Juvia stared at the baby for a while before she looked at her husband, whose nod gave her permission to tell the name they agreed with. "Flint."

"Flint." Silver tested the name. "Fullbuster children are usually named after colors."

Juvia chuckled. "It is a shade of gray." She informed him. "Juvia borrowed a book from the Maester where it had all the colors' names."

Silver nodded. "If that's the case, I approve. Welcome to the world, Flint Fullbuster."

#

AN: Welcome, Flint! I just thought they deserved a happy ending after what they had been through and Flint is their chance. I hope you liked it and thank you for reading this crazy fanfiction. You guys are amazing!

Thanks to: Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi, Snavej, blueee55, I12Bfree, TheUniqueFangirl, rosaji, Kyogan-Saori, AriaLuvsInu, talkitivejaguar, P. FullbusterBelieve, Guest, Gruvia Fanclub, Jilykindom3027, Mz. Pixie, adoranymph, ILoveSxS, Guest and Dragonll237 who reviewed!

11/26/2017 ~ BonneyQ