Happy Friday! This is the last chapter of Joyride. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you enjoyed it, consider favoriting or leaving a comment. :)

Guest: Thanks for the notes! I really enjoyed them. (I think both those reviews were from you. It's possible my spidey-sense needs re-calibrated, and if so, I apologize. I'm responding to both here.) Oh, you'll want to hold on to the dandelion moment... I promise you're going to need it. We've got to keep trying; somebody's got to have an artist friend who can draw for us. #LiteralFluffyGrayza. I love subtle displays of affection, like what Gray does here. And isn't it a shame that Erza is so horribly unaware...? Ah, well. She's got to be horrible at something. :) Thanks again!

- K. Chandler

Erza smiled to herself, the divine taste of that fluffy cake still on her tongue. Fancifruit was every bit as wonderful as the reviews had claimed. Not that she discriminated when it came to cake. But that cake had been simply epic.

The sky was dark. Twilight haze colored the horizon purple, and home was just a couple of hours away. Though she couldn't see Magnolia yet, she was sure it would emerge ahead shortly.

The engine was almost melodic in its rhythmic thrum. After a day of hearing it almost constantly, she found it oddly calming. Sighing contentedly, Erza let herself melt into Gray, his broad back steadying her. What a lovely day this had been!

Despite her initial misgivings about this loud, mechanical charger, a bike ride had been the perfect way to get back to Magnolia. It took a little while to come to terms with being a mere passenger on this journey, but ultimately it wasn't an issue. The motorbike served to satisfy her need for speed, much like a roller coaster did.

Although, Erza was surprised by how readily she trusted Gray, though perhaps she shouldn't have been. This was Gray, after all. And it was nice to let someone else steer for a change.

"We're almost home," he said quietly. It sounded almost like a sigh.

Erza frowned. Gray wasn't much of a talker on the best of days, but there was something odd about the way his voice sounded. She couldn't be positive, though. Three words wasn't enough to go on.

"How much longer?" she asked, more because she wanted to keep him talking than because she actually cared about the answer.

"Just a couple more hours now. We'll take this road all the way back and get back on the main road just outside of town." Gray's voice had a weary, strained quality that Erza didn't like.

Erza could feel the shift of his shoulder blades as he first rolled one shoulder, then the other. It had been a gradual change, so it had slipped Erza's notice, but Gray had gotten a lot tenser than he was before. And now that she was paying attention, she could have sworn that there was something different about his breathing. She wasn't sure if it was too shallow or too fast, but something was just off. It seemed like an odd detail to notice, but there could be no doubt. After a day of being in near-constant contact with Gray, she considered herself an expert in what was normal and what wasn't.

"Gray," she said. "Pull over."

"Erza?"

"Now," she ordered.

He complied without another word, letting her climb off before parking the bike.

Though she didn't need a car to get around in Magnolia, Erza was a licensed driver. She was more than familiar with magically-powered vehicles, having driven plenty of them on different jobs. Though a bike was nowhere near as heavy as a car, Erza had a good idea of just how draining it could be.

A round trip from Magnolia to Crocus was a lot for anyone to cram into one day, let alone drive a magic vehicle for. No wonder Gray seemed so worn out. On top of that, she had dragged him all the way to Montello, adding another two hours to this trip. Guilt coiled in Erza's chest.

Gray pulled his helmet off, raking a hand over his face. He shook his head as if to clear it. Then he looked at her. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern coloring his features. "Getting too cramped back there?"

That was the first thing he was worried about? She waved him off.

"Why didn't you say anything?" demanded Erza, her annoyance growing.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting it's your first ride," said Gray. "It's actually pretty normal for—"

"No, not that!" she snapped.

"Erza?" Gray blinked, looking surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"You're running on empty," she accused. "Don't try to hide it from me. I can tell you've burned through a lot of your magic."

He shrugged. "It's fine. I can still get us home. Don't worry."

Erza pursed her lips. His no-fuss attitude made him a fantastic partner in a crisis, but Gray had an annoying way of downplaying things like this.

"Okay, so I'm cutting it a little close. We'll make it," he assured her.

"You're exhausted."

Gray's mouth pressed into a thin line. "I'll be all right," he said stiffly. "Besides, there's no real place to stop between here and Magnolia. It'd be a different story if we were still on the highway. But we're not anymore. It's all dirt roads until we make it back home."

Erza cursed her foolish need to sample the cake at Fancifruit. She was swearing off strawberry cake after this! Maybe not forever, but for a few weeks. Well, one week, at least.

"Maybe we should stop for the night," she said, finding it more productive to take charge than continue to pursue the issue.

"Where? Here?" asked Gray, arching an eyebrow. He pointed down at the ditch they were standing next to.

"Gray—"

"Can we not do this?" he interrupted. "Look. If you're that worried about it, then let's hurry up and get going, okay? The sooner we get back on the bike, the sooner we get back home."

Erza opened her mouth to retort, but she clamped it shut before she could argue with him.

As much as Erza believed that she had every right to worry about her friend, she also realized that he might not appreciate her line of questioning. They were both prideful and more than a little stubborn, so she could understand how he might be feeling. He'd probably interpret it as her questioning his abilities.

Of course, she didn't mean to question his abilities. She just didn't think it was fair to make Gray push himself this way. If this were a car or something, Erza would just offer to drive for a while. But given that she knew nothing about motorcycles, that was out of the question. Still, there had to be something she could do or some other way she could help.

"You're sure you want to go on?" she asked gently, unable to keep the concern from creeping in to her voice.

Gray sighed, his eyes softening. "Honestly, I am a little burned out," he admitted. "But I'd really rather crash in my own bed tonight. Besides, as awesome as this ditch looks, I doubt it'll be horribly comfortable. It'll be worth trying to make it back. Trust me on this one, yeah?"

"All right," she said. She walked over to the bike and tightened the SE-plug around her own wrist. Gray had been carting her all over Fiore today. The least she could do was get them the rest of the way.

He gave her an incredulous look. "You're not driving," he said flatly.

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous," she said, stepping aside to let him get on.

"Erza, this trip was my idea. You shouldn't have to—"

"Remember what you told me earlier?" she asked.

"…I said I lot of things to you today," he said. "You wanna be more specific?"

"You said I needed to trust you. And I do," said Erza. "So if you think you can get us back to Magnolia tonight, then let's go. But you don't have to do it alone. It's okay to rely on us sometimes."

"Erza…" Gray shook his head, astonishment in his expression.

"Ready?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "Let's do it," he said.

Erza strapped her helmet back on. Then she climbed back onto the bike, using Gray's shoulders for balance.

Gray started the bike up and Erza could feel the familiar pull on her magic. She wrapped her arms around Gray's waist as he started down the road again. She was surprised by how right it felt.

"Hey, Erza?" Gray's voice crackled in her ear.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

Erza never knew that one syllable could make her smile so hard. "I should be the one thanking you," she said. "I had fun today and I'm glad you came out to get me."

"Yeah. Me too."

Aww. Aren't they sweet? XD

Okay, now that we've had our moment, I have to ask a question. Consider not what he did, but what didn't happen... Anyone find it odd that Gray could spend all day with Erza... alone... and still not manage to ask her out? Yeah? Okay, now raise your hand if you think that's going to come back and bite him... You bet it will! XD (That probably shouldn't be a smiley face... at all. lol.)

Hold on to this moment of cuteness, Grayza lovers. You'll need it. (And this is why I said this piece had to be here in the timeline.)

Next week, we're switching gears to catch up with our other favorite Ice Mage: Lyon Vastia, matchmaker extraordinaire. Um, no... more like Master of Relationship Disaster.

Stop back next Friday for [Mazeverse] Matchmaker, Heartbreaker, Total Sucker, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.