Uwah, this is it! Oh, my feels. Song for this chapter is 'I Have Dreamed' from the film 'The American President'. It MUST be looked up. Also, the actual version with lyrics is also another piece that I feel fits Juvia greatly, but for a certain part near the middle of this chapter, stick with the film's arrangement; trust me, it is THE song.

Also, for MY version, Juvia and Gray have NOT spoken to each other yet at all, and Lyon hasn't talked to either of them yet. This picks up after Natsu has been, um, 'subdued', shall we say? Yes? Yes. Also, I think Lyon is, like, the biggest sweetie-pie ever and if Juvia doesn't want him, I will gladly take him.

Juvia smiles as Natsu bounds into the Grand Banquet Hall and, minus one royal crown, bolts straight for the food. Her fellow guild members gather around him to either clap an appreciative hand on his back or reprimand him for his actions, though Juvia thought his masquerading as the king was hysterical. She holds back a giggle and turns to take another stroll around the room and admire the opulent decor, but she instead bumps into an unyielding form. She gasps and stumbles back, but finds herself steadied by a strong grip.

"Juvia-chan? Are you alright?"

"Oh!" she exclaims, reaching up to fix her sun hat. "Juvia is sorry! She didn't see you there, Lyon-sama."

Lyon smiles kindly at her and replies, "That's alright; I've actually been looking for you. I'm glad that you look so well now; you really gave everyone a scare, you know."

"Yes. Juvia is very sorry that everyone worried so much!"

"Well, that only means we care. It's a good thing," he assures her. The band begins a new song, a lilting waltz, and Lyon offers Juvia his hand. "How about a dance?"

"Eh? U-um..." Juvia falters, unprepared for the sudden offer and unsure of whether or not she should accept. Lyon, aware of her discomfort, shakes his head a little.

"I would appreciate it very much if you accepted this dance. Between friends," he says carefully, and watches her blink at him on the word 'friends'. It seems to relieve her, and she tentatively nods at him before allowing herself to be led onto the dance floor.

They are silent at first as they begin to dance, but after a few seconds, Juvia speaks. "Juvia is very glad to see that Lyon-sama is well, too." When his smile grows, a brief flash of worry that she has said something misleading crosses her face, only to turn to confusion when he begins to laugh.

"Don't look at me like that," he chuckles, twirling her once. "I understand that there's no room in your heart for me."

Juvia flushes guiltily and averts her gaze down to her feet, trying to keep the one-two-three rhythm of the dance as she stutters, "J-Juvia didn't mean to... to... um."

"It's alright, Juvia-chan. When I saw you defend Gray like that... well, it was pretty clear that he really is the only one for you. I mean, obviously, you could do better," he quips, giving her a playful wink. "But Gray is like a little brother to me, which means he's annoying and stupid, but his happiness matters and all that. He may not show it well, but you have quite an effect on him. It's been a long time since I've seen him look that way."

Juvia is dazed by Lyon's words. "Ah... What way?"

Lyon's gaze suddenly turns very serious as he responds, "Like he was losing someone very important to him." Juvia doesn't know what to say to such a statement, so she remains silent, deciding to be intensely focused on getting the dance steps right. She squeaks in surprise when Lyon pulls her closer and murmurs slyly, "Speak of the devil. Don't look now, but I think we've got an audience."

But of course, Juvia can't help but glance out towards the edge of the dance floor. She sees Erza, Lucy, and Cana smiling incredulously at her, and a little further off is Gajeel standing with Levy. Juvia gulps when she realizes that he is keeping a menacing eye on Lyon, glaring at him warningly. Juvia opens her mouth to apologize to her dance partner for her friend's overprotective nature, when someone else catches her eye.

Gray sits at a table with Natsu, who is chattering away, completely ignored. He watches Lyon and Juvia dance, his hand tightly gripping a glass of wine, not at all noticing that he has accidentally frozen it. 'Shouldn't this stupid song be over by now?' he thinks, gritting his teeth in irritation when he sees Lyon pull Juvia even closer and whisper something in her ear. She glances in his direction, and their eyes lock.

Juvia, in her moment of inattention, trips over her own feet and is saved from a very embarrassing fall by Lyon lifting and spinning her around, perfectly in time to the music. "Oh! Juvia is so sorry for her clumsiness! Thank you, Lyon-sama," she says, flustered as her feet touch the ground. Thankfully, the music begins to fade as the waltz reaches its end, sparing her from any further chances to make a fool of herself.

Lyon, however, bows to touch his lips to the back of her hand. "No, Juvia, thank you for the wonderful dance," he says with a roguish smile as he straightens up, looking over the top of her head. "Ah, Gray. I'm surprised you've managed to keep your clothes on this long."

"Shut up," Gray snaps, coming up behind the two. He glowers down at Juvia, but his irritation is directed towards the silver-haired ice mage when he says, "You shouldn't be dragging her all over the place, stupid. She just got out of the infirmary last night and she doesn't need you tiring her out."

Juvia wonders if the note of protectiveness that she hears in his voice is merely a happy auditory hallucination, and she smiles dreamily up at Gray just as he turns his glare on Lyon.

Gray's eyes narrow suspiciously at the older man's knowing smile. Lyon, however, shrugs good-naturedly and suddenly places Juvia's hand firmly in Gray's. "You're right, it's pretty hard keeping up with me," he says, determined not to laugh at the bewildered expressions on the pair in front of him. He turns and begins to walk off of the dance floor, calling over his shoulder, "But you're slow, Gray, so I'm sure she'll have no problem keeping up with you."

Gray's mouth drops open in shock, and he looks over to see an identical expression on Juvia's face. He is just about to drop her hand when the bass chord of the next waltz begins to resonate throughout the hall, immediately coupled with the whimsical cascade of piano notes. Not wanting to be rude, though he knows it's impossible for anyone to commit a bigger faux pas than Natsu already has, Gray takes Juvia in his arms and begins to move with her around the floor.

Juvia fails to suppress her megawatt smile at this turn of events. 'Thank you, Lyon-sama!' she thinks, joyfully committing to memory the feel of Gray's frame, warm and solid as it supports her. There is a stiffness in his movement, though, and Juvia realizes with a look of disappointment that he must be embarrassed to dance with her. "Juvia is sorry," she mumbles forlornly.

Gray blinks down at her in surprise. "What for?"

"Gray-sama doesn't want to dance with Juvia, yet he is forced to."

"It's not that," he says, feeling the back of his neck grow hot as he registers the cajoling tone in his voice. He clears his throat and continues, "Lyon's just an ass, that's all. I thought he was bothering you before. I don't mind dancing with you. Well, I do, but that's just because I don't really dance, not because it's with you."

Juvia's expression brightens once more, and she giggles. "Thank you, Gray-sama. But you shouldn't worry; it is only one song. Though... Juvia wouldn't mind if Gray-sama wanted to dance more..." she shyly trails off, her face reddening.

Gray feels uncomfortably warm and wonders if it is because of Juvia's words or his restrictive clothing. 'Don't go stripping in the middle of the dance floor, stupid,' he tells himself, trying to focus on the music instead, how the horns that have been dominating the waltz fade out and let the piano take over the melody. It's a nice song-a little too romantic for his tastes, but nice. He stares down at Juvia then, and really registers how she looks for the first time all day. She looks delicate once again, hair loose around her shoulders and her body draped in layers of white lace and silk. He almost laughs when he notices the hearts adorning the edges of her gown: Juvia, ever the romantic. And suddenly he's remembering her appearance the other night, how feminine she was in a white cotton nightgown and flowers in her hair. How she was just as soft in his arms then as she is now, and how her eyes gazed at him with undisguised adoration. He blinks.

'Oh shit, she's been staring at me. Shit. Shit. Say something.'

"Nice dress."

'Nice dress. Nice flowers. You're a fucking idiot.'

Juvia, however, positively glows at his words. "Thank you, Gray-sama. Juvia thinks you look very handsome with clothes on," she compliments, and then she turns beet-red.

Gray snorts and shakes his head in amusement, a smirk playing about the corners of his mouth. He briefly glances up and then does a double-take. "Stupid," he mutters, and Juvia draws back a little in surprise. "Oh, no, not you. Flame-brain over there."

Juvia lets Gray spin her so she can see what he's looking at, and then her blush intensifies tenfold. Natsu is pointing at them and clearly mouthing the words 'lovey-dovey', right before Lucy reaches over and smacks him across the head. Cana is laughing and salutes them with a glass of wine, and Erza is watching with an approving smile. Juvia, embarrassed at all the attention, unthinkingly turns her face away and buries it against Gray's chest. She hears him inhale sharply and jumps back, convinced that if her face gets any warmer, she is going to completely evaporate. "Juvia didn't mean to do that," she squeaks.

"It's... whatever," Gray responds, not meeting her eyes. The music swells and then gently begins to fade, and then their dance is over. There is a brief second of stillness, neither of them stepping away immediately. But then they look at each other and pull away, suddenly all-too-aware of just how close they had been.

Juvia laces her fingers together and smiles at him. "Thank you for dancing with Juvia, Gray-sama," she says sweetly.

"... Don't go getting any weird ideas," he says warningly, but his cheeks are red and he'd stared at her a little longer than was normal before responding.

Her smile only grows wider, and she looks at him, gaze unwavering, until he starts to fidget. "Gray-sama?"

"What?"

"I love you."

"..."

"... Why are you looking at Juvia like that?"

"You... You're so weird," he blurts out, but there is nothing insulting in his tone of voice. In fact, Juvia could be imagining it, but he almost sounds as if he's just recalled something pleasant that he'd forgotten. "When did you start saying things so bluntly?"

"Juvia has always been blunt; maybe Gray-sama is only just starting to notice."

He looks taken aback for a moment, but then rolls his eyes and smiles wryly. "Maybe," he concedes, just as the band starts up another song. He and Juvia share a look of realization; they haven't moved at all from their spot on the dance floor.

Despite her talk of being blunt, Juvia gives Gray a coy look from under her lashes and asks, "Would Gray-sama like to dance again?" A long pause follows her words, and she thinks that he is about to say no when he suddenly shrugs and offers her his hand.

"I guess we have time for one more."

And then Lyon immediately cut in and waltzed Juvia away. Bahaha. Well, that's it. I'm very, very grateful to everyone who read my first foray into fanfiction; whether you liked it or hated it, I still thank you for reading it. You're all wonderful.