Of Fire and Ice

C.77

After two days, we were walking back through that meadow and I closed my eyes and smiled as I walked, trying to soak up as much warmth and peacefulness I could.

"Hey!" A voice broke me out of my thoughts, and I looked forward to see a group running towards us. "Should we run?" I asked. "I don't know. I think that might be your team." He said and I groaned. "You gonna disappear?" I asked and he hugged me, then vanished just as I could see them clearly.

I walked forward beside Ari and they stopped. "That other person. Who was it?" Erza asked. I looked down at Ari, who just said, "well, no point in hiding it now." I shrugged, agreeing. "Mystogan." I said and their faces fell into shock.

"You went on a week long mission with Mystogan?!" Natsu asked and I nodded. "Yep." "And the first time you left..." Lucy asked. "That was Mystogan too." "And to get your stitches out?" Harley asked. "Mystogan picked me up." I nodded.

Grey was uncomfortably silent, and I mean, I don't blame him. "I didn't do anything with him. We just went on two missions together." I assured him. "You sure?" He spat and Ari hummed and I shot her a look. "What does that mean?!" Grey shouted.

I slid off Ari. "Would you calm down for a minute and trust me?!" I stood in front of him, both of us fuming. "There might have been one moment, but nothing happened, I swear it. Ari was there for witness." I said and he refused to look at me. "What happened. Tell me." He ordered.

"We were staying at a hotel on the first mission, and it was after my arm got in that sling. I was having trouble getting my jeans on, so he came over and buttoned them for me. That was it, I swear it." I said. "It's true Grey." Ari backed me up.

"And Mystogan knows that I have you, and he would never do anything that would come between us." I said, wanting to reach out to touch him, but I feel like he would just reject me.

I took a chance anyways and touched his cheek, and surprisingly, he let me. I was about to step closer, and he raised his arms and gripped mine right above the elbows. I didn't care that it hurt, I let him.

He hung his head and squeezed his eyes shut, and I swore I saw tears drip out. "Grey..." I sighed. "Grey, you're hurting her!" Lucy spoke up. "I'm okay, Lucy." I said, not taking my eyes off Grey's face.

His grip slackened and he pulled me into a hug. "Do you hate me?" I whispered in his ear. "No." I heard him answer back. "Do you still love me?" I asked hopefully. "Yes. I love you so much. I'm sorry." He said and I sighed and hugged him tight.

We continued onto Fairy Tail and after we were seated and I had a half-drinken Wem beer in front of me, I remembered the small box.

I dug in my pocket and opened it to see a silver ring with a small black stone. I slid it on my pinkie finger and looked at it.

"What's that?" Erza asked. "A present from the girl who put out the ad for the last mission. She told me not to open it until I got home." I said, gazing at it.

There was a glint in the ring, and then a beam of light shot out of it and landed five feet in front of me and formed into a man and a woman.

The woman was pale with white hair and lilac eyes, while the man looked pretty normal but with the lightest green eyes I had ever seen. And his hair went from white and faded into a pale blond.

Harley stood up with tears in her eyes. "Mom... dad..." She sighed and I stood with her.