Just Add Water

Chapter 15

Ring-ring!

"I got it!" Juvia said picking up the house phone. "Hello? Oh hi Ur, how are you?...Really?...Oh that's wonderful! They'll be so excited! Yes I'll tell them! Goodbye!"

She hung up and quickly went to tell everyone in the house the wonderful news. Ur was coming back from her trip and when the other foster children heard the news they were very excited. She then met up with Erza and Lucy at Tendrou Island to tell them.

It was the perfect hang out for the three mermaid turned girls. There they would swim with dolphins, climb the trees, collect shells, surf the waves, and occasionally have swimming races. But what they did most of the time during their visit to the island was meet in the moon pool at the center of the dormant volcano and talk about things together. Things like family, friends, school, crushes, problems, ect. All in all it was their own private sanctuary where they could share each other's secrets without anyone finding out.

"Glad to hear that Ur is coming home. When is she supposed to be back?" Lucy asked.

"Next week, we can hardly wait." Juvia said.  "She's been gone for so long and when she comes back we're going to cook a big dinner for her. Also I think that I'm going get her gift."

"What kind of a gift?"

"Not sure yet." Juvia thought for a moment then she came up with an idea. "I know she's always taking pictures but she has trouble finding a place for all her photos so I'll get her a scrapbook kit."

"That's not a bad idea." Lucy said. 

"If she's the photography type why not get her a new camera?" Erza suggested.

"That's what Gray wants to do. There's this brand new camera that's coming out and he thinks that it would be a perfect gift for her unfortunately it's very expensive and he's never had much luck when it comes to money."

"Here's an idea, why doesn't he just get a job? What is he a lazy bum?"

"He is not. As a matter of fact he's recently started applying for work at several places including the juice bar. He's just waiting for a callback. He's very smart and hardworking so he's bound to be hired by someone. He really wants to get Ur that new camera."

"Ur sure does mean a lot to you two."

"Well after we lost our parents she became the closest thing we had to a mother. She loved all of us like we were her own children."

"Did she ever think about having any of her own?"

"Actually she had a daughter once but she and Ur were in a car accident years ago, the poor thing was killed in the crash and Ur was injured so badly that she had to have an emergency hysterectomy. She could never have anymore children."

"That's terrible. You never told me about that." Lucy said.

"You never asked about Ur's past."

"What happened to her husband?" Lucy asked.  "That is...Did she ever marry?"

"She married but he abandoned her after she got pregnant. He didn't want kids. After her daughter died she was all alone until she decided to open a foster home. She felt that the best way to ease her pain was to give orphan kids like me a home until they were adopted. Funny thing is Gray and I were never adopted."

"Wasn't Gray almost adopted once?"

"Yes. When we were kids a couple from Clover town wanted to adopt him but shortly after they arrived to pick him up they just changed their minds. Right out of the blew." 

"Really? How come?"

"I don't know. I asked Gray once or twice, he said that after talking with hin the couple decided that he was too much trouble for them to handle."