Meetings with Grandpa

Summary: When Gildarts and Cornelia need a babysitter, Makarov is always the first choice, and the old man wouldn't have it any other way. Unfortunately, the life of a guildmaster means that he sometimes has impromptu meetings that he can't find an alternative sitter for. Here are three important meetings Cana sat through over the years.

Disclaimer: I don't own

AN: This is one of those chapters that ended completely off from what I had planned, but I thought it turned out cute all the same.

Age: Seven months

Impromptu meetings with the Magic Council would be considered odd for most guilds.

Not Fairy Tail.

It was a very common occurrence for the members of Fairy Tail to be pulled up in front of the council and threatened with both prison time and disbandment.

This was just the first time they had ordered Makarov to appear while the old man was on babysitting duty.

The old man was sweating nervously as the council starred down at him like he'd grown a third head.

Baby Cana, on the other hand, was happy as a clam on her grandfather's lap, eagerly turning her head around to look at this interesting new place. The miniature man was well aware that this would probably not help his case- but what did they expect him to do? They had barely given him time to grab her baby bag- let alone the time required to find a suitable babysitter!

Yajima cleared his throat," Makarov Dreyar you are brought before the council today because your guild accumulated over five-hundred and seventeen counts of property damage as well as three-hundred counts of reckless endangerment of the public, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The old man sweated nervously (five hundred- oh those brats were going to get it!) and cleared his throat trying to keep a straight face and speak clearly, despite the fact his granddaughter was pulling on his mustache.

"Well I know that we have a tendency to get a little… wild…"

One of the newer members scoffed," 'Wild'? You call destroying Begonia town 'wild'? And you have the gall to bring a child into your hearing!"

The miniature guildmaster felt strangely affronted," Hey wait a second!" He protested," Your messengers dragged me out of the guildhall without even giving me a chance to process what was going on! I wasn't given any warning or any time to find someone else who could watch her! Her mother is ill, and her father is on an emergency request- what exactly did you expect me to do?"

The council collectively winced.

"And for that we do apologize." Yajima said sincerely," That would have been a completely valid reason for a delay, and I promise that it won't happen again."

"Thank you." Makarov said calmly, lightly bouncing little Cana," I don't suppose it would be possible for her diaper bag to be returned? She'll be getting hungry soon and since her bottles are back at the guildhall I'll need the emergency formula milk."

Showing far more leniency than they normally would, one of the frogs was dispatched to take care of it as the trial recommenced.

Feeling much calmer now that he had managed to wring an apology out of them, the guildmaster was able to come up with a defense. "I would like to point out that a majority of the property damage were caused in the pursuit of completing the job- you can hardly hold us accountable for a monster's rampage or of my wizards trying to both do their jobs and keep themselves alive! The numbers shrink even more when you consider how much of the damage were genuine accidents that no one could have seen coming." He pointed out reasonably.

"And what do you have to say about the accounts of reckless disregard for safety?" Belno asked reasonably, trying and failing not to look at the adorable little girl who was happily chewing on her own foot.

The old man gently offered Cana his hand to gum on as he answered," That is less excusable." He admitted freely," Sure some of them might be gross misunderstandings, but either way I intend to deal with my children about that one." He said seriously," However- disbanding our guild would do nothing other than force my wizards elsewhere which could cause even more damage in the long run."

He had been intending to continue when the little one started babbling loudly as she pulled at his mustache again. "No- sweetheart let Grandpa work- "

"Don't worry." Yajima said calmly," I believe that you've said enough to make your case, you and your granddaughter can wait in a private room while we deliberate."

"Thank you." Makarov said gratefully standing up and following the escort out, and just before the doors slammed shut, he heard someone pipe up.

"Alright, let's all start by agreeing the baby was adorable and go from there."

oOOOOo

"Oh, who's a sweet little darling!" Yajima cooed as he conjured sparkles to entertain the giggling infant," Yes you are- yes you are!"

Officially he was supposed to be telling Maky that he'd pulled off another miracle and Fairy Tail would stay open a little while longer. Unofficially he'd volunteered because he'd been trying to get a day off to meet his old friend's granddaughter for weeks.

Makarov let out a loud laugh as soon as he'd heard the verdict and had happily introduced him to his sweet little granddaughter.

"I'm not going to lie Maky," The man said nonchalantly," She definitely helped your case- both because no one wanted to put you in jail while the little one was here and because they felt guilty that you had to bring her at all."

The guildmaster waved him off," I'm not going to hold any grudges over that." He said dismissively," I'm just relieved that they gave me back her bag!"

"That definitely shouldn't have been confiscated!" Yajima said shaking his head," What did they expect you to do if she needed a change or wanted her toys? I promise that I'll personally deal with this- and I'll definitely have to come visit in order to see this little darling!"

The occasional giant laughed," I'll hold you to that last one! Stop by anytime you're always welcome Yajima."

And as he was given a personal escort back to Magnolia, the old man couldn't help feel grateful for this mess. Cana's presence had encouraged the council to go easy on them this time, which gave him a chance to try and make sure that there wouldn't be a next time.

oOOOOo

Age: Three years old

Emergency guildmaster meetings were usually either because of a serious issue that would affect multiple guilds or as result of someone screwing up on a joint job and dragging everyone else into the mess.

This particular one happened to be the latter.

Either way they were serious events that everyone was expected to be on their best behavior for. Which is why Makarov Dreyar showing up with his three-year-old granddaughter got a lot of odd looks.

Not that the little girl was disruptive- on the contrary she was probably the best behaved one out of everyone there, completely content to just sit in her grandfather's lap and color or lay down in the corner for a nap.

The adults on the other hand….

"You expect me to believe that it wasn't intentional?!" Serena Alen, Master of the Mermaid Heel guild snarled at José, Master of the Phantom Lord guild.

The borderline-dark wizard sneared," Maybe if your wizards want to be taken seriously, they should try not dressing like harlots."

Serena's eyebrow twitched and it took the combined strength of Goldmine, Bob, and Makarov to stop her from lunging at José," Let go of me!" She snarled, eager to rip his head off.

"Stop this both of you!" The shortest man present ordered," You're behaving like children!"

"Speaking of children Makarov," The only other Wizard Saint present gave the older man a scowl," How unprofessional is it to bring a toddler to an emergency meeting? Were all of those 'children' of yours too drunk to see straight?"

The Fairy Tail guild Master flashed the man a truly unimpressed look," Actually her father is on an emergency SS-Class job and her mother was accidentally overbooked for three separate clients at the same time. If there had been anyone else available to watch her then they would have. And look at how well she is behaving? With your willingness to pick fights and throw tantrums when things don't go your way, I suppose it is a good thing I brought her- she could teach you a thing or two."

José let out a snarl of rage and stormed out, as everyone else present burst out laughing.

"Ah Maky!" Bob said, wiping a tear from his eye," You always know what to say."

"And speaking of," Serena said, significantly calmer as she turned to the little girl," It is nice to see you little one- is your grandfather already attempting to groom you to take over for him one day?"

Cana looked up at the people in the room and shrugged, reaching for another crayon," I dunno." She said dismissively, turning back to Makarov," Grandpa why was that man mad?" She asked curiously.

The old man laughed and lifted the little girl back onto his lap," Because he is very, very foolish Cana."

"Oh, okay."

Goldmine laughed," Serena has a point though- are you planning to make her the next master?" The tension gone, everyone sitting down for small talk," If nothing else she's got a more level head then most people I know."

The shorter man shook his head," Its far too soon to be worrying about things like that- just let her be a child."

"Oh, I don't know," Bob said with an exaggerated wink," It's never too early to start thinking about the future! Tell me sweetie- what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A dinosaur."

Everybody blinked and stared blankly at the toddler who hadn't even bothered to look up from her coloring book.

"Um…" Serena trailed off uncertainly," Wouldn't you rather be a wizard or a doctor or a ballerina?"

"No."

"Um… okay?"

The only one who hadn't even batted an eye was Makarov," What kind of dinosaur do you want to be sweetheart?" He asked as though he was asking about the weather.

"A blue one!" She answered happily, visibly preening at her grandfather's interest.

Goldmine was the one who decided to ask the question," Um… why do you want to be a dinosaur?"

The little girl calmly set down her crayon and looked him dead in the eye," So that when people are mean to me I can bite their heads off."

While everyone else felt mildly disturbed, Makarov looked exceedingly proud.

"That is an excellent reason." He assured her and raised an eyebrow at his colleagues," Don't you all agree?"

Despite his phrasing it was not a question.

"Oh- of course!" Serena said hurriedly, the others quickly echoing her when they saw the evil glare the smaller man aimed at them.

The meeting was quickly ended, everyone deciding that if Makarov was scary when it came to his children, he was so much worse with his grandchildren.

oOOOOo

Age: Six years old

"So, are we in agreement that dealing with the rise in dark guild's should be a high priority?" Jura asked the room at large who all nodded in agreement," Alright, let us take a short break for some refreshments before we discuss our next course of action." With the future Wizard Saints words, everyone dispersed to the small buffet table that had been set up.

"Grandpa what's that?" Cana asked curiously, pointing to a tray of sliced orange fruit.

"That, my dear is a star mango." He informed her," It is a fruit that's common on Caracole Island - a small island to the west of us, would you like to try some?"

The tiny brunette thought it over for a second, before nodding," Yes, please."

As the old man carefully placed several pieces onto one of the small plates, he tactfully ignored the stares he was getting from the rest of the people present. Yes, bringing his six-year-old granddaughter to what was essentially a war meeting was a little… unorthodox, but it wasn't like there were any other alternatives.

Gildarts had been arrested the night before and Cornelia had gone to bail him out, leaving the little girl with him. Why the Ace had been arrested the old man didn't know and since it apparently had nothing to do with Fairy Tail he had decided that he did not want to know. And since it was coming up on S-Class season the guild was practically deserted- which is why he decided to bring her along.

It wasn't like she was disruptive or distracting in any way (besides being the cutest little girl on the face of the planet- no he was not biased thank you)- she was mostly silent except for when she whispered question to him, to ask for the odd definition or what a certain guild was being discussed.

"So, is this your little granddaughter Makarov?" Ooba, the master of the Lamia Scale guild who was hosting this conference, asked curiously," Quiet as a little mouse- you should be proud. My grandchildren run around like little hell beasts and yours is as sweet as can be."

"I'm Cana its nice to meet you ma'am." The child said politely to the old woman who smiled.

"And she knows her manners too!" She commented with an impressed smile," My name is Ooba little one, I've been working with your grandfather for almost forty years."

"Really?" The brunette asked in awe," That's like- forever."

"I suppose it is." The old woman acknowledged," Tell me child- are you going to be a wizard for Fairy Tail one day?"

"Yes ma'am!" Cana said eagerly," I'm going to be S-Class like Daddy and when Laxus is master I'll be his assistant!" She said proudly.

Ooba gave her an indulgent smile," I look forward to seeing how you grow child- mark my words you are going to be a force to be reckoned with one day." With that the old woman walked off, presumably to go harass someone into getting her a plate.

"She was nice." The little girl commented to her grandfather as the two sat back down at the conference table.

"Indeed, she was." Makarov said putting the small plate in front of her," Now eat up before the lion in your belly starts to roar."

"He does get cranky at snack time." The little girl conceded, popping a piece of mango into her mouth and lighting up," Its good!"

"So it is."

It wasn't long before the meeting was back under way, unfortunately with a few… disruptions.

"That is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" A wizard said scathingly to an odd wizard from Blue Pegasus.

"Your repugnant parfum tells me all I need to know." The red-headed troll said in what was probably intended to sound smooth," No one who puts out such a wretched scent of disrespect is worth taking seriously."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY FUCKWIT?!"

"No name calling!"

All wizards blinked and turned to the scowling child who pointed at the initiator in open disapproval.

"Just 'cause you didn't like what he said doesn't mean you can be a meanie!" The child said, the look of outrage on her face utterly adorable. Like a kitten trying to act like a lion," And no bad words either!" She said firmly.

Ooba let out a howling laugh as she pounded the table with her fist," Maky I think you better leave this one in charge! That grandson of yours is cute but he doesn't have her guts!"

"Thank you for the compliment ma'am." Cana said politely, before turning back to the still discombobulated wizard," Now say you're sorry." She ordered, crossing her arms over her chest for emphasis.

"You gotta be kidding me." He said as he stared at the child… then almost squeaked in terror when the occasional giant glared at him from over his shoulder. His pride wasn't worth dying!

So, grudgingly, he turned back to the freak from Blue Pegasus," I… apologize Ichiya." He said through gritted teeth," It was rude of me to call you that."

"Apology accepted!" The scent-loving whack job said, climbing onto the table to strike a pose," Let the scent of forgiveness fill the air and all forgotten! Thank you for your assistance little one!"

Cana stared at the man for a moment and then slowly inched behind her grandfather. The other man shouldn't have used bad words or called him names, but that didn't mean the other guy wasn't a weirdo.

Maybe if she kept quiet the rest of the meeting he would forget she was there…?

"Never mind that- let's all get back to the matter at hand." Jura said authoritatively and the meeting continued with no further upsets.

Later that night, as Makarov rode the train home with his sleeping granddaughter on his lap he grinned.

Oh Cana was going to be a force to be reckoned with when she got older, and when he was finally ready to retire, between both of his grandchildren he could be assured that the guild would be in good hands.

AN: The dinosaur bit is almost verbatim what my little sister said when I asked her that question (she's three). Also writing Ichiya was... really, really weird and not something I ever want to repeat again. And I have no idea why Gildarts got arrested- take your pick I just needed both parents out of the way. Also, I have no idea where Caracole Island is in context of this, I just picked west randomly.