The Father Daughter Mission
Summary: What if Cana went with Gildarts on his job during the Key of the Starry Heavens arc?
Disclaimer: I don't own
AN: This one in particular bugged me, not because I dislike Laki, but there was a perfect opportunity for some sweet fluffy bonding and they ignored it! Naturally, I had to rectify this lapse. There is some mention of previous MacaoxCana but its nothing serious and its all in the past. I just thought for this particular story a little overprotective daddy Gildarts would be fun. Also- the date I picked for Cana's birthday is not set in stone for future chapters, I just needed a day.
Cana was still having trouble adjusting to this bizarre new world she found herself in.
Seven years.
They'd lost seven years to Acnologia.
Seven years their guild family had to suffer without them.
Adjusting to seeing the people she loved so much older, to a world where her old classmates at Griffith's were grown and had their own children, to a world that had moved on without her was… difficult.
Well, at least Gildarts finally knew the truth- that was something at least.
Her old man might be completely smothering, but she knew that it was his way of trying to make up for all the years he'd missed in her life. And she'd be lying if she said that she didn't like the attention, but… well the part of her that liked it was really, really deep down.
At least there was plenty of distraction: like what the fuck was going on with the fucking clock hand?
Now, Cana would not say she was the most devout, but she'd be an idiot if she didn't at least respect religion, however, now that they'd been attacked by the Zentopian zealots she respected that particular one a little less.
"Well I hate to ask you this, but you think you're up for it?" Macao (Macao… seems like that old crush would never totally die) asked Gildarts.
The Ace shrugged," What other choice do I really have?"
"You're the only one in the guild with the power to pull this off."
"'Course we do have the perfect partner for you."
Cana snorted bitterly," Back to his old tricks I see. Sneaking around late at night." Did she really mean that little to him? Guess some things would never change.
"Go easy on him." Master advised her gently.
Gildarts had started walking over to them, that goofy look of total adoration that he reserved just for her (she didn't like it- seriously she didn't)," Cana sweetie- were you listening to us?"
The brunette shrugged," Little bit." She admitted.
"You want to tag along with your Daddy?" The Ace cooed," We've never gone on a real father-daughter mission before!"
The card mage was about to say no, but stopped short. "Actually, why not?" She said hesitantly, getting a warm feeling in her chest when her old man immediately started celebrating.
"Really? You mean it?" Gildarts gushed, hearts in his eyes as he stared at the beautiful girl he'd helped to create.
The brunette raised an eyebrow," You want me to say no?"
"No!" The red-haired man yelped frantically," No- I want you to come Sweetie! Daddy is so excited to take a job with you!"
Despite herself Cana gave her dad a small grin," Well then- let me grab my stuff and we're good to go."
The Ace did his best imitation of a bobble head. "That sounds perfect Princess!" He exclaimed in delight, quickly scooping up his little girl, which made her let out a yelp in surprise. "Well let's go Sweetheart! If we get your stuff now we can leave right away!"
"Put me down!" Cana demanded, fighting her father's hold.
"But- Sweetie its so dark out- what if you trip over a root and get hurt? It's Daddy's job to protect you from everything Sweetie- and if you get hurt then our job is over before it ever gets started!"
"Oh, for the love of- "Cana let out a deep breath and decided just to suck it up," Do you even know where Fairy Hills is?"
Gildarts happily shook his head as he cradled his little girl in his arms," Nope- that's why you have to give me directions Angel!"
She sighed," Alright- go down this road then make a left- "
The three men who could proudly say they'd helped raise the beautiful young woman Cana had become watched with fond eyes as the father and daughter departed. Those two would be just fine.
oOOOOo
Day one of the father daughter mission was… awkward to say the least.
They shared an intimate bond through blood, but that didn't change the fact that they were virtually strangers, with one bringing a lot of emotional baggage to the other one's blank slate.
Gildarts was aware that he'd hurt Cana very badly through his own ignorance. His baby had to watch him give the attention and love that should have been hers to pretty much everyone under the sun. He… he got the feeling that guilt would never entirely go away.
But now that he knew he was going to be the most loving father on the planet! Problem was… well they were still strangers. He didn't know anything about her…
"Fuck, I don't even know when your birthday is." The Ace blurted out unthinkingly, breaking the awkward silence.
Cana blinked those big violet eyes in surprise (she looked so much like her mother… how could he have been so blind?!)," What?" She asked in confusion.
"I don't know when your birthday is." He repeated
"Oh." The brunette shrugged," Its September sixteenth."
Gildarts stopped short, making Cana give him a quizzical look," You okay?"
He slowly nodded," Sorry." He apologized," It's just… that means you were already on the way when we broke up…" He trailed off, logically, he'd known that she had to have been, but that didn't mean he had totally accepted it. So now searching his memories of his wife for any hint of a pregnancy and remembered one bought of vomiting they'd pegged as a stomach bug… had she known? Had she known that Cana was on the way and not said anything?
"Pops." A manicured finger gently poked his chest and he looked down to see his girl raising an eyebrow at him," You okay?"
He gave her a smile," I'm fine Princess." He said dismissively and the two began walking again.
After a while of silence Cana swallowed down the question that had been burning since she found out about the true relationship between her parents and instead asked," How… how did you meet mom?"
The crash mage gave her a smile that could light up a room," It was actually back in her Mermaid Heel days," He said casually putting his arm around his little girl's shoulders (and she didn't shrug him off this time!)," At first we were just hunting down some Vulcans together but then there was an earthquake and we both stuck around the area to try and help. We went on a couple more jobs together before we officially started dating and got married after four years."
Seeing the way his girl's eyes lit up as he told an abridged version of the story made him make a mental note to tell her in more detail later.
"So- speaking of dating," He said with a small grin," There any boys I need to worry about?"
The brunette froze looking like a deer caught in headlights.
This naturally made him concerned," Sweetie? You okay?" Why did she react like that? It wasn't like he was going to hurt any boy she'd dated… much.
"Oh," She said in a high-pitched voice, eyes bugging out of her skull," I've had a few boyfriends here and there- nothing serious."
The red-headed man raised an eyebrow," How many is a 'few'?"
Cana was sweating now," Uh… you know what? It doesn't really matter- hey, how much farther- "
"Cana."
That wasn't fair. He'd known he was a father for all of a month (well, seven years and a month if you want to get specific), how could he pull the 'young lady' voice on her like that?
She tried to bluff," Less than you I'm sure." She said thinking back to him listing off the names of every woman he'd ever slept with.
He snorted," If you'd been with as many as I have, I'd send you to a nunnery. Stop dodging the question."
The card mage sighed and decided to come clean," Twenty-five."
Okay, she lied. Sue her. She wasn't going to tell him she stopped counting years ago.
Gildarts froze his foot half-way off the ground as he'd been about to take another step.
"T-twenty-five?" He repeated in a blind panic.
A sigh," Yeah, that's right."
This- this was-
Cana let out a yelp as she was suddenly pulled up into her father's arms.
"Sweetie- it's okay we can work through this." How much had he damaged her in his ignorance? "I'm here now and I love you no matter what- "
"The hell are you going on about?" Cana asked incredulously, shoving at her father's face," Put me down we have a lot of ground we need to cover- "
"B-but- Sweetie we need to talk about this- "
"No, we don't! My love life is none of your business- just like I'm not going to ask about yours. Now put me down and forget it!"
Gildarts was more than willing to protest and continue trying to get her to open up, but then he noticed her eyebrow twitching in that special way Conny's always had right before she exploded and decided that discretion was the better part of valor.
He was many things- suicidal was not one of them.
oOOOOo
Later that night as they settled down to sleep, Gildarts found himself staring at the sleeping form of his grown daughter.
How could he have been so blind?
She looked so much like her mother, acted so much like her mother, sounded like her mother- how had he never seen what was right in front of him?
Actually, maybe he had.
He could remember the stray thoughts on just how close they resembled each other on those rare occasions when he'd see her in the guildhall. Maybe somewhere deep down he'd known the truth.
Why was that so much worse than his having been ignorant?
His girl opened one eye," You should try taking a picture it'll last longer." She griped.
Gildarts sheepishly apologized," Sorry sweetie."
The brunette shook her head," What were you thinking about any way?" She asked curiously, grabbing a brush from the top of her bag and running it through her dark hair.
The Ace shrugged," I was just trying to figure out when your mother and I made you sweetie."
Cana threw him a disgusted look," Uh- don't even talk about that!" She exclaimed with a shudder," Hearing you list off every woman you've ever been with was bad enough!"
The crash mage gave his child an apologetic smile," Won't happen again sweetheart." Although now that he mentioned it- when had they made her? If her birthday was in September then they would have had to have conceived her sometime late December, early January…
Gildarts shook the thought out of his head, he could try and do the math later, since she was up, he had other questions he'd like answers to.
"Where did you stay when you got to Magnolia?" He asked curiously. Who had raised his child in his stead?
The card mage shrugged," For about the first month or so I stayed at church orphanage," She said nonchalantly," Still go back to visit every once in a while- then I joined the guild and Master took me in. Laxus and I shared a room for a couple months, then Wakaba and his wife took me in. I moved into Fairy Hills when I was about ten or so."
An orphanage, Master, and Wakaba. Those were the people she lived with until she'd moved into the dorms.
"Huh," He said in mild surprise," I would have thought Macao would have been on the list."
Cana stilled," Why would you think that?"
He shrugged," No real reason- it's just you two seem really close is all." He said taking note of how her cheeks flushed pink," Cana?"
The brunette shook her head," Well he didn't- he didn't marry Enno until I was eleven, so I guess they figured that a bachelor wasn't a good choice."
He raised an eyebrow," Then if you don't mind me asking, why are you two so close?" And why are your cheeks so red? He wanted to ask, but he had a sinking feeling that he might know exactly why she refused to answer.
She flushed a bit brighter and then admitted," We were just drinking buddies for a long time, but we went on a couple dates before Tenrou."
His eyes almost bugged out of his skull," He's twice your age." He said dumbly.
To which his baby nodded," Which is why it didn't work out- we're still good friends despite it." She answered with a shrug, before forcefully changing the subject," So what do you think we're going to find? Something about Michelle really doesn't sit right with me- I wouldn't be surprised if this was some kind of elaborate scheme."
Gildarts decided to go along with the topic change and swallowed down his question of just how close she and Macao had been during the brief dating period." Honestly I'm kind of hoping that everything checks out," He admitted," I would hate for her to be taking advantage of Lucy like that- if everything's fine then that would be the best case scenario."
"But since when has the best-case scenario ever been reality?"
The Ace let a wide grin spread across his face," You gave me the right to love you angel- I'd call that the best-case scenario!"
Cana's cheeks went pink and she avoided eye contact, but felt a small smile cross her lips all the same.
oOOOOo
By the second day of walking conversation came much easier. The father and daughter laughing as they traded stories of alcohol-induced idiocy.
"So I've got the cat in one hand and this jackass coming at me with a broken bottle and I had no clue what was going on-" Cana said waving her hands wildly for emphasis as she continued on with the story," Then before he could do anything Natsu comes out of fucking nowhere and sends him straight into the wall!"
Gildarts let out a loud laugh before asking," Wait- was this before or after the snake ate Happy?"
"Before."
"Then why was Natsu so pissed?"
The brunette just started howling, in between chuckles she managed to get out," He- he thought that the dude was the monster that we'd been sent after!"
The Ace gaped for a second before joining her in the hysterics," How the hell did he make a mistake like that?!
"I still have no idea!"
After the two calmed down they continued on their way, the conversation continuing without pause.
"Hey, somethings been bothering me."
Cana blinked, looking at her father with quizzical eyes," What?"
"You had a puppy with you when I first saw you- what happened to it?"
The card mage started," You remember-? I had to give her away." She explained," Remember I mentioned the orphanage? Father Brock felt bad about it, but I couldn't keep her. I wound up giving her to Master and he re-homed her for me."
"You ever find out where she went?" He asked curiously, internally screaming at himself for inadvertently being the reason his baby lost her puppy.
She shook her head," I never asked." She admitted quietly," I always kind of figured that if I knew I would be trying to go get her all the time. It was better if I just stayed away- Dad what's with that face?"
Gildarts let out a pathetic sniff, as he tried to staunch the tears building in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Sweetheart!" He wailed grabbing Cana and yanking her into a hug," Daddy will find her for you! I'll go get her as soon as this is over and then maybe we can get another puppy-?"
"GET OFF ME!" Cana shrieked, struggling as her father only held her tighter, wailing about what a terrible father he was for taking his baby's puppy away.
It took a little while for the brunette to finally shove her father off of her, but after that they continued walking in a comfortable silence for a while, before she finally got up the courage to ask the question.
"Hey Dad?" She asked.
"Yeah sweetie?"
"Why… why did you and Mom split up?"
Gildarts stopped walking.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking down at his uneasy daughter.
"Cana… sometimes love just isn't enough. We were young and thought we had it all figured out, but… it didn't take long for the cracks to start forming." The Ace rubbed at his face for a moment before admitting," I wasn't the best husband. I didn't treat her like she deserved. I would sneak away in the middle of the night to go on jobs because I didn't want her to nag me, spent all my time at the guild, and… other stuff. She finally sat me down and told me she was sick of being treated like she didn't exist and either I changed or she was walking. It… it escalated into the worst fight we'd ever had, and she walked out that door and I've been trying to drown the pain ever since."
"…what 'other stuff'?" Cana asked hesitantly, not sure if she even wanted to know.
He sighed," Baby… please drop it. One day we'll sit down, and I'll tell you all about it, but… not today."
She didn't question him," Okay…"
"Thank you sweetheart."
He couldn't let it end like that, so he pulled his girl in for a one-armed hug." Besides," He said with a goofy grin," Despite all of our problems- our relationship gave me you. You're worth everything Cana."
The brunette's cheeks burned, but she flashed her dad a small smile," Thanks Dad."
oOOOOo
"So, this is all that's left of the Lobster family plantation." Cana mused, staring down at the remains of what had obviously once been a beautiful mansion.
"Looks like." Gildarts commented," It's been years since anyone lived here."
"Wonder what happened?"
"Maybe a fire or an attack- could have been anything." He said morbidly as he scanned the ruins," Only thing's for sure- there's nobody here anymore."
The brunette shook it off," We should see if we can find someone." She said, trying to distract herself," Maybe we can find someone and ask them what happened."
"That sounds like a good idea." The Ace said with a grin," Of course I'd expect nothing less from my brilliant baby girl!"
Cana rolled her eyes but didn't comment.
Just as Gildarts was about to tell her to pick a direction, there was a loud ringing sound that startled both of them.
The card mage reached into her bag and pulled out one of her communication cards," This is Cana- what's your poison?" She asked mildly, deciding to forgo her usual spiel in the presence of her old man. Somehow, she got a feeling that answering the call 'you've reached Sexy- I've got booze and boobs, which do you want' would not go over very well.
"Hey- you got a second Cana? We could use a favor." Gray's voice sounded from the card. "And since when do you answer your calls like that?"
She rolled her eyes," Well excuse me for trying something new." She snarked," Anyway- whatcha need?"
"We're trying to figure out where the Oracion Seis are going to attack next- think you could do a reading?"
She blinked and despite knowing he couldn't see her, she shrugged," I can try. No guarantees." Cana rummaged through her bag for her face cards and turned to her dad," Hey- you wouldn't happen to have a map, would you?"
He started slightly but nodded, pulling a map of the country out of his bag," This do?"
"Its perfect." She said with a grin and began pinning it to a nearby tree," Okay Gray- I'm all set up and ready to go, you still on the line?"
"Yeah I'm here."
"Good, now- "She held her deck in front of her forehead and concentrated her magic. She had to focus and let the cards guide her- they knew best, and she would be a fool if she didn't listen. After a second it was clear," I see it!"
Cana snapped her wrist in the practiced motion that sent the cards flying, burying themselves into spots on the maps in groups of two, three, and four.
Gildarts looked on like the cat who got the cream- his baby girl was so powerful!
"Dad, you mind?" She asked, gesturing to the map.
"Of course sweetie!" He said cheerfully and grabbed the first two cards off the board," Okay- the first group is a two-man team: Gajeel and Juvia! The two of you are going to Poplar. Second group is a three- person team: Bickslow, Wendy, and Evergreen! Hope you have some sturdy walking shoes because you're going up into the mountains. Third is a four-man team consisting of all the cats plus Levy! You guys are going into the deep forest. Fourth team is going to Tengo consists of Gray, Freed, and Erza. Fifth is Mira and Lisanna- looks like you two are heading to a convent in Daffodil. I guess you could say the sisters' need you two sisters to help them out." He laughed a little at his own joke, but Cana's unimpressed eyebrow had him quickly moving on. "And the last is another four-person team: Natsu, Lucy, Elfman, and Michelle, heading to Portsmouth!"
"You get all that Gray?" Cana asked. "You send those teams to those locations and you guys can save some lives. Don't let Juvia bully anyone into switching!"
"Loud and clear and don't worry I'm not going to let her pull anything like that!" The ice wizard confirmed," Thanks for this Cana, we all appreciate it."
"You don't have to thank me." The brunette said with a soft smile," It's the right thing to do."
"Either way: thanks."
"Don't mention it."
"Soooo…" Gray's voice suddenly took on a much more mischievous tone," How's the Daddy-Daughter bonding- "
"You finish that sentence I'm selling your nudes to Juvia."
There was a shriek in the background on Gray's end," JUVIA WILL PAY TOP DOLLAR!"
"…Stay safe my darling sister?"
"That's more like it." She said approvingly," Do me a favor and don't die."
"I'll do my best- see you soon!"
"Bye!" Cana said as she ended the call and turned back to her father who had gathered up the map and her cards.
"Selling his nudes?" He asked, with a raised eyebrow.
She shrugged," If it works it works."
"Dare I ask why you even have his nudes?"
"Gray sucks at poker. Honestly the thing I'm concerned about is the last four-man team."
Gildarts nodded," I know I was thinking the same thing."
The brunette shook her head," It doesn't matter. I have complete faith in my cards- I have to trust that my magic won't steer them wrong." She took a deep breath," You ready to go?"
"Lead the way Princess."
oOOOOo
"Okay- I'll be the first to admit I don't know much about churches but this one is freaky."
"No arguments there."
The father and daughter had wandered around for hours before they finally managed to locate some form of human civilization… well that might be entirely accurate. What they found was a creepy looking building carved into the side of a cliff with the Zentopian emblem above the door.
"Hey! Is anybody in there?" Gildarts called.
A slat in the metal door slid open to reveal an expressionless nun," Outsiders are strictly forbidden from coming inside." She informed them.
"Ah come on, don't be like that!" The Ace said with his trademark devil-may-care grin," Don't you want to be friends-?" The slat was promptly shut right in his face.
Cana stifled a snort," Smooth."
He glared sourly at his daughter," It could have worked." He said with a pout and the brunette didn't bother to hide her snort this time.
"It was way too direct- now, any ideas for how we're getting in?" She asked, sizing up the building," My card dimension might work but we would have limited mobility and its not good for recon."
The crash mage shook his head," Recon isn't exactly my area- I'm more of a 'guns blazing' type myself." He admitted freely," What would be the pros and cons of your card dimension?"
"Its pretty much exactly what it sounds like- I can seal a person into a card, they have limited ways to interact with the outside world and if I did put us in cards, that would only get us through the door."
He shook his head," We don't really have another choice- once we're in we'll just have to do the best we can to avoid detection."
Cana nodded and cracked her knuckles," Fair warning: everyone I've ever tried this on has puked, so bear with me. Card Dimension!"
With a flash there were two playing cards slipping under the crack of the door, and upon reaching the other side a second flash as both father and daughter returned to their usual state, Gildarts unfortunately heaving up the contents of his stomach all over the entrance way.
"Gross." The girl said, her face scrunching up in disgust and slowly making her way around the puddle of vomit," Let's go. There's no telling when this is going to blow up in our faces." She said directly.
The Ace weakly raised an eyebrow at his girl," What makes you think its going to blow up sweetie?"
"Because our luck is just that bad. Now come on- we don't have a lot of time."
oOOOOo
"I told you so!" Cana yelled over her shoulder as she chucked another card at the freaks crawling over the debris.
"I'll think you'll find I never disagreed with you pumpkin!"
Gildarts felt chills going down his spine as the clergy continued to make their ways toward the pair of them, some crawling over the rubble in a demented crab walk as others climbed the walls.
Strangely he was reminded of a godawful B movie that he'd taken Conny to see when they'd had nothing better to do.
First things first- those walking freakshows weren't getting anywhere near his girl.
"What kind of freaky monastery is this?!" He asked incredulously as yet another warning blast did absolutely nothing to deter the monks and nuns.
"Priory!" Cana yelled, temporarily distracting her father.
"What?" He asked in confusion as he tossed another blast, unwilling to hurt the people even as creepy as they were.
"A monastery is a place for monks and male clergy- since this place has both sexes it's a priory!" She shouted as she tossed a card that summoned a small burst of electricity- much weaker than what she could manage if she used a combination of cards, but in the enclosed space it was the best option.
For a moment Gildarts completely forgot about what was happening and he just stared at his daughter blankly," How is that even relevant right now?"
The brunette rolled her eyes," Well excuse me- "She grunted as she bodily threw one of the nuns into the wall,"-for caring- "A priest crashed into three other approaching nuns,"-about-"BANG!"-semantics!"
He shook it off," Alright that's enough!" He yelled and sent a targeted blast of crash magic into the group directly in front of him- and he blinked in confusion when instead of being reduced to multiple miniatures of themselves, they instead broke apart into rubble.
"What the fuck?" Both father and daughter chorused in unison.
"They're not even human." The Ace said in astonishment.
Cana crouched down and picked up one of the cubes," They're just blocks of wood and stone used to make some kind of puppets." She said in astonishment," I've never even heard of magic like that."
Gildarts shook his head," No time to worry about any of this." He said dismissively and reduced another five puppets to cubes," We've got a lot to do- time to get to work!"
oOOOOo
"That's it- I think we've hit the end of the line." Gildarts said, as the last of the puppets hit the ground, its stone body crumbling to pieces.
"Wait Dad- check it out." Cana said as she spotted the prone figure lying at the end of the rough chamber they were in.
"Is that a girl?" He asked as the approached the small bed, taking in the bandages wrapped around the girl's entire body- even her face.
"I think she's still alive." The brunette said in mild apprehension as she checked out a chart that had been abandoned on a low table. "According to this chart- she underwent heavy treatment after a big accident several years ago." What she saw next made the card mage raise an eyebrow in concern." And apparently even if she recovers, that lacrima will keep her in a coma."
"So, somebody wanted Sleeping Beauty to stay asleep for a real long time- you have any idea who she could be?" The Ace asked solemnly, already intending to take the girl to the nearest hospital regardless of her identity.
Cana scanned the chart for a moment before she finally found the unconscious girl's name and she almost dropped the chart as she whirled around to face her dad in shock," She's Michelle Lobster."
"What?" He asked in surprise," Hold up- you're saying this girl's Michelle?"
"Apparently- and I'm willing to bet this one's the real deal. The rest of her family died in an accident on their plantation, with her as the only survivor."
Gildarts stared at the comatose girl with an unreadable expression," But… if this is the real Michelle, then who's the girl that's been hanging around Lucy?"
oOOOOo
"Wait- you're saying our Michelle's a fake?" Warren's incredulous voice echoed across the communication card.
"Well- we aren't absolutely sure that's the case, but that's what this looks like." Cana reported over the card as the two of them walked out of the priory, with the real Michelle in tow. "We found someone we think is the real Michelle."
"I'll let Master, Lucy, and the others know right away." The telepath said immediately.
Even though she was aware he couldn't see her, Cana nodded in agreement as she added," Thanks- we're going to try and find the closest hospital and get this girl some help." With that, she disconnected the call, darting forward until she could match her father's pace.
"I can't believe this is happening." She said quietly," How could someone just take advantage of Lucy like that?"
Gildarts let out a loud sigh," I wish I had a good answer to give you sweetheart." He admitted," But there are so many people in the world who take advantage of good people for their own gain- maybe she wanted information or power- maybe this was just for kicks, no way to know until we ask her."
The brunette shook her head," Either way- this girl needs our help first, the interrogations can wait until later. Ideally this should be taken care of by the time we get back to the guild and getting back the Infinity Clock should be our only priority."
"That's assuming everything went according to plan." The Ace pointed out, but Cana shook her head dismissively.
"Are you kidding? With the teams I picked out and the locations I divined- they would have to be the biggest boneheads on the planet if they can't pull this off."
oOOOOo
"Those fucking morons!" Cana snarled quietly as they carefully crept through the halls of the main Zentopian church," I practically spoon-fed them the win- but do they listen to me?!"
"Let it go sweetheart." Gildarts advised," Let's just take this one step at a time- we can figure out what went wrong later, right now we need to focus on the giant metal fish in the sky."
The brunette snorted derisively," There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear."
"Seems odd that they don't have anyone standing guard outside the Archbishop's quarters." The Ace commented as they continued creeping closer.
"Who cares? It makes our job easier." Cana hissed, before noticing the mass of candles surrounding the bed. "What is that?"
"I dunno." He said honestly," I've never seen anything like it before."
"Shh- the Archbishop's here!"
Gildarts took a second to evaluate the small man sitting on the bed before coming to a decision," Okay- I think it's time to direct."
"Wait what are you- "
The Ace pushed past his protesting little girl and into the room, mildly trying to avoid lighting his cloak on fire with some of the low candles, "So- you're the Archbishop."
"Let me assure there is no need to be afraid. This is simply the only way Zentopia can rectify to the world." The small man muttered, getting weird looks from both father and daughter.
The crash mage shook it off first," I got some questions for ya- think you could give me a straight answer?"
"Let me assure you there is no reason to be afraid. This is simply the only way Zentopia can rectify the world."
"Are you even listening to me old man?" Gildarts asked incredulously.
"Let me assure you there is no reason to be afraid. This is simply the only way Zentopia can rectify the world."
"This is pointless- what the hell is wrong with him?"
"I'm no expert- but if I had to guess I'd say someone cast some kind of mind control spell on him." Cana said with a raised brow.
A single clap had both mages' heads snapping in the direction of the sound, taking in a tall man with white hair and glasses dressed in the clothes of a Zentopian official.
"Who's that guy?" Gildarts asked, not recognizing him as any major player he was aware of.
"No clue." Cana said, discretely getting ready to throw her cards if this turned ugly.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Gildarts Clive of the Fairy Tail guild." The newcomer said in a smug voice that sent chills down their spines.
"Wow, I must be even more famous then I thought if someone in the Zentopian Church knows my name." Gildarts said lightly, easing himself in front of his baby girl," Sorry, I can't sign any autographs right now- I'm a bit busy."
"I commend you and your colleague for making it this far." The man said directly," But I'm afraid you've seen too much and now will have to die."
The Ace laughed as he made sure that he was squarely in between the newcomer and his child (Cana deciding not to comment on this behavior) and gave him a roguish smirk," Go ahead and try- come on, show me what'cha got."
The man lightly jumped down from his perch to stand in front of the duo, both men immediately flaring their magic power. As the two men stared each other down, the Archbishop continued to repeat his mantra like a broken record.
"Hold on a second!"
At the sound of the familiar voice, everyone turned to see Natsu bolting into the room, a young woman in a yellow dress following behind him.
"I'm surprised you broke out as well Coco." The still unnamed man said staring at the young woman who swallowed before she addressed him.
"Cardinal."
The Cardinal turned to face the dragon slayer," I know exactly who you are. You're Natsu Dragneel, a dragon slayer wizard."
Natsu stiffened as he loud sniffed the air," Hey wait a minute- I know that smell! You smell just like that Master Zero guy."
"Wait are you serious?" Cana asked incredulously, but the man just let out an evil laugh that made everyone uneasy.
Gildarts pressed forward," I don't know if this creep's Master Zero or not- but he's definitely the one that's been controlling the Archbishop."
Natsu growled," Hey- I just realized something. If you're the one that's been controlling the Archbishop, then you're the one that used the phony Michelle to trick us!"
"So what if I am?"
"Then you're going down!" The pinkette said with a vicious smirk as his hand lit on fire," I'm gonna burn you to a crisp!"
"Hang on Natsu." Gildarts said casually as he grabbed the pyro's flaming hand," If anyone's going to fight him it should be me."
"Oh come on Gildarts let me do it!"
The Cardinal smirked as he gently pushed his glasses up his nose," You don't have a prayer."
Without warning, tendrils of a poison-green magic wrapped around Cana, squeezing her like a boa constrictor as one sharp point was angled just beneath her chin.
Gildarts saw red.
He let out a furious roar as instinct took over, lunging for the now-terrified man who dared to threaten his child. One strong hit to the jaw had the other man on the ground as Gildarts continued his assault, his metal hand gripping his victim's throat as the other easily broke half the bones in his face.
"How dare you!" He snarled," How dare you lay one finger on my daughter- "
"Let him go."
The Ace spared a moment to look up at the face of the man he vaguely recognized as the one he'd fought in the woods. "Stay out of this!"
Byro stepped forward, staff at the ready," I am surprised you'd be bold enough to break into the Grand Cathedral of all places- but as a Cardinal of Zentopia Lapointe is mine to deal with. Stand down Gildarts Clive."
The crash mage felt his rage grow exponentially, barely registering the others that came pouring into the room (he knew their magic- these people were not threats to his child. All instinct says he must get rid of these two if he is to keep his baby safe).
"He threatened my daughter- I don't care who he is or what else he's done. He put my child in danger and I will deal with him myself." His eyes narrowed as Byro moved into a fighting stance," Be careful I don't decide to take care of you next!"
He was a threat- he threatened Fairy Tail before and by extension he was a threat to his little girl- no threats to his child were to be tolerated.
Before Byro had a chance to act, Lapointe let out a deranged laugh (if he could still laugh he obviously hadn't hit him hard enough)," Struggle all you want insects- the Real Nightmare already has you in its web. As of today the world you knew is over. The Infinity Clock fuels the great power that Zentopia was founded upon, and that power has not diminished since it was imprisoned. But back then it was known as the Infinity Castle."
"Wow, how original." A voice he vaguely recognized as belonging to Gray said dryly.
"Every one hundred years during Zentopia's founding festival, the Infinity Castle releases every ounce of magic its accumulated; a century's worth of power, unstoppable and ripe for the taking. My only goal is to revert the world to chaos, there is no higher purpose to me." Lapointe gave them a deranged grin, seemingly uncaring of the teeth that had been knocked out and the blood that was pouring out of his broken nose. "With the Real Nightmare in my control, I can return the world to the days of anarchy that reigned before Zentopia's time. The heart of man with all its greed and hatred will be aloud to flourish once again!"
"Will Neville must have realized that this was a possibility and in order to prevent it he created a seal that stretched across generations." A prim and proper voice that belonged to the female Happy (what was her name again?).
Gildarts was slowly coming down from his instinct driven adrenalin rush- he was still feeling the urge to take out anyone who posed a threat to his little one, but he was now able to think a bit more clearly.
"Please don't let me sway you from saving the day- all you have to do is kill the girl! But I know you won't do that- so Zentopia's chaos is inevitable!" Another insane cackle was quickly choked when his body started to ripple and pulsate," What- what is happening to me?! You did this didn't you?" He accused blindly," I'll have you hanged!"
"I pity you." Byro said lowly," More than you will ever know."
Gildarts slowly pushed himself up as realization fell over him," Now I get it." He said spitefully as he glared down at the convulsing figure, enjoying his pain more than was strictly necessary," He was just part of the deception- he was just another fake made from personification magic. I doubt he even realized he was a puppet until now."
"No one pulls my strings you arrogant brute! I'm a master of chaos!"
Cana stepped forward," Dad and I stumbled across a lot of puppets on our way here that were very similar to you- they all had that same look in their eyes. There's no point in hiding it."
"When it comes down to it, you're just another tool."
"YOU'RE WRONG!" He screamed," I AM A CARDINAL OF THE MIGHTY ZENTOPIAN CHURCH- I'M NOT SOME PUPPET! I'M NOT!" And with one last bought of laughter he dissolved leaving a tied lock of hair in his place.
"That smell- gross its Master Zero's hair." Natsu said in disgust.
"What a sad existence." Erza commented solemnly.
"Yeah, it must suck to find out you're not even a real person."
"Lapointe was not the only tool used, as the head of the Legion Platoon I take full responsibility for the suffering caused by us. But now, at least I know what has to be done. If I am to stop the Infinity Clock then Lucy Heartfilia must die."
"YOU WON'T TOUCH HER!" Natsu roared, surging forward, not deterred in the slightest when Byro canceled out his fire magic.
Gildarts stepped forward, blocking Natsu from attacking again," I owe this one a beating- I'll deal with him, you go find Lucy."
The pinkette growled but nodded," Alright I guess I'll let you have him this time- but make sure he feels it!"
"I know a way to get to the Infinity Castle!"
"Then lead the way!"
The Ace was content to stare down his opponent as everyone began to head to the door, but took the opportunity the sudden appearance of the Legion Platoon's Happy to check on his baby.
Cana didn't even look phased by the threat against her life- she was raring to go and it was with a horrible thought, that he realized that if he took care of Byro, then he was leaving her unprotected.
"Quit messing with them!" He snarled as the octopus-riding freakshow took out the cats," Your fight is with me!"
A blast of crash magic gave them the opening they needed to charge ahead, and Gildarts took the time to say one last thing.
"Cana!" He called out, making his beautiful daughter turn to him," Stay safe sweetheart."
Her face softened for a moment before determination overrided her features," I will- kick his ass Dad!"
"Don't you dare!" Byro yelled as he ran to try to cut them off, but Gildarts threw another blast of crash magic at him.
"Quit turning your back on me!" He growled viciously.
"You seem to have forgotten my ability to neutralize magic left you in the mud the last time we fought."
The Ace let out a loud laugh," Who says I need magic? One good shot to the teeth should do the trick just fine!"
"I have been trained in physical combat- well honed to the point that no man has ever bested me in a physical match."
Gildarts grinned widely," Good for you, but you know what?" His eye narrowed and he projected an aura of pure power that made Byro unconsciously step back," Ever since I found out about my little girl- all my parental instincts have been in overdrive. Right now, every instinct in my body is telling me that you are a threat to my Cana- and threats against my baby are absolutely not to be tolerated." He bared his teeth like a rabid dog," Come at me."
oOOOOo
"ITS NATSU VERSUS DAN IN A WINNER TAKE ALL FOOD RACE-A-THON!" Happy yelled liked the announcer at a sports match.
"GET IN MY BELLY MEAT!" Natsu yelled with his signature face-splitting grin on his face, a meat shank in each hand.
"I'm winning this one for sure!" Dan cheered right next to him, drooling at the sight of the heaping platter.
At a nearby table Lucy, Wendy, and Carla were observing the match.
"Looks like everything's back to normal!" Wendy said cheerfully.
"Its almost as though the Infinity Clock fiasco has already become a distant memory." Carla commented.
Cana grinned from her own table as she watched Natsu try to keep up after Dan made his portion of the meat grow ten times its size. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love you guys?"
Gray made a vaguely offended sound and she turned to him completely amused," Don't worry- you're my favorite." She assured him.
The ice wizard snorted," After all the shit we've been through together I better be."
The brunette looked around at her partying guildmates and raised an eyebrow when she couldn't find her favorite drinking buddies," Where's Macao and Wakaba? They're usually right in the thick of things, 'specially with this many skirts walking around."
Max choked on his beer and Warren helpfully pounded him on the back as he answered the card mage," They got invited to that big Zentopia event by the Archbishop- they're probably just there to get chewed out by the church."
The brunette scoffed," Oh please- after this nightmare those bastards don't have a moral leg to stand on. They should be thanking us."
Max, still breathing heavily after inhaling his alcohol, gave her a weak smile," I don't disagree- but what can you do? The church has a lot of influence and publicly going against them wouldn't help our situation." The sand user suddenly got a suggestive look on his face," But I'm sure its Macao you wanna see!" He crooned and the rest of the table burst out laughing.
Cana rolled her eyes at the juvenile idiots she was surrounded with," Oh when will you guys grow up." She complained," That's ancient history at this point."
Gray laughed and slung his arm over her shoulder," No can do- we don't have a lot of ammo against you so we're milking this for all its worth!"
Unseen by the rest of them, Gildarts twitched violently at the reminder that a member of the guild that he considered a personal friend had dated his daughter. Had put his filthy hands on his little girl and knowing Macao probably had her convinced that some of that freaky shit he was into was normal-
"Easy Gildarts before you take out the whole building." Makarov said pointedly glaring at the Ace who's murderous thoughts were physically manifesting as a heavy cloud around him.
It took a moment for him to reign himself in (he and Macao would be having a little chat when he got back)," Sorry Master." He apologized," I guess I'm still running on adrenalin."
The old man raised an eyebrow as he eyed the mountain of a man and then looked over to where Cana was sitting (conveniently in perfect view of the crash mage's seat) and easily put two and two together," I suppose your parental instincts are still running high after all this. Well, its not exactly a surprise- I've been caught in the grips of my own instincts many times. The desire to keep your children safe and protected and to go after those who hurt them is strong indeed."
Gildarts sighed," No kidding." He looked over to where his little girl was happily passing her barrel around to her friends. After the fight he had found it difficult to take his eyes off of her, "How do you do it Master?" He asked, at the raised eyebrow he clarified," How do you stay so calm when all of us go off and get ourselves into messes like this? I was with her almost the entire time and I felt like my heart was pounding ten times faster I was worrying so bad."
Makarov gently rested a hand on the taller man's shoulder," Honestly, I don't. My children are strong and seldom need me to step in to protect them. They make reckless descions and put themselves in danger without a second thought- and I lose sleep over worrying about the lot of you. But eventually I comfort myself in knowing that you are all capable of getting yourselves out of any jams you get yourselves into and on the rare occasions you can't, I will always be ready to step in to help."
Gildarts sighed and gave the old man a tired grin," I'm not quite there yet Master."
"That's alright- everyone moves at their own paces." The guildmaster assured him," But if Cana ever gets herself into something she can't handle, I have no doubt in my mind that you will be there to protect her. She is growing into a fine young woman, and I know that you are just as proud of her as I am."
"I am."
The two men sat in comfortable silence, each watching their respective children have fun. After a while Gildarts remembered something that he had forgotten in the chaos.
"Hey Master? I almost forgot, I wanted to ask you about something…"
oOOOOo
"Care to tell me where we're going?" Cana asked with a raised eyebrow, her old man had gotten Erza to shake her out of bed at stupid o'clock in the morning because he wanted to take her somewhere, but thus far had refused to tell her anything.
"My lips are sealed sweetie!" Gildarts said in his usual sappy manner that got an eye roll from the teenager.
Cana decided to change the topic," So- what the hell did you do to Macao? He's been jumping at shadows for a couple days now."
The Ace got a tight grin on his face and innocently answered," I don't know what you mean sweetie- he seemed to be acting just fine to me." She could almost see the fake halo over his head.
"Oh really?" She said pointedly, not buying his bullshit," So you have no idea why he's been avoiding me like the plague and practically climbs the walls to get away from me?"
"Maybe he's just under the weather." Gildarts offered with a small shrug, not bothering to hide his smugness," After all, when I pulled him aside he was so pale- why he looked as though he were about to faint!"
The brunette looked at him blankly," Uh-huh. And I'm sure you had nothing to do with it."
"Now why would I do anything like that Princess?" He asked in mock surprise," Do you really think Daddy would do anything against your ex-boyfriend?"
"Yes."
He didn't bother to answer and instead brightened," Oh- looks like we're here!" He said brightly.
Cana rolled her eyes at the pathetic distraction and took a look at the small farmhouse they'd arrived at. It wasn't anything special- a plain two-story building, with blue paint and a wraparound porch. Hell- there was even one of those cheesy 'home sweet home' signs on the door!
"Great- mind telling me why we're here and where 'here' is?" She asked directly.
Before Gildarts could answer a cheerful voice called out," Oh are you Mister Clive?"
Both father and daughter turned their attention to a kindly looking old man as he came out from a small tool shed. "Master Makarov said you would be coming around- she's in the back, I'll go grab her."
"Thank you very much." Gildarts said gratefully as he shook the old man's hand.
"Dad what's going on?" Cana asked directly.
He smiled down at her," I remembered that story you told me and asked Master if he'd help me out with a little reunion."
The brunette looked up at him in confusion but before she could open her mouth a high-pitched bark distracted her.
A medium-sized white dog, clearly showing its age, raced toward them as fast as it's legs could carry it. Bounding right towards Cana with an ecstatic look on its face.
"Lila?" Cana asked in shock, barely having a second to process before she was knocked over by the excited dog, it's tail wagging at supersonic speeds as it licked every inch of the brunette's face. "Oh my god Lila!" She squealed in delight and immediately hugged her old friend, rubbing her ears and cooing over her," I've missed you so much! Who's a good girl? Yeah, who's a good girl? Yes you are-yes you are!"
Gildarts stood back watching his little girl play with her old dog with a gentle grin on his face.
"You know every time that girl of yours was in the paper she'd go mad over her picture." The old man said knowingly," Would always whine until we cut the picture out- they're all glued to the walls of her doghouse."
The Ace smiled wider, his heart just about bursting," Thank you for this- she's never outright said it, but Cana's been missing her for years."
"Well- you tell her she's welcome to drop by anytime she wants."
"I will- thank you."
They stayed the entire day, Gildarts making small talk and Cana playing with her puppy for hours. When the two of them finally said goodbye, it was not without tears from both girl and canine. Cana promising her old friend that she would come to visit every single week. And while they were on the way home…
"Hey Dad- thank you. For everything."
"Darlin' there's nothing I wouldn't do for you and don't you ever forget it."
"Still- thanks."
"Your welcome Princess."
AN: I can't tell you how hard I warred with myself on not having Gildarts one shot Lapointe- in the end I had to accept that it wasn't just an isolated little scene and that the episode would still technically be happening even if I didn't show it and he did have information that they needed to save the day. So it was with a heavy heart that Gildarts sadly wasn't allowed to one shot him. You also may have noticed that I changed the team line ups- you see in this verse they didn't get a chance to influence Cana, so this one was me messing around with different combinations until I finally came to something that I was happy with.
The Lila scene was actually almost cut- after a week of trying I still couldn't get it right and almost decided to say 'fuck it, lets just cut it' when the proverbial lightning bolt hit me and it finally happened. And the priory vs monastery thing is just a pet peeve- I've done reconstruction work in the past and the differences between a priory where both sexes lived and a monastery that occasionally had female guests is huge.