Spy
Summary: The Magic Council has screwed over Fairy Tail in an attempt to shut them down, their only hope rests on Cana's shoulders, because apparently she might just hypothetically know someone with the information they need. Gildarts just didn't expect to recognize him. Why is Cana talking to his ex-brother-in-law?
Disclaimer: I don't own
AN: This one made me laugh while I was typing it up. I found out that one of my siblings had never seen 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' and that combined with a prompt from AspyOtakuGirl made this fic come to life. I know its not your actual prompt, but that one is almost done and will go up soon! Though there is no actual plot from the movie, just general loony tunes hilarity(at least I think its funny).
"So, you're telling me," Gildarts said slowly," That we know what their MO is, the identities of almost every single member of their guild, a detailed layout of their plan, every location they've hit, and what they ate for breakfast, but we have no fucking clue where they are."
Makarov let out a frustrated breath," That about sums it up."
The Ace barely resisted the urge to throw his hands up in the air and scream, as it was, he furiously rubbed at his face," Well, what the fuck do the council expect us to do with this?!"
The old man felt an equal amount of irritation," They expect us to magically figure out where they are and deal with them under threat of disbandment."
Macao made a sound for the first time since this meeting had been called," How much you wanna bet that they know exactly where they are, and just want to disband us?"
"I don't take suckers bets." Wakaba said with a snort, puffing his pipe as he laid against the wall. "What do we do Master?"
The old man sighed," Just- leave this to me for a little while. I'll see what I can come up with." Almost as an afterthought," Actually, if you could have someone check the archives for tracking spells that would be great. You never know, we might get lucky."
"Will do Boss." Gildarts said with a nod, as he and the others filed out of the room. Leaving the old man alone.
Talk about a nightmare.
Makarov opened the secret compartment in his desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.
He'd known that the council was eager to shut them down, but he hadn't thought that they would do it like this.
A dark guild known as the Death's Head Caucus had steadily been gaining ground over the past year- and according to the information they'd been supplied, it seemed as though they had somehow gotten their hands on one of the Books of Zeref.
Supposedly in the name of saving lives, the council had handed the task of destroying them over to Fairy Tail. They had given them everything they could possibly want to know about their enemy.
Except their location.
If they didn't know where they were than they were dead in the water.
The council had set them up to fail and Makarov had no idea how they were going to pull themselves out of this one.
oOOOOo
The old man looked up from the tome of tracking spells he'd been pouring over when there was a knock at his door.
"Come in."
The door creaked open and Cana quietly slipped in.
"Sorry Master." The thirteen-year-old said nervously looking around," Is this a bad time?"
Makarov sighed and gave the girl a tight smile," I can spare a few minutes Cana- is there something you needed to talk to me about?"
The brunette visibly steeled herself," I heard about the dark guild mission and I think I can help."
The small man raised an eyebrow," What do you mean? Do you want to do a tarot reading?" She was highly skilled at her chosen magic- she'd been able to divine locations of people and things before… actually why hadn't he asked her to do try that first? This could solve all their probl-
His hopes shattered when Cana shook her head.
"I've already tried." She admitted sheepishly," A simple six-card reading that I normally get good results with- but that's not what I was talking about." She swallowed nervously," Let's say, hypothetically, I may know someone who might know where the secret base is."
The old man sat bolt upright," Cana are you saying- "
"I'm not saying anything!" She blurted out in a rush," But if I happened to know someone who might have this piece of information, how would this change things?"
Makarov eyed his child critically," I take it that this hypothetical person is not someone the council would approve of?" The protective parent in him wanted to grab that child by the shoulders and shake her until she started using the common sense she'd been blessed with (and God knew that she was the only one who'd been blessed with good sense in this guild) and demand to know how she knew someone who would know where a dark guild's main headquarters were.
The brunette winced and slowly shook her head.
"… as long as the job is completed, we don't need to tell them how we got the information." He said slowly," We can just say we got an anonymous tip- they won't have the grounds to ask for more as long as we get the job done."
Cana's whole body sagged in relief," That's good."
"Cana who- "
"I just know a guy okay!" She said hurriedly," He's not a bad person- he just, uh- knows people who are and is forced to deal with them."
Makarov felt a deep strike of concern," Cana is there something else we need to talk about?"
The girl frantically shook her head.
"Then I'll come with you when you meet- "
"No!" She blurted out, wincing as she realized how it was going to sound," He won't talk to you, but he'll talk to me."
"Cana- "
"Just let me handle it!" The violet-eyed girl pleaded," Please Master- I can't tell you more than I have! I won't be in any danger and he really won't talk to anyone but me. I can do this. Please."
For a moment, the old guildmaster felt a deep-seated hatred for the magic council unlike anything he'd ever felt towards them before. He was being forced to choose between his guild's continued existence and his child's safety- all of this could have been avoided if they had just given them the location to begin with. And now he was going to have to send a little girl into a snake's nest- possibly literally.
"I guess we have no choice." He said gravely, feeling every bit of his nearly ninety years of life," Meet with your contact, but the second anything looks bad I want you to get out of there." He leveled his best glare when she looked ready to protest," I don't care about the guild- your safety comes before anything else. Get in, get out and you will not put yourself in any unnecessary danger, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Master." Cana said with a nod," You don't have to worry though, I'm not going to be in any danger."
"I hope that you're right about that child."
oOOOOo
"So, you're saying that Cana knows someone who knows where the base is?" Macao asked incredulously, as they were all gathered around a projector lacrima.
"Yes." Makarov said vaguely as he adjusted the controls on the display.
"And we're just letting her go into this alone?"
"Yes." The old man snapped," She insisted on it. She said that whoever this is would talk to her but not to us."
"So instead of making her take you or somebody else with her, your decision was to bribe Happy with fish, strap a communication lacrima to him, and have him follow her?!"
"For the last time yes!" The guildmaster growled, whirling around to face the disbelieving team," Yes- I knowingly have allowed a child to meet with someone who by all accounts sounds to be untrustworthy at best and outright dangerous at worst- but do any of you have a better idea?!"
The four wizards all looked between each other.
"No Master." Enno said carefully," But none of us like this."
"Myself included." The old man said tightly.
This was far from the best solution.
He'd prefer it if either he or someone else in the guild had gone with her to this meeting, but the girl had insisted that she had to go alone. And to top it off she had refused to take a communication lacrima with her (he'd tried to sneak it in her bag, but she'd caught him in the act). If Cana had gotten mixed up in something dangerous then it was his responsibility to help her get out of it.
How did she know this person? Was this totally benign or did she have some kind of secret drug problem he didn't know about? Was this person going to make her do something for this information- what had she gotten herself into?
Thankfully Happy had been easy to bribe and Natsu had been easy to distract (the dragon slayer was currently walking around the forest in circles, looking for the elusive flying ratfink that didn't exist in order to fulfill a fake job request).
The brunette hadn't bothered to change out of her usual green dress before heading to a town about three hours from Magnolia. Makarov couldn't say he'd ever been to Dublith personally, but he certainly knew of its reputation.
Supposedly the town was a hotspot for illegal auctions- you had something you quietly wanted to sell that was the place to do it. It featured everything from black market potion shops to a bazaar of blackmail material on half the people in the country.
And apparently sweet little Cana not only knew someone there, but, from the looks of things, visited the place often enough to know the layout of the town.
The cats-eye-view provided by Happy showed off that little fact quite plainly- the brunette was weaving her way through the legal shopping district and through back alleys with a type of ease that could only have come through experience.
"Have any of you ever taken her to Dublith before?" The old man asked seriously, getting a round of offended looks.
"Master do we look that irresponsible?" Wakaba asked incredulously.
Makarov gave him a flat look," Do you honestly want me to answer that?"
Before anyone could answer the old man shook his head and asked," Can someone get Gray? Its possible that he knows about whatever this is."
"I'll get him." Enno volunteered and she slipped out of the room, everyone going back to focusing on the lacrima.
It seemed Cana had reached her destination- a shady looking bar called the Devils Nest.
"Okay, I'm not normally one to judge on appearances, but this doesn't look good." Gildarts said mildly.
"Master what do you want me to do?" The blue cat asked, his voice coming through over the lacrima.
The old man picked up the receiver that went to the earpiece they'd given him," Try to get view from one of the windows Happy- get as close as you can."
"Aye sir!"
The view swooped around at a nauseating pace before coming to a stop in front of a grimy window that gave a clear view of the bar's basement- and Makarov felt himself loose a few years off his life because in the grainy visual he counted twelve faces alone that had wanted posters currently in his office, and five more that had visible guildmarks that declared their allegiance to guilds associated with the Barum Alliance.
"Holy shit." Somebody muttered behind him, but Makarov wasn't listening because one little fact had temporarily drowned out any other observations.
They all knew Cana.
"Long time no see Shorty!" A heavily muscled man said cheerfully, ruffling her hair as she passed by. (He knew that one- he was wanted for robbing twenty-seven banks.)
The brunette laughed and fixed her hair," Life's been crazy Sig- Joseph still beating your ass at poker?"
The man growled and cracked his knuckles," Squirrely little bastard's gonna fry this time."
"Good luck!" She said happily as she moved towards the bar," Hey Roa!" She greeted, throwing herself onto one of the bar stools," Tell me how much you missed me!"
"Go die in a ditch Shrimp." The heavily tattooed man said without missing a beat as he polished a glass," What are the rules? You can come in so long as you stay away from the bar."
"Awww!" She whined," Just one little drink? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"Don't test me."
She pouted up at him," You're such an asshole Roa."
"Glad we understand each other." He said with a snort," He called, said he's running a bit late and that if I serve you anything, he'll deep-fry my balls while they're still attached."
"Huh he's gotten more creative." Cana said, soundly mildly impressed, but not attempting to argue any further," Thanks for the message, I'm going go kick their asses at blackjack."
"Leave them enough to pay their tabs."
"No promises!" She said happily as she bounced over to a table full of heavily muscled men and women playing what was apparently blackjack," Deal me in folks!"
"What the hell is she into?"
oOOOOo
Gildarts wasn't sure who'd asked that question, but damn he wanted to know the answer too.
He couldn't say he knew Cana very well- she seemed like a good kid, and he was pretty sure they'd never had a real conversation but juxtaposing the girl with a bar filled with criminals was utterly surreal.
He heard her cheer as she won yet another hand and was feeling very uneasy because those were not the types of people you wanted to beat at cards.
Why the fuck was a little girl who should have only the vaguest knowledge that people like that existed so at home among them?
There was definitely something going on here that they didn't know about.
A knock at the door had everyone turning away from the one-sided smackdown over cards, as Enno slipped back in, a confused Gray in tow.
The half-naked boy stared at them all like they were a bunch of weirdoes," Did somebody die?"
"Gray has Cana ever mentioned a place called 'Dublith'?" Makarov demanded, ignoring the boy's question," Anything at all? Even once?"
The black-haired boy slowly shook his head," I don't think so, why? Is Cana in some kind of trouble?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out." Macao said from the sidelines, but the guildmaster quickly recaptured the ice wizard's attention.
"What about a bar called the Devils Nest?"
"Oh, that one I know." Gray said easily," She goes there every now and then to meet with her uncle. Apparently, he supplies the place with alcohol, so they don't mind letting her in to wait for him."
"Her uncle?" Wakaba asked in confusion," I thought she didn't have any family."
"So did I." Makarov said slowly," The orphanage said that she was with them because there was no one who could take custody."
The ice wizard shook his head," Well then you guys must not have your facts straight- because according to her she's got an uncle; now will someone please tell me what's going on?"
The adults shared a look.
"Did you hear about the Death's Head job?" The old man asked.
Gray nodded," Yeah, something about the council screwing us over."
"They neglected to give us the location of the dark guild, and Cana said she knew someone who could give us the information." The guildmaster gestured at the footage," She refused to give any details, so I had Happy follow her to make sure everything went alright. The town she's in has a bad reputation and I don't like the look of the people in the bar."
The ice wizard blinked slowly, visibly struggling to process the information," So what- you think she's involved with something sketchy?"
Gildarts shrugged," Pretty much."
"No way." Gray said shaking his head," I mean, yeah she sneaks drinks and went to a rave the other night but that- "
"She did what?" Makarov demanded, making the boy freeze.
"Oh, you didn't know about that?"
"Gray- "
"It was okay!" He said hurriedly," I went with her and the party was kind of a drag, so we didn't stay long! The point- she's not the type to get involved in anything illegal."
"I hope that you're right about that." Enno said softly as the projection let out a loud cheer as Cana beat the whole table once again.
"Read 'em and weep suckers!" She cackled as she pulled all the chips towards herself.
"I see you're having fun." A voice they hadn't heard yet said sarcastically. "And here I thought this was urgent."
Cana brightened, and turned to face the speaker, who was sadly just out of view.
"Happy can you get a better shot?" Makarov asked.
"No can do." The cat said plaintively," This is as good as its gonna get unless they leave."
As if on cue-
"Come on and grab your winnings- we're not talking business here."
"Sounds good!" She said with a nod and held out her hand to the person in charge of the pot," Come on Alex, lay it on me!"
'Alex' rolled her eyes but slapped the roll of jewels into the girl's hand.
"Pleasure doing business with you guys!" She said happily as she bounded after the guy.
"Happy, stay on them."
"Aye sir!"
oOOOOo
The cat tailed the two for almost twenty minutes until they finally stopped in a public park. And the observers finally got their first good look at the guy's face.
"Julian?" Gildarts asked incredulously, making the entire room swing their gazes to him.
"You know him?" Macao asked dumbly, making the Ace nod.
"Yeah…" He said in slight amazement," He used to be my brother-in-law."
"HUH?!"
The Ace ignored the shock and focused on the projection. Julian was a nasty piece of work, but he was Conny's brother, so he'd done his best to be civil. He hadn't seen him in over a decade- so why the fuck was he talking to Cana?
"Is he dangerous?" Makarov demanded.
"Not to kids." The crash mage said without hesitation," He's bastard who's always been up to his eyeballs in illegal shit, but he'd never knowingly hurt a kid." He wouldn't hurt her, but he'd never trusted him while he and Conny were married and he still didn't.
"That's something at least." The old man muttered and turned back to the recording.
Julian crossed his arms and looked down at Cana with a wry grin," What, no hug?"
She lit up like a Christmas tree and glomped him full force. He laughed and ruffled his hair.
"That never gets old Minnie Mouse." He said fondly," Now, tell me what you need."
For the first time since this whole thing had started, Cana's grin faltered," Uncle Jules, you know I wouldn't ask if I had any other choice…"
Whatever else she said was drowned out by the sea of surprised shouts at the start of that.
'Uncle'?!
Gray huffed," I told you that she had an uncle."
Gildarts couldn't hear whatever was said next, he couldn't even focus on the display anymore.
Cana had just called Julian 'uncle' and he hadn't refuted her, in fact he seemed almost doting…
Conny had been Julian's only sibling.
So, if Cana called him uncle that would mean….
Huh. Seemed like Conny had moved on before she died.
You know what? Good for her.
Cornelia had been the most amazing person he'd ever known- she deserved to have someone treat her like he never had. She deserved happily ever after, picket fences, and the perfect family. Cana seemed like a sweet girl- for however long she'd been able to raise her before she died, she must have done a damn good job.
(Wasn't it funny though? He'd been in the same guild as his ex-wife's child and never realized it.)
Gildarts idly wondered how long that it had taken her to move on- Cana was around Natsu's age so it couldn't have been very long- a year maybe? Damn if that didn't sting a little.
He tuned back into the world just in time to see Julian pinch the bridge of his nose.
"The shit I do for family," He muttered as he pulled a small notepad out of his pocket and scribbled something onto a page. After tearing it off the pad he handed it to Cana," Here you go, the location of the Death's Head Caucus- this actually works out well for me anyway. They've been messing with our- "
Cana let out a sharp sound and clapped a hand over his mouth," I don't wanna know." She said firmly," Whatever is going on with your guild- I don't wanna know. Plausible deniability and all that shit."
"Don't swear." Julian reprimanded sharply even as he nodded in agreement," Sorry Minnie Mouse- you're right I should keep you out of this. Seems like you inherited Conny's good sense after all, that's a relief you're already way too much like your dad for your own good."
"Uncle Jules." The brunette said in warning, making the man throw his hands up in surrender.
"I know, I know. No badmouthing Gildarts in front of you."
Someone did a spit take.
Gildarts could feel the spray of beer hit him but he was far beyond giving a shit because had Julian seriously just said-?!
This couldn't- was this- she wouldn't have. She wouldn't have. She would have told him. But Julian had just-
SLAP!
The Ace's head snapped to the side, dazed he raised a hand up to touch his cheek and saw the concerned faces of the entire room.
Holy shit he had a kid.
oOOOOo
Cana whistled lightly as the guildhall came into view.
She knew that Uncle Jules would come through for her! Now the guild wouldn't get disbanded, the dark guild would be taken down, and everyone else could hold hands and sing kumbaya into the setting sun. Easy breezy.
And hopefully no one would ask any questions on how and where she go the information, because she had no idea had to swing an explanation that didn't sound sketchy as hell (Master probably thought she was either doing drugs or was involved with the mafia right now… it was probably going to be a while before he'd let her off the leash again).
She'd think of something. And if she couldn't, she could always baffle them with bullshit and run.
Cana pushed open the doors to the guildhall and cheerily called out," Hi guys!"
And the second the words passed her lips all sound in the room died.
The brunette felt a stab of something go through her as everyone turned to gawk at her like she was some kind of alien.
"Um is everything okay?" She asked hesitantly, feeling even more weirded out when the stares continued," Do I have something on my face?"
The gawking continued.
"I have something on my face, don't I?"
Happy flapped forward until he was right in her face (what was that weird contraption he was wearing?)
"Whoa fish breath alert!" Cana said sharply as she backed up a step from the flying cat," What is going on-?
"How come you never told us that Gildarts was your Dad?" The cat asked curiously.
Time stopped.
Cana felt like she'd just been sucker punched in the gut," Wha-how do you- what-?!" She couldn't remember how to string a sentence together, or what she should say at all.
Her eyes darting around the room at all the eyes locked on her (this couldn't be happening).
"The Death's Head Caucus is based outside Hanakozoe." She blurted out, dropping the sheet of paper on the ground," I'll- I just- "
She didn't bother to finish her statement. She just ran.
How did they know? How could they possibly have found out?
What was she supposed to do now?
oOOOOo
"Gildarts, take it easy on the vodka!" Makarov snapped as he tried to wrestle bottle away from the other man," You don't want to be drunk for this conversation- "
"Yes, I do." The Ace snapped, cuddling the glass bottle like a plushy," Besides if you think that this is enough to get me drunk then you obviously have never seen me at the beer festival."
The old man let out a sharp breath through his nose," I gave it to you to calm your nerves- all you seem to be doing is getting more worked up."
"Well, what do you expect?" Gildarts asked loudly," My ex-wife never told me that she had my baby- that baby has been right in front of me for years and apparently knows who I am and never said jack about it- and to top it all off she's on a first-name basis with the regulars at a bar for criminals. Tell me how I should be taking this?"
Okay, when he put it like that….
Makarov sighed and flopped down into his seat.
Cana was going to be back any minute now and all that he'd done in the last three hours was try to calm down Gildarts so he didn't blow them all to smithereens. Not that he didn't understand where the other man was coming from.
He remembered Cornelia, not well admittedly, but he had liked her. She had been good for him and he was a sucker for romantics; and when the two had gotten married he'd been thrilled. Then everything fell apart between them and he hadn't seen Gildarts anywhere near as happy since.
"How could she?" The Ace asked out loud," How could she have hated me this much Master? I loved her so much- even after everything- I never thought she could do this."
The old man winced.
"Gildarts…" He said hesitantly," I don't have an answer for you. But if she was anything like you were after the split… well maybe it was just too painful for her to do."
"I would've stepped up." Gildarts said, barely processing the smaller man's words," I would've cleaned up my act- I missed everything…"
"Snap out of it Gildarts!" Makarov snapped in the tone of voice he saved for emergencies.
The crash mage jerked and stared at him like a lost puppy.
"Gildarts you missed out on thirteen years with your daughter- you need to accept that and move on." He said authoritatively," It wasn't fair what she did, but you have a chance to have a relationship with Cana now. You need to stop focusing on the past and snap back to the present. Don't waste the time you have now mourning for the time you lost. Its time to step up- and the first thing you need to do is talk to Cana and figure out where you both stand."
The redhead stared at the old man and slowly nodded," Thank you Master." He said hoarsely," I needed that."
"You're welcome." Makarov said calmly," Now- do you have any idea what you are going to say to her?"
Before Gildarts could say anything, the door to the office burst open.
"What is it Macao?" The miniature guildmaster asked immediately," Is something wrong?!"
The fire wizard raised a hand and caught his breath," Happy spilled the beans as soon as she got back." The man reported, still breathing heavy as he winced," She… didn't take it very well."
"Is she okay?" Gildarts blurted out.
Macao looked at the Ace and faltered," I don't know." He said honestly," Happy asked why she'd never said anything, she got this deer in the headlights look, said the location and then bolted."
Makarov rubbed at his face in annoyance," Seems like the cat won't be getting his fish." He muttered quietly.
Gildarts snapped back and shoved himself up.
"Gildarts what are you- "
"I have to go find her." He snapped," That's my daughter- I have to make sure that she's okay."
The guildmaster nodded," I understand, but do you know where she is?"
He faltered for a second but quickly shook it," I'll find her even if I have to search the entire town."
"I'm not sure if that's the best idea." Macao said quietly, making both of the other men turn to him.
"What do you mean?" Gildarts asked defensively.
The fire wizard winced," Gildarts… she just had a major secret of hers get revealed to the entire guild without knowing how they found out. She's probably not thinking straight and if you track her down and try to talk to her- that might just make her feel cornered."
The Ace swallowed. He didn't want that- he wanted a relationship with her. How could that happen if she wasn't comfortable around him-?
"Well, the answers obvious isn't it?" Makarov said easily, getting confused looks from the other men," You have to talk to her on her home grounds, so to speak."
oOOOOo
"No!"
"Cana-!"
"No!"
"But- "
"No!"
"Oh, honestly." Erza snapped, glaring down at the piece of furniture her friend was hiding under," You are acting like a child."
Cana stuck her head out from under the bed," 'No' is a full sentence Erza. I don't have to talk to him, and you can't make me!" The girl yelled, sticking her tongue out before hiding back under the bed.
This had been going on for almost five hours.
"Come on Cana." Levy pleaded," I know that this is probably confusing, but Gildarts just wants to talk to you- "
"Good for him! But I don't have to say anything!"
"But he's your dad." Lisanna said, with those big eyes that made you feel like an asshole for saying no, " Don't you have some questions for him or something?"
"No!" The card mage shrieked, still refusing to come out from under her bed," Just go away and leave me alone!"
Erza's eye twitched violently. "Alright, that's it." She said firmly." Lisanna, go get your sister. Levy, get the door."
"What are you gonna do Erza?" Levy asked nervously as she and Lisanna moved to do as instructed.
The redhead cracked her knuckles," Cana is coming out of there one way or another. I tried being nice, now its time to play dirty."
The armored wizard marched over to the bed and grabbed one of the brunette's ankles and pulled.
Cana let out a shriek like she was being murdered.
"Come on Cana." Erza snapped, giving the leg another yank," You can cooperate with me or we can wait for Mirajane. She'll help me."
There was silence from the mage under the bed, before finally-
"Mira said that you stuff your bra Erza."
The redhead froze," She what?"
"She also said that you were desperate to get married because no man would want you because you're such a prude."
Erza's eye twitched.
"And she said your butt looks fat in those leggings you just got."
The armored wizard calmly let go of the leg, turned around and walked out of the room, emanating a blood lust that could kill a small animal," MIRA!"
Levy watched the older girl go by while gaping like a concussed fish.
That… was certainly a tactic she hadn't seen coming. It was almost inspired.
Lisanna bolted down the hallway like a bat out of hell.
"What-"She sucked in a breath," Was that?!"
The bookworm shook off her shock and turned back to the bed her friend was hiding under," Cana weaponized Erza so she and Mira wouldn't make her talk to Gildarts."
The white-haired girl stared," Huh?"
The bluenette ignored the younger girl for a moment," Was any of that even true?"
"Everything except the leggings thing." Cana responded smugly. "Mira really needs to learn to check the room before she rants."
Lisanna decided to come back to her original question later," Cana… I get the feeling that Gildarts is going to wait out there until you finally go talk to him. He just wants to make sure that you're alright."
"Well then you can tell him that I'm fine." The girl said stubbornly," And tell him that I don't want to talk, and I might never want to talk to him."
"You can't just avoid him forever!"
"Watch me."
Levy and Lisanna shared a look.
"Alright," The bluenette said as she rolled up her sleeves," Guess we have no other choice- Lisanna on three?"
"Right." The other girl said with a determined nod.
"What are you two doing?"
"One. Two. Three!"
As one the two girls snatched Cana's leg and yanked her forward... and the bed moved with them.
They stared.
"Seriously Cana?"
"I'm not coming out and you can't make me!"
They definitely had their work cut out for them.
oOOOOo
"No!" Cana screamed like she was being murdered, hanging onto the bed post for dear life.
The combined strength of Levy and Lisanna, along with a set of strong chains made from solid script magic, had managed to get the bed all the way to the door, but Cana refused to give up without a fight.
"Stop-acting-like-a-baby!" Levy growled between breaths as she and Lisanna yanked her away from the wooden post," This-is-going-to-happen- "
"No its not!"
"Ready? Pull!" Lisanna yelled, as the two gave another determined pull, then-
SNAP!
Cana let out an entirely different shriek as she and the other two girls were sent crashing into the wall as the wooden bed post finally gave way- the brunette still clinging onto it in shock.
"Well." Levy said from her position on the floor." That worked."
Before the brunette had a chance to recover, the girls had her by each arm and were dragging her down the hall.
"Stop- "She tried to protest, but the white-haired girl waved her off.
"You'll thank us for this later- now go!" She snapped as the two shoved the girl through the doors of the common room.
A click told Cana that the door had been locked behind her, and she slowly turned to face her surprised father.
"Fuck I need a drink."
oOOOOo
Gildarts let out a bark of surprised laughter," That makes two of us."
The two lapsed into a silence that quickly became awkward, as neither of them had any idea what they were supposed to say.
"How did you even find out?" Cana finally asked," I've never told anyone, so…"
He swallowed," Master was worried about you, so he bribed Happy with fish, strapped a lacrima onto him and had him follow you. We heard you talking with Julian…" He finished, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his head.
Cana was flabbergasted: how the fuck did she miss that? Happy was about as subtle as Nastu- which is to say not at all.
Gildarts wet his lips," How… how long have you know?"
The brunette winced, and then let out a long breath," Its why I came to Fairy Tail in the first place." She admitted," Mom was dead, and I didn't know where Uncle Jules was and well… what can I say, you came highly recommended." She said with a small smirk," Mom always talked about how you were like a knight in shining armor, I guess it went to little me's head."
"…she said that?"
"Yeah." Cana confirmed softly," I always intended to tell you who I really was, but things just kept getting in the way." She gave him a gentle smile," You don't have to worry Gildarts, I don't expect anything from you. You don't have any kind of responsibility and you don't have to worry about me moving in or ballet recitals- "
"You do ballet?" He blurted out, getting a surprised look from Cana.
"Yeah, I play a couple instruments too." She said bashfully, picking at her palms," The point is- you don't have to worry about being a dad. You don't need to treat me any differently than you do now, nothing has to change."
Gildarts stared at her for a long while," Is that what you want?"
"Huh?"
"Is that what you want?" He repeated." If you want me to stay out of your life then I'll respect your wishes, but you don't have to feel like I don't want you. So, do you want me to stay away?"
For a moment all was quiet.
"…no." She finally whispered, feeling tears begin to build up in her eyes," It's not what I want at all."
He looked relieved," Oh that's good."
Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her as tightly as he dared.
"I hope you mean it Cana." He said in a watery voice as he held her tight," Because you're never getting rid of me kiddo. I'm going to all your recitals, and I'll cheer you on when you go on jobs, and I'm going to be the best father anyone's ever seen. I'm going to make up for all this time, I promise."
Cana sniffled and buried her head into his chest," I hope you don't mind if I hold you to that."
"Darlin' I don't mind in the slightest."
AN: I wish you guys could see my outline for this chapter: the bed scene was literally labeled 'insert looney tunes bullshit'. I wanted a funnier chapter that still had the warm fluff that I love to write so much. And yes, the dark guild bit the dust and they rubbed it in the councils faces! I wrote this when I was trying to work on a different chapter involving Julian (I never thought I'd use him again but here we are). The Devils Nest is a Fullmetal reference, so are the names Dublith, Roa, and Sig- what can I say? I'm a die hard fan. The Deaths Head Caucus is a legitimate dark guild in the series, it was in the Oracion Seis arc but had maybe a minute of screen time- I thought the name sounded cool.
I had fun imagining Cana going to this bar filled with criminals, knowing that they are criminals, and being totally chill about it. I also loved the bit where she kicks their butts at cards, and everyone in there is totally chill because one, she's a kid, and two, Julian can be very scary when he wants to be.