S.R: I should have asked you guys to make bets on how the guild would react. But I didn't think about it till I sat down to write this chapter. Oh well. You'll just have leave reviews telling me what you think. Sike! Well. No you still have to tell me what you think but yeah you can also make bets on how the guild will react.


Even though Cana had asked him to send help Natsu's way, so that he could finish his task of upgrading his home sooner, Makarov had waited a few days. There were a few reasons behind his delay, but when the brunette pressed him about it after he had sneaked into her dorm room in Fairy Hills, when he had come to check up on her and Michiko he merely responded.

"I wanted to be sure he was done with the baby furniture first. Since you need all of it here to make things easier for you, I decided to wait until I knew you had it all here where no one could see. We may be a family but people gossip after all."

"So he has help now?"

"Yup. I sent Elfman and Gray over."

Cana suppressed a groan at that. The three of them were more likely to start a brawl than work on Natsu's home. Elfman and his shouting about being a man, would annoy the other two to no end. Not to mention it was well known in the guild that Natsu and Gray would but heads over anything and everything.

For his part, the guild master already knew that. But he was testing Natsu. If the pink haired man was serious about raising Michiko… Well then he would stay on task and not get distracted by the two aides that he'd sent to the man. Despite the fact he was sure the two were serious, he wanted to be absolutely certain that they weren't going to half-ass it in any way.

"Now, the guild thinks Happy decided that he wanted his own room and that's why Natsu is upgrading his home. So he's got an excuse not to show up to the guild for a bit. But what about you?"

The elderly man questioned. From the moment the two had come back to Magnolia with the little girl, he could see that even though she'd agreed and was willing to raise the baby, Cana had yet to fully commit. When she had visited Porlyusica for Michiko to have check up, the brunette had admitted that she was confused as to how natural it felt.

"Well… The only reason I can think of to use as an excuse is that I'm not feeling well. But then Wendy or Erza might panic and try to check on me. Or in Erza's case beat up Natsu and blame him for not making sure I was okay."

As she talked Cana was feeding Michiko her second lunchtime bottle. Makarov knew that it would be harder in Cana's case to excuse her absence from the guild and he knew she was fairly intelligent so he wasn't surprised that she could see the cons to the only reasonable excuse she could use.

"Wait… Can we say I have a personal reason that I'm not showing up to the guild? If anyone asks just say that I'm doing some personal stuff."

She suddenly commented, as the thought formed in her mind. She doesn't have to tell them what her excuse is, after all. Privacy is respected by most of the people in the guild so they wouldn't pry.

"I can go along with that, yes. But what if they try to harass Natsu about it? Or Happy? After all the only reason no one else knows about things so far is that Happy came straight to me in my office and then went home to wait for Natsu."

Cana tilted her head in thought. But she ended up getting distracted by the fact Michiko had finished her bottle. Setting the now empty bottle aside she burped the little girl before a metaphorical light bulb went off in her mind.

"let's get you ready to go out for a bit."

she spoke softly to the girl, a calm smile on her face. While he was curious, Makarov figured that she'd had an idea and was going to act on it so he sat silently as Cana got Michiko dressed for the day. His smile grew wider when he saw the outfit she'd put on the little girl. A white shirt that said 'Future Fairy Tail Wizard' in cursive and a pair of black pants.

"I know Natsu takes pride in being a Fairy Tail wizard but you didn't have to let him pick that shirt out."

He chuckled.

"Yes I did. He's not the only one that's proud to be part of the best guild in Fiore."

She replied with a smirk. But then she handed Michiko over to the guild master so she could prepare the diaper bag. Even as he watched her work the guild master couldn't help but grin as he thought 'You said it feels natural to take care of Michiko? Of course it does. Just being around the little one is making your maternal instincts come to the front.'

When she was satisfied that the diaper bag was ready she put on the baby carrier and accepted the little girl back with a smile. Michiko giggled as she returned to the brunette's arms. While she hadn't out right cried to be handed to the short old man, they both could tell the baby was much happier in Cana's arms than in his. Since they were now officially ready to go, Cana lead the way. As they walked Makarov realized she was following the path that snaked through the forest towards Natsu's home.

He was confused as to why the brunette would risk Elfman and Gray seeing the little girl before they told the guild about Michiko's existence. But the Cards magic mage stopped around the halfway point and stood patiently.

'I see! She's relying on Natsu's sense of smell. He'll tell the other two that he's going to do something real fast and leave them behind to come see us.' The guild master thought after a moment. It wasn't long after he realized it that Natsu came jogging down the path towards them. A huge grin was on his face as he approached.

Cana had adjusted the baby carrier so that Michiko was being held off center from her chest, allowing the little one to turn her head towards the direction Natsu had come from. When the onyx eyed baby saw him she lit up with a smile and made excited noises. She was clearly as happy to see him as he was her.

"How's my little dragon doing today."

Natsu cooed at her, as she reached for him. Cana and Makarov were both silent for a moment, letting Natsu entertain the little girl since he hadn't seen her for a couple days.

"We just came by to let you know. If anyone from the guild asks about me, say you know why I'm not showing up at the guild but that it isn't your place to say since it's personal stuff."

Cana told him when he finally decided to turn his attention to her and the guild master. Makarov nodded his approval of the idea when Natsu looked at him.

"Okay, but why?"

"We're in this together right? That means we both have to be there to tell the guild. So Michiko has to stay a secret until then."

Since he understood that, Natsu smiled.

"Alright. Well I should head back before Elfman and Gray break something. Or get Happy to talk. I've been distracting him with fish while we work."

With that he kissed Michiko's forehead and began to jog back towards his home. As he did Cana held up one of Michiko's hands and shook it back and forth as if she was waving bye to the pink haired man.

"Since this didn't take that long I'm curious as to what the diaper bag was for?"

Makarov asked her as they started walking back towards the town.

"Well last night while she as asleep I checked how much money I had saved up. I've got a bit more than I remember, so I figured that we'd head out and grab a few more things for her."

Luckily Cana had a really good mental map of the town. She knew what areas the other guild members lived in and where they visited, so she was able to pick a store that was in a part of town where there was no chance of them being found out. With the guild master at her side, she bought a mobile for Michiko's cradle, a few more story books, a new pacifier since one of the two they'd gotten her before had been broken when Cana accidentally stepped on it, and a stroller since they'd forgotten one when they first went shopping for Michiko. She picked up a couple more cans of baby formula for her milk as well. When they were done shopping Cana had gotten away with a bill of 14,570 jewels.

After their day of shopping Makarov left, letting Cana take Michiko home to the Fairy Hills dorm. Though he promised to come by again when Natsu was done with his home expansion. As he walked away from the brunette woman he worried about what would happen when Michiko was introduced to the guild. Sure some of they others would be extremely supportive right from the start, but some of the older members, would question it. He was worried that the duo would suddenly find themselves unsure of what they were doing.

"Well. They are growing into the role of parents just fine. So if they can convince the guild to let them show it then things shouldn't be too bad."

He mumbled to himself. Not to mention the fact that he knew just how hard the duo were trying. Natsu was already working hard to be able to provide for Michiko. Every time he'd seen the pink haired man since they came back to Magnolia with the little girl he'd noticed Natsu was being less and less brash and reckless. Cana was pushing herself to provide while Natsu prepared. Besides, she normally reeked of booze. Enough so that anyone within twenty feet of her could normally smell it on her. But that was no longer the case. Though if he focused real hard he could still slightly smell it, Makarov had to admit that was a vast improvement for her.

Ten Days After Natsu And Cana Returned To Magnolia

True to his word, Makarov came to visit Cana once Natsu finished his work in expanding his house. Natsu had come along as well, because he wanted see if she had an answer about moving in with him. When she said yes, Makarov exited the room via the window before activating his Giant magic and having Natsu pass Cana's furniture out to him.

"Let Natsu take her while you go settle things with the dorm matron Cana. I'll carry your stuff over to Natsu's home for you." He spoke, very carefully as he made sure his voice wasn't booming. For one if it was the guild would have heard, and for two he didn't want to risk upsetting Michiko. Having figured that they would do something like that Cana just rolled her eyes as Natsu took the baby girl from her.

Since they knew it could be a while Natsu walked with Makarov back to his home so he could point out where everything was going to go. But as they walked Natsu had to ask the guild master a question. He had to pause several times to think of the words he wanted but he did get his question across.

"Hey gramps? I've never really… thought of a woman before… but ever since Cana agreed to raise Michiko with me I've… I've thought about what it would be like to hold her close.. and do stuff. Like kiss her.. Is that bad?"

The old man chuckled at Natsu's question. Natsu had never really shown an interest in anyone before. But he had a feeling this situation would make him see Cana in a romantic way. He just didn't know how long it would take the man to realize it.

"Not at all Natsu. That's perfectly normal."

"Is it bad she is the only one I can think of that way?"

Natsu questioned worriedly.

"It's not a bad thing at all. But I don't know if I can say that's a good thing either. You might have started to feel that way towards Cana because of the fact you two are raising Michiko."

Makarov responded, trying to be as honest and simple as he could.

"Nope. I knew doing this would change things in my life, so I thought real hard about it. Before we'd even decided on Michiko's name I knew Cana was the only one in the guild I could see myself raising her with."

Natsu said with a frown as he recalled what he told Cana about his decision. Because of how quickly Natsu had responded Makarov mentally stroked his chin in thought. 'Either he's fallen head over heels in love already, or Natsu's felt this way for a while and is only just now realizing it.'

The two were silent after that. The only noise coming from the giggling Michiko. Natsu had her in the baby carrier, strapped to his chest but since the guild master was carrying all the stuff from Cana's dorm, his hands were free to tickle the baby girl or for her to play with. Since she didn't have a pacifier, the baby girl pulled at one of his fingers and tried to stick it into her mouth and gnaw on it. She was old enough to be teething, despite the fact that it would take a few months before her first tooth even started to come in.

"Hey, that tickles."

Natsu told her with a smile. The little girl in his arms distracting him from his thoughts about Cana.

Not to long after that they arrived at Natsu's home. With master Makarov doing all the work it was slow going even though he was using magic to help. They had just sat down on Natsu's couch after getting everything in place when Cana found them.

"Normally I'd be all for heading to the guild now so you can introduce Michiko to the others, but I think the two of you need to get settled in."

The guild master said as Cana joined them on the couch. Natsu nodded that it made sense to him. Cana agreed as well, since she had never been inside Natsu's home. Though just what she could see of the first floor surprised her. It wasn't the pigsty she expected his home to look like. But she felt that he probably cleaned up because of the chance that they were going to move in with him.

After a little while Makarov decided he needed to get back to the guild and finish up some paperwork. As he stood to leave Natsu had Michiko wave goodbye.

"See you later gramps."

"We'll be by the guild tomorrow morning master."

Cana mentioned with a sigh. She was but wasn't ready to tell the guild about Michiko. For one it would be nice that they didn't have to hide. But on the other side of that argument, she knew that a few people wouldn't be okay with it. Especially given the fact she was the guild drunk and Natsu was the guild moron. Her thoughts about the matter were interrupted when Natsu asked about her drinking.

"Are you alright Cana? I can tell that you haven't completely stopped drinking. But you haven't been drinking anywhere near as much as usual. I mean such a drastic change should be bad for you right?"

The Cards magic mage couldn't help but smile and blush lightly as Natsu worried about her.

"I'm fine Natsu. I drink because I like the taste, not to get drunk. It's just more fun to pretend I'm a drunken mess most of the time."

"But still cutting back this much might be bad for you?"

He wasn't one hundred percent sure but the pink haired man knew he should be certain she was okay so he pressed a bit more.

"If I was actually drunk yeah. But if you didn't notice it, I circulate my magic trough my body when I get a little too drunk. It helps sober me back up and prevent me from becoming addicted. If I really wanted to I could completely stop drinking."

She wasn't expecting Natsu to understand right away, but he smiled at her.

"So you're fine cutting back to almost nothing so people wouldn't look down on you while we take care of Michiko. That's good."

"What about you? When master told me he sent Gray and Elfman to help you upgrade this place I was worried it would never happen because you were too busy fighting."

Cana stated as Natsu stood up to prepare a bottle for Michiko who was babbling to get their attention.

"Yeah it was annoying but I couldn't let them distract me from doing what I needed to do. I didn't even respond when Gray started teasing me, I was that focused on making sure it got done. Well that and bribing Happy with fish so he wouldn't tell them about Michiko before we were ready."

He replied as Cana took the little girl from his arms. Cana didn't say anything as she watched Natsu head for the kitchen. She was surprised that Natsu had admitted to basically ignoring Gray for once. When she couldn't see the pink haired man, Cana turned her thoughts from him to studying her new home.

The living room was sizable with hardwood flooring. Not quite centered in the room was a bear skin rug. Resting on top of the rug was a coffee table. Flanking the table was two leather arm chairs. Then the couch that she was sitting on with Michiko. It was a plush tan colored couch. The corner to her left housed a lamp for light, while the right corner was open as the entry into the room. From her position on the couch the majority of the left wall could be seen and it was mostly window. The wall across from her housed a fireplace and several pictures of the guild. Natsu and the master had placed the baby swing they'd gotten for Michiko in the corner by the window. The wall to her right housed a few more pictures, but was mostly blank. Though there was a table with some assorted nick-knacks. All in all it was very Natsu like in her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Natsu came back with Michiko's bottle.

"You want me to show you around while she drinks her milk?"

Natsu offered as he noticed Cana glancing around the room. She nodded and stood up, before taking the bottle from him. Just across from the living room was another room that was slightly smaller. But there was nothing inside. She could tell there used to be things inside from the scuff marks on the floor.

"I kinda figured that as she grew up we could make this Michiko's playroom."

Natsu said as he gestured into the empty room. Cana just nodded, it was an idea for what to do with the room. Though she was curious as to what was in the room before. But she didn't ask as Natsu had already moved on. They walked passed the stairs up to the second floor, so she could see the full layout of the first floor. Just a few steps down the hall from the stairs was a rather large bathroom, though Cana peaked inside and saw it was because the room was also where Natsu did his laundry. The hallway continued for a few feet beyond the bathroom before opening up into a Kitchen/dinning room combination. The cabinets being the same color as the wood flooring. Simple black stone slabs were used as the counter tops. The chairs and the table were all the same color as the coffee table in the living room.

"Hey Natsu are the chairs and table made of the same wood as the coffee table in the living room?"

"Yup. They're all made of mahogany."

There really wasn't much else to see so after Cana gave the room a once over, Natsu lead her upstairs.

"The room on the right is the one gramps and I set up to be yours. All your stuff is in there. Also we figured Michiko's crib could go in there. Mostly because there isn't anywhere in the house it could be where I wouldn't hear her if something happened in the night. But this way it's fair for both of us."

He said as he gestured towards the door to the room. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she wandered in to see how they set things up. The door was just off from the left wall of the room. Halfway down that wall was a window. Facing that window was her bed, pushed up against the right wall, but not quite centered on the wall. The wall dead in front of the door was where they'd put her wardrobe and night stand. When she turned her head to the wall the door was on she noticed the crib was set close to the corner but not quite in the corner. Her lamp from the Fairy Hills dorm room was situated on in the corner itself but facing away from the crib. Next to the light was a surprise for her. Natsu had made a little bookshelf and rocking chair.

"I figured we could place the books that were her bed time stories on the bookshelf. The chair is to rock her to sleep while she's being read to."

Natsu told her when he saw where she was looking. At that point any doubts she had about Natsu being able to be a parent had vanished. He had not only stepped up but he had gone beyond what she was expecting.

"There's a basement as well, but that's were I put all the stuff from the empty room. Mostly just exercise equipment, but there's a few boxes of memento's from jobs down there too."

He told her after she decided they didn't need to see his room. With the tour done, the duo went back down to the living room. Natsu used the rest of the nigh to adjust to having someone besides Happy living with him.

The Next Day

"So how are we doing this?"

Natsu asked Cana as they approached the guild.

"Well you stay out here with Michiko till I come get you. I'll have an easier time getting them to settle down than you would since they'll want to know why I haven't been by lately."

It made sense to him so Natsu nodded as they walked. Though it did help that he was the one carrying Michiko. He did find it odd how he couldn't hear the people nearby talking about them. Normally he figured the sight the two adults and the baby presented would have drawn attention, and got the gossip mill started. But know he didn't hear anyone talking about them. He was distracted from his wondering as Michiko began tapping on his chest with her hands for attention.

"Oh, my little dragon wants some tickling doesn't she?"

He cooed as he started to tickle the baby's stomach, eliciting giggles from the onyx eyed girl as they approached the guild hall. When they got close enough Natsu mentioned to Cana that he'd be out of the way, and pointed to a bench where he was likely going to be sitting when she decided it was time for him to bring the little girl into the guild. The brunette woman just nodded at him as she continued on to the guild hall doors. With a sigh she pushed them open and entered the guild.


S.R: Well... Is now a good time to mention I'm going on vacation? *Looks out the window to see a mob ready to burn me at the stake for this ending* No? Well good because I'm not going to. I just bask in the annoyance you guys have towards me for teasing you.