Chapter 54

Quatro Cerberus is the place Lucy drives Cana to. She parks her car in a free spot and looks over at her bestie. "Do you want me to go in with you?"

Cana only nods, not taking her eyes off of the building.

"Before we get out, take a deep breath," Lucy instructs.

Cana does so, and keeps holding until her face starts to turn a different color.

"Don't forget to actually breathe!" Lucy reminds her.

In order to refill her lungs, Cana sucks in air through her mouth. "O-kay. I can do this. I can totally do this…"

When the two get out of the car, Lucy locks it behind them. "Does Gildarts know who he is looking for?" she asks.

"I told him my first and last name. I don't know if he knows about me."

"One would assume that someone would recognize Cana Alberona…"

Cana laughs a little bit. "Tell that to your redhead friend."

"Erza can be like that sometimes," Lucy jokes, opening a door for them.

Once inside, Lucy is the first to spot Gildarts, recognizing the back of him. He is sitting up at the bar, a nearly empty drink in hand. He is probably trying to calm his nerves.

"Do you see him?" Cana asks, her eyes scanning the place.

"He's over there," Lucy responds, pointing a finger at him.

Cana stiffens up from head to toe, sucking in air.

Lucy nudges her along. "You can do this. I'll be right over there if you need me." With one final shove, she takes a step back so her bestie can do the rest on her own.

Walking rather stiffly, Cana makes her way over to Gildarts. He is completely oblivious that she is behind him until she taps on his back with a single finger.

Wanting to watch their interaction, Lucy sits at a free table far enough away so that she totally isn't encroaching on the duo.

Gildarts turns on his seat to face Cana.

"H-hey," she accidentally stutters.

He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

"I guess it's hard to believe, huh?"

Then Gildarts starts panicking, jumping to his feet. "Wait, which one is your mother? Sarah? Naomi? Clara? Feena? Mary? Liza?" He groans. "Oh, no! The hair color is all wrong! Emma? Lila? Jenny? Sydney? Kate? The Yugo sisters?"

"Sisters?" Cana gasps, not bothering to keep her shock under control. "Just how many women have you been with?"

"No, Sylvia! That's gotta be it. It's that face. She made it a lot."

"Seriously? I finally find you only to realize my dad is a deadbeat who can't keep it in his pants!"

Suddenly, things click into place for Gildarts. His entire demeanor changes in an instant. He looks at her with a soft expression. "You're Cornelia's daughter. No doubt about it."

Cana doesn't vocally confirm, but her silence is more than enough.

"I had a daughter all this time…" he says, his voice cracking. "Wow."

"Hey now, there's no need for waterworks." Then she smiles a little bit. "Can I finally say it?"

Gildarts is a little confused. "Say what?"

Her smile gets bigger. "I'm glad I met you, Dad. I really am."

It doesn't take long for him to burst into tears. "Baby!" he exclaims, engulfing her in a hug. "I promise I'll never make you feel sad again. I'll always be here for you. I'll be right by your side. It doesn't matter whether it's on a job or hitting up the bars."

"I'm not so sure you can keep up with me," she jokes, sniffling back some tears.

"All that I ask is that you give me the opportunity to be a loving father," Gildarts adds, his tears falling as they form.

Lucy has to wipe away small tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. A loving father. Maybe she should go see hers again. After all, it seems like it has been awhile since their last brunch.

She only snaps back into reality when someone sits across from her.

"Hello, Lu Lu!" Dan greets in a cheery tone.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy deadpans, her mood turning sour.

Dan motions in a direction past him. "I'm here with friends, but then I saw you and decided to come over."

"You should go back to your friends."

"Not until we get a drink together."

"I'm not here to drink."

Dan blinks in surprise. "But… you're at a bar. You're supposed to drink when you're at a bar."

Lucy reasons that she shouldn't have to explain herself to him. He is a thing of the past that seems to be popping up. The last time she saw him was at the mall with Natsu, Gray, and Juvia. The same day she and Natsu official became a couple. "Like I said, I'm not here to drink."

"Well then, do you want to eat together?"

"Pass."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Wait, yes that you'll grab a bite with me?"

One of her eyes twitches. He is trying to twist her words, but she won't let him have his way. "No, yes that I won't eat with you. I'm not here for you." Her eyes flicker over to Gildarts and Cana, finding they are both sitting down at the bar now. They might as well be oblivious to everything else around them.

"But, Lu Lu!" Dan protests in a whiney tone.

"The only reason we know each other is because we had classes together," she huffs. "That's it. We didn't even see each other outside of school."

"That's not true. I saw you at the mall a few times with friends."

Lucy rolls her eyes. "But you never approached me. We never hung out as friends or even acquaintances."

"So let's change that!"

"There is no us," she clarifies, putting her foot down.

"But what if there was?"

"I'm not dating someone I don't know."

"What if you give me a chance?"

"I'm not interested," Lucy deadpans, really getting fed up with his relentlessness. "I'm more than happy with the relationship I'm currently in. You might remember him from the last time at the mall. I'm still dating Natsu."

Dan opens his mouth to respond, but he doesn't get the chance to.

A hand comes down on the table.

Lucy jumps a little bit, being startled. She relaxes when she sees the hand connects to the rest of Gildarts.

"From the sound of things, you're bothering her," he grits.

Dan swallows hard. "Oh, do you know Lu Lu?" he asks, pretending that Gildarts isn't getting to him.

Gildarts stands a little taller. "She's going to marry my godson. That makes us related in my book." His gaze hardens. "And nobody messes with my family."

Cana stands next to her father, arms folded under her chest in an intimidating fashion. "She's my bestie, and I'm the only one allowed to mess with her. End of story."

Realizing the odds are against him, Dan rushes to leave the table. He doesn't look back while making his way over his friends at the other side of the bar.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Cana asks, turning her attention to her.

"I'm fine," she replies. "That guy just can't take no for an answer."

"How does he know you?" Gildarts asks.

"School. We only had some classes together. Some. We never really interacted, but apparently he has this gigantic crush on me. It's bordering creepy since he doesn't back off easily."

Cana cracks up. "He doesn't stand a chance."

Gildarts nods in agreement. "Not when Natsu is his competition."

"Exactly," Lucy agrees, and then realizes something. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your moment by you two saving me from Dan."

"Nah, you're fine," Cana says. "We were talking when I brought up you and mentioned you were here. When we spotted you, we found him with you."

"You looked like you were about to clock him," Gildarts chuckles.

Lucy huffs. "I probably should have…"

"I bet Natsu would have liked to see that," Gildarts jokes.

Cana nudges him with a shoulder. "Violence isn't the answer."

"It can be. Sometimes. Given the question."

Lucy rolls her eyes. "That sounds like something Natsu might say."

Gildarts grins. "Where do you think he gets it from?"

"Wait, is there a chance he could be your kid?" Cana inquires. "Lucy has mentioned that he's adopted…"

Gildarts pales. "I'm good with being the biological old man of one kid…"

"She's a pretty great kid, too," Lucy comments.

Cana playfully punches Lucy's shoulder. "You're not so bad yourself."

"Just wait until you two have kids of your own." Then Gildarts does a double take at Cana. "Wait, do you have kids of your own? I haven't seen anything in the news about you, but you could have some secret kid the world doesn't know about."

Cana cracks up at where his mind took his thoughts. "No, no kid. Not even dating anyone. I'm too busy for that. I've got time to settle down."

Lucy's mind wanders, thinking about when she and Natsu will settle down. They are approaching their two month anniversary and marriage has already been discussed. She is more than positive he is the one for her. Likewise, she knows that he feels the same way about her.

Gildarts puts a hand on a shoulder of both Lucy and Cana. "So what are you two up to? Got some time to spend with me?"

"You've got all the time in the world with me," Cana replies.

"I don't want to impose," Lucy says.

Gildarts looks at her. "I was hoping you'd have embarrassing moments to share."

A mischievous look comes across Lucy's faces. "Well, now that you mention it…"


A/N Part 1: I guess since Natsu is gone, people Lucy has encountered before are showing up XD Like Millianna, Dan seemed like a good fit for this chapter :P I wonder who else will pop up haha

A/N Part 2: When it comes to the next update, I'll see when I can get to it! Next Sun-Mon is Christmas Day and the day after, so I'm gonna be busy with personal/family stuff. I'd love to update for you guys then, but no promises D: If not, it might come some days later…

A/N Part 3: So if the update is late… Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays :D And if you don't celebrate, I hope the end of December treats y'all well :D *throws confetti*


Anon: Deep breath! I like having Lucy and Cana as a BrOTP. I don't see enough of it, so I like writing about it! And Natsu is a big dork and I loveee that about him XD And I do like having him be bilingual. I might do that with future works if it gets set up for that :P

kura-chan13: Wooooo :D Finally XD