Dedicated to mirajens, who introduced me to the wonderful world of Cana/Gildarts family feels~

Cana hurried home from the guild, clutching the Caller card in her hand. It was flashing, the little image of Gildarts beaming up at her with a cheesy grin. She hadn't planned on keeping any of the ones he sent her (the first having been torn up, the second fed to her neighbor's dog, and the third flushed down the toilet), but part of her had wanted to keep in touch. Just in case…

She shook her head, scattering those thoughts quickly. It was in case he decided to call her, like today; in case she needed him to come kick some boy's ass for trying it on with her when she wasn't in the mood.

You know… Dad stuff.

She fumbled with her keys for a second before she managed to get the door open, closing it behind her and snatching up the package on the bookcase just inside the door. It had arrived that day, covered all over in postage marks that detailed the journey it had taken to get to her, but she had left it untouched until now.

She dumped her bag by the door and headed up the stairs to her bedroom. She held the Caller card in her mouth, tearing into the package's brown paper wrapping, leaving shreds of it all over the floor from the door to the desk.

The small box under the wrapping is easy to open, and she dumped the contents onto her desk, raising her eyebrows at it. The base was a little Lacrima orb, with three stubby feet seated in a triangle. Atop the Lacrima there was a flat, crystalline film on a hinge, and Cana flipped it up, the orb beginning to glow.

Enter Caller Card scrolled across the screen in shimmery letters, and Cana saw a small groove at the base of the screen. She inserted the card, and the letters vanished from the screen, replaced instead with the image of Gildarts from the card. A little eye opened at the top of the screen and focused in on Cana, a little image of her popping up in the bottom corner of the screen.

She waved awkwardly, and the picture waved as well.

"Cana?" She jumped when she heard Gildarts' voice. "Can you see me?"

"No?" She tapped the screen gently, not completely sure what was going on, and was rewarded with a very close up shot of her dad's eyeball. She yelped, nearly toppling out of her seat, and he laughed.

"Ah! There we go… Sorry about that, I'm still not really sure how to use this thing…" He scratched the back of his head, chuckling, and Cana righted herself in her seat. "So how are things? Any good jobs lately?"

"Dad…" Cana stopped herself, catching the fresh bandages on his arm, the bloodstain on his cloak, and the shadows under his eyes. "…Yeah." She said instead, smiling. "Some great ones. None that would have challenged you, of course, but I'm gettin' there."

He laughed, and she caught the wince at the end, the way his hand landed on his ribs gingerly. "Glad to hear it. You staying out of trouble?"

"Dad!" She exaggerated the middle vowel, rolling her eyes dramatically. "I'm in Fairy Tail; trouble follows us all around like a shadow." They both laughed, and she shrugged, keeping a close eye on how long he held his ribs this time around. "I'm okay, I guess. Keepin' an eye out for the rest of the guild, makin' sure we're all doing our best to stay out of trouble. Not that it always works."

He grinned. "How's Natsu?"

"Same as ever- little hothead." Cana grumbled, relaxing in her chair. "He's gotten stronger, though… I'm actually pretty impressed with him."

He nodded slowly, eyes not leaving her face, and she searched for another topic.

"How're you doing?" She asked softly, not wanting to push too hard.

"Oh, I got a little beat up on my last job." He shrugged, slowly and carefully, and cracked a grin. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"You sure? I mean, you look a little ragged." Cana bit the inside of her mouth to keep from asking anything else. If Gildarts wanted to share, then he would.

"I'm fine, kid." He smiled, bright and genuine, and Cana gave a slight bob of her head in understanding.

Silence stretched between them for a long moment, neither one wanting to ruin whatever sort of moment they were currently having, but then Gildarts got a funny look on his face, tipping his head to one side.

"Hang on, I just thought of something…" He frowned, eyebrows knitting together. "When I first saw you, you had a little dog with you. But when you joined the guild, I never saw him again. What happened?"

Cana stared at him, jaw going slack. He remembered… "I had to give him away." She replied faintly. "This little old lady wanted him for her grand-daughter, so, I sold him." She shrugged, remembering the way he had wined when she'd walked off that day and left him there. "Turns out, years down the road, that little girl became my next door neighbor." She grinned. "He still wines when I leave after visiting. It's sorta pathetic." She heard Gildarts sniff, and looked up in time to see him wiping at his eyes. "Dad, you're such a softy…"

"I can't help it! That was so cute! The look on your face…" He trailed off, that fond smile from before coming back for an encore. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"Don't be." She replied automatically, hurrying to continue when she saw his face fall. "I mean, I got by alright. No need for regrets… You're here now."

He grinned, nodding. "Whenever you want me." He promised. "And, you know, probably sometimes when you don't." He teased.

Cana laughed, shaking her head at him.

"So, you, ah, you found a boy yet?" He asked; his tone light and teasing. Cana choked on her laughter and looked up at him, receiving a rakish wink in return.

"Dad!" She squeaked, feeling heat rise into her cheeks.

"What?" He defended, eyebrows winging up his forehead. "Can't a father ask about his daughter's love life?"

"No!" Cana shot back, face burning. "It's weird!"

"How is it weird?" He asked, huffing softly. "It's not weird… I just want to know if there's some dumb kid I need to come threaten, that's all."

Cana's forehead met her palm with a soft slap of skin on skin. "Dad…" She grumbled, hearing him giggle in the background.

"Okay, okay, no more questions about boys." He promised, grinning. "At least for now."

She looked up and caught another of those rare smiles, his eyes soft as he looked at her. "…I love you, dad." She whispered, suddenly wishing she could say it to him in person; say it with a hug because she really meant it.

Gildarts looked taken aback for a moment, his eyes widening slightly, lips parting as though he had something to say. "Oh you dear girl…" He breathed, smiling brightly. "I love you too, Cana."

She smiled back, giggling, and they sat in silence for another long moment before Gildarts' stomach growled like a great beast, and Cana lost it.

"Oh, way to ruin the moment, dad!" She laughed, watching him go red as he looked down at his stomach, as though that alone could keep it quiet.

"Can I call you again?" He asked instead, looking up with a smile. "I promise not to bother you lots, just… Every now and then I like to… Check in."

"Of course you can." Cana grinned. "And this time I'll actually keep your card."

None of you should be surprised, in the slightest, that I'm a fan. Not a one of you.

Fairy Tail and its related characters belong to: Hiro Mashima