Hi everyone!

I know, you guys were expecting an update on Sound Pod or Soulful Fugue but this is a piece that's been in the workings for over a year now. I finally got the inspiration to write the second piece to A Daddy Complex.

I will warn you now. Their relationship is different. In BDSM, there are different dynamics between Doms and Subs, DD/lg is one of them. Daddy Dom / Little Girl is a relationship in which one person is the caregiver or "daddy" and the other is childlike. It is NOT a relationship between an actual father and daughter or any minor. This is a type of BDSM relationship that may or may not involve sex, but often involves play with child-like things, such as stuffed animals, bedtime stories, and spankings. The lg part of the relationship is often called the "little."

Of course, this has given birth to a full length story that will go into greater depth. The summary is in my profile for stories to watch out for.

But, on to the reading!

"My father, the great Gildarts Clive, has returned. Yay."

Those words still robbed my lungs of air. Cana may have sounded as unenthused as she looked, but it was a death sentence for me. I wasn't ready to see him again. I certainly hadn't been when he'd appeared on the battlefield after being gone for so long. Sure, his help had been much appreciated at the time, but now… All that was left now that the Spriggan had been defeated was pain. Too much time has passed since he'd left without much of an explanation. Never mind the fact that just the mention of his name alone still soaks my panties and weakens my knees. My chest throbbed where my heart used to be. Panic grips me and suddenly, I don't know how to act.

Why you ask?

It's really quite simple. I'd fallen for the one person I shouldn't have. I knew the risks. Levy had been all too willing to point out each little flaw. My own common sense had betrayed me every time we'd have one of our many clandestine meetings.

I knew it had been wrong. The lies I'd told, the stories I'd weaved just to get away. My team never the wiser that those solo trips to my parents grave always entailed secret rendezvous with the delectable Crash Mage. One of my best friends in the world blind to the times I'd feigned illness to get out of going out with her just so that I could spend the night in his bed, or he in mine. There was nothing I wouldn't do just to get a piece of his time. I needed it, more than I needed air. His body against mine, his words in my ear, feeling him take me over and over again. He was my Daddy, I was his Little Girl and somewhere between the spankings, the orgasmic fog of flesh meeting flesh and the post-coital confessions of affection, I'd fallen head over heels.

But all good things come to an end, or so they say.

Perhaps I'd been too naive. I'd thought that I had changed him. I'd truly believed that he would stay. I'd even managed to convince myself that we'd follow Levy and Jet's example by coming out to those we loved most. I'd prepared myself for Cana's anger, for my team's confusion, for the nay - saying that was sure to arise. We weren't a conventional couple. He's twenty years my senior, a womanizer, a nomad, a wild thing that couldn't be tamed by commitment or seriousness. I knew that yet the heart wants what it wants. I loved him, flaws and all.

Loved is the operative word there, or so I tell myself. Four years later and I'm still telling myself that.

My eyes involuntarily drifted to the guild doors and I knew. Seeing him standing there in all of his glory, it had only been words. I had been fooling myself. After the war had ended and Zeref had been successfully beaten, his slackies obliterated with the help of a very unlikely person, I had figured that he would move on. We all expected him to do what he always did best, disappear. It would have been easier. I could have kept lying to myself instead of facing the inevitable truth. The knowledge of it burned my eyes and spurred my heart to pound.

I am still unequivocally in love with Gildarts Clive.

But he isn't in love with me.

I watched as Cana ran up and flung herself at the older man. His auburn hair longer than it had been, falling in waves that called out to my fingers. The scruff that had once lined his strong, square jaw had grown into a full, well-trimmed beard and I could almost image the way it would feel against the sensitive flesh on my inner thigh. Bear fur now topped the old, tattered cape that hid the broad expanse of shoulders that I knew bore a scar where my teeth had pierced flesh in the throws of passion. It fell open enough to reveal the lack of bandages, his gloriously etched abs even more defined. He'd changed in the years he'd been gone. Only for the better and that just made my ache worse.

I needed to look away. I needed to run, to get out of there but I couldn't help myself. I sat, transfixed on him as he clutched his daughter, my best friend, to his wide chest. A spike of jealousy rose up and guilt warmed my cheeks. After everything that had transpired, the time spent without him there, I still wanted him. I should hate him, should hate myself but the only hatred I carried was for the fact that I didn't. Those obsidian eyes that I'd lost myself in too many times to count lifted, locking with mine and the hint of a smile that rose on his broad lips shot an arrow through my chest.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

I watched as he shoved the last few articles of clothing into the bag and I bit my lip to quiet the sob I felt rising in my chest. I didn't understand. "Why do you have to leave?"

He snapped the clasps on his bag and tossed it to the floor before looking up. "Because I've got to."

"You don't have to do anything, Gildarts. I… We need you here."

His face softened and he closed the distance between us, his calloused hand lifting to brush against my cheek. I couldn't resist doing as I always did, nuzzling myself against his palm. "Makarov has the guild again. It's time for me to get back out there," he said as his thumb brushed over my lips. "You guys don't need my old ass around."

I wanted to scream and shout because I did. I need him here. "You're wrong."

He pulled me to him, crushing me in the circumference of his warm embrace as laughter rumbled in his chest. "Be a good girl and don't make this harder than it is."

Harder than it is? On who exactly did he mean? My chest was centimeters from caving in on itself yet he's so incredibly casual about the fact that he was going away, leaving me behind. I suddenly know exactly how Cana has always felt. I don't want to let go. "Yes, Sir."

"Can I hear it one last time? It'll keep me warm while I'm out on the road."

I pray that it's enough to make him stay. "Yes, Daddy."

I quickly turned away and slammed the book shut that I'd been reading. I was suddenly all fingers as I tried to quickly pack my things. I couldn't breathe. The air was suddenly too heavy, weighing on my chest like the oliphants that had stormed the gates of the White City. Hot, burning tears pricked at my eyes, blurring my vision. It hadn't been enough. I'd watched him walk away not five minutes later. A hand came to rest on my shoulder and I looked up to find Levy there, her eyes understanding and sympathetic.

"Are you alright, Lu?"

I tried to speak but my voice caught in my throat, a sob squeaking past my parted lips. Fuck me and my damn emotions. I gave a slight shake of my head. I wasn't okay. I haven't been okay for four years. Four fucking years. I slung my bag onto my shoulder and made for the door as fast as my feet could carry me without drawing attention to myself. I had kept my feelings hidden this long and I'd be damned if they would be revealed like this. I'd be damned if he was going to find out that the candle still burned for him. He didn't deserve it.

"Luce! Where ya going? Gildarts is back so we gotta party!"

Fuck the hell off, Natsu!

I wanted to scream that at the top of my lungs. But as my fingers slipped from the door handle and I turned, I knew that I couldn't. My partner in crime didn't deserve the anger my pain incited. "I-I've gotta get home."

"How come? You gotta stay and celebrate with us!"

I felt every eye in the guild on me, including his and the panic reached its peak. My brain stammered for a plausible reason and my lips moved in effort to form words. Any kind of words would suffice, I knew that. And it was at that moment that my mind failed me. "I just started my period…"

Really, Lucy?

Dead silence fell over the entire guild hall and all I could do was stand there, like the idiot I apparently was. Out of all the lame excuses that my brain could have come up with, that was what I chose to go with. I was officially an idiot and THAT man was completely to blame.

"Oh… Uh… Okay," Natsu frowned. "Then, um, go change and come back."

That wasn't going to happen but I sure as hell didn't need to let him know that. I forced a smile and resisted the temptation to glance at the other Slayers. I was pretty sure they could smell my lie. "Sure thing, Natsu."

I wasn't coming back. I knew that I couldn't, not with him still there. I turned and couldn't get the door open fast enough. My feet couldn't carry me as quickly towards home as I wanted them to. I needed space, needed air. I needed the comfort and solitude of my apartment where I knew I could fall apart just to rebuild myself even better.

Sometimes, all a girl needs is a good cry, a bubble bath and a tub of Ben and Jerry's. Sadly, I am pretty much NOT that girl.

It's been three hours since I'd left the guild behind and I am no closer to feeling better than I had been when I reached my front door. My traitorous heart and mind refuse to let go. They've both forced me to relive every moment I'd had with him. Despite the fact that I had long since ripped everything out of my apartment and redecorated, I can still see him in my bed. I can still remember the two of us trying to fit in my tub. I can still feel him between my legs as he took me on top of my desk.

I thought I was over this. I knew that I should have been. There had been others. Several of them fully capable of rocking my world. But then, none of them had been him. It was why it had never worked. It was why I had given up well over a year ago in finding a replacement. I knew then that there wasn't one. So why had I continued to lie to myself?

Because I am a lovesick idiot, that's why.

I tossed my empty ice cream container into the trash but I held onto my spoon. I studied it intently. There was another tub in the freezer. I could easily pull it out. It could very well be the flavor I needed to pick me up.

And the tub that'll double your waistline to match the thick thighs that will pop up tomorrow thanks to the first one.

I sighed and tossed the spoon into the sink. At least my brain was speaking again. I still could not believe that I had used my period as an excuse. But, what was done was done. It was my story and I was sticking to it, for better or worse. Now, if I could only get my heart into that frame of thinking. It was still hurting and wanting to go running back. I couldn't afford it so I opted for going to bed. At least there, I could curl up into a ball and pretend to be anything else. A snail seemed fitting. At least then I would be unnoticeable, able to travel with my home on my back, going wherever the road took me.

Like him.

I made my way to my bedroom only to falter when a knock came at the door. I wasn't in the mood for company. I'd already locked my keys away in the drawer just to avoid having to explain myself to Loke or Virgo. I loved them dearly but right now was not a good time for their nosey questions and prodding. And they'd prod the hell out of me. I couldn't exactly lie to either of them so avoidance was the best option. They would just have to understand.

I contemplated not answering, pretending to be asleep when the knock sounded again. If it was Erza or Gray, they'd most likely bust the door down in concern. If it was Levy, she would only go home and ring my lacrima phone a few thousand times before calling the previous two out of worry. Natsu wasn't really a thought because he'd already be inside, having come in through the window. The guy seriously had no concept of doors. Either way, I knew that there was no avoiding them. It was best to just answer and feign cramps to get rid of them.

The knock sounded a third time and I rolled my eyes as I reached for the handle. "Guys, I'm really not-"

The words perished on my lips as I opened the door to find I'd been dead wrong. It wasn't my team. Or Levy. Hell, I would have been happy to have found Laxus. Anyone, really. Anyone other than the six foot, two-inch wall of screw my ovaries, I lost them in the tsunami that destroyed my panties standing there. He was even more beautiful up close and I cursed him for it. Well, in my head anyway.

"Hi, Little Girl. Can I come in?"

I couldn't find the words to tell him to go fuck himself as I silently stepped aside, bidding him entrance. Warning bells sounded in my head and I was so fucked for not heeding them as I shut the door behind him. I should've been running down the hall and out the downstairs door. I should've been hauling ass down the street and straight the hell out of town. But apparently, I liked the pain.

"You've changed the place up."

I pulled at the neckline of my robe, suddenly too aware that it was the only stitch of clothing I had on. Don't judge me. I wasn't exactly expecting visitors.

I turned and my breath hitched as memories crashed down. Despite the new bed linens, curtains, and rug, he still dwarfed the room with his familiar presence. It was impossible to see anything but him. Just as it had been back then and screw my libido for finding it just as knee-weakening now. "Mhm."

I know. What kind of response was that shit? It's called my damn lips forgot how to work because they were too busy remembering how it felt to kiss his ass. I couldn't help but wonder if he still tasted of whiskey and cigarettes. Or maybe he tastes like other women. The thought just left a nasty feeling in my mouth.

"So," he started as he turned to offer me a smile that still devastated my insides. "Uh, after three years-"

"Four," I corrected.

"Um, four years…" he paused as his brow furrowed. "Four? I'm pretty sure it's only three."

A sarcastic laugh escaped my lips. "It's been exactly four years, three months, twenty-one days and nine hours since you left."

"How many minutes?"

Like the idiot I really am, I played right into his hands when I glanced over at the clock. "Thirty-ni… No, forty minutes."

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. You seriously need a new hobby…

"Seconds?"

"No, thank you."

It was actually quite rewarding to see the flash of disappointment on his face. Well, almost. The truth was that I did want seconds. And thirds, fourths. Hell, I wanted it all as long as it was him but I couldn't tell him that. I'm lovesick, not completely daft. "Why?"

He looked at me with open curiosity. "Why, what?"

"Why are you back? Why are you here?" Why the hell are you standing in my fucking apartment looking like an all you can eat buffet when I'm fucking starving? I really wanted to ask that but I couldn't. Again, not daft.

The air of confidence around him faltered, his shoulders seemed to sag just a tad. Or, perhaps it was wishful thinking. I wasn't exactly sure until his face fell. The jovial, boyish look he'd always had suddenly gone, his age and worry etched in its place. It was confusing, making me second guess myself and the words of animosity that I so badly wanted to spew in his direction.

Not that it would make me feel better, mind you. But it would be fully warranted.

"Because of you…"

Because of me?

I blinked at his choice of words. Surely, I was hearing wrong. Perhaps all the snoring Natsu did in my ear had finally caught up. Or, maybe one of those earwig things had crawled inside and was making mincemeat pie of my eardrums. Both options were pretty unlikely given I'd taken to wearing earplugs years ago because of my team's propensity towards being way too fucking loud. "You must mean because of Cana, right?"

"She's part of the deal," he said somberly. "But you are the reason I'm here."

Alrighty then. I wasn't fucking hearing shit.

Most people would probably go straight to the heart-filled eyes and perpetually hopeful. I'm just not Juvia and life had shown me a few too many times that this wasn't a dramatic romance where everyone got happy fucking endings. If that was how life was supposed to be, he would have never left in the first place. "I've been tested, a few times so you didn't have to go out of your way."

"Tested?"

He looked even more confused than he had been before, but again. I'm not daft. "Yeah," I sighed. "Whatever horrible STD you came to tell me about, I don't have it."

Shock came first but it was the anger that followed that had me second guessing myself. Again. "Lucy, I didn't fucking come here to tell you I've got the HIV or anything."

Ok, maybe I am a little daft. I reached up to scratch my head. "You didn't?"

"For Mavis sake!" He exclaimed and yes, I'm pretty sure that was a vein I could see in his temple. "No, fuck. Why would you even think that?"

I blinked at his question. Did he really want me to answer that honestly? I could've but I decided to play it safe. I mean, it was my daftness that prompted that. "Then why else would you be here?"

He stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. I found there was one memory that had slipped through the cracks. I'd forgotten how unnerving the weight of his gaze could be. I'd forgotten just how it could make me want to be everything and nothing all at the same time. I shifted uncomfortably and mentally chastised myself when I began to fidget with the neckline of my robe.

"Good little girls don't fidget. Do they?"

Four very long years later and my ass cheeks still tightened in anticipation. Unfortunately now, I wasn't bent over his knee and his hand wasn't drawn back in preparation to spank me. You really need to let go, Lucy. I cleared my throat and crossed my arms over my midsection. It would at least keep me from squirming. "Gildarts?"

The sound of my voice seemed to draw him from wherever his mind had drifted. His lips thinned and he slipped his hand into his pocket. When he stepped towards me, I involuntarily stiffened, afraid of his intent. But it proved needless when he withdrew what appeared to be a small leather bound notebook. He held it out in offering and I was at a loss, unsure of what it meant.

"Just look at it. Please?"

I bit my lip, my gaze flickering up to his handsome face. I was almost afraid to accept and it was only with extreme hesitancy that I reached out. It was softer than I expected, the leather obviously worn from use and I gave a questioning look. The possibilities of what I might find inside was insurmountable and I feared the unknown. "What-"

"Lucy… Little girl. Just look," he repeated again. The usual velvety smooth baritone of his voice broken and raw. "I think it might say a lot more than I can."

I wasn't sure what that could possibly mean but I swallowed the trepidation that knotted in my throat. Carefully, I slipped a finger beneath the cover and flipped it open. A gasp of surprise slipped past my lips when I found a picture carefully taped to the first page. I remembered that day as clearly as I remembered waking up this morning. It was the very first morning of the very first mission I'd taken with him. We'd given the excuse that while my team was away, he would take me out for training. No one had understood it at the time. Hell, neither of us really did either. But when I'd used my need for rent money as the excuse, no one seemed to even blink.

I had woke before him. Despite my reluctance to separate my naked flesh from his slumbering embrace, I'd pulled on his shirt and slipped out of our makeshift tent to fix us breakfast. It's where he'd found me when he'd finally decided to get up. The picture was the one he'd snapped when he'd made his presence known. I had a spoon hanging from my mouth, the corners of eyes crinkled in a smile and my hair a mess as I kneeled on the ground next to the fire.

It was random, a candid shot that seemed to mean nothing at all. I looked pretty hideous without a lick of makeup and a blonde rat's nest on top of my head. Out of all the pictures we'd snapped during our times together, this one had to be the worst. It begged the question… "Why?"

"Because it was my favorite."

The simplistic reply confused me even further. His favorite? "Gildarts, I look like crap. There's at least a dozen mo-"

"That aren't near as good," he said to cut me off. "That one… That one proved you were mine."

I was his? I really must be daft because it made zero sense to me. I was his. In and out of every picture ever taken and yet he'd been the one to walk away. What the hell was so special about this stupid ass picture? "I'm sorry and perhaps I'm blind, but I just don't get it."

A shadow flickered across his face before he lowered his gaze to the floor. "My shirt," he said in barely a whisper. "You were wearing it, proving that it really did happen. You really had shared my bed and it wasn't just the machinations of an old man."

"Oh…"

I know. Best answer ever, right? I really didn't know what else to say. Part of me wanted to be happy for what he'd said because just maybe he had felt the way I had once upon a time. The realistic side of me, though, I just couldn't give into that. Four years had been a really long time. I may love his stupid, crappy ass but I couldn't afford to break my heart more than it already was. Not on a whim.

"C-could you… Would you just keep looking?"

If I was to be completely truthful, I really didn't want to. Why would I? I knew it would only lead to more things I didn't want to know. Ok, perhaps there was a mild curiosity there. I looked back down and flipped the page. An article taken from Sorcerer's Weekly on celestial magic with my picture on top. The next page was another clipping, a picture of Yukino and I with Princess Hisui at the ball. Page after page, everything was about me. It was like reading the anthology of my life since he'd left. The highs. The lows. Pictures that I didn't even realize existed.

And then there was the least expected.

On the very last page, words that I knew well were written in a hand that I knew less. The penmanship was expected. Masculine, with mixed cases and oddly slanted letters. It was neat in the fact that it was legible but definitely far from a woman's touch. I'd only seen him write a time or two but I was sure it was he who'd held the pen.

She walks in Beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

"Lord Byron?"

My voice sounded as tight as my chest felt, even to my own ears. I could have said anything yet those were the only words that I cared to utter. I was afraid, deathly so, of interpreting just what this meant. It was the actions of someone who cared or was obsessed but I knew him to be neither. Someone who gave a shit wouldn't up and leave without a decent reason to do so. Right? A person who cared wouldn't leave those that needed him. Or the person he loved as the poem suggested. Right?

When no reply came, I let the book tumble from my fingers. The sound of it hitting the wood floor was deafening in the silence of the apartment. I didn't dare look at him as I stumbled towards my bed. I wanted the protection it offered, the shield that my blankets could become. Sleep beckoned me because it would provide a much-needed escape. I didn't want to think anymore. I didn't want to feel.

"Lucy?"

I held up a hand as I passed him to quiet him but his grip on my wrist stopped me in my tracks. Anger spiked and my fingers curled painfully into my palms. "What?"

He loosened his grip with a sigh. "Would you at least say something? Anything?"

I felt my sense of reasoning snap and I spun, an open hand catching him across his cheek. "You left me for four fucking years without so much as a letter and I'm supposed to say something?"

Hot tears spilled over onto my cheeks and I hated myself for it. I didn't want him to see me cry. I didn't want him to think that I gave a shit, even if I gave so much more than that. The sheer fact that my entire body ached for him when he was close enough to touch was proof of that. But it was the way he was looking at me that stayed me from wrapping myself around him. His gaze soft, suggesting affection. It was deep, suggesting more than a sexual craving. It was everything I'd wanted from him before and it had been denied to me.

"Lucy, I had to go."

"So you said," I replied bitterly. His words continued to haunt and confuse me. Their memory still tore at my heart.

"You don't understand."

"You're right!" I bellowed, unable to hold back anymore. I'd reached my breaking point. "I don't understand! I don't understand why you had to leave. I don't understand why you couldn't stay. We needed you here. The entire guild. Natsu, Master, Cana. Everyone fucking needed you despite your stupid, pigheaded claims! But most of all… I needed you. I needed you so bad it fucking hurt to breathe without you because I'm stupid. I knew better. I knew you'd fucking leave and still…"

A gut wrenching sob silenced my tirade and my knees buckled under the pressure of the full bodied tremors that rocked me to my core. It was like those four years hadn't passed at all and I was right back where I'd been the day that he'd walked out of the door. I sank to the floor as my heart broke all over again and I couldn't see for the water pooled in my eyes. I was drowning all over again. "I loved you," I sobbed. I should've kept that in but I just couldn't anymore. "I loved you with everything that I had and you left…"

"I know, Lucy. It's why I had to leave."

A gentle hand brushed against my hair and I slapped him away. I didn't want him to touch me. Instead of comfort, it only brought more pain. Useless, condescending pain. He knew I fucking loved him and that was the reason he'd left? My agony, the bitterness that had taken hold of my heart screamed bullshit. "Just leave."

My word had been little more than a whisper but I knew he'd heard them when I felt him pull away. My craptastically foolish heart wanted so badly to reach out for him, to cling to any little shard of hope. But it just hurt too bad to move.

"I will because you asked me too…"

The crack in his voice nearly stole my breath. It was a sound I'd never heard before, not from him. He was always too cool, too confident, too… Gildarts. I wasn't able to stop myself from looking up at him from beneath my tear-soaked lashes and my bottom lip began trembling all over again. Pain etched lines across his brow, those usually bright obsidian eyes dulled. That was new too, definitely not the man I'd known.

"But I need you to know this is far from over, Little Girl. I deserve your hatred, for now. I knew this wouldn't be easy but I am here to stay. So when you're ready to talk, no matter how long it takes, you know where to find me."

Stunned into being too numb to move or reply. That's what it was as I watched, helplessly, as he stood and left without another word. He was here to stay? I knew where to find him? It was far from over? There were too many questions and I had absolutely no clue where to even start. Perhaps it should be the one I feared the most. Did this mean what my heart hoped that it did?

Three days.

I'd been sitting in this room for three days and still no closer to figuring anything out. My team had come by a couple of times, all of them worried that I've lost my mind. And I am pretty sure that I have so their concerns are most likely valid. Levy had come by to check on me. She was the most understanding, knowing the complete story and being a doll for keeping my secret safe. The hardest visitor, by far, had been Cana. It hurt not being able to tell her but I just didn't know how. I'd been lying to her for so long that it would only cause more heartache than I was able to withstand at the moment.

And what exactly would I tell her? I still didn't know where things stood with him.

A flash of lightning pulled my attention from the pile of crap on my bed and I glanced out the rain-streaked window. Thunder rattled the panes and I frowned. The storm had rolled in this morning and it was still hell bent on lingering despite the sky's light having died a few hours ago. It was fitting, though. The gray, overcast skies echoed my melancholy and it made me realize just how Juvia must feel. Others saw the rain as a nuisance but it was a rebirth of sorts. It washed away the old to make way for the new.

Kind of like what I'd been doing.

My tears had finally ended sometime the day before and that was when my searching had begun. I'd ripped everything out of my closet, in search of the box that now sat empty beside my bed. Its contents were spread, categorized by importance from least to most. And looking at the piles now, something seemed to click. The least sat empty while the medium had just a few scraps of paper, old theater stubs really that were for movies I couldn't actually recall seeing. Everything else was in the pile I'd labeled as Most Important. Every picture I'd saved, an old t-shirt I'd stolen, trinkets that had been won at a fair, a button that had been purchased as an inside joke, a wooden spoon.

And right on top was the notebook that he'd left behind.

I reached for it and flipped it open. My eyes rolled at the ridiculous picture that greeted me. I looked horrendous. Yet, despite my disheveled appearance, I could clearly see how much I've changed. I now have the tiniest hints of smile lines around my mouth where there had been smooth skin. I looked so naive and innocent there but now I could see my hard earned wisdom on my face. My hair was now longer, my bangs easily reaching my jawline instead of attaching themselves to my lashes and my skin a shade or two darker from all the exposure to the sun.

"That one proved you were mine…"

My brows pinched at the recollection of his words. They'd been said so easily and with an affection that I hadn't exactly expected. It confused me as much now as it had then. But there was one point he'd made that I could understand. It did prove that it had, indeed, happened and wasn't something my fucked up mind had conjured from wishful thinking. Maybe…

Nope. I couldn't allow myself to go there, not without more proof.

I flipped the pages again but by the fifth, I began to notice things I had not noticed before. Every article, every clipping that was attached had small notations and words underlined. Some just had little hearts or smiley faces while others had things like "love this" or "so beautiful". Yeah, I get it. Super fucking cheesy, but then I had saved useless movie stubs. For the pictures that had come from magazines, there were always dates and locations that didn't correlate. The picture of Fairy Tail: Team A from the Grand Magic Games had the correct dates of July 1-6, X791 written beside it. But instead of Crocus, Beanstalk Village was penned.

That's odd.

I flipped back to the beginning and went through the book again. They were all the same. Correct dates but inaccurate locations. The articles were wrong as well. Despite the location clearly stated in the body, a different town or country was written in by hand. It wasn't until I examined the pictures I couldn't remember taking that it all began to click into place. The locations listed all matched the locations in the background. He'd been in the same place at those times, the pictures ones that he, himself had taken without ever revealing he was there. He hadn't just been keeping track of me. He'd been keeping a record of both of us together.

Maybe I should have found that super fucking creepy. But I just didn't.

"You are the reason I'm here..."

My heart skipped a beat and I worried at my lip as I frantically flipped to the last page. I read over the words of Byron that had been thoughtfully inscribed. I read them again and even a third time. The last few lines were underlined, little asterisks drawn in beside them and I read just those a fourth and fifth time.

**The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!**

I looked up at the window again before glancing at the clock. Nine o'clock. A giddy nervousness erupted in my belly and I flung the book to the side. I leapt off of the bed and quickly made for the dresser. I paid no serious attention to the tank top and cut-off jean shorts I'd pulled out. It really didn't matter. I couldn't waste time as I pulled them on as fast as I could. I slid on the first pair of tennis shoes I laid eyes on, grabbed my keys from the door side table and my rain slicker from the coat rack before I bolted out the door.

"I need you to know this is far from over, Little Girl."

His word echoed in my head as I ran towards the guild. I didn't care that the wind howled around the corners of buildings I passed. Or that it blew my hood off. Or that my jacket did very little to keep me dry. The fall chill would probably leave me with the goddamn sniffles in the morning and I didn't care about that either. None of it did, not when I needed to know. I needed him to tell me for certain that I wasn't reading between the lines.

"I knew this wouldn't be easy but I am here to stay..."

I made it up the bazillion fucking stairs that climbed up the hillside to the guild only to slip when I reached the top. Cursing my clumsiness, I brushed off the dirt from my skinned knee and continued on towards the door. I skidded to a stop, hitting the large wooden barrier with a thud and another string of curses. When I gave a tug and found it locked, I kicked the damn thing. I quickly felt for the keys attached to a belt loop on my shorts, my hand passing over Horologium's key. It wasn't yet ten and the guild never closed before then.

"Lucy?"

I turned at the sound of my name to find Mira and Cana running from the side of the building. Their umbrella was barely winning the war of keeping them dry, the wind threatening to snap the poor thing in two. Fuck my luck, though. These were the last two people I needed to see.

"Is everything alright?"

I nodded at Mira's question, my brain racing for a reason I could possibly be there. And I probably should add that it was doing a pretty shitty job. I knew they would ask and I really didn't want to admit that I was looking for Gildarts, of all people. That would open up Pandora's box and I just didn't have time for their meltdowns. "Yeah," I said with what I knew had to be the fakest smile known to man. Jennie would be proud if she could see me now. "I was, uh, just out for a walk."

"In this shit?" Cana snorted. "Ran out of liquor or were you just that hard up?"

I really wanted to throat punch my dearest alcoholic of a friend. But she did have a point. I was a little hard pressed to find her asinine, albeit beautiful, shithead of a father. "No," I lied with a wave of my hand. "Just needed to get out of the apartment."

"You know," Mira smiled. "If you're needing some company, Lucy, you're more than welcome to come up to Fairy Hills."

"Hell yeah, we've even got booze to warm you up."

I really am an asshole. They were being genuine friends and here I was, lying through my teeth just to save my own hide. Gildarts, this shit better be fucking worth it. I cleared my throat and gave a shake of my head. "Thanks, but I'm just gonna head back. I'm still not feeling so well, cramps and all."

Concern pulled at Mira's brow as she affectionately rubbed my arm. "I'm sure we've got things for cramps, Lucy. I bet one of us even has a heating pad."

"Mira, she already said she's going home. Leave 'er be."

Cana's sudden about-face in temperament and the emphasis used struck me as odd but I wasn't given a chance to question it as the brunette pulled the takeover mage away.

"We'll talk later!"

I'd barely heard her parting words over the rain pelting my head but I waved farewell anyway. Whatever was up my friend's ass would have to wait. I spun around and made it as far as the steps before I realized that I didn't exactly have a clue as for where to go. He clearly wasn't at the guild. He could be at the inn but I seriously doubted that. The town split in two for him to come through, they sure as hell didn't want him staying in the only inn we had up and running. Natsu's came to mind but I knew there was no way in hell. Gildarts liked cleanliness and all knew how much of a slob my partner was.

God, Natsu's kitchen alone… Salmonella poisoning, anyone?

I started down the stairs, disheartened. I'd been out to where his house had been. It had been obliterated, along with almost everything else, during Tartarus. That had saddened me beyond words. I had hoped against hope when everyone had gone their separate ways. I'd always gone there, having a key, when I needed to be close to him. But I hadn't even been left with that in my loneliness. But maybe…

"You know where to find me..."

My steps slowed as I reached the last step. If his return was, in fact, for good, then perhaps it had been planned. When the war ended, we all had to rebuild. Was it possible that he had as well? Determination renewed, I raced off towards the path that would lead me to his home. Please don't let me be wrong.

The rain came harder, drenching me further than I already was and still, I pressed on. The sound of my running shoes slapping the wet ground gave percussion to the steady downpour. It paired well with the pounding of my heart in my ears. I didn't falter when the sky lit up like the middle of day or when an earth shaking rumble followed just after. David Nail had said it best. Let it rain, let it pour… Just let it come down on me because it wasn't going to stop me now. Not when I needed to know.

The old familiar bridge finally came into view and the site beyond it finally slowed my steps. Where the small stone and wood hovel had been stood a rustic log cabin on the old river stone foundation with an actual front porch. But it wasn't the pile of leftover trees or the newly planted shrubs, or even the two rockers sitting side by side under the porch's overhang that held my gaze. Another flash of light lit up the yard and I knew, even when dark, I'd know that large profile anywhere.

"Gildarts Clive!"

My feet slid across the slick gravel on the bridge before I skidded to a stop and he turned to look back at me. At first, confusion furrowed his brow until his eyes met mine and surprised recognition took its place.

"Lucy, what in the hell are you doing out here?"

He started towards me but I stopped him as I raised my hand and shouted over the thunderous sound of rain beating on the metal roof. "I need to know something."

"What is that?"

Rain poured down my face and I wiped a hand across my water logged lips, brushing the strands of soaked hair that were plastered to my skin. "You said you left because you knew I loved you. Why?"

Breathing became harder and a chill numbed my fingers. I knew it was most likely the cold that was the culprit and not the initial silence that followed. But, you couldn't tell my heart that. He stared at me for what seemed an eternity and I couldn't stop myself from fidgeting as I'd done before. It wasn't until I drew closer to the punching him in the face option that he finally spoke.

"Because you deserved more."

"I deserved what?" I knew I could not have heard what I did.

"You deserved more than what I could give you!" He shouted and my heart paused. "I knew you loved me and I wasn't worthy of that or you. I wanted you to have a chance at something better."

He cared. Water blurred my vision that hadn't fallen from a cloud and it spilled over, the salty flavor staining my lips. "Then… Then why did you come back for me?"

"Because I'm a slow fucking learner," he replied as he made his way back towards me. "It took me a month being gone to realize I couldn't live without you because you stole my damn heart. But it took four years, one month, three days, eleven hours, eighteen minutes and forty-five long ass seconds to figure out how to be worthy."

He didn't stop until we were toe to toe, the way we'd been that fateful night oh so long ago and my breath still caught just as it had then. My body trembled and I knew it wasn't from the cold but from the close proximity. He was close enough to touch and my hands itched to do just that as I reached up to push a wet lock of his hair back behind his ear. "A-and how's that?"

A soft smile tugged at the corners of his wide mouth and a hand came up to palm my cheek. "It starts by telling you that I love you too," he said with a pass of his calloused thumb over the tracks of my tears and raindrops. "And I prove it by being here and never leaving without you again. I prove it by telling the people we cherish that you're mine. I prove it by building a life and a home with you, the way I should've from the get go."

A strangled sob tore from my lips and my fingers came up to curl into the soaked fur of his cape. He loves me. Finally, the words I'd waited four years, three months, twenty-four days, eleven hours and twenty-eight minutes to hear. I pulled him down, crushing my lips to his and it was only then that I realized that time didn't matter. It stood still as his arms came around me, crushing my smaller frame to his massive one. It rewound as his lips slanted over mine and our tongues met.

He didn't taste of cigarettes and whiskey but I wasn't disappointed in the least. Peppermint, cloves, and Dr. Pepper were instantly the best flavor in the world.

And suddenly, I was back to being the same little girl I'd been all those years ago. Starving and needy. My arms found their way around his neck as his large hand slipped down to palm my ass. He lifted me from the ground as he always had and I gladly wrapped myself around him. This. This is what everyone else had lacked. Even Laxus. Sure, he had the muscle-bound mass but he lacked the finesse that came with years of experience. The skill that could only come at Daddy's hands.

We didn't break for air as he carried me towards the house. I was too hungry, had been too deprived of the feel of him. His body against me, his arms around me to hold me tight and still it wasn't enough. I wanted our wet clothes gone so that I could feel flesh on flesh. I wanted to feel his hands on me, that combined sensation of rough and calloused with the cool, smooth feel of metal. A shudder shot down the length of my spine at just the memory of the sensation play.

My back finally hit the door, jarring our lips apart and he breathlessly chuckled against me. "I think we've been through this before."

"Mhm," I hummed as I reached back to feel for the knob. His lips trailed down over my chin and my head fell back to expose the length of my neck to his ministrations. A gasp slipped from my lips as his hot breath feathered over wet skin and soft whiskers of hair tickled my flesh. His mouth felt like molten lava, heating me from the inside out. I bit at my lips, fruitlessly trying to concentrate as my fingers searched for the knob. He'd easily made it to the hollow of my collar bones when I finally found the damned thing and gave it a single twist.

A squeal of laughter burst from my lips when he stumbled forward with the inward swinging of the door. His hands gripped me tight and his head pulled back with a wide-eyed expression. "You're outta practice, Old Man."

His eyes narrowed and a cunning smile tugged at his lips. Oh, this isn't going to be go- His grip on me loosened and my tickled scream put an end to my thoughts as I slipped. My fingers tried to grasp at the fur on his cloak and I braced for the impact I was sure to come, knowing my rear end was going to pay the price. But he caught me before the painful blow could come, his strong arms and hands pulling back against his chest. I slapped at him, a pout settling on my lips. "Not funny!"

His head dipped to brush his lips against mine. "The look on your face sure was."

I couldn't find it in me to be angry when he teased my lips with the tip of his tongue, the new flavor of him seeping into my pores to intoxicate me. I hummed my useless argument against his lips as he righted us once again. The thump of a boot hitting wood heralded the slamming of the door behind him and yet, I couldn't care as I melted against him once more. God, how I'd missed the feel of his solid frame against my own soft curves. I'd missed those comforting arms of his around me and the low hum of his moan as our tongues greeted each other over and over again.

But it ended too soon as he broke for air and gave a firm pat to my ass. "Stand up for me, Baby Girl."

Despite my confusion, I did as he asked and lowered my legs to the ground. I didn't want to let go but did as he pulled away and shivered with the loss of his warmth. The air had a chill in it that definitely disagreed with the soaked clothes that clung to my skin. And looking up at him, he'd fared no better with thick locks of his auburn hair plastered to his flesh, droplets clinging to his facial hair and his cloak resembling a wet sheepdog. My teeth began to chatter and I wrapped my arms around my midsection in a futile attempt to put an end to the shivering.

"Stay right here and I'll go grab us some towels."

I gave a shaky nod of my head and turned to follow him with my eyes as he moved across the room. His cloak loosened and fell to the floor just before he disappeared through the doorway, a smile tugging at a corner of my mouth when I caught a flash of corded muscles and scars that were his back. How the hell the man had become even sexier than he had been when I'd fallen was beyond my ability to reason. But holy fucking hell had he and I couldn't wait to explore every single inch of those changes.

"You need to get out of those wet clothes, Baby Girl."

A fluttering started in my chest at those words that drifted out from the open door. Baby Girl. It had been so long since I'd heard them but the effect had definitely not diminished. It wasn't just him that I had missed, it was all that we'd had together and that very much included the Daddy Dom/little girl dynamic of our relationship. It was a large part of what other relationships had lacked. I wasn't able to truly be all of who I was the way I could with Gildarts and knowing that only made me love him more.

I reached for the hem of my sopping tank top and froze as my surroundings finally hit me. I'd been so caught up in him, taking what his home had always looked like for granted. I deftly pulled the top off and let it drop to the floor as I awed at the changes. He'd managed to salvage the large stone hearth from the previous build and in place of the solitary, old chair that had faced it was a large overstuffed couch and a new recliner. There were actual end tables to accent and a rug covering polished wood floors.

The open space lead into what had always been the kitchen but it was now truly a kitchen. The old house had warped, aged shelves and a countertop that didn't even look clean after hours of scrubbing it with bleach. Those were all gone and replaced by new, polished wood cabinets that had actual doors. There was a small light over the sink that afforded whoever washed dishes the view of the small river outside and the forest beyond. A new pot rack with actual pots and pans hung over a small island cook top. Instead of the old, rickety makeshift wood table and lone chair, there was a real dining table with matching seats that sat off near the bay window seat. There were even real curtains hung at the windows, not sheets and scraps of fabric tacked over them to block the light.

I was floored and impressed, to say the least.

"Wow…"

He nailed that shit on the head. Wow...

I blinked at the sound of his voice and found him standing in the doorway again, his pants and greeves gone. A towel wrapped around his waist, sitting low enough on his hips that I was blessed with the sight of defined adonis lines. His old metal prosthetic had been traded in for a new and improved one that seemed to mold into his shoulder, making it appear more natural. Muscle on top of muscle. I'd always thought that of him before but it was even truer now with every inch of his chest etched into marble perfection. Eat your fucking heart out, Michelangelo. Hell, even Rodin with his ingenious ability to sculpt clay into the brilliance we know as The Thinker (the muscle definition he could recreate alone… ugh, I digress) couldn't compare with Gildarts Clive now.

The sound of a throat clearing pulled me from the spiraling hell that was my thoughts and I looked up to find him watching me with an amused grin. Heat warmed my cheeks, knowing I'd been caught gawking. I was suddenly too aware that I was standing there topless and I shyly crossed my arms over my bare breast to hide them from view. I know what you're thinking. Stupid, right? I may be hard up for the guy but I still have some sense of modesty. I've changed too, after all. "Sorry."

He made his way across the living room and set the two towels, that I'd somehow missed before, down on the back of the couch. He leaned against it, sitting as he raised a hand and motioned me over. "Come on, let's get you dry."

Dry? Like that shit was going to really happen.

My feet were suddenly cement covered blocks as I willed myself to move. It was an odd sensation really when all I really wanted to do was leap on top of him and ravage his seriously scrumptious body. Hey. I'm modest, not dead. The towel parted just enough to expose a thick, mouth-watering thigh and the prosthetic that started just above the knee. He made amputeeism sexy as hell. I'm pretty sure there was a slick trail from where I was standing that had nothing to do with the rainwater dripping off of me.

He wrapped one towel around my shoulders and rubbed at my arms as he drew me between his legs. "Shoes and shorts, Baby Girl."

My bottom lip, much to his merriment, slid out in a pout as I kicked at my shoes to slide them off. I was really hoping he'd disrobe me. His hands, on my skin… Yeah. I hissed at the cold floor under my bare feet and narrowed my eyes when his deep, rich laughter filled the room. "Again, not funny."

"You're right," he said as he gave a half-hearted attempt to cover the delight on his face. "It's not funny, not in the least."

The glare I shot him lacked any and all ounces of conviction as I undid the button on my shorts. If you've ever tried removing wet denim before, you'll understand when I say it was an utter bitch as I tried to push them over my hips. He chuckled at my struggle and only offered a helping hand when I stomped a foot in frustration. Of course, I should probably include the little fact that his helping hand came in the form of him ripping the material enough so that it could easily be slid off. I now remembered why I'd had to replace virtually all of my undergarments when he'd left.

"Yes," he said to cut into my thoughts. "I will buy you a new pair of panties."

"Pretty ones?"

"Of course," he grinned as he reached for the other towel. "Pretty ones, with bows even, to match the pretty dress we'll get to replace the shorts."

I smiled under the cover of the towel when he draped it over my head. He remembered my love for shopping. More importantly, he remembered my love for shopping for things that made me feel little and precious. It was a side so very few had ever seen, usually kept locked up tighter than the Royal Family Jewels in Crocus. But with him, I could let her free to run amuck and what was worse was that he absolutely encouraged it.

"Ya know," I finally said as my entire body shook with the rough toweling he gave my hair. "I can dry off on my own."

He slid the towel back enough to expose my face and smiled down at me. "I'm certain of it but I want to so just accept it."

"More like I look like a drowned rat and you're taking pity on me."

He chuckled and pressed a chaste kiss to my forehead, melting my insides. "A beautiful drowned rat," he said with a pinch to my cheek. "And I never pity you, Baby Girl."

Forget melting. My insides were complete mush, liquified jello at his words and actions. This was exactly the kind of stuff that made me fall for him in the first place. For all of his faults and wrongdoings, he was incredibly attentive and affectionate. I bit my lip as he went back to drying me off, my eyes roaming about the room. It was quite astonishing to see what had been such a drab little place turned into a cozy home. My eyes moved to where the bedroom had been and my brows knitted. There was now a wall where the open arch had been, a door blocking it from view. "You've changed everything in here, it seems."

"Yeah," he replied as he tapped at a calf for me to lift it within his reach. "I couldn't exactly expect to build a life with my little girl without a proper home."

He really does mean to stay…

The little inside of me squealed like a kid in a candy store at the thought. It was all I'd ever wanted, a life with him. It had been denied and yet here he was, dangling it front of me. I wanted so badly to reach and grab it but I was afraid. I couldn't go through all of that again. "She's lucky…"

He abruptly stopped drying me off and quickly sat up. "No, I'm the lucky old bastard."

The weight of his obsidian gaze threatened to pull me under, threatened to buckle my knees the way they always did. I licked my parched lips and deflected the attention elsewhere. "What's behind the door over there? That where you've got her body stashed?"

He stared at me for a minute more before giving in with a sigh. "Would you like to see?"

I couldn't find my voice, too afraid that it would betray just how terrified I was. I simply gave a nod and pulled the towel from my shoulders around myself, securing it tightly over my chest as he rose from his perch. He led me over and opened the door before stepping aside to let me pass. I will be absolutely honest when I say that I wasn't prepared for what I found. Shocked into silence, I stepped into the room and looked around in awe.

The old bedroom had been as drab as the rest of the house was. Dark wood walls, dark and worn floorboards, an old, full size, wood frame bed pushed under the window with a makeshift nightstand and dingy chifferobe. He was rarely home and it had been adequate enough. But all of that was gone. The walls were now sheetrock, painted a pale yellow with light beige carpeting covering the floor. A large, king size, bed made of white washed wood was centered on the far wall between two windows with matching nightstands flanking it. A matching dresser now sat where the old bed had once been and its partnering armoire now replacing the chifferobe.

Delicate, pale green lace curtains now hung at the windows but it was the bedding that held my attention. It was one I had pointed out to him years before when we'd met up just minutes away from the old family estate and the cemetery that was now my parents' home. We'd ventured into a shop and I'd fallen in love with the duvet and matching pieces the moment I had spied them on the shelf. Made of the finest linen, it was the palest shade of green with tiny pink and yellow roses scattered about and a ruffled edge. The sheets were Egyptian cotton and the same yellow as the roses while the bed skirt was the same soft pink.

It was overly girly, bordered on child-like. It was the kind of room my inner Little had only dreamed of.

I stumbled towards the bed, my fingers reaching out to brush over the fabric before I looked back. "I… She must be something else, to go this far."

"More than she knows," he smiled softly as he leaned against the doorframe. "And that's my fault."

And my own for not begging you to stay…

I swallowed hard and averted my gaze. "She'll forgive you, I think."

"In time, perhaps. I got a lot to prove."

We both did really. I'd blamed it all on him but looking back, I'd played my own part. I should have told him how I felt. I should have made him see just how worthy he was. I should have never let him go. A heavy sigh escaped my lips. It was water under the bridge. The only thing that mattered was that he was here now and he loved me. I chanced a glance back at him and found him studying me. "So, this is the bed she sleeps in?"

He gave a small nod of his head. "Will be, I hope."

"Can I test it for her?"

A wide smile spread across his handsome face. "'Til your little heart's content."

I couldn't have held back the squeal that erupted from my lips had I really wanted to. And I really didn't want to. Clutching the towel around me to hold it in place, I scurried around to the side of the bed and climbed up. It was instant love. Not overly firm and not too soft. The fluffy down comforter inside of the duvet gave, cushioning my knees as I gave a test bounce. A smile that hurt my cheeks rose on my lips as I clumsy climbed to my feet and jumped. Not once. Not even twice. I knew I looked like a child, jumping on the bed as I was and I couldn't care. It had been too long since I'd allowed the little inside of me out to play.

"I take it you like the bed?"

I slowed myself down and reached for the ceiling to steady myself as I turned. "It's lovely," I grinned. "You should try it."

He nudged himself off of the door frame and slowly made his way to the side closest to me. The towel around his hips seemed even lower. Dangerously low. Try low enough that I knew it sat just above where I knew that trimmed patch of auburn hair started just above his glorious cock. My tongue, involuntarily, struck out over my lips as I tried my damnedest to Jedi Mind Trick the damn thing into falling all the way off. Unfortunately for me, I am not a Jedi. No matter how much I tell myself that I am. I'd just have to settle for Princess Ninja.

Cool and calloused fingers lightly brushed the backs of my calves when he reached for me and I bit my lip to keep from moaning out loud. Damn, I'd missed the feeling of that.

"Is that an invitation?"

I gave a small shrug of my shoulder as I bowed my head to peek at him from behind lowered lashes. "No…"

"No?" He chuckled as his fingers brushed the back of my knees.

"It's more like a demand, Daddy."

My core clenched when an all too familiar predatory gleam lit his eyes and his lips pulled up into a lecherous grin.

Oh god… Fuck me already. Ple-

The fingers on my calves tightened just a second before my legs were pulled from under me. It was so fast that my mind didn't process that I was even falling until I slammed into the mattress and he was over me. Instantly, his thick fingers were everywhere. Digging into my sides, under my arms, teasing the sensitive spot behind my knees. Laughter burst from my lips as I digressed into a wiggling mass of squeals, trying in vain to push his hands away. Or shield myself, neither were really working.

"A demand, huh?"

I know what you're thinking. What kind of lunatic would answer in the affirmative? Me. I never claimed to be completely sane. I'm not daft but my box of Crayola doesn't exactly have all of its crayons. I bit my lip with a grin and gave a nod of my head. That was all it took for him to attack again. His head buried in the crook of my neck and more laughter squealed from my lips when he planted a noisy raspberry against my flesh. His fingers dug in again and comedic tears seeped from my eyes as I squirmed under him.

I was on the verge of quite literally pissing myself and yet, I was the happiest I'd been in years. I'd missed this even more than the sex, these moments when it was just us as we really were. Him, the ever playful and doting Daddy dom. And I, his adoring yet sometimes bratty little girl.

Finally, it was more than I could take. I couldn't breathe and I was sure my bladder was on the verge of bursting. I had to concede defeat. "I give, Daddy!" I shouted. "No demands!"

His assault ended and he lifted his head to grin down at me. He was so fucking handsome, facial hair and all. If truth be told, I rather preferred its soft texture to the old five o'clock stubble he'd always had.

He pulled me back down to fit against him, his metal arm slipping under my neck and those smooth digits gently caressing my bare shoulder. His head bent and warm lips pressed themselves to my forehead. "I've missed you," he whispered against me before pulling back again. "So fucking much and looking at you now, I still don't understand what someone as beautiful as you would see in an old pervert like me."

The raw sincerity in his voice… The look of sheer adoration in the deep, black depths of his eyes stole my breath and clenched my heart. I sniffled against the tears that threatened to fall again as I reached up to gently brush my fingers over the jagged scar where my teeth had once pierced his flesh. "You aren't an old pervert to me," I said with a watery smile. "You're my Daddy. The only person who's ever managed to break my heart and sew it back together."

"Marry me…"

I blinked at the suddenness of his words and quite frankly, so did he. For the first time, ever, the great Gildarts Clive blushed and fuck me blind if it wasn't the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. Puppies, kittens and teetering toddlers that giggled didn't have shit on that. He had the ultimate lockdown on absolutely fucking cute.

"I-I do-"

I cut him off by crushing my lips to his. He tensed against me and I pressed my palm reassuringly to his cheek. I knew, without a doubt, that the words had unexpectedly fallen out of his mouth. I also knew there was no way in hell that I'd allow him to take them back. Not when I knew what my answer was and always would be. "Yes," I whispered against him. "A million times, yes. Whether you ask me today or ten years from now, it's a yes."

"God, I fucking love you."

Before I knew what was happening, I was on my back with him on and over me. My legs, having a mind of their own, lifted and wrapped around his toweled waist. His lips moved over mine, his tongue gently stroking at my own in a rhythm that stole the very air from my chest. It wasn't hard and fast the way it had been outside, but almost reverent as though I was the holy grail. Fingers wove through my hair as I embraced him, my own digits seeking out the rippled landscape of his back.

Corded muscle, the hills, and valleys that I'd memorized long ago now more pronounced. Every scar, every blemish and imperfection that marred his glorious flesh, I knew so incredibly well. And yet, it was like discovering them all over again. His warm breath sent core trembling chills down my spine as he moved over me. Soft lips and silky whiskers moved over my cheeks, eyes, the curve of my brow and the gentle slope of my nose. His explorative tongue licked at my parted lips before descending over my chin.

He was quickly undoing the bitter chains that had held my heart captive for the last four years.

And my brain ceased to function. All cognizant thought fluttered away on the warm breeze that was his breath as his lips traveled further south. His tongue and teeth scorched a trail down my neck, the hollow of my throat, the peaks of my collarbones. Thick, calloused fingers danced over my bare skin, pulling delicate mewls and sighs of pleasure from my suddenly parched lips as they tugged on the towel that barely clung to my chest. Cool air puckered my already hard nipples and I arched beneath him in search of the warmth that could only come from his flesh against mine.

But it wasn't warmth that he gave me.

His hot mouth closed over a pebbled peak, making me gasp in shocked pleasure. Slow and methodical, his tongue lavished torture on my senses. His fingers aided him as they ghosted down the length of my side. The edge of my breast, the slope of my ribcage, the valley of my waist, the swell of my hip and further still up the side of my thigh. Embers blazed to life in his wake, making it harder to breath and depriving me of the ability to do little else than quiver beneath the weight of him.

And just when I believed it too much, his hips thrust against me.

The terry cloth covered length of his arousal slid against my already weeping center, igniting an inferno of desire in my belly. I've been tied up, restrained for hours while he took his time in driving me to the brink of insanity. Feathers, soft strips of leather, ice, hot wax. All of it paled in comparison to this. True love, true worship was by far a headier experience and it brought a startling realization to the forefront.

The heartbreak, the abandonment, and fears had been necessary. We'd both needed to walk through hell to find the heaven that was us.

Stinging tears pricked at my eyes and my sluggish fingers gripped at his shoulders. "I need you, Gildarts."

His head lifted and concern flickered in his eyes. "Are you-"

"Please," I begged. "I need to feel you inside of me."

He studied me for a moment, as though contemplating my words before he quietly lifted his lips. I felt the towel shift as he pulled it from around his waist. The heavy length of him fell against me and my core clenched in anticipation. My desire to feel him seated inside of me was palpable, the wait too long. Cool metal brushed against my slick folds as he gripped himself and my hips instinctively bucked against him.

The wide, velvety tip brushed against my clit, sending a jolt to my nervous system as though Laxus' lightning had struck me. I whimpered moan tumbled from my lips and his forehead fell against mine, his hair falling like a curtain around us as he lined himself up with my entrance. "Please, Gil."

He entered me agonizingly slow and thank god for it. My body had grown unaccustomed to the width of his sizeable girth. I inhaled sharply at the discomfort of it, my body groaning as it was stretched further than I remembered. It was like being a virgin all over again with the pain and burn. But like then, I knew this too would pass as surely as I knew it was affecting him just as much. His breath was shaky at best, staccatoed as it slowly released from his lips.

"Holy… Fuck, you're so damn tight."

And you're so damn big!

When he was fully sheathed inside of me, I let go of the breath I'd been holding and willed myself to relax beneath him. The burning began to subside, pleasure following in its absence like the backdraft in a fire. He filled me completely, leaving no surface untouched and I reveled in the marvel of it. Finally, after four years, I was whole again. "Make love to me, please."

His hips lifted as he withdrew until just the tip remained inside and his lips brushed against mine. "Till the last breath leaves me."

His words brought tears to my eyes and I cried out as he sank back inside of me again. He didn't leave me any room for doubt as he repeated his actions over and over again. Slow and steady, I could feel every part of him being poured into each stroke. Our lips molded together, our tongues mimicking the motions of our bodies as we moved as one. The air we breathed, every masculine moan and every feminine mewl, it all became one until there was no end or beginning.

I could feel the coil inside of my belly starting to cinch, the tension growing tighter with every thrust. My heels dug into his backside as my fingers tried helplessly to grasp at his heated flesh, slipping as a sheen of sweat coated our skin. I felt unsteady, like walking a tightrope millions of miles above the ground. I was close enough to see the end yet I just needed… More. And as if he could sense my mounting frustration, his pace sped up. Slow and steady began to morph into hard and fast.

A firm grip pulled my leg up from his side, an arm slipping under it to lift it until it almost laid against my chest. He pushed up to kneel between my spread legs, his fingers gripping the backs of my thighs to spread me, almost lewdly, beneath his gaze. His thrusts became almost frantic and my fingers dropped to clutch at the bedsheets as my body rocked with the sheer force of him.

"Fu-fuck," he ground out between clenched teeth. "Gonna… N-not sure how…"

Stars burst behind my eyelids as his hips snapped against me, the length of him reaching even deeper within to find a place I didn't know existed. Rough, calloused fingers brushed over my throbbing clit and I knew I was done for. My back arched off of the bed and my toes curled, my muscles tensing to the point that I knew I was going to shatter. "O-oh go-Gildarts!"

The sound of birds chirping roused me from my slumber and I groaned as I tried to nestle deeper into the warmth at my side. I wasn't ready to get up. I just wanted to go back to the wonderful dream I'd been having rather than face the bleakness of a new day. Soreness racked my body, making me feel like I'd been run over by a train. What the hell did-

A soft snore put an abrupt end to my thoughts and my eyes snapped open. A plane of ripped flesh stretched out under me and a heavy arm pinned me against it. I blinked once, twice, three full times. I wasn't seeing things. There was a man in my bed, a naked man at that. I tried to move the arm but it just tightened its hold around me and I sagged against his long, thick frame in defeat.

"Why are you up at the ass crack of dawn, Little Girl?"

That voice. I knew that voice as well as I knew my own and I froze while my brain scrambled. The events of the night before came flooding back in. The book, the rain, running to find him, the questions and his declaration. And the sex. Holy god above, the sex… A smile rose on my lips and I hugged myself to him. That was why I was sore and why I was still tired. It had been well after three A.M when we'd both finally collapsed from sheer exhaustion. It also explains why I feel the bare mattress beneath my ass. We'd somehow managed to work them off during one of the many sessions of makeup time.

Don't judge us. We have a lot of time to make up for.

"Ya know," I giggled as I tilted my face up to look at him. "For an old guy, you've got some serious stamina."

"Viagra."

I snorted in laughter and playfully slapped at his stomach, a loud peal of laughter bursting out when he quickly rolled and pulled me under him. Even with sleep still in his eyes and drool crusted in the corner of his mouth, he was still fucking sexy as hell. "Good morning, Daddy."

"Good morning," he chuckled. "Now why are you slapping me and why are you up?"

My initial instinct was to be the brat with a smart ass reply but my big girl side won out. Damn you, Big Girl for being all serious. "I thought it had all been another dream."

His face softened and a frown appeared on his lips. "If this is a dream, don't wake me?"

"Don't wake me either."

His large arms slid under me and he hugged me to him. I didn't care if all of his weight was on me. I didn't care if I suffocated, I'd die a happy woman. Life had been cold and listless without him and I feared ever having to experience that again.

"I meant it," he whispered against my neck. "I do love you and I do want you to marry me."

Yep. Definitely one happy, dead girl here.

My heart skipped a beat in my chest before it exploded. One sentence laid all of my fears to rest because he was staying. "I love you," I sniffled. "And I already told you my answer is yes."

"Why are you crying?"

"Because you're smothering me death."

His teeth nipped at my earlobe and I squealed. "You don't sound like you're dying."

"I am," I managed to get out between fits of laughter as his teeth continued to nip down the side of my neck. "But that's ok!"

He stopped and pulled back, his brow arching. "And why's that?"

"Because you'll be there to give me mouth to mouth," I smiled.

He chuckled and his head dipped to brush his lips over mine. "Always, Baby Girl."

We threw caution, and morning breath, to the wind as I licked his lips and he quickly seized the opportunity to kiss me. His mouth slanted over mine and my fingers found his hair as our tongues met in a delicate and intricate dance that only lovers knew. It was a slow, languid renewal of sorts, our promises, and emotions tied into the meeting of our lips.

Finally, we broke for air and he pressed a kiss to my nose before rolling away. "We need to get up anyway."

I pushed myself up to sit as he swung a leg over the side of the bed and reached for the prosthetic leaning against the nightstand. "Why is that?"

"Because I need to feed you and we've got things to do."

My heart sank as I realized that one of those things was coming out to the guild. I was nervous and justifiably so. My team was going to flip. Erza, I was pretty certain, would try to kill him. Natsu and Gray would want to fight him. Mira will most assuredly start planning our wedding and how to best gain access to my birth control. Almost everyone else was sure to criticize us and speak out against the entire thing. And Cana…

That was a complete wild card. I was pretty sure that first, it would be anger. How could I with her father? How could I have kept it from her all these years? Then would come the hurt because I had, indeed, kept that precious secret safe. It wasn't as though I'd ever planned for this to happen and I sure as hell didn't regret it. But hurting one of my best friends wasn't exactly my thing. I feared her reaction the most.

"Come on, Baby Girl. Up and at 'em."

I rolled from the bed, sliding off of the side with a groan. "Do we have to?"

He paused as he opened the armoire and looked back over his shoulder with brows raised. "I know my sweet, little Princess is not on the verge of a temper tantrum."

But I wanna throw a fit, dammit!

My lips slipped out into a definite pout as I turned for the dresser only to stop. A devious grin rose on my lips. "I can't, Daddy."

"And why's that?"

Score one for me.

"I don't have any clothes so that means I can't go anywhere."

I heard what sounded like a snort commingled with the sound of hangers sliding and I chanced a glance back. My face fell as he pulled a dress from inside and tossed it onto the bed. It was the cutest thing I'd seen in a long time. Navy blue with white polka dots and a wide pink sash tied around the waist. The scalloped neckline was edged in white with two little pink bows cinching the wide shoulder straps.

"You were saying?"

I really hate you sometimes.

I crossed my arms over my chest with a hum of disapproval, doing my dead level best to not reveal my love for the damn thing. "I don't have any panties or a bra."

"Panties are in the upper left-hand drawer."

"And a bra?"

"Go without for today."

"But-"

The sound of a doorbell ringing cut me off and a bright light flashed in the room. The pink cloud of dust faded to reveal Virgo standing there with a strapless bra in hand. "Here you are, Hime. Punishment for not arriving sooner?"

I make it a point to honor my promise to never hit my spirits but right in that moment, I was so incredibly tempted. "No punishment," I mumbled. "Thank you, Virgo."

The pink-haired mage gave a deep bow and flashed her version of a smile. "Would you like me to send Cancer-sama to do your hair?"

"Yes, please do."

I cut my eyes at Gildarts, glaring at the man for answering in my stead. I couldn't and wouldn't hit my spirits but I could definitely punch him in his handsome face. Or his throat. Granted, I'd better learn teleportation magic first to avoid the severe ass whipping he'd give me. "Yes," I said sourly as I turned back for the dresser. "I'd appreciate that, Virgo. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Hime."

Another flash signaled the spirit's departure and I pulled the upper left drawer open to find three brand new pairs of panties laid out. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Baby Girl?"

I reached for the navy blue ones that oddly matched the dress with the same little pink bows at the hip line. Holding them up, I knew they were my size and turned to look at him curiously. "I've gained weight since we were together last. How did you know my size?"

"Cana, she helped me with all of this. Well, most of it, because I'd had the bed set for a while."

Cana?

I swallowed at the knot that had suddenly leaped into my throat. Surely I had heard wrong. "A-as in your daughter?" I choked. "That Cana?"

He stared at me for a moment before letting go of a heavy sigh and walking to the bed. "Come here, Princess."

I slowly did as he asked, trudging around the bed reluctantly like a scorned child. This was a disaster. What must she think of me if she knows? When I was within reach, he sat down on the bed and pulled me into his lap. Tears blurred my vision and a finger hooked under my chin to lift my face. "She must hate me."

"Lucy," he said softly as he wiped at the tear that fell down my cheek. "Do you think it was pure chance that I showed up on that battlefield?"

When I started to speak, he pressed a finger to my lips.

"It wasn't," he continued. "I've always had one of Cana's direct line cards with me. She said you needed me and I used it to get there, that idiot's rearranging magic crap be damned. She's known for a while now because I told her. It was her handling the rebuild of the house."

Yeah, but… "But you're her dad, she'd do that for you."

He chuckled and pressed his lips to my forehead. "She does love me, but she loves you more. She didn't quite understand it when I first told her and yeah, she was pretty pissed with me. Called me everything but a man, but her concern was only ever for you."

I love her, too. More than words can express because she's the sister I've never had. But it didn't make up for me hiding this from her. "Maybe," I whispered. "But she must be so hurt that I didn't confide in her."

"She was but she also knows you and she knows exactly how badly I hurt you when I left."

When he left?

"Wait, she's known that long?"

"Not definitively, but-"

My anger got the best of me, my mouth moving faster than my brain. "Then she has!"

When his brows furrowed and the muscle in his jaw twitched, I knew it was coming before it happened. His hand swiftly connected against my hip with a loud slap that stung like the dickens. And not in a good way. Instant guilt washed over me and I quickly lowered my head. I'd broken a rule and upset him to the point of punishment. Always use my manners and never cut Daddy off or speak over him. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"No," he sighed. "We've been apart for too long and me spanking you was a little too harsh."

I gave a small shake of my head and wiped at my eyes. I let my anger get away from me and that was the price. "No sir, I was wrong."

A finger hooked back under my chin and he lifted my face once more. "Don't punish yourself. Let it go," he said. "Regardless, Cana isn't mad or angry. She is all for this as long as you're happy. So, there's nothing to worry about."

I knew that I still needed to talk to her, she deserved to hear it from my lips and not just his. But at least it was one problem down. "Wh-what about the others?"

"What about them?"

"What if they don't support it?" I hesitantly questioned. "What if they shun you or me or us?"

He smiled and cupped his palm to my cheek, his lips ghosting over my forehead and nose before lightly pressing against my lips. "I doubt they will, but let them. I told you before, I am back here to stay because I want you with me. There isn't anyone or anything that I won't fight for you. This," he paused as his hand gestured between us. "Is what's the most important thing to me. My daughter is all about it, the others can go to hell if they don't because family supports each other. Period."

I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck. Four years. Four years, three months, twenty-five days, twenty-one hours and thirty-three minutes to be exact that I'd waited and I finally had what I'd wanted all along. Him. My Daddy. "I love you, Gildarts."

"I love you, too but we need to get dressed. My Princess has a few more dragons that need slaying."

The poem used is She Walks In Beauty by George (Lord) Byron.

Much love and hugs!

Princess Nana