Disclaimer: I sadly don't own them, but they sure are fun to borrow!

"I don't understand!" screamed DG, pacing back and forth across the room. "Nothing is ever easy here, is it?" she asked, sighing as she sat down on the couch.

"Was it easy where you grew up?" Jeb asked, knowing what her answer would be.

"Well, no," she conceded. "But it sure was less complicated."

"So what part of the current situation are you having trouble understanding?" he asked, reaching to put an arm around her when she stood up abruptly and went back to pacing the room.

"I traveled all over the O.Z. with guys and nobody had a problem with it til now. What's so special about now, huh? What is it that has changed? Is one guy somehow worse than traveling with three? And why didn't I get the memo?" she asked, ending her rant in favor of catching her breath.

Ignoring the last question since he didn't know what it meant, Jeb tried to remain calm and answer her questions, hoping in time she wouldn't be so opposed to the idea. Besides, it was her fault.

"Well, with three it was kinda obvious they were guarding you. One looks far more suspicious."

"Do I need to remind you that of those three one was a Viewer and another was a Headcase? Not that I don't love Glitch, cause I do, just trying to point out that they didn't jump to conclusions about Cain when we were in that company."

"Doesn't matter. You still were with them. It didn't harm your reputation cause you were a princess on a mission with your loyal bodyguards, even if nobody had the title at the beginning."

"Bodyguard."

"Yes. Bodyguard."

"Body-guard. One who guards a body, namely this one," she said, pointing to herself.

"Yes, guarding you. What's your point?"

"Then what the heck were you doing in the Eastern Guild last week?!" she asked angrily, standing toe-to-toe with him, her eyes never leaving his.

"Protecting you," he said, maintaining eye contact as he tried to remain calm. They couldn't both be angry at the same time, that wouldn't solve anything.

"Protecting me? Protecting me?! That worked real well, didn't it?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. "Protecting me. Ha! As if!"

At this Jeb finally snapped. He had done his best to protect her. At least she was alive, she should be grateful, but noooo.

"If you hadn't opened your mouth we would have been just fine, Princess," he said angrily. "Why didn't you just let me handle it? That was the plan, remember?" he asked, his anger rising. "But does Princess DG listen? No, of course not. How silly of me."

"But I…You…You said…I thought it would help!" she finally spat out.

"And how exactly did that help us?" he asked, his anger still evident but lessened. She was seriously trying his patience.

"Well, it was supposed to convince them to back off. They had a problem with it being just us even if you were my bodyguard so I…fixed it," she said, looking pleased with herself before remembering the damage it had done.

"Yeah. You fixed it alright," he said rolling his eyes. Now he understood his father's reactions to the princess.

"It made perfectly logical sense if you ignore the fact that they are incapable of being perfectly logical!"

Jeb couldn't help himself. He laughed heartily at her little outburst. "Right…." he said when he finally stopped laughing.

"Glad you're amused. I'm not," she said, sitting down once more and covering her face.

"I'm more amused now than I was then," he said, trying to stifle the urge to start laughing again. "Just admit it. You screwed up. We'll figure it out, Deege. It's not the end of the world."

"I screwed up. What's new? So glad you're happy that I get to ruin your life a second time," she said bitterly, beginning to pace again as she turned away from him. She didn't get far before he wrapped his arms around her, turning her to face him.

"You're not ruining my life…just…making it more interesting. Father was right, guarding you will never leave me with a dull moment," he said, chuckling. DG groaned.

"Cain…what are we gonna tell him?"

"How about the truth, Kid?" came a voice at the door. Seeing Cain, DG groaned again. This was not gonna be easy.