Title: All My Life

Author: DeMarcos

Pairing: DG/Glitch

Summary: A return trip home stirs up long forgotten memories and emotions.

Notes: Huh... I started out with a clear plot in mind, then halfway through the encore on Sunday, it changed courses on me! Mucho gracias to Lady of the Willows for taking time from her evil, devious Torchwood arc to beta this for me! Still not looking, chica! As previously stated, my creative processes are not fueled by reviews, but they do boost my already over inflated ego. It's pretty much carry-on at this point, I swear... Anyhoo, enjoy!

DG's feet thumped softly against the hard earth as she landed and she took in a deep, centering breath. Tornadoes were definitely not the way to travel. Behind her, she heard three similar thumps and a grunt. She turned to look at her traveling companions with a tiny smile. Cain was standing up, back ramrod straight as he scanned the area with an arched eyebrow while Raw helped Glitch to his feet. With the combined effort of DG, Azkadellia, and a cavalcade of alchemists, Glitch's marbles had finally been set back into his zippered head, but he was still getting used to all his synapses firing off correctly.

It also seemed that since undergoing the procedure, Glitch had developed something akin to split personality disorder. On one side, he was Ambrose, dour but genial with a dry wit that came with years of being a royal adviser. Then there was Glitch, full of humor and endless flights of fancy that DG had grown so accustomed to since her arrival in the O.Z. He could be mid-sentence as Ambrose and his head would jerk a little and he'd forget where he was or what he had just been doing. Once, right after the surgery, DG and he had been walking down the hall, the princess planning to take him out for a short walk, when his knees suddenly gave out from under him and he crumpled to the ground in a heap of loose limbs. Since then, DG has been by his side constantly, helping him get reacquainted with his brain.

When they had talked to the alchemists, they simply said that going for years without most of his brain, combined with the conditions the witch had kept it in had had some unforeseen side effects. They reassured everyone that with time, hopefully the personalities would merge somewhat to form a more cohesive mental state.

She smiled at Glitch and Raw as they got situated, DG began trudging through the tall grains toward the farmhouse. "Come on, guys, the house is up this way."

After getting things settled in the O.Z., rounding up the rest of the Longcoats and restoring the Tin Man order, DG requested that she be able to return to the Other Side to collect a few personal items before establishing her new life as Princess DG. It was still all so new to her and she was looking forward to being home, even if it was just for a short time.

Glitch and Raw jogged up to walk in step with her while Cain stayed a few feet behind them, keeping a sharp eye out on their surroundings. DG turned on her heel, continuing to walk backwards towards the house as she peered back at the tin man.

"You know, I highly doubt that the scarecrow is going to climb down off his post and maim us to death." She pointed to the right, where the old scarecrow was hanging listlessly on his perch, wide brimmed hat covering its brown potato sack face, and obviously not doing his job, as a crow was resting on his shoulder.

Glitch spun round to see what she was indicating and gasped softly. "How could you put someone up there like that?" he asked incredulously, changing direction to go help it down off the post.

DG grabbed his hand, pulling him back to her and laughed. "He's not real, Glitch! He's just stuffed with hay and newspaper." She threaded her fingers with his and led him through the field while he went on and on about how it was cruel to just tie people up and leave them to the crows. But once he realized she was holding his hand, he blushed and quickly closed his mouth with an audible snap. Cain and Raw shared a knowing look between them as they trailed behind the pair, while Glitch and DG were oblivious.

As the farmhouse came into view, DG took hold of Raw with her other hand and all but dragged them both up the driveway and up the porch steps. She stopped suddenly at the front door, apprehension filling her. DG had grown up in this house, had wonderful memories tied to the old place, and this was to be the last time she ever stepped foot here. She looked at the chairs set up at the other end of the porch where her dad would rock her slowly and tell her stories about Milltown while her mother would sit opposite them and knit. Old memories began to overwhelm her, threatening to make her cry, but DG shook her head clear. In her teens, she had insolently referred to them as her parental units. In hindsight, there was no better definition for them.

Cain came up behind her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Be strong, kiddo." DG tilted her head back and smiled sadly. Never one to mince words or waste breath on useless sentiments, she always took what did slip past his lips to heart. DG breathed in deeply, stuck her hand out to grasp the knob and opened the door. She slowly stepped into the familiar hallway, the ingrained smell of old hardwood flooring and years of a loving household assaulted her senses and took her a moment to get her bearings straight.

The place was still a mess from the attack by the Longcoats and they all had to step over the felled bookcases and debris to get into the main room. DG took it all in, damage and all, before turning to her friends.

"Okay, you guys can look around real quick while I grab my things. Just try not to break anything, okay? Well… Try not to break anything else."

Glitch chuckled as Raw nodded his head before directing his attention to the fireplace mantle, where multiple picture frames were adorned atop it, her childhood on display for them to see. DG then hasted up the stairs, into the attic.

She had to fight her way through the remains of the oak bureau, walking away with a few cuts and scrapes as she made her way past. She smiled sadly as she took in her old room, all the clutter and odds and ends that had been her life. Bending down to pick up a stray teddy bear, she clutched it to her chest tightly as she walked around slowly. Sunlight streamed in through the windows brightly, little dust bunnies floating lazily in the beams of light.

DG sat down on the bed and tried to hold back the tears.

Cain whistled as he peered at Hank's gun rack, which he'd found in a large cabinet. Four long shotguns rested on the wooden pegs and he was sure that they were more powerful than any conventional weapon in the O.Z. He contemplated asking DG if he could possibly take one back with him, but at that moment Glitch shrieked as a high pitched noise filled the room. Cain turned around sharply, fingers gripping his sidearm as Glitch stumbled backward and fell to the floor. The noise was coming from a black box sitting in the middle of the room.

Images ran across the screen as loud music spilled out from the speakers. A small scantily clad woman was shown on the screen, warbling out an off key song while a group of people danced behind her. Raw crept over to the screen and poked it with a finger. The image didn't move and Glitch managed to pull himself to his feet and look down at the strange box.

"It's some kind of viewing screen." He bent down, listening to the tiny woman for a moment before turning back to Cain and Raw. He knew that the witch had some kind of technology like this, but it was still strange to him. It was more common to have images projecting out to the viewer in a more interactive form.

Glitch squinted at the box as the image shifted from the woman to a large audience in front of her. "This seems to be an entertainment device for the Other Siders." He pressed another button on the box and the screen went blank. Now wary of the device, Glitch joined Raw at the fireplace, far away from the strange box. Raw was holding a thin golden frame in his paws and when Glitch leaned over to look at it, he tilted it towards him. In it, DG looked to be fifteen annuals and she was dressed in a pale blue dress, her long brown hair thrown back in a messy bun. She was standing next to a rail thin boy in a black tuxedo, his hair standing in a thousand directions, wearing thick spectacles, and they were both surrounded by large cutouts of snowflakes.

A thin smile stretched across her features while the boy next to her just looked shocked to be at her side. Cain stepped up behind them and looked at the picture over their shoulders. He let out a sharp chuckle and glanced at Raw.

"Look familiar?" Cain jerked his head to Glitch, who just appeared confused. Raw nodded at this and set the picture back on the mantle. Raw perused the other pictures while Cain went back to check the rest of the house out.

Glitch's body was given a slight jolt and in the few lucid moments this gave him, he decided to head up the stairs after DG.

He poked his head in each door on the second floor searching for DG before he heard the floorboards creak above him. Glitch saw a broken door hanging on its hinges and peered up the stairs. Slowly making his way past the destroyed dresser, he stepped up into the attic and saw DG sitting on the window seat, clutching a stuffed animal, tears spilling down her cheeks. He quietly walked over to her and joined her on the seat, throwing an arm over her shoulder. She bent her head to Glitch's chest and continued to weep.

"All my life, I knew that there was more out there in the world than this and now that I know it's all true, all I want to do is stay here. Ride my bike and work that dead end job at the diner." Glitch ran his hand over her back gently, trying to console her. He could feel her tears begin to wet his shirt, but he had no words to help. He cursed his brain for abandoning him at such an important time. He was supposed to be an adviser for goodness sakes and he couldn't even do that when it was needed most.

DG sniffled loudly and burrowed her head further into Glitch's chest.

"I'm just so scared of what's going to happen once we get back to the O.Z. There is so much to do and I've never felt so small and helpless then when I think of what needs to be done there. It's just too much, too fast."

Glitch stood up sharply and DG gasped at the movement as she rocked back into the window frame. He looked around the attic wildly for a moment and when he saw DG, he frowned.

"I forgot what I was doing," he explained simply. DG grinned through the tears and grasped his hand once more. "Oh, princess! Why are you crying? You should be so happy. You've been reunited with your family after so many annuals and your future is so bright, it hurts to look at you." DG arched an eyebrow in confusion at his rambling. "No, it really hurts!" Glitch shut his eyes and DG saw that the sun shining through the windows had shifted its angle and was now beaming directly in his face.

Her laughter filled the room and somewhere in him, he knew that whatever was wrong with him wasn't necessarily a bad thing if it could keep DG happy. With a thin finger, he wiped the tears off her cheeks and pulled her up off the window seat.

"So come on! Get your things so we can get back home."

Fresh energy running through her, she searched around for a bag while Glitch closed the blinds letting the light through. Finally coming across a large military surplus duffle, she began to throw in the bare necessities. Several of her favorite shirts and pants were folded into it, along with her fluffy red slippers, a few trinkets from her limited gentlemen callers, her photo album and the teddy bear she had been holding on to.

Three or four more items went in before she zipped it up quickly with a snap of her wrist. She saw Glitch wince a little at the action and her heart sank miserably. The alchemists had told them that if they removed the zipper adorning his cranium that a lot of scalp would have to go with it and it would leave a large and ugly scar. Glitch quickly opted to leave the zipper there and had clutched at his head for a few moments in fear.

"Hey, help me pull these drawings down."

He nodded sharply, glad to not be thinking about zippers anymore and crossed the room to carefully pull down the fragile sheets of paper off the slanted walls. Glitch recognized some of the drawings of Finaqua and Central City as he rolled them up and handed them to DG.

She had stopped at one and was staring at it intently. "Hey Glitch, check this one out."

Curious, he joined her and gazed down at the drawing her hands. In it, a little girl sat on a swing as a tall thin man with dark hair pushed her. The girl had a wide grin on her face as her toes threatened touch the sky. DG pointed a finger and turned her head to Glitch.

"That's you!" she exclaimed. Glitch raised his eyebrows and squinted at the picture.

"I think I remember that." He stared hard for a while, brow furrowing in thought before he jolted violently, then straightened up and looked DG in the eyes, voice soft with regret. "I did, but the harder I thought about it the more it wanted to run away. Sorry."

DG patted his shoulder gently, understanding etched over her face. "It'll come to you. And when it does, I want to be the first to know."

Glitch grinned at her and flushed brightly. They quickly pulled down the rest and placed all the rolled papers in a thin rucksack picked from the mess of her room. DG found her sketchbook and put that in there was well. Pulling Glitch by the hand, she made to lead them downstairs when movement outside the window caught her eye.

"Oh man, today so isn't my day."

DG thundered down the stairs loudly, bags flying out behind her and Glitch following in her wake. Raw blinked up at her entrance and sensed the dread rolling off of her in waves.

"DG scared?" he asked as she used the post at the end of the railing to slingshot herself down the hallway and into the kitchen. Cain pulled out his revolver and glanced out the window at the driveway. A car unlike anything he had ever seen was rolling up to the house. DG ran past them again, now holding a cream colored jar in her arms. She raced to the door and stopped abruptly, turning back to her friends, panting slightly from all the running around.

"No matter what happens, I need you to stay inside! No matter what, you hear?" She then bolted out the door. Cain, Raw, and Glitch gathered around the bay windows to see what was going on outside. A well built man with dark hair got out of the car and was sauntering up to DG, who had descended the stairs into the yard and was now tapping her foot impatiently, radiating boredom and aggravation at being bothered. Cain saw the glint of sunlight spark off a star on his chest. A lawman of the Other Side. He really didn't want to know what DG had done to warrant a visit from the law. The door was standing open and they could only just make out what DG and the officer were saying.

"Well well, seems like I finally have a reason to haul you in, DG. You didn't pay your ticket on time, missy."

DG sighed and continued to tap her foot. "Sorry, Elmer. Had a family emergency and I had to race out of town. But look." She opened up the jar and pulled out a wad of cash. "I have the money to pay it off right here. So I'll just give this to you and we can put this all behind us."

Elmer shook his head and pulled out his handcuffs. "No dice, DG. You have a warrant on you now, so I have to bring you in."

DG backed up a step and held the jar out to him placatingly. "See, I can't really be arrested right now. That family emergency is still going on and I need to leave town for a while."

A smirk danced across Officer Gulch's face as he took the jar from DG and tossed it aside. "Attempting to flee custody, eh?" He tsked, grabbed DG by her elbow and pushed her up against the hood of his car.

As Elmer patted her down, DG could only shake her head. This was not going well at all. When the handcuffs were slid around her wrists, DG figured that she was never coming back here anyhow, so she threw caution into the wind. "Cain!" The words had barely left her lips when the screen door crashed open and the tin man came rushing down the porch steps, weapon drawn. Raw and Glitch exited behind him, but stayed back on the porch. Elmer saw them and hastily reached for the service pistol on his hip, but Cain cocked the hammer back on his revolver, causing Gulch to pause.

DG took up the smirk that had fallen off the officer's face. "You might want to unlock these cuffs, Elmer, or he's gonna get slightly trigger happy." Elmer's eyes widened a bit, then slowly, he pulled the keys from his belt and removed the handcuffs from DG's wrists. Once this was done, she bent over and retrieved the jar from the ground. Her parents had kept a stash of money hidden away just for emergencies and this was definitely an emergency. She didn't know how much was actually in the jar, but she wouldn't be needing it anymore anyway. DG thrust the jar into Gulch's hand.

"That's to pay my ticket. Keep the rest for yourself or donate it, I don't really care." Elmer just stood there with his mouth open as DG walked over to Cain. Raw and Glitch walked down the stairs and joined their companions. DG patted Cain's shoulder. "Keep an eye on him. I'm going to conjure back the Travel Storm." Cain simply nodded his head, blue eyes sharp as he kept his pistol trained on the officer. DG walked about fifty yards away from the house and closed her eyes.

Summoning the magic like Tutor had instructed, she spun her right hand and the wind began to pick up. Hair whipping around her face, she held steady and focused on forming and shaping the cyclone. She felt more than she heard the others come up behind her and with a final flick of her wrist, the cyclone formed, turning the sky black and gray. DG reached out her hands and Glitch latched on, giving her fingers a slight squeeze. Raw took the other, Cain grabbing a hold of him and they leapt into the Travel Storm.

In the back of her mind, DG bid her old life a sad goodbye.

Later on that night, DG sat out on one of the many stone benches lining the gardens, newly planted seedlings pushing desperately out of the soil and upward into the sky. Azkadellia had been adamant about restoring the look and beauty of the O.Z. and had called in countless gardeners, horticulturists and growers to plant numerous shrubberies, flowerbeds and creeping ivy. The papay fields were now lush with saplings and the dirt and grime that once cluttered the land was all but gone.

She had the numerous scrolls containing her artwork scattered around her, three in particular occupying her attention. One was the drawing of Glitch pushing DG's younger self in the swing. The others were Glitch presenting DG and Azkadellia with two bouquets of flowers and Glitch carrying DG on his shoulders. In all three of them, there was this expression of total devotion on Glitch's face and she was always smiling and laughing in them.

DG has known that Glitch had been a fixture in her life before she had been sent away, but these pictures were telling her that he had been a dear friend while he had been in service to her mother. It made her heart clench because in Kansas, she never really had a lot of close friends. Even at the diner, her coworkers had kept a friendly distance. But here was Glitch, who was apparently her next closest friend besides her sister and even after many years apart and his brain being removed, somehow that sense of closeness and camaraderie had remained through the personality shift.

Looking back now, she recalled how easy it had been befriending Glitch once they had escaped from the ankle biting Eastern Guild. There had been none of that early uncomfortable feeling she usually got when she met someone new. It had just flowed seamlessly between them, as simple as breathing.

'Maybe that's why I never really had a best friend. The position had already been filled.'

DG picked up her sketchbook and was flipping through it when she heard steps behind her. "Good evening, princess." DG smiled and cleared some room on the bench, rolling up the drawings quickly and placing them into the rucksack.

"Evening, Ambrose. What are you doing out here?"

He sat down next to DG and tapped a finger to his chin. "I seem to vaguely recall consoling you earlier, though I don't remember why. I just wanted to make sure you are doing all right." He dropped his hand to rest on his leg and DG placed hers over his pale fingers. Ambrose smiled at the contact and turned his head to look DG in the eye.

"Not really, but I'm feeling better, thanks to you."

Ambrose smiled and then pointed to the drawings DG had tucked away. "I also recall seeing a drawing of me. Might I have a look?" DG pursed her lips, debating for a moment before she reached down to retrieve the bag. Pulling the three pieces out, she unrolled them one at a time over their laps. He took in a deep breath and pointed to the one of him handing the little princess flowers.

"I remember that! You and Azkadellia had seen a woman from the court receiving flowers from a suitor and were extremely jealous that no one had ever given you a bouquet. So I went down to the gardens and tried to make the most beautiful combinations of flowers for the two most beautiful princesses. Azkadellia knew what I was doing but you were still so excited about it."

Ambrose tilted his head away from DG, lost in a long ago memory. DG stared at him with the most brilliant smile and when he turned back, he saw her expression and his cheeks flashed a lovely shade of pink. She pulled that drawing away, revealing the one of DG on his shoulders. Ambrose nodded his head and jabbed the paper with his finger.

"Oh yes! Your father was teaching Azkadellia to ride horseback but your mother had said that you were too young to learn. You were crying your little heart out as they rode away and the Queen couldn't console you at all. I happened across you both and she looked to me for help. So I picked you up, threw you on my back and took you everywhere you wanted to go. When your father and sister returned, you boasted that your steed was better than any in the land."

DG laughed at this, never knowing she had the potential to be so precocious. Seeming to read her thoughts, Ambrose continued. "You were such a little crystal droplet of effulgence and wit. Your parents always had quite the time keeping up with you." He quieted for a moment and his shoulders gave a slight jerk. DG saw him take a deep breath in and let it out slowly before looking back at her. "Sorry. Still trying to keep up a thin veneer of formality but I seem to be fighting against it."

Ambrose pulled away the sheaf of paper to reveal the last drawing of her on the swing as DG once more rested her head on his shoulder, arms enveloping around him loosely. She saw him stare at the picture as he had in her attic earlier and felt him twitch again under her. DG knew he was fighting to recall the memory that had eluded him earlier but had no clue as to why this one was taunting him so.

"Uhm, this was right before the witch took over Azkadellia. Your mother was meeting with some important dignitaries. Tutor was with your sister and your father..." He paused, trying to grasp at the ethereal vapors of the memory. "I think he was in Central City, but I can't remember why. Anyway, you were out on the swing and your feet couldn't touch the ground, so you weren't able to propel the swing up. I... ah, was trying to capture the attentions of someone. Her name escapes me, a palace seamstress, perchance. But she had turned away my advances quite loudly and rudely.

"We happened to be near you and when she walked off, you called out to me. When I came over, you took my hand and said that the mean lady didn't deserve me anyway." DG laughed against his shoulder and peered down at the faces on the paper as Ambrose began to tap his shoe, trying to contemplate what had happened after that.

"You said she didn't deserve me anyway and then you asked me to push you in the swing. Of course I could never deny you anything, so I started to push. You then offered to get Azkadellia to help you put newts in her bed and in her hair. I stopped when you said that and the swing came back down and knocked me over. I fell back and you jumped off and rushed over to me. You asked if I was okay and all I could wonder is why you would do something like that to the woman. You just smiled brightly and said that you loved me and would do anything to protect me."

DG sat up at this and gazed into Ambrose's eyes. "I said that?" He nodded, a bemused smile on his face and DG tried to find the memory in her own mind. Unsuccessful, she shook her head. "Well, it's true, you know. You guys are all my closest friends and I wouldn't know what would happen or what I would do if I lost any of you." DG then took Ambrose's face in her hands and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

Like a bolt of lightening, images began to pour into her mind at an alarming rate. A younger version of herself sat in his lap, twirling a strand of his neatly coiffed hair in her tiny fingers as he read to her. Dance lessons that left his toes thoroughly stepped on but satisfaction and pride bursting through him when she learned all the moves perfectly. From outside her vision, she could see that her palms were glowing brightly from their connected flesh. Unique toys presented to her for absolutely no reason other than to see her smile. Picking apples from an orchard, an impromptu contest to see who could gather the most. A kiss pressed to her cheek when stories flooded the palace about a seamstress waking up screaming, slippery newts and salamanders covering her face.

DG tried to force herself out of Ambrose's mind, the deluge of images too much for her. She saw Ambrose approach her mother, informing her of Azkadellia's take over. He questioned about her power, anything to stop the chaos approaching. The Queen shook her head, telling him she had given her power up to save another. Her angel. Realization hit him sharply, her words confirming that her youngest daughter was still alive. Hope sprang up in his heart, drowning out the sorrow that had filled it with her death, but the appearance of Azkadellia distracted him from the happy news.

The feeling of familiarity overwhelmed her as she saw them running away from the Eastern Guild. Something about this strange girl reminded him of someone lost to him. Saw with aching enchantment at the girl who was so fearlessly attempting to bring down the evil sorceress. The dread of losing something recently found once more when they were separated in the Northern Islands. The upmost pride in the young woman who ended years of tyranny in the O.Z.

His friend. Someone he cared for deeply.

With a loud yelp, DG was flung back off the stone bench and she landed on her rump, groaning at the shot of pain that lanced up her spine. She raised her hand to her mouth and was awestruck at what had just occurred. An instant later, Cain and two others from the palace security detail came into view. DG realized how bad it must have all looked when she saw Cain narrow his eyes at the scene before him.

Ambrose was still seated on the bench, wearing a look of shock, confusion and shame on his features. DG had landed about three feet from him, her legs drawn up to her chest, hand over her face and her eyes as wide as saucers. Cain cautiously walked over to DG and lifted her up off the ground, his eyes never leaving Ambrose. His head jolted slightly and then he looked up at DG and Cain staring at him.

"Hi! Lovely night for a stroll, don't you think?" He glanced back and forth between them, then made a silent 'oh' sound. "It happened again, didn't it?" When they nodded, Glitch smacked his head with his palm.

Cain turned to DG as Glitch chastised himself. "Is everything okay here with Zipperhead?"

DG gave Cain a sour look at the use of his nickname for Glitch. "Yes, its fine. Just, something weird occurred. We were uh..." DG saw an expression cross Cain's face as she tried to explain what had happened and her cheeks flushed. "I was in his memories, Ambrose's memories. It was so odd." She placed a hand on her hip. "Now I know what Raw feels like when he reads somebody, though. When I tried to get out, I guess I got thrown back."

She saw Cain look back at Glitch suspiciously, trying to suss out any deception before tipping his hat and walking away slowly, motioning for the other men to follow. When they left, DG rushed over to Glitch, kneeling down in front of him. His body was shaking slightly and DG quickly discovered that it was because he was laughing. Glitch tipped his head back and let out a chuckle. It wasn't the hearty laugh of Glitch but rather the subdued tone of Ambrose. DG stood up, pointing a finger at him.

"You tricked him into thinking you were Glitch!" She was dumbstruck at this turn of events, though impressed with his quick thinking. Ambrose stood up from the stone bench and wrapped his arm's around DG.

"I thought I had forgotten it all, everything about the Light of the O.Z." DG saw tears begin to form in the corners of his eyes. "You always had me tightly strung around your little finger and when I thought that you were dead, part of me shattered. I wanted to erase the light you had shone into me, because it only made it worse when you were gone."

Ambrose brought DG in for another kiss, pouring every lost emotion into it. Fingers threaded in her hair, and he pulled back a bit, resting their forwards together.

"I think I may have always loved you."

Tears flowed freely from them both, spilling down their cheeks at the enormity of their situation, their past.

"I think I did, too."

I tried to keep the creep factor down on the fact that an adult was kinda head over heels for a child. So do not condone anything like that. Lemme know how I did on that.