A/N: Music is a big part of my life. I'm pretty much tone deaf, can't carry a tune in a bucket and though I can play a few instruments it's mechanical. I can read music and know a few tunes by heart but it isn't the same as those who are born to play. The notes don't 'speak' to me. However I always have some kind of music around me. Either on my computer or my MP3 player, the radio in the car. Even at work I always have music on. Always. Even when I'm sleeping (drowns out my nephew's snoring. Yes he is that loud.)

All of that being said you can imagine that quite a bit of my inspiration for my stories comes from the music I listen too. And I listen to nearly anything. Even opera and rap though those two are not my favorite. So what we have here is some of the drabbles, thoughts, plot lines that I've written to the music I listen to. Some of them are from stories I've already posted, some of them are stories I haven't yet, and some of them are simply thoughts in the air.

I decided to write one for every day of the year this year and I'm posting them as separate chapters every day from now until next Dec. 31…hopefully. Let me know what you think of my little playground.

Disclaimer: I own none of the following characters or venues they emerged from. I'm only posting this disclaimer this once so you better read it now. Again none of the characters or the shows/movies/books they came from are mine. I make no money from these little stories/thoughts/ideas/drabbles. Now on with the story.

January 1, 2014

Stutter-My Darkest Days (2:44)

Tin Man

DG and Cain

She wasn't expecting him to be waiting on her bed when she crept through the window. The first sun was only just rising above the horizon. Even though she knew he usually rose early she still startled when his shadowed form sat up from her pillows and his bare feet swung onto the floor.

"Princess," he started out conversationally. He didn't sound angry but his blue eyes blazed in the shadows of her darkened bedroom.

"C-cain," DG breathed out, startled but not scared. Never scared of her Tin Man. Not even when he'd burst from the suit, caked with grime, dried blood and unrecognizable with all that hair. "You…you startled me. What," she wet her dry lips with her tongue. Did he know where she'd been? What she'd been doing? "What are you doing in here?"

He tipped his hat back and stared at her out of bright blue eyes. "Better question would be why you weren't in here," he told her before smoothly rising to his feet and stepping towards her.

DG avoided looking into the shadowed depths of his face. She should have known he'd catch her. She wasn't ashamed of what she'd done or where she'd been but she didn't want him angry with her either. An angry Cain was a force of nature. "Um," she leaned against the wall. That last drink with Jeb and the others was probably a really bad idea. She was pretty sure that he was going to get the information from her but she hoped that he wouldn't tell the Queen and Consort. "I was with friends," she finally said. That was vague enough.

Cain advanced on her and stared down at her with a forbidding frown marring his features. "Friends?" He asked quietly with an undertone of steel. "What kind of friends let the crown princess of the O.Z. get drunk and then give her whisker burn?" One finger came up to trace along the redness on the side of her neck. Even with the anger and hurt she read in his tone and features the finger was gentle. "You smell like a mix between a brewery and a cologne shop." His blue eyes iced over and he glared at her. "Don't lie to me, Princess."

DG shook her head helplessly. He was so close to her. His heat burned her. His scent, gunpowder, leather and fresh grass filled her senses. Did he have any idea what he did to her? "It's not whisker burn, Cain," she claimed. She had to get away from him before she did something she'd regret when he came to his senses. She pushed past him towards the bathroom. "And I'm not drunk."

Cain only made a disbelieving sound in the back of his throat and followed her. He knew that getting DG to tell him things she didn't want to was worse than pulling teeth but he was just as stubborn as she was. He would find out what had been going on. "Deeg…"

DG ignored him and glared at the offending marks on her neck. "Damn bloodsuckers," she muttered as she picked up a cloth and wet it before slapping it over her neck. "Damn marshes. Damn summer air." Of course he would think the worst. Though that wasn't really fair to him. He usually stood up for her. And for Az. Maybe Jeb's idea of trying to make his father jealous so that he'd finally do what both he and DG herself wanted wasn't such a grand idea. Cain was angry, not jealous. Maybe he really didn't have any feelings for her.

Cain leaned a shoulder against the door jamb eyeing her suddenly slumped defeated posture and some of the ice melted from his eyes. "Jeb's fighters are near the marshes, Princess," he reminded her. "What were you doing out there?" His voice only held curiosity now.

DG turned innocent, big blue eyes to him. She wasn't trying to soften him up. He should have known the date anyway. This wasn't the first time she'd spent the evening with Jeb and his fighters. Usually Cain came too. "Monthly poker game." She told him with a bright smile. "You're not jealous are you?" Her smile turned just a bit wicked as she reached up to pat his arm.

That blue gaze held her captive for only a moment and then it seemed as though some dam inside of him gave way. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to his chest. "Only that you didn't take me." He murmured his eyes locked to hers, searching. A small smile finally crossed his lips as he found whatever he was looking for. He leaned down and captured her lips with his own. "Next time I'm goin' too."

DG nodded. "Okay." Her lips sought his again. He was really good in the kissing department. She was amazed that one night of poker away from him was all it took for him to finally make the move they'd both wanted for so long. She'd have to tell Jeb that he was a genius.