Title: Mothers and Sons
Author: Meredith Paris
Rating: G/K
Character: Jeb, Adora, Lara, slight mention of Wyatt
Pairing: n/a
Spoiler Warnings: We'll say the whole series.
Word Count: 1,850; according to MW.
Summary: The wind was blowing around the cabin, the snow attempting to get in. Adora wrapped the quilt more snuggly around her, trying not to cough.
Disclaimer: Tin Man and all recognizable characters are the property of Sci-Fi, NBC Universal, et al. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is the property of L. Frank Baum and his estate. No harm is meant or intended.
A/N: I just want to say thank you to all the wonderful authors out there who have written TM stories before me. A special thank you must go out to trystan830 // tryswriter on LiveJournal and Alamo Girl for their beta jobs. I also know that this may not be the way that the writers had Adora Cain go in the series but I have a reason for that.
The wind was blowing around the cabin, the snow attempting to get in. Adora wrapped the quilt more snuggly around her, trying not to cough. The illness was getting worse and she was trying to not let Jeb see that. Out of everything she had gone through in her life, an illness of the lungs was going to kill her. She smiled ironically at that thought before the urge to cough overcame her.
Her fingers were stained pink after the attack was done and Adora quickly wiped them on her handkerchief when where was a knock on the door. Jeb peeked around the door as Adora shoved the bloody cloth under her quilt.
"Come in Jeb," Adora let out roughly, her voice betraying her attack. Jeb walked in, a cup of steaming liquid in his hands.
"Good morning Mother." Jeb said as he entered the room.
"Good morning. What have you there?" Adora asked. Jeb looked down at the cup, almost as if he was surprised to see it was there.
"Lara," he said mentioning one of the Resistance fighters, "said this should ease your cough and soothe her throat." Jeb reached Adora's bed and shook his head at his mother's interested look.
Adora took the cup of him and slowly took a sip. "Thank you," she said and tapped the spot next to her. Jeb sat down, making the mattress creak.
"What exactly has Lara been feeding you?" Adora asked a smile on her face. Jeb blushed and Adora placed the cup on a side table before grabbing his hands in both of hers.
"You know," Adora continued, "if you want, I wouldn't say no. Lara's a fine girl…and your father would approve." Jeb's hands tightened around his mother's, both of them lost in memories of Wyatt Cain.
"Lara's three annuals younger than me." Jeb stated. Adora kept her hands wrapped around his.
"That didn't matter to your father when he married me."Adora replied, grinning. Jeb just shook his head. Adora's grin faded as she contemplated her son. He had been through so much for being so young and she found herself wishing that she could grant him the happiness of his childhood back. She squeezed his hands and then let go, reaching for the cup.
Adora took a sip and let the tea swish down her throat. As she lowered the cup, she saw Jeb looking at her and she knew. She knew she hadn't hidden the extent of her illness well enough and she knew Jeb had figured out that he was going to be without parents long before he should be contemplating it. But she wanted to enjoy this moment with her son – one that was becoming rarer; he was becoming more active with the resistance and she was becoming more bedridden. Even with this knowledge, she wanted Jeb's last memories of her to be happy ones. A thought crossed her mind and Adora let her eyes twinkle over the rim at Jeb.
"Make your mother happy and marry that girl." It was rather easy to make Jeb blush – another way he was like his father.
It was a few weeks later after this conversation when Jeb came back to the cabin. He had gotten word of Longcoat movement and he and a group of resistance fighters went over the ridge. They had scored a small victory against the Longcoats (and Azkadellia). He was on his way to another rumored Longcoat location when Juliet, a Resistance fighter, showed up with a note. He had taken one look at it and told the head of the group that he was going back. Stephen had taken one look at him and nodded, giving him permission.
The fire in the main room was banked; the feeling in the cabin was dark. Jeb walked slowly across the room, not wanting what he thought to be true. A door slowly opened and Lara stepped out.
"She's been waiting for you," Lara said by way of greeting. Jeb nodded and slid past her. He didn't notice Lara's eyes on him, a frown on her face.
Adora was piled beneath quilts, a fire roaring in the room. Her hands were lying on top of the outermost quilt, her wedding ring catching the light of the fire.
"Jeb." She let out softly, her voice impossibly hoarse.
Jeb had to swallow a few times to get rid of the lump in his throat. "Mother," he finally got out. Adora gave him a small smile but it disappeared quickly. He sat down on the edge of the bed and laid one of his hands on top of both of hers.
"Were you successful?" Adora croaked out after a long silence. She might have been near her death – something that had taken her a long time to admit – but she could still read her son.
"Yes," Jeb answered abruptly and didn't look at her when she asked. It was then when Adora realized that he had done something that had taken away another piece of her son's soul. And it wasn't the first time she wished she could restore it, whole and innocent.
"What's Lara doing here?" Jeb asked, wanting a change of topic. Adora recognized it for what it was and let him change the topic. A minuscule smile replaced the small frown. He knew exactly why Lara was here and Adora loved her son more for it.
"Apparently a little bird told her my son was leaving and that I was in need of some company." Adora put a light, teasing tone of voice on and she was rewarded by a grin that broke out on Jeb's face.
"I did appreciate it, my son. Lara's a wonderful girl." Adora stated. She didn't know what she would have done if Lara hadn't shown up the day after Jeb left. In the midst of everything Lara had seen because of this damnable war, everything that the O.Z. has been through, Lara still had that…light around her. The past few weeks had also cemented Adora's opinion of Jeb marrying that girl.
A coughing fit overtook her and when she was done, exhausted from how much energy it took from her, she didn't see Jeb's look of worry and fear.
"I think I might sleep now," Adora said and closed her eyes. "I love you, my son."
"I love you Mother." Jeb replied and brushed his lips across her cheek.
Lara was curled up on the chair in the main room when Jeb walked in. She glanced up at him and then down at the floor.
"Thank you," Jeb said, his voice rough with unshed tears. Lara must have heard that for she stood up and walked over to him, surprising him with a hug. After a second or time of silence, he accepted it and took in the comfort she was offering him. After a moment, Lara let go and quietly made her way to the only other room in the cabin. Jeb wasn't exactly sure what she was doing in his room but watched as she walked out, holding a pillow and quilt.
"Ad-your mother said it would be all right if I slept in your bedroom until you got back," she offered by way of explanation. Jeb nodded and made his way into his bedroom. It was how he remembered it except for the small knapsack lying on the floor and the hairbrush on the dresser. He took one look at the hairbrush and sighed, running a hand through his hair before making a decision. He turned around and walked back to Lara, fully intending to tell her to go back to his bed. But the sight of her sleeping stopped him. She looked so peaceful and the way the moonlight was hitting her hair, so innocent. Wondering where that came from, he knelt down next to her and gently shook her shoulder. She was awake immediately.
"Go sleep in my room."
"I couldn't do that," Lara argued back sleepily. They argued a bit more before Jeb convinced her to go. She left him the quilt and pillow and just before Jeb drifted off to sleep, he recognized the scent coming off the pillow as Lara.
The day Adora Cain died was peaceful. Jeb and Lara spent the majority of the day in her room, patiently watching over her. Jeb had looked up a few times to see tears in Lara's eyes. She quickly brushed them away and turned her attention back to Adora. Jeb only left the room once. He was out chopping wood when Lara came out. He looked up worried. Lara just shook her head and turned her attention to the woods.
Unbidden thoughts of her staying there permanently crossed Jeb's mind. The extra loud crack of the axe against the wood made Lara jump and give him a look. He ignored her.
Soon a decent pile of wood was stacked up and Lara walked across the clearing to help him collect. When they placed the last piece in the woodbin, Lara grasped his forearm and offered him a tentative smile. He took it for what it was and walked into his mother's room.
Unlike most of the last week, Adora's eyes were open and bright with fever.
"Jeb." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Mother," Jeb answered back softly and actually sat down on her bed. It was something that he hadn't done since his return to the cabin. Adora knew what this meant and closed her eyes. Lara had returned by now but she was hovering in the door frame. Jeb let his head hang and now he felt Lara's eyes on him. He looked back up and twisted his head to look at her. Lara took this as an invitation to enter and stopped right behind him. Her hand slowly came to rest on his shoulder.
"Jeb," Adora croaked.
"Yes?"
"My son, I love you."
It was the day after Adora's funeral when the Longcoats attacked the cabin. They shoved Jeb into an iron maiden and took Lara off to places unknown.
It was two weeks later when the resistance fighters from over the ridge rescued him from it.
It was five weeks after that that he rescued Lara from a transport line. It was rather dumb luck on his part. He and his group (their commander had been captured and most certainly killed) were making their way across a road when their back spotted Longcoat movement. He made the decision to attack and in the midst of the fighting spotted Lara. The group didn't do as much damage to the Longcoats as they wanted but Jeb considered the rescue of Lara to mark it as a success.
They had been sitting around a campfire and Jeb had been periodically scanning the border when his eyes met Lara's. They looked at each other and suddenly finally everything was explained. Lara ended up sleeping next to him that night and when they awoke the next morning, her head was on his chest and his arm was wrapped around her waist.