When the little girl showed up it was so obvious it pained Cain to see the bewilderment in Glitch's eyes.
"She's my what?"
"Your daughter."
"I don't have a daughter... Do I?" he turned to Cain and the Tin Man forced himself to turn away.
"Wouldn't know that Zipperhead." Cain wasn't needed and there was no reason for him to stick around so he beat a hasty retreat.
0o0
Helena Ambrose was adored by all the ladies in the palace. To the Queen she was practically a granddaughter and was treated like one. Dressed in the most beautiful gowns and allowed to walk any where she pleased. With an escort at Cain's insistence. DG spent hours with her trying to see if she had any magic. Azkadellia taught her to dance and how to be a proper lady.
Helena had spent a great deal of her short eight years fending for herself and only being able to offer "she disappeared a long time ago" for an answer to where her mother was. And Glitch still wasn't sure Helena was even his on his glitch days. On good days he doted on her more than everyone else.
Cain avoided the little girl as much as possible. Not because he didn't like her. Not because whenever he looked at he sometimes saw an eight year old Jeb in her place and pain hit him that where he missed all the years to come Glitch would have them with Helena. No it wasn't anything like that.
When he saw Glitch and Helena together in the gardens, walking in the palace; Cain couldn't see anywhere where he would fit into that mold. It hurt him; he was not a part of Glitch's life, and it didn't look like there was a place for him.
o0o
"Mr. Cain?" Cain looked up from the loose piece of cobble he'd been examining for longer than the Chief of Security should be looking at the ground. Helena stood in front of him, hands clasped properly in front of her, her unruly blond locks blowing into her face by the wind. "Do you have a moment?"
So well spoken for eight years old; it was hard to tell what was the princesses doing and what was purely Helena. "Of course Darlin', what is it you need?" He patted the spot next to him and Helena hopped up, hands falling into a loose position on her lap.
"It's my Papa," she started slowly. "He's been so very sad these past few weeks. I've asked him what is wrong but he tells me it's nothing a child should worry themselves about." She huffed, "I worry about him, whether he wants me to or not."
"Of course you do." Cain tried to think over the last month but other than celebrating the first Annual of freeing the O.Z. from the Wicked Witch he could think of nothing that would cause Glitch to withdraw into himself.
"He used to speak of you all the time; when I first came." It seemed out of the blue but Cain waited to see where the bright girl was going.
Glitch may have only had half a brain when Helena was conceived but it did not effect the little girl in anyway. To quote the Queen, "she's as bright as Ambrose was at that age." Which had been frighteningly bright.
"It was always "Cain saved us," here and "Cain said this," there. I thought I knew you personally by the end of my first month here." She smiled at him then, bright and beautiful and it was the same smile Glitch use to give him. "Papa said that when I met you I would only have one hero for the rest of my life. But you never came around," she frowned. "And Papa stopped talking about you. And now he is sad all the time."
Guilt washed over Cain, "I'm sorry."
"Would you come talk to Papa?" she asked hopefully. "If it is not something a child should concern their self with then maybe it is something you can."
"Well...I..." the hope flickered out of her eyes for a moment, "of course sweetheart."
It was well worth the smile.
o0o
Cain found Glitch in his laboratory. The Adviser was allowed to tinker long as someone looked over anything he may come up with. He still, on the rare occasion, thought of something that had the potential to blow up in his face.
"Cain?" Glitch didn't use to sound so surprised to see him.
"Hey Glitch." Cain took a seat at his work bench.
"What brings you around Tin Man?" Glitch busied him with the project he'd been working on.
Cain sighed, there was something up with Glitch, "your daughter, actually."
"Helena," he turned, fear lighting his eyes. "Is she okay? Where is she at?"
"She's fine," he reassured quickly. "She wanted me to talk to you."
"Oh no, not this silly business about me being sad. She's already sicked DG on me and I told her I'm fine." Glitch waved his hands around, hair flopping all over the place; it was just a distraction in hopes Cain wouldn't see that Glitch's eyes were looking any where but him.
Cain wasn't fooled, and doubted DG had been either and Helena seeking him out made a lot more sense now if the young Princess failed. Of course she turned the eight year old toward him.
"Not going to get rid of me that easily Zipperhead. Helena's worried about you and so am I now."
Cain had to lean forward but he caught the darkly grumbled, "now you're worried."
"What's that Glitch?" Cain wasn't going without a fight.
"What do you care Cain!?" Glitch exploded, "you haven't spoken twenty words to me in the last four months unless it had something to directly do with palace business. You ignore me, my daughter. You don't care about either of us, so why stick your nose in my business now?"
Cain blinked, he had no idea how to respond.
"Did it even occur to you that six weeks ago was the first time we met?" Glitch turned away and Cain knew why, he was close to tears. "I remembered the day we met, but you didn't." Glitch raised his hands to his face and Cain knew he was wiping at tears.
"Glitch," he stood and put a hand on the man's shoulder, "I'm-"
"Cain?" Glitch turned to him and sounded genuinely surprised to see him, like he had when Cain first arrived. "What are you doing here?" Glitch looked around and blinked more confused, "have I been crying?"
Cain did the only thing he could think to do, he cupped one of Glitch's pale cheeks and tilted his head upward.
"What are you doing?" Glitch's voice hitched and his eyes darted from Cain's to his lips.
"Something I should have done a long time ago Sweetheart," he breathed, then pressed his lips to Glitch's.
Claps came from behind that could have only been made by tiny hands. "Yay," Helena smiled widely and skipped up to the men wrapping an arm around each of their waists. "Finally, we can be a family."
"Finally?" they both said together. "What does that mean, Helena?" Glitch looked at his daughter and Cain swelled with pride at the 'Papa' sound to his voice.
Helena giggled, "have to be blind to not see this coming."
The men exchanged a look, she was frighteningly bright. Frighteningly.
"Now, my family is complete," Helena whispered.
Second foray into this fandom! I love kidfic, hope you've enjoyed!