Author's Note: Not mine, not making any money. This is entirely Jaime's fault for getting me addicted to this mini-series. I can't believe I'm writing this, but I can't get it out of my brain! Ok, this has been edited from its original version. I like to write in first person, but I originally posted this in third person. Since I'm going to continue it, I edited it and made it first person to make it easier for myself from this point forward. Each chapter will probably have a different POV just because that's what I like to do. There have been a few changes, but nothing Earth-shattering. What do you think—better, worse?

Chapter One

Cain's POV

I let my eyes sweep around the room, taking in the frenzied movement around me.

Somehow when the dust settled, responsibility had fallen on my shoulders. Jeb had known how to lead his men into battle—he'd spent eight years learning to do that—but once the battle was over, my son had been at a loss. He and his resistance fighters had turned to me, and I reluctantly started giving orders.

Triage and a place for healings had been carved out, prisoners—mostly defeated long coats, but also members of the sorceress' entourage—were organized and marshaled into holding areas. And most importantly, a secure perimeter was established around the tower that now housed the entire royal family of The O.Z.

It was controlled chaos, chaos I controlled, but truth to tell I couldn't care less. What I cared about was still upstairs. I'd stormed onto the balcony, Glitch, Raw, and Toto close behind me, in time to see the royal family of the O.Z. embracing. Holding out my uninjured arm to keep the rag-tag bunch backing me up at bay, I'd looked just long enough to make sure that DG was alright, then backed slowly out of the balcony and chamber, pulling the door closed behind us.

"Let's give them some time," I told the others gruffly. "Plenty for us to do downstairs."

"Sure. That's a good idea. I should—I should—I should—"

I reached over and smacked Glitch on the back, wincing a little as pain flared through my shoulder. It was a flesh wound, but damn if it didn't hurt like the three Hells.

Glitch's eyes bugged a little at the whack, but he shook his head sheepishly. "Thanks—I needed that. I should get the castle staff together. Get rooms and food for tonight sorted out. Is that a good idea, Cain?"

I nodded slightly in answer. "Good plan, Zipperhead. Put them up high on one of the secured floors." Looking back, I guessed that's how it started—my first mistake. Then I went and made it worse, poor dumb bastard that I was. A few seconds after Glitch scuttled off, Raw interrupted my thoughts.

"Raw help Tin Man?" The viewer had asked, his growly voice tentative.

"No—there's lots more hurt worse than me. Get the other viewers from the prison and any one with experience healing together. We need to start tending to the wounded fast."

He'd given my shoulder one last look, but Raw nodded finally in acceptance of the order. "Tin Man come with Raw. Have healer bandage." I had grudgingly acquiesced, answering questions and giving reluctant instructions the whole time my shoulder was cleaned and wrapped.

Once people figured out there was someone willing to take charge, they'd just kept coming to me with questions, for direction, looking for someone to tell them what to do with themselves. That had been a few hours ago, though, and at this point I could admit to myself that I was getting antsy.

I'd seen DG well enough to know she made it out of the ordeal, but now I wanted to check on her, talk to her, find out for sure that she was a fine as she'd looked from a distance.

"Hey, Tin Man."

At the sound of her voice, I stiffened and turned. It wasn't often I was caught off guard, but this little slip of a girl seemed more adept at it than most. She was standing behind me, clothes a mess, hair wild, skin so pale it looked translucent. There were deep, bruising circles under her eyes, but her generous lips were tilted up in a small smile, and her expression, though weary, was contented.

I was so relieved to see her, I scowled.

That just made her grin widen—impertinent kid.

"What are you doing down here by yourself?" I asked gruffly. "We don't know for sure that the tower's secure. You should have—"

"Cain, I'm fine," she interrupted softly. "I wanted to see you. I was—worried."

"Well, you've seen me. Glitch's rounded up some people to make up rooms for tonight. Lets find him and get you settled." My words came out more brusque than he intended, but DG looked fragile—more so than usual—and I didn't like it one bit.  She'd gone through an ordeal, and she should be resting, damn it.

"I know. He and some of the maids came upstairs. My parents and Az are probably already sleeping," she replied on a sigh.

"Why aren't you?" I asked bluntly.

DG rolled her eyes. "Because, at the risk of repeating myself here, I. Wanted. To. Check. On. You."

"Well, you can see for yourself I'm in one piece. Now lets go find Glitch and figure out where to put you." The kid might have been exhausted, but that was enough to get her dander up regardless. The site of her set jaw actually went a long way toward making me feel better about how she was doing.

"Put me?" She demanded, voice incredulous. "I don't need to be PUT anywhere."

I cut her off with a wince before she could really build up steam—I'd forgotten how touchy women sometimes got about word choice. A few annuals in a metal suit would do that to a man. "Don't get your britches in a knot. I didn't mean anything by it. Let's find out where your room is," I amended.

DG looked only slightly mollified, but she nodded. By the fact that she'd let it go at that, I understood that she was even more tired than she looked. I closed the distance between us almost without realizing it and slung an arm around her shoulders, wordlessly supporting her. If I was smart I'd keep my hands to myself, but then I've never claimed to be a smart man.

DG sagged against me just a little and laid her head on my shoulder. My worry ratcheted up another notch.

"Keep this up, and all you men will be expecting hugs," she joked tiredly.

"Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head, but I like you better than most of my other men."

There was a heartbeat of silence before she replied, her voice suddenly shy. "I like you, too."

Something moved in my chest, and I swallowed heavily. By Ozma, I needed to get myself together. Moving away from her a little, I patted DG awkwardly once on the shoulder and then dropped my hand, cutting off contact that was giving me ideas a man shouldn't be having about a girl almost the same age as his son.

"Give it time. You'll change your mind." I replied gruffly. "Now, enough stalling. Let's get you upstairs, Kid. Do you know where you're supposed to be?"

"Actually, yeah—the bedrooms are a little strange, but Glitch said he put me in one not too far from my parents and Az. It's a long walk back up."

"Then we'd better not waste any time." I said firmly and signaled Jeb, who jogged over as soon as he saw the motion.

My son's face was streaked with dirt, but he looked liked like a man on a high. A successful battle would do that to you. Jeb took a second to nod at DG before he acknowledged me. "Great job, princess. Whatever you did up there, you're a real hero."

DG winked at him. "Piece of cake."

Jeb looked uncertain. I understood the feeling—half the time I didn't have a clue what she was saying. Why she'd be talking about cake right now was beyond me. "Well, uh—still—thanks." He turned his attention to me. "You needed me, Dad?" 

"I'm going to take the princess upstairs and get her settled. We need to get a shift of men rested so they can take over in a few hours. Glitch should be working on setting up temporary quarters in the ballroom one floor up. Send at least a third of the troops for a four-hour rest as soon as it's finished."

Jeb was frowning. "Dad, no one's going to want to—"

"I understand. Adrenaline is high right now, but we can't have everyone crashing at once. This has been a long damn day. One-third resting now—it's an order, not a suggestion." My voice left no room for argument. Like I told DG before the battle started, I'd led military actions before, and I knew what it was like directly after, but this was important. Order had to be established immediately, even with the troops. When Jeb nodded at me and said he'd take care of it, I turned back to DG, confident that things down here would handle themselves for a bit. "Let's go, Kid."

By the third flight of stairs, I realized that DG wasn't going to make it up on her own steam. She'd slowed down with every step. Her face was set in a line of grim determination, but I knew it wouldn't hold out much longer. Sheer force of will could only push a body so far.

"Boy," DG panted, not able to keep herself from sagging a little against the railing. "What this place needs is an elevator. These steps are murder."

I frowned. I wasn't sure what an elevator was, but I thought I understood what she meant—the machine that took you upstairs instead of climbing them yourself. "The lift system was damaged in the fighting. As soon as we figure out who's qualified to fix it, we'll get it back up and running."

I assumed I'd translated correctly, because closing her eyes for half a second, I could see DG mentally shoring herself up to continue the climb. I was beside her before she could. Not stopping to think about what I was doing, I slipped my arms underneath her and cradled her against my chest. There was a slight noise of surprise, but almost before she stiffened, DG relaxed into my arms. I'd been assiduous in putting as much of her weight as I could on my good arm, but I still had to bite back a wince at the slight strain her legs put on my other shoulder. I was careful not to let DG see the change in my expression, though. I knew her well enough to know if she thought she was hurting me in the least, she would insist on getting to her room on her own speed, even if she had to crawl. The princess was stubborn that way.

"I can walk," she protested.

"Now why would you want to deprive me of the pleasure of carrying you? That's pretty insensitive after everything we've been through." I kept my voice light, teasing, and was rewarded when a strangled laugh slipped out of DG's mouth. In a way, it was true. The pleasure I got from having her in my arms far outweighed the slight discomfort it caused. Not that I should be thinking like that, I told myself firmly.

"You are such a dork," she distracted me when she spoke, a smile clear in her voice. There was a heartbeat of silence during which she nestled herself more securely against my chest, and when she continued, her tone had changed and was as solemn as I'd ever heard it. "Thank you."

I didn't know what the heck a 'dork' was, but from the soft glow in her eyes, I figured it must be a pretty high compliment. And the way she fit against me, especially since she'd shifted, well, it had me thinking more of those inappropriate thoughts. I couldn't remember for certain, but best I could recall from my Ozian history, the youngest princess was about 21 annuals old. She might be 22 annuals, my mind added helpfully.

Perfect. Here my mind was getting worked up over a single year that didn't really matter at all. I was 38 annuals old. I could be off by five or six annuals, and I'd still be too old for her. I glanced down at her when I felt movement again. She'd closed her eyes and was lightly rubbing her cheek back and forth against the side of my duster. Great—like that she looked about 12 annuals.

With a fierce internal growl, I forced myself to concentrate on the stairs and ignore the distraction of the woman in my arms. Only about seven flights to go—I was already tired, so maybe by the time I made it all the way upstairs, my body would be too exhausted to think about her anymore. When I shifted her to round the newel post at the next landing, I felt her breast press against my chest again and bit back a groan.

Forgetting seemed unlikely—highly unlikely.

"Time to wake up, Kiddo. You have to tell me where we're going." I paused as DG's eyes fluttered open. She looked disoriented, and I was glad. Maybe that meant she couldn't see the tension in my face that was a result of holding her for so long. We were at the floor Glitch had made rooms for the royal family on, but now I needed to know where to go from here. If I'd thought to ask her before I picked her up, I would have let the princess keep sleeping.

"H-huh?"

"Ride's over—you fell asleep."

DG blushed and squirmed, and I eased her legs down, careful not to let her brush against the physical evidence of how much I'd enjoyed holding her. I didn't let go of her until I was sure her legs would support her, and even then, I kept one arm around her shoulders just in case. I told myself it was just to make sure she didn't fall. And when the little voice in my head told me I was full of Marmaluke dung, I managed to ignore it.

"I can't believe I fell asleep while you were carrying me upstairs. I'm so sorry." She was shaking her head to clear it, voice rueful.

"Not a problem, Kid. You've had a busy few days. I think you've earned a little cat nap."

"You've had some pretty busy days, too." She protested then gestured down a long, dark hallway. "My room is down there, fourth door on the right."

I felt myself looking up and down the hall skeptically, taking a second to nod at the guards placed like bookends on either side of the staircase. I recognized one of them from Jeb's camp. They were both studiously not watching DG and I, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that ten minutes from now everyone in the tower would know I'd carried the princess to her room. I couldn't be bothered with worrying about that right now. "Not exactly a very welcoming guest wing, is it?" I joked.

DG twisted her head up to look at me and laughed lightly. "I don't think the witch subscribed to Better Homes and Gardens." At my baffled blink, she sighed. "I swear, my sparkling sense of sarcastic humor was much more effective when people understood what I was talking about."

I decided it would be safest not to answer at all.

When they reached the door DG indicated, she reached forward and started to open it. My hand on her arm stopped her, and she looked up at me with curiosity clear in her eyes.

"Let me go first, Kiddo," I said flatly.

"Glitch and the castle servants went through the room al—"

"Just humor me," I interrupted. I trusted Glitch as much as I trusted anyone, but when it came to DG's safety, I wasn't taking any chances. Not that there was anything—special—about that. I'd feel the same way about any member of the royal family. I managed to convince myself that was true in spite of the fact that I hadn't so much as looked at the rooms of her parents and sister. DG acquiesced with a slight roll of her eyes, and I pushed the door open. I stepped inside, indicating with a hand gesture that she should stay in the hall in view of the guards while I made sure the room was secure.

It didn't take long. I was surprised to note that the chamber, while nicely appointed, wasn't particularly grandiose. A lamp burned dimly on a low dresser next to a large bed that took up most of the space. It didn't do much to light up the room, though, probably because everything was done in shades of black and dark green. It was gloomy and oppressive, and I couldn't imagine DG was going to be comfortable there. Two doors were positioned side by side on the wall across from the entrance, but I wanted to get the princess out of the hall as quickly as possible. I could check those out as soon as I had her safely shut in the room. I turned around and stepped back outside.

"It's clear, Princess. You can come on inside."

DG was leaning heavily against the wall, looking at me through eyes barely open. "God, it's even worse than Azkadellia's room," she commented as she stepped through the door.

"Are she and your parents in rooms close by?" I asked, turning a heavy metal lock. I was curious about where Zipperhead had stowed the other royals. 

DG shook her head. "Not exactly—Glitch put them in, I guess it's a suite—two rooms connected—at the other end of the hall." A shadow passed over her features. "Az collapsed. Mother said she's just weak, but—" The girl broke off suddenly. "God, I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't—she was having these dreams. Horrible nightmares. And it's my fault. Can you imagine living trapped in yourself for years."

A horrified look crossed her features. "Jesus, I guess you can, and that's my fault, too. I—"

Almost before I realized what I was doing, I'd crossed the room and wrapped DG in my arms. I can take a lot, but the guilt and pain on her face, I couldn't live with. I've never been good with words, but I did the best I could to make her understand that what had happened to the O.Z. wasn't her fault. "Don't you dare think like that, DG. You saved your sister, and you saved me. The past is the past, Kid. When it counted, you were there."

She held herself stiff for a heartbeat, then all at once seemed to melt into me. "It was so hard to see her like that. To see the Queen and my father, both so shaken. Cain, I don't even know them. They're strangers—strangers who've lived in their own private Hells for 15 years because of me. I had this wonderful life with my parents—well with the robots I thought were my parents, and they've been—"

The tears were coming faster now, soaking the front of my shirt, and it seemed like speech was beyond her at this point. My heart cracked a little at the pain in DG's voice, but I didn't know how to fix it. I tried again, though, because I wasn't willing to just stand there and let her hurt. Too bad Raw wasn't here—he'd know what to say to help her, damn it. "Shh…it's ok now. You're here now, and you're strong, kiddo. Strong enough to help your family get through this."

I guess I said something right, because DG sniffled and looked up at me, smiling through her tears. "You know, the whole time I was in that room with them, I could hear you saying something like that. I think it's what helped hold me together.

Looking down, I studied her face intently, relieved she wasn't crying anymore. "Good—then you won't mind to listen to me again. You need to get some rest." At the princess' grimace, I sighed. Nothing was ever easy with this girl. "What's the problem?"

"I'm filthy. I'm never going to be able to sleep like this."

Now this, I might be able to help with, at least I thought I could. "Well, I don't know much about palace guest rooms and such, but I'm willing to bet one of those doors has a washroom, and the other one is a closet. Why don't you go wash up, and I'll see if there's anything you can change into. Sound good?"

"Sounds great—if you find me pajamas, I'll love you forever." And with that she stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed my cheek. Ozma give me strength, I thought as I forced myself to step away from her and open the doors. Thankfully, it turned out I knew what I was talking about, and in just a few minutes, the princess was in the wash room making use of a basin of water and some cloths. The closet didn't have much in the way of clothing that would be appropriate for DG—it looked like this was a room usually given to a man—but there was a long black shirt she could use.

I tapped lightly on the washroom door and turned my back when she opened it to take the garment. From her light laugh, she thought I was being old fashioned, but I couldn't make myself care. I was at the edge of my control as it was—the last thing I needed was to accidentally catch a glimpse of something I shouldn't. Once she had the shirt in her possession, DG finished quickly. When she came back out, I had turned around and was sitting in a chair close to the bedroom door. I'd expected her to have on the shirt over her britches. When I realized she'd decided to just go without pants, I almost fell out of my seat.

Jumping up, I rushed to turn around again, not that it mattered anymore. I'd already gotten a long look at a pair of alluring, pale legs. How the heck did they get so damned smooth? My mind demanded, the question slipping out past the mental clamps I was trying to lock it down with. DG was laughing again, and the sound sent another bolt of lust through my stomach. Jumping Jitterbugs, she was trying to kill me.

"What the heck is your problem, Tin Man? You're acting like you've never seen legs before."

"It's not appropriate," I ground out the reply through clenched teeth.

There was another musical laugh, and then the sound of the mattress sinking and covers rustling. "You need to lighten up," she said. "But it's all clear now. I'm thoroughly covered."

Somehow the knowledge that her legs were covered up didn't exactly help. The image of them had been burned permanently into my brain. If I were smart and wanted to avoid a royal execution, I'd high tail it out of here as fast as I could find someone to take over charge of things downstairs. I knew that wasn't going to happen, though. The idea of leaving DG and setting out to pick up the pieces of my life was enough to make me physically ill. I'd stay with her until she didn't need me anymore—even if it killed me. I could tell myself it was because of the promise I'd made to the Mystic Man, but I knew I'd be lying. I wasn't staying for him anymore—I was staying for her.

Of course, death might come sooner rather than later. As it was, my shoulder was aching, I was exhausted, my body was hot and hard, and there was no relief in sight for any of it. Dying might have been a better choice. I wished for a bed, but knew I wasn't going to see one anytime soon. Two guards a hallway away weren't near enough as far as I was concerned. I was going to pull up a chair and park myself right in front of her door for the night. As soon as I could escape from the vision of her bare legs, that was.

Holding my shoulders stiff, I didn't acknowledge DG's teasing. "Did you need anything else?" I asked formally, still facing the door.

Her laughter died in an instant. "You're—leaving?" Her voice held a note of panic that took me by surprise. "Where are you going?"

I turned around instinctively as soon as I realized how upset she was. DG wasn't tucked safely in bed anymore. She was on her knees in the center of the mattress, looking frantic. That was almost enough to make me not notice the creamy tops of her thighs or the way she'd left the top few buttons of the shirt open. Almost.

My voice softened at the sight of her. "Hey, I'm not going far. I'll be right outside if you need anything, I'm a yell away."

DG was shaking her head. "No. Please—I can't be alone here. I—" Her voice broke. "I can't."

"Kid—DG—I can't stay in this room. It's not right. You're a princess, and I'm—"

Before I finished, she was off the bed and—Glinda have mercy—plastered against me again. "Then I'll go back downstairs with you. I'll sleep in the hallway. Whatever. Just don't leave me here," she begged.

I was torn. I called her Kid, but that was something I did to remind myself that she was off-limits. This little princess was an adult, and if people found out I'd spent the night in her room, it was as an adult that her actions would be judged. I didn't know what the heck to do. Finally, I made myself meet her eyes, and in an instant, the expression in them decided me. She was clutching my shirt desperately, like she thought I was going to shove her away and escape. It was more than I could take. Right or wrong, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I couldn't walk away from her tonight.

"I'll stay. Come on, Kiddo. I'll stay. Just get back in bed." My words were husky as I wrapped my arms around her, trying to reassure her.

Her grip didn't slacken in the slightest. "You'll leave. Once I'm asleep, you'll leave."

Reaching up, I gently uncurled her fingers. "I give you my word—I won't leave you, DG. And you know a Tin Man never breaks his word." Moving slowly so as not to spook her, I led her back to the bed and guided her into it. When I started to pull my hand away from hers to cover her up, she clenched her fingers tightly.

"Easy, Princess. I'm just tucking you in." I didn't try to pull away again, though, and using my foot, snagged the chair I'd been sitting on while she cleaned up and pulled it close to the bed. "I'm going to need my hand back just for a second," I tried to tease.

DG didn't laugh. There was a long pause before she let go, and my heart clenched when I realized how hard it had been for her to do that. Working quickly, I took off my duster and unfastened my gun belt. The coat I draped over the back of the chair, hoping it would provide a little extra padding. The gun belt I set in easy reach of myself on the nightstand. As soon as I was settled, DG reached for me again.

I linked my fingers through hers again and squeezed. Honestly, I was happy to have the contact restored, too. DG's panic attack had shaken me more than I let on, and I was worried about her. As I did, a breath I didn't know she was holding whooshed out of the princess, and all at once she looked impossibly small. Convinced that I wasn't going anywhere, though, she let herself relax into the mattress.

"Before I came here I had nightmares, too," she said quietly, eyelids drooping. "I'm afraid to sleep now—what if I can't wake up?"

I swallowed heavily. In that moment, all I wanted was to spend the rest of my life making sure she never had a reason for bad dreams again. I might not be able to keep them away forever, but I could give her a few hours, at least. "You don't have to worry about that tonight, Princess. No nightmares on my watch."

"Going to protect me from them?" Her voice was a whisper on the edge of sleep that left a slight smile behind as she slipped into oblivion.

"It's a promise," I vowed.

I leaned back in the chair, letting myself relax for the first time in a week—Hells, in nine annuals, if I were being honest. I didn't know what would happen tomorrow, but I couldn't worry about it right now.

Right now, I had a promise to keep.

TBC