Rating: R

Pairing: Cain/DG

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em

Notes: This is dedicated to Moony Blues and Erinm4600 and a late night round of IM's on the subject. If I have the nerve, I'll follow this little three part series up with the obvious companion piece.

Note 2: In CPR, Rescue Breathing is also known as The Kiss Of Life

Rescue Breathing

By Lattelady

Ch 1 – Kiss Me Once


The first time they kissed he told her it was a result of exhaustion, fear and adrenaline.

Cain found DG standing on one of the balconies of the Tower, staring out into the night. They'd defeated the powers of Evil hours earlier and everyone else was asleep.

"Princess, what are you doing still awake?"

"I can't sleep, just keep going over and over everything in my mind." She shrugged. "Why are you still wondering around?" She felt him lean against the wall close enough that his arm brushed hers. Something about his touch brought stillness to her soul that had been missing over the last few hours.

"About the same, can't seem to get rid of the last of the adrenaline. It sounds as if you're having the same problem," he sighed. He'd been watching out for her, for the better part of seven days. It was something he was having trouble letting go of, adrenaline or not, she was the cause of his sleeplessness.

"I was so scared." She turned and looked at him with her arms wrapped around her body to keep from shaking. "I thought for sure I was sending them off to die a terrible death at the hands of the Witch and her Longcoats."

"You hid it well." He could see the residual fear in her eyes and hated it was there. He hated even more that she was trying to face it alone.

"It helped, what you told me, that I was doing a good job; that I sent them off into battle properly." She wanted him to know how important it was to her that he'd been there for her when she'd been the most unsure of herself, but needed to appear the most confident.

"I meant every word of it. Including the part about there being less hugging involved when I've done it." One corner of his mouth turned up remembering how he'd teased her in that dark moment and what it had led to.

"I've always believed that pep talks are more effective if they included a hug." It was her position and she was going to stand by it.

"You may be correct. It certainly helped Glitch and Raw." He knew if it he told her the truth and added his name to that list; she'd know how badly he needed her now. "Certain people…" his voice lowered to a whisper and before he thought it through, he pulled her into his arms. "Yeah, they're definitely more effective this way."

He'd hugged her of his own accord before, but never like this. This time she was pulled off her feet and held so tightly against him she could feel the imprint of the closed razor he kept in his vest pocket pressed against her breast. His duster brushed around her shoulders adding to the feel of being surrounded by him.

"Tin Man," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck drinking in his physical presence with every inch of her body.

The stubble on his cheek scratched against her neck as his lips moved over her jaw until his mouth covered hers. He turned and pressed her against the wall with her head in the crook of his arm. When he slowly lowered her feet to the ground, the drag of her body against his set his blood on fire.

Deeg had no illusions about the fact that the only things that were holding her up were his arms banded around her and hers locked around his neck. When his tongue flicked against her lips, she shivered with pleasure and allowed him entrance. It felt so good to finally know what his mouth felt like as it moved over hers and to know he tasted of coffee and apples.

Cain felt her trembling and common sense began to reassert itself. He was kissing his Princess and she was kissing him back. It felt as if he'd come home after eight long annuals of wandering lost in a nightmare. But it couldn't go on, so he pulled back just enough so their lips separated.

"No," she moaned and tried to follow his mouth with hers. "Please don't stop."

"Easy, Princess," he whispered, his breath brushing against her ear. "That's just the adrenaline talking."

"Are you sure?" She buried her face against his neck, breathing in the scent of leather, gun powder and something else that was uniquely Wyatt Cain.

"Yeah, that mixed in with exhaustion and some left over fear." It about killed him to lie to her, but he didn't want to hurt her and until he figured some things out, he was too emotionally broken to do anything else.

"Will you hold me until it passes?" She was almost sure he was wrong, but he had more experience in these things than she did.

"I got ya, Kiddo, I got ya." He turned them so she wasn't caught between him and the wall any longer and pulled the edges of his coat closer around her so her bare arms weren't exposed to the chilly breeze.


That's how Raw found them half an hour later. Deeg was asleep standing against her Tin Man. They were locked in an embrace both looked reluctant to break.

The Viewer didn't need to be told what to do. He quietly held the doors for his friend to carry the sleeping Princess to her chambers. Once they'd put her to bed and were in the hall again the empath whispered, "Cain good man, kind man. Now has power to mend."

TBC