Note from the Author-- More Cain and DG, just for kicks and giggles and because it occured to me late last night and I couldn't help but write it down this afternoon. : ) I hope you enjoy
Disclaimer-- I do not own the characters of Tin Man
Wyatt Cain hated hearing his name ring out through the castle. When it happened, it never meant anything good. In fact it generally meant trouble, and usually trouble of the DG variety. So when Glitch called out loud enough that it could be heard in the kitchens, Cain set his silver wear down and headed to see what had gone wrong now; but not without one more wistful glance back at the omelet he'd been on the verge of digging into.
When he reached the entry hall he immediately spotted Glitch standing at the top of the stairs with Az and Raw. Glitch looked worried, the viewer looked as serene as ever, and the more reserved of the OZ's two princesses had something that was leaning from smile towards smirk. This could not be good.
"Cain…" Glitch started.
He held up a hand, cutting the former advisor off. "What did she do this time?"
"Nothing that wasn't entirely deserved in my opinion," Az told her sister's guard.
"That didn't answer my question," he halfway growled.
All traces of a smile had been replaced by the smirk now. "We just heard the yelling Mr. Cain. I'm guessing you'll have to see for yourself."
Cain cursed viciously under his breath and started up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He brushed past the trio at the top and sped through the halls to the office where DG was supposed to be in a meeting with Lord Drake about the progress on the replenishing of the fields of the Papay. As he feared he would, he heard her before he saw her.
"Get the hell out!" DG yelled.
He arrived at the office just in time to see Lord Drake pinwheel backwards through the door, propelled by a shove that he would have bet was magically fueled. "Everything alright here?" Wyatt asked.
Lord Drake fussed for a moment, pulling at his tie and brushing off debris that apparently only he could see. "Just fine," he responded before turning on his heel and walking away as fast as he could.
Cain entered the room cautiously, wary of the fact that DG's magic could still be raging. Her magic had, in fact, calmed but her temper was still firing at full force. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and she was pacing the room as he leaned casually against the doorframe. "You doin' okay kid?"
She whirled to face him and tried to force herself to calm down. "As well as can be expected."
"What set you off so bad?" he questioned, still treading lightly.
DG felt her temper flare again. "Let's see, it could have been Lord Drake's oh so polite suggestion that my behavior and dress is unsuitable for a princess of the OZ. Maybe it was the way he sounded as if he was speaking to a prostitute when he suggested he teach me how to behave. Or you know it could have been when he disliked the fact that I turned down his sleazy offer and grabbed hold of me so hard that I thought I would hear something crack. You know I wasn't aware that diplomatic meetings involved the Princess putting up with arrogant bastards like that jackass I just kicked out of here."
He didn't even hear the last part of her rant. His anger had boiled over the second DG had begun to recount the story, but when he heard that the son of a bitch had put his hands on her, Cain had become deaf to everything but the roar of fury in his ears. Without saying a word he turned and walked from the room, calm as the day is long.
"Oh hell," DG said. She ran into the hall after him, skidding to a stop when she realized he was already headed down the stairs.
Az, Glitch and Raw came running towards her. "What on earth did you tell him?" Az asked.
"The truth," she answered helplessly. "I didn't exactly think about how he would react and I sort of just launched into it."
"Cain not happy at all," Raw told her.
DG sighed. "Yeah, I noticed that too."
They all started when they heard a yelp from outside the office window. Eyes wide, all four ran into the room and Glitch threw the shutters open. Cain and Lord Drake were right under the window. They couldn't see either man without looking straight down, which was impossible with all four of them crammed into the window. They couldn't see, but they all certainly heard the sickening, yet in this case entirely satisfying, sound of bone and flesh against stone as Cain slammed the smarmy bastard up against the palace wall.
DG couldn't help but smile a bit knowing that he was so willing to go to bat for her, even if he did let his temper get the better of him every now and then. None of them could hear a word that was being said; not surprising considering how quietly menacing Cain tended to get when he was angry. Still they all stayed there, hoping to catch some little piece of the conversation. It remained deadly quiet until Lord Drake let out a rather undignified squeak and took off for the stables to retrieve his mount as fast as he could.
"Well Doll, I don't think he'll ever be an issue again," Glitch said with a smile.
"I think you're right," she agreed.
With the others out of the window, Az bent to see that Cain was coming back inside as they spoke. "Here he comes," she told them. She pulled back into the room and straightened her dress. "Wouldn't want it to look like we were snooping. Come on."
DG watched with a bemused smile as her sister grabbed Glitch and Raw by the arms and paraded out of the room, the pair of them trailing happily behind her. It didn't take long for Cain to make it back upstairs, and when he returned to the office the only hint that he'd done anything was his hat sitting slightly off kilter on his head.
He closed the door behind him and DG walked to meet him, smiling as she tugged his hat so it sat straight. "Aren't you just my own personal knight in shining armor? Feel better now?"
Cain felt the smile creep up of its own volition. "Slightly."
"You know I sufficiently embarrassed him, he wouldn't have been an issue," she told him.
"I know, and you're more than capable of taking care of yourself; but like you said, it made me feel a bit better." He reached out and gently took hold of her arms, running his fingers over her wrists where the beginnings of what had the potential to be pretty spectacularly colored bruises were blossoming. "I don't like that he grabbed you that way; especially not that he grabbed you hard enough to get these going."
In an unexpected move, he bent to brush his lips softly against the raw spots, first on her left wrist then her right, and her heart went yo-yoing from her chest to her feet and back. "I'm sure Raw can fix them," she commented, her voice coming out breathy.
He shook his head. "Not the point Darlin'. I didn't like that he thought he could put his hands on you, or that he thought it was okay to speak to you that way. I'm sure that after our little chat that won't be a problem from him or any other man in the OZ from now on."
"That chat sounded like it got a little physical," she said.
"On my end anyway. I got my point across just fine." He looked her up and down. "Besides, I'm perfectly fine with the way you dress, and the way you act."
DG shot him an interested look. "You are, are you?"
The grin he flashed was entirely mischievous and she found the look sat well on him. He reached out and hooked his fingers through the loops on her pants to pull her to him. "I think it's entirely suitable."
"Really now?" She leaned up and brushed her lips against hers in a kiss that was over almost before it began, teasing him.
"Darlin' you have no idea."
She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled innocently up at him. "Maybe you should show me."
Cain laughed and barely managed to get the words out before their mouths met and they melted into each other, "My pleasure."