A New Dawn

It was a beautiful and peaceful morning in the O.Z. The second sun had just risen over the horizon. Glitch opened his eyes and looked at an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was he? And more importantly who was he? His mind was completely blank. He heard someone move on the left side of the spacious bed. Who could that be? Fear welled up in him, but also curiosity. Slowly, carefully he turned his head.

He was met with the bluest eyes he'd ever seen – probably, since he couldn't remember more than the past minute. "Good morning, sweetheart," the blonde man smiled at him lovingly.

And with that one simple sentence, the pictures flooded back into his mind:

The control room of the Anti-Sunseeder – he lies on the floor, the blonde bent over him, his worried expression replaced by a relieved smile as he regains consciousness "Good morning, sweetheart."

"Wyatt!" His tensed body relaxed and he returned the smile directed at him. He was relieved the stranger – who now was not so strange after all – meant no danger, happy to remember those fantastic eyes belonged to his beloved boy scout. But at the same time sadness took hold of him. He had forgotten! Again! It was the same every morning. He was used to waking up not knowing who he was. It had been that way ever since he'd wandered the streets, trying to survive without a brain. He'd never worried about it. Everything would come back eventually.

But how could he possibly forget about Wyatt Cain? The thought alone pained him. He had believed that love came directly from the heart, no brain involved, just like rhythm came directly from the soul. And he had never forgotten that. But apparently he'd been wrong… Like that was anything new!

His inner conflict must have shown on his face for Cain put a hand to his cheek. "It's alright," he whispered and drew him in for a long, slow kiss, as if trying to suck the sadness out of his lover.

Wyatt always knew how to heal him. All it took were these three little words "good morning, sweetheart" and everything would come back to him. The words were engraved into his heart, rested there, until they were triggered by an external force. So maybe he had been right about love coming from the heart after all. It was just that, unlike rhythm, love was not a one-way street. He needed another heart coming toward him to activate it.

But why these words? What was so special about them? Why did his mind always have to wake up to the painful memory of the misery in Wyatt's eyes when he thought he had lost him? He knew the answer all too well. Sure, that had been one hell of a day, destroying the Witch and almost dying in the attempt. But most importantly, that moment had been the beginning of them.

Cain had woken him and dragged him to his feet. And for a second, Glitch thought – hoped to be honest – the Tin Man would sweep him up into an embrace. But the other man only shook him to his senses. Right, they had to stop the Anti-Sunseeder. And the only one knowing the code was Glitch – or better Ambrose, or what was left of him in the jar. He couldn't focus, though. The sudden reconnection with his brain was so confusing. There was so much information flowing into him. It felt like Glitch's and Ambrose's mind where battling each other.

They were running out of time and Cain out of patience. He pointed his gun at the brain tank, "Sorry, Ambrose." That was all the motivation Glitch needed. Suddenly epiphany hit him, "The Queen's birthday!" The machine stopped. The O.Z. was safe.

Cain threw his arms around him, drawing him into a tight embrace. His hat went flying. Their mouths clashed together in a clumsy kiss, teeth clicking and noses bumping. But they rearranged their positions and found the right pace to make it a perfect kiss, more capable of expressing the joy they felt than any words could ever have.

Until Cain suddenly broke away, hissing in pain.

"Cain, you're bleeding!" Glitch anxiously examined the wound on the Tin Man's right arm.

"It's just a scratch," Cain grumbled, turning away from Glitch's probing fingers that only increased the pain. He picked up his discarded hat to avoid Glitch's scrutinizing look. "Let's go find the others. I want to make sure D.G.'s alright."

Glitch was not convinced, but Cain just kissed him again and in his case, this kiss was literally mind-blowing, for it made him forget momentarily what they had been talking about. The wound was completely forgotten when they stepped through the door. The two viewers were already waiting for them outside, slightly embarrassed from the sheer flood of emotions the couple radiated.

They found D.G., together with her sister and parents, in the throne room, smiling as brightly as the suns themselves. They bowed to her and she gave each of them a quick embrace, before she moved to introduce them to their new and old queen. The queen took Glitch into her arms, tears glistening in her lavender eyes. "My dear Ambrose."

Glitch was unsure how to react. He knew he had been her advisor, but he had no idea that he had also been her closest friend and confident. So all he could do for the moment was to stand stock-still.

He was glad when D.G. turned everyone's attention to the sight outside the windows, where the suns rose once again over the O.Z. "That's the O.Z. I remember," she said. And as they stood there, savoring the light they had feared to never see again, Glitch's hand naturally found Cain's and he had his second epiphany of the day: this was where he belonged, right next to this man, who accepted him unconditionally, with or without a brain.

Suddenly Cain's grip on his hand loosened and he sagged against him. "Wyatt!" Glitch shrieked, at once remembering the wound in his shoulder that oozed a constant stream of dark red blood. The blood loss had made him lose consciousness. Glitch went into a panicked fit, shaking the unconscious man and repeatedly mumbling his name. D.G. had to hold him back to prevent him from shaking poor Cain to death.

"Raw, do something," she ordered, while she slapped Glitch to get him out of his fit. His fuzzy mind barely registered the next events as he watched the bustle around him while absently rubbing his burning cheek.

Raw had treated Cain's wound to the best of his abilities. Still, he lay unconscious for three days. Glitch never left his bedside. Though he fell into a fitful sleep now and then and woke up, knowing neither himself nor the unconscious man on the bed, whose hand he couldn't seem to let go of, he knew deep down inside that he would not leave his side. It was his duty to watch over him. And so he just tugged his ragged coat tighter around himself and waited for the memories that would eventually return to him.

The first thing Cain saw, when he finally opened his eyes, was an abundance of brown curls spilled over his chest. He ruffled the hair with his uninjured hand. "Is that any way to treat an injured man?" he laughed.

Sleepy brown eyes blinked up at him. "Wyatt!" He jumped up, just to throw himself right back onto the poor man, burying him in a breath-taking kiss. "Thank the Gale, you're alive," he whispered against Cain's lips, "I wouldn't know what to do without you." His fingers traced the lines of Cain's face as he continued to mumble, "Don't leave me… Can't be without you... Need you… Need you…Ne…" He was caught in one of his glitches again.

"Hey, headcase, Tin Men don't die easily. We're made of steel. I thought you knew that," Cain smiled. His voice brought Glitch out of his fit.

"Damn you, boy scout! You're not invincible, you know?" he sat up and punched Cain in his good shoulder.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Cain surrendered, before the headcase could actually hurt him. He tried to pull Glitch back down into his arms, but with his right arm immobilized by the tight bandages and the painkillers running through his system he didn't have the strength.

And Glitch was not done with him yet. He struggled out of his grip. "You really scared the life out of me! You almost died! And all because of your damn pride that wouldn't allow you to admit that you needed help!"He glared at him and Cain caught another blow to his shoulder. Then Glitch fell silent, sitting on the edge of the bed without moving. He had his head turned away from Cain, the mop of his curls hiding his face.

Was he crying? The thought made Cain's chest tighten. With some effort, he pushed himself up on his good arm, until he sat behind Glitch. He placed a kiss onto his neck and struggled to wrap his arms around Glitch's torso. A scorching pain shot through his right arm, but he did his best to ignore it. "I love you…," was all he could say. And all he had to say for Glitch to relax and sag against his chest, his eyes closed. Teardrops seeped through his long lashes.

For a while, they sat like that, neither moved nor said a single word. The only sound to be heard was Glitch's soft sobbing. When Glitch's tears had finally dried up, Cain led him back down onto the bed, where they fell asleep, one physically, the other mentally exhausted, Cain's arm still draped over Glitch's body. But now he was holding the hand, gently caressing the calloused fingers.

Cain had to stay in their rather improvised hospital for another week. During the rule of the Witch the former palace hospital had served as a laboratory for her mad scientist, but now that they had either fled or were imprisoned, it was vacated except for one elderly nurse, a good soul that had served the royal family for many years. She had remained, even after the Witch had taken control, to watch over Azkadelia. She'd always believed there was still goodness in the child, though the terror in her eyes was evidence that experience had taught her better. When she now saw the royal family again, united at last, she was glad she had never given up hope and happily renewed her pledge of loyalty to her queen.

'Doctor' Raw checked on his patient every day to make sure the wound hadn't opened or gotten infected, though he seemed satisfied with the healing process. Glitch was always around, helping Cain, who was pretty much helpless with his dominant right hand out of commission, with his daily needs. He fed him, dressed him and even washed him. There were times when he was a little confused about his surroundings, when he'd even attack the poor nurse, believing she was a vicious dragoon trying to harm his boy scout. Yet all she did was to change Cain's bandages, causing the poor man to hiss in pain.

At first, Cain had been embarrassed not only by his own helplessness but by the sudden intimacy. But he soon got used to Glitch's careful ministrations. He always concentrated so hard on every task, desperate to do everything right, especially since he had spilled some soup and accidentally burned Cain's chest. Still, the cute blush that had spread on Glitch's embarrassed face had definitely been worth a little pain. To be honest, Cain actually enjoyed being taken care of. It felt so much like home – a feeling he hadn't felt in what seemed like a life time.

When they finally left the dark, gloomy hospital rooms, the rebuilding of the O.Z. was already in full swing. The corridors were busy with craftsmen renovating the palace, returning it to its former splendor. All traces of the Witch's reign had been erased. Her evil devices had been destroyed and her henchmen were imprisoned awaiting their trails, unless they had been clever enough to escape in the turmoil following the Witch's demise. A new royal army had been swiftly recruited to pursue these rogue Long Coats and protect the royal family. A provisional parliament had been elected and D.G. had finally taken her position as crown princess.

Two of the most important positions in the new government, though, were still vacant. And that was why the queen had them summoned. She wanted Glitch – or Ambrose as she insisted on calling him – to return to his original position as her advisor. Embarrassedly, he reminded her that, with his brain still locked up in the jar, he'd be of little use to her. But she wouldn't hear of it. She insisted that, after all that had happened, she needed someone she could trust by her side. She also assured him that she still believed in his abilities. Even without his brain, he had played an important part in saving the O.Z. after all. And she promised him she would hire the best scientists and surgeons to find a way to re-transplant his brain.

Her pleading lavender eyes almost stirred memories of the old days, when he had still been her Ambrose, in the back of his mind. Though it was more of a vague feeling than an actual memory. It was a feeling of deep rooted trust and friendship. He wanted to be this man she saw in him. And how could he possibly disobey her? His loyalty to her was unbroken. And thus, he surrendered to her wishes and became her advisor once more.

Then she turned to Cain. Being a former man of the law, he was to be the commander of the regrouped Tin Man. Most of the former officers had either been killed or joined the ranks of the Long Coats when the Witch took over and thus were now imprisoned or on the run. The new troops consisted mostly of the rebels. After their groups had been disbanded, many had come to the city and were now searching for a new purpose. Most of them were still young, though, and they needed a strong and experienced leader.

Ambrose's former chambers and laboratory had already been restored and cleaned and waited for him to move in. Most of Ambrose's possessions had outlasted the long years of his absence. The rooms looked just the way he'd left them years ago, or at least that's what the queen had told him when she showed Cain and him to them. Still, they felt foreign to him. He had hoped that being surrounded by his books and inventions, being able to touch them, would bring back his memory. But there was nothing, only cold and impersonal chambers that were too big for his liking and lacked color. He was glad he had Cain with him to hold onto.

Upon inspecting his troops Cain was glad to find his son Jeb was among these young officers. After the Witch had been defeated, he had returned to the forests with his rebel group and Cain had already been afraid that he wouldn't see his son again, when they had finally been reunited. He had already made plans to go searching for him, once his wound allowed it. But now everything was going to be fine. Their family would finally be together again.

But living together after the long separation was not easy. While time had been standing still for Cain, locked in his Tin Suit, reliving the same moment over and over again, Jeb had grown into an independent young man. At work, they made a great team. There, they had a clear hierarchy to follow. Cain was the commander and Jeb would follow his every order.

At home though, things were different. Jeb had definitely inherited his father's stubbornness and with no ranks separating them they constantly got into fights. Without the uniform, Jeb became once again his little boy to Cain. He wanted to protect and guide him, but he also expected his rules to be followed. Jeb though, without his father, had had to grow up fast. When his father was put into the Tin Suit, he suddenly was the man in the family. He was the one who had to protect his mother and he was also the one who, in the end, had to bury her. He was not used to anyone making decisions for him and felt that his father wasn't taking him seriously.

In the beginning, they still tried to control their tempers. They thought they just had to get used to each other again. But there always remained that gap between them they just couldn't bridge. And the better they got to know each other, the better they learned to drive each other up the wall.

Whenever they had one of these arguments, Cain would take his hat and spent the night at Glitch's.

And when he returned in the mornings, he felt guilty, like he was betraying his family. He hadn't even told Jeb about his relationship to Glitch yet, couldn't bring up the courage to do it. It was like he was tarnishing the memories of Adora.