A/N Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man and its affiliated characters which are the property of RHI Entertainment. This is for my own enjoyment and I thought I would share it with you. I would love to know what you think so reviews are welcome. This one took almost a three days to write and went through a lengthy revision process. There is a continuation of this story in the works.
They had spent enough time in Finaqua and they now had to move onto the Land of the Un-wanted in order to find Ahamo, DG's father.
The thought was still strange, she had lived so long from this place, had accepted parents that she now knew weren't biologically related to her. Weren't even the same species if robots could be called a species.
As they left the beautiful palace DG had been able to re-discover she looked at the back of the man in front of her.
She took in the tattered coat that he was never without, not even when it was sopping wet from jumping to escape the papay. She took in the hair that at one point was tame, she had seen it in the painting in the North and if anyone were to ask her she would have told them she preferred the unruly curls to the tame ones.
He must have felt her staring at him because he suddenly looked behind him. Blue eyes locked with brown eyes. The blue ones sparkled as the smile that lit up her whole face reached her eyes. The brown ones smiled back, that boyish smile that she loved gracing his face.
Gods he was beautiful. She stared in wonder at the eyes she loved so much, the dimples that really only showed when he smiled, the eyelashes long, full and dark that brushed his cheeks every time he blinked.
She felt herself blush and she was the one to look away first, choosing to look where she was going. Then she remembered everything that had been revealed in Finaqua. Everything that was happening to them was all her fault. There were a million ifs running through her head all at once.
If I hadn't let go, if I hadn't convinced her to go in the first place, if I hadn't been curious about the noise, if I hadn't heard it in the first place, if I had never been born, if I had died, if I had done things right none of this would have happened or be happening.
She looked over to the group of men in front of her and felt the guilt rise up in her.
Tutor. He would not have been imprisoned for fifteen annuals, had to endure Gods knew what.
Raw. He would not have had been imprisoned either because of his kind's gift, he would not have had to escape and leave the others behind.
Cain. He would still be with his family living out his life peacefully as a family man and a tin man in Central City.
Glitch. He would still be the Queen's advisor, an advisor that had his brain securely in his head. He would be able to remember who he was and all the other little things people took for granted. He would have been able to use his machine for the purpose it was intended for. He would have been able to have a full life.
Glitch had seen DG's smile, saw her drop her head as the smile was replaced with a frown. His smile was replaced with a look of confusion as the brain he still had left tried to figure out what that color on DG's cheeks meant and why she now frowned.
Above all he tried to figure out what the feeling he was experiencing was called. He knew he felt concern at her quick turn in emotion, knew he wanted to put the smile back on her face. But there was more to it. He felt…consumed. There was no other word. Ever since he had met her, which he had the very strong feeling was long before the cage in the Land of the Munchkins, he had felt somehow whole. He could think more clearly when she was near. He often found himself making excuses to be closer to her, to touch her in some small way even if it was just a meeting of their clothes.
He often found himself feeling something else every time she hugged or touched someone other than him. He had no name for that feeling either but he knew it was wrong to feel that way. That feeling made him want to punch something.
All of a sudden something gently touched his arm and he jumped as if electrocuted.
"You scared me…" he said to DG.
"Sorry…it looked like you were angry at something…"
"Was I…"
"I don't know were you?"
He scrunched his features as he tried to grasp onto what he had just been thinking about. The tendril of thought kept alluding him and he forgot what he was chasing in the first place. He soon left the trail alone and could no longer remember where he was.
He looked around and saw only trees as far as the eye could see. He felt something on his arm, not a threatening presence just one that was radiating reassurance. He followed the arm and looked at the person that owned it, trying desperately to place her. She looked so familiar but just to be sure he heard himself say in a bubbly voice, "The name's Glitch…have we met before?"
DG's face fell. She hated it when this happened and she could feel tears forming, threatening to swell and roll down her cheek.
Rather than say who she was she dropped her arm to her side and walked away. She knew it would eventually come to him and then he would come to her, he always did.
Glitch watched her move away from him and he wondered if he had done the greeting wrong. As he searched his scattered memories to make sure, a name sprang to the front of his mind along with a face, her face.
"DG," he whispered.
How could he have forgotten her? No wonder she walked away. Why would she want to put up with someone who kept forgetting who she was?
He saw her sitting with the others and she looked up to see him looking at her. She smiled but he dropped his head before he saw it on her face.
She felt a pang of guilt. She knew he was ashamed that he often forgot things that others so easily remembered. She sighed at her blunder and went to him. As she walked over he had thrown his back up against a tree and was slowly sliding down, all the while looking at the ground, once again deep in thought.
She reached where he was now sitting and knelt down trying to make him look at her. She saw his head twitch slightly, giving away that he had wanted to look up. She smiled sympathetically at him.
"Glitch?"
He sighed and replied, "What?" It came out harsher than he had intended.
She was taken aback by the anger and bitterness in his voice.
She put her hand on his knee and his hand quickly covered hers.
"I know it's hard for you to remember all the time but me walking away was not rejecting you."
The way she said it sparked something in Glitch's mind, the wording of it. He finally looked up at her, looking for something. DG let everything show on her face, all the feelings she felt for him out there for him to see.
He saw it. He saw the love written plainly on her face and his first thought was That love can't possibly be for me.
He once again lowered his head and took his hand off hers. He now felt uncomfortable at how close she was, closer then they had ever been before in his fleeting recollection. His hands found each other and began fidgeting.
She sighed at him. She had taken his actions to mean he did not reciprocate her feelings, or that he too blamed her for what had happened, but she didn't back down. She had to know for sure what he might be hiding from her.
Her hands gently cupped his face, lifting his eye line to meet her face once more.
"Look at me. What do you see?"
She saw his eyes roving over her face, drinking her in like it was the first and the last time he would see her face before him.
"I see DG. A strong, radiant woman who saved me not only from the Ankle Biters but also from myself. I see the woman that every time she is near, I can think a little straighter…" he petered off. She knew it was there and it had to come out before he lost it.
"Go on," she encouraged.
"I see…I see the woman who believed in me when no one else did. Was willing and is willing to put up with me. A woman who could have left the bumbling fool behind. I see a woman who is risking every thing to save the world she only recently learned was hers. I see the woman I love, the woman I want to spend forever with…what's wrong?"
The concern dripped from his voice as he saw she was crying. He must have said too much.
"I'm sorry!" he gushed. Then he began glitching, repeating "I'm sorry" over and over until DG's mouth was suddenly on his. He didn't pull away from her like his brain told him he should. He gave in to his body. He found himself kissing her back even though he didn't remember anyone ever kissing him like this before.
She pulled back, tears still running down her cheeks but she was smiling. He looked confused at her reaction.
"I'm happy," she said to clear him up and his look of relief almost made her laugh. "Glitch you need to know that I love you too."
He beamed at her but as the thought of why went across his mind his face fell.
He must have said it out loud because she answered, "I see a man who is willing to protect me no matter what. A man who is clever even though he thinks he isn't. A man who has suffered greatly and is still able to laugh and joke. A man who is a wonderful friend and never sees the bad in them. A man who is just as in love as I am. But most of all I see the man that I can't picture tomorrow without."
She sat next to him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as possible. She hugged him to her and she felt him put his head on top of hers.
We fit so well together she thought.
She heard him sigh as she felt the tension role off of him in waves. He had been afraid she would reject him just like she had thought he would do to her. The idea seemed absurd but then she remembered she was a princess and he was the Queen's advisor who had lost half his mind from denying Azkadellia the plans for the machine she wanted.
He had given everything he was to protect her mother, and her even though she felt like she didn't deserve it.
That made her think, If he was my mother's advisor why don't I remember him?
She closed her eyes looking in her mind, reaching for the light as Tutor was so willing to tell her, with the intent of breaking whatever barrier there was blocking her memories.
She soon came up against it, a massive wall of pure energy that pulsed with her mother's magic. She looked for any kind of weakness but found none. She started to get frustrated and mentally screamed at the barrier.
She wanted to remember if Glitch had meant anything to her when she was a child and he went by his birth name, Ambrose. When she thought the name, the barrier shrunk but looked different somehow. It was not as bright, like her mother had not fully protected these memories, as if it was okay for her daughter to see them when she was able to figure out how to go around the barrier.
She looked for a weakness in it and she found it. A small hole in the wall of the barrier. She slowly stretched out with her magic and began pushing on the hole. She would either pass through the hole or break the barrier. She heard a crack, or what she imagined to be a crack and the barrier shattered in a tinkling of glass and the memories behind it came rushing at her.
It was a sunny day. The light shown through the huge stained glass windows that ran down the entire length of hall.
There was a crash from the one end, the sound of a child's laughter and then the pitter-patter of tiny feet as they ran. The giggling only increasing as the child heard Tutor cry, "DG! Come back here this instant!"
She turned her head quickly stuck out her tongue and continued running. Tutor was never able to find her when she hid in her special spot. Plus he would never risk that the Queen might, on the off chance she used it, be in the room.
DG always hid in the receiving room when she wanted to ditch Tutor and his boring lessons. In a few hours he would give up on her all together and then she could go out into the beautiful day and do what she wanted to.
When she reached the room she slowly opened the door making sure there was no one in it. When she saw that it was abandoned she slipped in closing the door behind her. As she sat in the chair her mother used to greet people she heard the door beginning to open.
Her heart sped up at the thought of being caught and she quickly hid in the closet that she knew became a secret passage if any of the royals needed to flee in secret.
Her mother walked in followed by one of her attendants. They were talking and DG only heard snippets of conversation.
"He is on his way now…"
"Indeed majesty…I should warn you…"
"Is he? Interesting…show him in when he gets here…"
The attendant bowed her head and took her leave to await the arrival of whomever they were talking about. She was curious about this person who was coming to see her mother and tried to be as quiet as possible so she would not be discovered.
Within moments a knock sounded on the door and the Queen called out, "Enter."
The attendant from before opened the door to allow the young man in, introducing him as Ambrose, she never heard his last name. She was too intrigued with him, he was so young, no more than seventeen annuals. She wondered what her mother wanted with him, hopefully it wasn't anything bad.
"Ambrose," the Queen addressed him and dismissed the attendant with a nod of her head.
The man named Ambrose bowed and responded, "Your Highness. I am honored with your offer but surely there are other more experienced and ambitious men to take the position."
She smiled at him, not in any way threatening or condescending and replied, "I am well aware of the more senior men for the position I offer and yet I only want you to do it."
He blushed at the compliment hidden in what she said and bowed his head in thanks.
"Do you think you can handle it?"
"Of course majesty. I will do my best for you."
"Good, then it is settled advisor. You start tomorrow. I will have someone show you the palace of Finaqua and your rooms and we will go over your roles tomorrow. Would you like to see the palace now?"
"If it pleases your majesty…"
She smirked and looked to the door that was open slightly and hid DG. "DG, perhaps you would grace us with your presence. I need you to do something."
DG felt herself blush at being found out, she should have known that her mother would be able to feel her magic. She slowly opened the door and bashfully smiled at the man who now had his mouth open either in shock or disbelief, she couldn't tell which.
"Yes momma," she softly said wondering if she was going to be punished.
"Would you mind showing Ambrose around our home. Be nice to him, it's his first day."
DG's face lit up at the prospect of making a friend and ran over to the man, grasping his hand up with her tiny one. She beamed up at him and the smile was contagious as he beamed down at her in return.
"I know all about this place," she whispered in a conspiratial tone and motioned him to lean down so she could whisper in his ear, "Even the places no one else does."
He laughed with her and the Queen smiled to herself, thinking down the road about her daughter and her new advisor.
The two took their leave of the Queen, still holding hands she led him outside. The sun was warm on their faces and they went over to the gazebo that held the swing that the Queen often rocked her daughters on when they were upset.
She walked up the steps with him and sat on the swing.
"This place is magical isn't it," she said to no one in particular.
Ambrose lowered himself down and sat on the floor next to the swing.
"Indeed it is. So peaceful. But aren't you supposed to be showing me the palace?"
She looked at him like he had lost his mind, "This is part of the palace. The best part. There is space out here, air to breathe, no one trying to make you sit still while they do your hair or try to teach you about someone who has been dead for hundreds of annuals."
He smiled at her, "So that's why you were hiding," he said as if it was the biggest revelation of the century.
She nodded her head with great enthusiasm. "You're very smart."
"So I've been told…" he mumbled to himself.
"What did momma mean by advisor?"
The curiosity felt like it would kill her and he answered, "As the advisor to the Queen I have to help make decisions, give advice, ideas…but what I like most is to invent, create things that have purpose. I'm a bit scared though, I will be the youngest advisor in O.Z. history….I don't want to disappoint the Queen with her choice…"
DG put her hand on his shoulder and reassuringly said, "You will be the best advisor the O.Z. has ever had in its history."
She said it with such solidity that he felt like she must be right.
She hadn't seen the new advisor in weeks and she was going to make sure they became friends. She also didn't want him to hide away all the time. She wanted someone else to spend time with other than just Az. She was fun sometimes but what a six annual old considered fun was no longer what Az considered fun.
She had to ask one of the attendants where the advisor's room and lab were. They had grudgingly told her as they mumbled to themselves about having to do everything.
She quietly walked to where they had directed her, mentally counting turns and looking for the things they said would mean she was headed in the right direction.
It seemed to take forever before she was finally standing in front of the doors that everyone she had asked had assured her was what the doors looked like. They were huge, much bigger then they needed to be but the artist had enlarged them so the lions fighting would be easier to see from a distance.
She walked up to the door and gently knocked on the door. She heard something move behind the door but it never opened. She knocked again, this time with a bit more force. The only thing she heard was something falling to the floor and a stifled curse. Growing impatient she banged on the door.
The rustling ceased and she heard footsteps approach the door. They opened inward and before her stood Ambrose. He looked awful; dark circles under his eyes, his hair poking up every which way, and his clothes stained with oil and other various things that DG had no name for. He looked skinnier then she remembered him being the last time she had seen him. How long had it been since he had eaten? Or slept for that matter.
"Princess?"
She pushed past him into his lab which appeared to her to be in shambles. "How many times must I tell you I do not wished to be called Princess by you?"
"At least one more time, as always doll."
He said it teasingly but DG didn't find it funny as she said, "I do not like having to repeat myself."
He was astounded at the authority in her voice, she was so young he had not been prepared for it, but she was royalty he reminded himself.
"What can I do for you doll?"
"I came to see why you seemed to have become invisible. It was quite difficult finding this place, many of the staff still think momma is looking for an advisor. I had to explain to them who you were."
He shyly smiled, "Yes. Well I'm not used to this place and this room is like a sanctuary actually. No one bothers me and I can keep to myself while I work."
"So I've noticed," she said, "That's why I came, to see how you are and you don't look too hot. Have you looked in a mirror lately?"
He shrugged and looked down at himself. "Oh," he sighed, "Well I may have lost track of time…"
"You haven't slept in a long time and you haven't eaten either…I don't know which is worse."
"That would be me losing sleep. The body can go longer without food then without sleep. Sorry that was rude…"
"No it was actually interesting. Either way you need to keep yourself healthy or you will die before you reach twenty. That would be bad."
He looked at her in shock, "It would?"
"Yes," she said in a voice that said you should know that.
She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the adjacent room which she was glad to see had a bed, a bed that had not been touched in who knew how long. She pulled him over to the bed and pushed him onto it.
Her look left no room for argument and almost the instant his head hit the pillow fatigue washed over him. She saw his eyes glass over with it and shook her head. She would have to make sure he took better care of himself.
She went over to the wardrobe and found an extra quilt and draped it over his body. She leant over him and kissed his forehead. He mumbled in his sleep as a smile played across his features.
She crawled onto the bed with him and snuggled under the quilt that was already getting warm from his body heat. His arm automatically opened and wrapped around her and she put her head on his chest and fell asleep with him.
She convulsed in his arms and the terror showed through his eyes. She had been fine a moment ago, he had thought she had fallen asleep but now her whole body was quivering. He felt the air being charged with a familiar feeling, the feeling of magic.
He looked over to where Cain was and saw him asleep with Toto on his chest and his hat over his face. Raw was further away, turned with his back to the fire.
Glitch looked through his memories of what to do when someone had a seizure. At least that's what he thought it was. His body seemed to move without his mind's consent and he soon had his coat bunched under DG's head as he layed her out on the forest floor. He held her head between his hands and hoped she would be okay when he was suddenly in a memory that was not his but was about him and DG.
