Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and few characters

A/N: Yeah sorry bout the television thing. I wasn't sure what age it was in, so I winged it and took a chance. But thank you for the reviews and letting me know what year it took place in. I replaced t.v with radio because at least they had a few of those around. no, I don't go to Salve Regina school. I actually got the phrase from my latin class. but thank you for the review Jules and tribemaster. I don't know why, but if I had to put a picture on Damion, I'd say he was the guy from Red Eye..and Batman as the evil dude.. Just a random thought.

Salve Regina

(Save The Queen)

IV

Luring a victim into a trap was never easy for Damion. He hadn't even tried capturing Tik-Tok or The Lion. They just went to the castle to find Ozma. With Ozma hidden away, Damion would soon move everyone out of the way, and come across his worst enemy, Dorothy Gale. From birth, Damion knew someday he would have a nemesis, for that's all his parents talked about. Though Damion frowned upon his parents at times, he wished they were still alive to aid him in this escapade. For some reason, a tiny part of his soul didn't want to avenge his mom or dad. Some part of him only wanted to join Oz with no one to degrade him or shun him. Yet with the parents he had had, there was no way anyone would care for his well-being.

Staring at the Lion's immobile body was no fun to Damion, so he moved the Lion and Tik-Tok to a backroom behind the ballroom. He knew he couldn't stay in the Great Castle and wait for anyone else to come. He had to disguise himself and find other threats to destroy. However, he wouldn't dare go near Dorothy. He knew she was in Oz; Damion could sense it, but to attack her head on would be a stupid plan. Dorothy always had allies and defense on her side, so Damion needed to think up a plan for her. A special plan for his enemy.

The Tin Man chopped wood from an oak tree nearby his cottage. With no warning, rain started to pour. Damion stood in the darkest corner of the cottage, waiting patiently as an ax hanging on the wall. He had transformed himself into the Tin Man's most powerful ax, and threw the real one out of sight. Soon the Tin Man came into his little house and sat by a roaring fire, dying off from the rain. He whistled a joyful tune, one that dreadfully annoyed Damion.

Walking over to the wall where his most poweful ax was, The Tin Man picked it up from the wall and studied it. The ax, Damion, stayed still, waiting for the perfect chance to act on his plan.

"Wow you are quite dirty today, ax," Said the Tin Man, "I think it's time for a bath."

They reached the sink, and the ax was placed in an iron-cleaning solution. Damion as the ax began to raise himself out of the sink, spillnig solution everywhere as the Tin Man cursed. He had no idea what was going on.

"My ax is alive!" Shouted the Tin Man as he backed away.

Damion flew at Tin Man, hitting him in the chest, denting his body. Again, the ax hit, and again, and again. The Tin Man shouted in pain and fell to the ground in a pile of scraps. Damion turned hmiself back into his human self and laughed at the scraps of tin. Then, he took a pale of water and poured in on the Tin Man to let him rust.

"That's what you get," Damion stated gleefully as he transported back to the Castle, "for making a man made out of tin."

0o0o

"That's terrible!" Dorothy Gale was shocked that Ozma dissappeared into thin air. She wouldn't expect anything bad from Oz, but with the Queen gone what could happen?

"Yeah," King Scarecrow agreed, "I don't know what else to do."

"Mom's gone again...Mom's gone again!" An almost childish voice was heard from outside the Scarecrow's office.

The doors swung open, revealing Jack the Pumpkinhead. He staggered a bit, apparently in a panicking mood. His head was a pumpkin, with carvings of a smiling jack-o-lantern. His body was created from tree branches, covered in very thin clothing. Jack was made originally to scare Princess Mombi away, but she used The Powder Of Life to bring Jack into a state of living. Ozma was his mother, for she was the one who made him in the first place.

"Jack!" Dorothy jumped up and gave her Pumpkinhead friend a huge hug, "I'm so sorry to hear about Ozma."

They both sat down, and Jack spoke, "I was going to visit Munchkin City today, but when I went to say goodbye to Mom, she was gone. No one was in the castle."

"When did you go?" Scarecrow questioned, finally picking up the remainder of his mess.

"No longer than a half-hour ago. I searched everywhere, but no Mom. She never leaves me without telling me where she is going." Jack sighed in sadness.

Spen added, "She never leaves her castle withuot telling someone."

"Well, we mustn't keep the Wheelers waiting," Scarecrow announced, "Spen, Nudge, let's go meet the others in the underground room. Dorothy, Jack, you can either stay here or leave. If you leave, I wouldn't know where you two would go. Perhaps you two can go visit the Tinman and see if he has any ideas."

"We'll go see the Tinman," Dorothy decided, "I'm sure he'll have an idea. Do you want us to come back afterwards?"

"Umm, I'll just have Nudge or Spen find you. They travel fast, and it would prevent you from wasting time by coming back." The Scarecrow bade farewell as he and the two wheelers followed him out of the room.

Jack looked at Dorothy and asked, "Where have you been for all these years? Didn't Mom give you the option to come back if you ever needed to?"

"Jack," Dorothy sympathized for some reason, "I'm sorry I never came back, but there were things preventing me from coming. I just lost touch with everyone.. I didn't believe myself for a time."

"How could you not believe something you experienced?"

Dorothy replied with an uncaring voice, "I was insane. Everyone knew that. No matter how many doctors or medicines were thrown at me, the thought of Oz shook my brain for so long. I had to push myself to stop believing in some childish fantasy. Enough of that, though," She stood up, "We have to go see the Tinman. Even if I am dreaming, I should still help out a bit. Anything to get me out of here."

Without objecting, Jack stood next to Dorothy and followed her out of the building. After they left, she asked Jack to take the lead, for she wasn't exactly sure where the Tinman lived from the Emerald City. Exiting the city, Jack and Dorothy began their quest to the Tinman's neck of the woods, which was about thiry minutes away by walking. Not too far, but they still had a long ways to go, for the Enchanted Forest of Oz was not very friendly. This was an entirely different forest than the one the Lion lived in. This was a smaller forest, but held great dangers. The Tinman lived on the other side of it, and there was no way around the forest to reach where he lived. So off Dorothy and Jack went, in the direction of the Enchanted Forest. They hoped it wouldn't be as dangerous as some rumoured it to be.

"Do you think Mom is alright?" Jack asked while walking by Dorothy's side.

She looked up at Jack's kind, yet frightening face, "I hope so."