"Dorothy!"
Dorothy's head snaps up. It's a voice she hasn't heard in God only knows how long. "Aunt Em?" she says, picking herself up off of the ground.
She's in Kansas.
"Shit," she mutters, then turns towards her Aunt. "Hi?"
Aunt Em runs the few feet to where Dorothy is standing, still in her red gown, and throws her arms around her niece. "We thought you were gone… lost to the storm," she says, tightly embracing her. When she finally lets go, she finally notices Dorothy's attire. "What on earth…?"
"Um, yeah. That's the thing. I'm not sure 'earth' is exactly where I've been," she blurts. "I'm not crazy."
Em's expression immediately changes. "I know you're not," she answers, tugging her towards the house, where they sit on the porch. "Did you see your mother?" she asks at length.
"What? How…" She stares. "You know. You know everything, don't you?"
Em nods. "Your mother was my friend. When the others came back without her and their half-assed explanations…" she sighs. "I made them tell me. Made them give you to me. She and Roberto would have wanted you to be raised by family."
Dorothy nods. "I was born there," she says, even though her aunt already knows.
"You're going back, aren't you?" Em says, asking but not asking.
"I have to. I've… I'm…"
"You have someone there."
"Yes. I have someone and I am someone there. I'm… more there," Dorothy explains. "Apparently I'm a witch."
"I always knew you were special," Em responds, taking the news a lot better than Dorothy expected. "And I'm sorry we lied to you. It's… not something you can just bring up in conversation."
Dorothy chuckles. "I forgive you. And I get it. I mean, what would you say? 'Please pass the ketchup and oh, by the way, you were born in an alternate universe'?"
Em laughs with her niece, then reaches over and places her hand over Dorothy's, her fingers catching the ring. "Is he handsome?"
"Yes. You'd like him. He's… quiet, but smart. Thoughtful. Loyal," Dorothy answers.
"Sounds like quite a story," Em observes.
"It is," Dorothy agrees, then sighs. "But I don't have time. I have to get back. I'm… in the middle of a test right now, and I'm not sure exactly how I wound up here, but I need to get back." She stands.
"A test?" Em stands with her. "Wait, is there anything you need? Anything you want to take back there?"
Dorothy's answer is immediate. "I would kill somebody for a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup."
Em laughs. "I don't think you need to go to that extreme," she says, then hurries into the house. She returns a moment later with a bag. "Here." She passes her niece the bag, then tightly hugs her. "I'm sorry you missed Henry, but I'll tell him you were here."
"Hopefully I'll be able to visit again. When I have more time," Dorothy replies. "Thanks for these," she adds, holding the bag aloft as she walks out into the field. The clouds are still swirling overhead, and Dorothy hears the tornado siren begin to wail. "Let's see if we can't do something about that," she mutters to herself.
Securing her bag so she doesn't lose any of her precious cargo, she plants her feet and raises her arms again. She speaks a different incantation this time, and in seconds she is off.
This time she finds herself in a completely new place; a place that looks a bit like what a child might imagine heaven to be. She is standing in the clouds, and the sky above her is bright blue. She can see the sun on one side and the moons on the other.
Moons. Plural. I'm in the right place.
Now what?
Dorothy walks until she finds the swirl of clouds. Operating on pure instinct, she steps into the center of the vortex.
She sinks slowly, descending through the funnel like she is circling a drain. She doesn't panic. She cannot panic. She is meant to settle the weather, so she projects calmness out all around her. Peace. Tranquility.
She feels something solid under her feet, and her vision clears to reveal she is back in the storm chamber, only the storm is no more. The vortex is gone, replaced by blue sky and fluffy clouds.
She steps off of the platform and proceeds towards the others.
"You did it," Glinda says, not bothering to hide her surprise.
"Disappointed?" Dorothy asks.
Glinda briefly tenses, then says, "What do you have there?"
"I wound up back home in Kansas at first. Picked up a few things," Dorothy answers. Glinda doesn't get to know about her peanut butter cups.
"And you didn't stay there?" Glinda asks.
Dorothy keeps her gaze steady. "No." Then she notices something. "Where's Lucas?" He was there when she left.
"He is with Mistress West," Glinda says, a very slight smile curving her thin lips. "They are waiting with your final challenge."
xXx
Dorothy had no idea what was in store for her for the final challenge, but she was still not prepared for the devilry Glinda and West have devised.
She walks into a large hall, presumably East's receiving chambers, to see Lucas strung up exactly how she originally found him. He isn't coated in filth and blood this time, but he is shirtless and unconscious.
"What did you do to him?" Dorothy demands, storming in and dropping her bag just inside the doors. She glances at Leith, who is silent but looks rather unhappy.
"He consented," West simply answers. "He truly will do absolutely anything for you. How adorable."
"Your task is to undo what has been done. If you can restore your consort to himself, then you are worthy of the title of Witch of the East. And if he survives, then he is worthy of you," Glinda explains, completely ignoring Dorothy's ire.
She's really enjoying this, Dorothy notes, and in that instant, decides she will succeed because her triumphs seem to really irritate the Witch of the North. She squares her shoulders and begins to walk towards Lucas.
"You cannot touch him," West's voice stops her in her tracks.
"Shit," Dorothy mutters, and wills the gauntlets – her gauntlets – into action. She takes a moment, knowing she needs to be orderly about this. Step one: Get him down.
That's the easy part. She raises her hand and slowly lowers the wooden cross, pushing the unbidden, distracting thoughts about Good Friday and Passion Plays out of her head. The wood hits the stone floor with a dull thud. Lucas moans.
Step two: Free him. Dorothy steps closer and waves her hands, loosening and unwinding the thick vines holding him to the wood. Not barbed wire this time, thank God. She notices the vines seem to be growing from the wood of the cross, and actually lauds West on her ingenuity. Lucas' arms slump off of the wooden crossbeam, and he lies there awkwardly.
Step three: Revive him. She decides to move him to the floor first, so he can at least be sort of comfortable. She takes a deep breath and, with hands outstretched, raises his body and moves it to the floor.
Dorothy can hear West and Glinda whispering together behind her. She ignores them.
She closes her eyes, whispers a word, and when she opens them again she can see the green tendrils of West's magic swirling around him. She can't do what she did last time he was enchanted; she can't jump into his head and snap him out of it.
Or can I?
The only problem is she doesn't have the music to connect them. Still, she lies down beside him on the floor, her mind whirling, hoping their emotional bond, their love for each other, is strong enough for her to use.
If only I had something of him on me… wait.
She lifts her left hand and sets in on her chest, then covers it with her right, making sure her ring is touching the skin of both her chest and her hand. She closes her eyes and concentrates on it. On him.
"Dorothy." His voice is faint, but she follows it.
"Lucas, I'm here," she calls.
"Help… me…"
He sounds like he did when she met him, and she runs. She finds him still strapped to the wooden cross, on the road to Nimbo. He looks exactly like he did that day. Except for the web of green tendrils swirling around him.
Dorothy realizes that, in his head, he is still strung up. She also realizes she can touch him here.
She runs to him, reaching up to touch his legs. "I'm here," she repeats.
He opens his eyes and looks down at her. "Dorothy."
"Lucas. This isn't real. You're not up there, you're free."
"Feels… real…"
She looks around and doesn't see any way to lower the wooden cross. She needs to get to him, make him realize this isn't real.
"Lucas… babe… listen to me. This is… like a dream. Like thatdream."
"What dream?"
Shoot, he doesn't remember that dream here. "Never mind. Just trust me. You trust me, right?"
"With my life."
"Then believe me when I tell you that this is not real."
"I… I do."
Struck by inspiration, she wills her body to rise until she is eye level with him. She takes his face in her hands and kisses him, hoping it will do the trick again.
He moans, but is still strung up.
Dummy. You're supposed to use magic. Real magic.
She sinks back down until she is standing again. With a whisper of some words, she raises her hands and pushes magic at him. Magic infused with all the love she has for him.
She can see the red overtake the green. He groans and his body convulses. A moment later, everything goes black.
"Lucas?" Dorothy asks, sitting up and looking down at him. She holds her breath.
A moment later, his large body jerks like he's just landed back into his skin, and his eyes blink open. He looks at her and gives her his small, shy smile.
"You okay?" she asks.
"I think so," he answers. "A little…" his eyes drop to his lap, and Dorothy follows his gaze. He's not erect, but a closer look at his flushed cheeks and dilated pupils tells her everything she needs to know.
"Oh. That might be my fault," she replies.
"It always is," he says, and she knows he's fine.
"That was… interesting," West says, stepping forward. Glinda is on her heels.
"What did you do?" she demands.
"Do I have to tell her?" Dorothy asks West, standing and helping Lucas to his feet. Leith runs over, his shirt and vest in her hand, and hands it to him. He puts his clothing back on, then takes her hand, comforted by her presence.
"Unfortunately, yes," West answers.
"I went into his head," Dorothy simply says.
"You shouldn't be able to do that," Glinda says, frowning. "Not without touching him or using some kind of conduit."
Dorothy holds up her left hand. "I have one," she says, and Glinda's face sours.
"That's very dangerous. For both of you," West says.
"I did it before," Dorothy says. "When she was meddling with his dreams."
"You could both lose your minds," West cautions.
"Or get trapped there and die. Eventually," Glinda adds. "Either way." She shrugs.
Dorothy rolls her eyes. "You're just bitter because you didn't want me to pass," she says.
"Who said you passed?" Glinda counters.
"I successfully completed all three tasks!" Dorothy says, her voice growing louder. "I pass!"
"Yes, you do," West agrees, glaring at Glinda. "But do not think you are done training and learning."
"Of course I'm not," Dorothy agrees. "But I'll just be living here now."
"Yes," West says.
"Our servants are coming with us," Dorothy says. "Lia and Rex. They come with us."
"You may have Rex, but not Lia," West says.
"I wasn't asking permission," Dorothy insists. "I am bringing Lia."
West actually smiles. "Very good, Dorothy," she says, nodding her approval.
"Oh," Dorothy quietly exclaims. Must have been another test.
"We're done here," Glinda declares, waving Leith to her side.
She hugs Lucas, then Dorothy before complying.
"Stay strong," Dorothy whispers to her.
"You too," Leith replies, then hurries across to where Glinda is standing. She manages a small wave before they vanish.
xXx
Lia and Rex arrived with their things shortly after Glinda left, making Dorothy wonder if West had sent for them before she had completed her third task. She didn't ask.
Both tired from the trials, they just had their servants drop their things in their new private quarters and sent them away to oversee the goings-on in the rest of the immense place.
Lucas, still pent up from being zapped with Dorothy's magic, securely locks the door, then pounces.
"Mmm!" she exclaims, her fingers scrabbling for purchase, finally settling on the front of his shirt, hanging on for dear life as he leans over her.
"That was unfair of you," he murmurs, almost a growl against her neck. Then he suddenly picks her up, throwing her over his shoulder.
"What was?" she asks, to stunned to even feel offended at his caveman-like behavior. In fact, she kind of likes it.
"You put a love spell on me, Witch," he says, flopping her onto the bed, then rolling her over to get at the closure in the back of her dress. "Or a lust spell, at the very least."
"That wasn't the intent and you know it and don't you dare rip this gown, I like this one!" she exclaims.
"So do I," he counters. "But I'll like it more…" he pulls the garment off, down over her legs, then drops it on a nearby chair, "over here." Then he quickly whips his shirt and trousers off, having already divested himself of his vest and boots.
Dorothy laughs, but Lucas cuts her laughter off with a fiery kiss. Her hands slide up into his beard, then his close-cropped hair, and her leg twines around one of his.
He moves again, kissing a trail down her neck to her breasts, his hand questing lower until it encounters her underwear. He curses under his breath and tugs them down, nearly tearing them off in the process and earning him another admonishment.
He returns his lips to her breast, sucking a taut nipple into his mouth just as his fingers find their target. She is wet and hot, and he hums his appreciation, his fingers circling and stroking.
"What happened to 'take your time, we have all night'?" she asks, half laughing, half gasping as his fingers continue their sweet torture.
"That was then. This is now," he answers, moving up to lightly bite her neck right on the mark he gave her on their first night together.
She wraps her leg around his again and pulls it towards her, almost kicking him. "Come on then," she goads.
Then she cries out loudly when he replaces his fingers with his cock, driving into her hard and fast.
He sets a punishing rhythm, his hips snapping into her while his lips devour hers. All she can do is hang on and enjoy the ride.
"Oh…" she gasps, "Yes… Ay, sí… Oh mi amor…"
Lucas leans back, grinning smugly, knowing that if she's babbling in Spanish, he's doing a good job. He leans further back, hooking his arms under her legs as he lifts up onto his knees.
Dorothy wordlessly cries out, her hands slamming down onto the bed to anchor herself while being mostly held aloft by Lucas.
He moves her left leg up to rest on his shoulder so he can reach down with his right hand to rub small circles at the apex of her thighs with his thumb.
She explodes in almost no time, climaxing with a shout that vaguely sounds like his name.
He follows an instant after her, as though he was just waiting for her. He stills for a few seconds as he floods into her, then slowly thrusts a few more times, drawing it out, until he collapses over her with a sigh.
"I love you," she says, her hand coming up to rest on his head and gently stroke his hair.
"I love you, too," he answers. "And I'm so proud of you. You did very well today."
"Thank you," she replies, bending her head down and kissing his forehead. Hearing him say those words means more to her than she can express, and she rapidly blinks, keeping the threatening tears at bay.
"Am I giving heavy?"
"Yes."
He rolls off of her, and she cuddles into his side, where they lie in silence, watching the light change and the shadows grow longer as the sun sets.
"These are better rooms than the ones in West's place," Dorothy finally says, sitting up and looking around the room.
"Especially because they're yours, not hers," Lucas says.
"Ours," she corrects, looking down at him. "Not mine. Ours."
"Ours," he echoes, smiling. He swings out of bed, grabs both their robes and hands hers to her. "Let's get some fresh air," he says.
She shrugs her robe on and they walk to a set of French doors leading out to a balcony. "Do you like this view better than the one in the city?" he asks, dropping her hand to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
"It's just different," she answers. "The city was interesting and busy. This is kind of desolate, but beautiful and peaceful."
"I like this one better," he says, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "I like the quiet. So much of my life has been loud. Noisy. People shouting, fighting, barking orders. This is better."
"Yes," she agrees. "The quiet… reminds me of Kansas."
"Do you miss it very much?" he asks, gently turning her to face him.
"Sometimes," she answers. "It was nice getting to see Em today, but…" she pauses, sighing. "It didn't feel like home anymore."
"No?" he asks, trying to mask the hope in his voice so he doesn't sound as desperate as he feels. He knows she said she'd bring him with if she decided to return, but he feels he needs the reassurance right now after the long and trying day they've both had.
She lifts up on tiptoe and kisses him. "Do you remember what you said when we first met? When I… when I named you?"
He smiles. "I said, 'Lucas is home.'"
"Yes," she says. "He is."