If It's Worth Saving Me Chapter 10: We Are Going To Tarantino It, a tin man fanfic

DG was trying her best to keep even the slightest hint of a smile from her lips...but let me assure you, it wasn't easy.

"Cain?"

He only grunted in response.

"I know you said you're not speaking to me right now..."

Another grunt, this one with more aggravation behind it.

"But I just wanted to say that I am very... truly... really... extremely... sorry about this..." She said, biting her lips and pleading her expression to remain serious.

Wyatt turned and glared at her over his shoulder, a look of indignation frozen on his features as he eyed her up like the devil incarnate.

His brow was arched, his face beet red...its color made all the more noticeable in the absence of his hat...

Or any of his clothes, for that matter.

But alas, I am getting ahead of myself.

How did we arrive at this marvelously humiliating situation for our Tin Man?

Let's go back...

(In the words of the great Dane Cook, we're going to 'Tarantino' it...)

The week had blown by them this time around, and every morning he had awoken with a smile on his face as the countdown to walk-day dwindled. DG's sexual preference had been a topic of thought during several hours of lying awake staring at the ceiling, but he was no closer to deciding how he would go about finding the answer...or more importantly, why it mattered so much to him to begin with.

The morning had started off simple enough, uneventful enough...

Clothed enough.

He'd gone to DG's quarters and taken over as Jeb (a bit too eagerly) surrendered his post.

Wyatt had let out a small sigh. If the boy kept it up at this rate with that loud-mouthed little blonde maid he would surely die of dehydration.

But he kept his silence, simply smiling as he watched his son make his way briskly toward the stairs leading to his quarters, undoubtedly breaking into a run the instant he was out of sight.

Jeb was walking a bit taller these days, a little extra pep in his step that made Wyatt struggle not to laugh. Judging by the way his son's face would redden when the girl discretely batted her eyelashes or winked one of those baby blues at him he had to say she was definitely 'putting hair' on the boy's chest.

And she seemed completely dedicated to the task, too. Putting in overtime with their nightly (and at least a few times daily) escapades.

It was far too amusing to see his son fluster in the girl's presence, as if she had him on a leash chained to her waist. Every time she passed by him he looked as if he was being tugged along behind her by some unseen tether.

Wyatt would just shake his head and smile remembering a long, long time ago when he'd been so whipped, wondering how either of them were managing to perform their daily duties as he knew neither of them were getting much sleep.

DG had entered the hall like a ray of sunshine, grinning ear to ear the instant she saw that they were alone and breaking him from his amused thoughts concerning the current state of his son's mental and physical health.

"Ready for your walk, Princess?" He asked in a formal tone for the benefit of any prying ears. She had only nodded and resisted the urge to burst with excitement or cling to his arm.

They exited the palace atop Wrath and Seraph and as soon as they had reached a safe distance DG began her now familiar routine of attempting to fill him in on every thought she'd had in the past week inside of five minutes.

Wyatt would smile and nod, laughing at her descriptions of everything from Toto's tortuously boring magic lessons to the monstrous size of the nose on her etiquette instructor.

To see the world through DG's eyes was truly an entertaining thing.

His happiness to be out of the palace with her again was taking precedence over that nagging question at the back of his mind...at least for now. Was she? Wasn't she? The instant he was in the presence of her easy laughter it somehow didn't seem to matter any more.

As this was her second trip with Seraph he'd equipped the horse with full tack, and judging by the confidence in her posture as she babbled to him she was going to be a hell of a rider. She barely noticed that she was now effortlessly applying everything she'd been taught and he was content in the knowledge that he'd given her something, shared with her just a small bit of knowledge that had expanded her world.

DG had snuck a pack down to the stables during the week with attire to swim in, and he had marvelled at her packing skills because it had hardly taken up any room.

For the first time in over a week DG began to speak of Azkadellia, and his heart ached for her as she touched on the subject of their still-strained relationship.

Az wasn't having an easy time of becoming re-acclimated, she was timid and extremely soft spoken...burying herself in daily routine to avoid having to speak with anyone...fragile to the point where visits with DG had to be kept short upon the insistence of her physicians.

Each sister had their own guilt and grief where the other was concerned, and if one of them so much as let a glimmer of sadness pass over their face it was all over. They would tell one another how sorry they were - DG for freeing the witch, Azkadellia for not 'trying hard enough' or 'being strong enough' to prevent the witch from harming DG...

Wyatt knew it was going to take more than just a few months for Azkadellia to get over the nightmares, the constant regret and fear. There was a special detail for her security, its members each wearing a matching haunted expression these days. They never spoke of the shrieks of Azkadellia's night terrors, the physicians struggling to calm her, the uncontrollable weeping and holding on to her mother and father begging for forgiveness that was nearly a daily occurrence...

And Wyatt found himself praying for her to find peace nightly.

He never thought he'd be so understanding of the face behind so much pain, but then he'd never known there was so much pain behind that face.

DG cleared her throat and stopped talking all together, lost in thought and Wyatt sighed. This wasn't why she was out here and they both knew it. The rest of the week was for duty and stoic silence...but for just one day she was supposed to be having fun.

Wyatt smiled to himself with the knowledge of where they were headed, as it was sure to dissolve all of her troubles. He hadn't intended to show anyone else, but since DG wanted to go swimming...

"I found a little pool of water for you." He said nonchalantly and paused until she looked over at him with curiousity burning brightly in those blue eyes. "Really it's a perfect spot, if I do say so myself...has trees all around it but not covering it so the water won't be too cold. You can thank me whenever you're ready."

DG grinned.

Wyatt's body felt strangely lighter in its presence.

"You are so great, Wyatt. You do know that, right?" She said with a laugh and he shook his head.

"Well, that's not a 'thank you'...but I suppose it'll do." He said, looking over at her and unable to contain his smile.

"How much farther?" She asked hopefully.

It was still early but the humidity was already unbearable. "Well, about an hour at this pace..." He said in feigned distraction and, repeating his move from a week earlier, DG guided Seraph to bump into Wrath and jar him. Wyatt cracked up and added. "But if you think you can keep up..."

"I can!" DG squealed.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Wyatt teased, making that noise with his cheek, his eyes locked with hers as he instantly bolted away with Wrath.

"Come on, Seraph. They're making us look bad!" She said as she urged him on and laughed excitedly when he took off like a shot.

Holding on was so much easier in a saddle and before long she was right behind Wyatt, her heart racing every time he turned and smiled at her over his shoulder.

She couldn't remember feeling this free before, her motorcycle hadn't offered anything close to this level of exhilaration.

They broke through the treeline into an expansive valley and once again she was astounded by the impossible size of the OZ. The view was unobstructed for miles in every direction and racing through the vastness on the back of a white stallion she could feel all of her stress melting away.

They were surrounded by nothing but pure, untouched nature as far as the eye could see, shining brightly beneath the suns of a crystal clear morning. She found that she was very quickly falling hopelessly in love with this world...the world that Wyatt was sharing with her secretly.

Before long they were cutting back toward the forest, and when he started to slow the pace she found that she was slightly disappointed. The feeling dissolved the instant she looked at his face.

Those blue eyes were glittering in anticipation as he came to a halt, his lips were curved in that smile that chased away every worry from his once pained features.

Wyatt was excited about something...about showing her something...about sharing something with her. It was a breathtaking sight to behold.

He dismounted from Wrath and walked to her side, taking her hand and helping her off of Seraph's back. Her breath caught in her throat as she landed in front of him and he steadied her with a hand at her side. Those smiling eyes searched hers, and she nodded to the question he hadn't had to ask, laughing as he began pulling her by her hand into the forest.

Cain didn't seem like the same person in that moment, so full of life and energy, his silent joy washing over her in torrents.

She looked back to check but never should have doubted his command of the horses, they were following along faithfully.

The woods were dense here, so thick with brush and trees that she wondered how he had ever thought to venture within them. She couldn't see a thing but leaves around them, ducking her head and staring at his back as he pressed on with her in tow.

After several minutes of enjoying the view she noticed the forest was opening up slightly, though not much.

The thick canopy of trees above them was all but blocking out the sunslight, only allowing enough through for her to smile at the soft bed of clover covering the ground at their feet. She'd never seen such a vivid shade of green in all of her life. It had a spirit of its own here, hidden away from the rest of the world. It was in the very air she breathed, she could taste it, smell it, feel it around her.

The knowledge that this place was a secret being shared with her by Wyatt made it all the more beautiful.

Sounds of water ahead paired with Wyatt casting a smile over his shoulder at her made her stomach flutter in excitement, he had that look that told her under no uncertain terms that this was going to be spectacular...

But nothing, not even his heavenly smile, could have prepared her for this.

Her eyes widened and feet froze in place, her jaw dropping open as the shimmering waterfall up ahead came into view. It fell from the mouth of a cliff and cascaded to the expansive pool of water, glittering in the suns, below them.

Every inch of the cliff sides surrounding it were covered in that ethereal green, its beauty beyond all comprehension and words. The place had to be a part of Finaqua's magic, something so spellbinding surely could not be created by nature alone.

The words vast and secluded had never been used to describe the same place in her mind before. Despite its massive expanse it was completely surrounded by that wall of green, like partitions blocking out a totally separate land.

"You can thank me now." He said with that smile on his lips and she covered her mouth, tears literally forming in her eyes as she stood in awe.

"Wyatt...I can't...how did...it's so..." She whispered and he nodded.

"Again, not a 'thank you', but that'll do just fine." Wyatt laughed...and it was cut short when she turned and hugged him tightly without warning.

His brows drew together in a mix of confusion, pain, concern...but finally, when he could find no reason to fight it any longer, comfort.

"Thank you for bringing me here..." She muttered against his shoulder and he sighed.

"You're welcome, Princess." Wyatt said as he brought an arm around her slowly. He didn't even protest when she lingered a little too long in their embrace.

"No one will mind?" She asked as she turned back to the little piece of paradise he'd led her to and he laughed at the way she was hesitant to disturb the beauty she was witnessing. The place seemed sacred somehow, like she would taint it by simply touching it.

"DG, no one owns this place. The closest thing to that would be the royal family ruling over it and since you are the Princess, I guess it is kind of yours in a way." He said and she smiled, that tight-lipped smile she only gave when they were alone, her eyes sparkling so strikingly that it made it difficult to turn away.

By some miracle he managed to, and retrieved her pack from where it had been tucked behind Seraph's saddle.

DG started making her way down the steep incline to the waters edge, Wyatt holding her hand as he followed along to prevent her from slipping. He pointed out an alcove in the cliff side where she could change and immediately turned away from her, walking the short distance to a stone overlooking the water to wait...

And she found herself staring at the shape of his back for a moment before she was able to move...the way his blonde, clean cut hair glistened against the tanned skin of his neck...the shape of the shadow his hat cast over his shoulders...

They could have tossed her through three travel-storms as long as he was waiting on the other side...

The thought left her staring at him in complete shock. Her innocent little Cain Crush had apparently just taken a giant leap forward to something she wouldn't dare put a name to. But how could it not? Look at where they were standing for crying out loud! Surrounded by romantic scenery and all alone for miles in every direction.

This was all his fault for being so damned irresistible.

She shook her head and tried to ignore him standing there despite the sudden urge to go to him, to kiss him crazy...

She could just imagine what his warm skin felt like through his shirt, his scent washing over her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders...the thick, flexing muscle of his neck beneath her fingertips...the way his hands would hesitantly wander to the small of her back, drawing her closer but eventually pulling her off of him...

Though not until after he'd surrendered to her...just a little bit...

It made her smile to imagine the surprise that would be on his beautiful face...his stammering with bruised lips something about honor and right and wrong...the lust that would be burning in those blue eyes no matter how much his words denied it...

DG was biting her lip as she undressed, half tempted to tell him he could turn around a bit sooner than he...or at least his honor... would appreciate. She struggled not to laugh imagining his jaw hanging open in shock, his face flushing as he tried to turn away from her...

Oh bloody hell.

She nearly laughed at her inner realization of defeat.

With a sigh she walked toward him, struggling to keep control of herself as she reached out for his shoulder. So she let her hand linger there just a few seconds longer than she needed to in order to get his attention, it was far less than what she was suddenly dying to do.

He turned to face her and for a second she feared her daydreaming had gotten the better of her, that she had really walked to him completely naked. His jaw fell open when he looked at her body, that brow damned near touching his hairline as it shot upward. His eyes widened before instantly becoming glued to her face.

She looked down at herself and verified that yes, she was indeed wearing clothing, but that's not what his expression was saying.

"DG, what the..." He stammered and she arched a brow at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips and eyeing him curiously.

"What do you think is wrong? I told you to bring clothes to swim in!" Wyatt said, eyes still glued to her face as if looking down at her would attract a bolt of lightening from the heavens to smote him where he stood.

"Umm yeah, spaz - which is probably the reason why I am wearing clothes to swim in." She motioned to the shorts she'd cut into bikini bottoms and tank top that was barely exposing three inches of midriff.

"Oh God..." He groaned and started to walk away from her, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes and pleaded for strength.

His heart was racing...which he was desperately trying to attribute to the fact that she had surprised him...but seeing her so scantily clad was putting thoughts in his head that had no business being there.

He kept his eyes closed for fear of where they would wander if he relaxed his hold on them...but the damage was already done. His mind had latched on to the image of her in graphic detail, now replaying the scene inside his eyelids like some horrid little projector screen.

That dark hair was pouring over her porcelain shoulders, her bare stomach and thighs reminding him tortuously of things he'd gone without for nearly a decade...the top she was wearing left nothing to the imagination and holy HELL she intended to get it soaked...

His body tensed realizing how much worse things would become once she rose from the water with the material clinging to her form.

"Alright, that's it...we're..." He began, ready to call the whole thing off.

DG had figured as much, though, and he stopped mid-sentence to the sound of her diving into the water behind him.

When she resurfaced she found that he'd finally opened his eyes and grinned up at him. "There, all better, you can't see me anymore." She said with a laugh and he rolled his eyes.

Yeah, until you come OUT of there...He thought in a new type of frustration as he took a seat on a large stone on the ledge overlooking the water.

It was the perfect vantage point for a guard to keep a lookout, but unfortunately it was also the perfect vantage point for...

"Oh, for the love of...come on! Give me a break!" He pleaded aloud after her head was under the water, because as she dove beneath its surface she curved her body resulting in that ass popping up for a full inspection, the soaked material of her shorts clinging to it shamelessly.

She resurfaced and pushed her sopping hair from her face. "What?" She called up to him, though she was pretty sure what had been said despite it being muffled beneath the water.

He shook his head and cursed, looking away and muttering something about her being a 'holy terror' and how he needed to get his affairs in order because she was sending him to an early grave.

DG grinned. He was adorable when he grumbled to himself.

"So wait...what are you gonna wear to swim, then?" She asked, scowling since she already knew the answer.

"I'm not." He said shortly.

DG just couldn't resist.

"You're 'not', huh? Well, I thought my attire was pushing it, but if you're coming in here naked then..."

His eyes widened and she burst out laughing as he shook his head and pointed at her in warning.

"You know damned well what I meant, little missy. I'm not 'swimming'. I'm not 'coming in'. And I'm most certainly not going to risk getting caught in there with you while you're wearing what you're wearing...or should I say NOT wearing." He was trying not to play along, not to let the smile come to his lips, but she was just so damned cute with her goading.

His eyes wandered over the landscape much less than they should have, spending far more time watching her diving under the water than was good for his health. And here he was wondering about her orientation again, as troubling as that was. He ignored the correlation of the timing between seeing her scantily clad ass and his wondering if she was attracted to men.

She was whining now that playing in the water alone was no fun, asking him to at least walk around the edge of the water and play something called 'Marco Polo' with her. But his thoughts were far too busy at the moment to try even after she'd explained the premise of the game.

He could just see it now...

"Marco!"

"Polo...soooo...who did you lose your virginity to?"

"What? Oh, umm, Lee...Marco!"

"Polo...Lee?...huh...Hey DG, I was just wondering...do you have sex with girls?"

The images that came to mind with that thought were far more intriguing than he cared to own up to. He waited for her to sink below the surface of the water before growling in frustration and adjusting his...gun...

This was bad. This was really, really bad.

He couldn't be thinking these things about DG, it just wouldn't do. They were friends and that's what she needed...that's as far as it was going so Oh MY GOD stop picturing doing that! His breathing was quickening and he considered for a moment finding a nice, shaded, frigid part of the water to submerge himself in.

But then he'd be within grabbing distance of that horrible little top that kept slipping over her shoulder....

Wyatt was in trouble here and he knew it.

He had just decided to say he was going to scout the area to allow himself a moment to clear his thoughts when he glanced down and saw her face frozen in panic.

In an instant he was on his feet with his hand on his gun. "What is it?" He asked, his eyes instantly searching everywhere at once for threat.

"Something...something touched my leg..." She said, her little mouth forming an O as her wide eyes wandered to the water around her, it was too dark to see the bottom and her heart was in her throat.

Wyatt sighed, removing his hand from his gun and shaking his head. "Probably just a fish, don't do that...I thought for a second..."

"SNAKE! SNAKE! It's a SNAKE!" She started squealing and splashing, swimming in circles and Wyatt was trying his damnedest not to laugh at her.

"There aren't any venomous...DG just relax it's just...Calm down, kid!...DG would you please...It's not going to bite you!" He was crouching on the ledge now, watching her and unable to keep himself from cracking up at this point as she darted aimlessly away from the unseen predator.

"Out! Out! I want out now!" She was screeching as she swam toward him frantically.

"Well you can't get out here, you have to go around to the...DG!" He called but she wasn't listening, and it didn't make it any easier to stop laughing at her.

"Pull me up!" She pleaded, trying to scale the sheer underside of the ledge he was crouched on now, eyes wide as she continued her frantic thrashing in the water.

Wyatt shook his head, putting one hand on the stone beside his foot to steady himself as he extended the other to her. She latched on and he almost had her...

ALMOST...

At least until she came out of the water enough to spot the snake slithering up her side.

She let out the most adorable, hilarious, ear-piercingly shrill shriek that Wyatt had ever heard, and had he more time he would have laughed at it...but DG, in her snake fearing state of panic, decided to try to climb up Wyatt's arm like a tree.

You know that instant when you realize you're going in and there is nothing you can do about it?

"Oh you have GOT to be..." He bellowed as he lost his footing due to the flailing Princess attached to his arm, and as the surface of that water rapidly approached he was already pissed off about his gun getting wet.

DG was still squealing when he came up for air, and with his teeth clenched together painfully he made his way over to her. That snake was sent by the witch herself to do this to him, he was sure of it. He snatched it off of DG and tossed it clear across the water, listening to DG's whimpering die down before she finally turned to face him.

Her jaw fell open seeing the indignation on his face.

"Umm...hehe...Thanks?" She tried, but his face was red as he turned and made his way to the shore. "Well you're already in here...why don't you just..."

He turned back and arched the feared brow and she snapped her mouth shut.

It very quickly fell back open as he climbed out of the water, those wondrously tight pants now soaked and clinging to him in all the right places...

Holy mother of...

She felt faint, unable to tear her eyes away and thankful that he was too mad to look at her. She knew she would still be staring even if he did. His shirt was sticking to muscles on his back she'd never dared to think about, and bless his heart, he turned back to fish his hat out of the water - prolonging her view. The top few buttons of his shirt were opened, even beneath what was normally left open, and as he stretched for his beloved fedora her breath was catching in her throat.

She'd never been quite so thirsty in her life as she was seeing the droplets of water on his bare chest.

Hubba, hubba, hubba...

If she wasn't in the water she surely would have collapsed, her legs felt like they were made of rubber.

Wyatt stalked off toward the trees with DG watching him like a dog begging for table-scraps, unable to contain her disappointment once he was out of sight.

She was swimming to the shore without thought, climbing out and heading in the direction he'd gone.

He couldn't be going far, he definitely wasn't mad enough to be leaving her alone in the...

"Oh..." She breathed. Her mouth hung open lazily, eyes glazing over as she came around a tree just in time to see him pulling off his shirt.

If it wasn't for a steadying hand on the tree she would have very ungracefully swooned and collapsed to the ground at the sight of him.

Standing there beside his horse...those tight, soaked pants clinging to him...the rays of sunslight glistening on the water droplets covering his skin...his fedora on his head no matter how drenched it was...that square jaw flexing in frustration...

He turned toward her and she closed her mouth to prevent the words, "holy hot cowboy" from escaping.

"Don't even." He said as he held up a hand and she struggled not to smile. "You and me are not on speaking terms right now. Just trot your happy little ass right back down there and wait."

DAMN her and those tiny little cut up shorts. And that soaking wet top. And the breeze that was making the matter of her chilled flesh all the more painfully apparent.

It was obviously a tit bit nipply...err...he shook his head and turned back to unfastening Wrath's saddle...a tad bit nippy for her...yeah, that's what he'd meant to think...

"What'cha doin?" She asked, but only received an aggravated point toward the direction of the water and she sighed as she complied.

Of course not until after she'd taken a moment to enjoy the view he was providing of the profile of his bare torso.

She went back to the waters edge and waited for a while, and after realizing that she was freaking freezing she went and changed into her clothes again, silently hoping to have Wyatt stumble on her while she was doing it. But no such luck.

Minutes ticked by and finally curiosity got the better of her, she had to find out what he was up to over there.

How could things get any more perfect? She bit her lip painfully to prevent a fangirlish sigh from escaping her lips when she returned to where she'd left him and found his clothes...even those marvelous pants and his fedora...laying out to dry.

"Didn't I tell you to go wait?" She heard him ask and closed her eyes for a second before turning.

Please be naked, please be naked, please be naked...

So he was wearing the saddle blanket, but by God the man looked good in it. He had it wrapped around his waist and she was instantly salivating seeing how low on his hips it was sitting. He glared at her and rolled his eyes before turning back to the horses angrily.