Before The Worst

Chapter Eleven

Cain was, as usual, the first one awake the next morning. He'd slept poorly and was now looking forward to Lurlinemas celebrations less than ever. Tutor, Glitch, Azkadellia and DG all came in together, both princesses looking puffy eyed and exhausted. Azkadellia managed a weak smile as she entered the kitchen.

"Happy Lurlinemas, Mr Cain."

"And you, princess." Cain murmured, pouring coffee for them all, apart from Azkadellia who began to prepare her tea. DG had collapsed into one of the chairs and eagerly accepted coffee. Cain watched her out of the corner of her eye. The vulnerable girl from the night before had disappeared behind DG's usual façade of persistent cheerfulness. Part of him was irritated by this refusal to face reality, but that could be considered hypocritical seeing as he was desperately trying to convince himself that the incident in the hallway hadn't happened.

If it had, DG was showing no signs that she was thinking of it, or even remembered that it had happened. On the contrary, she even refused to let Glitch and Tutor discuss Azkadellia's nightmare.

"Not today. It won't do any good, dragging it all back up again. Anyway, you all need to get out of here so I can cook Lurlinemas dinner." She said firmly.

"Have you ever made a full dinner for five people before?" Glitch asked curiously. DG smiled optimistically, shrugging.

"How hard can it be?"

"…I'll cut the vegetables." Glitch said, reaching for a chopping board and knife.


~*~

Teamwork turned out to be the key to success and in the early afternoon DG proudly placed an only slightly charred chicken before the company. Azkadellia applauded lightly, smiling brightly at her sister at the spread of chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, runner beans and thick gravy.

"This looks delicious!"

"We're like a super team of chefs." DG said, hugging Glitch's arm as he set down a decanter of wine. He laughed and they sat down, Glitch starting to carve the chicken into generous portions. Everyone helped themselves to liberal amounts of food and Azkadellia took charge of pouring wine. Tutor laughed heartily as his plate filled.

"I never would have believed it. The two princesses of the Outer Zone cooking and serving dinner."

"We're not just a pair of pretty faces." DG said, smiling cheerily. "We have some unexpected talents! For example, Azkadellia here is pretty adept at making scrambled eggs."

"And DorothiGale here makes an exceptional roast chicken." Azkadellia shot back and DG winced at the use of her full name.

After lunch they strolled around the lake, Cain, Toto and Glitch walking ahead in deep conversation, whilst DG and Azkadellia walked with linked arms a few paces behind.

"How are you feeling?" DG asked, squeezing her sister's arm. Azkadellia smiled weakly, she had been pale all morning.

"Oh, you know. Tired."

"Az…" DG said in a warning tone.

"Fine, my head hurts, my entire body aches and I just want to curl up in a corner and cry myself to sleep." Azkadellia said dryly. DG sighed.

"I wish I could help."

"DG, the fact that you're there when I wake up every night is more than I could ask for." Her gentle smile did little to reassure DG, but she accepted the end of the conversation, watching the reeds blow in the cold but soft wind.


~*~

Azkadellia decided that she was going for a nap when they returned to the house and DG followed her upstairs.

"Do you want some help sleeping?" She asked, but Azkadellia shook her head.

"I won't need it. Wake me in a couple of hours?"

"OK."

DG went to her own room and closed the door, thinking that a nap might be just the thing to snap her out of her stupor. She crawled onto the soft bed and closed her eyes, waving a hand at the curtains. They closed and DG pushed her face into the cool pillows.

Cain had been avoiding her eye all morning and she'd looked over at him during breakfast to find him twisting the silver wedding band around on his finger. She'd never seen him do that before and the image sent a sharp spike through her chest. DG knew that she'd been on the verge of making a terrible mistake the night before.

But then… he hadn't exactly pushed her away, had he? If it hadn't been for the fact that she'd sensed Azkadellia coming out of the nightmare, things would have gone a lot further and she wasn't sure that she objected to that idea. DG was fairly certain that these feelings were advancing far more than she should allow them to.

She cared for Cain – was she prepared to risk everything? He wasn't the sort of man you could try it out with, and then go back to being friends with if it didn't work out. He was an all or nothing man.

DG shook the thoughts out of her head as she saw, again, the image of Cain fingering his wedding ring. He was a widow – he had loved Adora with all of his being, had been forced to watch her torture again and again, had clung desperately to the hope that she was alive and waiting for him. DG couldn't hope to compete for Cain's affections when her memory was still alive in his heart.

DG didn't sleep after that.


~*~

Azkadellia lay curled on the bed, clasping her hands to her head. She needed to sleep, was desperate for rest but fear kept her eyes from closing. Tears coursed down her face.

"Please… please don't let me dream…" She whimpered to herself, licking her lips and tasting salty tears. Her breathing was shallow and uncontrollable as her hands dug into her hair.

There was a soft knock at the door and Azkadellia sat up, wiping the tears from her face. It had only been a half hour; surely DG hadn't come to wake her yet? But no, it was Glitch's pale face that glowed in the semi-darkness.

"Oh, Azkadee…" He whispered, seeing her desperate face. Azkadellia didn't try to hide the tears as she turned on the bedside lamp and Glitch closed the door.

"I can't sleep, Glitch… she's waiting for me…" Azkadellia whispered as Glitch sat on the bed beside her. She buried her face in his shoulder. "How did DG do it? How did she survive for so long?"

"I don't know, my Azkadee. She's just…"

"Strong." Azkadellia finished the sentence but Glitch sighed, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"You're strong too. But DG did her fair share of crying, you know. She just hid it from you, she didn't want to upset you."

"… I don't think I can be that strong." Azkadellia murmured and Glitch stroked her hair comfortingly.

"You are that strong, Az. You just don't know it yet." He said quietly. Azkadellia didn't reply. Instead she stood and walked to the small sofa, sitting in front of the empty fireplace.

"Stay with me?" She asked and Glitch nodded.

"Always."

They sat side-by-side, Azkadellia's head back on his shoulder. After ten minutes her eyes slid closed and Glitch watched carefully, but she showed no signs of distress. He shifted carefully, moving her so she lay peacefully on the sofa before slipping from the room.


~*~

The suns were setting by the time the princesses arrived in the sitting room. The men were already seated, talking companionably, the green and red candles dotted around the room, giving off the sweet scent of pine trees and spicy fruits. Azkadellia joined Glitch on the sofa and he smiled.

"You're looking refreshed." He commented and she gave a shy smile.

"I'm feeling much better." She admitted, accepting a glass of wine. Tutor was peering at DG.

"What have you got there?"

DG was carrying a box, which she put down on the table closest to the fireplace, stretching her cramped fingers. Everyone watched with interest as she smiled.

"OK, so I know presents aren't really a part of Lurlinemas, but they are a part of the equivalent Other Side holiday, so I thought I'd do a crossover." She opened the box, looking rather excited, despite her tired appearance. Glitch leaned forward curiously.

"Presents? Where did you get presents from?"

"Well... I didn't. Not really. It would have been difficult seeing as how we can't leave Pacalisaqua, so I had to improvise. I used to do a lot of drawing in Kansas, so…"

She pulled out a small, framed picture and handed it to Glitch.

"I took the frames from a studio I found on the fourth floor."

It was a charcoal sketch of Ambrose, in his official advisor's clothes, looking full of pride. Beside the image was a second of Glitch, zipper peeking out from his hairline, holding a beaker of bubbling liquid. His expression was one of curious excitement and utter enthusiasm.

"Aw, come here, Doll!" Glitch pulled her into a hug and she kissed his cheek before handing another picture to Tutor and one to Azkadellia. Tutor's was of himself in his formal teaching robes, a small dog sitting cheerfully beside him, the background of the lake outside looking wintery and fresh.

Azkadellia's was more detailed. It showed her sat on the swing at Finaqua in a long, flowing dress, a book in her hand as she smiled softly at something in the distance. Her hair was loose and dark, lifting in the gentle breeze. The outline of the palace and the light reflecting onto the gazebo were all depicted with the most careful detail.

They all gushed over their gifts, showing each other. Whilst they were preoccupied, DG took the last frame from the box and walked to where Cain was sat, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Happy Lurlinemas." She said quietly, smiling nervously as she handed him the picture. He took it warily and examined the drawing.

He saw his own face, carefully etched and smudged. He was wearing his usual outfit, heavy coat and familiar hat. He was smiling, his arm around Jeb's shoulders, his son clad in his police uniform. Jeb was grinning widely, his eyes bright and alive as he looked at his father.

It took him several minutes to take in the whole picture. Eventually he looked up to thank DG, but she was already on the other side of the room, pouring herself a drink and laughing with Glitch as he re-enacted the experimental pose in the picture.


~*~

It was almost midnight before they all trekked up the stairs, Azkadellia already half asleep despite her nap. They all wished each other goodnight before separating, DG half supporting her sister until they reached their doors.

"Sleep well, Az. I'm right here."

"I know." Azkadellia slid her arms around her. "Thank you for my picture, Deej. It's beautiful."

"It's nothing." DG smiled, cuddling her sister. "Good night."

DG went straight to her bathroom, brushing her teeth and splashing warm water over her face. She was just about to climb into bed when there was a quiet knock at the door. She opened it slightly to see Cain stood there, looking uncomfortable. She frowned.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Yes, I just…" He cleared his throat and looked at her levelly. "I wanted to thank you for the picture. It means a lot."

Warmth filled DG's stomach and she smiled.

"I'm glad you liked it."

"I did. Anyway, I…" He paused again and held out a small package, wrapped in one of the cloths that had been used for packing the things Tutor had brought with him. DG took it and Cain nodded.

"Good night." He disappeared before she could speak again. DG watched him disappear into the gloomy darkness of the hallway before closing the door quietly. Carrying the package over to her desk, she unwrapped it slowly.

Cradled in the rough fabric was a carved wooden figure, no bigger than the palm of her hand. It was of a motorcycle, the wood smoothed over the seat and engine, the wheels turning on tiny axles. The miniature handlebars were grooved with impeccable detail.

DG smiled widely, placing it on her desk beside her sketchbook. It was only as she climbed into bed that she realised he must have spent hours making it, and since he'd been busy all day, it hadn't been a last minute idea for a return Lurlinemas present. He'd been working on this before he even knew that she would be handing out gifts.

The idea swirled in her mind as she fell into deep sleep.

A/N: Woo, it's Lurlinemas Time! Hope you enjoyed that little bit of fluff with Glitch and Az – KLCtheBookWorm rather predicted that! I swear, some of you reviewers are in my head… I pity you, it's a rather messed up place to be in!

I need to slow down the posting rate, but your reviews are just too wonderful! The assignment is in and I now have a week off! Woo! But not really, because I'm away from Thursday to Monday – I will be in Liverpool, being a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding. If I don't freeze to death, I will be back! In the mean time I'll try to post a few more chapters. There's some real action going to kick up in the next few chapters, then it slows down a tad for some drama but it's gonna pick right back up again! I'm looking forward to seeing reactions!

You know what to do – press that adorable little button and leave a happy message!

Lots of Love

Katie