The following morning was pure bliss. DG's heart sang along with the birds and she smiled, telling herself to stop being such a dork for the thought. Nothing could spoil her mood as she and Cain sat in the gardens, her normal retreat from the intimidating expanse of the palace interior. She was a nature lover; a down-home, dirty-kneed, ripped-jeans, bred-on-the-farm type Kansas girl.
Despite her childhood beginnings as a Princess she found the trees and flowers more welcoming than marble and tapestries any day. Pair those surroundings with her position, lying with her back against the arm of a plush bench (which she knew Cain had asked be placed under her favorite tree no matter how much he denied it) her legs resting across his lap as he rubbed her feet with that loving look on his face and you were as close to heaven as she could imagine.
She'd found her father's art supplies and was now happily sketching away in a large leather-bound book that just happened to have had her name etched in its cover. Cain had been her first model, much to his exasperation, but it had been no challenge at all. She could have drawn him from her heart's memory with her eyes closed while half asleep. She'd moved on after several pages of his smile, his beautiful eyes, and his weather-worn hat that she loved as if it were an extension of his body.
She drew the smiling faces of her 'nurture units', content in the knowledge that they were now happily back home in Milltown. They visited her occasionally and the pain she had expected at not having them around was easily quelled by the knowledge of their eager return to the lives they'd given up for her.
Flipping to a fresh page her hands worked of their own accord as she let out a relaxed sigh, her mind swimming through an ocean of thoughts with regard to her beloved Tin Man as random images filled the pages with little notice on her part.
In that moment the OZ felt like home, truly as if she were a part of it for the first time she could recall. They sat in comfortable silence, occasionally exchanging knowing smiles, each still amazed that they had managed to overcome all of their hang-ups and fears and had been rewarded so greatly for it. Cain tickled her feet and she laughed, kicking at his hands playfully and watching him with interest as he lifted a foot in his warm hand to inspect her toes.
"What? Did I sprout an extra one or something?" She teased and he laughed.
"No, you painted your toe nails…it's adorable." He said and her heart fluttered.
Cain had actually just said the word 'adorable' without sarcasm…and it had been about her feet.
She grinned ear to ear, leaning forward and lifting her foot up for her own assessment. The red polish she'd applied seemingly a lifetime ago had cooperated with her experimentation of magic that morning as she showered. They'd been in desperate need of attention and she didn't know if there was such a thing as a pedicure in the OZ, but she wanted those babies clean, pink and painted. It was just one of those little fripperies of being a girl that made her happy. She assumed that as long as some of the polish remained she could continue to shape it with her magic to cover the nails.
"Thank you! I do try." She said modestly, and laughed as he scooted closer to her, leaning forward and taking her sketch book from her hands, dropping it to the grass beside them and kissing her mouth sweetly as he wrapped his arms around her.
The world slowed for them, the suns warmed and the breeze caressed them, the magic of the OZ seemed to swell in the presence of their love for one another. He took his mouth from hers and she stared up at him, getting lost in those eyes, seeing their future swirling in the crystal blue waters.
He opened his mouth to speak and his words caught her off guard.
"Yes, Glitch? Raw?" He said with a smile, turning his face to where Glitch stood peaking around a tree in the distance.
"How does he do that?" Glitch said, tossing his arms up in the air in defeat.
"Cain hears too much." Raw said with a smile, and followed Glitch as they walked over to the bench.
Glitch made himself comfortable, taking a seat at the end of the cushions, seemingly oblivious to the looks Cain was shooting in his direction.
"So I see the courtship has taken a giant leap forward." He said with a smile, swinging his legs back and forth beneath the bench and DG laughed at his childlike tone, part of her selfishly grateful that he had elected not to have his brain restored. He had sited the same reasons that had come to him before they entered the tower on the eve of the eclipse, that he was braver without the knowledge his other half possessed, and that he would let them know if he decided the time was right. DG looked at him curiously.
"Courtship? I don't know if I like that term…it makes it sound a bit too royal and stuffy." She ran a finger across the rim of Cain's hat, where he remained still holding her in his arms, if a bit more rigidly since the unexpected intrusion. He didn't strike her as the 'public display of affection' type. "No, I'd say we're more in the soft and fluffy stage." She said with a smile.
Cain's eyebrow rose. "Fluffy?" He asked in disbelief and DG nodded and laughed at him. "Fluffy, she says…" He muttered to himself with a little 'humph', shaking his head and giving her a discrete smile before sitting up.
"So what brings you two out here?" Cain asked, and it sounded more like a demand for an explanation as to why he wasn't curled up with DG anymore.
"Hmm? Oh, us?" Glitch said and Cain rolled his eyes. "We just wanted to say hello…but don't tell that son of yours, he'll string me up by my coattails if he finds--"
"Uh oh." Raw said quietly and Glitch paled as he spotted Jeb approaching.
"Ooohhh…You're gonna get it…" DG said in a sing-song voice and Cain smiled down at her.
To the surprise of all present Jeb seemed totally disinterested in Glitch or Raw…or even DG for that matter. He shot a distracted, "Good morning" to everyone, nodding his greeting quickly and settling his eyes on his father. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked, and Cain gave him an appraising look, searching for any hint that there might be trouble. He found none
"I'll be right back." Cain said to DG and she nodded, motioning him to follow his son who was now walking away just as quickly as he had arrived.
They didn't go far, as it was still Cain's duty to keep an eye on DG, but moved well out of ear shot.
"What's on your mind?" Cain asked, taking in the way his son was shifting his weight from side to side, a far cry from his normal steady stance.
"Alright…this is going to sound so stupid…and crazy…and…" He started quickly, but stopped to give his mind a chance to form words. He sighed and continued. "I don't know when it happened, and I don't really know what to do about it but I figured since you're here now I might as well come to you for advice."
Cain pursed his lips; Jeb was wound up pretty tight about whatever it was. "Anything, ask away." He said, watching a small wave of relief pass over Jeb's face.
"I…" He looked around, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I'm in love with Azkadellia."
Cain tried to hide his smile but did a poor job of it. The kid was probably the last one in the palace to realize his 'big news'.
"That's great. Have you told her?" Cain asked and Jeb ran his hand nervously through his dark blond locks several times.
"Should I? I mean, what if she doesn't feel the same? I won't be able to do my job properly if she rejects me and we're stuck together in awkward silence all the time afterward. It's not like I'll be able to take it back once the words are out there. Or what if she does feel the same but the Queen doesn't approve of me? Then I'll be transferred somewhere and won't be able to see her…I don't think I could handle that." Cain swallowed hard hearing what had been his own concerns just days earlier coming from his son's mouth. "What if she's not ready for a relationship? Am I being selfish even considering this? She's been through a hell of a lot. Plus I realize she's a handful of annuals older than me…but I figure she missed a lot of time when she was under the witch's control, which must be why she likes goofing around with me so much. It's like we're the same age and she just seems so comfortable with me…and I am with her… But then wouldn't it be strange? I mean my father is pursuing her sister…if we had kids and you and DG had kids they'd be like cousins, but also aunts or uncles and nieces or nephews. What the hell would that do to a kid? How would we even explain that? Or what if--"
Cain's eyes grew steadily wider as he waited for his son to pause long enough to take a breath; finally he put his hands on Jeb's shoulders, giving him a look that made him realize he was rambling. His jaw snapped shut.
"Damn, all that was bottled up in there?" Cain asked with a soft chuckle and Jeb nodded. He shook his head and put his arm around his son's shoulders. "You know," He began, smiling in understanding at his son, "a really smart guy told me once that it wasn't good to hold myself back all the time. I took his advice and I'm really glad that I did." He inclined his head to where DG sat smiling and laughing with Glitch and Raw, a stark contrast to mere days earlier when she had been so distraught. "The question is will he be smart enough to follow his own words of wisdom?"
Jeb exhaled slowly, relaxing a bit now that he had put words to all the worries that had been swirling around in his mind. "Thanks, father." He said with a smile, hugged him excitedly and without another word was off like a shot.
Cain smiled as he watched him disappear into the distance, shaking his head before returning to his own prize.