A/N: One of the most devastating scenes in the movie is being played out…right now. Hopefully, I have also made it beautiful without pushing too much... :)

Well even though I cannot leave this story well-enough alone, I still cannot claim ownership…


The group had turned to somber silence as they continued past Adora's final resting place. Even Glitch had respectfully abstained from conversation unless it was to answer a curious, whispered question for DG about her history. Most of the time he could not answer, so she was silent after a while. Each step they took, DG felt familiarity grow. It was still distant, as if a heavy veil divided a sacred place in her mind from everything else she knew.

Another part of her watched Wyatt carefully. The part that cared more deeply than she would ever admit. She feared an explosion or worse, complete apathy. She could handle grumpy Cain, silent Cain, heck she could even handle angry Cain. Apathetic Cain was a side of him she hoped never to see. So far, he was maintaining the Silent Cain persona, but she watched just in case.

The fork in the road proved to be the most exciting part of the trip after finding the cabin and it was not in a positive way. DG was disgusted by the ugly, scarred creature that Cain's bullet had dispatched. She shivered, remembering the last time she had encountered the little vermin. They were a menace and if she never saw one again, it would not be long enough to escape the cold revulsion that filled her.

A flashing memory from her childhood took her by surprise. She had seen the creatures in a dark place once when she was very young.

Cain was suspicious of Toto; she listened to his interrogation curiously. The old teacher had been an enigma from the beginning but at the moment, she really did not have time to waste on mistrust and doubt. A sense of urgency had filled her the moment they had crossed the gorge and it was getting stronger each step she took.

The closer she got to whatever was pulling her the more she felt the growing darkness. In the maze, it lessened a little although the direction was still strong. She kept seeing her seven annual self, running carefree through the maze. Whispering laughter and song played on a mysterious breeze. When she broke through, she automatically looked for the magical waters of the lake where she and Az had played as children.

It was not there. A familiar swing hung from the trees but the last time she had seen it, the ropes had been connected to a beautifully painted Gazebo overlooking the lake and her summer home. She could see the visions dancing in her head, but when she opened her eyes it was replaced with a burned out forest.

She heard her seven annual old voice asking Az a question and begging her older sister for an adventure. Following the voices, DG heard her sister's reply.

"Your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble," She sounded fed up but definitely not evil.

How horrifyingly true that statement turned out to be. The dark, blackness of the cave was flooded with DG's memories. She gasped at the scenes that awakened in her mind, watching them play out as if she were right there.

Her fault.

Her precious sister fell because she let go. The cowardly child she was had let go and run when her sister needed her most. Daughters of Light were always stronger together, and she had let go.

The last fifteen annuals of pain and suffering - she had been completely to blame.

Az, her parents, Cain and his family, Glitch, the Mystic Man, even Raw and Tutor. Imprisonment, torture, death, destruction.

The blood of thousands was on her hands. Because her hand had let go.


"You still back in that cave?" Cain walked up behind DG who had been sitting for hours in contemplative silence.

He had been off on his own contemplative journey a few paces away, still within earshot but far enough to be undisturbed while he wrestled with the burning emotions in his gut. He almost wished for the blissful numbness of the tin suit once more, but quickly chased that thought away.

The ex-Tin Man had been running from his feelings for too long and it was going to catch up with him. He finally realized that if he did not deal with what was going on inside of him then he might as well throw in the towel now – DG needed his protection and he would be useless to her all bottled up with rage and grief and fear.

DG.

He had not seen what she had experienced in the cave. He had heard her weeping and the staggering guilt in her voice though and that was enough. Somehow, she had left Az vulnerable to the witch's possession. She had explained it through wracking sobs as the four men stood guard behind her. Cain caught enough to get the gist.

Her fault.

His mind reeled with the overwhelming anger that completely and irrationally punched him in the region of his heart.

If she had not run, his family would still be alive. He would be a Tin Man in the service of a Wizard, enjoying his wife and child as they grew together and loved together. He would not have missed out on his son's life; Adora could be in his arms right now as they discussed their life over a cup of hot cocoa and a warm fire. He could be feeling her warm body next to his in their bed as the basked in the glow of their love. Adora could have had more children, his children – with her beautiful brown hair and his eyes. He would not lost eight annuals of his life to an Iron Maiden, watching his family ripped apart over and over and over again.

Glitch would still have his brain.

The Queen and her Consort could be happily dancing a waltz while their girls danced around them in the ballroom at the Northern Palace during a Yuletide celebration.

DG and Azkadellia would have driven their bodyguards mad with their sisterly antics as they chased away suitors and escaped through windows using bed sheets.

Az would be the gentle Crown Princess that he had remembered from long ago and DG would still be painting Papay cubs in the lush orchards while the rest of the OZ frantically searched for her.

The blinding rage gave way to more rational grief and sorrow. She had only been seven annuals old. Just a precocious child with a penchant for getting her sister into trouble.

He remembered the year before the possession had occurred. She was still mischievous and lively, but he had seen her subdued and driven by fear as nightmares plagued her vulnerable mind. Even then, he had felt such an overwhelming desire to protect her from the evils of the world.

Could he truly fault her for curiosity and a desire to help a crying child? On top of that, could he really blame her for running away? The witch was a nightmare of massive proportions. To tell a young child that they must stay put while a dark evil comes closer and closer. That was a ridiculous notion to even contemplate.

He had spent annuals blaming himself for everything that had happened to his family. Their deaths were his failures and he allowed that despair to fester and grow. He had told DG to let it go when she was holding onto her guilt at the resistance cabin. It seemed that he had something to learn from his own words. It was much harder than it looked.

Like DG, he was human. He could not prevent every bad thing from happening. He fought for what he believed in and he did the best he could. Adora had encouraged him to continue fighting even knowing the risks. He could have hid them away in some isolated cabin in the woods and done nothing. That was not really who he was, and he would have regretted hiding while others suffered. Cowardice was not in the books for him; fear yes, but he had faced his fears even at the cost of losing those he loved. And he had done so for them – to offer a better future to the next generation.

No one could fault that. Not even him. He could not now hold DG responsible for the evil that had destroyed so many lives. And she was fighting back this time.

"You are not running now, are you?"

She did not answer him as she decided at that moment to follow another memory, but he knew the conversation was far from over. He was going to give back a little of what she had given him even if it meant drilling it into her stubborn head.


Because dammit, as hard as he tried to shut it off and turn to stone again, he loved her. He loved her. He was not sure what exactly that meant, because he had tried hard to remain blissfully unaware of the effect DG had on him. He justified his feelings with his instinctual need to protect - it was a bodyguard thing to do, ingrained in him even after eight annuals locked away from the world.

They had only traveled together for a few days, but he had the memories of her in his head from a long time ago and she was an unstoppable force of nature in his life even then. She had her spirit and impulsiveness now melded into a mature, brave, beautiful woman. A woman who had saved his life in more ways than he could count. A woman he would do anything in his power to save in return.

She irritated him, made him smile, made him want to chain her to a tree just so he could catch a breath before he had to chase her again, and she trusted him implicitly. She rejoiced when he had hope of finding his family alive, offered a silent, comforting presence when his hopes died again, and never expected him to give up any of his dreams just to traipse after hers. She was selfless and vulnerable, noble and the truest of friends.

Even when he had thought of seeing his wife again, a twinge of regret filled him that he would have to say goodbye to the only other woman in his life who had ever made him feel so strongly. The guilt had set in after that and he had pushed it away, not wanting to reason out why he felt such foreign emotions.

It might have been survivor's guilt or he might have been latching onto the only bright Light in his life after he was released from the suit. The same was true for her as well in some ways, although he was positive that she felt only friendship for the washed-up old Tin Man she had saved.

And he was definitely okay with that. Just as long as he could stay by her side and protect her, he would never ask for more. She deserved much more than he had to offer and he could be content with just guarding her with his life. The rest of his life would be dedicated to keeping her safe and he would rejoice when she rejoiced even if it meant his regard for her would go unrequited.

He needed her just as she was because she needed him.

When he promised to protect her, he had meant it with every fiber of his being – even if that meant he had to protect her from herself.

A/N: Next up is Glitch's part so there will be a little back tracking...but we will soon get right on course...