Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Who dares to love forever?
When love must die...
Queen - Who Wants To Live Forever (Wyatt and Adora's Love Theme)
Ralph led the group through the woods to a crude but effective looking high wire device concealed under some heavy branches.
"Your family crossed this same line friend. Said they were headed to an old cabin three spans on the other side tucked behind a giant white elm, the only one there."
"Thank you," Wyatt said softly.
"We should thank you." Ralph shook his hand.
"I'm too big for that thing!" Toto shifted into his dog form and moaned in fear. Wyatt scooped him up while the others made their way across the river Toto whimpered while they were gliding across. On the ground below them a Longcoat looked up thinking he'd heard something but passed it off as the wind.
"If you shapeshift I swear I'll drop you!" Wyatt threatened the frightened dog.
Glitch slammed face first into a tree once he reached the other side while DG and Raw landed safely.
"You okay?" Wyatt asked DG when he appeared behind them.
"Yeah."
"All right, let's go."
DG walked close behind him trying to remember that every step they took was bringing her closer to the time when she would have to let him go.
I can't do it, I just can't.
You have to!
No...please...not now.
"Where are we headed?" Toto asked.
"There. That's it. That's where my family made their new home," Wyatt said as he spotted the white oak tree, his heart beating faster.
Would they even remember me? What if Adora found someone else?
She's not like that and you know it. Now stop it.
"I really don't think there's time for this," Toto pointed out.
"He's always made time for us," DG reminded him.
And our time together is over, she thought sadly as she watched him running through the field screaming his wife's name along with his son's, feeling a cold chill spread through her body.
Bound to another he was not meant to be mine
Yet we were blessed with one shining moment in time.
I never had my shining moment...now I never will.
Then she felt a deep pain in her heart as if she'd been stabbed but it wasn't her pain. It was his. It nearly brought her to her knees.
"Deege, what's the matter?" Glitch asked her.
"Oh God...no!" she moaned. "Please...he's been hurt enough...!" she cried as she raced after Wyatt. To her horror she found him standing in front of an empty tin suit. Then something caught his eye, a wooden grave marker. He took off his hat and kneeled beside the grave, his heart shattering as he read his wife's name carved into the wood, touching the marker lovingly. He placed his Tin Man's badge over the patch of earth and grass that served as her final resting place, his eyes filled with tears.
DG stood off to the side with the others, feeling his pain as if it were her own and cursing herself for being so selfish now that she saw him such agony. He had just found his heart again and it was being ripped out like Glitch's brain had been ripped out of his head.
Are you happy now? He's not going to stay here now, is he?
Go to him. He needs you. Make your strength his.
How can I...now?
Will you leave him alone in the dark again? You said you couldn't let him go. Then fight for him. Make him come back to your light where he belongs now.
He turned his head away when he saw her approach, not wanting her to see him. She touched his shoulder, expecting him to shrug her hand away. It moved away only when he leaned forward and kissed the marker. He stood up without a word, donned his hat and walked away.
He barely spoke as they continued on their journey. They stopped at the creek. While the others washed up, Wyatt sat up on the hill alone.
I never should've went looking for them. I should have known better than to believe Zero when he said they were still alive. It was all part of the game and we're all nothing but pawns in it.
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Your son Jeb still lives," Raw said.
"No!"
Don't get my hopes up again. I won't hope again. It dies...everything dies.
"He lives to honor you. I feel it," Raw went on and tried to touch him again. Wyatt brushed him off.
"You feel too much," he said bitterly. "C'mon let's get a move on."
Raw watched him walk away sadly feeling the heavy walls being thrown up around his new friend's heart.
Unless DG unlock his heart, heart will not survive.
She walked by his side and although they didn't speak, she wanted him to know she was there when he needed her. She could feel him trying to distance himself from her as he'd done when they first met and when he left her behind in Central City but she wouldn't let him go without a fight this time.
"Which way now?" Glitch asked him.
"Well both ways head south."
"Your mother said your memories would guide you DG. Let them," Toto instructed.
"I don't know. It looks familiar."
"Well dig deeper. Remember DG."
She closed her eyes. "I remember her swinging me on a swing. The sun's reflecting in my eyes and the breeze off the water..." She started running down the patch with Raw and Wyatt behind her. Glitch was walking in the opposite direction. Sidney took a disk out of his pocket and dropped it while Zora waited in the tree.
"What's that," Glitch said as he spotted the disk and bent down to retrieve it. Zora, not willing to give up the next piece of the trail swooped down to attack.
"NO!" Toto yelled. Wyatt pulled his pistol out and fired a shot, missing the demon. He fired again, the second shot hitting its target and sending the demon crashing to the ground.
"What happened?" DG asked.
"Little beastie just came out of nowhere." Glitch answered as they stared down at the corpse of the demon.
"Why did it attack now?"
"Probably a random hit. It's dead now," Wyatt added as he was kneeling down in front of the demon.
"We should just...move along like it never happened," Toto suggested. All eyes were now on him, Wyatt's the most dangerous of all as he approached the shapeshifter.
"Never happened? Once Az finds out that this one's missing, she's gonna have Longcoats crawlin all over the Zone looking for it."
"All the more reason to get moving."
"You okay? You're sweating up a storm," Wyatt observed.
"I'm fine."
They heard DG running away. Wyatt glared at the shapeshifter. His bullshit detector was on overdrive and he smelled a dirty white lie coming out of the other man's mouth although he didn't understand why.
Something other than you sweating smells here and I'm not liking the stink of it. I'll be watching you, dog man.
Once the others were out of sight, Toto buried the tracking disk under some dirt and hurried to catch up. He had to be more careful next time or he would end up with a bullet in his chest from the legendary silver pistol made from the remains of the original Tin Man or worse. Wyatt Cain did not have a reputation for being ruthless unless someone he cared for was being threatened and threatening the safety of his mate by leading Azkadellia to her was cause enough for Cain to tear him apart.
"C'mon!" DG called out as she ran toward the entrance of a large maze. Once she was inside, she seemed to know exactly where she was going although there were endless twists and turns.
A person could get lost in this damn thing. "DG!"
Wyatt called out. It was difficult to keep up with her as she was not leaving them any kind of trail. Calling on his inner dragon again, Wyatt tracked her by the scent she gave off...the sweet scent of the rose. When they emerged from the maze they found her sitting on an old swing.
"You're right about the magical waters DG," Glitch said. "That's what Finaqua means in the ancients language. Not sure about the translation now though."
"This used to be paradise," she said softly.
"Not paradise now." Raw mumbled.
"It was one of the first places Az scorched when she came to power," Wyatt told them.
"Well she sure didn't leave much," added Sidney.
"No."
DG heard a faint voice.
Your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble!
"What was that?" she asked as she jumped off the swing. Wyatt started to go after her.
"Wait guys. Let her do this alone," he advised.
"Bullshit...what's down there?" Wyatt demanded.
"Something she needs to see."
He sighed. "Why do I have the feeling I'm not going to like this?"
"We all have terrible truths we have to face at some point."
"What could be so terrible about her past that she doesn't already know? Her sister killed her, her mother lost her magic to bring her back to life. She doesn't need anything else upsetting her. I'm going after her. You want to stop me, go ahead and try it," Wyatt challenged. "You won't get far."
"I second that!" Glitch declared. "C'mon Raw. Let's go."
Wyatt picked up her scent in the deepest part of the forest, climbing over large moss covered rocks and dead tree limbs with Glitch, Raw and Sidney behind him.
Ozma's ghost, she could fall and break her neck here. If I find out she got hurt down here I'm going to shoot that damned dog man. What the hell was he thinking sending her down here alone?
"DG!" he called out.
"Cain, will you wait up!" Glitch complained. "This place is worse than the maze."
"Well be careful!" Wyatt growled, not in the mood to listen to his complaining when he had to keep his eyes and ears open for any sign of DG. "No telling what's lurking around."
"I doubt anything else could get through this jungle."
"Zip the mouth or I'll do it for you. I can't hear a damned thing with you bitching. DG!"
When they got to the bottom of the hill they could see the entrance to a cave. Wyatt stood there, gasping for breath as he was overcome by a violent panic attack.
"Shouldn't be in there," he gasped, pressing his hand to his chest where his heart was pounding rapidly.
"Cain, are you okay?" Glitch asked worriedly.
"Cave remind Tin Man of suit. Cold, dark...closed in." Raw murmured as he placed a hand on Wyatt's shoulder to try to calm him.
"Okay, c'mon Cain. Breathe," Glitch coached. "If DG's in there we have to go in. Okay? She needs us. She needs
you."
"Could get trapped in there...worse than tin suit."
"If anything happens we'll just grab her and run like hell. We're not gonna get trapped. Oh shit! C'mon Cain, don't you pass out on me," Glitch seized Wyatt's shoulders as the older man's eyes closed and he started to sway, his face and neck drenched with sweat. "I can't keep him up by myself!" he snapped at Toto. "Help me out here."
"Going to be sick..." Wyatt moaned.
"Aww not that! C'mon Cain! Snap out of it! You are
not throwing up on me! Dammit Tin Man, DG needs you now. Get your act together!"
"DG," he murmured.
"That's it, think about DG. You want to help her don't you?"
"Yeah." he slurred.
"Can't help her like this, can you?"
"No..."
"DG need Tin Man." Raw said gently, patting Wyatt's shoulder.
"She needs me..."
"That's it. C'mon Cain keep thinking about DG," Glitch chanted. "If she's facing something terrible in there she needs you now more than ever!"
Wyatt's breathing returned to normal again and he started to regain his composure. "Thanks," he said to Glitch and Raw. "C'mon, let's go."
The things I do for that kid, he thought as they entered the cold, dark cave. He never wanted to be in another cold, dark, closed in space again once he got out of that damned suit but his friends were right. She needed him and he didn't want her to face her own darkness alone. They found her sitting on the ground sobbing.
"Azkadellia, my sister! All the terrible things that have happened...they were all my fault! I should never have let go!"
What does she mean by that? Wyatt wondered.
How can everything be your fault, kiddo? You didn't lock me in the tin suit. You didn't rip Glitch's brain out, kill the Mystic Man and turn the OZ into a den of horrors and kill my family. Your sister did that or she had Zero do it for her.
"DG," he said gently letting her know she wasn't alone anymore. She turned around and saw him and the rest of the group behind her. Choking back a sob she raced out of the cave. "Let me handle this," he said to the others as he hurried after her unaware that they had no intentions on stopping him.
She couldn't look at them, him most of all now that she knew the full truth. It was her fault...all of it. Had she just listened to Azkadellia and stayed the hell away from that damned cave her mother would still be on the throne, she and her sister would still be friends, Glitch would have his brain and Cain would still be with his family!
Out of all of them, he's the one my cowardice harmed the most. How can I face him now? I should ask him to take out his pistol and shoot me right in the heart because I've broken his beyond repair. It's what I deserve.
She could him again kneeling before his wife's grave with tears in his eyes and wished she could back in time, grab that stupid, scared little girl she'd been and make her hold onto Az that time. Her mother never should've cloaked that memory. She didn't deserve that protection. She should have been forced to see how stupid she was over and over again.
"Want to talk about it, kiddo?" she heard Wyatt ask from behind her.
Oh God...please...I can't face him NOW!
"I'm fine," she sniffled.
"Bullshit. What happened in there? You said all the terrible things that have happened are your fault. What did you mean by that?"
You don't want to know...you'll hate me and you know what? I deserve it. I deserve whatever punishment you see fit to give me. Lock me in a tin suit, shoot me, strangle me...
"I... I can't talk about it."
"Can't or won't, kiddo?" he pressed.
"I..."
"C'mon Deege. It can't be that bad."
"Oh yes it can!" she sobbed. "Do you know what was in that cave? A witch. She was trapped there centuries ago and she should've stayed there had a stupid little girl not decided to do a little exploring and led herself and her older sister right into a trap!"
"A witch? How do you know it was a witch?"
"Because I saw it!" she screamed. "At first she looked like a little girl but then she changed right before our eyes. Az and I always held hands when something threatened us and our combined magic always protected us. Az held my hand and warned me not to let go because she knew nothing could hurt us if we stayed together but that damned witch scared me. I let go of Az's hand and the witch took control of her and she's still controlling her!"
An image flashed before Wyatt's eyes. He was standing beside the empty sarcophagus that should have contained DG's body and a younger Azkadellia had a tight grip on his arm and she was speaking to him in a strange voice. Wyatt repeated the words aloud.
"Your memory of your purpose you will one day recover
Until that day, take heed or you will be made to suffer
Think of these events as a bad dream
And mark that things are not always what they seem.
If the darkness succeeds with it has planned
It will be you who must lead the final stand!"
"What was that?" DG asked as she turned to look up at him.
"Your sister said that to me the day of your funeral. Son of a bitch...she was trying to warn me!"
"Wait...you were at my funeral?"
"I was one of the pallbearers," he answered. "I always thought it was strange that you would've died in your sleep at such a young age but when I questioned it the Mystic Man got upset with me. Now I know why. They were already planning to hide you on the Other Side. The rumor was that Azkadellia found out your mother was planning to alter the succession and pass the crown to you so she killed you to get you out of the way but she wasn't acting like she'd just gotten rid of a rival at your funeral. After she said all that to me she changed, acted like the bitch she is now."
"Oh my God...Cain...what if Azkadellia is trying to fight the witch's control? She acted like two different people at the Tower too! There might still be a chance I can save her!" DG exclaimed hopefully.
"She may be too far gone now," Wyatt said.
"I have to try..." she said as she looked away again.
But no matter what, I can't change the past. I can't undo all the pain she's caused you. The pain I caused you.
"Hey...you still in the cave?" he asked. He could feel her distancing herself from him.
"I just feel so bad that I let her in there."
"You can't blame yourself."
"It's because of me that the witch got out."
It's because of me that you lost everything precious to you.
"Look, you were just a kid."
"And I ran!"
Kid or not I was a fucking coward.
"You're not running now, are ya?"
"No, I'm not but..."
"DG, that witch was determined to get out no matter who went in the cave and standing there beating yourself up over it isn't going to make her go away."
"How can you be so calm about this when...I'm the reason why your wife...?
"Did you kill my wife?" he demanded.
"No...not directly..."
"You didn't! And you didn't lock me up in that suit, take out Glitch's brain and lock up your mother.
She did that. Were you even listening when we had that talk earlier? You have to come out of that cave. We still need you," he reminded her.
He said we but in her heart she heard him say I still need you and it was all she needed to hear. She smiled through her tears.
At the cave's entrance Glitch and Raw watched the exchange between them nervously, wondering what they were saying to each other. Then they saw DG smile.
Tin Man able to reach DG. DG happy now.
I knew he could do it.
Tin Man still not able to remember who DG is.
He has a cloak on his memories that is a lot stronger than the one DG has on hers because his was a punishment for breaking their bond. His dragon's spirit has some of those memories but his punishment won't let him see any memory he has of DG being his mate.
We tell them?
Their bond has to reform without any outside interference, Raw. DG is the only one who can break the lock on his memories but as long as she only has half of hers she won't know how.
Not fair. DG and Tin Man belong together. Make each other happy.
I know Raw but look what happened to Cain when he tried to go against the will of the OZ even though it was a mistake on his part. He lost everything.
What we do now Glitch?
We protect them.
Recalling the Mystic Man's words, DG raced back to the swing. Her mother left a message for her in Finaqua and she needed to find it.
"How is she going to find anything now? The palace and lake are gone. Azkadellia's torched the place!" Glitch cried.
"Shhh! Quiet Glitch," Wyatt admonished.
As she recalled her favorite past time of skipping stones across the lake, she realized she and Azkadellia had hidden a stone shaped like a heart beneath a pile of larger rocks. She discovered the pile exactly where they left it fifteen years earlier and recovered the lost stone. She held it in her hand and kissed it tenderly.
"I hope this is the perfect day," she said as she tossed it, waves of golden light shining in the ground as the ruins of Finaqua were once again restored to the paradise she remembered.
Wyatt looked around, astounded. He knew the kid was powerful but what she'd done was nothing short of a miracle. Having just seen the kid toss a stone across some dirt and bring back her childhood paradise convinced Wyatt he was in the presence of one half of the most powerful force in the OZ, it's very heart. Oddly enough, he wasn't afraid of her.
Wonder if she knows what she is. Probably not since her mother put that spell on her memories. She barely remembers how to use her magic. She's a good kid, just needs a little more self confidence, that's all. But where's her other half?
Do you really want to know?
It would help.
Maybe. Maybe not. What if her other half is some snot nosed punk who abuses his powers just for the thrill of it? Do you want her around someone like that?
Hell no!
The truth was, even once they got the damned country back in order he was going to ask to stay on as her bodyguard. There were a lot of scoundrels in the OZ and he was determined to keep them away from her. If they tried one thing out of line, he would start using them for target practice. She needed a good man in her life, not one who would take advantage of her.
A image of her mother appeared in the middle of the gazebo, instructing her to go to the Realm of the Unwanted to find the consort himself.
What is the consort doing in that hellhole? Wyatt wondered. Is he insane?
While they were walking he noticed that Toto was trailing behind and he was still as skittish as he'd been when the mobat demon attacked.
Time for a chat, pooch.
"Hey pooch, you okay over there? You've been antsy as a guild fighter since we left Finaqua."
"I'm...just nervous about being a man on the run I suppose."
And the scent of your bullshit is gagging me. Out with it!
"I hear ya. Sky's clear but I've got this funny feeling we're being followed. What do you think?"
"Another mobat? It's probably a random scout that stumbled across us."
"Then you say we should pretend like it never happened." Wyatt could hear something clinking in the other man's pocket. "You were sweating then too." He grabbed Toto's arm, a handfull of disks falling to the ground. Furious, he took out his pistol and aimed it at Toto's chest. "I'd shoot you in the heart if I thought you had one!" he snarled.
"Cain," DG said gently. "What are those?"
"Bread crumbs for Azkadellia," he said angrily. "She had an inside man all along. Didn't she?"
"A spy!" Raw growled.
"Tutor?" DG asked. Toto lowered his head while Wyatt kept the gun on him.
"Your trail ends here."
You bastard. I knew it! I should shipped you on your way a long time ago.
"You don't understand. I stopped dropping those a while back."
"Afraid you'd get caught?" Wyatt pulled back the trigger.
"But you were family," DG said, her voice breaking.
"I still am DG. I care about you more than anyone else in the world."
"Then why would you do that?" she sobbed, her sadness only adding fuel to the fire of Wyatt's rage.
That's it, dog man! You're dead.
"For the last fifteen annuals I've been locked up. In a dark hole. Azkadellia came to me. She offered me my freedom if I track you. If I'd said no, she would've killed me on the spot."
I was locked up in a dark prison too you son of a bitch and I was offered my freedom too but I never betrayed anyone I cared about!
"So I figured at least I could keep her off your back while I helped you rediscover your magic."
"All right if that were the truth, why did you drop those disks? Why didn't you let us get away clean?" Wyatt demanded.
"You know as well as I do that would've never worked. She would've been on us quick as death. Now look you guys, whether you like it or not, those things bought us valuable time."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" DG inquired, still in tears.
"I swear DG I was just about to."
"I think its time to put this dog down," Wyatt said icily.
"No!" DG pressed her hand down on his arm to move the gun away and looked up at him.
Don't do it, kid. It's a mistake.
"We're all looking for second chances. Tutor too." Her blue eyes met his, silently pleading with him and once again he felt bound to obey her.
Ahhhh, dammit! I hope to hell we don't regret this. That I don't regret this.
"Thank you DG," Toto said softly.
"It doesn't mean that I trust you!" she snapped. "But we're almost to the Realm and you're the only one who knows what Ahamo looks like.
"Well we can't just let him walk," Wyatt pointed out.
"Maybe we could keep him on a short leash," Glitch suggested.
"That's a good idea. If you really mean what you say then you won't mind travelling with us as Toto." DG grasped her former tutor's arm tightly.
Wyatt moved closer so that he and Toto were staring at each other. "One wrong move and I'll take you on a walk you don't come back from. You hear me?" he said firmly.
"Yeah," Toto said as he stepped back and shifted into his dog form.
"Now that we know Azkadellia had a spy she's a lot closer than we thought. We gotta pick it up a notch. C'mon. Let's go." They began to walk out of the woods, Toto trailing after them.
They were in the middle of an overgrown field and hopelessly lost much to Wyatt's dismay although he'd be damned if he wanted to admit it. His dragon's tracking senses which had proven useful to him earlier seemed to have deserted him.
Fine time for that too, he thought angrily. Then he could feel the eyes of his companions on him, wanting to know what do next.
"What? Trust me. The Realm of the Unwanted is here...somewhere," he said nervously.
It's like finding a damned needle in a haystack.
Only the haystack went on for what looked like miles. They heard Toto barking as he raced through the field.
"I think he's found something. C'mon!" Glitch whispered. He stumbled once and quickly got back on his feet. They found Toto standing over a wooden door his tail wagging excitedly. Once the others approached him, he started scratching at the door and barking. DG picked him up while Wyatt opened the door to reveal a hole in the ground.
"Well, that's something you don't see every day," Glitch remarked.
"I'll go first with the pooch. Then the rest of you," Wyatt instructed.
DG was shocked to see what looked like a town underground only it looked like a rough one. There was a boxing ring where two men were battling while their supporters cheered them on and discussed the bets they had on them.
"Cain, uhhh help a zipperhead out with a memory or two. In this realm who exactly are the unwanted?"
"Criminals, outlaws and a few living experiements gone wrong," Wyatt answered.
"Oh, and my father's here. How odd," DG said flatly.
Why in the hell would my father be living in a place like this unless...no...she wouldn't have married a criminal! Would she?
We can't choose who we fall in love with all the time, DG. Sometimes it just happens. And sometimes it's with the last person we would ever expect it to be.
Yes but since my mother was the queen I think she'd be a bit more...choosy.
"Hey look!" Glitch cried out as he ran over to what looked like a booth.
"What's he doing now?" Wyatt grumbled.
"I don't know," DG answered, frustrated herself. Now wasn't the time for Glitch's synapses to misfire and let his curiousity get him into trouble.
Your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble!
Look what happened when I decided to let my curiousity get the best of me, Glitch. For the love of all that is holy, get control of the part of your brain that you do have so that we can find my father and I can fix this mess I've made!
"Anybody got any money?" he asked them as he was staring at the coin taking machine that read: Ask Airofday. Questions are answers unspoken.
Do I look like a bank, you damned headcase? Here's your damned money!
Wyatt thought angrily as he took his pistol out and slammed it down on the coin taking machine and some money dropped out. Glitch dropped the money into the machine.
A woman stood inside the booth, she had at least six arms. Glitch grinned. "Can't say they didn't welcome us with open arms."
The woman moved her arms and said in a mechanical voice: "Questions are answers unspoken."
"Isn't it a little cramped in there?" Glitch asked her. DG rolled her eyes. Wyatt shook his head. They did not have time for him to be standing there flirting with Spiderwoman. Raw laughed.
"Reference to uncomfortable tight spaces. Answer: yes." the woman replied to his question.
"Isn't that good?"
Okay Glitch, party's over.
"It's okay...we gotta go find Ahamo," DG said through gritted teeth. Glitch was her friend but when he started acting like this she wanted to strangle him and understood now why Cain wanted to strangle him half the time.
"Answer: Ahamo is a hard man to find." Airofday spoke up.
"You know him?" Glitch asked.
She pointed toward the coin machine. Wyatt held up his gun, his lips curled into a small sly grin.
You take bullets, bitch?
"Answer: know personally, no."
"Okay, great thank you for nothing," DG said sarcastically. "Goodbye." She was through wasting time. Wyatt reached out and touched her shoulder. She was shocked that he was willing to go along with this nonsense. In her opinion, the spiderwoman was useless.
"We were told that Ahamo was here in the realm." Glitch said to Airofday.
"Reply: know of someone who might know this Ahamo. Answer: the Seeker."
"Where can we find the Seeker?" DG demanded. The woman waved her arms and pointed in the directions of east and west.
"And you thought I had trouble with directions," Glitch muttered. The woman stepped out of the booth, the two other women who were acting as her other four arms still inside.
"The Seeker doesn't talk to just anybody. Doesn't like strangers," she said to them.
"He'll like us," Wyatt said firmly. "Where is he?"
"I might be able to arrange a meeting."
"Really? What's the catch?"
"Twenty platinums."
"Twenty platinums!" Glitch exclaimed.
"Done," Wyatt interrupted. "Where is this meeting place?"
"The local tavern at the edge of the realm. Meet there at the rising of the first moon after midnight."
"We'll be there," DG spoke up. The woman smiled and went back inside her booth.
"Now where are we gonna get twenty platinums?" Glitch asked Wyatt as they walked away.
"We could sell you for experiments," he retorted.
"Oh ha ha ha. Very funny Cain," Glitch grumbled. "Why don't we sell you?"
Raw started laughing again.
"We don't have time for this shit!" DG barked. "No one is getting sold but since you got us in this Cain, I suggest you find another, more realistic way to come up with the twenty platinums because I get the feeling that we're not going to find Ahamo unless we pay up!"
"And what would you have me do, Princess?" he demanded as they faced each other. He'd never seen her so angry before.
"Figure it out!" she snapped. "Is there even a damned clock around here?"
"Clock there," Raw said as he pointed to a clock on one of the other buildings.
"We have less than two hours to come up with twenty platinums and get to that bar so start thinking Cain!"
"Fine!" he growled. "Although I have no idea what the hell you think we can do in this hole for money that doesn't involve breaking the law and I am not doing that."
"You're not a Tin Man anymore, remember?" she reminded him.
"I'm still not breaking the law."
"Then I guess we're up shit creek without a paddle."
The revving of an engine made her jump. She ran in the direction where the sound was coming from and saw a pack of men on older looking motorcycles gathered behind one of the buildings. A group of them seemed to be having an argument.
"There's a two hundred platinum pot and Smitty's the fastest racer we got."
"I'll do it."
"You'll fall off on the first damn turn and I can't make the turns that good."
"You assholes gonna shoot the breeze all night or are we gonna race?" she heard someone from the other group yell.
"Give us a minute, will ya!"
"You got five minutes or the pot's ours!"
"DG, what the hell are you doing? Let's go!" Wyatt whispered as he started to pull her back.
"If those guys will let me race for them maybe I can convince them to give me the twenty platinums we need."
"Are you insane!" he cried. "You do not want to make a deal with..."
"Well, well well, what do we have here?" a rough looking man said from behind them. "Out for a little late night stroll lovebirds?" he said as he grabbed DG. Wyatt pulled out his gun and aimed it at the man's head.
"Let her go or you'll be sportin' another hole between your eyes," he growled.
"I think we'll have a little fun with her first. Whaddya say boys?" he called out to the other bikers. Two of them grabbed Wyatt by the arms, his gun falling out of his hand while another came forward with fists raised.
No...not again. Oh God, Cain...I'm so sorry. Every time I fuck up you're the one who gets hurt.
Wyatt howled with rage as he had on the time loop and looked at her. She could swear that his blue eyes were now blood red and watched, astounded as he kicked out and sent his two captors crashing to the ground and started fighting off the others like a martial arts expert.
I had no idea he could fight like that!
She was even more surprised to see Glitch approaching them and start attacking the bikers with the same martial arts techniques Wyatt was using. When one of them tried to grab her again, she found herself fighting the same way although she hadn't been taught to.
Her magic flared and she focused on a set of metal garbage cans. "Time to dump the trash," she hissed as she used her magic to raise the cans up and sent them flying at the group of bikers, making sure she avoided hitting Wyatt and Glitch.
"She's a fucking witch!" one of them yelled. "Let's get out of here!" They jumped on their bikes and sped out of the alley.
Wyatt leaned against one of the buildings, gasping for breath while Glitch sank to the ground beside him and tried to catch his own breath.
"W...What the hell happened, Cain?" Glitch asked him.
"Ask her!" he snapped. "You almost got us killed!" he yelled at her. "I told you: you don't make deals with people like that!"
"I'm sorry..." she moaned. "I didn't mean to..."
"You never mean to but you end up doing it anyway. You're going to be the death of me one of these days!" he growled as he got to his feet and stormed out of the alley, leaving her staring after him, every word he spoke feeling like a knife being thrust into her heart.
He's not going to make me cry. He's not going to make me cry. He's...
The dam of her emotions broke and she burst into anguished sobs. Glitch seized hold of her and wrapped his arms around her.
"He hates me," she sobbed. "And you know what? I deserve it because every time I fuck up, he's the one who gets hurt the most. It would be better if he told me to go to hell and left. He'd be safer..."
"Shhh...it's okay, Doll. He's not going to leave you. Just needs some time to cool down." He opened a mental connection to Raw.
Raw, find Cain and calm him down.
DG upset too. Feel it.
I've got her. You work on the hardhead.
Dragon has him. Not going to be easy to soothe.
You have to try. Their bond is getting stronger and we can't afford to have it broken again, especially now.
Raw try. Glitch take care of DG.
I will.
The viewer found Wyatt sitting on the steps of a closed pawnshop. He could feel the dragon's rage surging through the man and also a twinge of regret. He placed his hand on Wyatt's shoulder. He backed away. Raw touched his shoulder again and grasped Wyatt's coat.
"DG didn't mean to get Tin Man hurt."
"She should've known better than to..."
"Mistake made. DG learn from it. Can't take back."
"You think I was too hard on her?"
"DG not going to be death of Tin Man. DG young. DG make mistakes. Tin Man older and make mistakes too. Not perfect."
"I know I'm not perfect fuzzball!" Wyatt snapped as he glared up at the viewer. "But I gotta tell you when that kid screws up, it's never anything minor."
"That why DG needs Tin Man to look out for her."
"I tried and look what happens. She doesn't listen to me!" Wyatt cried. "It'd be better if we just got the hell away from each other."
"Saying bad things to each other and walking away not going to fix it. DG say she's sorry. Tin Man say he's sorry too. Tin Man really want to leave DG alone?"
"I can't. I gave my word and I'm bound by it."
"That only reason why you stay? You give word?"
He sighed deeply. "No. She's a good kid even when she does crazy things like this." He stood up and walked into the alley where Glitch and DG were. Glitch had his arm around her shoulders and her head was bowed.
"Glitch, you mind if I talk to her alone?" Wyatt asked him.
"Don't upset her again, Cain." he warned, not giving a damn that he was showing disrespect to his master at the moment. Their mutual stubborness was making it difficult for them to get their broken bond back to where it should be. "We won't be far, okay, Deege?"
"Okay," she croaked. Now they were alone in the alley, she leaning against the building, him standing in front of her. She kept her head down, afraid to look him in the eyes and see nothing but contempt for her.
Oh but I'm asking for it. I'm asking for every hateful look and word he gives me.
"DG, look at me," he said gently.
"I'm sorry. I ddn't mean to get us in that mess. I thought maybe I could get us those twenty..." she said, keeping her eyes on her shoes.
"Forget about them. We'll get information out of this Seeker without them. And for Ozma's sake will you stop staring a hole in your shoes and look at me!" he cried.
She raised her tear filled eyes and met his. Instead of anger and hate she could see remorse and compassion in his. He reached out and brushed a stray tear from her eye, his touch sending a shiver through her that was pleasantly warm instead of ice cold.
What's happening to me? she thought. What's happening to us? He's never allowed me to get this close to him before. He's never allowed himself to get this close to me.
"I didn't mean what I said," he said softly. "I was just...worried, that's all." He placed his hands on her shoulders and the wave of warmth exploded into a raging fire and she could barely breathe.
He looks like he wants to...kiss me and oh God...I want
him to!
Are you crazy? He's old enough to be your father?
Oh, then tell me why I'm having trouble keeping air in my lungs while he's looking at me like this...while he's...touching me?
"Cain, I..." she began, her lips trembling.
I think I'm falling in love with you.
"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
"Will you...?"
Will you kiss me?
"Will you still go with us to see the Seeker?"
"Yeah, I'm going. This place is still not safe for you to go alone."
Is that the only reason? Just so you can protect me or are you falling in love with me too?
Are you kidding? The man just found out his wife's dead. Running ahead of the starting gun, aren't you Deege?
Am I? Why does he still have his hands on me and why haven't his eyes left mine yet? He can't spend the rest of his life alone. Not when he could have...
Have what? A future with you? And what kind of future would that be? You're at least twenty years apart in age. He's at least fifty years behind the times and you're just a kid to him, not a woman and you'd better face that or you're going to be in for a world of hurting later on.
I could make him so happy...
The only thing you've done so far is get him shot at, beaten within an inch of his life, locked away for eight years and have his heart ripped out when his family was taken from him. He wouldn't want to share a home and a bed with someone like that unless he's a masochist. No, you're better off friends.
"Kiddo, you okay?"
"Ummm...yeah. Just thinking."
"About what?"
What it would be like if we kissed.
If she knew Wyatt Cain as well as she thought she did, his kisses would be unlike any she'd ever had before: slow, soft...deep, soulful.
"DG...do you need to sit down? You're flushed."
It's not the right time for this. You've got to find Ahamo and the emerald. You can play out your romance novel fantasy later...in your head because that's all you're gonna get.
"No, I'm fine," she said as she regained her composure. "We better get back or the others'll think we killed each other."
He laughed. "Probably."
Glitch and Raw could sense a change in both of them when they emerged from the alley although they were trying to hide it well. As their friends walked ahead of them, they smiled.
Toto, still in his dog form could also sense the change.
The queen's lock on DG's memories is weakening. All it will take is one very powerful emotion focused on him and everything will come back to her.