I'm still disappointed about Emerald City being cancelled. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air. Anyways, thanks for reading and following along. Please let me know what you think! Characters and story belong to NBC. -HybridVigor999
Toto stood over her. The sky stretched out as far as she could see, glimpsed between brown furry legs. She heard a deep, rumbling growl. Blunt doggie nails pressed into her thighs as Toto shifted, stepping on her.
The ringing in her ears subsided slowly as she turned her head to see what Toto was growling at. A pair of scuffed leather boots shifted with their owners. Dorothy blinked again, and everything came into sharp focus.
"You, get away from her!" screamed Aunt Em. Toto barked sharply again and again.
She shoved the densely muscled beast aside and sat up. Toto backed up to her, still barking at Roan, who Dorothy could see had both hands out and was trying to talk the dog down. At the same time, Aunt Em had dropped her purse and run back into the house. Dorothy stood, still a little dizzy and glared at the man at the edge of the garden.
"What are you doing here?!" she yelled over Toto's arrhythmic barks.
"I'm not here to hurt you, just tell the dog to stop!"
"I should let him rip you apart, Luca-Roan, whoever you are!"
"Dorothy, please. I didn't come to hurt you. I was sent to-" BARK, BARK! "I owe you an-"
A deafening BANG shocked the air, and everyone, even Toto flinched and went quiet. Aunt Em was holding the shotgun they kept at the bottom of the storage bench by door to the back porch. She leveled it at the tall stranger, shouting, "NOT ANOTHER STEP!"
"Peace, please madam!"
"Get. Away. From. My. Daughter." She punctuated the last word by pumping the shotgun.
"Her mother? But I thought…"
"I am not playing, mister."
Roan turned toward Dorothy, who was touching Toto's raised hackles and narrowly eyeing him. The sight of her wary expression forced another crack in his facade, and his strong jaw clenched. He looked sad. Dorothy felt no sympathy at the moment, her right hand unconsciously curled protectively over her low abdomen.
"Ma'am, I came upon Dorothy, and she fainted. I did her no harm-"
"No, you don't get to say that. You DID ME NO HARM?! You don't get to say that!" Dorothy gripped Toto's collar firmly with her left hand, trying to anchor herself. Trying not to reach up and touch her throat where the last yellow marks of faded bruising could still be seen.
"Dorothy, honey, come back over by me, okay?" Aunt Em called out.
Dorothy backed away from Roan, pulling Toto with her. She backed up until she was behind her aunt and the long barrel of the gun.
"He's the one who hurt you?" She asked, not turning her head.
"He's…" Dorothy trailed off. She couldn't decide what he was. Her ex-lover? Her attempted murderer? Most likely the sperm donor? She opened her mouth a few times, and no noise came out.
"I came to apologize to Dorot-"
"Nobody asked you! Dorothy, do you have your cell phone? Please call the police."
"Aunt Em, I don't think the police can...There's something I didn't tell you."
"We don't have time for this, Dorothy. Your mother is in danger. I was sent to come get you." He turned to Aunt Em, hands still palms out and in the air, "Madame, I promise on my life, I will not harm Dorothy, and I was sent on a mission of importance. I am-was an officer-"
"Don't say another word, Roan. I was just starting to believe it was all a dream, and here you are." Dorothy stopped him before he mentioned the Wizard or magic. She was not ready for any parts of her worlds to collide, and especially not with Aunt Em holding a shotgun.
"Dorothy, is he…? He's an officer? You got that police coat from him?" Her aunt lowered the barrel just slightly. "Did Karen take a turn for the worse?"
"Dorothy's mother is in grave danger, and I've been sent to retrieve Dorothy. I have behaved in a harmful manner towards her in the past, but I came to apologize and do my duty. Please allow me a moment."
Dorothy eyed Roan distrustfully, but didn't contradict him. Her aunt put the barrel of the shotgun down, and turned to look at her adopted daughter's face. Something there, something she'd never seen before was very telling. No break up had ever caused Dorothy so much pain, anger, and betrayal. Underneath it all was a deeper emotional reaction to anyone than Em had ever seen from the young woman.
"Dorothy, if Karen is in trouble, I can take you to the hospital myself. Officer or not, you don't seem comfortable with him. And we can stop any time to get...the thing we talked about. Or do that at the hospital when we get a minute."
"Actually Aunty, will you go get what I need from the store, and I'll ride with the officer? I need to talk to him." Dorothy's voice was sharp and cold as shattered ice.
Aunt Em didn't bother apologizing to the young, rough looking man with scars and a strange accent. Officer or not, he didn't seem to deserve an apology. Not based on Dorothy's reaction. She walked back a few steps and placed the shotgun into Dorothy's hands.
"I'll get the things. I'll be waiting at home when you get back from seeing Karen." She leaned in close to Dorothy's ear and whispered, "I don't give a shit if he's a deputy or whatever. If he hurt you, and he tries again, shoot him. If it's something you can both work out, work it out...especially if you're sure about…" She darted her eyes down toward Dorothy's abdomen. And then she kissed her cheek, and said, "I love you, pumpkin. Call me if you need anything. See you when I see you."
She turned and looked at Roan with narrowed eyes.
"What's your name, Officer?"
"Lucas. My name is Lucas," he answered, startling Dorothy.
"I expect you to bring Dorothy back, unharmed and in good spirits, Lucas."
"Yes, ma'am."
Aunt Em picked up her purse, and walked to her tan colored sedan. Dorothy and Lucas stood facing each other as they listened to the car drive away. His eyes darted toward the vehicle as it raised a line of dust along their gravel road, headed into town.
"What manner of carriage was that?"
"Oh no. I'm not doing this with you. Not now. Tell me what's happening, Roan." Dorothy crossed her arms, and Toto sat down and started panting at her side.
"Call me Lucas. Please. I've given up who and what Roan stood for, and I've come to tell you that I can never undo the harm that I caused-"
"No you can't. And you don't have to because it will NEVER matter again, do you hear me?"
His jaw muscles clenched, and she could see the cords on his neck stand out for a moment before he exhaled. He nodded. Lucas seemed painfully resigned to her hostility.
"When you said my mom's in trouble, you meant Jane, didn't you?"
"Yes, the council of witches sent me to retrieve you to fight the Beast Forever. Jane and almost all of Emerald City, except the witches, are his captives."
"Why do they need me? Why did they send YOU?"
"They said they need all the Cardinal witches in order to defeat him, and you still hold East's powers. They sent me because Glinda has no further use for me. I failed to…" He made a very small gesture toward her. "After Eamonn found me and cut me down, I went back to Glinda and disavowed her. Said she should never have sent me to harm you, and that I would never rest until I'd atoned."
Dorothy cocked her head sideways, raising one arched brow.
"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to live past that either," he said. "She didn't take it well-"
"Y'know what? How about you just tell me less about you and your WIFE, and tell me more about the Beast Forever, and my mother," she ordered. She imagined his tall, broad shouldered frame, bloodied with a knife in his side, covered in filth and strung up. She felt the visceral scrape of knife against rib, the resistance of flesh as she sunk the blade in, and she shuddered, nearly gagging.
"Dorothy, are you unwell?" Lucas took two steps forward, reaching toward her, but stopped short as the double barrel of the shotgun came up to meet him.
"I'm fine. Stay back."
Lucas obeyed, backing up a few steps. Still holding the gun in both hands, she inhaled, tried to center herself and calm her stomach, and tossed some of her long, wavy dark hair back out of her face. She looked at the concern on his face, and thought about how easily his old memories had overwhelmed his previously unwavering loyalty and devotion. She couldn't trust him. Thought he'd hurt her, he still hadn't deceived her purposefully. Likely everything he was saying was true.
"I need to do one thing, and then I can decide if I'm going back to Oz." Dorothy thought of the purchase Aunt Em was probably making at the drugstore in town right that moment, and she needed to know for certain. It had been too hard to even think about before, but now, looking at the intense and familiar face, the strong jaw, the concern and regret on his face...Considering going back to Oz was no light matter.
"I would grant you any boon you asked, but unfortunately, we are to journey by cyclone, and I do not know when it will appear. Dorothy, I'm sorry."
He glanced over his shoulder behind him, and Dorothy's low level attention to the dark clouds off in the distance sharpened into a tingling awareness. The hands gripped around the shotgun sparkled, catching the light of the sun with gold filigree and precious jewels. East's magic was making itself known, and the storm breathed and purred and coiled in the distant sky. And then she could feel it, the power of the coming storm, the speed as it raced on winds toward them.
Toto whined and sidled closer to her leg. The wind kicked up, blowing bits of hay and leaves, whipping through Lucas's long coat, wrapping tendrils of her hair over her cheek and nose. She narrowed her eyes, and turned into the flow of the breeze, letting the wild wind pull her hair from her face like a concerned lover.
"For real? I just wanted to do ONE DAMN THING."
"It's here! If you don't want to go, use your magic and settle the storm!" They started to need to shout in order to be heard at this point. An anvil shaped cloud swirled, all dark grays, blues, purples.
"I have to go back. I have to finish this!" She couldn't leave Jane to die.
"Dorothy...we need to…hold on to one another…"
"No, don't touch me!"
"Dorothy, we need to hang onto each other!"
He'd hurried up closer, closing the distance quickly, but staying out of arm's reach. She shook her head 'no,' and leaned down to put her fingers through Toto's collar. As a funnel shape descended from the dark cloud, Lucas stepped in, kneeling, and gripped the other side of the dog's collar. Toto was shaking, pushing his head in between Dorothy's knees, and the tumultuous wind reached a peak, gripping at them, tearing at their skin, and stealing their breath.
It lifted them all.
And away they went.