Chapter Six

As the Cain's settled on the couch, DG felt her nerves kick up into overdrive. Here, she was finally getting what she wanted; honesty about what was going on in the country. Now she felt like she wanted to tell Wyatt to stay silent, to keep her in the dark of things that were beyond her control.

Instead, she sat, looking at her husband and hoping it wasn't as bad as she feared.

"So, DG. What do you want to know?" He had a sad smile on his face, like a parent did when their child figured out that Santa Clause wasn't real.

"Everything." She answered, sliding closer to him and lacing her fingers through his. He looked surprised at the small contact, but he didn't pull away. His thumb started to rub her lightly across the back of her knuckles and his eyes looked straight into hers and he started to talk.

"After the eclipse, I think the worst anybody expected were the Longcoat factions still out in the OZ that didn't know or didn't care about the witch's defeat. Cleaning them up would be a bitch, but nothing out of the ordinary. What surprised your mother was the resistance by the people of the OZ in general to the return of the house of Gayle. A lot of people don't trust the Royals. They see Az, still able to walk about the castle, even going to our wedding, as if nothing had ever happened."

DG wanted to interrupt, to defend her sister against these unseen people that wanted to do her harm. But she had to stop, to will herself to hear it all. Cain seemed to know this, as he stayed silent for a moment.

"I know it wasn't her fault. That's fine for us that were there in the tower. Most of the citizens only saw their Princess take power from their Queen in a really bloody coup. And since then, they were plunged into years of terror. Not one person in this zone wasn't touched by the witch's wrath."

DG knew that to be true. Glitch, still missing half a brain and sporting his zipper. Raw, still skittish and only now willing to use his seeing/healing powers. And Cain. The tears welled up in her eyes again for the pain her friends, her husband had been forced to suffer. And even though she knew it wasn't her sister's fault, all they saw was the sorceress wearing Az's face.

"I can understand that, but there's been evidence given to prove the possession. Mother had Raw show several of the delegates of the realm what happened. That she wasn't in control of herself."

"Yeah. And because of that, a lot of people blame the queen. I'm not sure she helped herself with that. She might have done better to exile Az someplace like the Northern Island palace and just let her live out her life there." DG was sure that Cain saw what she thought of that written on her face. "I'm not saying it's the best thing for Az, just your mother's hold on the country."

"So what? Are the people going to be planning some sort of take over themselves?" Cain shrugged and gave a short nod.

"It's possible."

"On the Other Side, where I lived, we had a democracy. A president and a senate. A lot of the countries over there were a democracy. Most countries that had monarchies, they also had a parliament. I know in England, the royal family is really just a figurehead. And the Prime Minister runs things."

"You sound like you wouldn't mind a coup." He teased lightly. She felt her face redden, but smiled.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind an end to all the bullshit that seems to go with being royal. I really don't like being paraded around like a prized horse on show." They both had a vivid, unpleasant memory of their wedding and shuddered.

"Yeah. Me too." Cain leaned back on the sofa, rubbing a hand over his very tired eyes. Without thinking about it, DG reached over and massaged the back of his neck, feeling the tension there. "The problem is," Wyatt continued as her fingers played gently against his skin. "The skirmishes between the royal guard and the few resistance factions scattered around the country were annoying. But, the outlying countries are starting to take notice. There's even some that seem willing to help fund an upheaval."

"Why?"

"Who knows? While the witch was in power, she pretty much let them do what they wanted. She took no notice of their wars, treaties, and alliances. As long as they left her alone, they could backstab and kill each other at their leisure. Now, with your mother back in power, they're expected to play nice again or they won't be allowed to trade with us. They figure if the country is in a civil war, they can play both sides of the coin and wreak a hell of a lot of havoc."

"What's going to happen?"

"I don't know. I'll admit, this is out of my realm of knowledge."

"Do I have to worry a lot?"

"It won't come to that. If there's even a hint that danger is coming this way, I'm getting you out of here."

She blinked at him, surprised that he would make such a statement. It wasn't that she had any desire to stay for a violent war among her mother's people. Or her people. God she didn't know. It was just strange to hear that he would leave.

"I fought the first time, DG. I'm tired and I just want a little peace. I hope you don't think that makes me a coward."

"No." she didn't think there was anything that could make her think that. Would she be willing to fight to remain in her pretty palace with all the trappings if the people she was supposed to be ruling didn't want her there? She was home in the OZ, yes. She had a hard time with her family still. Az was the only one she felt a real connection too. But what about the station she was born to? Did it matter to her if she remained a princess?

She knew that answer was a resounding 'no'. She hadn't felt at home on the other side, but she had valued her freedom. She missed it.

DG would fight for her family, for their lives. But if the citizens of the OZ were ready for a new way, who was she to tell them they can't have one? Change was inevitable. Even in the OZ.

Somehow, without any real thought from either of them, they were closer to each other on the couch. DG had a leg slung across Cain's, the other tucked under her. Her hand was still rhythmically rubbing his neck, her fingers occasionally sliding over the softness of his blond hair. He had a hand draped across her thigh and the other was doing amazing things to the arch of her foot.

They were sitting like a married couple that had been married for a while would. Sitting and chatting about their day. Even though they'd had to have a fight for him to spill. Why worry about that? This was nice.

"So, all of this is why I've been having to grill Lissy for a lot of screwed up information?

"You've been grilling who for information?"

"The maid from Az's floor. She's the one that showed us to our newlywed suite." A look of recognition came over his face followed closely by annoyance.

"You thought you'd get anything useful out of her?"

"Well, my husband wasn't cooperating. And neither were my mother, father or Glitch, surprisingly. I can usually get him to dish. Mainly because he forgets he told me like a second later." Apparently he'd made a special effort to keep her in the dark.

"You being pregnant has him in protective mode. You think I'm bad. You're lucky you're allowed out of bed. If he had his way you'd be propped up on mountains of pillows with a bell to ring to have scores of maids bringing you chocolate and ice cream."

"What's wrong with chocolate and ice cream?" In fact, her stomach seemed to roar in approval of those two things. Cain chuckled at her and shook his head, careful not to dislodge her fingers.

"Nothing. I told him you'd probably turn him into a munchkin or something if he even suggested it to you."

"Nah. Not a munchkin. They have terrible fashion sense. Not that mine is anything to write home about. But at least I don't dress up in multi colored turkey feathers."

Wyatt merely arched a brow at this making her laugh. "Take me for a walk, Wyatt. I'm tired of seeing the inside of this damn castle." He looked surprised at the request, but didn't deny her. He stood and pulled her up. When they were both standing, he held her hands and looked into her eyes.

"DG, if we did have to leave the palace, for whatever reason. Would you be ok with it?" Now it was her turn to be surprised.

"Yeah. As long as the rest of my family is safe, I have no love for this place. It's just a building that's overstuffed with a lot of pomp and circumstance. I mean, look at this place." She waved a hand around the room, an incredulous laugh drifting into the air. "This isn't me, anymore than it's you. But you're a sport for wanting to put up with it." She gave him a light jab in the shoulder, a smile curving her lips.

"I couldn't just let you have all this fun by yourself." She snorted at that, a decidedly unfeminine sound.

"Gee, thanks. I'm starved." DG declared suddenly, her stomach screaming to life after several weeks of repelling anything even remotely resembling sustenance.

"Ok. What do we have to eat?" Cain moved towards the kitchen, her request for a walk taking second to her wanting to eat. The fact that he was about to make her something tugged at her heartstrings, even though it had annoyed her to no end just a few moments ago. She was psycho that was all there was to it.

"God, I want pizza." The urge for gooey, stringy, tomatoey pizza was almost physical. The fact that Wyatt looked at her like she'd asked him for a slice of the moon didn't deter her.

"What?"

"Pizza. Bread crust, tomatoes sauce, and lots of cheese. Great, gooey goodness that just begs to be gobbled up. I want pizza."

"Well, since I have no idea how to make that, I don't see how we can fix that."

"I do. There's got to be something in the kitchens that will do." Like a woman on a mission-and really, a pregnant woman looking for food was a mission-she grabbed Wyatt's hand and pulled him from their room. To his credit, he just let her pull him along.

A/N- ahem, I'm baaaaaaack! And yes, this is shorter than the others. But, hey, at least it's an update! I hope you enjoy this little slice of married goodness. I don't claim to be a great conspiracy theorist and to tell the truth, politics irritate me. But I hope I kept the upheaval simple and to the point. Anyway, enjoy. Now I have to go figure out how the hell to get them out of that mess in TM&RP. Eep.