Chapter Twelve

DG sat in the window of the room she and Wyatt had been sharing for the last month and would be for the very near future. When they'd first arrived he and Jeb had roamed through the hotel, discreetly checking the security and making sure that the receptionists claims that they were the only ones in residence were true.

Jenna-a lovely woman old enough to be all of their mother, with a wide smile and sparkling brown eyes- had given them a suite, two bedrooms with a sitting room between. Each room had its own bathroom to which DG could only say thank god, running water. She and Az, having tired of each other during the journey, had gone to their separate rooms. Jeb got stuck hoofing the couch. DG couldn't help but wonder what was going on between her sister and her stepson, but so far neither really acted in a way that indicated anything.

As far as hotels go, the rooms only bordered on 'nice'. The furniture was functional and sturdy, a bed and dresser in each room. There was a rod tucked into a corner for hanging clothes and a wire shelf for holding the extra blankets and pillows. The rooms didn't look a whole lot different than the rooms on the Otherside. DG found that the similarities between the two worlds surprised her more than the differences.

The sitting room had a couch, a coffee table and two brass-base lamps. There was a fireplace and where DG would have expected a TV to be, a large radio took its place. There was even a telephone, which was surprising, until she picked it up and didn't get a dial tone. Or even an operator.

There was nothing frilly or overdone about the space, and she found that to be a comfort after the jarring sight of the Glinda statue. In fact, despite the carnival that sprung up where a fishing village once stood, there wasn't anything really over the top about any of it. Whenever she stared out at the park in the light of day, she felt kind of sad. It was like seeing a movie theater with the lights on, when the dumped sodas and empty popcorn tubs could be seen clearly shoved under the seats of people too lazy to carry them to the trashcans. Something about the space lost its magic with the glare of the light.

As she looked closer, she could see the almost primitiveness of the amusement park. The wood was weather beaten and everything seemed to be covered with a fine sheen of sand. She could imagine that the metal components of the rides had been rusted by the sea spray and reminded herself not to go testing out the roller coaster or Ferris wheel anytime soon. Not like Wyatt would let her even think about it in her condition.

Without much thought DG rubbed a hand over her stomach and leaned her head against the window. There was a small ledge underneath that allowed her to sit on it and look out into the park. Apparently being the only ones there afforded them a great view. Although with how depressing the park looked right then, she had to argue the great part.

She couldn't see the sea-she snickered at that pun-and she felt a stab of disappointment at that. Maybe she should go down and tell Jenna that more people might come if they could see the water as opposed to the replica of Glinda's tiara.

DG sighed and rested her forehead against the window. She had to admit, if the main reason for their little group coming here was to keep her and Az safe, it was a wise choice. She was so bored. No word from the outlying cities, no real word from the castle. She knew a currier came every week, but he only spoke to Wyatt, who would give her and Az letters from their mother that said little more than nothing. DG could almost feel her mother's sadness written between the lines in those letters. Wyatt would wait for her to finish, wait for her to ask, because she knew he would tell her if she asked what was going on. But she didn't and he didn't. Fear is silent, after all.

She'd been eager to hear of Glitch's surgery, to find out how it went or if he even survived it. Again, there was no information and her repeated questions of it to her mother went unanswered. It was confusing and upsetting. Even Az asked, the edge of her worry marring the perfect skin of her forehead whenever she asked if mother had said anything in DG's letters. No news wasn't necessarily good news and it was making her edgy.

The only thing to do was watch the park workers get ready for the 'Season' they were always clamoring about. At least Wyatt and Jeb could help with that. The Cain pair had fallen in with the workers and were steadily helping with the repairs. A positive side affect of this was Wyatt had a habit of discarding clothing as he helped hoist beams and what not. He'd lost a bit of weight and his skin was turning a golden brown in the sun. She made damn sure to be outside on those days.

After all, it was the closest thing to sex she'd gotten since this whole adventure started.

DG let out another sigh, this one tinged with just enough bitterness to burn her throat. They'd been married just over a month. And nada. Nothing. He still kissed her. Jesus, she thought she might go mad if he didn't do at least that. But…she didn't know if it was the fact they shared a room with his son, who slept just a few feet away from their bedroom door, or what. But she seriously thought she might die if they don't get something going on soon.

Funny thing, she'd never really been that into sex on the other side. She liked it. It felt good, but she could have lived without it, and did when she didn't have a boyfriend. She knew she was missing something. After all, she used to watch Sex and the City. There had to be more to it.

She just wanted to find out what.

DG felt a flutter in her belly and that jerked her attention down to her stomach. She gave a little laugh and rubbed a hand over her stomach once more telling her little tadpole to settle down. It was a strange sensation, one that came only once in a while and could almost get passed off as a gas bubble. But it felt better than a gas bubble and it tickled, almost. She knew this was just the calm before the storm. When tiny legs grew longer and feet started connecting instead of just the ripple of fluid around the speck that would be her child she might not be smiling so much.

She'd listened to Jenna talk when she went down to the diner to eat with Wyatt, instead of taking meals in their room, about when her mother had her little brother all those years ago. DG knew Jenna's brother ran one of the shops on the boardwalk. How the kicking had kept her up all night towards the end and her mam had wondered if she'd be pregnant forever.

DG couldn't wait.

So far, she was happy to say, the nausea and mood swings seemed to have evened out. She didn't hold up too much hope that the moods would stay sane. She prayed the nausea was over.

"Hey."

The sound of Wyatt's voice brought her head around to see him walking into their room. His shirt was half unbuttoned, his vest slung over his shoulder by a finger. He'd forgone his hat again and his hair was almost platinum from the sun beating down on his head. The blue of his eyes scanned over her, the touch of his gaze familiar.

"Hey. Taking a break?" He'd gone down to help Tibbs take care of the color changing horses-a spell, DG learned, she wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not.

"Stalls are cleaned, shoes checked. Horses fed." He flashed her a smile washed free of worry and strain. He'd acclimated well to their new situation, despite his attention to their safety and the knowledge that they'd have to return to their old lives at some point. Hard work and a simpler way off life was making him happy. DG felt a pang of regret that being married to her was going to rob him of this. It was one of the fears she had before they'd gotten married. She wasn't thrilled that it seemed to be coming to pass.

"That's great."

"Where's Az?" He moved across the room and pressed a kiss to her temple before settling on the ledge next to her. The smell of sweat, salt air and the soap Jenna washed their clothes in swirled around her and made her dizzy. It took her a second to remember his question.

"She's down on the beach." Az had taken to walking along the coast for hours. Sometimes Jeb would join her. Most of the time she was by herself. She was as quiet and introspective as ever, but DG didn't mind. She had a lot to think about. "Jeb?"

"He's helping with repairs to the coaster."

"Still? It might be easier to just demolish the whole damn thing and rebuild it." Wyatt's chuckle and the feel of his warm breath on her cheek made her pulse spike. She realized, as her eyes roamed over his sun-darkened face that they were alone in the suite. For the first time, they were completely, utterly alone.

She knew the second he realized it too, when his eyes darkened and his nostrils flared with a sharp intake of breath.

Since the disaster in their apartments back in the palace, they hadn't had a chance to discuss the status of their relationship. Nothing had been resolved. DG's fears of being an Adora stand in were in no way assuaged and Wyatt's fears that he was betraying both DG and Adora in some way were still as prominent as ever.

But, as they sat here in the room, several weeks of tension coiling between them, none of that seemed to matter.

They moved closer, without any real conscious thought to do so. She felt his hand, warm and calloused, run down her arm. She felt a shiver chase that hand and she leaned closer still, her lips parting on a soft breath. She could feel the heat of his eyes on her mouth; felt her own drift closed with the anticipation of his kiss.

"DG!"

Azkadelia's voice ripped through the room followed by a door closing and the married couple bounced away from each other like guilty teenagers.

Hot anger had DG pushing up from the window seat without another look at Cain.

"WHAT?" She growled, ripping open their bedroom door to glare darkly at her sister.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Hello, Az." Wyatt said with just a shade more patience than DG. He slipped past his wife and went out of the suite, not bothering to look back either.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Az said, and she sounded it too. The look of contrition on her older sisters face took the wind out of DG's sails and the younger princess sagged against the doorframe of her bedroom.

"It's not your fault. We really need our own room."

"So why don't you go ask Jenna? I'm sure she'd give you one."

"That would leave you and Jeb alone in here." DG reminded her with a smile.

"Perhaps," Az started through clenched teeth, "she'd be willing to give us all our own room. It's not like we can't pay her."

That was true enough. They had more than enough credits to pay for a whole floor to themselves for at least a month. Maybe more. But, probably for safety reasons, the Cain men had decided that one suite was enough. Well, DG's hormones and the almost desperate need that was building to be with her husband were about out of patience for that.

Maybe she would just go talk to Jenna and see what could be worked out.

"How was your walk?" DG asked, changing the subject. Az arched a brow but let her.

"It was lovely. I do love the ocean." A faraway look filtered across her face and DG felt a slight pang in her chest. Since her sister had been freed from the sorceress, there hadn't been much peace for her. From the unrest in the country to the prison of her own mind, Azkadelia wasn't a happy woman. Here, wearing simple clothes, with her hair a dark curtain around her shoulders, her face free of make-up, she looked…not quite happy but more relaxed.

"Maybe we can get some suits and go swimming. I've never actually been in the ocean. I could learn to surf." Did they surf over here? Then she reminded herself she was pregnant and surfing was out of the question right then. She glanced over at Az and let out a laugh at the look on her face. "Did I grow another head?"

"Swim? In the ocean?"

"Yeah. They do it all the time on the Otherside."

"I'm sure they do here, as well. But women of our…"

"We aren't women of our stature here, Az." DG cut her off. "And really, who wants to be?"

"DG!" Az sounded scandalized, yet at the same time, strangely amused. "What would mother say?"

DG just snorted. Mother had much more to deal with then whether or not her daughter's wanted to go swimming.

"I think I'm going to go down and talk to Jenna. See if she'll maybe let me help her with something."

"Good luck with that." Az told her, draping her shawl over the back of the sofa. DG could only smile at that. Jenna was so efficient; she made the palace staff look like amateurs. Granted, there was only the four of them in the hotel, but DG had learned that during the slow period, she cleaned the houses of the rich people that had made their homes further up the coast. With that, she ran the diner, did most of the laundry of the townspeople and ran the hotel almost single handedly. She had one girl to help her during the off-season with the hotel and a larger staff during the height of tourist season.

And any time DG asked her if she could help, the woman looked at her like she was a four year old asking to put on make-up for the first time.

It was a little disconcerting.

The Cain men could go out into the village, so to speak, and jump right into being a part of the community with little or no resistance. Granted, in a carnival like environment, two strong backs were a bonus. DG guessed a skinny, pregnant woman wasn't much of a help compared to that.

Either way, Jenna might not let her help, but she would at least let DG sit and talk to her while she worked.

"I'm going to take a nap. I'll see you later."

"Ok."

Az disappeared into her room and left DG to her own thoughts again. Tired of herself, DG went out of the room and walked the silent halls of the hotel. She could just imagine the way this place would change in a little over a week when the season officially started. She almost hated asking Jenna for a room, for taking that revenue from her. But then she remembered that they would be paying for it just like any other tourist and any guilt she felt went away.

She cut across the lobby, which was decorated in a wide variety of greens. A banner was hung behind the front desk welcoming the guests that would be arriving soon for the opening day festivities. There was a vibrant sense of excitement in the air that somehow made DG's edginess even more pronounced. It was like her emotions were feeding off the energy and making her skin prickle.

"Hello, dear. You should be resting." And that made her want to prickle as well. Why was everybody trying to get her to lie down? Everybody except her husband that is.

"I'm fine, Jenna. Pregnant, not dying."

Jenna's snort was good-natured.

"Sit, I'll get you something to eat." Jenna had been standing at the counter, a stack of receipts in front of her and a pencil in one hand.

"I'm fine." DG repeated, sliding into a stool across from the woman. "I have a question for you."

Jenna pushed aside the receipts and focused her dark eyes on the princess. "I might have an answer."

"Is there any way Carl and I can have our own room? We have the money, so don't worry about losing a room." Her tongue slid easily over Wyatt's assumed name. After nearly a month of having to remember it, it came easily now. As did Az's and Jeb's. She still flinched when she heard her own.

Jenna's brow furrowed as she pondered that question.

"Well, Dotty. I don't see why not." She bent behind the counter and retrieved a large ledger that DG had come to recognize as Jenna's version of a day planner. Everything seemed to be in there, including a list of rooms available. "I've already got a lot of bookings but I think I can do some readjusting and get you and Carl into a room. What about Zelda and David?"

Everyone in town knew that Jeb was Wyatt's son and Az was her sister. "That's up to you. If you want them to keep the suite, there are two bedrooms in there. Or you can give them separate rooms. Whatever is more convenient for you." DG sent a silent apology up to Az for basically throwing her under the bus. But dammit, Jeb and Az were adults. They could figure it out.

"Ok. Well, let me do some figuring, and then I'll help get you two moved by tonight. How's that?" Jenna gave her a wide smile and unless DG was mistaken, a gleam was in the woman's eye. DG was sure the other woman knew exactly why she wanted a separate room for them.

"Perfect."

"You know, if you and your kin are planning on staying longer, there are cabins that can be rented. They give monthly rates. A little more expensive than here but reasonable."

It was an idea. She'd talk to Wyatt about it. Later. After she'd had her fill of him. Because come hell or high water, that night, she was going to have her husband. Her feelings for him were a lot less of a jumbled mess. Having a lot of time to herself to sort them out was a bonus. She could almost even say the words to herself. Almost. Knowing she felt them and actually putting words to them were two different things. But she was getting more comfortable with it everyday. Even the fear that Wyatt would never feel that way in return wasn't as unsettling as it should have been. Call it her being the eternal optimist. They were going to be married for a long time. He'd have to feel something for her other than lust sooner or later. Right?

"Thanks Jenna. Do you need any help with anything?" DG asked, even knowing the answer already. This time, Jenna surprised her.

"I've got everything under control. I was wondering though,"

"What?" DG asked, her eyes wide.

"Elphie, you know the young girl that helps me out?" DG nodded and waited. "Well, during the season, she doubles as the fortune teller. Problem is, that fool girl has run off with the son of the stable manager. So, we don't have a fortuneteller anymore. I told Hank," the manager of the whole park, "that I'd see if you or your sister would like to give it a try. Not much to it. Don't have to have any 'second sight' or anything like that. Far as I can tell, Elphie made everything up. But, people will pay to hear what they want." Jenna shook her head with a roll of her eyes towards the fools that were easily parted with their money.

"You know what, I might. Sounds like fun. And just enough inactivity for Carl not to have any reasons why I can't."

"Well, that's splendid. For that, you need a piece of pie. On the house." Jenna held up a hand and busied herself making it. DG just smiled. It sounded like fun. And really? What could go wrong?

A/n- Hee, the return of Dotty and Carl. Snerk. Anyway, for those of you getting bored with waiting for updates, I won't apologize for the length of time between chapters. I have three kids, one of which is a toddler, a husband and a small career in writing original fiction. I will continue this and Gentle Not the Heart, which will be updated next. So bare with me. It will get done. And for everybody else, review, review, review. :D Thanks.