CHAPTER 12
Cain opened the back door and walked out towards DG. The rain was coming down hard and the air was beginning to chill. He looked out at her, drenched to the bone and shaking. Her back was to the house and her eyes planted on the horizon out in front of her. She just looked stuck. She had lost her sister's support, her heart and any support here in Kansas all in the same week. Whatever strength she had when they arrived was gone. Cain's heart went out to her and he wished it were enough for the both of them, but he doubted it. He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. He felt her flinch underneath the weight but other than that she didn't move at all. He looked over at her face, expecting tears to stream down her face, intermingling with the rain drops. However, she looked blank, void of all emotion.
"DG," he said softly. "You need to get in the house. You're soaking wet." His hand pushed on her shoulder a bit, but she still didn't budge. "DG please." Her eyes remained fixed, hitting some unknown marker, way off in the corner of her mind. He knew she wouldn't walk inside, but if she stayed out any longer in this cold rain then she would get very sick.
He leaned towards her, bending down. He took his right arm and pushed against the back of her knees, feeling them collapse from the pressure. He supported her back with his left arm and lifted her up into his arm, her left arm draped around his neck.
He could feel her head pushing into his shoulder, her hands tightening around his body, clinging to him for support. It was the first time since they'd met that she gave herself to him fully. There was no objection, no claims that she could take care of herself, no funny remarks about him being a knight in shining armor. As he walked across the yard, holding her body close to his for warmth, he knew he'd never be able to put her down again. He'd never be able to turn an eye away from after she demanded he turn away.
He walked through the kitchen and moved towards the stairs to DG's room. His heavy feet stomped up the stairs, causing Azkadillia to look up. She got off the bed and walked over. Her face looked at her sister and then over to Cain.
"We need to get her dry." He said setting her down on the bed. "Warm and dry." He grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt from a pile and threw them to Azkadillia. "Here, get these on her. I'm going to get some more blankets. Cain wiped his face and gave one last look at DG before heading back down the stairs. Azkadillia turned to her sister and walked over. She reached out to try to take off DG's wet shirt, but DG pulled away.
"Leave me alone." She cried. Azkadillia backed away and stood looking at her sister, feeling as if she had been the one to be slapped this time. She silently stared at her sister, waiting for Cain to come back.
"Why aren't you doing anything?" He walked up to her, throwing the blankets on the bed. He looked over at Az's face. She looked like she had been slapped.
"She won't let me near her." She sighed. Cain rolled his eyes and took the clothes from here.
"Go down stairs and get any thing warm. I don't care if it's broth, coffee, tea or cocoa. Just find something to warm her up. Go," He pointed towards the door. Azkadillia looked at him and frowned. "Go." He emphasized the word with his finger pointing harder at the door. She nodded and walked down the stairs. Cain turned back to DG. He walked over and pulled her up into his arms, slipping her wet shirt off. He took a spare blanket and dried off her wet body and then looked up and over her head, reaching around back to unclip her bra. He'd seen everything before, but now in her state, he thought privacy was best. Once off, he slipped a dry sweat shirt over her head and then began the same with her pants.
He picked her up and placed her under the covers of the bed, getting in behind her. Cain sat back in the bed, DG wrapped up protectively in his arms. He could feel her body slowly stop shaking and warm slightly. They lay there, under the weight of the heavy blankets, safe.
Cain looked up when he heard clattering from the stairs. He watched as Azkadillia brought up the hot beverage. She sat the trey on a nearby table. Cain looked up at her and frowned.
"Here to make her feel worse than she already does? Want to peg some other horrific event on here that she had no part in?" He asked. Azkadillia frowned.
"You're right. There is nothing that I can say. There's no words in any language that fully allow me to say how sorry I am." She sat down in a chair at the end of the bed. She sat her hands on her looked over at Cain. He gently kissed her temple then put his chin on her head, closing his eyes. He opened them up again. His bright blue eyes meeting Azkadillia's dark ones.
"Cain but no one understands what happened to me, and how I didn't mean to do the things I did. They look up to DG because she stopped the evil witch."
"Az we all do things in our lives that are truly unforgivable. But when you surround yourself by people who love you like you have, then there is a small opening for forgiveness. But you close that opening and force everyone away. DG has been there for you through it all. She has literally ran herself ragged trying to make sure you are happy.
"I've killed men myself. Not a day goes by that I don't ever thing about what I've done and who I've hurt. But that doesn't make me stop living my life. When I got out of that tin box, I wanted nothing but revenge. But that doesn't settle anything and dwelling on the past does not get your forward in life. You get stuck and if you dwell on this then you are doomed to remain stuck here."
"If I could bring back your wife," she said softly. Cain held up a hand stopping her.
"You have no right bringing her up. That's not your place. There is no way you can bring her back and I've moved on. Don't bring it up again." He held DG tighter. Azkadillia was silent for a moment and looked down at her hands.
"Do you think DG will ever forgive me?" Azkadillia asked. Cain thought for a moment.
"You really don't know your sister at all Azkadillia. Your sister is not one for holding grudges, if anything she's good at ending other peoples." He thought back to his own grudge with Zero. "When she's ready she'll talk to you again, but you can't keep getting jealous of her. She hasn't done anything worth your hatred."
"I don't hate her," Azkadillia muttered under her breath. Cain ignored her and continued.
"You're her big sister and she looks up to you. She was the first to forgive you and hug you. You need to be here for her now." He watched Azkadillia's face and how it filled with question. He could tell she was really considering what he was saying, taking it to heart.
"I'm going to go down and check on Raw and Glitch," she said standing up. Cain nodded. He knew she just needed to get away to think about things. "Let me know if anything happens." She pointed towards DG and then turned around towards the stairs, solemnly walking down. Cain let out a rush of air. One crisis averted. He looked down towards DG and frowned. Moving on to this one. He looked around the room. He saw pictures of DG as a young girl, smiling with friends at birthday parties, a graduation picture, family pictures. She really had had a life here. To give it all up for another life she hardly remembered was something courageous. He felt her squeeze his hand and he looked back down at her.
"Well hello," He said kissing the top of her head. He felt her let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping down lower. He pulled her closer and she snuggled back into him. "How you feel?"
"Like I've been run over by a truck." she muttered. Cain smiled. "Nothing new." She yawned, closing her eyes tight. "What time is it."
"Late. You've been asleep for a while now." He placed his chin on her head and closed his eyes, relieved she was ok. "Care to talk?" He expected DG to shake her head, curl up inside herself and forever wallow. But she nodded her head slowly and he pulled back. She leaned forward, her dry hair sticking up to the side, sleep in her eyes. Cain smoothed down the loose strands.
"Do you ever feel like you can't go on? Like nothing you ever do is right?" She watched Cain nod. He reached out and carefully brushed the sleep off the corner of her eye. "Really?"
"Even Tin Men get overwhelmed. But we always look out for each other. We have a support system. There is no reason you can't turn to me, or Raw or Glitch. Even Azkadillia is there for you, in her own twisted, weird way. You don't have the carry the world on your shoulders. You're not a savior, you're a 20 year old girl." His finger brushed against her soft cheek. She closed her eyes, suddenly ashamed of her stubborn streak.
"Then why do I feel like I have so much to live up to, that everyone is looking to me for the answers?" Her shoulders slumped forward. She looked down into her lap. Cain took her chin in between his pointer and thump and gently pushed her chin up. Her eyes were rimmed in tears, ready to start to pour at any second.
"Because you let them. You're so strong and so sure, and we all have no choice but to. It's not a bad thing. It's what I love about you. I didn't get into this expecting a wimpy, sad girl."
"So if I stick up for myself it's bad and if I let people run over me it's bad. Where exactly do I go from there?" She sat up straight and looked over at Cain, suddenly very frustrated. "Who am I?" Cain laughed. "Stop laughing at me." She stuck her bottom lip out. "I am very pissed. I'm having an identity crisis and you decide now to be all jokes and giggles. That's not very gentleman of you." She crossed her arms. Cain reached over and pulled her over into his arms.
"You'll figure it out," He whispered in her ear. She tried to pull away, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Where are you going now?" he sighed.
"I'm getting out of bed." Cain jumped out the opposite side of the bed and walked over, pushing her back into the bed.
"DG you've done nothing but take care of us since we've been here. I think it's time we took care of you. Now lay back down." DG shook her head and tried to stand up. "Don't make me tie you down."
"You'd like that wouldn't you?" she looked over at him. His face was serious. "Fine. I'll stay in bed, remainging a lazy blob. Happy?" She sat back into the pillows, crossing her arms firmly. He watched as she tapped her foot on the covers. She was bored already.
"How is she?" Glitch asked as Cain came down the stairs.
"Bored, unhappy at having to do nothing but sit up stairs, sulking."
"So, back to normal then?" Glitch guessed. Cain nodded and sat on the couch. "Yes, she never was one to take things sitting down. Even when she got sick as a little girl we had to practically force her to rest. At least I think that's the way she was. It may have been Azkedillia. I get the two mixed up." He sat staring into the void in front of him. His eyes looked to the side and watched Cain and Raw stare at him. "What?"
"How do you get them mixed up?" Cain asked. Raw nodded.
"DG, Azkadillia two different people. Two different personalities." Raw said.
"Well excuse me. When you get your brain taken out and your memories mixed up, then you come to me and ask that," Glitch huffed and firmly crossed his arms. "Unbeliveable." he muttered.
Glitch tiptoed across the wooden floor, quietly trying to check on DG. He held a tray with a sandwhich and tried with every fiber of his being to not wake her up. He was to the foot of the bed when DG's head popped up. "BOO!" Glitch yelled and threw the tray into the air, sandwhich flying across the room. DG looked down and covered her smile.
"Well, that was embarassing." He let out a breath and smoothed his shirt. He looked over at DG,a fond look in her eyes. "What?" He asked, looking down at his front.
"I was just thinking Glitch. I have the fondest memory of you." She looked over at Glitch, who looked back at her intrigued. "I was very little and incredibly sick. I'd been in bed for days, but still wasn't any closer to recovery. I remember Az was so excited because we were having the first snow of the season and she was able to go outside and play in it. I begged mother to let me but I was still in no shape to go out. I remember crying and sulking, but she wouldn't budge. She brought in the prettiest dolls and the finest toys one could find, but I still wasn't happy. She and father just gave up and stopped trying to appease me and left me alone.
"I remember one morning I woke up and you came in the room. You were all dressed up for the day, in your official palace uniform. I figured you were sent by the mother to shut me up, but there was something peculiar about the way you handled yourself. You picked me up out of my bed and brought me to the window. I remember you carefully opened the glass, a cold rush of air hit my bare legs. You helped me reach out my hand and I could feel the cold snow on my hands." She looked over at Glitch, her eyes teary.
"At that moment, you weren't my mother's advisor. You weren't some adult that was sent into my room to force me to be happy. You were my friend. I know you probably had better things to do that day, but in that one moment I was happy." She watched as Glitch's face lit up.
"I remember!" he said suddenly. DG's smile grew wide and she sat up in bed.
"Really?" She grabbed Glitch's arm. His face fell, as if some turned a switch.
"No." he shook his head sadly. DG sat back, suddenly feeling sorry for her friend. She looked down at her quilt and pulled at a loose string. "I don't have many memories anymore DG." Glitch said softly. DG nodded reluctantly and picked at the string. "However, of the ones I do have, there is one that is stronger than any other." DG looked up at him. "And it's of you"
"Really?" she sat up and smiled over at him. He walked over and sat gently on the edge of the bed.
"The day you were born was quite an affair. Another princess to grant her presence to the world. The entire kingdom showed up to celebrate. It was such a cold day, and it seemed like it would snow at any moment. No wonder you love it so much. You were practically born in it. There was all this hustle and bustle and it was the one time I felt like I couldn't do anything. I knew nothing about babies and you mother couldn't have used any of the advice I had on giving birth. I stood in the hall way, listening to her scream and then we heard you cry. We knew at first you were a lot different from your sister. You had this spunk," He tilted his head, as if trying to pour a word out. He nodded "Yes, spunk is what you have. And still have." He patted DG on the knee. "I remember your mother handing you over to me and I held you in my arms. You grabbed my finger and squeezed it tightly. I went down to get a better look at your eyes and you. . .sneezed in my face." DG laughed quietly. He looked over at her and smiled, shrugging. "That's all I've got." DG smiled.
"It's a good memory." She said. Glitch nodded and turned towards the tray on the floor. DG looked over as well. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to go down in a minute." She caught Glitch's weary look. "Don't worry, I can handle Cain. Remember, I've got spunk." She wiggled her nose and reached over, pulling Glitch into a hug.
Late that night DG lay in her bed looking up at the ceiling. She had never thought she'd ever have a boy in her room, let alone one in her bed. On top of that, she'd never thought she'd be naked with one either. Yet, here she was, tangled in her bed with the man she found herself falling in love with. The two held each other, dozing off after a very satisfying evening. DG sighed, finding her self extremely tired, but happily content. With her head on his chest, DG could hear every heart beat, every breath he took.
"I couldn't help over hear what you and Glitch were talking about today." He said. DG hmmmed and knew she was about to doze off. "Yes, I too remember that day quite vividly." He looked down as DG raised her head, looking up at him. She propped her head up with her elbows and waited for him to continue.
"I had been with the Mystic Man for a few years. I found out that Adora gave birth to a boy and all I wanted to do was get home to see them. I was suppose to have some time off, but then the Mystic Man got called to the palace on royal orders, and I was forced to give up my leave and travel with the Mystic Man to FinAqua. I remember that day, it was cold and blustery and I did nothing but swear the entire time we traveled.
"We arrived at the palace with the news that the new princess was born and I remember I couldn't have been more pissed. I had given up my time to see my new born son to go see a baby I didn't want anything to do with.
"I remember watching him hold you, his aging features softened. He turned to me and said 'Now see here Cain, mark my words. This one will thaw even the coldest of hearts.' Then, despite my requests, he handed you over to me. I held you in my arms and cradled you. You looked up at me with those bright blue eyes and I knew then that no man would be able to say no to those eyes. Those eyes would be the downfall of many a man." He looked down into DG's eyes, the same ones he looked down into so many years before. HE sighed.
"Who knew that I would be one of those men?" DG smiled and sat her head back on his chest. Her eyes tried to stay open, cherishing every moment. She put a hand on his chest, near her face and felt his heart. "You even thawed my own heart. I guess the Majestic Man was right." He felt her laugh. The room was silent except for the their breathing.
"Cain." DG took a deep breath. "I love you." She held her breath, and closed her eyes. When she didn't hear anything for a few moments and felt like she needed a hole to crawl into. She was about to push up and take it all back, but suddenly she heard him.
"That's good, because I love you." She smiled and wrapped her hands around him, holding her close to him. He could feel DG laugh. "What?"
"Does it feel weird that you held me as a baby and now hold me under these circumstances?" She paused and waited for an answer. Cain's response came in a gruff manner.
"Shut up and sleep kid." He listened as DG laughed into his chest and smiled himself, not at all bothered by the face. After all, love has no rules.
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