(Warning to male readers: Squick Happens.)
2
DG had been in the O.Z. for three weeks when she felt the first twinges.
She'd felt a little run down when she got up that morning, but she'd blamed it on the workout her magic had gotten the day before. Since the Double Eclipse, the Royal Family had worked together in Azkadelia's tower. The Queen, who really was named Lavender Eyes of the House of Gale, converted the forces of the Resistance fighters into her personal guard and messengers. Azkadelia's former LongCoats had been incorporated as well. The Queen was careful in her assignments, sending groups of one or the other on missions, but still integrating them for special assignments. DG recognized her mother's cleverness – the ex-Resistance fighters and ex-LongCoats were learning to work together.
It helped that a cache of old Royal livery uniforms had been stored in the tower. Now the red and gold of the Queen traveled across the Outer Zone once more.
DG learned that the primary residence of the Royal family was a hi-rise palace in Central City. Finacqua had been a country estate, a royal vacation home. The Northern Palace had been used for special occasions, state events that were best handled outside the City. Azkadelia had urged that they all relocate to the Central City palace immediately, but the Queen and DG resisted, since Glitch's brain could not be moved. Neither Queen nor Princess wanted to leave the tower until alchemists could be found to attempt returning Glitch's brain to his skull.
And so, in compromise, DG and Azkadelia set out to redecorate the place. Magically. It was easy enough to turn cells into storerooms, dismantle huge machines to create large training areas. There already were stables, which were expanded, and barracks for all the troops were altered to be more comfortable. The third floor became an infirmary, by the Queen's order, right after the battle. Here Raw and more formal healers worked to help those injured in the battle, and those former prisoners in need of care.
The top two floors of the tower were converted into bedchambers and lounges, places where the Royal family and their closest friends could stay. DG herself had worked very hard to give each of her friends their own room. In addition, Jeb Cain and his fiancée had a room there as well. The Queen had given Jeb a Captaincy in her Guard. He wore the royal Red very well, DG thought, and it was hard to miss the pride in Cain's eyes.
What DG didn't know what that the Queen and Ahamo had spoken with Cain, offering him any post or rank in the O.Z. he could possibly want. And Cain had chosen to remain where he was, keeping an eye on DG. The Queen hadn't questioned his decision, but Ahamo, with that sixth sense owned by all fathers of daughters, had a few thoughts, yet kept them to himself.
DG however was slowing going insane. At least, in her opinion. When she wasn't lending her magical power to her sister's redecorating efforts – though DG had to admit, seeing a model made by Ahamo of a bed magically transformed into a king sized bed complete with mattress was pretty cool – she was dodging Tutor's efforts to reeducate her on the O.Z. and its traditions. She spent as much of the day as she could getting to know her family, and made a conscious effort to spend time with Glitch and Raw. But Cain she could never shake. Everywhere she went, he was her silent shadow.
She also couldn't get him to call her DG anymore. It was always "Princess" or "Your Highness" or just a respectful statement. At this point, she'd even take "kid" or "kiddo" again. Before, while he'd always protected her, he never treated her like she was delicate or anything. Now, he never quite got close, but never went away. DG remembered the obvious concern on his face, before they'd snuck into the tower that fateful day. How he'd been worried, giving her advise. 'I won't be there this one time,' he'd said.
And she remembered the grin on his face when he and the others came into the chamber, and saw the royal family together and safe. A genuine – look, teeth! – grin. His hand had been so warm against the small of her back when they'd all hugged in joy.
But that all went away almost immediately, and now DG couldn't seem to find a time to speak with Cain privately about it, to find out why he'd changed so much.
Thinking about it now, instead of listening to her mother's latest plans, DG felt herself getting more and more grumpy. And then there were the twinges. And oh joy, a headache was coming on.
Recognizing her symptoms, DG stood up suddenly, halting the conversation.
"Um, sorry. You don't really need me, and I'm not feeling too hot. I'm gonna go…" she made a vague gesture with her hand, then hurried out of the room.
Cain followed her immediately. "Princess? Princess, are you all right?"
"Go away, Cain," DG snapped irritably. Reaching her room, she shut the door in his face.
Cain waited about five seconds, glancing up and down the hall, before he opened the door. DG was already on the bed, still fully clothed, curled into a ball under a blanket. Cain quickly crossed the room and knelt beside the bed.
"Princess? Kid, what's wrong? Are you sick? Is it the Witch?" For the first time in weeks, honest concern colored his voice.
DG pulled the blanket aside enough to glare at him from one baleful eye. "I said, go away." His timing really couldn't be any worse, she thought.
From the doorway, a soft voice called, "Mr. Cain." Turning, the Tin Man saw Princess Azkadelia there. She crossed the room, as smoothly and gracefully as a princess should, and leaned over to peer at her sister. Ocean blue eyes met chocolate brown, and Azkadelia's lips curved in a wry smile. "Mr. Cain, my sister will be fine. You may go."
"Not until someone tells me what's wrong with DG," Cain answered stubbornly.
"Oh for chrissakes!" DG exclaimed. She tossed off the blanket and glared at him. "You were a married man, Cain!" She could see him trying to understand that, and a second before he got it, she continued, "I swear, if you don't leave now, I'll tell you all about it in excruciating detail!"
Cain frowned, slapped his hat back on his head, and beat a hasty retreat.
Azkadelia laughed as the door shut behind the Tin Man, and DG burrowed back under the covers. "He was turning a most unusual shade of red," the elder sister observed, highly amused.
"Sometimes he acts like I'm twelve or something," DG moaned. "Oh man, I left my pills on the Other Side. Go get someone to shoot me, OK?"
Az stroked the huddled mound that was her sister. "You were taking pills? Are you really sick, or is this just normal for your courses?"
DG moaned again, cramping miserably. "The pills made it more bearable and predictable. One a day for the month, except for the week of it."
"But you still had your courses… naturally?"
DG moved the blanket and eyed her sister suspiciously. "Well, yeah. Why, don't you?"
Az smiled. "You are going to love this. Give me your hands." Az interlaced her fingers with her sisters with one hand, and set their other hands against DG's lower abdomen. A few whispered words later, a flash of magic, and DG started laughing.
"It's gone! The pain is gone! MAGIC ROCKS!" She sat up and hugged Az. "Is that it, am I done for the month?"
"Done. Once a month when you feel the onset, and that's it."
"That's so awesome!" DG crowed, delighted. "Oh, hey wait. The pills also…." She paused, eyeing her sister. "They prevent pregnancy."
"Why would you need that?" Az began. "Unless you…. Oh DG! You're aren't… married on the Other Side, are you?" Her voice became frantic.
"Whoa! No, no, I'm not married! I'm not even dating anyone, currently." DG sat down next to Az. "Let me guess. No hanky panky till you're married, right? Is the O.Z. one of those places where a princess's virginity is vital?"
"Not vital," Az answered, turning red. "But dalliances are not really approved of."
"Oh well, on the Other Side, dalliances are expected." DG bit her lip. "To be honest, it was just this one time, senior year. I was dating this guy Todd. He was gonna join the army right after school, which was stupid because he was a musician, not a jock, but he couldn't afford college. And really, I remember I didn't think much of it. Probably because I wasn't really in love with him, you know?"
Az looked a little confused. "Why would you do that when you weren't in love?"
DG shrugged. "It's different over there. It's not… it's not all romance and sunshine about it all the time. People do it because it feels good."
That just confused Az more. Then she frowned. "The witch… the witch could kill a man by drawing his soul out of him, and she could draw that power in." DG made a face. "It was tiring, but at the same time, invigorating. I, I mean the witch, she felt pleasure when she did that. And I think that maybe…" she trailed off, looking at her hands folded in her lap. "I'm afraid that maybe, that feeling is a little like what making love feels like, and I won't be able to….I'm afraid to feel like that again… or that I can't… but it doesn't matter, because I probably won't ever marry anyway."
DG wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. Over the last few weeks, Az had made several halting confessions like this. DG's limited knowledge of things like abuse and post traumatic stress disorder made her think that Az needed to talk about things, and DG was perfectly willing to listen and try to help. DG sighed a little. She vaguely wished she'd watched more of those crime dramas. It might have helped her help Az now.
"Listen. Like I said, I didn't think it was that big of a deal myself. Maybe it is different when you really love the other person. And I think you just need to give yourself time. Once you start feeling better, you'll be more comfortable. And then, who knows? Maybe some prince from one of the fringe zones will come in here and sweep you off your feet!"
Az gave her a weak smile. "You help me so much, Deeg."
"Yeah, well you help me. God I love that spell! Woo hoo! No more monthly worries for me!" The sisters laughed together.
"We should go back. It'll be dinner time soon," Az pointed out.
DG agreed. When they opened the door, Cain was again posted outside, leaning against the wall. He had his arms crossed and his hat pulled low.
DG's grin was just the edge of evil. "Hiya, Cain. I'm all better now!" she sang. If she ducked her head a bit, she could just peek under the edge of his hat to see that his ears were still red.
"DG, don't," whispered Az, pulling on her sister's arm. She shot the stoic Tin Man a sympathetic look. "Let's just go."
DG let Az pull her along, but had to admit to herself, teasing Cain certainly made her feel much better.
Wyatt Cain took his self-imposed job very seriously. Having been on protection detail before, he knew how to handle the long hours of doing nothing. In the mornings, when DG was in 'classes' with Az and Tutor, Cain caught a couple hours of sleep. In the evenings, when she was with her family, he caught a few more. He never needed more than a couple hours a day anyway. It was a huge asset to being a Tin Man.
This evening, while the Royal Family gathered in the lounge upstairs, a few loyal ex-Resistance men on duty, Cain hung up his coat and hat, took off his holster, and threw himself into his bed. DG's little routine this afternoon had driven him crazy. First, he'd been worried that she was hurt, or really sick, the way she'd walked out of the meeting like that. And then, to find out it was… female issues. He'd been a little embarrassed that he'd been so worried over something so simple.
But he sometimes had a hard time remembering that DG was a woman grown. From listening to some of her conversations, he gathered she was practically an independent adult according to the culture on the Other Side. Her nurture units had admitted it had been harder and harder to keep her close to home in the last few years.
No, it wasn't that he didn't remember she was a grown woman, it was that he didn't want to admit it to himself. He kept remembering their adventures, the way she'd chipped away at him, until he shook off the hatred and hardness of the tin suit, getting his humanity back. He remembered the way she felt in his arms, when he knew they were walking into danger, and he feared they wouldn't make it.
He tried to hold on to his memories of his wife. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure Adora would have liked DG a lot. They had a lot in common. And Jeb was no help at all. Cain's son had grown up, found his own woman, and not so subtly encouraged his father to get on with his life too. Even the nightmares were fading, and Wyatt found himself dreaming of better times with a nostalgic fondness. He was letting go, but he didn't feel ready for it. Nor did he feel ready to move forward.
So he pushed DG away with his cold formality. She'd figure it out pretty soon anyway. She was a princess. Princesses don't take up with Tin Men, he told himself. Besides, his position on the outskirts gave him an excellent view. He knew the Queen had some ideas about DG. And he knew what those ideas were, and a number of them involved getting Glitch his brain back. He'd seen the Queen send some speculative looks towards her younger daughter and her noble headcase friend.
Cain didn't approve of that at all. He had a pretty good idea DG wouldn't like it either, as much as she loved her zipperhead friend.
He rolled over and punched his pillow a few times, trying to shut down his own brain and get some sleep.
He knew he was dreaming immediately, because this was so long ago. He was walking up the path to the house, and the paint on the walls was still fresh. Glancing to his right, he could see the pond, and the oak sapling wasn't even there yet, so he knew this was before Jeb was born, because they'd planted that sapling for him.
He stepped up to the door and pushed it open. He could smell something cooking, and in the dimmer light of the interior, he could see his wife moving in the kitchen. He hung his hat on a peg and walked to her.
She turned, laughing, her long dark hair tumbling over her shoulders in that wild way he loved. He pulled her into an embrace, smiling into her laughing deep blue eyes…
But Adora had had light brown hair, not a wavy curtain of midnight. And her eyes were hazel, with gold sparks, not blue like deep mountain pools.
But he looked at the woman he loved, held her in his arms, and he kissed her…
Cain sat up with a gasp.
He rubbed his hand over his face, trying to dispel the images from his dream. He glanced over at a timepiece. Barely more than an hour had passed. Groaning, he rubbed his neck, too unsettled to try and sleep more.
He went to the bathing room and splashed cold water on his face. Eyeing himself in the mirror, he muttered, "Princesses don't take up with Tin Men. Or ex-Tin Men. And certainly not ones nearly twice their age. Don't make a fool of yourself, Cain." He repeated his mental litany a few times, trying to shut down his body's responses to that dream. Bad enough he knew exactly what it felt like to hold her close, bad enough he knew the scent of her hair, the softness of the skin on the inside of her wrist. He didn't need to start subconsciously speculating on other things too.
Rubbing his face hard with a towel, he cynically told himself maybe he just needed to find a Central City whore for an hour or so. Even as he thought it, he knew it was a lie.
DG's real parents told good stories. Stories of how they met, deliberately funny embarrassing stories about their daughters. It was an element of their personalities DG found comforting, because that's how her other parents, the pair of nurture units, had behaved. Still, when DG thought of "mom and pop", she thought of the Kansas farmer and wife who raised her. Lavender and Ahamo were "mother and father".
But that evening, as the family party broke up, her parents off to spend some time alone together, Azkadelia pleading fatigue, DG went in search of her robo-'rents.
One of the earliest chores performed in the tower was restoring their CPUs to their unaltered state. But then DG had immediately begged them to treat Az like a daughter too. Only too happy to accommodate her, Hank and Emily became almost like nannies to the princesses, and by extension the population of the Tower. DG knew the best place to find them was the hastily improved kitchens on the third level.
Blessedly free of her Tin Man shadow because of the early break up of the gathering this evening, DG slipped down the levels to the kitchen, and as expected, Emily was baking something, humming contentedly. Hank was sitting at a table nearby, fiddling with some gadget.
"Hey Momster, hey Popsicle," DG said, happily hugging each of them.
"Well, look at you. You look a little worn out there, DG. You aren't coming down with something, are you?" Hank asked.
"Nope. I'm ok." DG said, but gave Emily a significant look.
"Hank, why don't you go see if the boys down on watch need anything. If they're hungering, I can make up some sandwiches," Emily suggested.
They were robots, but they weren't stupid. Hank knew that tone well enough. It was Mother-Daughter time. "I suppose I could stretch my legs at that. See you in a bit, honey," he said as he pressed a kiss to the top of DG's head.
Alone at last, Emily handed a cup of tea to DG and sat across from her. "That time of the month?"
"Yeah, but Az taught me a spell that takes care of it. It's so cool."
"Mmm," Emily nodded. "So, why the long face?"
"I don't know what you mean," DG protested.
"I know that look. That's the look you wore when we sold the kittens. The look you wore when Matt Brooks wouldn't dance with you in seventh grade. The look you wore when that Todd Miggs up and joined the army."
DG blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Oh yes you do. You're pining over some male." Emily gave her 'daughter' a stern look. "It's that weepy, half-heartbroken look. So, who is it?"
"Nobody!" DG exclaimed.
"Mm-hm?" Emily prompted in a motherly knows-all tone.
"I'm worried about Az," DG lied hastily. "The witch really really messed her up. I mean, are there psychiatrists in the O.Z.? I only took one class in it, but even I can tell she's got PTSD, and maybe abuse issues, and all sorts of things going on. I listen all I can, and try to support her, but I don't know if I'm doing the right things to heal her."
"Well, honey," Emily said slowly, deciding to let her off the hook, "I supposed that's about the most you can do. She's been alone for so long, poor thing, she needs all the love and support we can give her. But I'm not sure we could find a psychiatrist here in the Zone who could be unbiased, or who we could trust enough." She tapped her fingers for a moment, then suggested, "Have you thought about having that Viewer friend of yours talk to her? I hear tell he's a healer as well as a heart-listener. Might do her a world of good, if he can help."
DG gasped. "Momster, you're a genius! I'll ask Raw first thing tomorrow. I know he'll help, he's the bravest Viewer you'd ever meet."
Suddenly sensing company, both women looked up to find Cain standing in the door to the kitchen.
"Ladies," he said politely, touching his hat.
"Checking up on me, Cain?" DG asked lightly. But something in her face betrayed her to Emily, who knew her better than anyone else in the Zone.
"Nonsense, DG," Emily said briskly. "Mr. Cain's just picking up his evening coffee." She gave the Tin Man her most charming Farmer's Wife smile as she stood and headed for the kitchen counter. "Have a seat, Mr. Cain. I might even be able to scare up a few fresh baked biscuits too."
"Thank you," Cain replied, his tone grateful. With his usual economy of movement, he sat at the table, precisely one chair between him and DG, setting his hat on the table.
"Well, thanks for the chat and tea, Momster. I think I'm going to head up," DG announced airily. She took her cup over to the sink and gave Emily a kiss on the cheek.
"You're welcome, dear. Sleep well."
DG gave Cain a pointed look. But he didn't rise, instead calming wishing her, "Sleep well, Princess."
Suppressing the urge to kick him as she went by, DG left.
Cain watched her go, before turning back to the motherly Nurture Unit. She'd watched him watch DG with raised brow.
"You know, Mr. Cain, I understand the urge to keep her on a leash. Her dad and I always found, it works best if it's a very LONG leash." Emily handed him a cup of coffee, and a few warm biscuits wrapped in a cloth napkin. "Go on with you now."
Cain stood, replacing his hat and collecting his coffee and snack. "Evening, ma'am," he murmured politely, and silently followed his charge out of the kitchen.
TBC
A/N: Wow! We are quite the lively new fandom, aren't we? I see a lot of people watching this fic, but not so many leaving reviews. C'mon, I know you have an opinion. Tell me you liked it, tell me you disagree with something, tell me just Hello! Just leave a review.