9

When consciousness, or whatever it was, returned, Cain wasn't sure what to think at first. Maybe I'm dead, he thought. After a few false starts, he managed to open his eyes. All he could see was a blank expanse, a featureless space lit only by a dim pale blue glow. This only served to confirm to him that he was in fact dead. But then, his sight sharpened, and other senses kicked in. He realized he was looking at a ceiling.

Slowly and carefully, he rolled his head to the right. Yep, I'm dead. Because there's an angel next to me, he decided. Curled up into possibly the most uncomfortable position imaginable, DG slept in the chair beside the bed.

Cain now recognized that he lay in one of the infirmary rooms in Azkadelia's tower. DG's chair was pulled close to the bed. She rested her head on her arm along the back of the chair. Her face was mostly obscured by her thick hair. She had her knees pulled up, and her other arm rested across them so that her hand lay lightly on Cain's arm. The blue glow came from where her fingers rested against the skin of his arm.

A soft noise drew Cain's attention. The door opened, admitting Emily who bore a blanket. She smiled to see him awake, but said nothing. Gently, she placed the blanket over DG. Glancing at Cain, she paused, and then leaned close.

"Sleep more," she suggested softly.

Thinking it an excellent idea, Cain closed his eyes again.

When he woke again, the chair was occupied by Emily, not DG. She looked up from her knitting to meet his eyes.

"We sent her to her own bed. She was getting all cramped up in this chair," Emily explained immediately, without prompting. She set aside her work. "Do you think you can feed yourself?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, voice rusty. "How long has it been?"

"Two days. Raw and the other healers said it was best to let you sleep. But now, you'll be wanting something to drink."

The instant she said it, Cain became aware of a raging thirst. Severe blood loss did that to a man. Emily helped him sit up, adding pillows to prop him, then handed him a cup of only slightly cool water, enough to quench his thirst but not shock his empty stomach. The nurture unit then set a tray over his lap. It held a bowl of some thick meaty soup, and a very soft piece of bread.

"Is DG alright?" he asked before digging in.

"She's fine. A little tired, mostly bruised and sore. They roughed her up some," Emily's voice dripped condemnation for the men who'd hurt her little girl. You could take the nurture unit out of the parenting role, but you couldn't take the parenting out of the nurture unit. "She's determined never to let anyone get the drop on her like that again. She's insisting that Mr. Ambrose give her lessons in that hand to hand fighting he does, and she says she wants a gun."

"What?" Cain was amazed. But with a moment's reflection, he realized he shouldn't be. DG was the most determined, feisty, stubborn woman he knew. He decided he'd enjoy teaching her how to handle a gun. "But she's not injured or hurt or anything?"

"No, she's not injured. We're all thankful for that. And for you."

Cain ducked his head. "My duty, ma'am. And it wasn't just me. It was Raw and Glitch and Conor as well."

"I know, and DG knows." Emily stood, collecting her knitting. "But it wasn't them she sat up with for two days," she continued pertly. Nodding at him, she said, "I'll be back in a bit to collect the tray." With that, she departed.

Cain managed to not only finish the food, but get up on his own. He poked a little at the healed flesh of his side. Raw's healing didn't even leave a scar. His side wasn't sore or tender. The Viewer's work was amazing. Any normal doctor would have simply stitched him up, causing him weeks of painful, slow healing. Cain made a mental note to thank Raw.

Cain found a spare shirt and pants folded up in a cabinet, along with his vest, coat, hat, and holster. He dressed, not wanting to think about how he got undressed in the first place, and who might have helped or seen, then went in search of DG.

"So, perhaps someday you will come to the coast, and swim with us? I promise you would be in no danger with my brother and I."

"I'll definitely think about it, Conor."

"And you must bring your Tin Man! He needs to relax, learn to enjoy life." Conor nodded, as if enjoyment was the answer to all problems. DG had learned that Seal men were a very outgoing and manic before they settled down with a bride. Neither Conor nor his brother was married.

Rising to indicate their meeting was done, so that Conor could begin his journey home to the coast, DG extended her hand to him. "Thank you again, so much," DG said earnestly.

Conor grinned and gave her the most flamboyant bow. "My duty and honor, Princess! I only ask that should you decide to have another adventure, please do send for me. I enjoyed this one immensely." He kissed her hand, his moustache tickling her. Then, with a jaunty wink, he departed.

DG smiled after him. Conor of the Seal Clan was a merry lunatic. She sat back down at the tea table, alone for the first time in many days. Sighing, she looked over the reports on the table. Of the eleven men that had followed Zero and participated in the plan to kidnap the two Princesses and murder DG, only five had survived. Of those, only two were deemed likely candidates for rehabilitation. Since they'd been on patrol in an area that saw a lot of Resistance activity during the Eclipse, they'd honestly believed that DG was controlling Azkadelia somehow. Their loyalties were to Princess Azkadelia, and once it was explained to them the nature of the Witch's possession, how it had been broken, and what that meant, they were contrite. Both would serve some time in Central City's prisons, and additional terms in such civic service as the Crown deemed fit until they would at last be released as free men. Neither had had direct contact with the princesses during the abduction.

The other three men were all on Guermo's original list of Undesirables. All had been in the Royal Army, all had dishonorable discharges before enlisting in the Witch's LongCoats. DG agreed with her mother's recommended sentencing. The Queen intended to have all three men shipped east to the mauritanium mines, to serve out life sentences of hard labor. Not one had the slightest hint of magical power, and so could be safely used in the mines. When sending criminal labor, the Crown had to be certain the condemned could not use the mauritanium mined for their own nefarious purposes.

The noise of a door to the balcony where she sat caused her to look up. Cain was standing there, fully dressed and staring at her. DG gasped a little. She'd only meant to have a small meal and speak with Conor before he left, then she'd intended to return to Cain's bedside. Seeing him standing there, DG was reminded of how long it had been since she'd seen him. And now close she came to loosing him forever.

She stood, and Cain walked towards her. Their gaze never wavered from one another. DG's chest felt like there was a weight on it. He moved as easily as ever, quietly and economically. She felt like she'd somehow forgotten how tall he was, how broad his shoulders were, how his eyes shined from beneath the brim of his hat. She wanted to fling herself at him, hug him until they were both breathless, but she was afraid that he might still be in pain from his wound, or that he wouldn't let her touch him, bringing back whatever it was that drove him away in the first place.

"I meant to come back to your room, in the infirmary, I mean," DG started to speak. "I just had a few things…"

"It's all right," Cain cut her off. "I came looking for you."

DG blushed, the rushing blood causing the skin of her bruised face to ache. "You did. You always do."

"Of course," Cain answered. "That's my job."

Cain stared at the bruises on DG's face. Her skin all across her left cheek and nose was purpled and yellowish, as well as her chin, and he could see a healing split on her lower lip. She'd been beaten pretty badly, he realized, and the force of the hatred for Zero that he suddenly felt was unsurpassed by any anger he'd ever held for the dead man before. Cain wished he could bring Zero back to life, just so he could kill the man a few more times, for daring to lay a hand on DG. But even the bruises did nothing to mar her beauty in his eyes.

If he hadn't been looking at her so closely, he might have missed the little flicker of expression that crossed her face at his answer. A flicker of dismay, disappointment.

"Are you feeling well?" DG asked him, schooling her expression. Her sudden poise was new to him. Obviously, it was the result of weeks of princess duties. Cain, in that moment, became worried that his leaving had destroyed any regard she might have had for him. He'd been so sure at the time that he was annoying her to death, sure that leaving was the way to preserve their friendship, but maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe this coolness was the result. He had no one to blame but himself if it was true. He'd gone off, never written, and never even explained why he thought he needed to leave. And now, the cool polite expression on her face cut him deeply. It was the expression of a princess inquiring after the health of a man who'd done his duty to the Crown by protecting her. It was not the face of DG wanting to know if Cain was alright. He missed DG desperately.

But at the same time, he knew she'd sat next to him, watched over him as he slept, and he couldn't forget the glow of her power touching him. It had been caring, comforting. He had to have hope, hope that maybe his DG wasn't completely gone. He knew his feelings could no longer be suppressed. He loved her desperately, but was certain she couldn't return his feelings. Yet if he could just stay close to her, somehow save enough of their friendship that she'd let him stay, he would have to be satisfied with that.

"I'm good," he told her. "Raw did an amazing job." He slapped his hand against his side to prove his fitness. "Not even sore."

"I'm glad," DG said. "I was … I was worried. You … you could have died there." Her voice hitched, and the schooled expression was lost as her worry and concern broke through.

Cain felt like his heart started to beat again.

"Mr. Cain," she said, suddenly using a Princess voice again, "That's the third time you've been shot defending me."

He couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth twitch in a little half-smile, feeling relief that she evidently still cared for him in some way. "Well, now, princess. It's actually only the second time I've been wounded. So that's not so bad." He was trying to tease her.

It worked. DG shook her head. Her smile crept out. "You've been locked up, bitten by a Pappay, jumped off a cliff into a raging river, chased by LongCoats, had to flee Central City, got shot out a window, nearly drowned, nearly froze." Her wide blue eyes had him pinned in his place. "Crossed the entire Outer Zone, been captured, invaded the enemy's stronghold, gotten shot again. You disappeared for weeks without sending any word, and then charged across the Zone again under the most dangerous conditions, only to appear and rescue me in the nick of time." DG shook her head. "I'm afraid, Mr. Cain, you're just going to have to marry me."

"I – What?!" Cain was flabbergasted. He could not have heard what he just heard.

"You heard me. Obviously, someone has to keep an eye on you, and I love you, Wyatt. So it's only reasonable that you marry me, so you'll have to stay close, and I can keep an eye on you myself. I'm the only one I trust with the job. Oh, you can protest, but I'm the Princess, and you'll find that I'm quite su–"

Cain took two long steps forward, grabbed DG's shoulders and covered her mouth with his in a fierce, passionate kiss.

It definitely shut her up. He'd stopped listening after four particular words anyway.

DG struggled to keep her knees intact as Cain made a thorough mapping of her lips. She even forgot that they were sore where one of the punches she'd taken had split one. Her hands crept up his chest to cling to the lapels of his coat.

When he finally let her breath, it took DG several seconds before she could think again. At last, she was able to say, "So, is that a yes?"

He kissed her again.

Then he murmured to her, "You know, I'm supposed to be the one doing the proposing." His breath caressed her face, then he carefully kissed his way across her good cheek to nibble on her earlobe.

Her voice stuck in her throat, but she managed to groan out, "Well, you certainly weren't getting around to it!" She couldn't stop the moan when he kissed his way down the side of her neck. "We can tell everyone that you asked, and I said yes, if you'd prefer it."

He stopped what he was doing, much to her disappointment, to smile broadly at her. "Why don't we tell people we mutually agreed?"

"You haven't said yes yet," she pointed out cheekily.

He kissed her lips again, his tongue darting out to open her mouth. DG moaned again as his tongue thrust into her mouth, teasing and caressing her own. She couldn't keep her knees from buckling this time, but he quickly gathered her close, his arms warm and strong around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him support her, and he practically lifted her off the ground, molding her body against his, and she felt a purely feminine thrill at how strong he was.

Finally setting her down, running one hand up her back to tangle in her hair, he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Say it again," he ordered.

"Will you –"

"The other part," he interrupted, chuckling a little at her humor.

Smiling warmly, DG said, "I love you, Wyatt." The strength of her feelings for him turned his name into a caress.

He briefly closed his eyes, as if savoring the moment. Then he opened them, meeting hers. "Yes," he said, his voice thick. "I love you too, DG."

She laughed out of pure joy, hugging him.

END

A/N: Thanks so much for coming along for the ride. I LOVED this series, and keep hoping that the rumors of an actually regular weekly series are true. The creators admitted they put a little tension between DG and Cain deliberately. All I can say is – Lucky Zooey! Ha ha ha! At any rate, hope you enjoyed (what)Ever After. Please feel free to review, and I hope you'll take the time to read some of my other fics. Cheers, CK.