This all seems so familiar, and so not. It's like it's happened before, but this time is better and he can tell.
He's holding her to him and they're happy and so they're both surprised and turn as the door opens and Azkadellia is standing there in her dressing gown, looking both shocked and happy.
The princess royal asks if what she thinks is going, is, and DG starts to say something but he cuts her off and says firmly in a this-is-how-it-is-and-don't-you-try-to-change-it tone that yes, they're in love and yes, she's going to have their child.
And Az breaks into a smile and comes in quickly, shutting the door behind her and hugs her sister tightly and then hugs him and says she always wanted a brother. And he's glad he's already crying a bit because he never imagined that the first response they'd get would be so accepting, so happy, but since he's himself, he wipes his eyes quickly because he doesn't like being emotional in front of anyone but her because she's the only one he trusts with his heart.
And Azkadellia is telling her that she's going to make the baby a magical mobile to float over its crib and she's asking if DG's planned the nursery yet and then she asks the question he and she haven't broached but it's been there between them for months now, she asks when they're getting married.
And she looks at her sister and as she's about to answer he feels like he's about to see her break under her love for him and instead she gets that little devilish look on her face and turns to him and asks him to marry her.
He's dumbfounded, which is something new – just because he doesn't talk that much doesn't mean he doesn't always have something to say – and all he can do is stare at her and her sister is laughing her head off, but doing it quietly because they don't want to wake their parents. And of course he says yes, but he doesn't because he can't speak, so he nods and she nods back, matter-of-factly, and tells her sister, there, it's settled.
That snaps him out of it and he laughs at her and brushes his lips over her temple because he's feeling a little too shy about even having his arm around her waist the way it is now in front of her sister – even though she's pregnant with his child, so it isn't like there's a square inch of her body he hasn't seen – and she laughs at him and pulls him down in a full-fledged breath-stealing kiss and her sister laughs all the louder at them.
And he thinks this is the perfect beginning to a new family, his new start. This time, though, it's different, it's perfect.
He's wondering, though, what will he do for a ring? All he could afford with Adora had been a plain gold wedding band, but now he had more money – oddly enough, the Longcoats had forgotten to close off his bank account and after almost ten annuals of not touching them, the interest had piled up – and he wants to get her something spectacular.
He tries to mention something along those lines and she fixes him with her huge eyes and he feels like a moth with open flame and she says that if all he had was a band-aid, she wouldn't care as long as she was his and he was hers. And the moment – and Az's cooing – is somewhat ruined by him asking what a band-aid is.
After a while her sister leaves because it's late and they need to sleep if they're going to tell everyone the next day – which they decided they'd do. But as soon as he closes and locks the outer chamber's door to the hallway she drags him back into bed and their clothes are gone faster than he can blink – for a second he thinks she magicked them away but then she's kissing him and he can't think anymore.
He never thought he could be more attracted to her than he already is, but the thought of her bearing his child and them getting married apparently is an aphrodisiac for both of them because by the time they actually settle down to sleep, it's dawn and it takes all of his energy to cross the room to pull the blinds to and then get back into bed.
When they finally wake up it's long past noon and a quick inspection of the sun says it's almost dusk and she gives him this sheepish grin because she's the one who jumped him and he just grins back at her and knows she knows that if she hadn't, he would've.
The palace at Finaqua is different than the other palace – wings of quarters are set around a larger common area, with two large hallways at either end to lead to other wings or the stairwells – and he knows that as soon as they leave her quarters that her family will see them because there's no way they aren't (nervously, angrily) waiting in the common area to see why she hasn't been up yet.
She must've been thinking the same thing because after they've both showered – he put back on his clothes from the night before, his normal button-up shirt and tan pants that she always seems to find so much enjoyment at brushing the lint off of; he'd never understand women – because she flops down on a settee and moans that she wishes they could never leave these rooms. When he points out that would be bad, because then he'd have to deliver the baby, she glares at him and says that he knew what she meant and all he can do is chuckle at her look.
She's wearing pants – not her jeans, apparently they don't fit over her enormous stomach anymore – and what she calls a "tee shirt" that makes extremely evident the swell of her stomach. He pulls her off the overly-plush piece of furniture, sure to overemphasize his grunt of effort and she wrinkles her nose at him and goes over to the door and sighs and looks at him and says that this is it, no turning back. And he goes over and puts his hand on the small of her back and said he never wanted out even when he wasn't in. And that puts a smile on her face.
And as she opens the door, he hears a clamor start up from her parents and Glitch – and, alright, various advisors she'd had to bring because you can't stop being the Queen just for your birthday, apparently – that only stops when they see the joint picture of her rounded stomach and his stony glare.
Her mother, Glitch, and all the advisors are all open-mouthed at this. Ahamo seems to be quicker on the uptake and he takes in the arm that's around his younger daughter's waist and the protective hand lain on her stomach and he looks up at the Tin Man and gives him an affirming nod and seems, if not accepting, than understanding.
Glinda just looks at her daughter and asks what has happened, why didn't she tell them? And she looks back at her mother and says, in that tone she uses when they try to set her up, that she's in love and they're having this child and they're going to get married. And her mother doesn't seem to get who the 'him' in this picture is and turns to him and demands to know who he, the Queen's sole protector, let do this to her daughter.
And since he hears DG snicker quietly beside him he lets his mouth fall into a smirk and he responds, slowly and carefully, that he allowed the only man he'd ever allow to do this: him.
And finally the former queen seems to get it and she glances between him and her daughter and finally looks at her daughter and asks her if she's going to marry this Tin Man and if she's really going to have their child. And her daughter, this woman who is no longer just a daughter or lover, but a mother too, gives her mother strong look for strong look and replies that yes, she is going to do both those things with this man, who is a good man, honest and loves her. And he feels his face burning because he hates being the center of attention like this.
And Glinda sinks back into – yet another – overly plush piece of furniture and sighs audibly and DG winces, thinking this is going to be the first time she'll hear of disappointment from either of her parents and Az moves closer to her, ready to support her if necessary, when their mother lets out an extremely loud 'Hallelujah' that apparently she picked up from her husband because he's never heard it said in the O.Z. before and DG's looking shocked and he's just relieved no one's threatening to have him arrested.
And the lavender-eyed woman is looking at her daughter, the queen, and is saying that she's so thankful DG is picking such a good man and she'd been so afraid that she would marry one of the (many) noblemen paraded in front of her these past few months and DG is looking at her mother and asking her why she'd parade those men in front of her if she didn't want her to marry one of them and her mother retorts that it was so she'd make the right choice and pick what was right under her nose all along. And he feels like he's been maligned somehow in this exchange, but chooses to ignore it because he doesn't want to risk being throttled. After all, he did make love to her precious daughter, her angel.
The only exclamations of horror he can hear are from the advisors, half of whom took off for the library to search for a precedent for this, the other half were trying to 'talk sense' to DG or interrogate him. He got rid of them with a well-timed cocking of his pistol hammer.
Eventually someone had the presence of mind – it was Glitch, of all ironies – to ask why Azkadellia and Raw didn't look surprised. Az colored when he looked at her and said she'd found out the night before and Raw said he knew when it had started, which led to everyone asking when it had started and how far along she was and all the normal questions you ask.
And he finds that he's not really concerned that she kept this a secret from him for so long, he knows she had her reasons and if he were her he'd think that he'd bolt, too. Except he isn't going to because he really wants this new life – maybe not the married-to-the-queen part, but he'll learn to deal – and now that everyone knows he tells her quietly that now, maybe they can tell Jeb.
And she turns to look at him and she's got this shocked look on her face and he starts to backtrack and say if she doesn't want to, they don't have to. And she pokes him firmly in the forearm and tells him that they are absolutely going to tell Jeb that he's going to be an older brother and she wants him to be part of the family, if he wants it. In fact, she dispatches one of her annoying advisors off to fetch Jeb to Finaqua so they can tell him as soon as possible.
Then someone asks when they're planning on getting married and for some reason all eyes turn to him and he shrugs and says he doesn't care, whenever, wherever, as long as they're together and she nods, but not after she giggles and says the word Shakira for some reason – he loves her, but he'll never really understand her, he thinks – and her mother sighs and says, men, in this exasperated tone. Her father laughs at that and asks Glinda, gently, if she doesn't remember their own wedding. Glinda goes red and he thinks, he has to find out that story some time.
She says, amused, that they'll have to get married soon if no one wants the baby to show up at the wedding and her father shrugs, as if he doesn't really care, but her mother is nodding vehemently and Cain wants to as well, since he was raised to believe unwed pregnancies were just plain Not Done but when you're on the other side of the line, he finds, you don't care much for the line.
And he looks down at her and says, gruffly, that he thinks this is all turning out a little too perfect. Just one negative response, that's all they need, he hypothesizes. She laughs and rolls her eyes and says they'll get plenty of those. He does feel edgy that everyone's so accepting of this, but maybe for once everything's going his way and a bomb drops.
"So the baby's surname will be…" muses Ahamo.
And Glinda says, "Well, Gale of course."
And DG gives her mother a funny look – one that he recognizes, one that spells trouble – and she says, "No. It'll be Cain."
And even he's shocked because he never thought that she would do that, change the Royal Family's name like that. And everyone else is shocked because the room positively erupts into exclamations.
Three hours later and Raw's hidden under what he thinks is an ottoman, but could just be a overly-gilted footrest and Azkadellia and Ahamo are on DG's side and all the advisors are with Glinda and he doesn't really care, as long as the baby's healthy, so he's just pretending to clean his gun so everyone will leave him alone.
Finally DG silences everyone by grabbing his gun and firing a round into the ceiling and he yells at her for a few minutes in the silence that succeeds it, telling her what he'll do to her if she touches his gun again – and telling her with his eyes what he won't do if she touches his gun again – and she's nodding, but she's also impatient so he cools it and lets her say what she was going to say.
"The baby's surname will be Cain," she says, and the grumbling almost starts again but he's really annoyed by this time and cocks the hammer back and aims his pistol at the grumbler and says, "Please," and they shut up, real quick.
She gives him a quick, amused look and goes on. "But when he or she grows up they can choose if they want to be Gale or Cain. Not us." She pauses, and a corner of her mouth quirks up and she smiles as she continues with, "I would say it's because I don't want to dictate my child's future but really I'm just weaseling out of this. So don't let me catch you trying to influence the baby, but it will be the baby's choice. Not ours."
And so everyone's satisfied. Almost, at least. Sort of.
And so that night, when his son – who's only two years older than his father's new fiancée – arrives, they sit him down with just her family and Raw and Glitch, the advisors having all retreated to aid the search in the library.
And Jeb's looking from him to DG and asking what this is all about, because a sit-down with the Queen and the former Queen and the Princess Royal and Ahamo and the head of the Tin Men and the First Minister and the Viewer can only mean big news.
He's so nervous about this, telling Jeb, and he doesn't really understand why. How do you tell your long, forcibly-estranged son that you are starting another life and family with a new woman who isn't his mother and, moreover, is the Queen of the O.Z.?
"DG and I are getting married," he says, blurting it out, because he doesn't know any other way to do this.
"We're having a baby," DG adds, smiling up at him the way she does when they're together at night and then smiles at his son in a more normal way.
His son stares at them both, mouth dropped open. And now he's really worried.
"Wyatt," DG whispers, so he knows she thinks this is important too, "maybe this was too much, too soon?"
"Maybe," he returns, "but I don't want to keep secrets."
And he looks back over at his son, who's not looking at him. His son is looking instead at DG, this woman who's going to bear his father's second child and start a new family.
And the way he's looking at DG irritates a dark place in his soul.
And he can't help but think he's missed something.