Disclaimer: I beg you not to sue me because, because, because, because, BECAAAAUSE…because-I-don't-own-any-thing.
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SHOUT OUTS!
(Author's Notes: AS PROMISED, shout outs for both chapter 4 and 5!)
gatedreamer (Chpt 4) – Thanks for the bumly concerns! I'm glad you like the story!
Vince (Chpt 4) – Well DUH, she's DG! And she lived in Kansas. She had to be bored enough all of the time to keep up on pop culture. HEHE! Oh, –big hugs–, hehe, AND, noooow, it's that time again! "I've had women along on past exploits and found them to be, at best, a distraction."
Azkadellia Lovegood (Chpt 4) – I think a kiss from Cain would make any of us feel better! –huggles– Glad I made your day, but I'm sorry Christmas was sucky for you!
sakuralilystars (Chpt 4) – Hopefully chapter four and five were better! Hehehe! Thanks for reviewing!
MidnightzStorm (Chpt 4) – Thank you! I'm feeling a lot better now. :-)
Magickboxgirl (Chpt 4) – I felt the same way when I was writing it!
Mirgonus (Chpt 4) – MUAHAHA! You'll just have to wait and see!
Salena (Chpt 4) – Thanks for the review! –hugs–
neefalco (Chpt 4) – Yes, let us all take a moment to pet Cain because it totally deserves it. –pets him, too–
Glitter4Ever (Chpt 4) – Crazy, yes, but necessary! HEHE! Thanks for the review!
gravelgerdie (Chpt 4) – I'm glad you like it! I definitely felt for Cain and DG when I was writing it!
Transgenic-girl (Chpt 4) – Yeees, peeeeeeet them. They need a lot of petting.
SSGryffindorgirl7 (Chpt 4) – I'm really not sure what DG would do without Cain, and vice versa! They're just so perfect together!
Jacqueline Roget (Chpt 4) – Ouch indeed!
safarigirl83 (Chpt 4) – Who DOESN'T love sap and angst?!
BrowneyedGranger (Chpt 4) – Awwww…-blush- You flatter me too much! I am but a humble writer trying to give the people what they want. Thank you, thank you for the review!
KateCayce (Chpt 4) – No, no, YOU rock!
anon (Chpt 4) – I'm so glad you love it! HEHE It loves you back!
heathenseyes (Chpt 4) – Now that I'm back in the swing of things, if you're still up for it, I'd love to have you as a beta! –huggles– Thanks for the review!
jwdisney (Chpt 4) – I think we all wished for Cain under the Christmas tree! HEHE
MythStar Black Dragon (Chpt 4) – It'll end up better…but not yet! MUAHAHA! Thanks so much for the review!
celestia8907 (Chpt 4) – Brilliant? You've got me blushing now! LOL! I really enjoy writing the Cain/DG banter, probably as much as you like reading it!
Gnome90 (Chpt 4) – HEHE! Making you jittery is totally what I was totally what I was going for! And thank you, my bum does feel better now!
dckveg (Chpt 4) - YAY! I'm glad you love it! Yeah, I would imagine that cauterization would sting a bit! LOL!
CubKitPup (Chpt 4) – I'm glad I could help! Lots more to come for those who wait patiently! Hehe! Thanks for the review!
Kipling Nori (Chpt 4) – I want Cain to make everything all better for ME! HEHE –hugs –
tin man fan (Chpt 4) – Oh, there will be a few more chapters, I promise! Thanks for the review!
Featherhawk (Chpt 4) – No, no, thank YOU fore reviewing! It means a lot. :)
Dr-who-4-u (Chpt 4) – Oh Syd, get out of my brain! I was TOTALLY thinking that! I would take a take a burning knife to the flesh any day if I got to end up in Cain's arms!
rika08 (Chpt 4) – LOL!!! BREATHE! I'm so, so glad you love it! And I do believe I updated. Hmmm…hehe
Rhonda (Chpt 4) – Awww, wow. It made you cry? –big huggles– Not that I wanted you to cry, but that's an extremely flattering thing to say. It's every writer's dream to be able to move someone like that!
Vince (Chpt 5) – Whyyyyyy thank you! I thought the name bit was amusing myself. HEHE! Oh, you need another thingy (And you have to answer both in your next review!). Hmmm… "Never give up…"
Featherhawk (Chpt 5) – I'm glad you still think the story is awesome!
scrawn (Chpt 5) – Yup! I just started going taking the NYFA's 2-Year Conservatory Acting for Film program. It's been pretty awesome so far! It's so cool to know that there's another person in NY who loves the entertainment industry and Tin Man! HEHE!
Thayne M. (Chpt 5) – Here…is…more!
Kipling Nori (Chpt 5) – HEHEHE! I'm love that you love their banter! I really enjoy writing it!
SG1SamFan (Chpt 2) – Hey Em! It totally DOES take forever for your Achilles tendons to stretch out and get used to being in that position when riding horses. It can be SO annoying! And OF COURSE! Hurt/comfort is one of my guilty pleasures!
anon (Chpt 5) – Oh no, no, thank YOU for the review! They totally make my day!
heathenseyes (Chpt 5) – HEHE! Same as what I said above, if you're up for it! Pardon the pun. Thanks for the review on chpt 5! You rock!
rika08 (Chpt 5) – LOL! Ok, so the updated took a LITTLE longer than I expected. Hopefully it, and the chapters after that I already have ready, are worth the wait! Thanks SO much for the review!
CubKitPup (Chpt 5) – I know, right? The poor horse is going to end up with a serious complex if he doesn't already have one. ROFL!
SG1SamFan (Chpt 5) – Thank YOU for reading and reviewing it! And it's so, SO true. It's more than a little unsettling to have a huge horse looming over you. It feels like just one step and you'll be squashed!
Gnome90 (Chpt 5) – HERE'S CHAPTER SIX! LOL! Hooray for another NYer! And thank you for the non-broken-butt wishes. It's a lot better now!
safarigirl83 (Chpt 5) – I have successfully moved and gotten into a routine for school! Updates will be a lot more frequent now! HEHE And yes, Flower. I figured the horse needed an amusing name. Thank you for again reviewing!
Mirgonus (Chpt 5) – Thank you for the well wishes! NYC is definitely different than Florida, but I like it! Here's your next chapter!
Dr-who-4-u (Chpt 5) – It luffs YOU!! And seriously, Stephen probably wouldn't have even let her leave the palace in the first place. Cain is just a big ol' softy deep down.
Wolf Maid (Chpt 5) – I agree! They TOTALLY belong together! Thanks for lovin' it, and thanks for the review!
Jacqueline Roget (Chpt 5) – EEEHEHEHE…Thank you!
MythStar Black Dragon (Chpt 5) – I'd definitely take a bullet for some time in Cain's arms! HEHE! Thank you so much for the review!
dckveg (Chpt 5) – March 11 needs to arrive already! We need our Tin Man! I'm glad I can keep you occupied while we wait!
LittleDrusilla (Chpt 5) – Awww! –hugs– It's SO sad when you have to leave animals behind. One of our horses is a silver dapple Arab named Star Badi El Ajzaa (Badi or Badi Ajzaa for short). He's a bit of a turd, but he's pretty to look at! Anyway, I'm glad you love the story! Thank you, thank you for the review!
jlauren1224 (Chpt 5) – Thank you so much for your understanding. Now that I've settled in my apartment and gotten into my school routine, chapters will be coming a lot more frequently. YAY! Good luck with your own move! You'll love it! I'm so glad that you're enjoying the story! Thanks for the review!
Avatre2010 (Chpt 5) – GoBoy, aaahahaha! That's totally awesome! Glad you love the story and thank you so much for the review!
neefalco (Chpt 5) – YAY for rereading! School is going great so far and now that I'm settled, chapters will be flowing out a lot faster. Thanks so much for reviewing. It means a lot to me!
(Whew! Done! HEHE! I hope I got everyone! If I missed anyone, PLEASE let me know! I'll give you a special shout out next chapter!)
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CHAPTER 6
"If I was four or five ye-…annuals old," DG began to ask as she rested gently back against Cain as they rode quietly through the forest, keeping a sharp eye out for any Longcoats sneaking about, "how old does that make Chuck? Sixteen? Seventeen?"
The relieved –relieved because she wasn't asking about his age– breath that escaped Cain's mouth came out white against the cold air and floated over DG's shoulder. "Something like that," he replied.
"He's getting up there in age then, huh?" She was really just trying to make conversation since Cain seemed to be quite content with absolute silence, an absolute silence that was driving her insane.
"Not really," Cain rumbled against her back.
She frowned slightly. "I thought the average age of horses was like…twenty, twenty-five. Something like that."
"Maybe on the Other Side," Cain said as he his eyes darted back and forth, keeping a very watchful eye on their surroundings. "Here the average age for horses is roughly sixty annuals, give or take."
"Wow, that's like…triple. That makes Mister Chuck a spry young thing then, huh? Does it work the same way for humans?" She leaned slightly to the side and glanced over her shoulder up at Cain. "Does that make you a spry young thing, too?"
Cain nearly snorted at that. "Hardly."
DG pulled a face and then turned back around, resuming her position with her back against his warm chest. He might not have considered himself a "spry young thing," but he most certainly wasn't some slow old man either. No, he was quite…perfect. Or at least that's what DG thought. He was passionate, daring, strong, protective, compassionate, and loving (in his own quiet sort of way). Sure, he was as stubborn as a mule and came off as a heartless bastard sometimes, but DG saw past that, saw past the wall that he constantly tried to keep up…Well, most of the time.
"Well, I consider you to be quite spry, just to let'cha know," she told him, smirking to herself. "Especially in those pants." She was in a lot of pain and was cold, but by God, it was the truth. And since Cain wasn't being much of a conversationalist, she had to amuse herself somehow so not to dwell on how each step of the horse sent jolting pain through her shoulder, and how she was so close to the man she was completely falling for, and how she loved the way it felt to be wrapped in his arms.
Gah! Her mind was yelling at her now. Dwelling!She almost slapped herself in the forehead. Her mind was right. She was dwelling, at least on the latter two things, and it wasn't doing her a bit of good.
Cain literally coughed at that one, but didn't say anything.
DG smiled at the reaction, but also kept the rest of her thoughts to herself.
But it was then, when they had fallen silent, that it happened.
A twig snapped. The horse's ears perked up. And then suddenly before anyone could react, a huge man flew from the trees, colliding with DG and knocking both her and Cain to the cold, hard ground. They were surrounded before Cain could even pull out his pistol.
The collision had sent such agony through DG's shoulder that her vision started swimming wildly. She heard Cain shouting and felt as he was yanked away from her. A few seconds later, she was roughly pulled up to her feet by her arms, ripping a pain-filled cry from her throat right before her vision went black.
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"Cain?" DG croaked as she slowly regained consciousness for the second time that day. Her eyes fluttered open and she squinted against the tears of heated pain that welled up upon her brain's full recognition of the damage done to her shoulder.
"Shhh…" It was him. He was right above her, looming protectively over her.
It was then that she realized that her head was actually resting in his lap and his hand was gently stroking her hair. Whether he was consciously doing it, she didn't know, but she wasn't going to tell him to stop. "What happened? Where are we?"
"Ambush." She could hear the tightness in her tone as he ground out the answer. "They've taken us back to their base camp."
"Did they hurt you?"
"I'm fine."
"That wasn't my question…" She tried to sit up, but a combination of agony and Cain pushing her back down saw to it that she remained in a reclined position. She clenched her eyes closed and bit down on her bottom lip until the pain ebbed back down to a dull roar. When she opened them again, she met Cain's ice blue ones and frowned slightly at the visible bruise lining the right side of his jaw and a slow-bleeding cut above his left eyebrow. "Cain…" she breathed.
"It's fine, Princess," he tried to sooth. "I'm fine."
She noticed a very Cain glint in his eyes and smirked. "I should have seen the other guy, right?"
That got a return smirk out of him. "Something like that."
She nodded and then paused for a few moments to look around. "I take it we're in their…holding area."
"I believe that's what the bars indicate."
"Was that sarcasm, Mister Cain? Amidst a crisis?"
He was mid-way into working up another small smirk when her next question, a whisper void of all mirth, stopped him cold.
"Is it really that bad?"
Cain swallowed and then clenched his jaw. He should have known that she'd immediately pick up on the dire nature of their situation. He could tell by her tone alone that she wanted some answers and knew that no amount of joviality, true or forced, from him was going to change that. He sighed. "Yeah, it's bad."
"Tell me," she quietly commanded, silently adding, '…what mess I've gotten us into now…'
"DG…"
"Cain…"
He licked his lips and after glancing away for a moment, returned his gaze to hers and stated, "Your shoulder's started bleeding again." Despite his best efforts to hide it, his voice was wrought with obvious worry.
"Front or back?" she interrupted. At the moment, she hurt so much everywhere that she couldn't really tell.
"Front…"
She nodded. "Knew it felt sticky…"
Cain frowned deeply. He'd been keeping pressure on the wound since the moment they had been tossed into the makeshift cell, and it wasn't bleeding nearly as badly as it had been before, but he was still infinitely concerned.
"What else?" she prodded, her eyes never wavering as she watched him silently struggle over his need to protect her from the situation and her need to know the details of what was going on.
"Isn't that enough?"
"Cain…" She was using that tone again, that Tell-Me-Now tone she had learned from him.
"Look, I'm not really sure what's going on," he finally admitted, clenching his fist in frustration. "They haven't made a move to do anything since they brought us here. No one's been dispatched to ransom you off to your parents. No one has been by to threaten us. No one has said oneword as far as what their intentions are."
DG frowned at that. She was so used to Cain just knowing everything about everything that it was more than a little scary to know that he wasn't entirely up to speed on their deadly little situation.
"So, what do you think they want?" she asked after a moment.
His eyes left hers to scan those milling about outside the bars of their cell. He studied their movements, regarding them all with cold eyes. He licked his lips. "I don't know," he finally replied, "And that's what scares me."
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Night had fallen quickly, bringing with it a bitter cold that seemed to rival that that they had gone through to get to the Northern Island. A vicious shiver snaked down DG's back as she sat against the wall next to Cain. Her teeth were winning the war over her will to keep them from chatting and each pain-filled breath was coming out in white puffs.
The only good thing about the cold was that it was making her so numb that all her aches and pains were beginning to ebb slowly away. She did not look forward to when they all returned again.
"Sensory deprivation?"
Cain glanced at her. "Hmm?"
"Sensory deprivation," she repeated. "It's something they do on the Other Side to break prisoners of war in order to get them to talk. They deprive them of things like sleep and warmth, and so on."
"Cruel."
"Yeah, it is, but I guess it's better than really torturing people for information."
"That sounds like torture to me…" His time in the tin suit had been like that. He had been left in there alive with nothing but his tortured thoughts to keep him company.
"Lesser of two evils?"
Cain kept his eyes straight ahead. "Different, maybe, but lesser? I don't think so."
At the realization of what he was dwelling on dawned on her, DG instinctively sought out his hand with her own as she turned toward him and blurted, "Oh Cain, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate that–"
He cut her off. "It's alright, Princess," he said softly, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." He smiled gently at her. "This is far from sensory deprivation though."
She shrugged with her good shoulder. "They have the cold thing down," she mumbled, doing her best to tuck he chin into the collar of her shirt.
Sighing softly, Cain lifted the arm next to her, murmuring, "Come here." There was a brief moment of hesitation before she slid over, molding herself against his side. He was very careful to avoid her injured shoulder as he fully wrapped his arms around her small frame.
They sat in silence for a long time, DG resting her forehead against his neck, savoring his warmth, before she finally spoke up again. "Do you think they're looking for us?" she whispered in question.
Cain gently rubbed his hand up again down her arm, trying to warm her up as much as he could. He almost missed the question, it had been so soft. He paused only a moment before he turned his head and, into her hair, whispered softly back, "Of course. I have a feeling that they had a search party looking for you a half an hour after you disappeared."
"What are you saying, Mister Cain? That everyone expects me," 'and everyone else with me,' "to get in trouble?"
He smiled into her hair. "Partly," he admitted, "but more so that your parents and sister just got you back. They don't want to lose you again." He paused. "And Mickolai running back to the stables like a scared little girl probably gave them all the incentive they needed to send a party out after you."
DG let the "little girl" comment go. "But they had to know you were with me."
"True, but they'd also realize that I wouldn't put your life in danger by keeping you out late." He sighed again. "I shouldn't have let you go riding in the first place. None of this would have happened if I had just listened to my head…"
DG frowned to herself and then tilted her head up so that she could look at him. "Would you like some cheese with that whine?" He gave her a look, a look she promptly returned.
"It's my job to protect–"
She cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm your job, your duty, your ward, your protectee, your whatever," she blurted before she could stop herself, "but that doesn't mean you can protect me." She quickly continued before Cain could get a word in. "No offense, Cain, but once my mind is made up, it takes a hell of a lot to change it. I was gonna go for a ride regardless of what you said. You couldn't have stopped me." There was a momentary pause. "Ok, stopped me, yes, but changed me mind? No way."
"I still should have been able to protect you," he muttered. 'Like you protected Adora?' his thoughts prompted. He wanted to say that this was different, that DG wasn't Adora, but knew it was pointless. He'd just be arguing with himself. This whole mess had been his fault, his failure, just like it had been with Adora. He knew that and he hated himself for it.
No, Adora hadn't been his "job" as DG had referred to herself, but she had been his wife. He should have been able to protect her, and Jeb, but had failed just like he had with DG. 'Face it, Cain,' his thoughts rang out, 'you're useless. You couldn't keep your wife and son safe, and you can't keep this girl you think you've fallen in love with safe either. She's going to die and there's nothing you can do.'
"No."
"No?"
Cain blinked and brought his eyes back down to meet DG's. He hadn't even realized he had spoken out loud until her soft voice brought his attention back to her. "What?"
"You said 'No'…" she replied slowly.
He should his head slightly. "It was nothing."
She seemed to pick up on his thoughts though. She wrapped her arms more tightly around him and imploringly whispered, "Please don't blame yourself for this, Wyatt." She didn't even seem to realize that she had let his first name slip, simply continuing, "This wasn't your fault. It's theirs." 'And mine.'
"You need to stop reading my mind," he sighed half-heartedly.
DG smiled. "I'm good, aren't I?"
Despite the situation, a soft chuckled bubbled up in Cain's chest and slipped through his lips. Only DG… "Yes, yes you are, but if you tell anyone I admitted that, boring classes will be the least of your worries."
"Do your worst, Mister Cain," she playfully retorted, grinning cheekily at him.
"Don't tempt me," he growled a bit heatedly, his mind momentarily, and against his moral conscience, wandering to all the things he could do to her. A second later, he was silently berating himself for the thoughts when he suddenly felt DG place a lingering kiss on his cheek. "DG…"
"I'm sorry," she breathed against his neck, "I just…"
He made the daring move to turn his head so that his eyes were level with hers. "I know," he somehow managed to reply, his eyes darting down to her lips and then back up again.
They drifted closer, blue eyes on blue, neither wavering. Their lips lingered mere millimeters apart. Heat caressed. Hearts thumped wildly. Looks smoldered.
And then the moment was destroyed.
"Well, well, if we didn't catch two lovebirds!" was sarcastically ground out by an unfamiliar voice before the cell door was opened and they were both roughly pulled away from each other.
TBC…
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(A/N: Alright, my darlings, that's this chapter, but the next chapters are in the works and will be up very soon! You have my word on that! You had to know that I couldn't just let them arrive back at the palace without more drama!
I have settled in my apartment and into my school routine. YAY for that! And also, YAY for my bum being almost completely healed! Hopefully I'll be able to find a barn to ride at here. I just hope I won't relive the fractured tailbone fiasco. Not exciting at all. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Y'all are THE BEST!! Loves! CLICKY CLICKY!)