A/N: Well Merry Christmas to all my readers out there, I hope you are enjoying your day and get to spend time with loved ones. I know I will miss mine all day today seeing as I will bein Florida while they are at home in California. But I will be home soon. So, for a Christmas gift, a new chapter! Please enjoy and I will update soon.

Chapter XIV: To have you back

For the following couple of days after her wake call everyone treated DG just as she had feared. Like a freaking breakable porcelain doll. She hadn't taken more than twelve steps in the last couple of days total. And that was only to bathe or to use the bathroom. To top it off, she was never alone!

If her mother wasn't in the room worrying over her then Azkadellia would be in the room talking about her pregnancy or how Glitch was taking to some extra duties. Speaking of Glitch and Raw they had turned into her own private medical team. Raw would check on her chest and her head while Glitch would update her on any information that he found on the blade that had nearly killed her.

Then there was the worst of them all. Wyatt Cain was the one that insisted that he carried her wherever she may want to go. That included the bathroom, the kitchens, the balcony and even when she wanted to go with him to talk with Jeb and Kelly after she initially woke up. She loved the man to no end, but she had legs for a reason. And that reason was to walk on her own.

On the third morning DG had just said goodbye to her sister after a discussion of how much the baby kicks and noticed that no one was outside her door to take their place in the empty chair. She held her breath for a minute to see if she would find her mother or Glitch pop their head in to check on her. She smiled and breathed a long sigh when no one came in.

"Finally," she huffed and threw the blankets off her lap. She walked to the wardrobe, pulled out some O.Z. tailored jeans and one of her favorite tops. She grabbed a small piece of ribbon from another dress that she was sure she would never wear again and tied her hair back. She knew she couldn't get away with escaping from her room. Cain's crazy Tin Man senses would kick into play and she would be back in bed in no time.

She settled for sitting on the balcony in the fresh air with her sketch pad. There had been a few pictures in her mind that she wanted to get on paper before she forgot them completely. She leaned back in her chair let the sun warm her skin and began to sketch quickly with one of the lead pencils she had found. On the first sketch she tried her best to capture the memory of Galdra and how she had helped her. She wondered about the girl and if she had made it back home safely.

The next sketch was more detailed. She had a dream that made her smile and some how made her know that she was going to overcome what was going to defy her. And if this dream didn't come true, then no other dreams of hers would matter.

Ten minutes unto her new drawing, she didn't even notice the door to her room open. A surprised Cain would have started a palace wide search in moments if he didn't notice the balcony doors open and DG sitting in a chair sketching right behind them. He brought in the tray of food from lunch and placed it carefully on their bed. He shook his head at the clothes she changed out of and threw on the floor. She was possibly the messiest princess he has ever known of.

Cain walked out on the balcony behind her and looked over her shoulder at the pictures she was working on. She seemed to go back and forth between two of them, apparently still not completely happy with the first. The first one was the portrait of the new Lady Galdra who stopped him from killing more people than he had to the day DG had died again.

Then the second picture reminded him of a landscape, but there were a two people sprinkled in the picture. He saw a tall figure in a coat behind a sitting woman on the shore of what he could have sworn was Finaqua. He saw that she added a fedora to the top of the tall figure's head and shook his head. He should have known.

"Drawing a couple's portrait there, kiddo?" he asked as he leaned over her shoulder. He felt her jump at the intrusion and then she rolled her eyes at him.

"For your information I was drawing a dream I've been having," she smeared some of the lead on the shore to give some depth and looked straight up at him, "But yes, it is us."

"You've only got it half done," he nodded his head at it.

"Well, if my wonderful family and fiancé would let me alone once in a while and walk around more often then I could start and finish pictures a lot faster," she raised her eyes brows at him.

"You died, DG. You do realize that people die once in their lifetime?" he asked her and she nodded, "And you've now died twice and come back both times."

"And I'm stronger than ever," DG smiled, "Maybe I'm part cat or something."

"Why would you say that?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Well, if I was part cat than I would have nine lives," DG held up nine fingers as Cain settled in the chair across from the one she was sitting in. He nodded to tell her that he was listening and she went on, "I have used two of those. That means that I have seven left. Maybe I should- oh I don't know… live more dangerously. Test this theory out."

"You do that, princess and I won't leave it at locking you in your room. I will personally see to it that your legs and arms are tied to your sides. You'll be put under constant watch and I know that your mother will agree with me," Cain pointed at her, "If you don't die from all your 'adventures' than I will die from a heart attack just trying to keep you alive."

DG laughed at him and made him smile. He had missed that laugh.

"I see you were drawing Gladra. It's a very good likeness," he leaned over and turned the page back to see the young girl's face again.

"You knew Galdra?"

"I met her," he nodded, "She's going to do a great good for her people."

"For her people?"

"Your mother didn't tell you?"

"She's been tip toeing around everything except my health since I got up."

"Galdra is sister to Soren," he explained, "She's his younger sister. She was born and kept secret. She's lived under his rule for annuals. She's going to help any way she can and get that place back to where it should be."

"I never would have guessed… no wonder she didn't tell me," she got from her chair, put the sketchbook in her seat and sat in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"She'll make it, I'm sure."

A few moments passed between them and DG began to laugh to herself.

"You really don't worry, you know. I'm not going to do anything purposely to get into trouble. You can calm yourself down," she kissed his neck and then immediately sat straight, leaned away from him and pointed at his face, "But you and everyone else have got to stop laying it on so thick. Yeah, I died, but you brought me back. Yeah my body was a bit weak, but I'm stronger. I'm not going to break while walking around the palace."

"DG, we don't know how your body will react when you were on the other side for so lo-"

"I'll make it worth your while," DG cupped the side of his face and kissed him passionately on the lips. Her legs moved to straddle his lap and her hips involuntarily pushed against his. They both moaned against the action and Cain gripped at her hips to keep her still. He couldn't be held liable for his actions if she continued and he didn't know who would stick their head into the room as DG is recuperating. Although she couldn't care less as she was a little pint up in the lover's affection department considering Cain thought she was 'oh so fragile' at the moment.

She leaned back from him and noticed that he was trying to follow her lips with his own. She took his fedora off his head and placed it on her own, "So what do you say, bodyguard?"

He sighed and looked at the sky. She smiled and knew she won her argument even before he sighed, "Ok, DG."

"Great," she hopped off his lap and walked into the bedroom to look at the tray of food that Cain had prepared for her, "What did you bring me to eat?"

"Chicken with some potatoes and cornbread," he smiled and picked up one of the golden squares.

"Ah, so mom is cooking again, huh?" DG stuck a piece of the chicken into her mouth and nodded, "Yup, that's Kansas cooking right there. Glitch and Az grabbing handfuls of this stuff?"

"You have no idea," Cain laughed and thought back to the picture at lunch, "Az was trying to eat as many as she could as Glitch was stuffing not only his mouth, but a side bag to carry it off to the lab. Probably trying to find out how it is made since Emily has refused to tell him her recipe."

DG laughed harder and held her sides at the picture that was growing in her mind.

"DG?" Lavender lightly tapped on the door and walked in after DG mumbled a 'come in' while trying to chew her chicken. Lavender saw DG with a brighter smile on her face and Cain's fedora on her head and made the connection. Her face grew somber and took a deep breath to discuss the subject at hand, "It's not a very good subject, I'm afraid."

"What is it?" she asked afraid that they had found out about some back firing issues about the blade.

"It's your father," Lavender said quickly like she was ripping off a Band-Aid. DG's smile immediately turned into a grimace and she pushed the plate of food away finding herself not hungry, "I'm sorry, my angel, but we must go over burial plans."

"You haven't buried him yet?" DG almost yelled. Usually people were buried the day after they died, aren't they?

"Azkadellia and I entrapped him in crystal until you were home. We wanted all three of us there when we say our last goodbyes," she explained and DG lowered her head.

"Where is he?" DG asked.

"The central room," Lavender sighed and knew what DG wanted to do, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I want to talk to him by myself," DG took the fedora off of her head and placed it back on Cain's. She looked up at him, "I know you'll want to walk me to the room, but I-"

"Have some things to say that are only meant for him," Cain nodded, "I understand, kiddo. Come on."

Cain did walk her to the Central Room and did have to admit that her walk didn't look labored and she didn't fumble at all. From what he could see she was just fine and wasn't tired. She was stronger that he thought she would have been. What else could he have expected from a girl who had been dead for a day?

She stopped outside the doors and looked at them as if sizing them up for an attack. A few more deep breaths and she maybe able to actually open them and step inside the room. Cain put a hand of support on the middle of her back. She jumped once again and let out a held breath.

"You don't have to-" Cain started.

"That's just the thing," DG looked back at him, "I do have to. As you said I have some things to say. And I'd much rather that they are said before he is in the ground."

"You still want me to stay out here?"

"I'll call for you if I need you," DG tugged at the front of his vest to straighten it out.

She turned toward the doors and this time stepped through them. In the middle of the room was a small pedestal where the emerald sat. DG noticed the remaining piles of scrolls that Glitch had been through the night before. Even though they were out of place they were stacked in a pile to the side neatly. DG guessed it was one of the things that Ambrose was used to doing.

DG then saw it toward the back window. Just as her mother had said, he was completely surrounded by crystal. She couldn't even find the place where he was stabbed through the crystal. They cleaned him up and put him in royal wear.

"Hey there, dad," she smiled and put a hand on top of the temporary crystal coffin, "Just wanted you to know that I got home. Mother probably already told you, huh? I feel like I'm part of a weird 'snow white' kind of story looking down at you like this…"

She knelt to the floor and placed her back against the large crystal. She wasn't even saying what she wanted to. Maybe Cain and her family were right about her being broken or fragile. They just didn't see that it was emotional. She closed her eyes she felt the tears form and they threatened to fall. She sniffed hard to stop herself, but didn't start soon enough. A few dripped down her cheek and off her chin.

"I got home," she began, "So why don't I feel as happy or relieved as everybody else?"

DG quickly got to her feet and took hold of the emerald. She brought it back over to the crystal coffin of her father's and stared at it, "Why did I get to live and he didn't? We were stabbed by the same blade, weren't we? I came back to life. Why didn't he?"

She got eye level with the emerald, "Why don't you work for him?"

The emerald held no response and provided no answer for her. It stayed perfectly still only gleaming in the soft light. She sighed and sat back against her father again.

"I tried, dad," she mumbled and had a really big urge for some kind of liquor, "I never called you that, did I? Here you were calling me Spitfire, and I treated you so formally. And that's not who I am and that's not who you are to me. You're my father. You were never a stranger in my heart. I'm sorry. I wish I had another chance with you. No offense or anything, but I wish even harder for some kind of alcohol."

She paused and could hear his laughter in her own head. Then she could almost imagine him agreeing with her and acting as if he was ordering a couple of beers from a bar tender.

"I really want to remember more than I do. And what I do remember, I want to experience again," DG kicked at the marble floor. She turned quickly to the emerald again, "Why don't you work, dammit?!"

She leaned over the top of the coffin and saw her reflection sitting right beside his face. She saw them side by side and took a deep breath, "I guess this really is goodbye, isn't it?"

She moved and saw something behind her reflection. Another body was on the side of the room and coming toward her. She knew that it was someone that wasn't supposed to be there since Cain would never let another person go into the room while she was. She lowered her head further and began to shake her shoulders as if she were sobbing. She watched the figure come closer and then a rope fell from their hands. This guy had to be kidding.

As soon as she was in reaching distance DG turned and blasted him with a gust of wind. It blew him to the far wall and then to the floor. DG recognized the uniform and saw that they man was a winkie. More specifically one of Soren's Winkie guards.

"A guard from the tower?" DG asked and held some offensive magic in her hand ready to attack if needed.

"Got your powers back, I see," a voice filtered through the guard's mouth.

"Soren?" DG's eyes widened in surprise, "How? You're supposed to be trapped."

"That I am, but that's the thing about the Slayer of Hearts. You're still part alive," he lunged toward her and she threw the magic at him again. He crumpled to the floor crying pain. He looked up at her as Cain burst through the door, "You won't escape me this way. I will find you again. I will come back as many times as it takes for you to come back to me."

A shot rang out and the guard's body went limp. Cain grabbed DG and turned her toward him, "Are you okay?"

He checked her over and saw the sparks of her magic die down on her fingertips. Her eyes seemed a little blank, yet focused on the now dead guard from Soren's tower, "Sweetheart?"

"That was him," DG whispered and turned to Cain, "Cain- that was Soren."

"But he's stuck in limbo."

"I know, bit I'll never forget his voice. And that was it," she struggled to understand the situation, "He will never leave me alone."

"No, darlin', I promise he will," Cain hugged her close to him and looked at the body feet away, "We need to talk with the rest of the family."

"No kidding," she nodded against him and let him walk her to the sitting room where Azkadellia, Glitch and her mother would be in discussion.

As they made their way through the halls some of the royal guard were running toward them. They had heard Cain's shot and were running to find the cause of it.

"There was an intruder in the palace. His body is in the central room. Have the examiners look it over," Cain ordered.

"Yes, sir," the guards nodded and jogged to the central room.

DG walked into the sitting room and was grateful to find Azkadellia, Glitch and her mother were all there. She looked directly at her mother.

"DG?"

"We still have a big problem," DG started and put her hands on her hips, "And his name is Soren."