Author'sNote: Little bit of Fluff.. Hope it's okay! I'm just re-watching Tin Man for like the 1000th time! :-)

Chapter Fifteen: Halliford Keep

The storm that had been threatened for days had arrived. The sky was bruised blue-black and glittering with the golden lightening of the O.Z.

DG stood on the roof of Halliford keep letting the rain drench her. There was a three foot parapet around the rooftop; the Princess had her finger tips resting upon it. Her hair was plastered to her face; her shirt clung to her body and the wind made her face sting. But she did not move. She had not moved... not for what seemed like hours. Nor had she reacted to the thunder which was loud enough to shake the stones in the Keep. She hadn't reacted to three separate servants who had come to try and bring her in from the storm. Neither had she reacted to Azkadellia's attempts at magical conversation.

Her body didn't react when a heavy duster coat was draped across her shoulders. The Princess's pale blue eyes however closed briefly. When they opened tears mixed with rain drops on her cheeks. There was an expectant silence. After a while DG said- 'You should be inside.'

'So should you.' Moving carefully the Tin Man sat on the roof wall. 'I'm okay Princess.'

'Really?' DG unfroze suddenly grabbing the man's shirt and pulling it open. The fabric ripped and revealed a bandage across his chest. A portion of it, on the right side, was soaked in blood. 'Okay are you?' She released the material in disgust, turning back to look at the storm swept O.Z.

'I will be. This was not your fault.' Cain's voice was low and gentle like he was coaxing a frightened animal.

'Really?' DG's tone was lifeless. 'That's not how I remember it.'

'Without you we wouldn't even have known where the Longcoats were.'

'Exactly!'

'There are bigger things-'

'So people keep telling me! But you know, YOU'RE just as important to the O.Z as I am. People trust you; you know what you're doing- far more than I do. You are not indispensible. I need, need you around... And I got you shot in the chest!'

(#)

Getting to Halliford Keep had been simple. The four of them, accompanied by Egan the boy Cain had caught at the village, had arrived to find the survivors from Waters Bend. Their story matched Egan's, two Longcoats had arrived demanding food and shelter but the villagers had refused.

'We knew about you, Miss! We're loyal to the Crown!' Egan had said happily. But his happiness had vanished as he continued. 'Then this other man arrived. He wasn't a Longcoat... he was all posh and swaggers, smelt expensive... He said we should listen to his friends. When we didn't... Then he hit my Uncle with a lightning bolt from his hand...' The boy had broken off in sorrow at that point.

The group had found out the rest of the story from Egan's mother, a woman only a few years younger than Cain, her name was Martha. Her twin, Zane had been the man killed by the magician. Her brother hadn't been the only one killed. The village had lost three other men, a huge loss for a village of only 34. And before the Magician set fire to their homes they'd fled then to the Keep; no one was sure what had happened to the three men.

Wyatt Cain had been right in saying that they wouldn't know where the Magician and his Longcoats were hiding if it wasn't for DG. It all had come down to the dull unpleasant taste in her mind. After speaking to everyone they could at the Keep including the Lord Halliford himself, a pleasant down to earth man, more suited running a large farm and house than ruling a fiefdom. DG had liked him immediately. He had made a remark about the menacing storm which was approaching and that had given DG the idea...

'It'll come tonight... The storm I means- I can taste it y'know. Always could.' He'd said.

'I've been to ask, Glitch do you know why I have this weird... feeling.' DG asked as they were sat in the rooms, generously provided for her by Lord Halliford.

'Erm...' the Advisor looked uncomfortable. 'I'm not an expert on feelings...'

'No! A magical thing I think. It's like, well like feeling a taste. I felt it at the village.'

'Well. It could be an expression of your preternatural senses...'

'What?'

'You could be feeling someone else's magic.' That was Cook speaking from the corner of the room where he'd been repairing a shirt. Seeing the group's confusion he had added, 'My brother works in your lab Sir.'

'James Cook is your brother?' The Advisor looked thoughtful. 'He's a gifted man. And you should call me Glitch.' Cook smiled in response.

'If it was someone else's magic could that be the Magician? Surely he's the only one who used magic in Water Bend.'

'I think that would be right.' Glitch said unthinkingly before- 'Oh!'

'Can I find him that way?'

'Yes. I mean- yes. You should be able to.'

It hadn't taken long, the magic was the internal kind DG found easier to master. It was simply a case of remembering the taste and asking her magic to find it, and find it she had. They were in an inn the other side of Halliford Keep. Cain had taken Cook, Day and two of the Keep's men. DG had convinced him to let her go along because she would know if the Magician was hiding.

He hadn't been. Cain had arrested one of the Longcoats easily, whilst Day and Cook over powered the other. It was the Magician they hadn't accounted for... The Tin Man's now infamous magic proof shackles had stopped him burning them and the inn to the ground. It had not prevented him picking up his captured colleague's pistol and aiming it at DG.

The look on his face was terrifying and it had scared DG deeply. As the magician pulled the trigger: her instinct had been to scream. She couldn't stop herself and her scream, as always, bought the Tin Man running.

And then DG had watched Wyatt Cain shot in chest. Seen him fall, unconscious to the ground. Then there was greyness in her memory. Sebastian Cook has told her on the ride back that she'd thrown white fire at the Magician's running form but missed. There had been people to chase him but somehow he'd gotten away. Cook had told her too that she'd kept pressure on Cain's wound while they fetched a healer. When they had gotten back to the Keep the healer there had said he'd be fine. It was a miracle- the bullet missed his lung and guts. He'd be good as new in a few weeks, if he rested.

But for DG she'd heard that he'd be okay and then slipped away. Azkadellia had reached out to her- obviously excited.

'DG? DG! Jeb's awake!'

But she couldn't bring herself to respond not even to send back a quick word or two. She had heard the words but not really understood them. She'd stood outside Wyatt Cain's room letting herself think about the events of the last few hours. DG threw up.

Then she'd gone to the roof.

After a few moments it had started to rain.

(#)

'I'd take a bullet for you whenever needed Princess.' Cain had meant to calm her but he knew as soon as he'd spoken that it would do the opposite.

'Fantastic! Just what I need- more people to get hurt by me! So far I've got my sister stolen by a witch, nearly killed all the friends I know more than once! Not to mention putting an entire world in jeopardy! And now you tell me you would go and die willingly!' DG was facing him now, screaming the words and gripping her hands into fists.

Cain grabbed her elbows ignoring discomfort in her eyes. Then he backed her against the parapet wall so there nowhere for her to run, except for over the edge... She tried to push him away but he caught her shoulders and to her amazement- kissed her.

Pulling away from her- Cain kept his grip on her shoulders.

'You're asking people not be individuals. No one forced us to come with you an annual ago. Especially not you. You risked your life to save us all from the Witch... you took a risk coming out to us, something I wish you hadn't done. I want you to stay somewhere safe but I know you. I know you won't. But I know you can take care of yourself in most circumstances. In the ones you can't- I choose to be there. My choice- You are not responsible for everything.'

DG sagged against his chest for a moment. But then pulled back to look up into his face.

'It was my fault tonight. If I hadn't screamed...'

'You'd be dead.'

'So instead you nearly were.'

Wyatt Cain let go of DG and pulled himself up so he was standing on to the wall in front of them. Turning he caught DG around the waist and yanked her up as well.

'Way I see it Darlin' is that I have to go sometime. I could go now. So could you: we could fall. Be struck by lightening... But dying knowing I saved you... That would make me happy. Same as you going up against the witch all those years ago. You almost died but it was your choice. This is my choice.'

There was a silence between them now. DG let Cain's words wash over her wounded spirit.

DG felt dizzy... she knew Cain was right. She couldn't stop her friends wanting to protecting her as much as they could stop her doing it for them. Knowing it made her feel less heavy suddenly. As if someone had turned a light on in her mind... the bitterness and pain that had been a knot in her chest since Cain had fallen at her feet had eased.

A thought popped into DG's mind suddenly. The reality of it jolted her out of her own thoughts and pain.

'Cain! Az, she told me, I should have said before... Jeb's awake.' The Tin Man looked at her blankly for a moment and then smiled hugely.

'Thank Ozma.' He leant into DG, his head in her collar. She wrapped her arms around his neck. As they stood there she felt herself come to a conclusion, it was time to start functioning again- to look on the bigger picture, if you will. From no-where DG felt herself relax and smile. Cain felt it too because he pushed her away and studied her face after a few seconds he smiled. DG bit her lip, took a breath, pushed away her nerves and took a step to the big picture.

Standing on tip toes, DG kissed the Tin Man.

It was like no other kiss DG had ever had. The sheer magnitude of the fact that she was kissing Wyatt Cain hit her and she felt her mind wheel away- was she upright? Was she breathing? But as Cain brushed her wet hair from her face and deepened the kiss everything came to land: she felt the ground again. She knew she was safe.

As they parted Cain cupped her cheek gently, smiling. He jumped down from the wall and swung her down after. Smiling too DG looked up at the stars.

'Are they the same as on the other side?' Cain was stood behind her now, one hand resting on her waist.

'No. But I remember them I think.' After a silence she said gently leaning back into the Tin Man- 'Not wild on the idea of you dying, just to let you know.'

With a small laugh Cain tipped his fedora at the Princess.

'Duly noted.'