erinm_4600
in
12to32
Fic: Follow You Home - California Tin (40/42)
Title: Follow You Home - California Tin (40/42)
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Cain and DG, but if you saw 'em in the miniseries, they're here or mentioned. Plus some OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: Cain stayed in LA. But can he survive on the Other Side?
Warning: post-series, directly after California Queen. Blame n_e_star, for she fed Steve. ;)
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The rest of 'em are mine.
Prologue | California Queen
California Tin: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven | Part Twenty-Eight | Part Twenty-Nine | Part Thirty | Part Thirty-One | Part Thirty-Two | Part Thirty-Three | Part Thirty-Four | Part Thirty-Five | Part Thirty-Six | Part Thirty-Seven | Part Thirty-Eight | Part Thirty-Nine | Part Forty | Part Forty-One | Part Forty-Two
California Sun
Five | Waking Up (CaliSun 20.2) | Almost Like Being in Love (CaliSun 24.5) | An Hour and 45 Minutes | Hava Nagila | Unexpected
**WARNING: moony_blues, m'dear... move the Diet Strawberry Shasta away. Same goes for all y'all.. *nods* ;)
WENN last we met: "I hate those." She grabbed a bunch of his sleeve and pulled him along. "What happened to disturb your calm?" Cain shook his head and DG tugged on his arm. "It'll bother you more if you don't talk about it." Cain stopped and glanced down to DG, considering her words.
He didn't have to tell her everything, after all.
Sighing, Cain nodded and pulled DG along. "The other morning, I went to dining room and your mother and sister were having breakfast." DG nodded, figuring that wasn't the scary part. "Azkadellia told me you’d come out here and I wasn’t going to catch you. And I..." He forced a smile and shook his head.
"I ran out here," he said with a wave to their surroundings. "And you were walking toward the trees and I yelled for you to stop."
"Did I?" Cain nodded.
"And then I yelled at you. I thought you were leaving." He gave her an embarrassed laugh and nodded again. "I thought you were going back and leaving me here." DG gave him a sad smile and moved to touch his arm, but Cain turned away. "I don't even know why you were out here. But my first thought... That's not trust," he said with a grimace.
"It was just a nightmare, Cain," DG said, trying to reassure him. Cain closed his eyes turned away further, continuing toward the trees. "So that's why you wanted to come along?" she asked, speeding up to catch him. "To see if I’d take off?" she specifically asked in a tone to push him. She didn't blame him for the thought - her track record spoke for itself.
But she didn't want him to blame himself either.
"No, I trust you. I know I do."
"Then what's the problem?" she asked with a shrug once he finally faced her. "Look," she started, reaching out to grab his arms. "You have a stress-management problem, Cain. You have stress that you don't manage. You've got a major test, which you will ace, no matter what you're thinking; you've spent a week here, worrying about the test and pants and whatever else it is that's bothering you."
She wasn't stupid. When Wyatt Cain was bothered, she was bothered. Because Wyatt Cain didn't get bothered. "You've spent six months dealing with a place you've never been and, on top of that: trying to manage a neurotic pain-in-the-ass."
"Josh isn't neurotic," Cain deadpanned, realizing halfway through her pep talk that he was over-thinking things a bit.
"Funny," she said with a smile. "Cain, you're fine. Really. Besides, I'd be more concerned if the thought didn't cross your mind. I'm sorry I ever put you in a position to have to consider it. Now, I am not going anywhere. Until tomorrow," she added with a smile. Cain breathed a laugh and nodded. He motioned toward the tree line and reached up to scratch his forehead.
"So that's why you disappeared the other day?" she asked a minute later. Cain just shrugged. He wasn’t about to tell her that part.
"You really think this stuff will grow over there?" he asked, nodding to a clump of flowers near DG.
"We'll find out," she said with a grin.
"What if they take over the Other Side? Like that show Simon watched."
DG thought about it and laughed. "I'm pretty sure that plants from another planet and plants from the Zone aren’t the same."
"And if they are?" he asked with a raised brow.
DG considered her answer and gave him a sharp nod. "We grab Josh and the Lowrys and hightail it back here." Cain laughed out loud and nodded.
-*-
"Just remember," Cain said with a point toward DG. "You didn't hear it from me." DG smirked and nodded. Somehow the conversation while they were walking along the tree line moved to Josh and the rest of the football team and Cain mentioned that Josh was mooning over a girl from his Film Musicals class.
Which proceeded into a good hour of Cain telling DG each of the encounters Josh had nearly had in talking to the girl, as well as the status of Scooter-Mike's mission to date one of the cheerleaders. When Cain told DG Randy's comeback of his mission was actually to be turned down by all the cheerleaders, she laughed so hard that she missed a step and fell over.
Which made her laugh even more.
They returned to the palace, but stayed in the garden for a while, enjoying the last of the sun. Cain decided to put his employment to use and pulled a few larger plants loose from the ground to let the smaller ones have a chance. The roots were stronger than he'd anticipated, so upon planting his feet to get leverage, he ended up falling flat on his ass while DG held her side, laughing.
"Don't break your ass," she warned. "Coop'll take her money back."
Cain's response: a clump of dirt and roots connected with the side of DG's head and she squeaked as the bits of dirt trickled down her shirt.
"You son of a-" she smiled and pulled as much of the roots and dirt away as she could and chucked it back. He threw up a hand to block the attack and threw a glare to DG.
"Keep it up, Kiddo," he threatened. DG raised her eyebrow and hopped around slightly.
"What are you gonna do about it, Tin Man?"
"If you were one of the guys, I'd knock you on your ass," he said, matter-of-factly. DG stopped moving and threw her hand up.
"'One of the guys?' You afraid of a girl, Cain?" She gave him a look and started bouncing again.
"I am not afraid of a girl," Cain stated, pushing himself up. DG dropped her hand again and frowned.
"So you're afraid of me," she stated, more than asked. Cain made a face and rested his hands on his hips.
"In your dreams," he replied with a snort. DG gave him a dirty look and moved over to him, nose-to-chin, and pointed at him.
"You're afraid of me."
"No, I'm not," Cain stated, pushing her finger away.
"Yes you are." Her finger went back up.
"No, I'm not." Cain pushed her hand away again. DG's finger went back up. "Knock it off," Cain said, swatting at her hand again.
"I'm not doing anything," DG shrugged.
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Stop it."
"I'm not doing anything."
"I mean it."
"Paranoid much?" Cain’s jaw clenched and he gave her the slightest nod. Raising his own hand, Cain mimicked a move he'd seen Billy pull on Scooter-Mike in return. Holding his finger just next to DG's eye, he moved his hand as she moved her head.
"Stop it," she demanded, pushing his hand away.
"Stop what?" Cain shrugged. "I'm not doing anything." He moved his finger a little closer.
"Don't touch me," DG breathed.
"I'm not touching you."
"Don't!" DG screeched.
"I'm not!" Cain laughed. She was getting angry and that made him laugh more.
"Knock it off," she demanded through gritted teeth.
"What? You can serve it but you can't take it?"
"'Dish it out', Cain. 'You can dish it out'," she huffed and her eyes narrowed as he continued to laugh. "Don't laugh at me," she said harshly. Cain stopped laughing long enough to give her a dirty look. "You think I'm kidding... keep it up and I'll leave your ass here," she said with a nod.
Cain swallowed and had to bite his lip to not smile. "But Coop'll take her money back," he reminded her.
"Please, I'll just give her Josh. She'll live." The next thing he knew, DG was trying to get him in a headlock. He leaned forward, simply because there was no way she was tall enough to do it correctly.
'You're going to teach her how to do this correctly?' he heard in the back of his mind. 'Well, better she knows some kind of self-defense if I'm not there,' he countered, realizing this was something they should have covered three years- annuals ago - God, he had gone Other Side. Of course, he hadn't expected DG to go back, and he never assumed she'd want to fight.
Besides, she was usually fine with a stick.
A pinch on his neck brought Cain back to the moment, with DG obviously trying to cut off his air supply, whether she realized it or not. Turning his head sideways, he glared at her for a moment. "Are you done?" She huffed and let go - her face was red from trying so hard to take him down - and he stood up, rubbing at the spot that had pinched.
"If you want to learn how to do that, Princess, all you had to do was ask."
"Please, everyone thinks I'll break. I've kicked plenty of ass, thanks. And without you huffin' in the corner!"
"I don't huff," Cain stated with a huff.
"Yes, you do." DG missed it, seeing a stray root in her hair and pulled at it.
"Don't."
"Do."
"Don't," Cain snapped. DG raised an eyebrow.
"Do," she pointed.
"Don't," he spat back, smacking her hand.
"Do."
"Don't." And then the two of them proceeded to engage in an all-out Kindergarten-style slap fight. DG managed to get a wide swing and clapped Cain upside the back of the head. As soon as she did it, of course, she jumped back in horror.
"Oh, crap." Cain laughed, even though it did sting, and was about a second from charging her with a tackle when he glanced to the door with a grin and saw Az, Jeb, the Queen and Raw. His eyes went wide and he turned away, letting slip a curse DG didn't even know he knew. DG slapped him again.
"Excuse me?" she demanded. The football team was dead. Cain's eyes locked on hers and he nodded toward the doorway. She turned to the door with a frown and her eyes went wider than when Cain cursed. Cain glanced over toward the far gate, where he could see Eagle-eye rocking slightly, fighting a laugh.
Az nodded once and began applauding the show.
_______
Yeah.. Cain has gone COMPLETELY OOC...
*facepalm*
Levity, people... we're far too serious sometimes.
And, really: Az is fine.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Cain and DG, but if you saw 'em in the miniseries, they're here or mentioned. Plus some OCs
Rating: PG
Summary: Cain stayed in LA. But can he survive on the Other Side?
Warning: post-series, directly after California Queen. Blame n_e_star, for she fed Steve. ;)
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The rest of 'em are mine.
Prologue | California Queen
California Tin: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven | Part Twenty-Eight | Part Twenty-Nine | Part Thirty | Part Thirty-One | Part Thirty-Two | Part Thirty-Three | Part Thirty-Four | Part Thirty-Five | Part Thirty-Six | Part Thirty-Seven | Part Thirty-Eight | Part Thirty-Nine | Part Forty | Part Forty-One | Part Forty-Two
California Sun
Five | Waking Up (CaliSun 20.2) | Almost Like Being in Love (CaliSun 24.5) | An Hour and 45 Minutes | Hava Nagila | Unexpected
**WARNING: moony_blues, m'dear... move the Diet Strawberry Shasta away. Same goes for all y'all.. *nods* ;)
WENN last we met: "I hate those." She grabbed a bunch of his sleeve and pulled him along. "What happened to disturb your calm?" Cain shook his head and DG tugged on his arm. "It'll bother you more if you don't talk about it." Cain stopped and glanced down to DG, considering her words.
He didn't have to tell her everything, after all.
Sighing, Cain nodded and pulled DG along. "The other morning, I went to dining room and your mother and sister were having breakfast." DG nodded, figuring that wasn't the scary part. "Azkadellia told me you’d come out here and I wasn’t going to catch you. And I..." He forced a smile and shook his head.
"I ran out here," he said with a wave to their surroundings. "And you were walking toward the trees and I yelled for you to stop."
"Did I?" Cain nodded.
"And then I yelled at you. I thought you were leaving." He gave her an embarrassed laugh and nodded again. "I thought you were going back and leaving me here." DG gave him a sad smile and moved to touch his arm, but Cain turned away. "I don't even know why you were out here. But my first thought... That's not trust," he said with a grimace.
"It was just a nightmare, Cain," DG said, trying to reassure him. Cain closed his eyes turned away further, continuing toward the trees. "So that's why you wanted to come along?" she asked, speeding up to catch him. "To see if I’d take off?" she specifically asked in a tone to push him. She didn't blame him for the thought - her track record spoke for itself.
But she didn't want him to blame himself either.
"No, I trust you. I know I do."
"Then what's the problem?" she asked with a shrug once he finally faced her. "Look," she started, reaching out to grab his arms. "You have a stress-management problem, Cain. You have stress that you don't manage. You've got a major test, which you will ace, no matter what you're thinking; you've spent a week here, worrying about the test and pants and whatever else it is that's bothering you."
She wasn't stupid. When Wyatt Cain was bothered, she was bothered. Because Wyatt Cain didn't get bothered. "You've spent six months dealing with a place you've never been and, on top of that: trying to manage a neurotic pain-in-the-ass."
"Josh isn't neurotic," Cain deadpanned, realizing halfway through her pep talk that he was over-thinking things a bit.
"Funny," she said with a smile. "Cain, you're fine. Really. Besides, I'd be more concerned if the thought didn't cross your mind. I'm sorry I ever put you in a position to have to consider it. Now, I am not going anywhere. Until tomorrow," she added with a smile. Cain breathed a laugh and nodded. He motioned toward the tree line and reached up to scratch his forehead.
"So that's why you disappeared the other day?" she asked a minute later. Cain just shrugged. He wasn’t about to tell her that part.
"You really think this stuff will grow over there?" he asked, nodding to a clump of flowers near DG.
"We'll find out," she said with a grin.
"What if they take over the Other Side? Like that show Simon watched."
DG thought about it and laughed. "I'm pretty sure that plants from another planet and plants from the Zone aren’t the same."
"And if they are?" he asked with a raised brow.
DG considered her answer and gave him a sharp nod. "We grab Josh and the Lowrys and hightail it back here." Cain laughed out loud and nodded.
-*-
"Just remember," Cain said with a point toward DG. "You didn't hear it from me." DG smirked and nodded. Somehow the conversation while they were walking along the tree line moved to Josh and the rest of the football team and Cain mentioned that Josh was mooning over a girl from his Film Musicals class.
Which proceeded into a good hour of Cain telling DG each of the encounters Josh had nearly had in talking to the girl, as well as the status of Scooter-Mike's mission to date one of the cheerleaders. When Cain told DG Randy's comeback of his mission was actually to be turned down by all the cheerleaders, she laughed so hard that she missed a step and fell over.
Which made her laugh even more.
They returned to the palace, but stayed in the garden for a while, enjoying the last of the sun. Cain decided to put his employment to use and pulled a few larger plants loose from the ground to let the smaller ones have a chance. The roots were stronger than he'd anticipated, so upon planting his feet to get leverage, he ended up falling flat on his ass while DG held her side, laughing.
"Don't break your ass," she warned. "Coop'll take her money back."
Cain's response: a clump of dirt and roots connected with the side of DG's head and she squeaked as the bits of dirt trickled down her shirt.
"You son of a-" she smiled and pulled as much of the roots and dirt away as she could and chucked it back. He threw up a hand to block the attack and threw a glare to DG.
"Keep it up, Kiddo," he threatened. DG raised her eyebrow and hopped around slightly.
"What are you gonna do about it, Tin Man?"
"If you were one of the guys, I'd knock you on your ass," he said, matter-of-factly. DG stopped moving and threw her hand up.
"'One of the guys?' You afraid of a girl, Cain?" She gave him a look and started bouncing again.
"I am not afraid of a girl," Cain stated, pushing himself up. DG dropped her hand again and frowned.
"So you're afraid of me," she stated, more than asked. Cain made a face and rested his hands on his hips.
"In your dreams," he replied with a snort. DG gave him a dirty look and moved over to him, nose-to-chin, and pointed at him.
"You're afraid of me."
"No, I'm not," Cain stated, pushing her finger away.
"Yes you are." Her finger went back up.
"No, I'm not." Cain pushed her hand away again. DG's finger went back up. "Knock it off," Cain said, swatting at her hand again.
"I'm not doing anything," DG shrugged.
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Stop it."
"I'm not doing anything."
"I mean it."
"Paranoid much?" Cain’s jaw clenched and he gave her the slightest nod. Raising his own hand, Cain mimicked a move he'd seen Billy pull on Scooter-Mike in return. Holding his finger just next to DG's eye, he moved his hand as she moved her head.
"Stop it," she demanded, pushing his hand away.
"Stop what?" Cain shrugged. "I'm not doing anything." He moved his finger a little closer.
"Don't touch me," DG breathed.
"I'm not touching you."
"Don't!" DG screeched.
"I'm not!" Cain laughed. She was getting angry and that made him laugh more.
"Knock it off," she demanded through gritted teeth.
"What? You can serve it but you can't take it?"
"'Dish it out', Cain. 'You can dish it out'," she huffed and her eyes narrowed as he continued to laugh. "Don't laugh at me," she said harshly. Cain stopped laughing long enough to give her a dirty look. "You think I'm kidding... keep it up and I'll leave your ass here," she said with a nod.
Cain swallowed and had to bite his lip to not smile. "But Coop'll take her money back," he reminded her.
"Please, I'll just give her Josh. She'll live." The next thing he knew, DG was trying to get him in a headlock. He leaned forward, simply because there was no way she was tall enough to do it correctly.
'You're going to teach her how to do this correctly?' he heard in the back of his mind. 'Well, better she knows some kind of self-defense if I'm not there,' he countered, realizing this was something they should have covered three years- annuals ago - God, he had gone Other Side. Of course, he hadn't expected DG to go back, and he never assumed she'd want to fight.
Besides, she was usually fine with a stick.
A pinch on his neck brought Cain back to the moment, with DG obviously trying to cut off his air supply, whether she realized it or not. Turning his head sideways, he glared at her for a moment. "Are you done?" She huffed and let go - her face was red from trying so hard to take him down - and he stood up, rubbing at the spot that had pinched.
"If you want to learn how to do that, Princess, all you had to do was ask."
"Please, everyone thinks I'll break. I've kicked plenty of ass, thanks. And without you huffin' in the corner!"
"I don't huff," Cain stated with a huff.
"Yes, you do." DG missed it, seeing a stray root in her hair and pulled at it.
"Don't."
"Do."
"Don't," Cain snapped. DG raised an eyebrow.
"Do," she pointed.
"Don't," he spat back, smacking her hand.
"Do."
"Don't." And then the two of them proceeded to engage in an all-out Kindergarten-style slap fight. DG managed to get a wide swing and clapped Cain upside the back of the head. As soon as she did it, of course, she jumped back in horror.
"Oh, crap." Cain laughed, even though it did sting, and was about a second from charging her with a tackle when he glanced to the door with a grin and saw Az, Jeb, the Queen and Raw. His eyes went wide and he turned away, letting slip a curse DG didn't even know he knew. DG slapped him again.
"Excuse me?" she demanded. The football team was dead. Cain's eyes locked on hers and he nodded toward the doorway. She turned to the door with a frown and her eyes went wider than when Cain cursed. Cain glanced over toward the far gate, where he could see Eagle-eye rocking slightly, fighting a laugh.
Az nodded once and began applauding the show.
_______
Yeah.. Cain has gone COMPLETELY OOC...
*facepalm*
Levity, people... we're far too serious sometimes.
And, really: Az is fine.