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Fic: Follow You Home - California Sun (02/26)
Title: Follow You Home - California Sun (02/26)
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: Between the football team, his family and a final exam, Cain's feeling the pressure. And he thought all his trouble was simply falling for his best friend...
Warning: post-series, directly after California Tin. Blame n_e_star, for she fed Steve. ;) *with thanks to ALL the fandom for the love*
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
California Sun: 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-point-Two | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Four-point-Five | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six
Five | Waking Up (CaliSun 20.2) | Almost Like Being in Love (CaliSun 24.5) | An Hour and 45 Minutes | Hava Nagila | Unexpected
After the exam - Cain finished early, but waited for Josh to finish, taking time to reread his answers and trying not to second-guess himself - Josh told Cain about the dinner plan. "Trent and Randy had big tests today, too. Figured, since we all survived, we deserved to celebrate." Cain nodded.
"So call the wife and tell her we're all goin' out," Josh ordered. Cain raised an eyebrow and gave Josh a dirty look, which Josh responded to with a laugh and a smirk. "Seriously. I'll pick you guys up. We need a good group night out," he added.
"You bringing Amanda?" Cain asked, curious to know if the boy made any progress while they'd been gone. Josh looked away, trying not to grin, but Cain saw it. "Really?"
Josh shrugged. "Don't get too excited," he said, raising a hand. "One of her roommates is friends with Randy's lab partner.”
"So it really is a group outing?" Cain asked with a nod. Josh nodded. "I'll tell DG it's for a good cause, then," he added with a smile.
"Thank you," Josh breathed. He wanted to make a good impression on Amanda and figured she'd be more open to seeing him again if she wasn't stuck with Scooter-Mike as an example of Josh's friends. DG brought grace to Josh, and she and Cain a level of maturity.
Well, DG might argue the maturity claim.
-*-
Cain was headed back to the garage after class when his phone rang. "Hey," he said simply - only three people had the number and he knew that Josh was in class, not paying attention and probably staring at Amanda. And Simon never called during the day.
"So? How was it? Good? Bad? On a scale of one to ten, ten being Papay food-"
Cain laughed. "Three."
"Told you," DG said, tapping her pen on the desk.
"We're going out to dinner tonight," Cain said, glancing both ways before crossing the street.
"We are?" DG asked.
"Yes. Josh says." DG said nothing and Cain sighed. "It's a group effort to impress Amanda. And celebrate the end of the test."
"This is the girl?"
"Yes."
"Okay. But only because we want Josh to get the girl," DG nodded. "We do want Josh to get the girl, right?" she asked, suddenly not sure.
"Well, I haven't actually met her. I don't know... Of course, if they fall madly in love and live happily ever after, it might break your sister's heart."
"HA!" DG said loudly. "Snooze you lose, as they say. Is this fancy-group effort or jeans?" She smiled at Cain's silence. "I'll ask him. You get to work, mister."
"Yes, Princess," he smirked and hung up before she could call him any names.
-*-
Fancy group or casual group?
Comfortable group
So I get to meet this Amanda?
Yes. Lie if you have to
Where are we going? And when?
Randy's out of class at 6. I think we're meeting 8ish. Class tomorrow :(
Where?
Place up in Pas. Randy and Trent have been there before. I'll pick you up
How does bringing old folks to the party give a good impression?
Makes me look better than bringing Scooter
LOL! Seriously, we'll bring the party down. Well, I will.
Hardly
Whatever. ...are you in class?
Yes
Idiot! Pay attention!
Yes, mom
Bite me
In class
-*-
DG got home around six-thirty and was met by Cain, who was coming across the street from the Lowry's yard. "Josh called; he's heading over early with half his closet," he informed her, holding the door.
"He really wants to impress this girl, huh?" DG asked as she stopped to check the mailbox.
"Apparently," Cain shrugged.
"Why does he think we can help there?" she asked, starting up the stairs.
Cain made a face and threw up his hands. "I've got no style, Princess. That's your department."
DG smiled as she continued up the stairs. "Who got propositioned in the street? Oh, that's right," she turned with a grin. "That was you." Cain raised an eyebrow and DG laughed, seeing the slightest tinge of red creeping up his neck and turned back around.
"Good to see all those etiquette lessons paid off," Cain muttered. DG simply laughed.
-*-
Cain was lounging on the couch, flipping through one of DG's art magazines when Josh arrived DG waved him in and pushed the door shut, pointing to the chair next to the couch. "Let's see what you've got, loverboy," she said, waving to the pile of hangers he'd brought along.
Josh looked at Cain, who just shook his head. "I'm staying out of this," he stated before looking back to the magazine. Josh put on a pout and turned to DG, who huffed and rolled her eyes. She started picking through the shirts and shaking her head. Every few seconds, she'd hold a shirt up to Josh and shrug or shake her head then toss it down.
Finally, she had it narrowed down to two. "This place, you been there before?" she asked Josh. He shook his head and DG huffed. "Is it dark? Bright? Indoors, outdoors, flashy, quiet?"
"Does it matter?" Josh asked, glancing between Cain and DG. DG closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Cain lifted the magazine a little higher to hide his smile. Unfortunately, Josh could still see him shaking.
"Laugh it up old man," he said with a huff. "She'll rag on you next." Cain stopped laughing and made a face as Josh turned to DG. She looked at Cain and shrugged. "Hey!" he turned back to Cain. "Just because you aren't trying to impress anyone doesn't mean you have to rain on my parade, okay?"
Now it was DG's turn to duck away with a grin. Cain was going to have girls flocking to him whether he liked it or not.
-*-
Half an hour later, with Josh finally dressed to impress, DG left the boys to watch TV and change out of her work clothes. She considered dressing to impress, herself, but that might lead to actually having to talk to Cain, which she still wasn't ready for. Just because she told Az she would talk to him didn't mean she actually would talk to him.
Poking her head into the bathroom, she could hear the boys arguing about whatever was happening on ESPN. DG shook her head ad figured it was best to break them up now or they'd never leave the couch. "Okay, boys," she said, moving into the living room. "Let's go get Josh the girl."
Josh and Cain both looked up to DG and blinked once. She frowned and glanced down, wondering if she'd dribbled toothpaste on her shirt. Seeing nothing, she raised and eyebrow and looked up; she thought she’d managed to dress rather demurely, and had simply pulled her hair back.
After all, she wasn't trying to attract any attention. 'Liar,' her internal voice spat. Shaking her head at the three of them, DG moved to the door and waved for Josh and Cain to get a move on.
-*-
They arrived at the club a little after eight and Cain stopped to give Josh a pep talk on the sidewalk. "Remember what I said before: Just be yourself. Don't put on a show, kid."
"Yeah, if she doesn't love you for you," DG said, reaching up to fix his collar. "-she's not worth your trouble." Josh gave her a look and she smiled and pulled him into a hug. "Go get her, Tiger," she said, pointing to the door.
Josh nodded and took a deep breath before heading for the door. DG leaned toward Cain and nudged his shoulder. "They grow up so fast," she mocked and threw an arm around him, giving him a slight squeeze before pulling him to the door.
It took nearly half an hour for everyone to say hello to each other - Trent and DG talked architecture for a good ten minutes - and Cain finally met Amanda. DG wasn't terribly fond of the way Randy's lab partner's roommate was trying to hang on to Cain - they'd only been introduced for five minutes - but she said nothing.
After all, maybe Cain was enjoying himself.
At one point, after DG and Amanda had moved to a table in the corner, Cain leaned toward Josh and whispered: "How do I let this girl down gently?" Shy of having it tattooed on his forehead, the girl wasn't getting the hint.
"Dude," Josh yelled over the music and pointed to Cain's hand. Cain gave him a blank stare and held up his hand. Josh's eyebrows went up and he looked from Cain's hand to his face and nodded. 'Good for him,' he thought, figuring maybe he was finally ready to admit that he did like DG.
"Must've been a good vacation," Josh said, leaning toward Cain. Cain glared at him and gave Clingy-girl a polite nod. Seeing he would be getting no help from Josh, Cain decided that desperate times called for desperate measures.
He waved the girl over and leaned close, speaking as clearly as he could over the loud music. She leaned back with a frown and gave him a look. He shrugged and gave her an apologetic grin, then pointed to Scooter-Mike. After she walked away, Cain sighed and leaned back to Josh.
"Shouldn't you be trying to impress Amanda?" Josh threw the slightest glance over his shoulder to where Amanda and DG were sitting against the wall in one of the booths, talking with Trent’s girlfriend, Lisa.
"Ask the girl to dance," Cain suggested, pointing to the dance floor. The music was most definitely not to his liking, but that was 'what the kids listened to these days,' as DG told him upon entering the bar.
The two of them moved back toward DG, Lisa and Amanda, catching up with Trent - who was bringing drinks to the girls - halfway. DG cheered and the sight of Josh and Trent and helped Cain hold the extra drinks as Josh offered Amanda's to her.
While the four of them talked, DG pulled Cain aside. "You lost your friend."
Cain forced a smile and nodded. "That I did. And it's your fault," he smiled again. DG leaned back and eyed him. "Told her I was... here with you and I might have mentioned some of your sister's previous qualities," he said quickly, pointing between them.
He gave her a 'Please, save me'-look and watched as she shot a look over to the girl, who was listening to Scooter-Mike with half-interest, yet still watching Cain. DG matched one of Az's 'previous qualities' smiles and reached up to pat his cheek. "You so owe me, Tin Man." DG let her hand move down Cain's shoulder and arm as he turned to Trent and Josh and she put her arm around his waist and hooked her thumb in his belt loop.
This was a bad idea.
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: Between the football team, his family and a final exam, Cain's feeling the pressure. And he thought all his trouble was simply falling for his best friend...
Warning: post-series, directly after California Tin. Blame n_e_star, for she fed Steve. ;) *with thanks to ALL the fandom for the love*
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
California Sun: 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-point-Two | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Four-point-Five | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six
Five | Waking Up (CaliSun 20.2) | Almost Like Being in Love (CaliSun 24.5) | An Hour and 45 Minutes | Hava Nagila | Unexpected
After the exam - Cain finished early, but waited for Josh to finish, taking time to reread his answers and trying not to second-guess himself - Josh told Cain about the dinner plan. "Trent and Randy had big tests today, too. Figured, since we all survived, we deserved to celebrate." Cain nodded.
"So call the wife and tell her we're all goin' out," Josh ordered. Cain raised an eyebrow and gave Josh a dirty look, which Josh responded to with a laugh and a smirk. "Seriously. I'll pick you guys up. We need a good group night out," he added.
"You bringing Amanda?" Cain asked, curious to know if the boy made any progress while they'd been gone. Josh looked away, trying not to grin, but Cain saw it. "Really?"
Josh shrugged. "Don't get too excited," he said, raising a hand. "One of her roommates is friends with Randy's lab partner.”
"So it really is a group outing?" Cain asked with a nod. Josh nodded. "I'll tell DG it's for a good cause, then," he added with a smile.
"Thank you," Josh breathed. He wanted to make a good impression on Amanda and figured she'd be more open to seeing him again if she wasn't stuck with Scooter-Mike as an example of Josh's friends. DG brought grace to Josh, and she and Cain a level of maturity.
Well, DG might argue the maturity claim.
-*-
Cain was headed back to the garage after class when his phone rang. "Hey," he said simply - only three people had the number and he knew that Josh was in class, not paying attention and probably staring at Amanda. And Simon never called during the day.
"So? How was it? Good? Bad? On a scale of one to ten, ten being Papay food-"
Cain laughed. "Three."
"Told you," DG said, tapping her pen on the desk.
"We're going out to dinner tonight," Cain said, glancing both ways before crossing the street.
"We are?" DG asked.
"Yes. Josh says." DG said nothing and Cain sighed. "It's a group effort to impress Amanda. And celebrate the end of the test."
"This is the girl?"
"Yes."
"Okay. But only because we want Josh to get the girl," DG nodded. "We do want Josh to get the girl, right?" she asked, suddenly not sure.
"Well, I haven't actually met her. I don't know... Of course, if they fall madly in love and live happily ever after, it might break your sister's heart."
"HA!" DG said loudly. "Snooze you lose, as they say. Is this fancy-group effort or jeans?" She smiled at Cain's silence. "I'll ask him. You get to work, mister."
"Yes, Princess," he smirked and hung up before she could call him any names.
-*-
Fancy group or casual group?
Comfortable group
So I get to meet this Amanda?
Yes. Lie if you have to
Where are we going? And when?
Randy's out of class at 6. I think we're meeting 8ish. Class tomorrow :(
Where?
Place up in Pas. Randy and Trent have been there before. I'll pick you up
How does bringing old folks to the party give a good impression?
Makes me look better than bringing Scooter
LOL! Seriously, we'll bring the party down. Well, I will.
Hardly
Whatever. ...are you in class?
Yes
Idiot! Pay attention!
Yes, mom
Bite me
In class
-*-
DG got home around six-thirty and was met by Cain, who was coming across the street from the Lowry's yard. "Josh called; he's heading over early with half his closet," he informed her, holding the door.
"He really wants to impress this girl, huh?" DG asked as she stopped to check the mailbox.
"Apparently," Cain shrugged.
"Why does he think we can help there?" she asked, starting up the stairs.
Cain made a face and threw up his hands. "I've got no style, Princess. That's your department."
DG smiled as she continued up the stairs. "Who got propositioned in the street? Oh, that's right," she turned with a grin. "That was you." Cain raised an eyebrow and DG laughed, seeing the slightest tinge of red creeping up his neck and turned back around.
"Good to see all those etiquette lessons paid off," Cain muttered. DG simply laughed.
-*-
Cain was lounging on the couch, flipping through one of DG's art magazines when Josh arrived DG waved him in and pushed the door shut, pointing to the chair next to the couch. "Let's see what you've got, loverboy," she said, waving to the pile of hangers he'd brought along.
Josh looked at Cain, who just shook his head. "I'm staying out of this," he stated before looking back to the magazine. Josh put on a pout and turned to DG, who huffed and rolled her eyes. She started picking through the shirts and shaking her head. Every few seconds, she'd hold a shirt up to Josh and shrug or shake her head then toss it down.
Finally, she had it narrowed down to two. "This place, you been there before?" she asked Josh. He shook his head and DG huffed. "Is it dark? Bright? Indoors, outdoors, flashy, quiet?"
"Does it matter?" Josh asked, glancing between Cain and DG. DG closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Cain lifted the magazine a little higher to hide his smile. Unfortunately, Josh could still see him shaking.
"Laugh it up old man," he said with a huff. "She'll rag on you next." Cain stopped laughing and made a face as Josh turned to DG. She looked at Cain and shrugged. "Hey!" he turned back to Cain. "Just because you aren't trying to impress anyone doesn't mean you have to rain on my parade, okay?"
Now it was DG's turn to duck away with a grin. Cain was going to have girls flocking to him whether he liked it or not.
-*-
Half an hour later, with Josh finally dressed to impress, DG left the boys to watch TV and change out of her work clothes. She considered dressing to impress, herself, but that might lead to actually having to talk to Cain, which she still wasn't ready for. Just because she told Az she would talk to him didn't mean she actually would talk to him.
Poking her head into the bathroom, she could hear the boys arguing about whatever was happening on ESPN. DG shook her head ad figured it was best to break them up now or they'd never leave the couch. "Okay, boys," she said, moving into the living room. "Let's go get Josh the girl."
Josh and Cain both looked up to DG and blinked once. She frowned and glanced down, wondering if she'd dribbled toothpaste on her shirt. Seeing nothing, she raised and eyebrow and looked up; she thought she’d managed to dress rather demurely, and had simply pulled her hair back.
After all, she wasn't trying to attract any attention. 'Liar,' her internal voice spat. Shaking her head at the three of them, DG moved to the door and waved for Josh and Cain to get a move on.
-*-
They arrived at the club a little after eight and Cain stopped to give Josh a pep talk on the sidewalk. "Remember what I said before: Just be yourself. Don't put on a show, kid."
"Yeah, if she doesn't love you for you," DG said, reaching up to fix his collar. "-she's not worth your trouble." Josh gave her a look and she smiled and pulled him into a hug. "Go get her, Tiger," she said, pointing to the door.
Josh nodded and took a deep breath before heading for the door. DG leaned toward Cain and nudged his shoulder. "They grow up so fast," she mocked and threw an arm around him, giving him a slight squeeze before pulling him to the door.
It took nearly half an hour for everyone to say hello to each other - Trent and DG talked architecture for a good ten minutes - and Cain finally met Amanda. DG wasn't terribly fond of the way Randy's lab partner's roommate was trying to hang on to Cain - they'd only been introduced for five minutes - but she said nothing.
After all, maybe Cain was enjoying himself.
At one point, after DG and Amanda had moved to a table in the corner, Cain leaned toward Josh and whispered: "How do I let this girl down gently?" Shy of having it tattooed on his forehead, the girl wasn't getting the hint.
"Dude," Josh yelled over the music and pointed to Cain's hand. Cain gave him a blank stare and held up his hand. Josh's eyebrows went up and he looked from Cain's hand to his face and nodded. 'Good for him,' he thought, figuring maybe he was finally ready to admit that he did like DG.
"Must've been a good vacation," Josh said, leaning toward Cain. Cain glared at him and gave Clingy-girl a polite nod. Seeing he would be getting no help from Josh, Cain decided that desperate times called for desperate measures.
He waved the girl over and leaned close, speaking as clearly as he could over the loud music. She leaned back with a frown and gave him a look. He shrugged and gave her an apologetic grin, then pointed to Scooter-Mike. After she walked away, Cain sighed and leaned back to Josh.
"Shouldn't you be trying to impress Amanda?" Josh threw the slightest glance over his shoulder to where Amanda and DG were sitting against the wall in one of the booths, talking with Trent’s girlfriend, Lisa.
"Ask the girl to dance," Cain suggested, pointing to the dance floor. The music was most definitely not to his liking, but that was 'what the kids listened to these days,' as DG told him upon entering the bar.
The two of them moved back toward DG, Lisa and Amanda, catching up with Trent - who was bringing drinks to the girls - halfway. DG cheered and the sight of Josh and Trent and helped Cain hold the extra drinks as Josh offered Amanda's to her.
While the four of them talked, DG pulled Cain aside. "You lost your friend."
Cain forced a smile and nodded. "That I did. And it's your fault," he smiled again. DG leaned back and eyed him. "Told her I was... here with you and I might have mentioned some of your sister's previous qualities," he said quickly, pointing between them.
He gave her a 'Please, save me'-look and watched as she shot a look over to the girl, who was listening to Scooter-Mike with half-interest, yet still watching Cain. DG matched one of Az's 'previous qualities' smiles and reached up to pat his cheek. "You so owe me, Tin Man." DG let her hand move down Cain's shoulder and arm as he turned to Trent and Josh and she put her arm around his waist and hooked her thumb in his belt loop.
This was a bad idea.