erinm_4600
in
12to32
Fic: Follow You Home - California Queen (12/20)
Title: Follow You Home - California Queen (12/20)
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: DG left the Zone. Cain followed.
Warning: post-series. 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. Title comes from song of same name by Nickelback.
Prologue One . Prologue Two
California Queen: 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
California Tin | California Sun
Five | Waking Up (CaliSun 20.2) | Almost Like Being in Love (CaliSun 24.5) | An Hour and 45 Minutes | Hava Nagila | Unexpected
"I must say, I'm impressed," DG said as they moved down Oxford Street toward the bus stop.
"About?" Cain asked, wondering just what she was talking about.
"You cracked the shell." DG turned and looked back toward the museum and then back to Cain. "She doesn't ever let anyone help her put the books away." Cain shrugged and turned to watch a sleek black car pass by, giving the machine an approving nod. Catching the look on DG's face, his eyes rolled and he continued walking.
"You sick of chili dogs yet?" DG asked, trying to figure out what to do for dinner. Cain shrugged and turned back slightly.
"I liked whatever that was for lunch." DG smiled and nodded.
"That was a club sandwich. And it just so happens, they have one on the menu at the diner." She shrugged and added: "Unless you want to go somewhere else?" Cain shook his head and DG nodded again.
They actually got off the bus at the stop in front of the diner and Cain wanted to sit by the window since the sun was still up. Cain had a club sandwich - which he didn't like as much as the one at the Huntington café, but he'd never tell DG - and DG had salad, because she was in a mood for it. Cain actually made fun of her bowl of rabbit food, which made her laugh, as she didn't think he had it in him to make jokes.
"So you do this every day?" Cain asked as they moved down the street after dinner. DG nodded and sighed as she looked up as the streetlights turned on. "It's... interesting," he said slowly.
"No, it's boring," DG interjected with a grin, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. "Get up, get dressed, go to work, go home to bed and do it all again the next day."
"And it's different from the Zone, how?" Cain asked. DG looked at the ground and bounced the toe of her shoe to the pavement. "Look, Kid," he said, reaching for DG as she turned away. "I'm not sayin' you're right or wrong." He shook his head and shrugged. "I'm just tryin' to understand."
DG spun on one heel and turned away from Cain as she considered her response. She knew this conversation was going to come up sooner or later, she was just hoping for later. Anyone who saw her from afar would probably laugh at the succession of facial expressions before she finally turned back to Cain and shrugged.
He nodded and shot a glance behind them to the diner. "Well, with food like that, I'd probably want to be here, too. Better than most kitchens in the Zone..."
"It's not that," DG said, shaking her head. "It's just... over here, I have a simple job. I do my job, and I'm done. I'm just another body, taking up space... I don't want people telling me what to do; I'm sure not gonna tell other people what to do." She sighed and turned away again and dropped her head. "I don't want to run a country, Cain." Cain frowned, but nodded.
"And I'm sorry, birthright or not, it's crap. How can I run a... country-" she dropped her voice to a whisper and nodded for them to start walking again. "When I don't even remember it? I've got nothing invested, Cain; I didn't grow up there. I might as well run for Queen over here, for all the good it would do! Am I supposed to go to the farmers of the Eastern Guilds and say: 'Hey! Sorry for the crappy fifteen years. I don't know what you grow or why you grow it, but-'" She threw her hands up and gave Cain a double thumbs up. "'Keep up the good work.'" She gave Cain a look and shook her head.
"And if some faction from the north shows up with a complaint about the south, who's side do I take? I don't know who's right or wrong. Maybe it's actually the north's fault, but no one took the time to look into it and then there's the south, S-O-L, because the north got there first." Cain was impressed, as not only did he follow that logic, but he'd never thought of it from that point of view.
"But, that's why you need to give it a shot, Kid," he said calmly. "Like you said: You didn't grow up over there. You don't know how the place works and for just that reason," he said, pointing to her. "You are the perfect choice because you will see the angle that no one else does."
"I can't," DG said, shaking her head and backing away. Cain didn't want her to run again; he was only partly sure of where he was. He caught her arms again and held her still.
"Okay. Forget the Zone," he said with a shake of his head. "Forget the Guilds. Forget the people." He kept eye contact with her for a moment and quietly said: "What about your parents? Your sister? Your friends?" DG looked away and frowned. "Why didn't you tell them how you felt? They could have cut back on your lessons or sent you to-"
DG pulled out of Cain's grasp and laughed. "Yeah, because shipping me off to Finaqua would've solved everything. Look, Glitch got his brain back and needed to be him. Raw stayed because he didn't want to go back to his people. Why would he?" she asked with a shrug, now talking more to herself, Cain figured. "They treated him like a leper and Az asked him to stay with us. Besides, he and Glitch are buddies, and Raw can tell when Glitch is about to misfire, so it was a win-win. And you had Jeb," she said with a smile and a nod.
"I made sure everyone was fine before I left. Especially Az. Really, Cain... I screwed up the Zone enough as it is. The fact that the people didn't kick us all out on our butts is shocking," she said with a laugh. Now, it was her turn to grab his arms. "I've got nothing against the Zone, Cain. Please believe that." She took a deep breath and shrugged. "But it's not me." Glancing left and right, she never looked away from him. "This is." She let go of him and added: "I'm sorry they made you come after me." She turned and moved down the sidewalk, and was three steps away when she heard Cain.
"No one made me," he said simply. DG stopped, but didn't turn.
______________
Dun dun dun... ;)
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: DG left the Zone. Cain followed.
Warning: post-series. 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. Title comes from song of same name by Nickelback.
Prologue One . Prologue Two
California Queen: 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
California Tin | California Sun
Five | Waking Up (CaliSun 20.2) | Almost Like Being in Love (CaliSun 24.5) | An Hour and 45 Minutes | Hava Nagila | Unexpected
"I must say, I'm impressed," DG said as they moved down Oxford Street toward the bus stop.
"About?" Cain asked, wondering just what she was talking about.
"You cracked the shell." DG turned and looked back toward the museum and then back to Cain. "She doesn't ever let anyone help her put the books away." Cain shrugged and turned to watch a sleek black car pass by, giving the machine an approving nod. Catching the look on DG's face, his eyes rolled and he continued walking.
"You sick of chili dogs yet?" DG asked, trying to figure out what to do for dinner. Cain shrugged and turned back slightly.
"I liked whatever that was for lunch." DG smiled and nodded.
"That was a club sandwich. And it just so happens, they have one on the menu at the diner." She shrugged and added: "Unless you want to go somewhere else?" Cain shook his head and DG nodded again.
They actually got off the bus at the stop in front of the diner and Cain wanted to sit by the window since the sun was still up. Cain had a club sandwich - which he didn't like as much as the one at the Huntington café, but he'd never tell DG - and DG had salad, because she was in a mood for it. Cain actually made fun of her bowl of rabbit food, which made her laugh, as she didn't think he had it in him to make jokes.
"So you do this every day?" Cain asked as they moved down the street after dinner. DG nodded and sighed as she looked up as the streetlights turned on. "It's... interesting," he said slowly.
"No, it's boring," DG interjected with a grin, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. "Get up, get dressed, go to work, go home to bed and do it all again the next day."
"And it's different from the Zone, how?" Cain asked. DG looked at the ground and bounced the toe of her shoe to the pavement. "Look, Kid," he said, reaching for DG as she turned away. "I'm not sayin' you're right or wrong." He shook his head and shrugged. "I'm just tryin' to understand."
DG spun on one heel and turned away from Cain as she considered her response. She knew this conversation was going to come up sooner or later, she was just hoping for later. Anyone who saw her from afar would probably laugh at the succession of facial expressions before she finally turned back to Cain and shrugged.
He nodded and shot a glance behind them to the diner. "Well, with food like that, I'd probably want to be here, too. Better than most kitchens in the Zone..."
"It's not that," DG said, shaking her head. "It's just... over here, I have a simple job. I do my job, and I'm done. I'm just another body, taking up space... I don't want people telling me what to do; I'm sure not gonna tell other people what to do." She sighed and turned away again and dropped her head. "I don't want to run a country, Cain." Cain frowned, but nodded.
"And I'm sorry, birthright or not, it's crap. How can I run a... country-" she dropped her voice to a whisper and nodded for them to start walking again. "When I don't even remember it? I've got nothing invested, Cain; I didn't grow up there. I might as well run for Queen over here, for all the good it would do! Am I supposed to go to the farmers of the Eastern Guilds and say: 'Hey! Sorry for the crappy fifteen years. I don't know what you grow or why you grow it, but-'" She threw her hands up and gave Cain a double thumbs up. "'Keep up the good work.'" She gave Cain a look and shook her head.
"And if some faction from the north shows up with a complaint about the south, who's side do I take? I don't know who's right or wrong. Maybe it's actually the north's fault, but no one took the time to look into it and then there's the south, S-O-L, because the north got there first." Cain was impressed, as not only did he follow that logic, but he'd never thought of it from that point of view.
"But, that's why you need to give it a shot, Kid," he said calmly. "Like you said: You didn't grow up over there. You don't know how the place works and for just that reason," he said, pointing to her. "You are the perfect choice because you will see the angle that no one else does."
"I can't," DG said, shaking her head and backing away. Cain didn't want her to run again; he was only partly sure of where he was. He caught her arms again and held her still.
"Okay. Forget the Zone," he said with a shake of his head. "Forget the Guilds. Forget the people." He kept eye contact with her for a moment and quietly said: "What about your parents? Your sister? Your friends?" DG looked away and frowned. "Why didn't you tell them how you felt? They could have cut back on your lessons or sent you to-"
DG pulled out of Cain's grasp and laughed. "Yeah, because shipping me off to Finaqua would've solved everything. Look, Glitch got his brain back and needed to be him. Raw stayed because he didn't want to go back to his people. Why would he?" she asked with a shrug, now talking more to herself, Cain figured. "They treated him like a leper and Az asked him to stay with us. Besides, he and Glitch are buddies, and Raw can tell when Glitch is about to misfire, so it was a win-win. And you had Jeb," she said with a smile and a nod.
"I made sure everyone was fine before I left. Especially Az. Really, Cain... I screwed up the Zone enough as it is. The fact that the people didn't kick us all out on our butts is shocking," she said with a laugh. Now, it was her turn to grab his arms. "I've got nothing against the Zone, Cain. Please believe that." She took a deep breath and shrugged. "But it's not me." Glancing left and right, she never looked away from him. "This is." She let go of him and added: "I'm sorry they made you come after me." She turned and moved down the sidewalk, and was three steps away when she heard Cain.
"No one made me," he said simply. DG stopped, but didn't turn.
______________
Dun dun dun... ;)