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Fic: Follow You Home - California Queen (14/20)
Title: Follow You Home - California Queen (14/20)
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
WENN last we met: ...It took him all of a minute to make the connection.
She had no intention of going back.
Sure, she could sit there and have a story for every item in the box, but she wouldn't be delivering them personally. That's what the letters were for. Cain swallowed and glanced back down to the photos. DG, assuming Cain was remembering something from Jeb's childhood, quieted and focused on a photo of Popsicle and herself. She knew Mom had taken the photo, but she couldn't remember the occasion.
Cain closed the book and looked at DG. She turned away, finding the bookshelf interesting, but could feel his eyes on her. Turning back, she reached for the yellow book and tried to play dumb. "Let's find you a scenario," she stated, stopping as Cain pulled the book from her hands. She breathed and clenched her jaw before giving him a sideways glance.
"How long," he asked, just as she had done the day before. DG blinked and frowned.
"What?" Shaking her head, DG stood up and moved back around the table to the trunk, taking the photo album with her. Cain looked at the floor for a moment and pushed himself up from the couch then moved around to stand next to DG. He stopped right next to her, fully intending to intimidate her into talking. He saw her flinch, but knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't back down. Not from him.
"How long would you have waited?" DG looked up at him, feigning confusion with her expression. Cain knew what she was doing, but ignored it. "One annual? Seven?" Cain leaned toward DG. "When were you coming back?" he asked slowly and sharply. DG stared at the buttons on Cain's new shirt and tried to not let her lip tremble. When she didn't answer, Cain grabbed her arms and gave her a shake. He knew he'd scared her, but he didn't care.
"I may have spent eight annuals in the dark, Princess, but I am not stupid." DG shrugged out of his hold and pushed around him so that her back was to the open area - she knew Cain would never hurt her, but she had issues with anyone backing her into anything, even a coffee table. She closed her eyes and bit back the anger before looking up to Cain.
"I really don't want to have this fight with you, Cain." Cain threw his arms up and shook his head.
"When do you want to have it, then? I've got nothing but time," he said with a shrug. "It doesn't change the fact that you left," he said, pointing to her. DG glared at him and leaned against the counter.
"What do you care, Cain? Really? You aren't the boss of me. I don't need your permission to do a damn thing!" She pushed off the counter and paced back and forth a few times, trying to calm her nerves. She could usually ignore a person but, for whatever reason, Cain had a knack for sneaking in and throwing her off completely.
"Look, I appreciate that you are concerned about me, Cain," she said calmly. "But you don't need to keep protecting me. I am a big girl and I can take care of myself."
"I can see that," he snapped back, with a wave to the room.
"So you can go just back to the Zone and-" she waved to him.
"Maybe I will," Cain said with a sharp nod
“Good," DG nodded, her voice getting a bit louder.
"Fine!" Cain snapped back
"Great!" DG shouted and threw her arms up again and bolted for her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Cain let his head fall and breathed deeply before moving over to the counter and leaning against it. He turned slightly and pressed his back to the wall. As he dropped slowly to the floor, Cain told himself: 'That really could have gone better, you know.' But, he realized, scenes like this were precisely why he didn't argue with DG. Their discussions always seemed to become a fight and he didn't understand why. He breathed a laugh at the realization that, no matter which side he was on, the situation would never change.
And they still hadn't solved anything.
Wyatt Cain was about as home in the Zone after getting out of that damn suit as he was here. Why couldn't her just tell her that the reason he cared so much was because she was all he had? She and Glitch and Raw were his family now. Yes, Jeb was his son; Cain loved him dearly and nothing would change that, but Jeb didn't need him. He'd grown up without Cain and had his place in the Zone. Every time he looked at Jeb, Cain only saw the mistakes he made in the past; ignoring the consequences to do what he thought was right.
And he knew - even if Jeb didn't say it - all Jeb saw was the man who wasn't there. He couldn't make up for lost time, no matter how hard he tried. Cain was a Tin Man, badge or not, and he needed a mission; a task. Glitch and Raw could keep each other in check, for the most part. But DG was the wild card. She was unpredictable and it was best for the Outer Zone to make sure she was safe.
Of course, she seemed to be in more trouble when she was around the three of them, rather than on her own. And, while he'd made the Mystic Man a promise to keep her safe, even Cain knew that after everything they'd been through on their adventure - good and bad - once Azkadellia was free and DG was with her family, his vow was complete.
So why couldn't he just let her go?
-*-
On the other side of the closed door, DG was slumped against the same wall. Closing her eyes, she cursed herself and thumped her head against the hard surface.
'That could have gone better,' she thought. Once again, she'd just screwed everything up.
Royally.
______________
Remember people: this IS Cain and DG...
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
WENN last we met: ...It took him all of a minute to make the connection.
She had no intention of going back.
Sure, she could sit there and have a story for every item in the box, but she wouldn't be delivering them personally. That's what the letters were for. Cain swallowed and glanced back down to the photos. DG, assuming Cain was remembering something from Jeb's childhood, quieted and focused on a photo of Popsicle and herself. She knew Mom had taken the photo, but she couldn't remember the occasion.
Cain closed the book and looked at DG. She turned away, finding the bookshelf interesting, but could feel his eyes on her. Turning back, she reached for the yellow book and tried to play dumb. "Let's find you a scenario," she stated, stopping as Cain pulled the book from her hands. She breathed and clenched her jaw before giving him a sideways glance.
"How long," he asked, just as she had done the day before. DG blinked and frowned.
"What?" Shaking her head, DG stood up and moved back around the table to the trunk, taking the photo album with her. Cain looked at the floor for a moment and pushed himself up from the couch then moved around to stand next to DG. He stopped right next to her, fully intending to intimidate her into talking. He saw her flinch, but knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't back down. Not from him.
"How long would you have waited?" DG looked up at him, feigning confusion with her expression. Cain knew what she was doing, but ignored it. "One annual? Seven?" Cain leaned toward DG. "When were you coming back?" he asked slowly and sharply. DG stared at the buttons on Cain's new shirt and tried to not let her lip tremble. When she didn't answer, Cain grabbed her arms and gave her a shake. He knew he'd scared her, but he didn't care.
"I may have spent eight annuals in the dark, Princess, but I am not stupid." DG shrugged out of his hold and pushed around him so that her back was to the open area - she knew Cain would never hurt her, but she had issues with anyone backing her into anything, even a coffee table. She closed her eyes and bit back the anger before looking up to Cain.
"I really don't want to have this fight with you, Cain." Cain threw his arms up and shook his head.
"When do you want to have it, then? I've got nothing but time," he said with a shrug. "It doesn't change the fact that you left," he said, pointing to her. DG glared at him and leaned against the counter.
"What do you care, Cain? Really? You aren't the boss of me. I don't need your permission to do a damn thing!" She pushed off the counter and paced back and forth a few times, trying to calm her nerves. She could usually ignore a person but, for whatever reason, Cain had a knack for sneaking in and throwing her off completely.
"Look, I appreciate that you are concerned about me, Cain," she said calmly. "But you don't need to keep protecting me. I am a big girl and I can take care of myself."
"I can see that," he snapped back, with a wave to the room.
"So you can go just back to the Zone and-" she waved to him.
"Maybe I will," Cain said with a sharp nod
“Good," DG nodded, her voice getting a bit louder.
"Fine!" Cain snapped back
"Great!" DG shouted and threw her arms up again and bolted for her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Cain let his head fall and breathed deeply before moving over to the counter and leaning against it. He turned slightly and pressed his back to the wall. As he dropped slowly to the floor, Cain told himself: 'That really could have gone better, you know.' But, he realized, scenes like this were precisely why he didn't argue with DG. Their discussions always seemed to become a fight and he didn't understand why. He breathed a laugh at the realization that, no matter which side he was on, the situation would never change.
And they still hadn't solved anything.
Wyatt Cain was about as home in the Zone after getting out of that damn suit as he was here. Why couldn't her just tell her that the reason he cared so much was because she was all he had? She and Glitch and Raw were his family now. Yes, Jeb was his son; Cain loved him dearly and nothing would change that, but Jeb didn't need him. He'd grown up without Cain and had his place in the Zone. Every time he looked at Jeb, Cain only saw the mistakes he made in the past; ignoring the consequences to do what he thought was right.
And he knew - even if Jeb didn't say it - all Jeb saw was the man who wasn't there. He couldn't make up for lost time, no matter how hard he tried. Cain was a Tin Man, badge or not, and he needed a mission; a task. Glitch and Raw could keep each other in check, for the most part. But DG was the wild card. She was unpredictable and it was best for the Outer Zone to make sure she was safe.
Of course, she seemed to be in more trouble when she was around the three of them, rather than on her own. And, while he'd made the Mystic Man a promise to keep her safe, even Cain knew that after everything they'd been through on their adventure - good and bad - once Azkadellia was free and DG was with her family, his vow was complete.
So why couldn't he just let her go?
-*-
On the other side of the closed door, DG was slumped against the same wall. Closing her eyes, she cursed herself and thumped her head against the hard surface.
'That could have gone better,' she thought. Once again, she'd just screwed everything up.
Royally.
______________
Remember people: this IS Cain and DG...