Title: Follow You Home - California Sun (01/26)
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 TinCalifornia 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-One |
Part Twenty-Two |
Part Twenty-Three |
Part Twenty-Four |
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
Cain and DG moved into the garden and headed for the gate without saying anything. As they moved closer to Eagle-eye, DG gave the man a nod and a smile. He nodded in response and DG shot a glance to Cain. Something was different, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"You okay?" Cain asked as they reached the gate, giving his own nod to Eagle-eye.
"Yeah. Why?" she asked, frowning suddenly. Cain shrugged and gave her a nod toward the palace. DG turned and gave a wave to her family, noticing Cain throw a quick hand up. She turned back and gave another wave to Eagle-eye as they passed outside the palace grounds and into the field.
DG rolled her eyes and looked at the field ahead of them. It was nice to not have to hike back to the south, but it was very weird to be calling a storm this close to home without the added help of alcohol.
"Clearing?" Cain asked, causing to DG to turn around. "We're aiming for the clearing, correct?" he asked with a tinge of sarcasm. DG forced a smile and nodded. "Just checking," Cain shrugged as DG went through the motions of calling the storm. As the twister started to form in the clouds above them, Cain's eyes narrowed and he looked at DG.
"You never picked any flowers for Jeanie." DG turned to Cain and nodded once.
"Guess she'll just have to come pick them herself," she stated with a shrug. Cain breathed a laugh and reached as the storm moved closer to the ground. "Where's your hat?" DG asked with a frown.
Cain raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her for a second before he nodded toward the palace. "Inside."
DG gasped. "Six months, you've been bitchin' about that hat. And you left it? Are you feelin' all right, Tin Man?" Cain nodded and looked back to the travel storm, which was dangerously close.
"Someone promised to take me to Disneyland and buy me a new hat," he smirked, looking back to DG. She looked right at the cyclone and didn't even flinch, which made him smile. Apparently, all the girl needed was the right distraction.
"Fine," she nodded and huffed. "I'll take you Disneyland. And I'll put you on the teacups until you puke." Cain smiled again and chuckled.
"It's okay, Princess. You don't have to take me to Disneyland."
"No, I promised," DG replied defiantly.
"Josh already took me," he said simply. DG did an impression of a goldfish and turned to look at him. But before she could say anything, Cain gave her a shove into the storm.
-*-
DG stumbled out of the storm and had to take a few steps before she could stop herself. Cain stepped out of the storm a few seconds later and instinctively turned to watch it for a moment before turning back to DG, who grabbed his arm and pulled him around.
"What do you mean 'Josh already took you?' You went to Disneyland without me?" As he nodded, she added: "I've never been to Disneyland, Cain. How can you have gone and I haven't?! When did you go?"
Cain had been on the Other Side for seven months and had nearly done as much as she had in her whole life.
"Last month. There were four games they wanted to see and we went down there to see them," Cain said with a shrug, leading DG out of the clearing by the elbow.
She stopped short and frowned. "You saw a game at Disneyland?"
Cain turned and nodded. "About eighty, really. There was a different one on each television." DG cocked her head; she had no clue what he was talking about at this point and highly doubted they were even talking about the same thing at all.
'Game at Disneyland?' she thought. Then she got it. "Hold on," she said, raising a hand. "Did you see Mickey?"
Cain raised an eyebrow. "Yes. On every sign and half the people there."
DG shook her head. "Did you physically see a five-foot mouse?" Cain shook his head. "Then you didn't go to Disneyland."
"Yes," Cain said, holding out a hand to help her down a steep slope. "-we did. Saw the train and everything."
"No, Cain. You saw the entrance. You didn't go in."
"Josh said 'Welcome to Disneyland,' Kiddo."
"Downtown Disney, maybe," she stated, assuming he was talking about the ESPN Zone down there. "But not Disneyland." DG felt better, even if Wyatt Cain had seen more of Disney property than she had.
As she moved past Cain, headed down the trail, he stopped and threw a glance over his shoulder. Turning back toward DG, he smiled and followed after her.
She hadn't even noticed the Travel Storm.
-*-
Half an hour later, DG had finally managed to dig her cell phone out of her bag and, after five minutes of sifting through voice mails, she dialed the bakery. "Yeah," she said, watching the ground in front of her as she listened to Simon. She stopped and reached for Cain's hand, pulling his arm toward her so she could get a look at his watch.
Adding an hour for travel time down the mountain, she nodded and continued: "Ten forty-fiveish? ...Yup. Thanks, Simon." DG closed the phone and glanced over to Cain, who'd stopped and was now digging into his backpack. "Simon's gonna pick us up."
Cain nodded and pulled out some of the food he'd collected from the kitchen that morning. He had to admit he'd rather it was one of Jeanie's turkey sandwiches, but until he was back down on Mission Street, this would have to do.
"You need to call Josh and tell him you're back?" she asked sarcastically. Cain made a face and offered her the wrapped food.
"I'll see him tomorrow, I'm sure," he stated as DG picked and some of the food with a grimace. "You need to see that the museum is still standing?" he returned with the same sarcasm. DG stuck her tongue out and they continued down the mountain.
-*-
As they reached the trailhead, DG spotted Simon and waved to him. Once she was close enough, she threw her arms around him and gave the man a big grin. "Hey, stranger," she greeted him.
"Hello there," he replied with a smile and nodded to Cain. "How was the trip?"
"Good," Cain replied and held out a hand to Simon, who let go of DG and pulled Cain into a hug. DG laughed and Cain shot her a dirty look. He had sure received a lot of hugs, and it wasn't even lunchtime yet.
"How did the cake go?" Simon asked DG. DG shook her head while Cain tried to hide his smile.
"It was not meant to be," she said with a sigh and shrugged.
"But the thought was appreciated," Cain added, causing DG to roll her eyes.
"Well, let's get the two of you back. Jeanie's chompin' at the bit to hear all about it." DG nodded and followed Simon and Cain toward the truck.
-*-
An hour later, Cain and DG were sitting in the bakery, telling Jeanie about the failed cake - which really wasn't as bad as they made it sound, but the cake the kitchen staff had created was far superior.
Cain tapped DG at one point and nodded toward Jeanie. "She thinks we're nuts." DG raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jeanie.
"Seriously?" she asked after a second. They had photos of Az and the cake. And Glitch and Raw.
"Not about your family," Cain said, shaking his head. "Just about where we were," he nodded, reaching for his drink. DG threw another look to Jeanie and shrugged. Who would believe it? Besides Simon, of course.
It was rather ridiculous and, had she not lived it, she'd never have believed it. "Just another reason to get her there, then," she said with a wink. Cain nodded and smiled into his sandwich.
-*-
Cain was walking toward class with Josh on Tuesday when his phone beeped. He reached into his pocket and flipped the thing open to read the message from DG.
Good luck. You've got this, Tin Man :)
He smiled and flipped the phone shut as Josh's phone beeped. He laughed at DG's message and typed back a quick response as Cain pushed on the door of the hall and held it for Josh. They moved into the lecture hall and sat down; Cain realized that he was much calmer than he thought he'd be, but he was still a bit apprehensive.
Of course, the last time he'd taken a major test, he was trying to become a Tin Man.
But, as DG had told him, there was only so much studying he could do. He knew the information or he didn't; and he wasn't taking the class for the grade. Hearing Jeb's words in his head, Cain snorted lightly and pulled out a pen as the professor started handing out the midterm.