Fanfiction: Tin Man (PG)
Title: The Road Less Traveled
Pairing/Characters: 'Ambrose', 'Lavender Eyes', Ahamo, Wyatt Cain, 'Adora' Cain; 'Lavender Eyes'/Ahamo, Wyatt/'Adora'
Rating: PG
Fandom: Tin Man
Word Count: 2,265
Spoilers: Whole miniseries
Summary: The ball has arrived.
Notes/Warnings: AU! lionille wrote The Curious Case of the Mysteriously Missing Lady-in-Waiting In Training and andrealyn wrote The Path Not Taken and the two fics together gave me the idea of writing a fic where Ambrose/Glitch is born a woman and stays one. *grin*
Beta and plot-hole-poker: umbralillium
Sounding board: unicorn_catcher
Previous Chapter(s): 1. Rocky Beginning, 2. Smoothing the Way, 3. Hidden Bumps, 4. Getting Over the Bumps, 5. Roadwork Ahead!, 6. Repairing the Road, 7. Good Road
The Road Less Traveled
8. Hairpin Bend
The day of the ball arrived and found the Royal Advisor too restless and fidgety to settle down to her usual pursuits. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was nervous about the ball; part of her worried that Wyatt and Adair wouldn't go to the ball after all. The Queen gently pointed out that Amber Rose hadn't spent much time with Azkadellia recently and that the Princess would love to see her 'Auntie Rose'.
She took the hint gladly, only then realizing how much she'd missed her 'Azkadee'. She made her way to the nursery and a pink-clad missile launched itself at her. "Auntie Rose!"
"Hello, Princess Azkadee!" Amber Rose caught Azkadellia easily, returning her hug.
"Az, that's not how a Princess is supposed to act," Ahamo scolded, though his eyes danced with laughter.
The Princess in question turned to her father with a pout. "I missed Auntie Rose."
"It's okay when we're in private, but try to remember in public, all right?" Ahamo smiled and gently smoothed Azkadellia's hair back from her face.
She nodded, flinging her arms around him in a tight hug. "Okay, Father."
"That's my brown-eyed girl." The King Consort returned the hug, smiling fondly. Ever since the Princess' eyes had darkened to brown from the blue all babies were born with, he'd taken to calling her that. When he'd been questioned about it, he said it was a reference to a song from the Other Side. He looked at the Royal Advisor. "I'll leave you two ladies to play, then."
Amber Rose smiled and blushed a little when he kissed her cheek. After he left, she turned to Azkadellia. "What should we do, Princess Azkadee?"
"Can we go out into the gardens?" the Princess asked, taking one of the Royal Advisor's hands in both of her little ones.
Chuckling, the woman patted the girl's hands with her free one. "I don't know: can we go out to the gardens?"
"May we go out into the gardens?" Azkadellia giggled, tugging on Amber Rose's hand.
Nodding, she let herself be towed out to the elegant gardens. "Yes, we may."
"Thank you!" They were soon wandering along the perfectly-tended walkways. After a few moments of silence, the little girl asked, "Auntie Rose, am I still special?"
The Royal Advisor stared at the Princess in surprise. Where had that come from? "Yes, of course you are, Azkadee. Why do you ask?"
"Everyone talks about Deege all the time," Azkadellia replied in a low voice, staring at the ground. "No one asks about me anymore."
Amber Rose brought them to a stop and crouched down so her brown eyes were level with the Princess'. "That's not completely true. Your parents always take time to play with you, right?"
"They're my parents," Azkadellia explained with exaggerated patience. "It's required."
The Royal Advisor shook her head, absently reaching up to brush away a lock of her hair that fell into her eyes. "No, they spend that time with you because they love you."
"They've been spending more time with Deege," the Princess protested, her lower lip beginning to shake a little.
Amber Rose reached up and tapped Azkadellia's lip. "Dorotheagael is a newborn and very helpless. She needs extra time and care because she can't do big girl things like dressing and feeding herself. She needs to have everything done for her until she's big enough to do them herself." When the Princess still looked ready to pout, the Royal Advisor thought for a moment. "You can help her, too."
"How? No one lets me near her." Azkadellia's eyes were suspiciously moist as she almost wailed the question.
Amber Rose hid a smile. That's the real problem, isn't it, Azkadee? You've looked forward to meeting your sister and now you don't get to see her at all... Instead of smiling, she tickled the Princess until she giggled. "You can help by offering to dress Dorotheagael and read to her to help her get to sleep. As she gets older, you can help show her how to do things for herself and play with her. How does that sound?"
"That sounds like fun," Azkadellia admitted with a smile, looking happier already.
The Royal Advisor hugged the Princess, relieved that she'd been able to show her the good side of having a little sister. "Good. Let's go talk to your mother about this, hmm?"
"Yes!" Azkadellia took Amber Rose's hand after she'd straightened up and they returned to the palace together.
* * *
"You're sure about this, Adair?" Wyatt asked as he brushed his lover's hair for him. "You didn't suggest this for my sake?"
Brown eyes met blue in the mirror. "I'm sure, Wyatt. She's a good friend and I genuinely like her. Are you sure about it?"
"It wasn't my idea, I admit, but yes, I'm quite certain," the blond pointed out, deliberately returning his attention to the brown hair he'd been brushing.
Adair reached up and gently removed the brush from Wyatt's hands, turning to face him. "You may have second thoughts about sharing me with someone else."
"No, I know you love me and nothing will take that love away." He cupped Adair's face between his hands, gazing tenderly down at him. "Not even the addition of a third person."
Smiling warmly, Adair turned his head to press a kiss to each palm in turn. "That's exactly my thoughts on the matter. Love cannot be divided, only multiplied."
"What about children? Would you care who the father might be?" Wyatt gently brushed his thumbs across Adair's cheekbones.
The brunette shook his head, his smile still in place. "No. I would love them as if they were my own, whether they were or not."
Smiling in relief, Wyatt leaned down and kissed Adair softly. His kind and generous heart was one of the things he loved most about him. As he lifted his head, he caught sight of the clock. "We'd better hurry up or we won't be ready in time."
"If we did everything according to your schedule, we'd be hours ahead of anybody else," Adair turned back to study his reflection in the mirror. "Relax, Wyatt. We still have time."
Wyatt rolled his eyes as he turned to get dressed. "If we did everything according to your schedule, we'd be late all the time."
"Fashionably late," Adair corrected with a grin as he began to dress as well. "And I'm not always late, by the way. Father would strangle me if I was late for work."
The Tin Man shook his head, slipping into his coat. "Work doesn't count. It's a different mindset completely from the rest of life."
"If you say so." The brunette finished dressing and examined his reflection in the full-length mirror. Then he turned to the blond. "What do you think?"
He looked at his lover and felt his mouth go dry. "How in the world am I going to keep my hands off you all night when you look like that?"
"I hoped that'd be your reaction," Adair replied with a grin and a wink. "Just think of the large audience you'd have if you tried anything with me at the ball."
Wyatt groaned. I am going to die of sexual frustration before the night is over. I just know it!
* * *
Amber Rose was pleased and relieved when she saw Wyatt and Adair among the guests as she entered the ballroom behind the Royal family, carefully cradling Princess Dorotheagael in her arms. At a sign from the Queen, Princess Azkadellia, wearing a beautiful dress, turned to the Royal Advisor and gently took her sister into her arms. An expression of awe on her face, she took a few moments to really look at her sister. She then carefully handed the baby to her father. He gazed fondly down at her, rocking her gently. Finally, he gave his daughter to his wife, standing by her side as she presented the Princess to the assembled guests. "Lords, Ladies, Honored Guests. We present to you Our second daughter, Princess Dorotheagael."
Their guests bowed or curtsied before applauding. The noise disturbed the baby, who began to fuss. Amber Rose started forward to take her new goddaughter, but Violetta shook her head at her friend, cradling the girl to her. "Shall I have the musicians start playing while you settle the Princess, Majesty?"
"If you would, my friend?" The Queen briefly touched the Royal Advisor's shoulder.
"Of course." Amber Rose curtsied as the Royal Family left the way they had come. She turned and gestured to the orchestra conductor. He nodded in reply and music soon began to waft around the ballroom.
She wanted to dance--her feet fairly itched with the urge--but she remained at her post by the empty throne. Only when the Queen had returned would the Royal Advisor be allowed to join in the dancing. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Adair and Wyatt move past, with eyes only for each other. They're both so handsome... Her heart stopped when both men looked at her and winked. She frowned as she watched them continue on their way. That was odd. They don't normally do things like that...
"Thank you for waiting, Miss Advisor." Ahamo's voice distracted Amber Rose from her puzzle a few minutes later.
Turning quickly, she curtsied as the Queen and King Consort took their seats, her hand resting over his. "Not at all, Majesties. If I may be excused?"
"You may, old friend." Violetta smiled and gestured towards the crowded floor. "Enjoy yourself. I know how much you like to dance."
"Thank you, Majesty." Smiling, Amber Rose curtsied again and made her way to the dance floor, unconsciously moving to the music already.
Closing her eyes, she moved to the middle of the floor and began to dance, letting the music take her away. She startled when she felt someone join her, smoothly taking her in his arms without disrupting her rhythm. A familiar voice whispered in her ear, "Good evening, Amber Rose."
"Hello, Mr. Walker," she opened her eyes to smile up at the brunette. It turned sheepish when he raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry Adair."
He chuckled as he spun her out, and then back in. "That's all right. I understand that you need to be formal for your work."
"I'm not working right now," she told him, her heart skipping a beat when he drew her closer to him. Stop it, Amber Rose. He doesn't realize what he's doing... "I just forgot myself for a brief moment."
Adair nodded, guiding her expertly around the floor. "Understandable."
The song ended at that moment and he released her, applauding politely. Amber Rose saw Wyatt approaching and took a step back from Adair, not sure what the Tin Man was thinking. When he reached them, the blond was smiling. Her heartbeat sped up when he bowed to her instead of his lover. "May I have this dance, Miss Amber Rose?"
"You may, provided you drop the 'Miss'," she replied, slipping her hand into his larger one as Adair kissed his cheek.
"Gladly." He grinned and they started dancing. She hardly noticed Adair slipping away among the other dancers. "Will the Queen require the Royal Advisor's services again tonight?"
She shook her head, wondering at his question. "No. My time is my own for the rest of tonight."
"Good to know," Wyatt guided her around the floor. Perhaps not with the same skill Adair had demonstrated, but he was no slouch as a dancer.
Amber Rose blinked in surprise a few minutes later when they danced out onto the terrace. As Wyatt smoothly moved from dancing to walking with her, she lifted her head to let the cool breeze brush across her warm cheeks. "You look a little overheated, Amber Rose. Would you like something to drink?"
"Thank you, Adair." She was only slightly surprised to find Adair already on the terrace, with a drink for each of them. Keeping her eyes lowered demurely, Amber Rose accepted the cool glass and sipped it as she watched the two men.
As he accepted his glass, Wyatt leaned in to kiss Adair, sweet and soft, though she thought there was a slight edge to it, as if the Tin Man was firmly restraining himself from taking things a step further. Not that she blamed him. Both men looked very good in their formal attire. It's a wonder they've managed to keep their hands off each other for this long tonight...
After the kiss, Adair rested his forehead against Wyatt's, brown eyes gazing into blue. After a moment, the blond nodded and gently pulled back. The brunette turned to her. "Amber Rose, we have some questions we'd like to ask you."
"What is it?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Do you love Wyatt?" he asked, brown eyes gazing intently at her.
She froze, her heart thudding almost painfully against her ribs. "What would you do if I said yes?"
"Then I'd ask if you love Adair," Wyatt answered, blue eyes just as piercing as Adair's.
Looking from one to the other, she whispered, "The answer to both questions is yes."
"We thought so." Both men were grinning.
Amber Rose stared at them in confusion and with realization beginning to niggle at her. "What do you mean?"
"Wyatt and I would be greatly honored and extremely happy if you would consent to join us," Adair told her, his voice serious and his eyes shining. "In our love, our lives, and our bed."
End Chapter
A/N2: For the record, if people want a visual image for Adair, picture Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds. For lots of pictures of him and the actor in other roles, go here. I have a hair fetish, so this picspam made me very happy. I especially like the season two hair. That's about how I visualize Adair's hair. Amber Rose is pretty much Alan Cumming with longer hair and boobs. I made a series of "dolls" of Amber Rose that you can find here.
Pairing/Characters: 'Ambrose', 'Lavender Eyes', Ahamo, Wyatt Cain, 'Adora' Cain; 'Lavender Eyes'/Ahamo, Wyatt/'Adora'
Rating: PG
Fandom: Tin Man
Word Count: 2,265
Spoilers: Whole miniseries
Summary: The ball has arrived.
Notes/Warnings: AU! lionille wrote The Curious Case of the Mysteriously Missing Lady-in-Waiting In Training and andrealyn wrote The Path Not Taken and the two fics together gave me the idea of writing a fic where Ambrose/Glitch is born a woman and stays one. *grin*
Beta and plot-hole-poker: umbralillium
Sounding board: unicorn_catcher
Previous Chapter(s): 1. Rocky Beginning, 2. Smoothing the Way, 3. Hidden Bumps, 4. Getting Over the Bumps, 5. Roadwork Ahead!, 6. Repairing the Road, 7. Good Road
The Road Less Traveled
8. Hairpin Bend
The day of the ball arrived and found the Royal Advisor too restless and fidgety to settle down to her usual pursuits. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was nervous about the ball; part of her worried that Wyatt and Adair wouldn't go to the ball after all. The Queen gently pointed out that Amber Rose hadn't spent much time with Azkadellia recently and that the Princess would love to see her 'Auntie Rose'.
She took the hint gladly, only then realizing how much she'd missed her 'Azkadee'. She made her way to the nursery and a pink-clad missile launched itself at her. "Auntie Rose!"
"Hello, Princess Azkadee!" Amber Rose caught Azkadellia easily, returning her hug.
"Az, that's not how a Princess is supposed to act," Ahamo scolded, though his eyes danced with laughter.
The Princess in question turned to her father with a pout. "I missed Auntie Rose."
"It's okay when we're in private, but try to remember in public, all right?" Ahamo smiled and gently smoothed Azkadellia's hair back from her face.
She nodded, flinging her arms around him in a tight hug. "Okay, Father."
"That's my brown-eyed girl." The King Consort returned the hug, smiling fondly. Ever since the Princess' eyes had darkened to brown from the blue all babies were born with, he'd taken to calling her that. When he'd been questioned about it, he said it was a reference to a song from the Other Side. He looked at the Royal Advisor. "I'll leave you two ladies to play, then."
Amber Rose smiled and blushed a little when he kissed her cheek. After he left, she turned to Azkadellia. "What should we do, Princess Azkadee?"
"Can we go out into the gardens?" the Princess asked, taking one of the Royal Advisor's hands in both of her little ones.
Chuckling, the woman patted the girl's hands with her free one. "I don't know: can we go out to the gardens?"
"May we go out into the gardens?" Azkadellia giggled, tugging on Amber Rose's hand.
Nodding, she let herself be towed out to the elegant gardens. "Yes, we may."
"Thank you!" They were soon wandering along the perfectly-tended walkways. After a few moments of silence, the little girl asked, "Auntie Rose, am I still special?"
The Royal Advisor stared at the Princess in surprise. Where had that come from? "Yes, of course you are, Azkadee. Why do you ask?"
"Everyone talks about Deege all the time," Azkadellia replied in a low voice, staring at the ground. "No one asks about me anymore."
Amber Rose brought them to a stop and crouched down so her brown eyes were level with the Princess'. "That's not completely true. Your parents always take time to play with you, right?"
"They're my parents," Azkadellia explained with exaggerated patience. "It's required."
The Royal Advisor shook her head, absently reaching up to brush away a lock of her hair that fell into her eyes. "No, they spend that time with you because they love you."
"They've been spending more time with Deege," the Princess protested, her lower lip beginning to shake a little.
Amber Rose reached up and tapped Azkadellia's lip. "Dorotheagael is a newborn and very helpless. She needs extra time and care because she can't do big girl things like dressing and feeding herself. She needs to have everything done for her until she's big enough to do them herself." When the Princess still looked ready to pout, the Royal Advisor thought for a moment. "You can help her, too."
"How? No one lets me near her." Azkadellia's eyes were suspiciously moist as she almost wailed the question.
Amber Rose hid a smile. That's the real problem, isn't it, Azkadee? You've looked forward to meeting your sister and now you don't get to see her at all... Instead of smiling, she tickled the Princess until she giggled. "You can help by offering to dress Dorotheagael and read to her to help her get to sleep. As she gets older, you can help show her how to do things for herself and play with her. How does that sound?"
"That sounds like fun," Azkadellia admitted with a smile, looking happier already.
The Royal Advisor hugged the Princess, relieved that she'd been able to show her the good side of having a little sister. "Good. Let's go talk to your mother about this, hmm?"
"Yes!" Azkadellia took Amber Rose's hand after she'd straightened up and they returned to the palace together.
* * *
"You're sure about this, Adair?" Wyatt asked as he brushed his lover's hair for him. "You didn't suggest this for my sake?"
Brown eyes met blue in the mirror. "I'm sure, Wyatt. She's a good friend and I genuinely like her. Are you sure about it?"
"It wasn't my idea, I admit, but yes, I'm quite certain," the blond pointed out, deliberately returning his attention to the brown hair he'd been brushing.
Adair reached up and gently removed the brush from Wyatt's hands, turning to face him. "You may have second thoughts about sharing me with someone else."
"No, I know you love me and nothing will take that love away." He cupped Adair's face between his hands, gazing tenderly down at him. "Not even the addition of a third person."
Smiling warmly, Adair turned his head to press a kiss to each palm in turn. "That's exactly my thoughts on the matter. Love cannot be divided, only multiplied."
"What about children? Would you care who the father might be?" Wyatt gently brushed his thumbs across Adair's cheekbones.
The brunette shook his head, his smile still in place. "No. I would love them as if they were my own, whether they were or not."
Smiling in relief, Wyatt leaned down and kissed Adair softly. His kind and generous heart was one of the things he loved most about him. As he lifted his head, he caught sight of the clock. "We'd better hurry up or we won't be ready in time."
"If we did everything according to your schedule, we'd be hours ahead of anybody else," Adair turned back to study his reflection in the mirror. "Relax, Wyatt. We still have time."
Wyatt rolled his eyes as he turned to get dressed. "If we did everything according to your schedule, we'd be late all the time."
"Fashionably late," Adair corrected with a grin as he began to dress as well. "And I'm not always late, by the way. Father would strangle me if I was late for work."
The Tin Man shook his head, slipping into his coat. "Work doesn't count. It's a different mindset completely from the rest of life."
"If you say so." The brunette finished dressing and examined his reflection in the full-length mirror. Then he turned to the blond. "What do you think?"
He looked at his lover and felt his mouth go dry. "How in the world am I going to keep my hands off you all night when you look like that?"
"I hoped that'd be your reaction," Adair replied with a grin and a wink. "Just think of the large audience you'd have if you tried anything with me at the ball."
Wyatt groaned. I am going to die of sexual frustration before the night is over. I just know it!
* * *
Amber Rose was pleased and relieved when she saw Wyatt and Adair among the guests as she entered the ballroom behind the Royal family, carefully cradling Princess Dorotheagael in her arms. At a sign from the Queen, Princess Azkadellia, wearing a beautiful dress, turned to the Royal Advisor and gently took her sister into her arms. An expression of awe on her face, she took a few moments to really look at her sister. She then carefully handed the baby to her father. He gazed fondly down at her, rocking her gently. Finally, he gave his daughter to his wife, standing by her side as she presented the Princess to the assembled guests. "Lords, Ladies, Honored Guests. We present to you Our second daughter, Princess Dorotheagael."
Their guests bowed or curtsied before applauding. The noise disturbed the baby, who began to fuss. Amber Rose started forward to take her new goddaughter, but Violetta shook her head at her friend, cradling the girl to her. "Shall I have the musicians start playing while you settle the Princess, Majesty?"
"If you would, my friend?" The Queen briefly touched the Royal Advisor's shoulder.
"Of course." Amber Rose curtsied as the Royal Family left the way they had come. She turned and gestured to the orchestra conductor. He nodded in reply and music soon began to waft around the ballroom.
She wanted to dance--her feet fairly itched with the urge--but she remained at her post by the empty throne. Only when the Queen had returned would the Royal Advisor be allowed to join in the dancing. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Adair and Wyatt move past, with eyes only for each other. They're both so handsome... Her heart stopped when both men looked at her and winked. She frowned as she watched them continue on their way. That was odd. They don't normally do things like that...
"Thank you for waiting, Miss Advisor." Ahamo's voice distracted Amber Rose from her puzzle a few minutes later.
Turning quickly, she curtsied as the Queen and King Consort took their seats, her hand resting over his. "Not at all, Majesties. If I may be excused?"
"You may, old friend." Violetta smiled and gestured towards the crowded floor. "Enjoy yourself. I know how much you like to dance."
"Thank you, Majesty." Smiling, Amber Rose curtsied again and made her way to the dance floor, unconsciously moving to the music already.
Closing her eyes, she moved to the middle of the floor and began to dance, letting the music take her away. She startled when she felt someone join her, smoothly taking her in his arms without disrupting her rhythm. A familiar voice whispered in her ear, "Good evening, Amber Rose."
"Hello, Mr. Walker," she opened her eyes to smile up at the brunette. It turned sheepish when he raised an eyebrow at her. "Sorry Adair."
He chuckled as he spun her out, and then back in. "That's all right. I understand that you need to be formal for your work."
"I'm not working right now," she told him, her heart skipping a beat when he drew her closer to him. Stop it, Amber Rose. He doesn't realize what he's doing... "I just forgot myself for a brief moment."
Adair nodded, guiding her expertly around the floor. "Understandable."
The song ended at that moment and he released her, applauding politely. Amber Rose saw Wyatt approaching and took a step back from Adair, not sure what the Tin Man was thinking. When he reached them, the blond was smiling. Her heartbeat sped up when he bowed to her instead of his lover. "May I have this dance, Miss Amber Rose?"
"You may, provided you drop the 'Miss'," she replied, slipping her hand into his larger one as Adair kissed his cheek.
"Gladly." He grinned and they started dancing. She hardly noticed Adair slipping away among the other dancers. "Will the Queen require the Royal Advisor's services again tonight?"
She shook her head, wondering at his question. "No. My time is my own for the rest of tonight."
"Good to know," Wyatt guided her around the floor. Perhaps not with the same skill Adair had demonstrated, but he was no slouch as a dancer.
Amber Rose blinked in surprise a few minutes later when they danced out onto the terrace. As Wyatt smoothly moved from dancing to walking with her, she lifted her head to let the cool breeze brush across her warm cheeks. "You look a little overheated, Amber Rose. Would you like something to drink?"
"Thank you, Adair." She was only slightly surprised to find Adair already on the terrace, with a drink for each of them. Keeping her eyes lowered demurely, Amber Rose accepted the cool glass and sipped it as she watched the two men.
As he accepted his glass, Wyatt leaned in to kiss Adair, sweet and soft, though she thought there was a slight edge to it, as if the Tin Man was firmly restraining himself from taking things a step further. Not that she blamed him. Both men looked very good in their formal attire. It's a wonder they've managed to keep their hands off each other for this long tonight...
After the kiss, Adair rested his forehead against Wyatt's, brown eyes gazing into blue. After a moment, the blond nodded and gently pulled back. The brunette turned to her. "Amber Rose, we have some questions we'd like to ask you."
"What is it?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Do you love Wyatt?" he asked, brown eyes gazing intently at her.
She froze, her heart thudding almost painfully against her ribs. "What would you do if I said yes?"
"Then I'd ask if you love Adair," Wyatt answered, blue eyes just as piercing as Adair's.
Looking from one to the other, she whispered, "The answer to both questions is yes."
"We thought so." Both men were grinning.
Amber Rose stared at them in confusion and with realization beginning to niggle at her. "What do you mean?"
"Wyatt and I would be greatly honored and extremely happy if you would consent to join us," Adair told her, his voice serious and his eyes shining. "In our love, our lives, and our bed."
End Chapter
A/N2: For the record, if people want a visual image for Adair, picture Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds. For lots of pictures of him and the actor in other roles, go here. I have a hair fetish, so this picspam made me very happy. I especially like the season two hair. That's about how I visualize Adair's hair. Amber Rose is pretty much Alan Cumming with longer hair and boobs. I made a series of "dolls" of Amber Rose that you can find here.