Fanfiction: Tin Man (G)
Title: The Road Less Traveled
Pairing/Characters: 'Ambrose', 'Lavender Eyes', Ahamo, Wyatt Cain, 'Adora' Cain; 'Lavender Eyes'/Ahamo, Wyatt/'Adora'/'Ambrose'
Rating: G
Fandom: Tin Man
Word Count: 2,330
Spoilers: Whole miniseries
Summary: Now that the Sorceress is gone, it's time to share some news.
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, 8. Hairpin Bend, 9. At a Crossroads, 10. Choosing a Road, 11. Changing Direction, 12. The New Journey Begins, 13. Dip in the Road, 14. Surprise Detour, 15. Detour Becomes a new Road, 16. Idyllic Travels, 17. Abrupt Halt, 18. Broken Road, 19. Two Roads Merging, 20. Changing Direction, 21. Travels, 22. Clearing the Road, 23. Dead End, 24. Overgrown Road, 25. More Road to Travel
The Road Less Traveled
26. Intersecting Road
Wyatt stood between Glitch and Raw, gazing at the O.Z. with a satisfied smile. It was finally safe again. As the suns began to descend and natural darkness fell over the land, the Queen turned from the window. She gasped softly when she caught sight of Glitch. "Oh, Amber Rose."
"She means you, Sweetheart," Wyatt murmured when Glitch didn't respond immediately.
The former Royal Advisor blinked and dropped into a deep curtsey. "Your Majesty."
"You don't need to curtsey to me, old friend," Violetta replied, moving forward to draw Glitch to her feet, pulling the other woman into a hug once she'd straightened fully.
After a moment of hesitation, Glitch returned the hug. "You are the Queen, though."
"She is your family," Ahamo gently interjected as his wife stepped back, lavender eyes sad.
Glitch kept hold of the Queen's hands, sadness shadowing her face briefly. "I wish I could remember."
"I'm sorry, Auntie Rose." Azkadellia's voice, devoid of cold cruelty, startled all of them into turning towards her. DG stood by her sister's side, holding her hand.
The older woman offered the Princess a smile. "It's not your fault, Azkadee. You were possessed by the witch."
"It's my fault," DG volunteered, her voice shaking. "The witch possessed you because I didn't hold onto your hand."
Figuring everyone would soon be arguing over who was to blame, Wyatt spoke up before anyone else could say something, "Who is and isn't to blame for Glitch's condition is irrelevant now. It happened and we can't go back and fix it."
"Not go back and fix it, perhaps," Azkadellia offered, looking thoughtful.
Before she could expand on her thought, however, Jeb rushed into the room, his face streaked with soot and his clothes spattered with blood. Bowing to Violetta, he told her, "The Tower is ours, your Majesty."
"Thank you, Mr...?" the Queen trailed off meaningfully, tactfully asking his name.
Wyatt and Amber Rose's son straightened, not quite meeting his sovereign's eyes. "My name is Jeb Cain, Majesty."
"Jeb?" Violetta repeated, her eyes betraying her surprise that the handsome young man before her had once been the little boy her daughters had loved to play with when they were younger. "You've grown a great deal since I last saw you."
Jeb's mouth quirked in a familiar smile that made Wyatt's heart ache with longing. "It's been twelve annuals, your Majesty."
"Yes." She looked sad for a moment before shaking it off and looking around curiously. "Where is Adair? Is he well?"
Wyatt answered before his son could, valiantly keeping his voice steady. "Adair is dead. We found his grave during our travels."
"If you'd dug it up, though, you'd have found that it was empty," Jeb responded quickly. "Dad and I planted that to get Zero off Dad's back."
He stared at his son, hope flaring in his chest in spite of himself. "Adair is actually alive?"
"Yes, he is." Jeb nodded, brown eyes apologetic. "After we planted the grave, Dad went to Cain Ranch. He's been working there as a ranch hand."
The former Tin Man staggered, overwhelmed by the combination of blood loss and sheer relief. Glitch and Raw caught him before he could fall, helping him to sit down in a nearby chair. His vision blurred with tears that he fought back, determined to stay strong. That determination crumbled when he felt Glitch wrap her arms around his shoulders. Acting on instinct, he wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her shoulder, and began to cry, releasing all the emotions he'd stifled over the last few days. Distantly he felt the others touch his back and shoulders. Glitch murmured softly in his ear as she stroked his back and shoulders, "Let yourself cry, Wyatt. You've been through a lot. We all have."
"I'm sorry, Father," Jeb's voice followed close on the heels of his mother's. "It was the only way we could think of to keep Zero from hunting down Dad."
After a few more moments, Wyatt's tears had stopped and he slowly straightened up. Meeting Glitch's eyes, he told her, "Thanks."
"None needed," she told him with a cheerful smile, kissing the tip of his nose playfully.
He turned to Jeb next. "Don't apologize for doing what you thought was best. I'd rather mistakenly mourn for Adair for a few days than really mourn for him for the rest of my life."
"Okay." Jeb smiled and nodded, relief flashing briefly in his eyes. "We should probably go see him soon." His glance included both Wyatt and Glitch. "Dad always worried about you two."
DG gently interjected herself into the conversation, looking hopeful. "May I come with you?"
"And Raw?" The Viewer's request was a gentle rumble.
Glitch answered with a sunny smile. "Sure!" Then she blinked and looked confused. "What are we doing?"
* * *
"Uncle 'Brose!" Adair paused in the midst of currying his horse at the call. Her voice is so achingly familiar sometimes! "Where are you?"
Clearing his throat, he called back, "In here, Alexius!"
The twelve-annual-old girl appeared at the stall door, rich chestnut brown hair gleaming in the late afternoon sunslight. "Jeb's here and he brought friends this time!"
"Really?" Adair finished taking care of his horse and set the brush aside. "Who are they?"
"Don't know." Alexius' lower lip began to creep forward in a pout. "Uncle Howie saw them coming and asked me to come get you."
Adair's heart skipped a beat as he exited the stall and carefully latched it behind him. Could it be...? "Let's go find out together, then."
"Okay!" Her pout vanishing in a bright smile, Alexius slipped her hand into Adair's. Together, they walked towards the ranch house. "I hope they're nice, whoever they are."
He smiled quietly, thinking of who he hoped they were. "I'm sure they are."
"Adair!" The shout stopped him in his tracks. It'd been eight annuals since he'd last heard his name called by that particular voice.
Slowly, he looked at the back porch of the ranch house. Two familiar figures stood side-by-side. One was Jeb. The other was: "Wyatt!"
Releasing Alexius' hand, Adair hurried towards the ranch house as his husband stepped off the back porch. They met in the middle of the yard, embracing tightly. Wyatt's voice was a harsh whisper in his ear: "Gods, Darling, I've missed you!"
"I've missed you, too, Love." Adair's own voice was choked with emotion as he breathed in the scent of leather, gun oil, and woodsmoke that was uniquely Wyatt. Softly, he asked, "What about Amber? Is she all right?"
Wyatt stiffened at that, gently pulling back. His eyes were serious when they met Adair's. "She's alive, but she's greatly changed."
"Who isn't changed after all these annuals?" Adair asked with a snort.
Before Wyatt could say anything in reply, Alexius piped up, "Uncle 'Brose, why did he call you Adair?"
"Uncle 'Brose?" Wyatt repeated, doing a double-take once he got a good look at Alexius. "Gods..."
Adair took Alexius' hand once more. "Let's all go inside. I have a feeling a lot of things are going to be explained."
"Okay!" Alexius only walked alongside Adair for a few steps before she dashed ahead to the back porch. "Jeb!"
The young man grinned as he caught her up in a hug. "Hey, Alex! How are you?"
"I'm great!" With the two standing together, their resemblance to each other was more obvious. "I missed you."
Jeb squeezed her shoulders gently. "I missed you, too."
"Who came with you?" Alexius' face was bright with curiosity and Adair heard Wyatt's breath catch next to him.
Glancing briefly at his two fathers, Jeb took her inside. "Let's go meet them..."
"Is she..." Wyatt's voice trailed off, sounding wistful and hopeful.
Adair nodded, answering the unfinished question. "Jeb and I think so. She looks too much like Amber not to be her daughter. "
They started toward the house together. "How old is she?"
"Twelve annuals," Adair responded promptly, opening the door for Wyatt.
The former Tin Man gave a sigh of relief as he moved past Adair into the house. "The right age to be yours or mine."
"As if anyone could force Amber into something like that." Adair followed Wyatt into the house.
Wyatt sounded troubled as he replied, "It depends on how they did it."
"You're starting to scare me, Love," Adair responded with a frown, concerned. "What happened to her?"
The blond gestured to the sitting room where the brunette could hear voices. "See for yourself."
Frowning, Adair entered the room and stopped just inside it. Howard and Roberta were seated together on the settee, watching the others quietly. Jeb sat on the couch near them with Alexius perched on the arm beside him. The two were talking animatedly with a young woman almost twice Alexius' age sitting next to Jeb. On her other side sat Raw, whom Adair was rather glad to see. Slouched in the chair at Raw's end of the couch was a figure at once familiar and unfamiliar to Adair. Slowly, he approached her. "Amber Rose?"
All conversation stopped at the sound of his question. Amber Rose tilted her head and gazed at Adair with a puzzled expression, the zipper bisecting her head glinting in the lamplight. "Do I know you?"
"Glitch, this is Adair Walker," Wyatt explained calmly, having moved to stand beside his husband. "Darling, this is Glitch."
"Yeah, 'cause sometimes my synapses don't fire right," Amber Rose added with a grin. She paused and repeated, "Sometimes my synapses don't fire right."
Alexius giggled, breaking the silence. "You just said that!"
"Did I?" Amber Rose laughed. "There I go, glitching again!"
The young woman sitting between Jeb and Raw giggled. At the questioning looks she received, she explained, "I'm sorry, but that's almost exactly how my introduction to Glitch went."
"It is?" Amber Rose looked surprised. The young woman nodded. "Wow."
Wyatt cleared his throat and continued the introductions he'd begun, "You remember Raw, of course." Adair nodded and shook the Viewer's hand. "And this is DG."
"Princess DG?" Adair asked, staring more intently at the young woman even as he shook her hand. He could see the resemblance now that he was looking for it.
She gave a weary smile. "Yes, I am."
"I'm very relieved to see you alive and well," Adair told her, squeezing her hand.
The Princess offered a bemused smile as she returned the squeeze. "Thank you, Mr. Walker. The feeling is mutual."
"You remember me?" Adair clearly remembered Amber Rose telling him and Wyatt that the Queen planned to put a magical block around DG's memories of the O.Z.
DG shook her head. "No, but I saw the recording of the day Wyatt was put in the suit and I was with him when he found your 'grave'."
"I see." Adair released her hand and stepped back to stand next to Wyatt. "Would I be correct in guessing that the Sorceress is no longer in power?"
Wyatt nodded, his arm coming up wrap around Adair's waist. "Yes, you would, Darling. Az is herself once more."
"Good, I've missed hearing my name," Adair commented, slipping his arm around Wyatt's shoulders.
Alexius, who'd been leaning against the back of the couch, sat up at that and asked, "You mean your name isn't really Ambrose Royce?"
"Ambrose?" Wyatt repeated with a smile, blond eyebrows arched inquiringly.
Adair felt his cheeks grow warm. "It was all I could think of at the time."
"Why did you need a fake name?" Alexius asked, brown eyes gleaming with curiosity.
He cleared his throat. "Because the nasty Longcoats wanted to kill me. Jeb and I made them think they had and I came here."
"Something doesn't make sense here," DG interrupted, looking puzzled. "Why pretend at all?"
Raw spoke up at last. "Bad injury. Leg still hurt."
"Yeah, one of the Longcoats got in a lucky shot," Jeb explained. "It was slowing us down."
Adair glanced at Wyatt apologetically. "We decided it would be best to separate at that point."
"I understand." Wyatt squeezed Adair's waist briefly. "We're just glad you're alive."
Alexius broke in just then. "So, what should I call you if not Uncle 'Brose?"
"Dad," Raw interjected his observation before anyone else could say anything.
All eyes turned to the Viewer. "He's my father?" Raw nodded, meeting the girl's eyes steadily. "Do you know who my mother is?" He silently indicated Amber Rose.
"Me? What'd I do?" Adair's heart broke over the former Royal Advisor's obvious puzzlement.
Wyatt moved to stand by her chair, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Apparently, you gave birth to Alexius about two annuals before the Sorceress took over the O.Z."
"Oh!" Amber Rose grinned brightly at the girl. "How nice. I wish I could remember that."
Adair chuckled, moving to lean on the back of Amber Rose's chair. "Considering how exhausted you were after Jeb's birth, maybe it's a good thing you don't remember."
"Why was I at the orphanage?" Adair recognized the warning signs that Alexius was about to get very upset. "Orphans are kids without a mom or dad."
He quickly moved to Alexius' side and leaned down so he could be at her eye level. "Your mom was the Royal Advisor to the Queen when she gave birth to you and the Sorceress was quickly gaining power. It's likely you were taken to the orphanage to keep you safe."
"Why didn't you take me with you?" Alexius' lower lip was beginning to tremble. "Like Jeb."
Adair opened his arms, silently asking for a hug. Much to his delight, Alexius slipped off her perch and into his arms. "I didn't know you'd been born. If I had, I certainly would have taken you with me."
"I'm glad you're my dad," Alexius murmured against his neck, clinging to him.
He blinked back tears of joy at the confirmation of his suspicions. "I'm glad you're my daughter."
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.
A/N3: I wrote this chapter before I wrote most of the ones that take place during the mini-series. It's been very hard not to spoil this for everyone who's been reading. :D
Pairing/Characters: 'Ambrose', 'Lavender Eyes', Ahamo, Wyatt Cain, 'Adora' Cain; 'Lavender Eyes'/Ahamo, Wyatt/'Adora'/'Ambrose'
Rating: G
Fandom: Tin Man
Word Count: 2,330
Spoilers: Whole miniseries
Summary: Now that the Sorceress is gone, it's time to share some news.
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, 8. Hairpin Bend, 9. At a Crossroads, 10. Choosing a Road, 11. Changing Direction, 12. The New Journey Begins, 13. Dip in the Road, 14. Surprise Detour, 15. Detour Becomes a new Road, 16. Idyllic Travels, 17. Abrupt Halt, 18. Broken Road, 19. Two Roads Merging, 20. Changing Direction, 21. Travels, 22. Clearing the Road, 23. Dead End, 24. Overgrown Road, 25. More Road to Travel
The Road Less Traveled
26. Intersecting Road
Wyatt stood between Glitch and Raw, gazing at the O.Z. with a satisfied smile. It was finally safe again. As the suns began to descend and natural darkness fell over the land, the Queen turned from the window. She gasped softly when she caught sight of Glitch. "Oh, Amber Rose."
"She means you, Sweetheart," Wyatt murmured when Glitch didn't respond immediately.
The former Royal Advisor blinked and dropped into a deep curtsey. "Your Majesty."
"You don't need to curtsey to me, old friend," Violetta replied, moving forward to draw Glitch to her feet, pulling the other woman into a hug once she'd straightened fully.
After a moment of hesitation, Glitch returned the hug. "You are the Queen, though."
"She is your family," Ahamo gently interjected as his wife stepped back, lavender eyes sad.
Glitch kept hold of the Queen's hands, sadness shadowing her face briefly. "I wish I could remember."
"I'm sorry, Auntie Rose." Azkadellia's voice, devoid of cold cruelty, startled all of them into turning towards her. DG stood by her sister's side, holding her hand.
The older woman offered the Princess a smile. "It's not your fault, Azkadee. You were possessed by the witch."
"It's my fault," DG volunteered, her voice shaking. "The witch possessed you because I didn't hold onto your hand."
Figuring everyone would soon be arguing over who was to blame, Wyatt spoke up before anyone else could say something, "Who is and isn't to blame for Glitch's condition is irrelevant now. It happened and we can't go back and fix it."
"Not go back and fix it, perhaps," Azkadellia offered, looking thoughtful.
Before she could expand on her thought, however, Jeb rushed into the room, his face streaked with soot and his clothes spattered with blood. Bowing to Violetta, he told her, "The Tower is ours, your Majesty."
"Thank you, Mr...?" the Queen trailed off meaningfully, tactfully asking his name.
Wyatt and Amber Rose's son straightened, not quite meeting his sovereign's eyes. "My name is Jeb Cain, Majesty."
"Jeb?" Violetta repeated, her eyes betraying her surprise that the handsome young man before her had once been the little boy her daughters had loved to play with when they were younger. "You've grown a great deal since I last saw you."
Jeb's mouth quirked in a familiar smile that made Wyatt's heart ache with longing. "It's been twelve annuals, your Majesty."
"Yes." She looked sad for a moment before shaking it off and looking around curiously. "Where is Adair? Is he well?"
Wyatt answered before his son could, valiantly keeping his voice steady. "Adair is dead. We found his grave during our travels."
"If you'd dug it up, though, you'd have found that it was empty," Jeb responded quickly. "Dad and I planted that to get Zero off Dad's back."
He stared at his son, hope flaring in his chest in spite of himself. "Adair is actually alive?"
"Yes, he is." Jeb nodded, brown eyes apologetic. "After we planted the grave, Dad went to Cain Ranch. He's been working there as a ranch hand."
The former Tin Man staggered, overwhelmed by the combination of blood loss and sheer relief. Glitch and Raw caught him before he could fall, helping him to sit down in a nearby chair. His vision blurred with tears that he fought back, determined to stay strong. That determination crumbled when he felt Glitch wrap her arms around his shoulders. Acting on instinct, he wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her shoulder, and began to cry, releasing all the emotions he'd stifled over the last few days. Distantly he felt the others touch his back and shoulders. Glitch murmured softly in his ear as she stroked his back and shoulders, "Let yourself cry, Wyatt. You've been through a lot. We all have."
"I'm sorry, Father," Jeb's voice followed close on the heels of his mother's. "It was the only way we could think of to keep Zero from hunting down Dad."
After a few more moments, Wyatt's tears had stopped and he slowly straightened up. Meeting Glitch's eyes, he told her, "Thanks."
"None needed," she told him with a cheerful smile, kissing the tip of his nose playfully.
He turned to Jeb next. "Don't apologize for doing what you thought was best. I'd rather mistakenly mourn for Adair for a few days than really mourn for him for the rest of my life."
"Okay." Jeb smiled and nodded, relief flashing briefly in his eyes. "We should probably go see him soon." His glance included both Wyatt and Glitch. "Dad always worried about you two."
DG gently interjected herself into the conversation, looking hopeful. "May I come with you?"
"And Raw?" The Viewer's request was a gentle rumble.
Glitch answered with a sunny smile. "Sure!" Then she blinked and looked confused. "What are we doing?"
* * *
"Uncle 'Brose!" Adair paused in the midst of currying his horse at the call. Her voice is so achingly familiar sometimes! "Where are you?"
Clearing his throat, he called back, "In here, Alexius!"
The twelve-annual-old girl appeared at the stall door, rich chestnut brown hair gleaming in the late afternoon sunslight. "Jeb's here and he brought friends this time!"
"Really?" Adair finished taking care of his horse and set the brush aside. "Who are they?"
"Don't know." Alexius' lower lip began to creep forward in a pout. "Uncle Howie saw them coming and asked me to come get you."
Adair's heart skipped a beat as he exited the stall and carefully latched it behind him. Could it be...? "Let's go find out together, then."
"Okay!" Her pout vanishing in a bright smile, Alexius slipped her hand into Adair's. Together, they walked towards the ranch house. "I hope they're nice, whoever they are."
He smiled quietly, thinking of who he hoped they were. "I'm sure they are."
"Adair!" The shout stopped him in his tracks. It'd been eight annuals since he'd last heard his name called by that particular voice.
Slowly, he looked at the back porch of the ranch house. Two familiar figures stood side-by-side. One was Jeb. The other was: "Wyatt!"
Releasing Alexius' hand, Adair hurried towards the ranch house as his husband stepped off the back porch. They met in the middle of the yard, embracing tightly. Wyatt's voice was a harsh whisper in his ear: "Gods, Darling, I've missed you!"
"I've missed you, too, Love." Adair's own voice was choked with emotion as he breathed in the scent of leather, gun oil, and woodsmoke that was uniquely Wyatt. Softly, he asked, "What about Amber? Is she all right?"
Wyatt stiffened at that, gently pulling back. His eyes were serious when they met Adair's. "She's alive, but she's greatly changed."
"Who isn't changed after all these annuals?" Adair asked with a snort.
Before Wyatt could say anything in reply, Alexius piped up, "Uncle 'Brose, why did he call you Adair?"
"Uncle 'Brose?" Wyatt repeated, doing a double-take once he got a good look at Alexius. "Gods..."
Adair took Alexius' hand once more. "Let's all go inside. I have a feeling a lot of things are going to be explained."
"Okay!" Alexius only walked alongside Adair for a few steps before she dashed ahead to the back porch. "Jeb!"
The young man grinned as he caught her up in a hug. "Hey, Alex! How are you?"
"I'm great!" With the two standing together, their resemblance to each other was more obvious. "I missed you."
Jeb squeezed her shoulders gently. "I missed you, too."
"Who came with you?" Alexius' face was bright with curiosity and Adair heard Wyatt's breath catch next to him.
Glancing briefly at his two fathers, Jeb took her inside. "Let's go meet them..."
"Is she..." Wyatt's voice trailed off, sounding wistful and hopeful.
Adair nodded, answering the unfinished question. "Jeb and I think so. She looks too much like Amber not to be her daughter. "
They started toward the house together. "How old is she?"
"Twelve annuals," Adair responded promptly, opening the door for Wyatt.
The former Tin Man gave a sigh of relief as he moved past Adair into the house. "The right age to be yours or mine."
"As if anyone could force Amber into something like that." Adair followed Wyatt into the house.
Wyatt sounded troubled as he replied, "It depends on how they did it."
"You're starting to scare me, Love," Adair responded with a frown, concerned. "What happened to her?"
The blond gestured to the sitting room where the brunette could hear voices. "See for yourself."
Frowning, Adair entered the room and stopped just inside it. Howard and Roberta were seated together on the settee, watching the others quietly. Jeb sat on the couch near them with Alexius perched on the arm beside him. The two were talking animatedly with a young woman almost twice Alexius' age sitting next to Jeb. On her other side sat Raw, whom Adair was rather glad to see. Slouched in the chair at Raw's end of the couch was a figure at once familiar and unfamiliar to Adair. Slowly, he approached her. "Amber Rose?"
All conversation stopped at the sound of his question. Amber Rose tilted her head and gazed at Adair with a puzzled expression, the zipper bisecting her head glinting in the lamplight. "Do I know you?"
"Glitch, this is Adair Walker," Wyatt explained calmly, having moved to stand beside his husband. "Darling, this is Glitch."
"Yeah, 'cause sometimes my synapses don't fire right," Amber Rose added with a grin. She paused and repeated, "Sometimes my synapses don't fire right."
Alexius giggled, breaking the silence. "You just said that!"
"Did I?" Amber Rose laughed. "There I go, glitching again!"
The young woman sitting between Jeb and Raw giggled. At the questioning looks she received, she explained, "I'm sorry, but that's almost exactly how my introduction to Glitch went."
"It is?" Amber Rose looked surprised. The young woman nodded. "Wow."
Wyatt cleared his throat and continued the introductions he'd begun, "You remember Raw, of course." Adair nodded and shook the Viewer's hand. "And this is DG."
"Princess DG?" Adair asked, staring more intently at the young woman even as he shook her hand. He could see the resemblance now that he was looking for it.
She gave a weary smile. "Yes, I am."
"I'm very relieved to see you alive and well," Adair told her, squeezing her hand.
The Princess offered a bemused smile as she returned the squeeze. "Thank you, Mr. Walker. The feeling is mutual."
"You remember me?" Adair clearly remembered Amber Rose telling him and Wyatt that the Queen planned to put a magical block around DG's memories of the O.Z.
DG shook her head. "No, but I saw the recording of the day Wyatt was put in the suit and I was with him when he found your 'grave'."
"I see." Adair released her hand and stepped back to stand next to Wyatt. "Would I be correct in guessing that the Sorceress is no longer in power?"
Wyatt nodded, his arm coming up wrap around Adair's waist. "Yes, you would, Darling. Az is herself once more."
"Good, I've missed hearing my name," Adair commented, slipping his arm around Wyatt's shoulders.
Alexius, who'd been leaning against the back of the couch, sat up at that and asked, "You mean your name isn't really Ambrose Royce?"
"Ambrose?" Wyatt repeated with a smile, blond eyebrows arched inquiringly.
Adair felt his cheeks grow warm. "It was all I could think of at the time."
"Why did you need a fake name?" Alexius asked, brown eyes gleaming with curiosity.
He cleared his throat. "Because the nasty Longcoats wanted to kill me. Jeb and I made them think they had and I came here."
"Something doesn't make sense here," DG interrupted, looking puzzled. "Why pretend at all?"
Raw spoke up at last. "Bad injury. Leg still hurt."
"Yeah, one of the Longcoats got in a lucky shot," Jeb explained. "It was slowing us down."
Adair glanced at Wyatt apologetically. "We decided it would be best to separate at that point."
"I understand." Wyatt squeezed Adair's waist briefly. "We're just glad you're alive."
Alexius broke in just then. "So, what should I call you if not Uncle 'Brose?"
"Dad," Raw interjected his observation before anyone else could say anything.
All eyes turned to the Viewer. "He's my father?" Raw nodded, meeting the girl's eyes steadily. "Do you know who my mother is?" He silently indicated Amber Rose.
"Me? What'd I do?" Adair's heart broke over the former Royal Advisor's obvious puzzlement.
Wyatt moved to stand by her chair, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Apparently, you gave birth to Alexius about two annuals before the Sorceress took over the O.Z."
"Oh!" Amber Rose grinned brightly at the girl. "How nice. I wish I could remember that."
Adair chuckled, moving to lean on the back of Amber Rose's chair. "Considering how exhausted you were after Jeb's birth, maybe it's a good thing you don't remember."
"Why was I at the orphanage?" Adair recognized the warning signs that Alexius was about to get very upset. "Orphans are kids without a mom or dad."
He quickly moved to Alexius' side and leaned down so he could be at her eye level. "Your mom was the Royal Advisor to the Queen when she gave birth to you and the Sorceress was quickly gaining power. It's likely you were taken to the orphanage to keep you safe."
"Why didn't you take me with you?" Alexius' lower lip was beginning to tremble. "Like Jeb."
Adair opened his arms, silently asking for a hug. Much to his delight, Alexius slipped off her perch and into his arms. "I didn't know you'd been born. If I had, I certainly would have taken you with me."
"I'm glad you're my dad," Alexius murmured against his neck, clinging to him.
He blinked back tears of joy at the confirmation of his suspicions. "I'm glad you're my daughter."
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.
A/N3: I wrote this chapter before I wrote most of the ones that take place during the mini-series. It's been very hard not to spoil this for everyone who's been reading. :D