Broken pt 3

It was over.

The witch was gone, the eclipse ended. The world was saved.

And Cain had a lot to think about.

He didn't know how long they'd stayed in that room, watching as the suns separated from the moon, bringing light back to the OZ. He hadn't really been paying attention to the passing of time. All he'd been able to see was DG. She'd stood, reunited with her family, looking out to the world that had been a sketchy memory.

"That's the OZ I remember." A sweet sort of innocence had laced those words, pulling at something deep inside of Cain. Something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

Hope.

One by one they'd left the room. Cain first. He couldn't just stand there anymore. He went to find his son, to make sure that he hadn't lost him again, like Adora. To his great relief, Jeb had been injured, but would survive. He'd left his son, who was groggy from pain meds, and walked to the clearing where he and DG had shared their last moments together.

The clearing was quiet now; the sounds of battle already a memory. He knew, that just over the hill the casualties were being counted and the wounded were being attended. But right here, in this place, it was silent.

With a sigh, Cain sank down onto the ground, shrugging out of his coat and tossing his hat aside to feel the waning sun on his face. A soft breeze kissed his cheeks and the smell of grass and trees eased the sting of gunpowder and burnt flesh from his nose. Fatigue settled in to take the place of the adrenaline he'd been running off of for days.

He resisted lying back, however. Sleep could have come quickly, with no regard to the danger still lurking around, despite the fall of the witch. It would take a long, long time for the OZ to be completely healed. Victory was a misleading word.

He didn't know why he'd come to this spot. The memory of kissing DG flooded his brain, her taste exploded on his tongue as if he'd just done it. Her scent tickled his nose and the soft feel of her skin ghosted his fingers. He knew, if he didn't make a hasty retreat, she was going to corner him. As soon as she could get away from her family, she would find him and make him deal with whatever was going on between them.

And he just didn't think he was ready for that.

He didn't know what to think about this thing between them. With Adora, it had been so simple. He'd known, as soon as he'd seen her, she would be his. Her easy smile, her strong spirit and soft heart made her easy to love. She was fierce when she needed and so forgiving when others wouldn't be. He'd loved her so much, so completely, it had been impossible to think of a life without her.

Then she was gone.

Those days in that tin suit…he didn't think he'd ever get over the horror of it. He wasn't even sure how he'd survived, or even kept half his wits around him. But he had, and her believed death was what kept the will to live strong. He would get out and kill Zero if it was the last thing he did.

Then he was out, staring into the most amazing pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen.

Finding out Adora was alive…then dead for real, had been a crushing blow. DG had been there to take the heat of his rage, the ice of his grief. She'd made him feel something other than despair. He'd tied everything up so long ago; it was a shock to know he could still feel anything other than hate and anger.

Now, his desire for that feeling, for her, plagued him. He'd been so afraid when she'd gone off to face her sister that he would lose another person he cared for. Something about losing her scared him in a way that he hadn't allowed himself since that day at his homestead. Was he being disrespectful to Adora's memory? Would she understand this need in him? Would she forgive it? Could he?

Cain sighed and toyed with the wide band on his ring finger. He never thought he'd be here, wondering these things. He was supposed to live out his life with Adora, raise Jeb and grow old sitting on the porch of their home as their grandchildren ran around the yard.

That was before Azkadelia took over and the rebellion began.

Absentmindedly, he twisted the ring, pulling slightly. It slid to his knuckle and stopped. His heart thumped and he refused to let himself think as he tugged a little harder. He felt a sharp pain in his knuckle as the metal ring slid free and suddenly it was in his right palm, glinting in the sun. His breath came in ragged huffs and he stared wide-eyed down at the symbol of his life with Adora.

"Mr. Cain?" He jerked at the sound of her voice, guilt closing his fingers around the warm metal. There she was. DG. She was looking at him with those huge blue eyes, her head cocked, her pale skin almost luminescent in the twilight. His heart had skittered to new speeds at the sound of her smoky voice and his breathing was damn near hyperventilating. Everything inside of him was changing, the wall around his heart he'd spent the last near decade building was crumbling. He was standing on a precipice and the wind was starting to whip up, threatening to plunge him over a cliff. But unlike that drop after the papay, he didn't know if he would survive this one.

"Cain. Wyatt?" She corrected, his name sliding from her mouth like a caress. "Are you all right?"

Emotion came up on him with her simple question so quickly he almost choked on it. His throat closed, his eyes burned and his breathing hitched hard in his chest like he'd been kicked. He closed his eyes and fought it, denying his need to break down as his body fought to do just that. His tenuous control snapped completely when he felt her gentle touch on his face. Her lips brushed his hairline; her voice softly whispered his name.

"Let go, Wyatt. It's ok." A sob wrenched from his throat, ragged and harsh. He crushed her against him as the dam burst, years of grief, rage and frustration seeped out of him in a river of tears. His hand stung from where he squeezed the ring into his palm, the pain another reminder of his failure.

DG held him as he finally cried for Adora, the years lost with Jeb. He cried for the life that had been ripped from him and the new one he was forced to live now. She held him, her quiet strength seeping into him each minute, her light chasing the darkness that had settled into his soul.

By the time he'd calmed, the moon shown bright overhead. He came back to awareness with a series of sensations. The cool night air on his skin, the soreness from the ring cutting into his palm and the feel of a damp shirt over a soft breast under his cheek. She was kneeling in front of him, her hips encased by his knees. He was holding her tightly, probably too tightly if the ache in his arms is any indication. But she doesn't complain. He could hear her whisper, soft meaningless words meant to soothe as her hands rested on his shoulder and neck.

Her warmth and scent wrap around him, gentle and calming. Wyatt felt the tension slip from his body as the remnants of his pain settled to a dull ache in his heart. He said a silent, sad good bye to Adora, to the past and felt the weight ease from his shoulders.

Silence grew around them, and with it, embarrassment that he'd allowed himself to crumble in front of her. He'd shown her nothing but the Tin Man he'd trained to be and now he was as vulnerable as a child. That was something he wasn't used to. He started to pull away.

"No you don't." Her hands held him in place and unless he wanted to get forceful, he was stuck. "I think we're beyond running away now."

"I'm sorry, DG. I shouldn't have…"

"What? Grieved? Used me as a human Kleenex? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that the hard as nails Tin Man is really all squishy inside."

He scowled at her joke and looked up at her, certain he'd see her mocking him. He was staggered by the deep sympathy he found in those smoky, blue eyes. She smiled and touched a hand to his face, then her lips to his in a whisper of a kiss. Then, she let him go so she could lean back on her heels. She drew the hand crushing his wedding ring into hers and urged his fingers open. She took the ring and smiled, then slipped it into his breast pocket.

"Don't lose that. You'll want to give it to Jeb." He didn't say anything, just nodded. Cain watched, mesmerized as she kissed the angry red mark in his palm. His heart skipped a beat and desire shot from the spot she'd kissed through his blood to pound insistently between his thighs. She raised her eyes to his and did the unthinkable. He watched her pink tongue dart out and laved the flesh of his hand.

He moaned, he couldn't help it. The intimacy of that touch had his body tightening and his nerves thrumming. When she nuzzled her cheek against his hand, he laced his fingers in her hair and urged her forward. A smile curled her lip as she came willingly and Cain couldn't help but think he'd been manipulated in some way.

"I don't want to hurt you." Cain admitted as her arms fitted themselves around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, his hands sliding under her shirt to tease the smooth skin underneath.

"You won't." She whispered, before closing the distance between them. This was the first time she'd initiated a kiss between them and Cain felt a thrill in the second before her lips touched his.

DG rubbed her mouth against his, testing his reaction. He held back his need to crush her lips with his and let her set the pace. With a sigh, she settled herself against him and pulled his bottom lip between her teeth, biting lightly. He growled, deep in his throat, his desire for her almost painful now. She smiled, a wanton, wicked smile that sent jolts of electricity shooting through him.

"DG, you're killing me." He said only half joking. Wouldn't it be ironic to survive the war only to be done in by this slip of a girl? All because she wouldn't kiss him properly?

"We don't want that, do we?" Then she was kissing him and the eclipse couldn't have darkened his mind to anything quicker. Lips parted, tongues touched and the rest of the world became an incidental interruption that wouldn't be tolerated. Someone whimpered, he couldn't be sure which one of them it was. Heat suffused him, his blood pounded like a taboo in his veins and he finally did tighten his arms around her.

In an easy move-she really was light-he flipped them over. Their mouths came apart and she laughed, a wild, free sound that had him smiling in return. He captured her lips again, trying to catch that laugh and bring it into him, so he could taste a bit of that joy. It was like sunshine and sugar and hot arousal all rolled up in one. When her tongue curled around his and one, small hand slid down his body to cup his erection he realized that she wasn't as innocent as he'd once thought.

Almost as if waiting for that cue, he pulled back from her delicious mouth to start raining kisses across her cheeks and neck. She arched into him, urging him farther, her breasts heaving in invitation. One that Cain had no intention of refusing. When his lips closed around the hard nub through her shirt she made the most amazing noise. A kind of moaned sob that set his nerves on fire. Her hands clutched the back of his head as he laved and sucked on her nipple. He snaked a hand under her shirt, over her ribcage to the other soft mound. Nimble fingers pushed aside her bra, and he rubbed his palm over the warm flesh, feeling it peak under his touch.

"Oh, Wyatt." Irritated with the obstruction, he pulled the shirt up and over her head. She helped him with her bra and soon she was there before him, her milky skin a feast for his eyes.

"So beautiful." He murmured, before leaning down to taste her again. He took his time, savoring each inch of her skin, giving both breasts ample attention. She writhed beneath him, her hips wriggling wonderfully against him. If she kept it up, he might embarrass himself. But everything felt so good; he couldn't quite make himself care.

"Wyatt, you're killing me." She breathed, her clever fingers finding the buttons of his shirt. Cain chuckled, eliciting a glare from his beautiful princess. In short order, his shirt was open and her hands were inside, smoothing over his chest and back. She reared up and started to kiss his neck, collar bone, chest. Anywhere she could reach. Her hands reached around him and slid over his back, kneading the muscle and blazing a trail of heat everywhere she touched.

"Wouldn't want that, would we?" He tossed her words back at her and she laughed against his skin. Dropping her head back to look at him, her eyes dark and smoky with her desire, she smiled at him.

"We have too many clothes on." She told him. Never had a woman said such a thing to him. And once again his control snapped.

DG laughed again, that amazing, wonderful laugh as clothes started to fly. He joined her this time, the sound rusty even to his own ears. There was no thought to the fact they were in the open, no thought to what would happen if they were caught. All that mattered was each other and that was the way it was supposed to be.

"Yes!" She hissed in his ear when they were both finally naked with nothing between them. There was no time for finesse, no time for learning each other. He would have loved to have spent hours making her scream his name with just his fingers and tongue, but there was no way he was going to last. It had been too long for him and urgency drove him forward.

She didn't seem to mind.

His hands slid between the ground and her ass angling her hips as her hand reached between them, her slim fingers circling his engorged flesh and guiding him to the entrance of her moist heat. Just that slight contact nearly had him toppling over the edge. They shared a sigh as he pushed deep into her body, her heat engulfing him, searing him. He squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on breathing in a vain attempt to calm himself. It didn't help that she was moving under him, her hips gyrating against him begging for more.

He couldn't deny either of them any longer. Their kisses had hinted at this passion roaring between them. But nothing could have prepared him for the reality. Letting go had been the hardest part. Now there was no turning back.

Bracing himself on his forearm, he looked down at her as he began to move. She met his pace, long and powerful strokes, their bodies moving together as if they were made for each other. Soft mewls fell from her lips, both of their breathing was harsh. Her fingers clutched helplessly at his shoulders, his back. Her legs wrapped around his hips, urging him harder, faster, deeper.

Too quickly, he felt his climax. Cain buried his face in her neck and thrust harder, taking her with him as he sailed into oblivion. Pleasure, bright and strong spiraled over them, slackening their bodies and hazing their minds. They collapsed together on the bed of soft grass, clinging tight as their breathing regulated and their hearts slowed.

"Oh my God." DG moaned a few minutes later. Cain mustered the energy to look up at her to make sure her declaration wasn't one of regret. The slightly euphoric cloud that seemed to hover over her made him think otherwise. Unable to stop his smirk he pressed hid it with a kiss to her neck.

"Just wait until we find a bed." He promised, his voice husky and full of promise. The shiver that coursed over her had nothing to do with the chill in the air.

"I'll never be able to walk again." She lamented, curling into him when he pulled away. He lay on his back and managed to get his duster over the both of them, not caring for all the world what anyone that came across them might think. He stared up at the moon and let his mind wander. His hand drew lazily up her arm, chasing the goose bumps that formed. "We need to go inside." She said with no little regret. "I'm sure they'll be wondering where I am. I'm suddenly very popular."

"You've been popular this whole damn trip, DG." He reminded her, letting her go when she pulled away to get dressed. She found her shirt hanging on a bush a couple feet away and she turned and cocked an amused brow at him. He shrugged and gave her a grin. He liked the way she moved in front of him, no hesitancy in her nakedness, no embarrassment after what they'd just done.

"Yeah, but I don't think you want the queen, or worse, my father, stumbling on us like this." She reminded him. Deciding that would definitely be bad, Cain dragged himself reluctantly from the ground and started to search out his own things. "Woof!" He looked over at her, puzzled by the expression and caught her blatantly staring at his naked body. This time he did smirk openly and took his time dressing. "We need to find that bed." She said brazenly, heating his blood again.

"You are trying to kill me."

DG didn't answer, just finished dressing. Then, giving him a saucy wink over her shoulder, she left him to catch up.

Wyatt Cain laughed, a hearty, strange sound that seemed foreign to his own ears. It felt good. He tugged on his trousers and boots, grabbed his hat and duster and followed her toward the castle. He felt the weight of his wedding ring in his pocket and smiled. He wondered how he'd gotten so lucky. The privilege of loving two such amazing women wasn't a gift he would take for granted. And he'd spend the rest of his days honoring both of them.

END

A/N- There it is. Finally finished. I hope the ending isn't too lame, but with so much emotion being let out in this series; I was trying not to go for the over mushy. Cause. Yuck. So, thanks for all that reviewed and I'm glad you enjoyed. Now, off to work on "The Tinman and the Runaway Princess."