Disclaimer: Tin Man and the characters found in it are not mine. They simple took up residence with me for a while. I think they're looking to rent or something.

Pushing her into the room Cain shut the door softly behind them before letting her go. Stumbling away from him as he turned to lock it she began to tremble violently. She saw him turn back toward her, his face unreadable, and she couldn't stand to be near him anymore. She hadn't been able to get away from him since they'd met nine months ago. It was too much all of a sudden, that intense blue gaze of his scrutinizing her so insistently.

Turning she walked quickly toward her bathroom once again hating the size of the set of rooms she'd been given. All she'd wanted was a small bedroom with an attached bathroom. Ahamo had shook his head and her mother had looked scandalized when she'd showed up after their arrival at the Central City Palace requesting to be moved. After explaining patiently that she simply wasn't comfortable with so much space, seeing as it was as big as her former house, the Queen had gone cold. She had been told in no uncertain terms that if she wanted to see her foster parents again she should refrain from mentioning or referring to such things. It had been the only thing she'd asked from her parents since she'd gotten back four months earlier, a smaller room, and she'd been scolded about her impropriety for nearly fifteen minutes after the threat. She hadn't asked for anything since.

She'd walked out of her the Queen's study feeling small, angry and even more rejected than she usually felt to find Cain standing next to the door watching her. Seeing as he was head of security she shouldn't have been surprised he was there to talk to her parents so soon after they'd arrived. He had most likely finished the security checks and was waiting to give his report. She'd looked away feeling doubly stupid for both wasting his time, knowing he was tired from the long ride they'd had, and being overheard and walked back to her too big room. She often wondered, while she wasn't sleeping, just how much of the conversation he had heard but was too insecure about the stipulations behind the threat to ask.

She tried not to think about that as she avoided the furniture she never used in her sitting room and shoved the door to her bedroom open. She tried not to think about the blood she was leaving on the door handle either. She heard the soft click of boots behind her and snapped. "Stop following me!" Her shout echoed around the huge space as she slammed the door closed behind her before continuing on her way to the bathroom.

Making it to her chosen sanctuary she darted in shutting yet another door as she flicked the light switch. The odd light fixtures they had on this side flickered to life with an increasingly familiar thrum. Taking a few steps forward she turned the water on in the sink and shoved her hands under the icy water pouring from the silver spout. She didn't look up at the mirror as the blood washed in a red wave from her hands.

Reaching out she grabbed the soap and began to scrub at them frantically. As she was starting to make progress she heard a soft knock at the door and dropped the soap in surprise. "Princess?"

"Just go away!" Snatching the soap back up she began to pick at the blood that had dried under her nails. She felt tears pricking at her eyes but pushed them back. She didn't want to talk about this tonight. She didn't want to see anyone tonight. All she wanted to do was get the blood off and try to forget what had transpired during her fitting.

"Kiddo." The Tin Man's voice was soft. "Let me in. I have clean clothes for you."

Did he always have to be so damn considerate? "Thank you." She heard her voice shaking. "Leave them by the door."

"I'm not leaving until I know you're all right." She wished she had the energy to out stubborn him right now. Maybe she'd get lucky and he'd go away.

"Considering I didn't get shot or blown up why don't you take my word for it?"

She heard him sigh. "Open the door."

She tossed the soap in the sink and leaned against the counter. "Please, Cain." Her voice finally broke. "Can't we talk about this tomorrow? Please?"

"We don't have to talk about anything."

Her fingers curled around the edge of the pale gray marble as her head dropped. "The door's unlocked." She whispered it but somehow he still managed to hear her. The Tin Man walked in and set a pile of clothes down on the counter next to her right hand. She felt him move behind her and then his fingers were at the small of her back unlacing the corset that had barely been on her thirty seconds before all hell had broken loose.

As soon as dark blue laces began to give she sucked in much needed air feeling dizzy from the sudden overabundance of oxygen she was getting. One of the Tin Man's arms wrapped around her waist with a soft rustle keeping her from toppling over as he continued to fight the laces with his other hand. "These things are a hazard. I can't believe your mother wanted you in this for the anniversary ball."

She found that absurdly funny given the circumstances and a strained giggle escaped her before she cut herself off. She wouldn't be wearing this particular dress now. Not in the state it was in. And it had been a gorgeous color. Even if she hated the idea of the stupid anniversary ball at least she would have looked pretty. "I actually liked this one."

"You mean as much as you like any dress you're shoved into?" She heard something a lot like annoyance in his voice and sighed.

"Good point. At least this one actually looked good on. You know for the minute and a half the seamstress had it right and all."

He grunted and she heard a swish before the corset fell from her body. Tossing it to the side without a glance he pulled her away from the sink and sat her on the edge of the tub. "If I let go are you going to fall over?"

"No." His arm slowly unwound from around her waist and he stepped away taking what comfort she was drawing from him away as well. The remains of her gown were hanging from her shoulders and she shoved the material up as he wet a cloth and turned back to her. Crouching down in front of her he began to clean her neck and the skin of her shoulders that had been exposed by the dress.

Reaching out he took hold of her chin and lifted her face up so he could see her. For the first time since he'd yanked her away from the man she'd so violently killed their eyes met. He held her gaze briefly before he began to wipe away the blood on her face. As the cool cloth moved over her skin he spoke quietly. "Get changed. I'll wait for you outside."

With that he pushed her hair gently behind her ear and she saw worry flash in his eyes. He opened his mouth and she tensed waiting for him to say something condemning. His eyes flickered and his jaw clamped shut as his hand dropped away. Standing he left, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone she stood tugging the torn and bloodstained dress from her body. Without the corset to hold it up it fell away easily and she stepped away from it as fast as she could, reaching for the clothes the Tin Man had brought her.

Her fingers brushed against denim and she paused before pulling her jeans from the bottom of the pile. She hadn't seen these for months. In fact she kept them hidden in the bottom of her travel pack on the off chance her mother decided to act on her 'inappropriate attire' comment. She wasn't sure how Cain had known that but she wasn't in the mood to question it. The jeans made her feel better so she stepped into them before grabbing an oversized black shirt she usually wore when sneaking off for private fighting lessons with Glitch. Pulling on a pair of black socks last she headed to the door so she could get away from all the blood.

Walking out she saw the Tin Man's eyes darting around the room before landing on her when the door shut behind her. "Come on, Kid."

She hesitated in confusion but he put his hand on the small of her back and propelled her back toward the sitting room. Ignoring the furniture he kept them moving until they were at the doors to the hallway. Stopping her next to the entranceway he unlocked the door, pulling his six-shooter from its holster, as he scanned the hall. Once he was sure it was clear he grabbed her wrist and pulled her after him. Sliding slightly in her socked feet she followed as he shoved her door shut and walked briskly toward a side staircase.

Propelling her down it they made it down one flight before he turned left, and eyes darting in every direction, and led her past several doors before stopping in front of one. Letting her go he took a key out of his pocket, she missed his duster and hat when they were in the palace, and unlocked the door. He moved into the mystery room ahead of her and re-emerged a few seconds later to grab her wrist again and drag her in after him.

She couldn't make out much in the dark and as soon as he let her go she stopped moving afraid she was going to bash into some foreign object. She heard him moving around then a lamp sprang to life and she blinked rapidly as spots danced across her vision. "Wait here, DG. I need to post guards at your door." Her vision cleared and she found herself looking up into purposeful blue eyes. "Don't leave and don't let anyone else in." He searched her face. "You got that?"

"Yeah." He nodded and stepped out of the room his gun still in hand. "Where-"

The door shut and locked behind him before the whole question could leave her mouth. She would really love to know what had just happened. Turning she took in the room and blinked. There was a bed with rumbled dark green sheets against the far wall and a desk next to the door with a terribly familiar hat on it. Against one wall a fireplace sat with wood in it waiting to be burned. A few leather chairs sat in front of it and between them was a small wooden table.

When she spotted Cain's coat hanging over one of the chairs she wondered if he would be willing to trade living spaces with her. Edging toward the duster free seat she hunkered down pulling her legs up to her chest as she surveyed the room more closely. She had really pinned Cain as a 'make the bed every morning' type of person but it was nice to be wrong every now and then. As she contemplated the weirdness of him not being a 'make the bed every morning' person she heard the latch on the door turn and twisted her neck around.

She could feel her magic begin to build as her stress level rose and her hands began to glow softly. When then Tin Man walked through the door and looked over at her, her light flickered out of existence abruptly. He raised an eyebrow but threw the key on the desk and headed toward the other chair after making sure the door was secure. On his way he bent down, and reaching into a small bucket next to the hearth pulled out a match, and started the fire before sitting down with a sigh.

She watched him as he leaned back with his eyes closed and after gnawing on her lip for almost a minute gave in. "Cain… why'd you bring me here?"

He opened his eyes so he could see her. "Didn't think you should be alone. Besides you can't sleep in your room at any rate."

That last comment threw her off balance. "How do you know that? I leave the lights off."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can hear you pacing when I walk by at night. I'm surprised you haven't moved out on your own yet. Knowing you I would've put money on the fact that you'd have been outa there five seconds after you decided you didn't like it."

Her eyes went to the fire. This conversation was veering drastically away from their normal banter. Usually when they talked they either argued amicably or she teased the Tin Man until he laughed or threatened to lock her in a room with Tutor. She wasn't sure what to make of this or if she should continue talking at all. Because eventually, if she didn't stop, they'd circle back around to what had happened.

"I…" She teetered on the edge of telling him for a long moment before chickening out. "I didn't want them fighting with me over something so stupid with Az the way she is. They need to be focused on her not me. It's only a room. And we're leaving again next month." This she reasoned was at least partially true.

"It's not 'only a room' if you can't sleep in it." Shrugging she curled up in a tighter ball resting her head farther back in the chair as the fire rapidly warmed the once chilly room. So he hadn't heard the first part of her shot down request. She felt his eyes on her and wished she could make herself smaller. "What're you hiding, Kid?"

"Nothing, and I wished you'd stop calling me that. I'm twenty one."

"You're flat out lying to me now." She couldn't tell what emotion he was feeling at the moment. He'd fallen back to his impassive mode and guilt and fear welled up in her. She rarely made him retreat back in his shell this way, usually she was the one that made him come out of it. She was a bad friend.

She darted a guilty glance at him and saw confusion race over his face as she began to wring her hands. "Sorry."

"Princess?"

She let out the secret she'd been keeping in a rush, feeling helpless and stupid that she'd been trapped so easily. It had already been nine months since she'd seen them and it would be another four before they passed by Milltown. She thought she could keep herself under control that long if only she got to see them when they passed by. She understood how the witch had managed to keep so many people under control by threatening their loved ones. The Tin Man was obviously much braver than she was. "They said if I made a scene I wouldn't get to see Momster and Popsicle anymore."

Cain stared blankly at her and upset she stood up and began to pace around the small room. The pacing thing really was becoming a bad habit. She felt like a caged animal every time she did it but it wore away some of her ever increasing frustration. As she passed by the Tin Man he caught her arm and she looked down at him. "They did what?"

"It wasn't worth it. I haven't seen them since the day after the eclipse. I just want to see Momster and Popsicle again. Even if it's only for a little while." She sighed softly. "I keep sending them letters but I'm not getting anything back. Glitch said the mail system isn't exactly running smoothly yet…"

His jaw clenched. "DG, the mail may not be as good as it was but I've seen their letters coming in for you. My security team checks the envelopes for spells and poison. You telling me you haven't gotten any of them?"

"They sent me letters?" The question was soft because she already knew why she hadn't received them. Suddenly rage over her own incompetence took hold. She yanked away from him. "God, I'm so stupid! I totally let them play me!"

She heard Cain stand up behind her. "You're not stupid."

"Yes I am! How could I not see this?" She clenched her hands as she circled the room. "I've been lied to all my life and yet here I am blindly trusting my parents yet again!"

He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Because it's natural to trust you're parents. Most people have a blind spot in that particular area."

She let out an ironic laugh. "They're not going to let me see them again. They don't even want me to talk about my life before I got here." As if the last hour or so hadn't scared her enough this was dropped on her. She'd suddenly had too much for one day. Her strained laughter turned into a chocked sob and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Cain made a soft sound pulling her against his chest while his arms wrapped firmly around her back.

Feeling truly secure for the first time in months she bunched her hands in his shirt and sobbed. Rubbing her back smoothly he whispered soothing words to her as she cried against him. Caught off guard by his gentle touch and words she quieted quickly but didn't move her head from his shoulder. His hand ran up to the back of her neck and rested there as they stood in the middle of his room. "Are you ok, DG?"

She tightened her grip on his shirt afraid that if she let him go he'd disappear. "No, that man almost killed you." Acknowledging that fact sent a shudder down her spine.

He held her tighter. "They were after you not me."

"And yet he still tried to shoot you." She pulled in a shuddering breath. "I hate that you keep getting hurt because of me. Maybe you should get a new job."

"I'm not that easy to get rid of." She swore she heard amusement in his voice.

She finally drew her head back. "This isn't funny!"

His eyes turned serious and his thumb came up to brush away the tear tracks on her cheeks. "No, I suppose its not. Never seen you that angry before."

Hadn't she specifically asked not to talk about this tonight? "I wasn't angry!" She tried to shove away from him feeling trapped. Admittedly she had been angry but it hadn't exactly been her primary emotion when her magic had erupted from her with such intensity. She didn't know how the two armed men had made it past Cain's hand picked guards but she'd been talking to the Tin Man about Jeb as the seamstress walked back behind the curtain to retrieve more thread when they jumped out at them from behind two pillars. She hadn't even seen the one who had pointed a gun at her back. All she'd been able to take in was a man dressed in black leap at the Tin Man's from behind with a gun pointed straight at his head.

Reacting without thought she'd leapt at the stranger as Cain drew his gun and shot the man behind her. Her magic had overtaken her senses and she'd somehow mastered the teleportation spell she'd been working on for three months without success ending up in front of the second assassin, shoving her hand over the place his heart was. White light had left her hand in a rush and made his chest explode with its roaring intensity. She'd immediately been covered in a shower of blood as he fell dead at her feet.

The Tin Man's head had whipped around at the sound of a second body hitting the ground to find her between him and the dead man. She had kicked the gun away from the assassin's hand before he had yanked her away from the rapidly spreading blood pool and into the hall shouting angry orders as they went.

"I was afraid! I can't loose you, Cain!" His eyebrows shot up and she immediately clamped her mouth shut. Why could she never think anything through before she started talking? She'd kept that particular thought to herself for several months now. And that had not come out in a platonic kind of way. "Forget I said anything. I'm tired and upset." This was exactly why she hadn't wanted to talk about this tonight, she wasn't thinking straight.

His eyes softened. "You're not going to loose me, DG."

"You're not a viewer. You don't know that."

He caught her face before she could move and leaning down pressed his lips gently against forehead. Holding her still he whispered into her hair as his hand stroked her neck. "I'm right here, DG." Nodding she let herself relax back into him grateful that he wasn't pushing the subject. His hands brushed through her hair for a few minutes before he began to urge her carefully backward. "Time for sleep. We can talk about this in the morning."

Once they were next to the bed he pushed her down on the blankets and she sighed somewhat gratefully. Maybe she'd be able to sleep in here. As she scooted to the far side and wriggled under the covers the Tin Man sat on the edge of the mattress and removed his boots and holster setting his gun on a table next to the bed. Lying down next to her over the blankets he pulled her to his side keeping her against him as she drifted off. Tomorrow she was going to have a talk with her parents.

Author Note: A plot bunny decided to visit me last night and as it looked all cute and innocent and told me it had a lovely little one-shot I let it in. We got all comfy on the couch with a couple of sodas and then out of the corner of my eye as I was opening my word processor it pulled out a pair of handcuffs and attached itself to me whilst eating the key. As I gaped at it, it laughed in its maniacal squeaky bunny voice of evilness and told me it was not a one-shot but a two or three parter! Imagine my horror when I have another fic to finish! So enjoy the angst as I drag the little bugger about with me….