Disclaimer: The rights aren't mine and neither is the cowboy. Kicks wall.

Learning from previous experience he walked into Jeb's office, tossed his hat in the spare chair, and sat down. His son wasn't here but he would be soon. There was no point chasing him around in a circle. Sure enough he was sitting patiently waiting while studying an open report when Jeb quick marched inside with an armful of maps. "Dad." A smile lit up his face and his son tossed the rolled up papers down as he stood up.

"Hey there, Jeb." Pulling him into a hug he held him out and grumbled. "Are you eatin'?" He had just gotten the girl to put on weight. He didn't want to start after Jeb too.

The general rolled his eyes. "Yes. Several times a day."

"You better be." He patted the side of his son's head and let him go. "Everything alright? Did you get Claire up here?"

"Everything is fine, and yes, I did. She's already scared off six messengers and a dignitary."

His lip twitched. "Doin' her job then?"

"And she is so good at it." Jeb flopped down and frowned slightly when he moved to the door and shut them in. "Be careful. If she finds the door locked she's likely to break it down to make sure I'm alive."

"She'll have to deal with bein' without your company for a few minutes. I have somethin' I need to talk to you about."

Jeb sighed. "Are you leaving again?"

Thankfully he could honestly tell his boy what he wanted to hear. "No, son. I'm not leavin' anytime soon."

"Then why the secrecy? Is DG ok?"

"She's fine." This was plain uncomfortable. He wasn't entirely sure where to start despite the fact that he spent nearly the entire trip here thinking it over. He had never encountered this particular problem before. He hadn't had a son when he was courting Adora and he had never had to explain himself to anyone. Their parents had figured out what was going on all by themselves. Shifting he tried to decided on the best place to begin. He had felt better about this with Deeg holding his hand as she stared out of the truck at the trees as he drove them back.

"Dad?" He glanced up from the pile of papers he had been glaring at. Jeb was watching him as if he should be looking for signs of a fever. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." He rubbed his eyes and gave up trying to think of a way to make this easier to say. "Jeb, I'm in love with Deeg."

"Yeah." There was a significant pause as he stared at his son before Jeb raised an eyebrow. "Did this come as a surprise to you?"

"What? No."

"Then I don't understand why the door is closed."

Right. Clearly Jeb was not stupid. He would get to the point. "You're not upset?"

"Why would I be upset?"

"The kid isn't your mother."

Jeb blinked at him. "No, she's not." His son watched him for a moment before letting out a short frustrated breath. "Dad…" He ran his hand through his hair in agitation. "Look, mom and I thought you were dead."

He thought he had been trying to keep Jeb's mind away from that. "I know, son, that wasn't your fault." Jeb closed his eyes briefly and for some reason he thought they were talking about very different things all of a sudden. "Jeb?"

"I need to tell you something but I don't want you to get angry."

"Why would I get angry?"

"Damn." Jeb sat forward. "Dad, mom changed after you, well, after we thought you died." He frowned and his son forged on. "She grieved for you for a long time. I'm sure it was different for you. You thought we were dead too. The suite made you think about that and nothing else and I'm sorry I didn't find you."

"That isn't-"

"My fault. I know. But four years after we were bouncing around rebel camps. We had been for a while. Mom was a good leader and an even better medic. She took over training new ones. That's why we were down in the low lands. A bunch of the resistant forces met there on a regular basis. It was safe and easy to defend." He hesitated briefly. "While we were there mom met a man named Jack. He was in charge of one of the largest bands in the country. He used to be a colonel in the army before the witch took over."

He let out a breath realizing where this was going. "Ah."

Jeb looked at him apologetically. "She'd been alone for a long time and he was a good man. He lost his own family a few years before in a raid. He was good to her. He was good to me, and believe me I didn't give him a reason to be. It took me almost a year to warm up to him but she didn't push. I think she knew how hard it was for me. If I liked him then it would mean you were really gone. I think it had been hard enough for her to accept that and I guess she wanted me to have some hope no matter how crazy it was."

Damn it all to hell. Fighting with a number of conflicting emotions, the most pressing being anger over another man with his wife and a hope that she had been content, he nodded. He had no right to be angry. Adora had never deserved to be alone. It was his fault she been mixed up in the resistance to begin with. If she had found someone to be with, that looked after his son the way Deeg did, he should be grateful. He watched his son for a moment as his mind processed what he had been told. "Was she happy?"

"Yes, I think she was. Like I said he was a good man. He taught me to fight and he kept us as safe as he could." His son's eyes went distant. "Not that it helped in the end. Zero found us at the cabin a few years later. We were supposed to be meeting other medics there. Then he showed up instead. I think he caught one and tortured the information out of them." Jeb paused and he saw the struggle in his eyes as he re-lived that day. "Three days later and Jack came looking for us when we missed our meeting. He let me out of the suite and we buried mom."

"What happened to him?"

"He died. Lost focus. I think that was the last straw for him. I'd seen it happen before. He went on a raid the next day and didn't show up again. Two of the other officers were with him. My scouts found their bodies a week later. I took over the camp. There wasn't anyone else there to do it."

Had his boy ever had any luck at all? Adora had managed to cobble a family together and Jeb had lost everything in two days? Any anger there was over Adora being with someone else faded away. "I'm sorry, Jeb."

"It's not your fault. It got easier after a month or so. Then you showed up. Things have been much better this last year."

Standing up he walked around the desk and took hold of his son's shoulders and he crouched down next to him. "You could have told me that before." He squeezed him gently. "I don't want you thinkin' you can't talk to me. I don't want you broodin' over things. I understand that things were hard for you and your mother. You don't need to be blamin' yourself for anything that happened or for likin' a man that took care of both of you. I just want you to be happy."

Jeb gave him a slight smile. "I know." Then his smile faded away. "I was going to tell you but I knew you were trying to deal with losing her. I didn't think it would be fair to throw anything else at you until you made peace with the first part. She always loved you. Mom wouldn't have wanted you to think she forgot you. She wouldn't have wanted you to be alone either."

He figured that had been a smart thing to do no matter how much he thought he knew what was best for both of them. "I understand. But while we're on the subject is there anything else I should know?"

"I don't think so. If anything comes to mind I'll let you know."

"Can I finish now?"

"Sure, Dad."

"I intend to marry, Deeg."

Jeb's lip twitched. "Does she know that?"

Rolling his eyes he stood up and went back to his own seat after giving his boy one last pat. "Yes, she knows that."

"That's good because I think she would fight you on that if you hadn't discussed it. I'd hate to find you scattered across the hall in several pieces."

"Don't give her any ideas." He smiled. "I wanted to let you know first. Do you need to yell at me?"

"No." Jeb was trying not to laugh. "I like DG. And she loves you too. Although I do have to ask how in Ozma's name you fell for a princess. Do you go looking for trouble or does it know where you are all the time?"

"Family trait."

Jeb snorted. "That's true. Thanks for letting me know."

"And Jeb?"

"Yeah?"

"Things are goin' to be a bit crazy around here for a week or so."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"The kid doesn't have much interest in tradition. Things might get tense."

"Ok." His son drew out the word. "Actually, I don't want to know. I'm sure I'll find out one way or another." Jeb sighed and poked at a pile of papers. "You guys missed dinner. Do you want to meet me for breakfast in the morning? That way I can harass, sorry, congratulate the two of you."

"You be nice, Jeb. Deeg is already jumpy about upsettin' you. I don't need you pokin' at her."

"Alright. I'll limit my harassment to you."

"That's my boy." Leaning back to get comfortable he started asking his son what had been happening while he was away. It was better to know now than stumble into a mini-drama playing out in the court. Jeb was always a good source of information. The general knew anything that may have slipped past his notice. It helped that all the spies were loyal to him. Several hours later and Jeb yawned. Taking that as a hint he stood up and snatched his hat. "I'll see you in the mornin'. Promise me you'll stop workin' in the next hour. It's past ten."

"I promise. Night, dad."

"Goodnight, Jeb." Turning out of the office he made his way to the girl's suite. Deeg had promised to meet him there after she talked to Raw. He had already tossed a few of his things in here. No point in moving his things to his room when they would be in hers the next day. He had no intention of sleeping without her.

Wanting to rest after the trip back he went ahead and slipped into a hot bath after locking the door behind him. He had barely sunk under the water when he heard Deeg open the door and close it just as quickly. "Wyatt?"

"Bath!" He called through the rooms. Seconds later and the girl opened the bathroom door. She took one look at the steam rising out of the water and began to pull off her clothes.

"How'd it go with Jeb?"

"It didn't go the way I expected." Deeg froze with her shirt in one hand. He motioned for her to join him. "Not like that. He wasn't surprised. He seemed pretty pleased I was happy."

The kid finished undressing and stepped into the tub. She sank down and he gathered her against him. Deeg kissed his jaw and relaxed into him. Her eyes fluttered shut as the heat from the water seeped into her. "What about it was unexpected?"

He stroked her hair. "He told me Adora met a man a few years after I was in the suite."

Her eyes snapped open and she twisted her neck to see him. He could tell she was scrambling to figure out what she should say. "Are you… Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." He kissed her forehead. "Jeb said she was happy. That's all I could hope for."

Her blue eyes searched his for a long minute. Then she stretched up and kissed him. "If you change your mind." She stroked his cheek for a second.

Catching her hand he kissed her knuckles gently. "I know, Darlin'. What did Raw tell you?"

Deeg looked at him for another few seconds before answering. "He said between the two of us we should be able to fix it. You'll have to be there though. I think I have to be touching you when I reweave the spell."

"Reweave?"

"Raw said the magic was all tangled. He hadn't been looking for a spell when he was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. He thought I was just upset over all the changes. Once he did he could see the knots. I have to get it to lay flat. The magic was confused. I have to explain what it should be doing."

"How do you explain it?"

"By untangling it. If I put the pieces where they should be the magic will understand what I want."

"And then you can sleep?"

"Then I can sleep. But it's goin' to take me at least four hours to do that and Raw will need to help. Can you sit still that long?"

"Sure, Sweetheart. Not a problem."

"Thanks, Tin Man."

He kissed her temple. "That's hardly a hard thing for me to do." Catching her jaw he turned her head toward him again and kissed her fully on the lips. "Missed you."

"I missed you too." She kissed his cheek. "We were only apart for three hours. What am I supposed to do when I don't see you all day?"

That was true. It had taken them hours to get out of Finaqua this morning. They had slept late, mostly because he had kept her up most of the night, and then he hadn't been able to let her go once the were awake. By the time they had cleaned up, packed, and eaten it was well past noon. The whole way back she had been leaning against him as he drove and then they were here and they had separated. It had been uncomfortable. He hadn't liked not having her next to him in the slightest no matter how much he had enjoyed spending time with his son.

"That's what the mornin' is for." He gave her a much deeper kiss and stroked his hands down her body. "And the evenin'." Running his hands to her thighs he started rubbing them firmly and she pressed back against him. "And especially the night." Wrapping one hand around her middle he moved the other to her center.

Deeg moaned and tossed her head back over his shoulder. Her hands flew under the water and pressed over his. "Wyatt."

Bending his head he kissed her neck as he rubbed her. Pressing her hips forward the girl whimpered softly as he teased her. Knowing she wasn't about to go anywhere he raised his other hand and pinched her nipple. That had a small mewl falling out of her and he growled into her neck. He did love listening her moan for him. "That's it, Darlin'. Let me hear you."

"Love you, Wyatt. Want you inside of me."

He stroked her more firmly. "Is that what you really want?"

Her arm came up and wrapped behind his neck. "Always."

Nuzzling her neck he let her alone long enough to grab her hips and lift her in the warm water. Taking the hint she spread her legs and positioned him as he lowered her down onto his lap. Raising his knees he forced her to lean against his chest as he pressed up into her. She called out to him and he nuzzled his face against the side of her head. Holding her hips he urged her into a fast pace. He needed her now and knew he wasn't going to be able to wait long this time.

Deeg complied quickly and the warm water began to splash around the edge of the tub. Grunting he stretched his finger out and pressed it firmly against her clit as he she took him in. The girl moaned and her arm tightened around his neck as they moved together. Kissing her neck he encouraged her to hurry. "Fall for me, Darlin'." He groaned as she squeezed him. "Need to hear you scream for me."

Deeg whimpered and squeezed him again. Letting out a choked moan he came inside her hard. As he shuddered the girl let out a soft wail and bent into him. Gripping her hips he held her still as the aftershocks pulsed through them. Eventually the kid relaxed with him still nestled inside her. Her hand ran over the hair at the nape of his neck as they fought to catch their breath. "And I thought the sex would be less exciting when we got back."

He began to laugh at her breathless statement. "Why's that?"

"Figured the location would be distracting."

"Distracting? The only thing that's going to be distracting is seeing you naked in my head when we should be doin' somethin' that requires clothes."

Deeg smiled and turned her head so she could kiss his neck. "That could be hard for you."

He rolled his eyes. "That wasn't even clever, Sweetheart."

She laughed and kissed him again. "All I'm saying is you might have to take me behind a curtain. I don't see us making it to my room every time."

"Ozma girl." Pulling out of her he turned her so her legs were over his and she was sideways across his lap. Running his hand over her hair he kissed her forehead. "There's no talkin' you out of an idea once it's in your head."

"Nope."

Relaxing into the tub he had just closed his eyes when an idea floated into his head. His eyes snapped back open. "How'd Glitch get you in the truck?"

"What?" Deeg was playing with his hair and answered him distractedly. She really did have a fascination with it. Not that he was complaining. Her fingers felt wonderful brushing along his scalp.

"When we were leavin'. How'd he get you to come with me?" Her eyes went to his and he knew she knew what he was talking about. "You sure were set on stayin' as far away from me as you could get."

Her fingers twitched and a smile tugged on her lips. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because you had that set in your head and you still got in the truck." He was stuck on this now. He had never once managed to get Deeg to do anything she didn't want to short of holding her down and somehow the man with half his brain in a tank had managed to do it. The girl hummed and kissed his cheek. Then she put her head under his chin and yawned. He rolled his eyes and grumbled. "Deeg."

Laughing she kissed his neck. "Oh, alright." The kid sat up so they were looking at one another. Her hand came up and traced his jaw. "He told me you couldn't help being an idiot sometimes since your brain was tin plated but he knew you were trying to help." Her humor faded away. "When I told him what happened he said it might be better if I went with you for a while. He told me you were only bothering me so much because you cared. He said maybe it was my turn to be looked after for a while and you were the only one stubborn enough to do it." Her eyes darkened and he knew she was thinking about her nurture units. "He said it wasn't fair that I didn't get taken care of like everyone else. He said you'd take care of me if I let you."

He needed to thank the Headcase for getting her to open up in the first place. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "How am I doin'?"

A tear slipped down her cheek even as she smiled. "Really good."

He kissed her gently before pulling away. "Are you still sad, Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, but it's better when I'm with you." She sighed. "I think I got used to them not being around but I always thought I'd get to see them again. I thought I'd get to say goodbye or have them come see me when everything settled down. Even if I left I thought I'd have family here to come back to if I decided that was what I wanted."

"You have family here."

Deeg pressed into his hand. "It's not the same." He kissed her again and she leaned into him. "I can't remember them."

"I know. You can't replace people but you can let new ones in." He held her a little closer. "Worked out pretty good for me."

Her eyes sparked affectionately. "I know you hate when I say this but you are sweet."

He let out an exaggerated sigh and the girl laughed. Relieved at her return to a happier state of mind he ran his fingers teasingly down her ribs. She squirmed and he hugged her. "What do you say we get cleaned up then go cuddle up under the blankets? It's been a long day and knowin' you you'll be up and runnin' tomorrow."

The girl smiled and splashed him. "You mean you're going to let me sleep tonight?"

He rumbled out a laugh. "Only tonight, Sweetheart. You need to be awake for breakfast tomorrow."

"Why?"

He nibbled her neck as he reached for a washcloth. "Jeb intends to interrogate us."

She groaned and he laughed. "Awww! You said he was happy!"

"That doesn't mean he isn't goin' to milk this for all it's worth. He was a resistance leader. Taking advantage of a situation is what he's best at."

Deeg whined but allowed him to start washing her. "Alright."

He kissed her as he cleaned her neck. "Look at it this way. He wouldn't tease you at all if he didn't like you."

"Ok." The girl accepted her fate and he smiled in amusement. "But only cause its Jeb."

"I appreciate that."

Taking the washcloth from him she started on his skin. "Don't worry so much, Tin Man." Finished she dropped the cloth. "Now let's wash off so we can go to bed. Someone wore me out today and now their son is going to question me about our deviant activities." His rumbling laugh filled the bathroom. Deeg shook her head and kissed him. "Not that I'm complaining." His laughter increased and her eyes glittered. The kid dumped enough water on his head to get rid of the soap and stood up dripping water.

His eyes hooded as she stepped out and he reconsidered letting her sleep. Following her quickly he grabbed her before she could secure the towel around her body and kissed her deeply. Deeg moaned and he lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his hips and he carried her into her bedroom. The girl tore their mouths apart and began kissing his face. He rumbled happily and dropped to the bed. She let out a laugh as they bounced and he tickled her ribs. Deeg wriggled under him as she laughed and he smiled down at her. This was going to be an adventure. He hoped he'd survive.

Author Note: Ahhh. The bittersweet moment of ending a story. Sniffle…Huggles all around! Hope you had fun on the ride guys! I know I did!