A/N: Is anybody missing their plot bunnies? Because I've got a whole herd of them biting me in the ankles…

Glitch watched him strut his way through the crowd of pompous nobles, straight to the royal family. His newly reacquired brain wondered if he had always carried himself that way, so absolutely sure of his steps, but then his familiar right half noticed the sense of tragedy the Tin Man carried with him since the Iron Maiden.

"No," Glitch thought, all of Ambrose apparent, "his presence can command the attention of this entire ballroom, but the weight of mortality still obviously rests on his shoulders." Glitch grinned to himself, "not to mention a tiny, blue eyed princess."

Even with half a brain, Glitch could recall clearly and precisely the fast rise and slow flat line of the emotions between said Tin Man and the younger princess of the OZ. He didn't have to posess Raw's empathy or natural sense to see these two were electric around each other. Hell, he didn't even have to posess a whole brain, brilliant or not. And like a hopeless romantic, he stood attentively waiting-praying- for the moment he would bare witness to the downfall of the the great barricade between Princess and Tin Man.

Wyatt Cain was damn good at his job. As Tin Man, as soldier, as protector, and now, as hero of the OZ, he had experience and skill to back up his reputation. Not that he cared.

Loyalty, duty, honor: those things that had mattered so much but in the end, amounted to nothing but pretty words, were in his past. Cain still believed in them, in the purest sense of their intended purpose, but was wise enough to realize they meant nothing when left to themselves. So he was loyal to a fault, but only to those who had shown him the same honor, and far and above his initial training, would protect those very few with his life. The royal family respected him because he had earned it, so he saw it as his duty to return the favor with every fiber of his being.

After an annual of retrieval and damage control, Wyatt Cain knew beyond all doubt that DG would give even the purest of saints a run for their faith.

And that dress she was wearing made him question his own sense of decency.

The Royals were hosting a celebratory ball in honor of parliament being fully reinstated. Said parliament and title bearing nobles from every corner of the OZ were now occupying the massive ballroom at Finaqua. Cain parted the crowd with simply his presence as he made his way straight to the thrones of Queen and Consort. The princesses stood near, surrounded by finely tailored, eligible descendants of nobles, all of whom now directed their attention to the informally dressed Tin Man.

Cain pulled off his fedora and knelt on one knee before the Queen and Consort. Formal greetings were exchanged along with a wink from Ahamo. Cain unfolded and stood, replacing his hat and tipping it to the Queen, ever the cowboy.

The young man who had been speaking with Azkadellia bent his head toward the princess's ear, whispering, "What does your mother think of that man showing up here dressed like a commoner?"

Azkadellia smiled softly, "Wyatt Cain would not care."

He and the other suitors all took a visible gulp, a look of fear on their faces. They had heard of Cain, knew the story of the four who had saved their precious country, but apparantly had not recognized him. The man was legendary for his fight and fierce protectiveness of the Royal family, especially the Princess DG. The man who had spoken shifted his gaze to DG, who was staring directly into the eyes of the fast approaching Tin Man.

DG was vaguely aware of the silence befalling the group of young men and the way they stared at Cain as he strode toward them. It had been a month since he had left the palace in Central City to finish what he had started with Zero, and she had missed him terribly. Now, however, she wanted nothing more than more time, just a few more minutes, to prepare herself for the look of intensity he was bestowing upon her. Oh Ozma, he was a gorgeous man, and he was setting her nerves on fire with his icy blue eyes.

The young men cowered and parted for the intimidating Tin Man as he got closer, knowing if they made a move to get between him and his princess that it would be their last. DG's breathing started to become short and ragged with every step, stopping completely when he stood within inches of her. He didn't touch her, but he bent to whisper in her ear, close enough to move the hair away from her face with his.

"That dress will be in pieces on my floor before this night is over," he growled into her ear. DG shivered and he grinned at the corners of his mouth as he straightened enough to look into her eyes. She couldn't breath but she stared back, afraid to look away. His eyes never lost the fire she had been trying to identify and she was sure they had become much darker. He bent his head closer to hers, invading her space, and reached his hand up to brush his knuckles along her exposed collar bones. The touch was so brief, so light, but the heat behind Wyatt Cain's eyes and his hand on her skin caused her eyes to finally close and she shivererd again, knowing full well the entire room had witnessed this interaction.

When she forced her eyes open, she saw Cain's retreating form- and that ass- walking smoothly through gawking nobility.

Glitch smiled wide and didn't care who saw it.