Well, It's been over two years and I am sorry for the delay. Sometimes things like life get in the way. However I do want to thank people for all of the reviews and story alters I have received. I have the last 4 chapters of this Story in various stages of completion. I have reached out to my original beta reader, but I haven't heard from her yer. So I might need a new beta. Which I seriously need.

Thanks to Krin for all the help thus far. And to the readers who are still interested in my story. I appreciate your support the most.

I hope that I can bring you the level of story I did before. While this isn't the most action packed chapter it helps lay the foundation for the next 4 chapters. Comments appreciated

Once again, I do not own Tin Man.

The morning following Ambrose's collapse in the medical ward, DG was the first person to enter his room. She kept her promise to him and didn't sleep stay the night, but that would not keep her from his side, actually it had quite the opposite effect. She had resolved to spend any and all of her spare time with her friend. While she knew that she lacked any real power over the alchemists, she still took pleasure in imagining that she could fire all of them for the stunt tget pulled yesterday. She felt that the only thing she could do was play watchdog for her friend.

DG was surprised when she entered the room and saw Ambrose sitting up in his bed smiling at her. He looked very pale, paler then normally, with dark shadows laying under his eyes, giving away his exhaustion but he was still smiling.

He had been sitting up awake for hours. He woke up feeling like he had be beaten with a stick and his head was in so much pain he felt like his zipper was going to split open. Every fiber in his being was screaming, aching, begging to not be conscious. Yet none of that hurt as badly as the look of sadness and pity on DG face when she saw him.

Her eyes clouded and her brow furrowed, showing wrinkles that had never been there before.

"Hey Doll…er, DG, I look that bad eh?" He asked jokingly as she softly walked over to his bedside.

She smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood; it was moments like that where she saw Glitch in Ambrose. "No of course not, you look like a million dollars."

"What's a million dollars?" He asked in a puzzled manner, unfamiliar with her other side terms.

"Nothing important" she chuckled, sitting down in her well worn chair, learning close to him and taking his hand. "How are you feeling?"
Ambrose stared at their joined hands; a side of him screamed that this kind of causal touch was forbidden. Yet at the same time he wondered how long it had felt so natural for them to be touching like this.
"I've been better" he said smiling weakly looking up at her. "How about you? What's on your mind?"

With her free hand she brushed back the curls on his forehead. While doing so she brushed his zipper causing him to flinch. Her face fell and she lowered her hand.
"I am worried about you. I need you to get better," Ambrose felt a strange flutter in his chest, but suppressed it when he heard her say in a deflated voiced "I can't stand this place."

"Well the medical ward isn't my favorite place either." He chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. This solemn DG was making him uncomfortably sad.

She smiled at him. "Well this place isn't that great, but I meant the palace."
"You don't like it here?" He probed.
"Not at all." She said gently "I am ready for another adventure. Is there a ruby that needs to be found or something because I think I might be the girl for the job." She smiled softly changing her tone to a more lighthearted attitude.

"Well, not one to my knowledge but that doesn't mean that there really isn't one."

"If you don't know about it, and you are the smartest guy in the O.Z. then there isn't one."

"I wouldn't say I am the smartest guy…" he said awkwardly. Before he had his brain removed he would have agreed wholeheartedly that he was the smartest guy in the Zone. Yet now, it was strange how knowing so little for so long actually puts knowledge in perspective. The line between acting like you know everything and actually knowing everything is actually a lot wider than most people believe.

"What's so wrong with palace life?" he asked, not letting her get him off topic. "Is it not every girl's dream to be a princess?"

"Well, it wasn't one of mine. It seems all glamorous but really there is nothing exciting at all about this job. I am forced to sit still all day in these horribly restricting dresses and listen to who-knows-what about politics of a people and a country I've never heard of before."

She got up and started pacing. Ambrose realized she was in a dress that really didn't suit her at all. The long layered skirt tangled around her ankles as she turned.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know about American Presidents, or when the Magna Carta was ratified but ask me the sacred food of the Wheelers, I've got no idea."

"That would be the fruit from the Dinner-pail Tree" Ambrose interjected, but fell silent when DG threw him an angry glance.

"How come everyone else gets all of this? I feels like I am trying to learn French all over again, but here no one even knows what French is! Then to top it off, I've got no one to talk to." She continued her pacing increasing with speed. "Cain is always on the move now that the Tin Men units are being re-structured. I offered to go with him but my parents wouldn't let me. Plus I know it would be selfish of me to demand time with him now that he is trying to get to know Jeb all over again. Raw has been at home for most of the last three months trying to convince the other Viewers that our government has really changed and that we are no longer going to imprison his people. And Az has it worst of all because every time I see her she is on the brink of tears and is constantly being weighted down with all this guilt. Then I feel like I should say something to her, but what can I say? What do you say to someone who has been possessed by a witch for years? Where is the etiquette lesson on that!" She shouted.

She ran her figures repeatedly through her hair as she spoke, making the refined look a palace stylist spent the morning working on resemble a animals nest.

"And speaking of Azkadellia, now these people I haven't seen since I was six expect me to just be their family! I had a good and loving family…it doesn't matter that they were robots! They were my family and never made me wear dresses or wear high heels or any of these ridiculous things!"

She threw herself into the chair she vacated earlier and held her head in hands obscuring her face from Ambrose's sight. He had the suspicion that she close to crying.

"…and I've been worried sick about you for this whole time." She mumbled. "With no idea if you were even going to be able to function when you woke, or if you'd wake up…and now how you are being treated now that you are awake…." she trailed off, still not looking up.

A tightening occurred in Ambrose's chest. He had no idea that all of this was occurring. Well of course he was asleep and healing thus couldn't know about any of it but he still felt an immense sense of guilt. He rushed to have his brain replaced, and he had no idea that his absence was going to cause DG so much pain. Maybe he should have waited a few annuals before even considering the operation. He watched her for a few minutes as she held her head down.

He wanted to reach out for her, but before he got the chance, she looked up at him with her blue eyes watering. "I'm sorry I unloaded on you." She smiled taking his hand and said in a fake serious voice "I know it is selfish, since you have a ton of healing still to do. But I need you to get better and save my sanity."

He spent a moment considering DG's sad face before speaking.

"Well, anything for you princess," he replied with a mock bow causing her to laugh.

After listening to DG's rant, his newly installed brain was running so quickly that he didn't notice that his head ache had subsided. He was just pleased to see that he could still bring a smile to her face, even with a full brain.

Over the next several weeks she was the first person to arrive to the medical ward every morning. After his first day being awake with the doctors prodding him and his second day the medical team pushing him to his limit, she did not trust those sadistswith him alone.

She would be there to help him practice walking again. As they slowly walked the hallways of the medical wing he would tell her about the things he remembered and the things he had invented. For the first time in a long time, someone actually seemed interested in his inventions. In return she told him stories about her life on the other side, or how she was adjusting to palace life. Yet whenever he asked her if she had something to do, a meeting or conference she said that she had already done all her work for the day. Ambrose doubted this; he could also tell that she looked progressively tired every morning.

After several days of seeing he tired and worn out demeanor, he decided it was time to say something to her.

"DG If you have work to do, which I know you do, you don't have to come here every day" He said to her as his soft slippers shuffled down the medical ward one morning. He was immensely pleased with himself that today he didn't need to lean on the princess to make it down the hall. While he cursed the other part of him that missed her touch.

"Well, I've been working on things at night. I haven't been able to sleep lately either, so I work through things then" He looked at her closely and could see the bags under her eyes. "I'd rather be here during the day. It's the first time since your operation I've felt like I even kind of belonged here."

He stopped and she turned to face him, he put his hands on her shoulders and said "You will always belong here. This is your home."

"I know" she said looking away "But my real mother expects so much from me, she can't seem to understand that I am a different person now. When she gives me a new dress I have to lie to her about it. She looks so sad when I tell her I don't like them. And Az, she has all these responsibilities now, and I can see in her face that she is at her wits end. She doesn't have anyone to lean on but I don't know how to approach her. As for dad, you know, it's nice to talk about other side things with him but it's just different. It almost seems rude to talk about the other side together when Az and mom are around. You are the only one around here who I feel knows me. You know?"

"Yeah I do…and honestly the palace can be really hard to adjust too." he smiled awkwardly. "I don't know if you remember this but when you were a little girl. I just started working as your mother's advisor. I was 17, the youngest advisor ever, might I add." He added with a hint of pride, as reached the end of the hall and turned.

"I didn't fit in with the other members of court because to them I was still a child. In many ways I was, I'd never been away from my family before either. But I couldn't be a child either, there was no one for me to turn too when I was scared or confused. I can't even begin to tell you about the nightmares I had when I first moved here. I spent most of my nights staring out my window in the director of my parent's house, hoping that by some chance I could see their house while knowing it wasn't possible. I didn't feel like I belonged until you and Azkadellia noticed me. The two of you used to come to my work room to play whenever someone wasn't watching you close enough. Sure enough, whenever your maids couldn't find you, you would be up to your elbows in grease in my shop. I'd show you how to fix toys and I'd build you both gifts. You and Azkadellia made me feel like I belonged here at all. Eventually, I adjusted but I just needed help in the beginning."

Ambrose stopped again and turned to her, looking deep into her blue eyes. "You know, Doll, I know a fair bit about this political palace life. So why don't you bring your stuff here and we'll work on it together. But in return for me helping you, I want you to spend more time with your sister. I know you are hiding down here. Just because your parents take kindly to you being charitable and all, that doesn't mean you can give up on your other responsibilities. "

"I hate to admit it, but you are right. " DG brushed her bangs to the side and shot Ambrose a look of guilt. "I guess it is hard for everyone, and AZ is having just as hard of a time as I am. However, I really could use your help for the time being. Since it's just a matter of time until you're the advisor again"

"I appreciate your vote of confidence but its wouldn't look good for a …" he brushed his hand over his zipper "you know… to advise the Queen."

"Are you kidding?" she looked at him with disbelief in her eyes. "You're a national hero. There isn't a person in the O.Z. who doesn't know what you've done for them."

"Yeah, but in the long run, I couldn't prevent the witch from getting what she was after in the first place." Ambrose sighed, as if he was expelling a huge weight from his chest.

"Hey, don't talk like that." She said seriously. Grabbing his robed shoulder, and turning him to look at her. She looked him straight in the eyes, as if she was trying to make him to believe her.

"DG…you, your family and the court may know what happened but when other people see me they see convict." He broke his gaze away from hers. "I am a marked man, people don't look at my face to know who I am, they look at my head. Now that I have full control of my mental facilities I can remember what happened to me."

He stopped to lean against a wall, facing away from the princess.

"People treated me horribly, and the worst part was I couldn't figure out why and then I would forget their cruel treatment and just keep going. In a way it was better not remember why or when people laughed at you or ignored you or just were all around uncivil."

DG reached out a place and placed it on Ambrose's shoulder. She could feel the muscles in his arm relax at her touch. However, she could also feel his pain wash over her in a wave. She could feel his sadness and somehow her comforting gesture for him, became more of a life line for her. "I'm sorry, Ambrose, I didn't know it was that bad" She whispered softly, stepping closer to him.

"It's okay, I didn't know either. I guess it was a gift in a way, not being able to recall memories. It made it easier to bounce back. Now, I just have to put them away, and only remember the good memories." He turned to face his friend. "And really, this is what I wanted, to remember."

She stood there looking into his brown eyes, and it almost felt like she was looking into another world. There were so many colors, and so much depth to his eyes she almost forgot where they were. When he blinked at her, she took a quick step back.

"You are a hero in my book, and if you haven't noticed I am a princess and my book is the only book that matters".

From that point on the medical ward became a makeshift office for the two of them. Every morning she would come to Ambrose's room with a pile of papers. They would eat breakfast together and stroll down the medical wing as he told her about the different people who lived in the O.Z. and why they were important to whatever piece of work she brought with her that day. DG always left to visit with her sister after Ambrose fell asleep for his afternoon nap. Despite the fact he tired his hardest to stay awake his body still wasn't used to all strain after almost 4 months of only sleeping.

So he never knew that every day when DG left, she kissed him on the cheek.