Unstable Atmosphere
Title: Unstable Atmosphere
Author: Cricket
Characters, Pairing: Cain, Jeb, OC, and DG. Cain/DG implied.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Cain copes with approaching storms beyond his control.
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. I'm just playing with the toys of the respectful owners.
Word Count: 2,348
Wyatt Cain watched silently from the porch of the Kansas farmhouse as the humid wind rushed through the wheat fields, making the stalks sway in mesmerizing ripples. The dark clouds rumbled with distant thunder and he caught a flash of lightning several miles to the south. Though he couldn't resist keeping a watchful eye on the turbulent skies of early summer, he'd long since stopped scouring the weather reports for any sign that a tornado had brought the missing half of his heart back to him. Cain thought it painfully ironic that as soon as he'd taken the risk of loving again and divided his scarred heart between his wife and children, it was ripped apart. It was a cruel trick the universe had played on him and not a day went by that he didn't curse the OZ and all its magic for everything that had happened. Life without DG was difficult, but the comfort of having his two children safely with him kept the small flame of hope in Cain from extinguishing completely.
He entered the house, careful to keep the squeaky screen door from slamming behind him, and found both Jeb and Lily seated at the old kitchen table. The little girl was perched on her older brother's lap, playing with the red scarf he always wore despite his absence from the band of resistance fighters. Her dark mop of curly hair hung wildly around her face and Cain mentally noted that she was due for a trim. He was terrible at taming the mess, though Jeb had some success with braiding it recently.
"Evening, Jeb." Cain nodded to his son as he squatted down beside the chair to get face to face with his daughter. Two pairs of identical blue eyes followed his movements.
"I just got in," Jeb replied. "Found her sitting here by herself."
Reaching around the girl, Cain gave Jeb's shoulder a thankful squeeze and turned his attention to Lily.
"What are you doing up, kiddo? You're supposed to be in bed," Cain said, gently brushing the hair away from the five-year-old's face.
"I couldn't sleep." Lily leaned back into her brother's chest and pressed the side of her face against his shoulder.
"Nightmare?" Jeb asked. He felt Lily shake her head slowly and looked up to see his father's concerned face.
"A storm is coming," she whispered.
Cain looked over his shoulder to see out the window. The wind had picked up and was violently whipping through the fields, and the sky had turned a menacing shade of green.
"It'll be okay, sweetheart," Cain said, pulling the girl into his arms and standing. "Jeb, close the windows and meet us in the storm cellar."
"Yes, sir." Three years away from military service and Jeb still had the disposition of a soldier. If the situation didn't require immediate action, Cain would have taken the time to be amused by it.
By the time they reached the porch, the rain had started. The tiny, stinging raindrops pelted the shingles of the roof and Cain felt Lily's hands fist tighter into his vest at the near deafening roar of wind and rain.
He still didn't know exactly how his daughter always knew when a tornado would arrive, even after five years of living on the other side. She was just a baby when they'd arrived and it had taken him years to make the connection between her anguished cries and the approaching storms. When she was old enough to talk, she claimed she could feel it in the tips of her fingers. Cain's best guess was that it had something to do with the magic that linked her, as the daughter of the Princess of Light, to the OZ. But not all tornadoes were travel storms, and that's where his reasoning broke down. Chalking it up to a force he didn't quite understand, he simply took Lily's predictions for what they were.
They circled around the back of the house to find the door in the ground that led down into the storm cellar. With one arm wrapped around Lily to keep her steady, he attempted to heave the heavy door open, but it wouldn't budge. Once Jeb finished securing the house, however, the two men were able to pull it back far enough for them to slip through the door. The smell of damp earth surrounded them as they descended the creaking stairs into the dark room below.
Lily trembled in Cain's arms and he held her tighter in reassurance as they listened to Jeb rifling through the emergency storm kit for matches to light the oil lantern. The flame sprang to life with a scrape and a pop, casting a yellow halo around them that grew wider when he touched the match to the lantern's wick.
The light reflected off the shiny trails of tears across Lily's cheeks and Jeb felt his gut clench at the sadness in her young eyes. He knew what it was like to grow up without one of his parents, and even though Lily couldn't remember her mother, he felt a certain kinship with the girl that went beyond sharing a common gene pool.
"I have a story I think would cheer you up," Jeb said, watching Cain wipe the moisture from the girl's face. "Would you like that?"
Lily nodded slightly, the movement barely an incline of her head against her father's shoulder. The wind howled loudly overhead and Jeb stepped closer to keep her attention on him instead of the storm.
"Once there was a young woman who had lived on a farm in Kansas for as long as she could remember," Jeb began.
"Just like me," Lily said. She'd probably heard this story countless times and the similarity between her and the main character was as familiar to her as the story itself.
"Just like you," Cain said, smiling down at her teary face.
"And one day," Jeb continued, "she was picked up by a tornado and carried up over the rainbows to a land full of magic. But the land was ruled by a terrible witch who did unspeakable things to those living there and all the young woman wanted was to go home. On her journey to find a way to return to Kansas, she met three men: a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion. Together, the four of them -"
"You skipped a part," Lily interjected.
"I did?" Jeb asked, amused that she would correct his storytelling. She was precocious and stubborn, both attributes surely stemming from DG.
"Yeah, you're supposed to say that the tin man was the bravest, most handsome man the girl had ever seen and he promised to protect her always," Lily said matter-of-factly.
Jeb laughed and gave his father a pointed look. Cain looked away, lips flattening into a hard line as a blush crawled up over his cheeks.
"Ah, I see Dad's been telling you this story too. Well, in my version, things are a little different, and the tin man's son was the bravest, most handsome man she'd ever seen."
While Jeb recounted the events leading up to the eclipse, all Cain could think about was what happened after: the political upheaval, the war for the throne, and all the witch's supporters who swooped down at the royal family like vultures. They saw weakness and used all their powers to exploit those vulnerabilities as the crippled House of Gale tried to recover.
But most of all, Cain thought about the day he'd left, the last time he'd seen DG.
***
Five Years Earlier
The hallways were eerily silent as Cain made his way through the palace in search of his wife and daughter. The staff had been evacuated hours before with whatever belongings they could carry clutched to their chests. The palace was empty with the exception of the royal family and those willing and able to fight alongside them. A volunteer military consisting of mostly former resistance fighters was set up outside the stone walls, but this was a battle that wouldn't be won with guns and bayonets. Only those with the strongest of magical abilities would be of any practical use when the dark forces vying against them came to strike.
A soft light was glowing from the nursery and Cain stopped in the open doorway to check the room. DG sat in her favorite rocking chair, the baby bundled snuggly in her lap. He could hear his wife humming gently while she gazed in adoration at the child. The sight gave him an almost physical pain in his chest. But the decisions had been made, plans carefully thought out, and it was time to follow through with them.
"We have to go now, DG." Cain tried to speak quietly, but his voice was still unexpected and made DG jump, her eyes jerking to the doorway in surprise.
Realizing who was in the room with her, she relaxed back into the rocking chair's cushion and continued studying the baby's face as if trying to memorize every detail, from the way her bottom lip occasionally wobbled to the fluttering of her dark eyelashes when she slept.
"She's perfect," DG mused, her words just above a whisper. It wasn't the first time DG had made this observation about their baby, but something in her voice made Cain think she meant it differently this time.
"Beautiful," Cain agreed. "Just like her mother."
"We can't let anything happen to her."
"We won't. Jeb's waiting to bring her to the safe house. He'll take good care of her until we can catch up with them," Cain reassured her. He had no doubt that his son would protect the girl at all costs.
"No, you have to take her to the other side." The dreamlike softness in DG's voice was gone, replaced with stony resolve as she issued the command.
"The other side? DG, what are you talking about?"
"I love Jeb, you know that. He's family. But there's only one person that I trust with the life of my daughter." DG stood and crossed the room with a sudden determination in her steps.
"Don't ask me to do this," he begged as she approached and stood toe to toe with him.
"Brave man." She carefully pressed the baby against his chest between them.
"No." He refused to accept this. Going to the other side meant being completely cut off from the OZ. It was safer for Lily, but he would be stranded there without any way to return to DG if she needed him.
"Good man." She tucked the now fussing infant into his duster, pulling the sides of his jacket around her small body so only her cherubic face was visible behind his lapel. With her father's heart sounding beneath her ear, the baby settled with a contented gurgle.
"I'm not leaving." He didn't have a choice anymore and he hated the helpless feeling that swept him into a near panic.
"Tin man." DG stroked one cool hand across his heated cheek as her eyes pleaded with him to understand why she was asking so much of him.
An explosion from beyond the palace walls reverberated through the stone beneath their feet and both DG and Cain listened as muffled gunshots erupted seemingly from every direction. The war was beginning.
"You need me here." Cain attempted one last time to change her mind, though even he knew it was a futile effort.
"I'd always be worried about both of you and I can't afford any distractions. Please, Wyatt." DG's voice cracked with overwhelming anguish and he realized what she was asking hurt her just as much. He gave a small nod of acceptance and she sighed in relief. "I'll summon a travel storm to carry you over and I'll come get you as soon as I can, I promise."
With the baby secured in his right arm, he pulled DG into his opposite side and dropped his head down to kiss her hungrily. It could possibly be the last time he'd get the chance to kiss his wife and he didn't intend to waste it. His tongue plunged past her slightly parted lips and into the moist cavern of her mouth. Their dance of tongues and lips was slow, but powerful. They were saying their goodbyes the only way they knew how without falling apart.
"I love you," he whispered simply against her lips.
***
Five Years Later
"The witch melted into a puddle of slime and the princess was set free. Then the suns returned and lit up the sky so brightly you could hardly stand to look at it." Jeb finished the story and smiled at Lily who had calmed down considerably. He listened to the surrounding silence for a moment before stating the conclusion all of them had reached. "I think the storm's over."
"I think that's about right," Cain said, making his way to the heavy door. "Time to go up and see the damage."
The smell of ozone hung heavy in the air as they exited the storm cellar. Small bits of ice and debris were scattered across the lawn, but after a brief survey of the area, Cain deemed the house and surrounding fields relatively unharmed.
A movement out in the east field caught his attention and he set Lily down on her feet and pushed her to stand behind him.
"Dad, eleven o'clock and coming towards us," Jeb reported, positioning himself to best provide cover if the approaching figure proved hostile.
"I see it." Cain's hand twitched to his hip and he wished he'd had a gun strapped to it that would make the gesture useful.
Whoever was out there walked at a hurried pace towards the farmhouse. A pronounced limp made the figure's head bob in and out of the shadows cast by the house's security lights.
"Who's out there?" Jeb called as the figure stopped just out of view.
And then the missing half of Cain's heart strolled out of the wheat field.
Companion fic: The Long Way Home
Author: Cricket
Characters, Pairing: Cain, Jeb, OC, and DG. Cain/DG implied.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Cain copes with approaching storms beyond his control.
Disclaimer: Sadly, not mine. I'm just playing with the toys of the respectful owners.
Word Count: 2,348
Wyatt Cain watched silently from the porch of the Kansas farmhouse as the humid wind rushed through the wheat fields, making the stalks sway in mesmerizing ripples. The dark clouds rumbled with distant thunder and he caught a flash of lightning several miles to the south. Though he couldn't resist keeping a watchful eye on the turbulent skies of early summer, he'd long since stopped scouring the weather reports for any sign that a tornado had brought the missing half of his heart back to him. Cain thought it painfully ironic that as soon as he'd taken the risk of loving again and divided his scarred heart between his wife and children, it was ripped apart. It was a cruel trick the universe had played on him and not a day went by that he didn't curse the OZ and all its magic for everything that had happened. Life without DG was difficult, but the comfort of having his two children safely with him kept the small flame of hope in Cain from extinguishing completely.
He entered the house, careful to keep the squeaky screen door from slamming behind him, and found both Jeb and Lily seated at the old kitchen table. The little girl was perched on her older brother's lap, playing with the red scarf he always wore despite his absence from the band of resistance fighters. Her dark mop of curly hair hung wildly around her face and Cain mentally noted that she was due for a trim. He was terrible at taming the mess, though Jeb had some success with braiding it recently.
"Evening, Jeb." Cain nodded to his son as he squatted down beside the chair to get face to face with his daughter. Two pairs of identical blue eyes followed his movements.
"I just got in," Jeb replied. "Found her sitting here by herself."
Reaching around the girl, Cain gave Jeb's shoulder a thankful squeeze and turned his attention to Lily.
"What are you doing up, kiddo? You're supposed to be in bed," Cain said, gently brushing the hair away from the five-year-old's face.
"I couldn't sleep." Lily leaned back into her brother's chest and pressed the side of her face against his shoulder.
"Nightmare?" Jeb asked. He felt Lily shake her head slowly and looked up to see his father's concerned face.
"A storm is coming," she whispered.
Cain looked over his shoulder to see out the window. The wind had picked up and was violently whipping through the fields, and the sky had turned a menacing shade of green.
"It'll be okay, sweetheart," Cain said, pulling the girl into his arms and standing. "Jeb, close the windows and meet us in the storm cellar."
"Yes, sir." Three years away from military service and Jeb still had the disposition of a soldier. If the situation didn't require immediate action, Cain would have taken the time to be amused by it.
By the time they reached the porch, the rain had started. The tiny, stinging raindrops pelted the shingles of the roof and Cain felt Lily's hands fist tighter into his vest at the near deafening roar of wind and rain.
He still didn't know exactly how his daughter always knew when a tornado would arrive, even after five years of living on the other side. She was just a baby when they'd arrived and it had taken him years to make the connection between her anguished cries and the approaching storms. When she was old enough to talk, she claimed she could feel it in the tips of her fingers. Cain's best guess was that it had something to do with the magic that linked her, as the daughter of the Princess of Light, to the OZ. But not all tornadoes were travel storms, and that's where his reasoning broke down. Chalking it up to a force he didn't quite understand, he simply took Lily's predictions for what they were.
They circled around the back of the house to find the door in the ground that led down into the storm cellar. With one arm wrapped around Lily to keep her steady, he attempted to heave the heavy door open, but it wouldn't budge. Once Jeb finished securing the house, however, the two men were able to pull it back far enough for them to slip through the door. The smell of damp earth surrounded them as they descended the creaking stairs into the dark room below.
Lily trembled in Cain's arms and he held her tighter in reassurance as they listened to Jeb rifling through the emergency storm kit for matches to light the oil lantern. The flame sprang to life with a scrape and a pop, casting a yellow halo around them that grew wider when he touched the match to the lantern's wick.
The light reflected off the shiny trails of tears across Lily's cheeks and Jeb felt his gut clench at the sadness in her young eyes. He knew what it was like to grow up without one of his parents, and even though Lily couldn't remember her mother, he felt a certain kinship with the girl that went beyond sharing a common gene pool.
"I have a story I think would cheer you up," Jeb said, watching Cain wipe the moisture from the girl's face. "Would you like that?"
Lily nodded slightly, the movement barely an incline of her head against her father's shoulder. The wind howled loudly overhead and Jeb stepped closer to keep her attention on him instead of the storm.
"Once there was a young woman who had lived on a farm in Kansas for as long as she could remember," Jeb began.
"Just like me," Lily said. She'd probably heard this story countless times and the similarity between her and the main character was as familiar to her as the story itself.
"Just like you," Cain said, smiling down at her teary face.
"And one day," Jeb continued, "she was picked up by a tornado and carried up over the rainbows to a land full of magic. But the land was ruled by a terrible witch who did unspeakable things to those living there and all the young woman wanted was to go home. On her journey to find a way to return to Kansas, she met three men: a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion. Together, the four of them -"
"You skipped a part," Lily interjected.
"I did?" Jeb asked, amused that she would correct his storytelling. She was precocious and stubborn, both attributes surely stemming from DG.
"Yeah, you're supposed to say that the tin man was the bravest, most handsome man the girl had ever seen and he promised to protect her always," Lily said matter-of-factly.
Jeb laughed and gave his father a pointed look. Cain looked away, lips flattening into a hard line as a blush crawled up over his cheeks.
"Ah, I see Dad's been telling you this story too. Well, in my version, things are a little different, and the tin man's son was the bravest, most handsome man she'd ever seen."
While Jeb recounted the events leading up to the eclipse, all Cain could think about was what happened after: the political upheaval, the war for the throne, and all the witch's supporters who swooped down at the royal family like vultures. They saw weakness and used all their powers to exploit those vulnerabilities as the crippled House of Gale tried to recover.
But most of all, Cain thought about the day he'd left, the last time he'd seen DG.
***
Five Years Earlier
The hallways were eerily silent as Cain made his way through the palace in search of his wife and daughter. The staff had been evacuated hours before with whatever belongings they could carry clutched to their chests. The palace was empty with the exception of the royal family and those willing and able to fight alongside them. A volunteer military consisting of mostly former resistance fighters was set up outside the stone walls, but this was a battle that wouldn't be won with guns and bayonets. Only those with the strongest of magical abilities would be of any practical use when the dark forces vying against them came to strike.
A soft light was glowing from the nursery and Cain stopped in the open doorway to check the room. DG sat in her favorite rocking chair, the baby bundled snuggly in her lap. He could hear his wife humming gently while she gazed in adoration at the child. The sight gave him an almost physical pain in his chest. But the decisions had been made, plans carefully thought out, and it was time to follow through with them.
"We have to go now, DG." Cain tried to speak quietly, but his voice was still unexpected and made DG jump, her eyes jerking to the doorway in surprise.
Realizing who was in the room with her, she relaxed back into the rocking chair's cushion and continued studying the baby's face as if trying to memorize every detail, from the way her bottom lip occasionally wobbled to the fluttering of her dark eyelashes when she slept.
"She's perfect," DG mused, her words just above a whisper. It wasn't the first time DG had made this observation about their baby, but something in her voice made Cain think she meant it differently this time.
"Beautiful," Cain agreed. "Just like her mother."
"We can't let anything happen to her."
"We won't. Jeb's waiting to bring her to the safe house. He'll take good care of her until we can catch up with them," Cain reassured her. He had no doubt that his son would protect the girl at all costs.
"No, you have to take her to the other side." The dreamlike softness in DG's voice was gone, replaced with stony resolve as she issued the command.
"The other side? DG, what are you talking about?"
"I love Jeb, you know that. He's family. But there's only one person that I trust with the life of my daughter." DG stood and crossed the room with a sudden determination in her steps.
"Don't ask me to do this," he begged as she approached and stood toe to toe with him.
"Brave man." She carefully pressed the baby against his chest between them.
"No." He refused to accept this. Going to the other side meant being completely cut off from the OZ. It was safer for Lily, but he would be stranded there without any way to return to DG if she needed him.
"Good man." She tucked the now fussing infant into his duster, pulling the sides of his jacket around her small body so only her cherubic face was visible behind his lapel. With her father's heart sounding beneath her ear, the baby settled with a contented gurgle.
"I'm not leaving." He didn't have a choice anymore and he hated the helpless feeling that swept him into a near panic.
"Tin man." DG stroked one cool hand across his heated cheek as her eyes pleaded with him to understand why she was asking so much of him.
An explosion from beyond the palace walls reverberated through the stone beneath their feet and both DG and Cain listened as muffled gunshots erupted seemingly from every direction. The war was beginning.
"You need me here." Cain attempted one last time to change her mind, though even he knew it was a futile effort.
"I'd always be worried about both of you and I can't afford any distractions. Please, Wyatt." DG's voice cracked with overwhelming anguish and he realized what she was asking hurt her just as much. He gave a small nod of acceptance and she sighed in relief. "I'll summon a travel storm to carry you over and I'll come get you as soon as I can, I promise."
With the baby secured in his right arm, he pulled DG into his opposite side and dropped his head down to kiss her hungrily. It could possibly be the last time he'd get the chance to kiss his wife and he didn't intend to waste it. His tongue plunged past her slightly parted lips and into the moist cavern of her mouth. Their dance of tongues and lips was slow, but powerful. They were saying their goodbyes the only way they knew how without falling apart.
"I love you," he whispered simply against her lips.
***
Five Years Later
"The witch melted into a puddle of slime and the princess was set free. Then the suns returned and lit up the sky so brightly you could hardly stand to look at it." Jeb finished the story and smiled at Lily who had calmed down considerably. He listened to the surrounding silence for a moment before stating the conclusion all of them had reached. "I think the storm's over."
"I think that's about right," Cain said, making his way to the heavy door. "Time to go up and see the damage."
The smell of ozone hung heavy in the air as they exited the storm cellar. Small bits of ice and debris were scattered across the lawn, but after a brief survey of the area, Cain deemed the house and surrounding fields relatively unharmed.
A movement out in the east field caught his attention and he set Lily down on her feet and pushed her to stand behind him.
"Dad, eleven o'clock and coming towards us," Jeb reported, positioning himself to best provide cover if the approaching figure proved hostile.
"I see it." Cain's hand twitched to his hip and he wished he'd had a gun strapped to it that would make the gesture useful.
Whoever was out there walked at a hurried pace towards the farmhouse. A pronounced limp made the figure's head bob in and out of the shadows cast by the house's security lights.
"Who's out there?" Jeb called as the figure stopped just out of view.
And then the missing half of Cain's heart strolled out of the wheat field.
Companion fic: The Long Way Home