A story for an Annualversary

A/N This story was inspired by the fact that I was in "The wizard of OZ" back in high school. When I saw Tin man it brought back a lot of nice memories and great lines. I wanted to see how many lines from the play I could work into the story and make it coherent. Challenge yourself and see if you can find them all. I have to thank my awesome beta, AuroraAtantaqui. She has been so patient with my awful spelling! I hope you all enjoy it.


The first few weeks alone in the wilderness with his son were just the distraction Cain felt he needed. He finally had a chance to connect with Jeb after all those years trapped inside the tin suit. They chased down the bad guys together and brought an old sense of righteousness to the land. It was all very epic, father and son bringing justice to the people of the O.Z. Unfortunately after a while it got kind of old. He missed having warm showers and his soft bed. He missed his friends most of all. Anytime Cain found himself alone he would turn towards Central City and wondering what Glitch was up to. Did the surgery go well? Did Ambrose lose all memory of when he was Glitch? He hoped so.

He always woke up before his son. He would watch the sun begin to shine through the trees as he drew in the ashes of the dead fire. He always drew zippers. His loneliness started to silently consume him as he missed Glitch more and more everyday.

It was an annual after he first left that the royal messenger came to the two tin men. He was rather disgruntled when he finally found Cain and Jeb. The poor men had spent nearly a week searching the wilds of the O.Z. for them.

Their presents was requested at a ball to celebrate the queen's birthday. They were less than a day's ride from the winter palace were the party was going to be held. They set out immediately.

The snow slowed them down considerably and by the time they reached the palace the party was just beginning.

The Queen stood with her husband on a stage at one end of the hall. She was giving a speech thanking everyone for coming to celebrate her birthday with her.

Azkadellia and DG stood to the king and queens right. The older sister was trying her hardest not to laugh at her younger sibling. The younger woman was making very exasperated faces at her mother's speech. She clearly was ready to start the festivities.

Cain smiled. He missed her youthful excitement. He chuckled harder as DG spotted him standing in the back of the crowd. She became noticeably more excited. Jeb joined his father trying to hide his grungy exterior. They didn't have time to change or freshen up. They were both travel worn and stood out in the crowd of finely dressed aristocrats.

His heart stopped beating when the queens next words reached his ears.

"I would especially like to extend my sincerest thanks and appreciation to my dearest and closest advisor. An annual ago he was recovering from the return of his brain and while it was a joyful birthday for me to have my friend back, to watch him suffer with his body's recovery filled my heart with great sorrow." Her face was somber as she said these words but when her eyes fell upon someone standing in the front row. She smiled. "Yet now, he has been renewed and has thrown himself into his work. I do not have to tell those of you who work in his laboratories with him how dedicated he is to the enhancement of the O.Z. Simply walking past his laboratories at any hour of day or night you can tell how hard he is working. What a smell of sulfur!" The room exploded in laughter. Mostly courtiers who were often working within the palace where Ambrose's laboratories were. "Now, please Ambrose, come up here and say a few words before we begin the dancing."

Cain couldn't breath as Ambrose took the stage. After giving a low sweeping bow to his queen and the royal family, he addressed the audience. "Thank you once again for attending tonight's celebration. It is so nice to see so many faces that I can now recognize." he joked. Most of the room laughed. Cain did not. Ambrose looked so pale and gaunt as if he hadn't had a real meal in sometime. He wore his formal robes. Black adorned with so much gold brocade Cain was surprised that the frail man could stand.

The tin man could not pull his eyes from the man that had been his lover. He wanted nothing more than to run to the inventor and throw his arms around him begging for forgiveness. Cain knew then that it wasn't lust that he felt for Glitch. Lust would have vanished after so much time apart. This was something more. he was terrified and relived to finally admit it to himself.

"Dad, are you all right?" Jeb whispered in his father's ears.

Cain turned his head to look at his son. "I'm fine." he mumbled.

"I hope you all have a pleasant evening. Dance to your hearts content." Ambrose continued. He made a gesture to the musicians and they began to play. The advisor disappeared into the crowd as the guests began to pair off. The tin man tried to follow the other man with his eyes but was distracted from his search when a warm body leapt into his arms.

"Cain!" DG yelled throwing her arms around his neck. "We've all missed you so much!"

He put his arms around the young woman and spun her around. "Hey kiddo, look at you. You actually look like royalty." He placed DG on her feet and held her at arms length. "Should I be calling you princess, now?"

Azkadellia walked over in a very dignified manner. "She's told everyone not to call her princess. It's good to see you, Mr. Cain." She curtsied elegantly to the leader of the Waistcoats.

He bowed to the older princess. "You look well, Princess Azkadellia."

"Cain." A gruff voice called from behind the blond man.

Turning, Cain saw Raw with the small seer he remembered from the final battle. "Good to see you to Raw." Cain said with a smile.

Raw pulled his friend into a hug. "Raw miss you. Friends miss you." he said. The seer pulled away and looked at the young boy. "Say hello Kalm."

"Hello." Kalm said. He was staying close to Raw but his excitement was nearly palpable. He looked longingly at the many dancers. Kalm wanted to be in the middle of the celebration.

Seeing the boy's excitement, Raw sighed. "Go." Kalm was off like a shot but Raw grabbed his arm. "Be good." The hairy man warned before releasing the boy.

DG laughed at the sweat young man. "Now all we need is Glitch and we'll have our own little reunion."

Cain fought off the panic of having to face Ambrose. "He's letting you call him Glitch.?"

"Only in informal situations." Azkadellia explained. "Remember how angry he was at the last formal dinner when you called him Glitch in front of all those dignitaries. You better watch your mouth tonight." She smiled knowing her sister better than that.

"Oh, he got over it." DG grumbled searching the crowd for the advisor.

"So he's just as stuck up as I always thought Ambrose would be, huh?" Cain scoffed. It was a bit of a relief that the fears that drove him away were confounded.

"They fix him. Sometime he still make mistake. He remember more now." Raw explained. His eyes were searching Cain. The tin man wondered if there was some way to block out the seer.

"He's still the same old Glitch." DG explained. "He's always in his lab and his synapses don't misfire as often but he still remembers who he was when we became friends. There he is! Ambrose!"

Cain looked up panicked. He watched silently as Ambrose ran over to the young princess. He was smiling and except for the change of clothes, the malnourished demeanor, and the missing zipper he looked just like his he had from before Cain left.

Ambrose swept the princess off her feet and spun her around in circles. "Princess DG, you must dance the next dance with me." he laughed.

"Sure Ambrose." The princess stilled the inventor and turned his to the tin man. "Look who's finally come home."

The smile on the pale man's face melted and in its place fear and anger shown on Cain. It only lasted a moment. Ambrose cleared his throat and looked at his shoes. "Good to see you, Mr. Cain. Now, if you'll excuse me I've just remembered something very important I must attend to."

Ambrose tried to escape but DG grabbed his arm. "Hold on a second Scarecrow."

"I am becoming increasingly sick of that pet name her highness bestowed upon me completely by accident." the thin man grumbled glaring at DG, "I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me that."

"Whatever." DG said rolling her eyes. "You still need to give Cain a proper hello. I don't know why you're acting like this."

The inventor glared at Cain over his shoulder. "I've offered all the greetings I wish to offer to a man who can not keep a simple promise."

Childish anger sprung up in Cain. He knew it was silly to get so angry but in his mind it was better than being frightened and feeling rejected. "Good to see you too, sweetheart." The tin man said the words in anger and immediately regretted it.

Ambrose looked back at him. The pain in the other man's face was palpable. Cain knew it was because the endearment he often used for his lover with affection had just been used as an arrow aimed directly at the wound he knew would be there. The inventor quickly turned away and disappeared among the party guests.

"I wonder what's gotten into him?" DG wondered watching him go.

"I'm sure he's just feeling stressed from planning the party." Azkadellia said with a smile to her sister.

The song that was playing ended and another one began. This song was faster. The older princess' face lit up. "I love this song! I'm going to ask father to dance."

She took DG's hand in her's and smiled. A flash of light passed between the sisters. Cain noticed two delicate emerald rings gracing their long fingers. He found out later that the rings were made from small pieces of the Emerald of the Eclipse. Of course they asked permission of The Gray Gail before the rings were made. The emerald had been placed back in the family tomb after the pieces were taken for the rings. The sisters parted ways and DG turned to Cain.

"I guess you'll have to be my dance partner Cain." she said with a smile.

Cain put up his hands defensively. "I'm afraid I'm a little rusty yet."

The princess pouted. "Come on, Cain." she whined.

The tin man looked around for help. His bright eyes landed on his son and as always his sharp mind concocted an escape plan. "There's someone who can help you." Cain put his arm around Jeb's shoulder and steered towards DG. "I hear he's quite the dancer."

Jeb's eyes went wide in disbelief and face was very red in embarrassment. "Dad!"

"Sounds like a good idea to me." DG said smiling

If it was even possible, Jeb's eyes went even wider. "Really?" he asked as a large smile broke out over his face.

"Really."

The two smiled at each other. Cain watched them for a minute then rolled his eyes and whispered to his son. "Offer her your arm."

"Huh? Oh!" Jeb jumped to offer his arm to DG who took it elegantly.

Cain watched his son lead the princess to the dance floor.

Raw came to stand at Cain's side. He watched the man, searching within him, for just a moment. "Hurt." he finally whispered.

The tin man regarded him with confusion. "Who's hurt?"

Sad brown eyes met blue. "You hurt. Glitch hurt. You hurt by fear. Glitch hurt by..." Raw searched another moment then his eyes rounded in surprise. "Glitch hurt by Cain."

Cain's eyes hardened. He frowned as he put up all the walls he had built up over the years. "What are you talking about?"

Furry eyebrows set themselves in a line of consternation. He grabbed Cain's coat sleeve and dragged him away from the great hall to another large room. It was the grand dinning room. Many servants were bustling about cleaning up after the Queens birthday dinner. Several stopped to ask if they needed anything but Raw ignored them.

He pulled Cain into an adjoining room. After letting the tin man go, Raw shut the door and quickly lit a lamp.

The light from the one small lamp was just enough to show Cain a finely furnished sitting room, presumably for smaller engagements.

"What was all that about?" Cain growled rather annoyed.

The seer moved to stand next to a very large mirror that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. "You must see." he said before laying his hand on the guilded frame of the looking glass.

The scene in the mirror changed. Cain could no longer see himself standing in a dark sitting room. He saw a sitting room full of sunshine. DG sat next to the bed absentmindedly drawing in a sketch book. She looked up at the bed every so often to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

Raw sat on the other side of the bed watching its sleeping occupant very closely.

Glitch was the one in the bed. His head was bandaged and his face was still as he slept. Cain watched as the Raw in the mirror sat up very straight suddenly. "DG." he said never taking his eyes off the man in the bed.

Glitch's eyebrows came together in a sign of strain. He groaned. DG dropped her pad of paper and rushed quickly to the bed side.

"Is it over?" the man in the bed grumbled.

"Yes Glitch, the surgery's over. Can you open your eyes?" she asked excitedly.

With some effort his eyes opened half way. Glitch smiled at DG. "I remember so much. I remember you when you were a child. The first time I met your mother, my first explosion." He laughed and looked over at Raw. "I still remember the fight against the darkness and our friendship. I'm not lost and wandering any more. I'm me. I'm Glitch and Ambrose. I feel so relived."

DG took Glitch's hand in her's. She fought back tears as Raw smiled.

"Raw is happy you remember him."

"I'm happy too." DG added.

"Where's Cain?" Glitch asked after looking around the room as best he could from his prone position on the bed.

The princess wiped at her eyes quickly. "He's out on patrol. He left as soon as you want in for surgery. That was two days ago."

"No." Glitch's voice had turned stern and the smile disappeared from his face. "Cain said he'd be here when I woke up. There must be a mistake."

DG blinked in surprise. "We watched him leave. He and Jeb had been planning this patrol for months."

The former headcase was wounded. Not just his head but his heart. He had never been very good at hiding his emotions and now they played across his face like a tri-dimentional energy stored projected holographic time loop. Glitch attempted to push himself up in bed but was already exhausted. His body wanted nothing more than to sleep and recover after all the trauma. "He must have ment to come back to see me." the former advisor groaned under the strain he was putting his body through. "Something must be wrong. He's hurt or captured. I have to go find him."

He tried to get our of bed but Raw forced him back down. "Hurt. Need rest."

"Raw's right. You just had brain surgery. You can't run off like this." DG pleaded with Glitch to stay in bed but the injured man kept fighting Raw and begging to go look for Cain. He was becoming hysterical.

DG ran to the door and called into the hall, "We need a doctor in here!"

Finally a man in a long white coat came rushing in. The doctor injected Glitch with a sedative.

As Glitch finally sercumbed to sleep tears spilled down his face.

Raw removed his hand from the mirror and looked as deeply into Cain as he could without touching him. "Glitch wait for you. You never come back. He lose hope. His heart hurt. Everyday hurt more. Glitch hide in lab. Think if he work hard he forget you." Raw shook his head like an elder admonishing a young person for their foolishness. "Silly. Can not forget what is in your heart."

The seer walked to the door and opened it. Before he left he turned back to the tin man. "You should say sorry to Glitch. Tell him what is in your heart." With that he left.

Cain felt the guilt burrow deep into his stomach. He knew that Raw was right. The only way to fix what he had done was to talk to Glitch. He set his jaw, put out the lamp and returned to the party intent on finding his lover.

Cain found Ambrose but decided to wait for some of the guests to go home in case his apology didn't go over well.

He had a drink to calm his nerves, then another for extra courage.

Using his expertise as a trained tin man he blended into the background. Ambrose was never out of his sight.

The tin man watched him laugh and socialize and dance. Boy Ambrose hadn't been kidding when he said he could dance. The many women who approached Ambrose to ask for a dance were all beautiful but the spindly brunette treated them all as ladies of the court. Lovely to dance with but not what he wanted for a romantic partner. Cain watched Ambrose bow respectfully to each lady after their dance then move away uninterested. The blond man had to admit he felt a certain amount of smug satisfaction from watching this.

Halfway trough his third ale, he found his satisfaction short lived. A young man with platinum blond hair pulled elegantly back in a short pony tail appeared behind Ambrose. He was barely older than Jeb and very attractive. He had deep green eyes, beautiful facial structure and a smile that could bring lesser men to there knees. The young blond put his hands over Ambrose's eyes and whispered something in his ear. The inventor's face split into a giant grin. He spun around, pulling the young man into his arms. Cain did not like this.

For the next half hour Cain watched Ambrose and the young man he was growing increasingly jealous of. They never left each other's side. The young man touched Ambrose often and with a certain amount of familiarity that was not to the tin man's liking. He watched as they talked close together ignoring the rest of the party. They laughed, they let there hands linger on arms and shoulders. The breaking point was when the young man had pushed a wayward curl out of Ambrose's face. His finger slid down the advisor's jawbone. Leaning closer, he hissed something into the advisor's ear then kissed him softly on the cheek.

Cain saw red. He discreetly made his way through the crowd. Putting his arm around Ambrose's waist, he smiled at the young man. "Excuse me, I need to barrow Ambrose for a while."

"Cain?" The thin dark haired man asked very surprised.

"Come on, Sweetheart." Cain steered Ambrose out of the ballroom. Before he left the room he winked a the young man over his shoulder.

"Cain! What do you think you are doing?" Ambrose yelled as Cain dragged him up the stairs.

"Shut up." was Cain's only answer.

"Shut up!? Shut up!?" Ambrose balked indignantly. "I am the queen's head advisor. You can not talk to me this way. I demand that you unhand me this instant!"

On and on Ambrose complained of "the indignity of practically being kidnapped" to Cain who was not listening to a word.

He dragged the other man to the end of the upstairs hall. He opened the last door he came to and looked in. It was a guest suite. It was dark inside but the blinds were open and the light of the full moon was all the light that was needed. With frightening ease, Cain pushed the thin man in the room. He entered the room and leaned his back against the closed door, effectively cutting off the advisor's escape

"So are you going to tall me what was going on down there?" Cain crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke.

Ambrose looked at him like he had lost his mind. Who would know more about that than Ambrose? "What are you talking about? I was attending a party till you dragged me up here."

Cain glared at the other man. "I ment, what was going on with you and that blond?"

Ambrose's eyebrows went up so far they were almost lost in his hairline. "You mean Nick?" He laughed. "Nicholas Chopper is an intern in my lab at Fanaqua. There's nothing going on between us. Besides I'm old enough to be his father. Now if you'll excuse me, it's very impolite for a host to leave his own party."

The inventor moved towards the door but was cut off when Cain slammed his hand against the wall. His arm would not be moved and Ambrose knew it. "It seemed like there was something going on down at the party." Cain's eyes were frosted over with an icy warning.

Swallowing hard, Ambrose turned away. He couldn't stand to have Cain look at him like that. "So what if there is something between us? What do you care? You left me with half a brain and a broken promise. Now you come waltzing back here like nothing happened asking about men that might be in my life. Are you jealous, Cain?" He kept his back to his lover.

Cain looked at the floor. He was feeling jealous but he had no idea how to express this to Ambrose.

"And what if I am jealous? What would you say to that?"

Ambrose turned to look at Cain. His face was a study in sadness. "I'd say it's pretty damn unfair." His voice was quiet. "I was sure you had run away because you realized how much I cared. All this time I convinced myself that I drove you away. If you actually care enough to be jealous then I guess I was wrong. After what I went through because I -" Ambrose stopped himself. "That's enough Cain let me out of this room this instant."

"No. Tell me what you were going to say?" Cain demanded.

Ambrose was angry now. "Fine. I loved you, Cain! It tore me apart when you left! I couldn't eat! I couldn't sleep!" He paused and took a breath. His voice squeaked with unsaid emotion. "My heart all full of pain. I was even more of a scarecrow than before. I simply wandered around the palace as though I could find you hiding in some room in the highest tower. My heart hurt so much I almost wished I didn't have one."

"Then you did love me once." Cain said. "Could you learn to love me again?"

"Why would I do that?" the inventor asked. "So you can watch me fall apart with your own eyes? Face it Cain, there's no future for us as a pair."

The two men were silent as those last words sank in. The last ties to their old relationship were severed in that moment. They were no longer lovers, just two men who had stumbled into each others lives.

Cain swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Now I know I have a heart because it's breaking."

Tears welled up in Ambrose's eyes. "Don't you dare say that to me. Thank the gods for my work or I would have ended my pain a long time ago."

"Then I thank the gods for your work too." Cain reached out and touched Ambrose's face. "Glitch, I love you. I've loved you for so long but I was terrified that if I felt that way for you I'd loose you. I can't lose another person I love. It would tear me apart."

Ambrose's eyes widened as he looked at the tin man. Cain smiled. He leaned forward to press his lips to the other man's. He was sorely surprised to receive a fist to his jaw. Cain reeled at the power behind the punch, almost falling to the ground.

"You heartless..." Ambrose couldn't find the words as tears spilled over. "You put me through hell because you were afraid you loved me!? Why you're nothing but a great, big coward." The inventor bolted out of the room.

Cain tried to shake the clouds from his head. He stumbled out of the room and down the hall. He heard DG by the ballroom.

"Ambrose, what's wrong? Were are you going?"

"Just get out of my way, please! I have to get out of here!"

Sprinting forward, Cain launched himself down the stairs. He knew that if he lost Ambrose this time he'd loose him forever.

"Cain?" DG started to ask as the tin man ran past her but Cain cut her off.

"Not now, kiddo." he said as he ran out the door.

It was snowing gently outside. It was easy to see Ambrose's black clad form in the snowy night as he ran to the stables.

"Stop!" Cain yelled. "Ambrose, Please!"

The dark form stopped and turned . "I'm not going to listen to your lies." Ambrose yelled.

"I wasn't lying." Cain answered his breath puffing out of him as he tried to get closer o Ambrose but the advisor wouldn't allow it. "I love you."

Ambrose shook his head. "No, you don't. I know what I was to you. First, a bed mate who's only use was to sharpen your lust for your wife. When you found out she was dead I was merely her replacement in the bedroom. I've thought it all through and it's the only logical explanation."

"You think too much. When has love ever been logical? Hearts will never be practical till they can be made unbreakable." That silenced Ambrose for the time being. "You said there's no future for us as a pair. I might know that somewhere deep inside but I don't care. As long as your mine even for a short time I'll be happy." He began to approach the other man. Ambrose allowed it.

The inventor shook his head. "We need to stop this now, Cain. It was over before it even began."

Cain kept advancing on the other man. "I'm not losing you again." was all Cain said. He reached out and took Ambrose's hands in his. These hands had always been delicate but now they were so thin they were nearly skeletal. "I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have left you like that. I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again because I love you." he whispered against the flesh of the fingers. "I'm begging for you to forgive me. Tell me what I can do to make you believe that I love you."

Ambrose pulled his hands out of Cain's grasp. For one gut wrenching second the blond man feared that there was nothing he could do. He was surprised when Ambrose wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Kiss me." The spark of hope that Cain first fell in love with in Glitch's eyes returned, brighter and more beautiful than ever. "A real kiss."

Leaning down, Cain captured Ambrose's lips with his. He put his arms around Ambrose's waist, pulling his closer. It amazed Cain that he had never kissed Ambrosse before. It was so natural as if the gods themselves had made their lips from the same mold and now the pieces were finally coming together. For some reason an old saying popped into his head. He remembered saying it regularly after coming home from a long day of work as a tin man. There's no place like home.

From one of the windows in the palace, DG, Raw, Jeb, Azkadellia, Ahamo and her royal highness watched the two.

"Aww. It's so simple. I should have thought of it for them." DG commented resting her chin in her hands as she peered out of the window.

"I should of felt it in my heart." Jeb mumbled as he thought back to his fathers odd behavior the whole time they were on patrol.

Ahamo laughed, "No, they had to find it out for themselves."

"I think that is enough. We are all infringing on Ambrose and Mr. Cain's privacy." the Queen said as she shooed everyone back to the ballroom.

"Too right, my darling. May I have the next dance?" Ahamo smiled at his wife as he offered her his arm.

"Of course my beloved."

Outside the two men finally parted for breath.

"I can fairly hear my heart beating." Ambrose whispered against Cain's lips.

The tin man smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." the inventor said taking one of Cain's hands in his. "Now, let's go back inside. It's freezing out here."

"Good idea, Sweetheart."

The two men walked back towards the palace's front doors. The music from the ballroom spilled out on to the snowy landscape. "This is a good song." Ambrose mused, "Will you dance with me, Cain?"

The blonde man made an exasperated sound.

"Oh please Cain." Ambrose begged looking deep into Cain's eyes.

He sighed. Cain knew this was a battle he could not win. "You lead, I'll follow."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It had been an annual from when they shared their first kiss. The night before they had attended the Queens birthday as a couple. DG had put the party on for her mother this year but of course they had come a few days early to help her set everything up. They danced the night away and hardly left each other's side. It had put to bed a lot of rumors that Ambrose was looking to find a suitable wife, which was a relief for both of them. If there were those of the court who disapproved of their relationship, to hell with them. No one was going to take on the leader of the Waistcoats and the Queen's advisor who was said to have a deadly fighting skill.

Cain filled the cat's food bowl after he finished cleaning up the puddles on the floor. Glinda nearly ran into his ankle as she rounded the corner. She had decided that food was better than snuggles.

Cain smiled at the cat as she ate ravenously from her dish. He knew that would get her out of their room.

Once inside he shut the door behind him. For a moment he contemplated locking it but decided that would be a bit excessive simply to keep the cat out of the room.

Ambrose had rolled over on his stomach. This was a good indication that he was sleeping heavily. The tin man readied himself for the synapse he was sure would misfire as soon as the inventor woke up.

True, the brain had been put back into Ambrose's head with out any problems but something had gone awry in the healing process. His eyesight was not as sharp as it use to be and now Ambrose was forced to wear gold wire rimmed glasses when working on the fine details of his inventions. He hated them was a passion but there was nothing he could do about it. He had admitted to Cain it was his vanity that disliked them so much.

The migraines had become fewer and fewer. Now they only showed up when Ambrose over worked himself. That was fixed easily enough. Cain would drag him, sometimes kicking and screaming, out of his lab. Then he would proceed to bring him home for a hearty meal and put him to bed.

What got on Cain's nerves was the very seldom misfired synapse. It only happened when the inventor was so engrossed in what he was doing at the moment that the rest of the world ceased to exist or when he was very deeply asleep and was woken up suddenly. These episodes never lasted long but they were still rather unnerving to Cain. He didn't like how his Ambrose looked at him as if he never knew him. Cain stifled a laugh as Ambrose kicked in his sleep, pushing down the blankets and exposing more of his bare back. The tin man started to remove his shirt as he studied his sleeping lover.

The scar on the pale back still reminded him of their last adventure with DG.

They had run into a nest of huge crows. The locals to the area called them jackdaws. It was these gigantic birds that had scarred the advisor. That was another story for another time.

With practiced accuracy Cain tossed his shirt into the laundry hamper. Before removing the rest of his clothes the tin man reached out and ran the tips of his fingers along his lovers scar.

"Cold!" Ambrose hissed jolted from his deep sleep. His back arched away from the icy digits.

"Go back to sleep." Cain commanded trying to quickly and quietly remove his belt and pants.

"To late. M'awake." mumbled the inventor, stretching a little. Suddenly Ambrose's body went rigid. He turned over and sat up. His "Do I know you?" look was all over his face. All Cain could do was sigh and say the magic words.

"Good morning, Sweetheart."

The light of recognition lit up Ambrose's face. "Cain." He blushed at suck a ridiculous mistake. "I'm sorry. I misfired again." he added rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Cain pulled his belt out of the loops and hung it haphazardly on the door knob. He started to unbuckle his pants. "That's you all over." he laughed.

"Oh no, Mr. Cain. You put those clothes back on." Ambrose admonished, wagging his finger at his lover. He swung his bare legs out of the bed so he could really stretch. "I can't believe you snuck off this morning. Thank goodness for Glinda or I would have frozen to death all alone in our bed." He pouted, making sure the sheets were draped across his lap in a way that properly concealed his nudity. "and besides if you climb back into this bed I promise you we will be late for work... again."

The tin man smiled at his lover's impish grin. "Sweetheart, it is the morning after the Queen's birthday ball, no one is going to work today."

Blinking twice rapidly, Ambrose blushed again "Oh. I remember now." he laughed. "It seems to be taking my synapses a while to wake up this morning."

"Probably all those martins you drank last night." Cain sat on the edge of the bed.

"Martinis." Ambrose corrected, "and DG kept handing them to me. It's not my fault. They're rather good."

"You weren't too happy when she called you a martini slut." Cain laughed remembering the rather annoyed look on Ambrose's face the night before.

"That was uncalled for." Ambrose's eyebrows furrowed together in annoyance.

Cain laughed harder. "I'm sorry. You're right she shouldn't have said that." he said around his laughter. He tried to pull his lover into his arms but Ambrose wouldn't allow it.

He put his hands on Cain's chest and pushed the larger man away with all his might. It was to no avail. Even though Ambrose had gained back all the weight he had lost and then a little extra contentment weight, he was no match for the tin man. "Stop it." the advisor grumbled as his lover pushed him down on the bed and went to work trying to pull the blanket away. "I mean it Cain! Cut it out! I'm still annoyed with you leaving this morning. Now, tell me were you went."

The tin man was clearly defeated. Once Ambrose latched onto something he was like a puppy with a bone, there was no way he was going to leave it alone. Cain heaved a sigh of annoyance and sat up. "You're not going to be happy with what I have to say."

Ambrose put his hands behind his head and looked up at Cain with interest. "I'm listening."

"DG understands that she is going to have to make some important decision now that Az has conceded the crown to her. She'll be queen someday and she's taking it very seriously. Well, as seriously as DG can be." Cain began. It was hard to think with Ambrose laying so invitingly before him. "She doesn't want Azkadellia tossed to the wayside because she made a responsible decision." Cain paused and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Go on." Ambrose said in that cold calculating way he usually reserved for his interns when they had screwed up and had to explain themselves.

Cain sighed. "The kid has decided that she wants her sister to be her head advisor when she assumes the thrown."

Ambrose's reaction was just what Cain expected.

"What!!?" He exclaimed sitting straight up.

"Glitch, calm down. It's not that big of a deal." Cain tried to placate the man to no avail.

"Not that big of a deal!? I'm going to lose my job to... to..."

"To her sister. To the other half of her magic." Cain took Ambrose by the shoulders trying to calm him down and get the inventor to focus. "You aren't going to lose your job. You will still be an advisor and you will have your labs so you can invent what ever you want. Az will be doing what she's always done but now she'll have the title of head advisor. Sweetheart, they need to be together. They are only half of who they are with out the other, like me without you. Do you hear what I'm saying, darling."

Ambrose sighed. "Yes, I hear you." He shrugged Cain's hands off his arms. "Why did she talk to you about this and not me?" He looked hurt.

Gently, Cain touched Ambrose's face. "She knew you wouldn't take it very well, sweetheart. She asked me to come and talk to her before everyone woke up this morning because she knew it wouldn't hurt so much coming from me. Deej asked what I thought of the whole mess and I told her."

"And what, pray tell, did you tell our darling DG?" Ambrose asked leaning his face into Cain's touch while giving his lover a skeptical look.

"You know what I told her. You are the self proclaimed genius after all."

Ambrose rolled his eyes. "Fine, you win."

A smile spread across the blond man's face. He leaned forward to place a kiss on Ambrose's lips. Wyatt Cain should have known better, Ambrose never gave up without a fight.

"Maybe I should go talk to her myself." The dark hared man jumped out of the bed and ran for the closet.

Cain was quick. He grabbed Ambrose's wrist and pulled him back into bed. "No, you're not. We aren't leaving this bed today. We have some celebrating to do." He couldn't help his hands from wandering along his lover's bare stomach.

"What celebrating?" Ambrose asked exasperated. He swiped at Cain's hands. "Stop it, aroused and confused is not a combination I enjoy."

"Think about what day it is. What happened an annual ago that we should celebrate?" Cain prompted looking deeply into Ambrose's eyes.

It took Ambrose a moment what would have taken Glitch forever to remember.

The inventor's eyes went wide. "Oh Wyett!" He threw his arms around the tin man's neck. "It's our annualversery! I can't believe I forgot. It's just that I've been so busy with DG's motor bike, which keeps blowing up, and all of my other responsibilities. You know how I get when I'm overly busy. I am so sorry."

Cain put his arms around Ambrose and rubbed his back. "That's enough apologizing. Can I give you your present now?"

Ambrose pulled back so he could look at Cain. "You didn't have to do that."

"You're right, I didn't have to I wanted to." The tin man reached into his pocket and took out a small velvet box.

Ambrose took the box from Cain's hand gently. "Emerald cufflinks!" He exclaimed after flipping the lid back.

"It nearly killed me to not give them to you last night. It were hilarious the way you were carrying on about how your silver cufflinks didn't match your green coat. You were quite the sight trying on every coat in your closet and you still ended up wearing the green one." Cain laughed.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Ambrose gave a little pout. "You're a jackass."

"No I'm a tin man." Cain laughed at his lover's expression.

"Stop picking on me. I feel bad enough as it is. I forgot our annualversery and I didn't get you a present. I feel awful."

"Do you like them?" The tin man asked tilting the box so he could get a glimpse of the elegant gems circled be diamonds and cradled in gold. They had cost him a pretty platinum but Ambrose was worth it.

"I love them." He snuggled close to the blond and nuzzled his neck. "Thank you. I can't wait to wear them."

Cain closed the box and put it on the bedside table. "That will have to wait till tomorrow because today I'm not allowing you a stitch of clothing." With that he pressed a passionate kiss against Ambrose's lips.

The inventor opened his mouth as an invitation to his lover. Cain took it eagerly, sliding his tongue past those beautiful pink lips. The tin man slid his hands down the advisor stomach to more intimate areas.

"Ah! Wyatt!" He pulled away moaning.

"That's the best gift you could ever give me, Glitch." Cain said kissing his lover's jaw. "You have all the time in the world to give me the best gift in the O.Z. You.

"Mmm. Time is good." Ambrose moaned as Cain wiggled out of his tight pants and nestled himself between the pale man's thighs.

The tin man contented himself with leaving large red marks on his lover's neck. Suddenly Ambrose's frame went rigid. Before Cain could ask what was wrong the brunette had swiftly and agilely jumped from the bed.

"Time! How could I forget!" he yelled from the closet.

"Glitch, you get back in this bed right now." Cain said using his "authoritative" voice. "I said no clothes today and I meant it. Now come here and let me finish what I started."

"In a moment." Ambrose said emerging with a bundle in his arms. "I have something for you." He thrust the bundle into Cain's hands.

The blond looked down at the ragged clothes Ambrose once wore as he travailed the O.Z. as a headcase. "You want me to have your old rags?"

"No! No, it's more than that." Ambrose admonished. He fished his old coat out of the pile and shook it out. A cloud of dirt, that had once been mud, danced through the air after coming off the coat in dark clouds. "DG gave these back to me two days ago when she first arrived to help set up for the party. She said I might need them." He reached into a pocket inside the coat. "I thought these old dirty things had been destroyed. I'm glad she found it and held onto it for me." He removed a long thin box from his pocket and presented it to Cain. "I wanted to give it to you before the surgery but I couldn't make myself do it. If I only had the nerve." he laughed.

Cain was surprised to say the least. He had half expected Ambrose to forget. The blond wasn't sure what to do now that he was being offered a present. To be completely honest he had never expected a gift from another man before.

"Take it." Ambrose urged

Laying the old clothes aside, he took the box. Cain looked the box over, it was just a plain black box made from cheap, thick paper.

"I know it doesn't look like much from the outside but wait till you see what's in it. It ticks! Listen to it tick!" He brought the box to his lover's ear. Ambrose sat down beside Cain. "Come on. Open it."

In a trance like state Cain did what he was told. He pulled off the top and placed it on the bed. Red paper cradled the present within its folds. As Cain pushed the paper aside he was astounded by its beauty. "A pocket watch."

"Do you like it?" Ambrose asked excitedly.

Cain removed the watch from its box to better observe it. It was white gold with a strong, well made chain. On the front, laid in silver, was the crest of the Waistcoats. Azkadellia had created it to look similar to the royal family crest. This was her way of apologizing to the tin men.

The exquisite workmanship showed every detail. Surely this had to be the watch makers opus.

Blue eyes ran over the picture. He remembered what Az had told him about each symbol. He had adored it right away. It was everything he loved about the O.Z.

The rows of corn to show the fertility of the land. A crowned lion to show the bravery of the nations sovereigns. The beasts tail was wrapped around an ax, this was the symbol for industry and finally a little girl stood before the lion with her hand gently resting on its head. Cain could almost see every strand of hair artfully crafted into her long braids. The girl child was to represent the matriarchal line of the royal house along with kindness and an unfailing hope for the future generations

Cain pressed the button at the top and the lid sprung open. The face of the watch was artfully rendered. Small rubies sat below the twelve, three, six and nine. The other numbers were not present but represented by silver dashes. The hands were also silver and moved with great prosition. On the inside of the lid there was an inscription.

The heart is not judged by how much you love,
but by how much you are loved by others.

Your loving sweetheart,
Glitch

His blue eyes filled with tears. It was the most beautiful and precious thing anyone had ever given him, aside from Jeb's hand painted horse.

"I told DG I wanted to get something special for so she helped me pick it out. She helped me pay for it too, I'll have to pay her back one days." Ambrose rattled on. "I thought up the inscription myself. Heavens know where I came up with that and only half a brain in my head. You do like it don't you?"

"Ambrose, Sweetheart, I love it." He choked out over the lump in his throat. Cain placed a a quick kiss on Ambrose's lips before wiping the tears from his eyes. "I'll wear it to work every day."

"That can wait till tomorrow." The advisor said looking at Cain through his lashes, a smoldering look that always drove Cain wild. Many times when Ambrose would look at him like that at work, Cain was hard pressed not to drag the slimmer man into the nearest broom closet and have his way with him. Just like when they traveled together.

Handling his gift with great care, Cain placed it back in its box and placed it beside the cufflinks on the bed side table. He pulled Ambrose into his lap. Long legs went around his waist and long arms went around his neck. "Now were was I? Oh yes." He went back to producing large red love marks on Ambrose's throat.

"Cain?"

"Mmm." was the tin man's response around a kiss to his lovers shoulder.

"How do you think Deej is going to tell me about Azkadellia becoming the head advisor?" Ambrose asked.

Cain was annoyed. "At a time like this you're thinking about work?"

"I can't help it sometimes. My mind wanders, You know that." The brunette tried his best to sound apologetic.

The tin man smiled and shook his head. "Yeah I know and even though I love you for it can your mind wander away from work and back home now?"

"Just answer my question. You're the one who had the secret meeting with her. I want to be prepared when she tells me."

Cain thought for a moment. "She'll probably tell you one of those stories her nurture units told her."

A smile spread across Ambrose's face. For a moment Cain caught a glimpse of his headcase. "I like those stories, especially the endings. I've often thought of putting them into a book. Do you think DG will ever tell a story about us?"

Cain shrugged. He was so happy to have Ambrose in his arms. "Maybe. How do you think she'll end our story."

With his hidden strength and agility, Ambrose tumbled backwards onto the bed. He pulled Cain with him settling the blond on top of him. He nuzzled his forehead to Cain's as he spoke. The tin man and the scarecrow," he rolled his eyes at the annoying nickname. "Wished never to be separated again. They lived happily ever after together."

The inventor was ecstatic to see how widely Cain smiled at him. It was one of Ambrose's favorite things about them as a couple. Ambrose had taught Cain to laugh and smile again.

"We'll go on adventures with DG before the end of the stories, right?" the blond said peppering kisses all over his lovers face.

"Of course, my love. And I'll fall deeply and more passionately in love with you every time." Ambrose took Cain's face in his hands and kissed him.

"Meow." Came from the other side of the door.

Cain groaned and rested his head on Ambrose's shoulder. "Glinda always shows up at the worst possible time."

The inventors wrestled the tin man beneath him. "Just ignore her." He smiled down at his lover and proceeded to distract his lover from the cat mewing on the other side of the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day, with a glint of emerald on his wrists, Ambrose excepted DG's decision with as much quiet dignity as he could muster.

Cain checked his watch every five minutes simply to admire it. When his lover wandered past his office later that day, the leader of the Waistcoats couldn't help himself. He dragged Ambrose into his office and locked the door.