Save the Last Dance (or Five Times DG & Cain shared the last dance and one time they didn't)

Summary: It was a tradition that started at the first ball, the last dance was always theirs. Romance/angst

A/N: This is possibly one of my favourite stories of all the ones I've written, definitely my favourite in the Tin Man fandom so far!

The First Dance

It was a tradition that started at the first ball, the one the Queen and her council arranged six cycles after the double eclipse. Neither of them had been enthusiastic about the prospect of attending; DG hated the thought of being the centre of so much attention and Cain was adamant the whole thing would be a security nightmare.

They both grumbled about it, to each other and to anyone else who would listen, in the weeks and days leading up to the grand event. By the time the ball itself rolled around, Azkadellia, who'd been dreading it herself, was thrilled to have it finally be here just so she would stop hearing her little sister go on about it.

All in all, it wasn't as bad as DG had been anticipating. It helped that Cain had been roped in as her escort at the last minute, a decision her mother made when she realised just how unsteady her daughter was in the high heels she was expected to wear. It just wouldn't do for the newly returned princess of the OZ to trip over her own feet as she descended the staircase for her debut.

Though DG had hoped Cain's role would mean she'd be assured of his company for the evening, she was disappointed when the small group of friends she'd made in the OZ were pulled in different directions. Cain spent most of the evening with Jeb and other members of the Resistance he'd known before his incarceration in the Tin Suit so she couldn't be too upset about it.

Glitch was kept busy in his role as advisor to the Queen, having become Ambrose once more following the successful operation to restore his brain. He was still Glitch, most of the time, but had a definite job to do at the ball that didn't include keeping DG company.

Raw had attended only long enough to be granted the honours the Queen had bestowed on the three men who'd helped her youngest daughter defeat the Witch and free Az from her possession. It was too much, the Viewer told DG apologetically, to be around so many people and feel so many things.

Being separated from the men who'd been her companions during her first days back in the OZ initially left her wandering on her own, fending off questions she didn't know the answers to from the seemingly hundreds of people who wanted to speak to her. But then DG caught a glimpse of her sister through the crowd around her, sitting alone and looking lost on a bench outside on the balcony and she'd fought her way through the sea of unfamiliar faces, stepping on more than one toe in the process, until she'd made it to Az.

Side by side, they'd sat together holding hands, listening to the music that drifted outside as they enjoyed the warm night air.

Later, DG would find out her Mother had spotted them together. Instead of ordering her daughters back inside to mingle with their guests, Lavender had made a subtle request that her daughters not be disturbed to Wyatt and Jeb Cain, both of whom had gravitated towards the open doors when they'd spotted the Princesses outside.

It was only when it was indicated that the band were about to play the last song that the Princesses were interrupted; it wouldn't do, Glitch announced, for them to miss dancing all together at their first official ball.

"Damn, and I thought I'd got away without making a fool of myself," DG complained to Az as they made their way inside, her arm linked with her sisters.

"Language, Princess," Cain warned her, though the warning glower on his face was enough to keep most eavesdroppers away.

Not that there were many people left, DG realised; the crowd had thinned out considerably since she'd joined Az outside and she couldn't help but be glad for it.

"Maybe we don't have to dance at all," Az murmured, clutching DG tighter as the eyes of those who were still there immediately turned to take them in. "Do you think we could just excuse ourselves for the night?"

The unease in her voice and clearly nervous expression should have been enough to persuade even the hardest of sceptics that Azkadellia and the Sorceress were not the same person; it was certainly enough to persuade Jeb, who offered his hand to the elder Gale daughter when it looked like she was about to flee.

"Just one dance, Princess," Jeb assured her, giving her a lopsided smile when she stared at him in surprise. "I promise I won't bite."

Az blinked her dark eyes at him. "You don't have to dance with me, Captain Cain."

"But I'd be honoured to, if you would accept."

She took his hand in somewhat of a daze, missing her sister's delighted smile. There was a murmuring throughout the ballroom as the former Leader of the Resistance escorted the former Sorceress to the middle of the room for the final dance of the evening.

"What do you say, Princess?" Cain cleared his throat and arched an eyebrow when DG glanced at him. "I promise I won't let you fall over your own feet."

A small snort of laughter escaped her but DG took the hand he offered. "As long as you don't shoot me if I step on your toes, Tin Man."

Once both Princesses were on the dance floor, the band started to play.

**
The Second Dance
**

If there was one thing DG learned about the former Resistance fighters, it was that they knew how to throw a party.

Most had joined the Royal Army under the command of their young captain, Jeb, which meant most of them had become familiar faces to her as they were the official escort of herself and Azkadellia after they began their tour of the realm to heal the war damaged lands with their light.

It was on returning from the first leg of the tour that DG found herself at an impromptu party thrown by the men and women under Jeb's command to celebrate the birth of Gerard, Jeb's second in command's, first baby.

The makeshift camp on the outskirts of the city became a festival of sorts once word had reached them that Gerard was a father. There wasn't a great deal of alcohol but what there was flowed freely as the group converged around a fire and celebrated the news.

"What can I say," Jeb said with a grin and a shrug when she asked him if it was normal practice. "They've not had much to celebrate for annuals; whenever something good happens, they want to have a good time to mark the occasion." He must've caught the guilty expression that stole across Az's face as he swung his arm around the older Princess's shoulders and hugged her for a moment. "Don't look so down, Az. You've got as much reason to celebrate as the rest of us."

Az gave him a small smile of thanks, a pretty blush colouring her cheeks as she ducked her head.

"Come and dance with me, Princess," Jeb continued, getting to his feet and tugging Az up with him. "I think you'll like this one."

The band, a group of soldiers playing instruments that seemed to have materialised from nowhere, were playing a happy tune that another group of soldiers were doing some sort of folk dance DG didn't recognise to. Her sister's protests were lost of the music as Jeb dragged her towards the group, insistent that she should take part.

The younger Cain was good for her sister, DG mused, smiling as the former Resistance fighters easily accepted Az as one of their own due to their Captain's faith in her. He was breaking down the walls slowly, reaching the parts of Azkadellia that not even DG could heal and she was beyond grateful to him for it. She didn't know what the future had in store but there was no way she could miss the growing closeness between the two of them, something that settled her heart as much as it made it ache.

"You still with us, Kid?" Cain nudged her lightly as he sat down on the log-turned-seat beside her. The flames from the fire they sat beside caused shadows to dance over his features but the hat he wore kept his eyes in shadow.

"Where else would I be, Mr Cain?" She smirked back at him, knowing he disliked her calling him Mr Cain as much as she disliked him calling her kid.

"Looked miles away to me," he said, and she caught a hint of concern in his voice. "You've been troubled since we left the Eastern Guild. Something on your mind, DG?"

There was a lot on her mind, but nothing she felt able to share. She folded her arms in her lap and turned her gaze back to the fire instead of answering straight away. "I was just thinking about Az. She's come along way but she's still got some ways to go."

"Could say we all do, Deege." But he followed her gaze to where Azkadellia was laughing as she danced with his grinning son and a small smile tugged at his lips. "I'd say they're going to be just fine, though, Princess. You don't have to worry about her all the time."

"I think I'm always going to worry about her," she admitted quietly, unable to fight the twinge of guilt she felt every time she looked at Az and remembered the brave and protective big sister she'd once been. It was her fault that Az was gone, her fault her sister had become a fragment of the woman she could – should – have been.

"Well, I think you need to be takin' a night off from that." He got to his feet and for a moment, she thought he was leaving her. Then he held one hand out to her, tipping up his hat with the other so he could see her clearly. "It's not much of a party if you don't dance, Princess. It'd be mighty insultin' to the hosts if you sat watchin' all night."

She took his hand even as she protested. "I don't know the steps, Cain. My dancing skills are limited to a waltz. A very, very slow one."

"I'll let you into a secret, DG," he told her, swinging her round to face him as they reached the other dancers. "With this kind of dance, there are no steps. You just copy everyone else and hope for the best."

Deciding that was easy enough to do, DG let herself get swept away by the music and the laughter, by Azkadellia's over bright eyes and Cain's hand on her waist.

It was one night off, she reasoned with herself, trying to salve her conscious. One night, once dance.

What could it hurt?

**
The Third Dance
**

It hurt. A lot.

But she tried to hide it with a smile and accepted the well wishes of those in attendance at the party.

Her party, though it was one she hadn't wanted.

Her Mother had insisted; it was her first birthday following her return to the OZ and they'd missed out on celebrating so many of those while she'd been on the Other Side.

DG hadn't thought it right to point out that while they hadn't celebrated her past birthdays, she had. With the people – robots – she'd thought of as parents helping her mark the occasion each and every year. Annual. Hank and Emily were not at the party, though, because Hank and Emily no longer saw her as their daughter and the smile DG forced was just bright enough to match the shimmer in her eyes as she tried not to think about that.

It hurt not to have them there with her, but that pain was nothing compared to the realisation that there would be no dancing at this party.

Not for her.

Not with Cain.

Jeb had apologised profusely on his father's behalf; Cain had fully intended on being there but when they'd had word that a group of Longcoats they'd been tracking had been spotted at a town not far from Central City, his father had been the nearest General around to go after them. The journey had taken him and his men longer than they'd anticipated, as had finally getting the Witch's men under control.

"He's fine, Princess," Jeb assured her, "a little roughed up maybe but he sent word that it's not something to worry about."

DG knew, because he'd sent word to her, too. The message had arrived by courier bird just as the first guests had started to arrive.

"I know." If she tried to any harder to force her smile, she feared her face might get stuck that way; her cheeks were already beginning to ache as it was and the night was still young. "I'd say thank you for coming, Jeb, but I know you didn't really get a choice. You really drew the short straw getting Princess protection duty tonight, didn't you?"

He shook his head and laughed; it was a nice laugh but not a patch on the rare chuckle DG occasionally managed to elicit from his father, usually when she didn't intend on it. "Believe it or not, I volunteered for the role. Someone's got to keep an eye on you two."

As his eyes strayed to where Azkadellia stood with their parents, DG found herself hiding a genuine smirk, suspecting there was only one Princess Jeb had volunteered to keep watch over and it was not the one celebrating her birthday.

Or pretending to celebrate.

She played the part of princess well for the evening, so well she almost impressed herself. She circulated the room and engaged in small talk about things of little to no interest and managed to keep the pretence of smiling, happy DG up until the partygoers began to dwindle.

But it still hurt; she still missed her friends.

Glitch wasn't there because he was off on a diplomatic mission at bequest of her mother; she'd later find out the reason Lavender had asked Glitch to go was that the dignitary he was meeting with, Lord Reginald, was a former flame of Lord Ambrose. Whether the couple would reunite remained to be seen but DG shared her mother's hope that maybe someday they would. Glitch deserved to be happy, just as he deserved a life outside of his devotion to the Royal Family.

Raw had visited her a few weeks earlier but had returned to his tribe rather than stay for the official celebration. DG understood his reasoning and didn't ask him to stay. She instead enjoyed the all too brief reunion with three of her favourite people and counted it was the best early birthday present she could have received.

The party was dwindling when she finally had enough and started to search the crowd for her parents so she could ask their permission to say her goodnights. Since skirting the edges of the dance floor left her open to a prospective suitor requesting she dance, DG decided to cut straight through the middle and head to where she'd seen the Queen and Consort last.

Focused on her goal, she didn't see the man who entered the room, more than a little weary and a bit too dusty to be acceptable at the birthday party of the Princess.

He didn't care about the looks he got; DG didn't notice them at all as she bumped into him and lifted her head to apologise only for the word to die on her lips and another take its place.

"Cain!"

He tilted his head, acknowledging her surprise with a small smirk. "Princess. Didn't think I'd miss your birthday, did you?"

"You said as much in your letter," she reminded him, unable to stop the smile that broke out across her face. It faded a little as she remembered the reason for his absence. "Are you hurt? Should you be here?"

Before she could step back to give him a thorough once over, Cain caught one of her hands with his and put his other hand on her waist, drawing her in. "I'm fine, DG. And just in time for the last dance, if I'm not mistaken."

She ducked her head to hide the blush that rose in her cheeks but moved with him willingly, falling effortlessly into the steps that were now familiar to them both.

Once the dance was finished, DG let Cain lead her off the dance floor and towards her parents, knowing that to stay was to risk someone else asking her to dance. She'd danced her last of the evening and they were both aware of that, though neither dared question what it meant that it was always with him.

"Thank you for the party," DG said to her parents, embracing them both in turn.

"I do hope you enjoyed yourself, my angel," Lavender murmured, lingering close to press a kiss to her youngest daughter's forehead.

DG stole a glance at Cain, who was speaking with her father in a low voice about the attack that had almost prevented his ability to attend, and then back at her mother. She chose not to notice the knowing glint in her mother's light eyes.

"I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would," she admitted softly, both to her mother and to herself.