A/N: This is my first attempt at writing again in a very long time and I do not have a beta for this story yet, so please go easy on me. But don't go too easy. I sincerely appreciate any input and thoughts that might improve this story, and I simply enjoy reading what people think. That said, I do not own any of the characters or base storyline from Tin Man or the Wizard of Oz.

Prologue

She stared at her friend intently, her large blue eyes filling with tears. The following day would mark one week since the defeat of the evil that possessed her sister and everyone was anxious to move on with their happy ending. DG never quite had the wide eyed optimism of Glitch but at the moment pessimism to rival Cain's resided in her heart. Perhaps it came from her time on the other side where happy endings were only in the movies, but she worried about Glitch's decision to unite with the other half of his brain. After all, happy endings seemed to be a thing of the past even in the O.Z.

And yet, it had worked out well before. In the past week, when she wasn't working with her mother and sister to repair the damage evil had poured on the land, she could be found in the long neglected library of her sister's castle. The library was testimony that the evil witch inside of her sister did not hold full sway, for as much as she tried to erase the O.Z.'s history for the people, the books and Tri-Dimensional Holographic Image Files were kept in perfect order within the cold vault-like room.

Azka-d felt that the witch did certain things, made certain concessions, to make it easier to inhabit her body. It would explain why their mother was kept alive and why the O.Z.'s history had not been completely wiped out. In the past week, DG had learned nearly everything there was to know about her namesake, Dorothy Gale. A shudder ran down her spine at the similarities between Dorothy's quest and her own, and as she thought about it she was filled with a small amount of comfort that history would repeat itself for her friend. After all, the magic in the O.Z. was powerful enough that, once upon a time, a scarecrow could walk, talk, and think well enough to rival any scholar.

She sniffed and quickly wiped her streaming eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. "Glitch, are you sure that you want to go through with this?"

"Oh, I'm sure alright!" He grinned with boyish excitement before confusion clouded his expression. "Why? Do you think I shouldn't be?"

Putting on a brave front, DG smiled and stepped into his arms for what she hoped wasn't going to be their last hug. "I think you should stop second guessing yourself. "

"Oh," he said softly, voice still uncertain, "then yes. I'm absolutely sure that I want to go through with this."

Her arms tightened around his waist as she hid her face against his chest, unable to control her tears. "Just promise me that you'll come back to us, Glitch. Promise me!"

"Promise me that you'll come back, my Ambrose!" DG clutched his pants leg in childish desperation. "Promise me! I've lost Az; I don't want to lose you, too."

"I'm simply going to Finaqua on an errand for the Queen, Princess." His reply was short and anyone other than DG would have thought it sounded annoyed, but she knew it was because he was distracted and there was only one reason why.

"You're going to find out what happened to Az!" she cried. Her voice was certain and he looked down at her in alarm. It never ceased to amaze him that this child knew him better than anyone alive except, perhaps, for the Queen herself. "Don't go, my Ambrose. Please. If you go, I don't think I'll ever see you again."

"I'll return as soon as I can," he smiled gently, kneeling and gathering her into his arms. "I promise, DG."

"I promise, DG."

She pulled away from him slightly and turned to their furry companion. "You help make sure he comes back to me, Raw."

"Raw do his best," came the slow, honest reply. It was all DG expected to hear until he added, "Raw do his best to heal Glitch's mind… heal DG's heart."

Glitch eyebrows raised in panic. "What's wrong with her heart?"

"It's breaking." He replied sadly.

"Do you not want me to do this?" The panic spread to his voice and he tried to step back, but she wrapped her fingers tighter around his vest. Shaking his head, he wrapped his fingers around hers and neither one of them could tell if he was clinging to her or trying to pry her off. "If you don't want me to, I won't."

She dared a glance at his face, ashamed at herself for being responsible for the look there. It was a mixture of bravery and intense disappointment. As much as she worried about the safety of her friend, she knew that he couldn't be denied this. He needed it more than she needed him.

"No, Glitch." She smiled at him through her tears. "I'm just worried. I made you promise to come back once, a long time ago, and it didn't turn out so well. I can't stop thinking about it. I'm scared that something bad will happen now just because I made you promise. I'm worried that I jinxed it."

"Well that's just silly," he assured, brightly. "You're never scared of anything!"

"Yes, I am," she disagreed. "But I never let my fear stop us from what needed to be done, and I'm not going to start now."

Looking up at him, she willed her tears to dry, willed him to see the truth in her words but doubt once again furrowed his brow.

He whispered very quietly. "What if you did jinx it?"

DG's reaction to that question was one that she didn't even expect. She grabbed his vest tighter and jerked him down a few inches as she went up on her toes to press her lips to his. It was a shocking thing to do, and she fully expected him to react with shock. More shocking still was when he did not. His eyes slid closed and his fingers tightened around hers, unmistakably holding them close to his heart.

Raw quietly watched the scene before him, nodding to himself in understanding.

DG pulled away with a bright smile on her lips. "There! The jinx is fixed."

"Huh?"Glitch blinked and touched a finger to his lips.

"I fixed the jinx," she said brightly, "with a kiss for luck. It was the only way."

"The only way, huh?" He seemed to have trouble focusing.

"Yep," she patted his back and turned him toward the door leading to the operating room. "I'll see you soon."

He nodded as Raw stepped forward and led him away.

"Yea," he murmured. "See ya soon."