nestar | "Raise A Little Cain" 8/?

Warning: This chapter may cause thud'ing then awe'ing. Blame Steve.

“Az? Az?”

“Az, what are you doing in here?” DG had been looking for her sister for nearly an hour.

“Um... I was just... working?” A light blush was spreading over Az's cheeks.

DG raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? Then why aren't you in your study?” DG walked over to the window that Az was standing by. The window that over looked the workout yard.

“Az!”

“What?” Az turned back to look out. “He's a very handsome man. And boy can he do push ups!”

DG watch as Cain used his arms to pump his body up and down, over and over. Small streams of sweat running down his face and arms.

DG let out a soft whimper.

It had been one week and DG had given up. She was hiding.

It was dinner last night that had done it. All week she had seen the pants get tighter and the chest get bulkier. But this...

It just wasn't fair.

She had been sitting there, just trying to finish her food. She had been concentrating hard on her plate that when Glitch kicked her under the table to get her attention she had been caught so off guard she jumped in her chair. She jumped up and to the left.

And Cain had reached out and grabbed her to keep her from falling on her ass.

She could still feel where his hand had brushed against her breast.

Cain pounded on the door, “Dorothy Gale, open this door right now!”

“Go away!”

Cain let his head drop against the door a few times before he knocked again.

“DG, please just open the door.”

Cain heard something that sounded like “Don't wanna.” and then a thud.

Cain sighed, put his hand on the knob and threw his weight against the door. When he opened the door the smell nearly drove him back out of the room.

“Oh my god!” He gasped. “When did you start drinking?”

DG just lay on the floor moaning and holding her head.

Cain toed aside a few of the bottles and sat down on the floor next to her.

DG half-opened one eye. “Az owed me big.”

“So she tried to give you alcohol poisoning?”

DG let out a snort.

“Come on kid, tell me what's bugging you so much that I find you like this.”

“Kid! Kid!” DG sat up. “For the first time in weeks you're finally older then me and you call me kid? Mister I-can't-handle-the-hormones!”

“I'm sorry...”

“No you're not.” DG stood up. “Why don't you go somewhere and do push-ups, I'm going to bed.”

DG kicked off her shoes before climbing into the bed, leaving Cain speechless sitting on the floor.

After a few minutes Cain heard DG start to cry. He rolled onto his knees next to the bed. “What's wrong DG?” He said softly.

“It's so stupid.” DG said between sniffs.

“You may be silly, but you're never stupid, princess.” Cain started to rub long strokes up and down her arm.

“I miss you.” DG said softly.

“What do mean? I'm right here?”

DG sniffed again, “Yeah, but you're not you. The Cain I miss is the guy that I would stay up late talking to, who would help me sneak down to the kitchen for a midnight snack, the guy that would smile while he yelled at me for taking risks.”

Cain was stunned.

“As fun as these past weeks have been,” DG continued “I just want my friend back.”

Cain scooted up onto the bed and wrapped his arm around DG. “I'm here. Whether I'm six or sixty, I'll be here.”

Part Nine