Hello all! I wanted to post something for my birthday, and even though it's midnight and not technically my birthday anymore... here you go. Happy 22nd birthday to me!

As it says in the description, this is the sequel to Roads Not Taken, but I'm pretty sure it can be read separately. I am so glad you joined me again for this one and I hope you will enjoy reading it even half as much as I am enjoying writing it!

1. Broken Vows

Only a week ago, life could not have been better.

Fiyero Tiggular had decided that as he was sitting in the grass, his back against a tree, in the park on a beautiful spring day with his girlfriend curled up in his lap. Her head had been nestled under his chin and her eyes had been flying across the pages of her book as she read, her glasses perched on her nose. He, on the other hand, had been busy twirling strands of her hair around his fingers and simply enjoying being near her. His arms had gone around her to lightly brush against her sides and he had detected a ghost of a smile flitting across her face. He'd grinned and done it again.

She'd swatted at him. "Stop distracting me."

"You don't have any more exams, so I can distract you all I want." His grin had turned lopsided. "And besides, the book isn't going anywhere."

"And you are?"

He'd sighed, recognising that she had won. "Well, no. I guess not."

"You guess?" She'd sounded amused and his grin had returned as he started tickling her sides full-force.

"You," he'd said as she'd squirmed and shrieked with laughter, "are much too cheeky for my liking, Miss Elphaba. I think we will need to do something about that."

She'd managed to break free and tackled him, pinning him down with her knees and hands and bringing her face closer to his. "Oh, really?"

"Yes," he said. "Really." He'd rolled them over and grinned at her before crashing his lips against hers and kissing her silly. He loved the way she always seemed to melt in his arms when he did that – it felt as if they were made for one another, she fit in his arms so perfectly.

That was a week ago.

Right now, however, she was looking at him with such hurt and betrayal in her dark eyes that it made him hate himself. He couldn't believe he'd done this to her again... even though it hadn't really been his fault. He hadn't wanted it. He'd just been a little drunk and that woman had been after him...

"You kissed someone else." Elphaba's voice was low, dangerously so, and quiet. No emotion could be heard in her voice, but he could see every emotion she was feeling in her eyes. He knew her too well by now for that to escape his attention.

"Yes," he said, lowering his gaze. "But I swear, Fae, it was only one kiss, and it didn't mean anything. I mean, she recognised me as the prince of the Vinkus and she draped herself all over me, and I'd had a little too much to drink... and I'm sorry. I just... I'm really sorry."

This wasn't how it had been supposed to go. When Elphaba had received a sparkly, emerald green envelope from the Wizard himself, inviting her to meet him, she had been ecstatic. Since Glinda had visited the Emerald City with her parents the summer before and Fiyero had never been there, she had asked him to come along – the Wizard had sent her two train tickets and the hotel reservation had been for two people as well, allowing her to take someone with her – and he had eagerly accepted. It was supposed to be a wonderful, romantic time. Three days in the City to look at all the architecture, the museums and the palaces, to see plays at the theatre and eat at fancy restaurants from the money the Wizard had sent Elphaba along with her invitation... and on the third morning, Elphaba was to meet His Ozness in the throne room of the Emerald Palace.

It had been amazing. They'd both been so excited at the prospect of it all, pressing their noses against the carriage windows as they had gotten nearer to the city and pointing out everything they could see to one another. Elphaba loved the fact that everything was green and that she fit right in, without people giving her strange looks; and Fiyero loved seeing her so happy.

Everything had been going so well for all of them, he mused as he looked at her now, sad at the knowledge that he had hurt her again. Since Gravity's charity performance last year and his and Elphaba's subsequent talk, a year and a half had passed and they were still together. They still had fights. There were still moments when Fiyero was sorely tempted to run off to some party to drink and forget all about his girlfriend; and he was sure that Elphaba's fingers itched sometimes to turn him into a radish. Overall, however, they were happy. Fiyero kept his promise of not cheating on the green girl, no matter how bad their fights got or how mad she drove him, and he could tell that she was still trying to be more open with him, even though it was equally clear that that was still a struggle for her. They fought frequently and they drove one another crazy sometimes, but they were working out. Or so it had seemed, anyway.

Gazilon and Cohvu had graduated, upon which Elphaba had instantly started looking for new band members. By then, Gravity had expanded and grown more popular; and with her own graduation looming in the distance, Elphaba had started searching for someone to replace her as the manager. She had soon found that person and she had felt confident to leave the band in the capable hands of its new manager and lead singer.

The green girl had thought long and hard about who to appoint the band's new manager. She didn't want Gravity's success to be undone by someone incompetent; she'd need a dependable, smart, and creative person who would care for the band and its members as much as Elphaba always had.

Fiyero had been amazed and slightly apprehensive when Elphaba had announced the name of the band's new manager, but Elphaba had convinced him.

"She's everything Gravity needs, Yero," she'd said. "She's reliable and devoted and she already loves the band – she always has."

And thus it was decided that after graduation, Elphaba would pass the management of Gravity on to Lanae, who was very eager to begin. She had already started asking around for people to fill in the gaps that would be left by Boq and Avaric and Elphaba was confident that Lanae would manage to assemble a complete band again by the time their first performance of the new school year would roll around. The green girl had heard that Lanae had started dating another boy by now and that they were doing well together so far.

Elphaba, Fiyero, Galinda, Boq, and Nessarose – and Avaric – had all graduated Shiz only a few days ago, after which most of them had gone home. Elphaba and Fiyero, however, had set out for their three-day trip to the Emerald City. They would each return to their respective homes afterwards, since Fiyero had some royal duties to attend to and Frexspar wanted his eldest daughter home for the summer; but he knew that Elphaba was hoping that Madame Morrible's prediction from three years ago would come true and that the Wizard would make the dark-haired witch his Grand Vizier, meaning Elphaba would get to live in the Emerald City after the summer. Fiyero, of course, would be joining her if that was the case – he was not going to leave her alone here. They had been looking forward to the future.

And then he had spoiled it all in one night by drinking just a little too much and allowing some pretty Gillikin girl to get just a little too close. He hadn't even planned on going out drinking, but Elphaba had been very nervous about her meeting with the Wizard the next day and she'd asked him to give her some time alone, so he had gone off to a café down the street from their hotel to have a few drinks... and then that woman had suddenly kissed him.

He'd pushed her away instantly. It hadn't meant anything. Perhaps he shouldn't even have told Elphaba, but he was afraid that if he didn't, she'd find out somehow later and that would be even worse. Now, however, looking into her eyes, he regretted telling her. She would probably never have found out if he hadn't and now he had only hurt her.

"You promised you'd never cheat on me again."

He winced. "Fae..."

"Don't call me that." He could see her pushing the hurt away as she started pacing and he prepared for her unleashing her anger at him. She always dealt with things that way. Tears and hurt feelings weren't productive, after all, but anger was; and he knew she'd probably start screaming at him, and possibly throwing things at him or even hexing him, within the next few clock-ticks.

His suspicions were proven to be well-founded when she suddenly spun to hurl a cushion from the couch at his face. He ducked only just in time and she shouted at him, "You promised, Fiyero!"

"I know!" He quickly dodged the next cushion. "Elphaba, I didn't mean to, I swear... I'm so sorry. It won't ever happen again."

"You said that last time," she hissed at him, her eyes burning. "I hate you."

"Fae –"

"Get out."

He was dumbfounded. "What?"

"I said get out!"

He straightened. "No." He wasn't going to let her go that easily. Not again.

She shook her head, seemingly making a decision. "Fine." She stalked into the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her.

He wanted to follow her, but he decided to wait just a little while – perhaps she'd cool down a little if he gave her some time for herself. He sank down on the living room couch and sighed. How did he always manage to mess things up so badly? It wasn't like he did it on purpose. He supposed he really was brainless.

When she appeared again, she was carrying her bag and his eyes widened in alarm. "Fae?" he asked, rising to his feet. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she snapped at him as she passed him. "I'm leaving. You stay here and enjoy the hotel luxury by yourself – I'll find some other place to stay. I can't look at your face a clock-tick longer."

"Elphaba," he said pleadingly. "Don't go. Please. I didn't mean to... I said I was sorry!"

""Sorry" doesn't fix everything, Fiyero." She marched through the living space and yanked open the door. "If you so much as think of coming after me, I swear to Oz I will turn you into a rock."

"But where will you go?"

"I'll find a place." She stepped out of the door.

"But what about your meeting with the Wizard tomorrow morning?" he called out to her, panicking now. She wasn't really serious, was she? She couldn't be. She had nowhere to go, she hardly had any money; and the Emerald City was, despite all its splendour, a dangerous place for a young girl alone. Besides... he was supposed to go with her. He'd been so honoured when she'd asked him to come with her to meet the Wizard – he wanted to be by her side during that meeting that could just change her entire life. He wanted to experience that with her, but he also recognised the fact that he did not deserve that privilege any longer.

"I can meet the Wizard by myself!" she sneered at him, just as he had feared she would, before slamming the door shut behind her.

He wanted to follow her and try to talk to her again. He really did. Especially since he didn't know where she would go – what if something would happen to her? He had no doubt, however, that she would carry out her threat if she caught him going after her. She'd grown to be pretty good at sorcery by now and in her current state, he could see her doing something drastic to him. Elphaba was never very rational when she was angry.

And so instead of attempting to talk to her, he sneaked after her, careful to stay out of sight as he tracked her down the street and then into a different street. She didn't look over her shoulder once and she didn't seem to notice him, which he was glad about. For tonight, she just needed to be safe; he'd talk to her about everything tomorrow, once she had cooled down a little.

He sneaked after her around another corner and suddenly, with a surge of relief, he understood where she was going. Gazilon lived only a few blocks away from the hotel. They had had coffee with him the previous day and he'd explained the way to his house to them in case they needed him for anything. This probably wasn't what he'd had in mind – he'd have thought about them needing information to navigate the city or tips for nice restaurants to eat at – but Fiyero was sure that Gazilon would take care of her. He hoped the other man would be able to calm her down; but even if he couldn't, at least she would be safe there.

He waited until the front door of the house opened and she was let inside by Gazilon before going back, returning to the hotel room and sinking down onto the couch with his head in his hands with a long sigh. He realised he had screwed up. Again. Big time.

For the ones following me on Twitter: I counted this one as a cliffy. So far, there are fourteen chapters and eight of them have cliffies - some about as "bad" as this one, others... well, worse. *cackles* Reviews are still always very much appreciated!