This is the result of a very long week. Not only did I write a 20+ page paper, but my cousin passed away in his sleep and the funeral was today. I needed some cheering up and writing fluff seemed to do the trick. Hope you enjoy!

Here we go again…

Letting out a long sigh, Fiyero Tiggular ran a frustrated hand through his brown hair. Why did she have to be so Oz-blasted stubborn! As much as he loved her, there were times when he wished she were less…hostile seemed like too strong of a word. Argumentative, maybe?

Now as watched her stalk away, he felt his heart drop within his chest. Suddenly victory didn't seem to be as sweet as he had envisioned. He hated fighting her. Despised it. And yet he couldn't help but wonder if there were times when she would purposely try to antagonize until he snapped. He knew she wasn't happy. She hadn't been since they had left their life in Oz behind. Even when he had restored him to humanity, her smile had not gone all the way to her eyes like it usually did. Her true smile was radiant. All the smiles he had seen lately had held sense of deception.

"Nice going, Fiyero," he muttered as he turned back to the house. "I wonder how long she'll be gone this time."

That was another thing he hated. Whenever they fought-which seemed to grow in frequency as time went on-- Elphaba had a habit of stalking off and staying away for some amount of time. On one occasion, she had been gone nearly the whole day. Fiyero had been nearly sick with worry, but just as he was ready to call for a search party, she had walked through the door and spoken to him as if nothing had ever happened.

"Why won't you talk to me?" he had asked her some hours later as they lay in bed.

She simply shrugged. "I had nothing to say to you."

Knowing better than to return with a smart reply, he had rolled over and played her game. She had soon fallen asleep, but he done nothing more than lay awake and listen to her shallow breathing. Couldn't she see how much he was hurting? She wasn't the only one who had lost something when they departed Oz.

Now, as he stared at where she had disappeared into the woods, his mind and heart battled for the next course of action.

Let her be. She clearly doesn't want to talk to you right now.

Go after her. She's been alone her whole life. She needs someone who cares.

His feet were moving before he could tell them to do otherwise.

He found her in a small clearing a short distance from their cabin.

Praying she wouldn't push him away, he called, "Fae?"

She twisted her upper body in his direction, seated on a large stone in its center. "Don't worry about dinner, Fiyero. I'll be along shortly."

He stare was incredulous. "You really think this is about dinner?"

She shrugged. "Why else would you follow me?"

Infuriating woman! "Maybe I'm sick of waiting for you."

She let out a small laugh. "So you finally admit it. You regret leaving."

Shaking his head, he came to her. "I didn't say that. I said I'm sick of having to wait for you every time we have an argument. You're gone for hours. We don't know what's here and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse."

"It's just how I deal with things," she said, defensively. "I'll always come back."

"Fae, don't you see?" He tilted her face to meet his eyes. "It kills me every time you do this. I'm only human." He saw her lips lift a bit at the inadvertent pun and gave a smile of his own. "You need to talk to me."

"I'm new to all of this," she admitted softly. "I've never had someone who cared enough about me to care about my feelings or come after me after an fight." She read a tentative hand to touch his cheek. "It scares me."

"You think I'm not?" Taking her other hand, he sat beside her on the stone. "Fae, this terrifies me. Yes, I've had a past with women; not one I'm particularly proud of. You are the first woman I've ever loved. When I fought with the others, I didn't care f I saw them again or not." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "The thought of losing you over a something stupid scares the life out of."

"You won't" she said softly. "If anything, I should be worried. You left your home and you're family for a life as a fugitive." Her eyes dropped to her lap. "There are still times I need help believing you're here with me."

"Elphaba…" This time he took both of her hands, holding them tightly and forcing her eyes to his. "I'm here because I want to be here. I love you. As far as leaving, I would do it again in a moment. You are my family and my home is wherever youare." He kissed her softly. "What do I have to do to convice you?"

Her brow rose. "That was a start."

The Prince smirked. "Are you convinced yet?"

She shook her head. "Not quite."

Laughing, he kissed her again, thoroughly this time to accentuate his point. Pulling away, eh leaned his forehead against hers. "Neither of us has much experience when it comes to this couple thing. At least not seriously."

"So what do we do about it"

"We learn together," he said simply. "We help each other, talk through things and, most importantly, no more running off. Agreed?"

Sighing deeply, she nodded. "Agreed. I'm sorry I worried you."

"I understand. Just let me in, okay? We have each other. That's all that matters."

"We have each other," she echoed, "I love you."

Fiyero kissed her again, softly this time and with a silent promise of their life together. "I love you, too." Standing, he extended his hand. "What do you say? Shall we go home?"

Elphaba nodded, taking his hand and allowing him to help her to her feet. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he tucked her into the curve of his body and she felt her heart lift a little.

Home. The word had never sounded so beautiful.