Well. Hello, there. It's... been a while.

*lots of crickets*

The truth is that I haven't actually finished any fanfics in a really long time. I suppose it's a case of 'real life' getting in the way. However, Sara (VinkunEmeralds) re-read To Protect and Serve and requested a sequel, which I happened to have sitting in my Documents, so... here you go. Hope you enjoy!


1. Weddings

As expected, despite the shortened guest list, the wedding of Cohvu Daling and Galinda Upland (of the Upper Uplands) was grand, fancy, and filled with pink – from the groom's tie and the beading on the bride's dress to the flowers and the decorations. The ceremony was held in the middle of the largest park of the Emerald City, in a gazebo overlooking the lake below, surrounded by trees, bushes, and flowers. There was a pink carpet covering the path leading to the gazebo and white chairs had been set up in the grass for the wedding guests to sit on, with pink ribbons tied around them. The only way Elphaba could think of to describe the whole thing was 'very Galinda'.

Still, she couldn't deny that the ceremony itself was beautiful. Cohvu looked very smart in his suit and Galinda, thirty weeks pregnant, with a nicely rounded belly and positively glowing, looked wonderful in her wedding dress. They both cried as they spoke their vows (Galinda a little more than Cohvu, mainly due to hormones) and exchanged rings; and everyone applauded and cheered when they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Straight after that, the petite woman was swarmed by guests coming up to hug her, congratulate her, and talk to her. Elphaba and Fiyero waited, but it was clear that Fawn and Xalo were getting a little restless and so the green woman gave them permission to play in the park for a while.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Fiyero asked worriedly. "What if they get lost?"

Elphaba nudged him playfully with her hip. "Look at you, being an overprotective parent," she teased him gently. She smiled. "Just wait a few more hours and you'll legally be their stepfather."

He looked even more worried at that. "What if I suck at it?"

She rolled her eyes. "You won't."

He didn't look convinced, but he put his arm around her waist and squeezed her closer for a moment. "Well, at least I'll have you there to help me," he said with a small grin. "My fiancée and soon-to-be wife."

"Very soon," she agreed, leaning into him.

When she finally got the chance to congratulate her best friend, the blonde hugged her tightly. "It was wonderful, wasn't it?" she asked, her blue eyes shining. "Did you see how handsome Cohvu looked? And didn't you just love his vows? I swear, I would have cried even if I hadn't been pregnant!"

"It was a beautiful wedding, Glin," Fiyero assured her as he came up to hug her as well. "You weren't the only one who cried. Even I had tears in my eyes. Oz, I had to hand Fae five paper tissues while you exchanged vows!"

Elphaba stomped his arm at that and when she saw the amused look on Galinda's face, she muttered, "Hormones, that's all."

Galinda giggled again. "I wonder how much you'll cry when it's your turn in a few hours!" she sang and Elphaba forced a smile as she nodded.

She was excited to get married. She really was. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Fiyero, to give the twins a father, to marry him and have him by her side. She was just… nervous. Not just about the ceremony (because what if she forgot her vows, or tripped on her dress, or did something else to embarrass herself in front of all their friends and family members? Or what if she came out and Fiyero hadn't shown up?), but also about what came afterwards. What if she wouldn't be a good wife? She hardly had any experience with relationships. Wasn't it too soon for marriage? What if she messed up and Fiyero left her? The twins would be devastated if he left again – they might never get over it. And then there was the unborn baby to think about…

So yes, she was excited, but she was very quiet as the guests all left the park and filed into cars to take them either home or to the city hall, where Elphaba and Fiyero's wedding would be. Galinda had complained about the normalcy of that, but Elphaba had reminded her that it was her wedding and she'd get married wherever she wanted. There would only be a handful of people there and she didn't need a fancy venue. The reception would be fancy enough already.

Fiyero squeezed her hand. "Are you okay? You're quiet. It's not like you to be quiet."

She chuckled weakly. "I'm fine." When she saw the look on his face, she forced herself to smile. "I'm a little nervous," she confessed. "I'll be fine." She kissed him. "Go. I'll meet you at the city hall."

He nodded and turned to find Cohvu. He looked back over his shoulder at her a few times, but she waved him away with an exasperated gesture, smirking a little despite herself. She wondered if that overprotective streak he had was the bodyguard in him.

They wouldn't see one another again until the ceremony; she, Galinda, the twins, and Nessa were going back to the Palace to get changed first, while Cohvu and Fiyero would change suits at the city hall. She took a deep breath, but she didn't feel better. In fact, the butterflies in her stomach were making her nauseous now (or maybe that was the baby) and her hands were shaking.

Galinda took one look at her friend as they were being driven back to the Palace and shook her head. "Elphie, breathe," she instructed sternly. "It's a wedding, not an execution. You look like I used to look right before taking an exam I hadn't studied for at Shiz."

"Can't I have the exam instead of the wedding?" Elphaba asked desperately and the blonde giggled.

"He loves you," she said simply. "And you love him. This is the best day of your life, Elphie. Enjoy it. You'll be Mrs Tiggular soon. It'll take some getting used to, calling you Deputy Mayor Tiggular instead of Thropp."

The green woman's eyes had widened. "Oh, Oz," she breathed and Galinda giggled again.

"Relax," she urged Elphaba. "I can't wait to see you in your dress. I bet Fiyero is going to cry when you walk down the aisle!"

Instead of the frilly pink dress she'd been wearing to Galinda's wedding, for her mother's ceremony Fawn got to wear a dark red one, which she loved. Elphaba's only bridesmaid was Nessa, with Galinda as her maid (matron, now) of honour; so they changed into simple, but pretty, red dresses as well and then quickly went to Elphaba's rooms to help her into her wedding dress. It was a mermaid model in an ivory colour, with a single strap over her left shoulder and a skirt that widened from the knees down. Galinda did her friend's hair, curling it and arranging it so the curls fell down her bare shoulder, and then secured it with a silver hair clasp with rhinestones. She wore some relatively simple jewellery and low heels and Galinda stepped back to proclaim the young witch 'simply perfect'.

"What if he changes his mind?" Elphaba whispered to Galinda and Nessa when the twins were talking in a corner of the room together. "What if he leaves again? Or he doesn't turn up at all?"

"Elphie, don't," Galinda said firmly. "You'll be fine. Both of you."

Elphaba just sighed.

In the meantime, Fiyero was putting on his own suit and he was no less nervous than Elphaba.

"But what if the twins will hate me after a while?" he demanded of Oscar as they were both waiting for Cohvu to get changed. "What if I'm a horrible father – to them or to the new baby… or both?"

Oscar sighed heavily. "You're as bad as she is," he muttered. "You proposed, as you'll remember."

"Of course I remember," Fiyero snapped. "I just wonder if it was the right thing to do. I don't want any of them to be stuck with me if they don't want to."

"Listen to me." Oscar took another step in the younger man's direction and pointed a menacing finger at him. "If you back out on my daughter again, supposedly 'for her own good', I'm going to skin you alive and I mean that." Ignoring the way Fiyero blanched at that, he continued. "You didn't see her while you were gone. Or the twins. They missed you and even though I know Elphaba told you that, I also know she'll never tell you the exact extent to which she missed you, but let me tell you that it was a lot. She was miserable without you and I'm glad you're back, Fiyero, and if she forgives you for leaving, then so do I; but you're not doing this to her again. Be insecure. That's fine. We all are, about certain things – Elphaba probably more than anyone. Just don't let it hold you back and don't ever allow it to make you doubt that my daughter loves you, because trust me – she does. Is that clear?"

Fiyero, completely dumbstruck by that, could only nod; and Oscar nodded, too, satisfied.

"Good."

That didn't mean Fiyero didn't still have doubts. They weren't doubts about his feelings for Elphaba, however, just about her feelings for him; and he tried to reassure himself with the thought that if she didn't love him and if she wasn't absolutely sure she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, she wouldn't have agreed to marry him. She wouldn't be here today.

Then, of course, he started panicking all over again, because what if she wasn't here today? When he expressed that thought to Cohvu, however, the blond man just rolled his eyes.

"I suppose you won't find out until you get your arse down to that room and wait for her to come down the aisle," he said, as if that decided the matter, and he pulled Fiyero with him.

They took their positions, Fiyero at the altar with Cohvu beside him as his best man, and the guests all took their seats in the small room. The music started to play. Fawn and Xalo came out, both of them beaming, each carrying one of the rings. They were followed by Nessa in her chair and then Galinda, looking almost as radiant as she had at her own wedding ceremony a few hours before. The music continued to play and Fiyero looked at the door expectantly, waiting for Elphaba to appear.

She didn't.

The music continued. Galinda exchanged a worried look with Nessa and the officiant seemed puzzled. Everyone was watching the door now and a sick feeling settled in the pit of Fiyero's stomach as he realised what this meant. She wasn't coming. Elphaba didn't want to marry him after all.

"Don't," Galinda said quietly beside him. "I can tell what you're doing from the look on your face. Don't. I'll go see what's wrong now and you're going to stay here and not panic. Got that?"

He nodded numbly and watched as Galinda made her way over to the door and slipped through.

On the other side, the blonde found Oscar trying to calm a clearly agitated, pacing Elphaba.

"Elphie!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing? We're all waiting for you!"

The dark-haired witch looked up with a strange glint in her dark brown eyes. "Is he there?" she asked intently, almost seeming to hold her breath for the answer.

"Of course he's there! He's probably just about pissing himself now with nervousness because he's waiting and you're not showing up!"

Elphaba, however, seemed to sag with relief at that first statement and suddenly, Galinda understood. "You really thought he wouldn't be there?"

"I was afraid he wouldn't be," Elphaba admitted hoarsely. "After everything… He seemed so nervous earlier today. I just…" She buried her face in her hands. "I couldn't bear it if I walked into that room, all done up and ready to get married, right in front of everyone we know, and he wouldn't be there."

Galinda sighed. "Oh, Elphie… He promised, didn't he? You both need to stop doubting yourselves and the other. You made promises. He proposed. You wouldn't be getting married if both of you weren't sure you loved the other!" She pulled Elphaba up straight and pushed the bouquet into her hands. "Take that. Now take your father's arm and let him escort you to that altar. I need to go back inside to let Fiyero know he can start breathing again."

It seemed so cliché, but it was true: when the doors opened and Elphaba did come out, tightly clutching Oscar's arm with one hand and her bouquet with the other, it was as if her nerves just disappeared. Because there he was, standing at the end of the aisle, the relief evident in his face and soon replaced by awe and love and some other things she couldn't identify because there were suddenly tears in her eyes, making it hard for her to see. Hormones. What she did see, however, upon coming closer, was that he was crying, too. She made a mental note to tease him about that later. She had the excuse of hormones, but he didn't.

She kissed her father's cheek and pulled away from him with a grateful smile in his direction. He winked, took her hand, and laid it in Fiyero's before stepping back. A father giving away his daughter on her wedding day. She couldn't help but smirk a little when she saw how misty-eyed Oscar appeared.

"You okay?" Fiyero murmured to her and she nodded.

"Nerves," she admitted quietly. "But you're here."

He squeezed her hand, understanding what she meant.

The officiant smiled. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness this union between Fiyero Jorge Tiggular and Elphaba Melena Thropp. However, there are some others involved in this union as well." He looked at the twins. "Fawn and Xalo, would you step forward?"

They did, looking just as puzzled as Elphaba felt. Fiyero, however, just smiled mysteriously at her and then let go of her hand, instead crouching down to be on the same level as the twins.

"You know I love your mum and I love the both of you as well," he began, "and of course she said yes to my proposal; but if we get married, I'm going to be your father as well. I thought it would only be fair to give you a choice in that."

The twins shared a confused look.

Fiyero cleared his throat. "Fawn Melena Thropp," he said, taking one of her hands in his. She let out a little gasp when she understood where he was going with this and he grinned at her, but Elphaba could tell he was nervous. He looked at Xalo then and took one of the boy's hands, too. "And Xalo Oscar Thropp." Xalo grinned at him excitedly and Fiyero took a deep breath. "Do you two accept me as your father, and do you agree to be my son and daughter for life?"

Xalo was bouncing a little, saying eagerly, "Yes!". Fawn was crying so hard she could hardly reply, but she nodded, and a sigh went through the guests as she flung her arms around Fiyero's neck and hugged him tightly. Elphaba gratefully accepted a handkerchief Galinda offered her, because the tears were properly streaming down her face now – still all due to hormones, of course.

Fiyero hugged both kids very tightly for a while and when he let go, Fawn and Xalo hugged each other, stepping back a little. Fiyero straightened, smiling widely, and turned back to the marriage officiant; but before the man could speak a word, Elphaba had taken Fiyero's face between her hands and was kissing him urgently. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back, smiling when he pulled away, and he cupped her cheek.

"You're amazing," she choked out between her crying and he chuckled, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"So are you," he murmured. "All three of you." He placed a hand over her still-flat abdomen. "Four, I mean. Let's not forget Mini-Fae."

She laughed, despite her tears.

The marriage officiant tapped Fiyero on the shoulder. "I am very sorry, Fiyero, Elphaba, but we haven't gotten to that part of the ceremony yet," he said apologetically, although his smile was slightly amused.

Elphaba took a deep, shuddering breath. "You know what? Forget the vows," she decided, causing a ripple of excitement among the people present. She, however, ignored them and looked at Fiyero. "We've talked about everything already. We made our promises, we apologised, we said we loved one another, and today we're both here. I think that says enough, so," she turned to the officiant, "whatever you're going to ask me, the answer is 'I do'."

Fiyero's smile had widened. "I do, too," he said, cupping her face again with both hands this time. "I love you, Fae."

"And I love you, Yero my hero," she whispered, resting her forehead against his.

The officiant seemed slightly startled by this development, but he nodded. "All right, then," he said cheerfully. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Fiyero did kiss the bride, ignoring the way the guests clapped and cheered, the way Galinda, Nessa, and Fawn were all going, "Aww!" even as they all cried, and he also ignored Xalo's muttered, "Gross". It was an unconventional wedding, certainly, but he and Elphaba were an unconventional couple. Their relationship hadn't been easy for many reasons, but she was right. The fact that they were both here today proved enough. One way or another, they would make it.


I'll be posting this as a three-shot, but it might feel more like a few separate scenes than an actual story, because it was intended to be a full-blown sequel; however, if I do return to posting more fanfics, I'd rather start different ones and I wasn't really inspired for a full sequel story, anyway. That means two more chapters coming later this week.

Let me know what you think!