A/N: Ok, I haven't gotten any feedback with my first chapter so I figured I'd see if I'd get any more interest with this second chapter, especially since it's much longer. Please review. It'll make me very happy and feed the plot bunny. The plot bunny is very hungry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked or Lord of the Rings, remember? As I've said in my other fics, if I owned them, do you really think I would be suffering through college chemistry?

Rating: T (for some language)

Elphaba was woken by the sun rising over the horizon. She had slept through the night, for the first time in weeks. I guess I really was tired, she thought. She yawned and sat up, feeling all the kinks and aches in her body that she had accumulated since she had left Kiamo Ko. She stretched her arms out, feeling and hearing her shoulders popping. As she settled her arms down by her side again, she began to feel all the aches of loss she had accumulated as well in the past months. A small sob escaped her as she thought of Nessa and Glinda.

Oh Nessa. No matter what she would always be her little sister. I mean, she had basically raised her, always looking out for her and protecting her. No matter what Glinda said, her mother's death and her sister's crippling was her fault. Come on, her father wouldn't have made her mother chew milk flowers all the time if she hadn't been born. Nessa could have had a normal life. And after all this time she still couldn't get Nessa's yell of help to her out of her mind as she ran from the Governor's mansion. They had never been able to make up. She couldn't get the image of her legs sticking out from underneath that house out of her head either. She shivered, rubbing her arms. What a terrible way to die.

Oh, and Glinda. Her only friend. She'd never be able to see her again, ever. And to top it off, she thought Elphaba was dead. She remembered the pain, still remembered the pain, of thinking that Fiyero was dead, and hoped Glinda didn't have to go through that. Though, she guessed Fiyero was right. It was for the better, and safer, that Glinda didn't know they were alive. Ditzy, blonde, caring Glinda.

Elphaba clenched her teeth and shut her eyes closed really tight. Why was life so unfair? She had finally found a friend, a best friend, and then the Wizard had to come along and ruin everything, take everything. She wiped a tear away as it slid down her cheek and looked down at Fiyero. Well, not everything. Fiyero was proof he hadn't taken everything, though he almost had. She had never been so happy to get his letter telling her that he was alive and was coming for her. She stroked his cheek. At least she still had him.

He stirred slowly as her feather light touches barely grazed over his rucksack face, and opened his eyes. "Good morning beautiful," he said with a grin.

"What'd I say about calling me beautiful," she responded with a stern look on her face.

"And what'd I say about you not believing I think you're beautiful." Fiyero sat up with a small grin on his face, and then his grin faded as he looked closely at Elphaba, and noticed the slight redness in her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," she said, not looking him in the eye, but looking to the west. She nodded her head in the direction and said, "That is most definitely a forest."

Fiyero turned to look, and got his first look at the grand forest before him in the light of the sun. The thing was huge, and he could barely see the sun glinting of the many leaves. "I guess that's our destination then."

Elphaba stood up, this time keeping her balance, though trying to hide from Fiyero how weak she felt. Her legs shook beneath her dress and threatened to collapse on her again, but she refused to let them. Her amount of eating since they had left Kiamo Ko had not been enough, but she didn't want Fiyero to worry. Hell, her eating while at Kiamo Ko had left much to be desired. Once they got settled down, then they could worry, and only then. "Alright then, lets go."

"Elphaba, don't you want to eat something first?" He started looking around, looking for anything that could be edible in the area.

"I'll be fine until we reach the forest. I'm sure there'll be more than enough food there."

"Fae…"

"Fiyero! I'm fine!" Elphaba snapped as she glared at her lover still sitting on the ground. She began walking towards the forest as Fiyero scrambled up to follow her, tripping and falling in the process, but finally getting his footing and stumbling after her.

She kept one hand on her long black dress, holding it up a bit to keep it out of the way of her feet. She didn't need to fall again, and tried her best to talk in a straight line, which miraculously she seemed to be doing. Slowly, but ever so slowly, her fast face slowed, till finally she just stopped, Fiyero beside her. She felt him place his hand on the small of her back, and she finally gave in. She turned towards him, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Yero, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just…" she never finished as she buried her head into his shoulder, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed, letting all the pain, the worry, the frustration flow out in that one moment.

"Shhh, it's ok. I know, I know," Fiyero said softly, stroking her hair and holding her close. She WAS tired of being the strong one. And for once, she let it show. For the first time since she thought Fiyero was dead, she let herself go, and for the first time, she had someone to comfort her.

Once her shaking subsided, Fiyero released her and she backed up a bit. He gently grasped both sides of her face, stroking her jaw with his thumbs. He leant down and softly captured her lips with his. When they broke apart, he leant his forehead against hers. "We'll be alright. You'll see. We'll get through this."

Elphaba gave him a watery smile, then wiped at her face with her sleeve. "Ugh," she said as she looked at the dirty state of her dress. "We better get going again."

Fiyero just gave her an encouraging smile and slung his arm around her shoulders, and they walked side by side like that for the rest of the day.

The forest got closer and closer, and they both picked up their pace as the prospect of sleeping under cover that night loomed. As they got closer, Elphaba's ears picked up the unmistakable sound of running water, though it was very faint.

Then, just as the sun set, they ran across (almost literally) their first sign of human life in weeks. Before them, between them and the forest, was a wide dirt road. Many boot prints littered the ground, along with parallel wheel tracks with hoof prints between them. Elphaba started at the sight and looked nervously in both directions, hoping against hope that there weren't any travelers on the road. Even if the people who inhabited this land had never heard of Oz before, she doubted green people were more welcomed here than in Oz, and she didn't need another witch hunt on her hands. In both directions though, no movement could be seen. Just dark, smooth road. As she looked closer at the tracks, she found it odd to find so many little prints, like children, among the larger boot prints. She felt Fiyero grab her hand and tug.

"Come on." The two of them ran from the road all the way to the forest, stopping once deep enough into the forest that they couldn't see the road anymore. Once they stopped, Elphaba collapsed on the ground, her chest heaving.

"Yero, I can't go any farther," she panted. She could feel her legs shaking, and finally gave in to just letting her body flop onto the floor. She heard more than felt Fiyero plop down beside her.

"That's alright. We can rest here a while."

Elphaba closed her eyes and breathed in the earthy smell the forest had to offer. It was quiet, but she had no qualms about that. All she knew is that the ground was soft, and the air cool.

As he lay there, Fiyero began to look around the forest they had just run into. It was really dark, and close. And quiet. He nearly jumped out of his clothes when a squirrel ran above them on the branches of the trees, chattering at them. Or Squirrel? No, it wasn't talking.

"Yeah, yeah, same to you buddy," he said back to it, settling back down onto the ground beside his love.

He then heard the faint sound of chuckling and looked over at his companion. "Do mine ears deceive me? Are you, chuckling?"

"Shut up," Elphaba said between giggling as she hit him on the leg.

Suddenly the forest didn't seem so bad anymore as Fiyero began to hear more animals moving around. He then looked at the forest around him coated in green light that filtered through the leaves and over at his lover laying on the ground beside him, still quietly chuckling. He couldn't help but smile at the obviously exhausted witch whose eyes had yet to open again since she had collapsed there, though her body was still shaking with the giggles.

She looks beautiful. He knew a lot of people before she was the Wicked Witch used to say that she could be passable if you looked past her green skin, but Fiyero didn't see it that way at all. He saw the green skin as just as much part of her beauty as the rest of her features. It was different, exotic. Most definitely unique. With that thought he lay down next to her as she again snuggled up to him and fell fast asleep.

I'm the luckiest man, well scarecrow, in the world.

As Fiyero awoke, he became aware that Elphaba was still sleeping soundly beside him, breath softly blowing the straw that stuck out of this hat back and forth. As he looked at her, really looked at her, he realized how skinny and tired she looked. He slid out from underneath her, gently setting her back down on the ground, and went to go look for some food. He couldn't go too far because the whole damned forest looked the exactly the same no matter where he looked, and he could get lost really easily. He headed towards the sound of the water that grew louder the closer he got, and found some edible berry bushes along the bank of a river. Praising his good luck, he started collecting some berries and headed back to Elphaba. As he returned, he noticed her sitting up and looking around, worry flickering through her eyes.

"Fae, I'm right here."

Elphaba turned and looked at him immediately, the worry evaporating. "Where'd you go?"

"Food." He held out his hands, which cupped a good amount of berries. Her eyes light up immediately as she stood up, albeit shakily, and walked towards him. She took a couple berries and popped them in her mouth, her eyes closing in happiness as she chewed. "Where'd you find these?" she asked as she swallowed the berries in her mouth and took a seat on the mossy ground.

Fiyero waved his hand in the westerly direction he had just come from. "Over by a river other there. They looked better than anything else you have been eating this trip."

Elphaba just smiled and scooted closer, sighing in contentment as he slid he arm around her shoulders. She popped a couple more berries in her mouth as her eyes stared without seeing at the trees in front of her. "You know, we never really discussed what we would do once we got out of Oz."

"I was more worried about getting you out of that castle than worrying about what exactly we were going to do." Fiyero leaned over and kissed the top of Elphaba's head, squeezing her shoulders. "We'll figure something out. You've got a pretty good brain up there."

"Oh right, I forgot I was talking to the brainless scarecrow here." She had finished all her berries, and elbowed him in the side. "I can't believe you asked the Wizard for a brain."

"Hey, I physically don't have a brain, and it was pretty quick thinking on my part to think of that as an excuse to go with Dorothy to the Emerald City in that short of a notice. I mean, wham, wake up, there's Dorothy. Besides, you did use to call me brainless, remember? Galinda's brainless boyfriend." He pushed back on Elphaba so that she fell on the ground, chuckling.

"Yes, well I was your girlfriend's weird roommate remember? That got 'Galindafied.'" Elphaba sat up and did a toss-toss with her hair. "Toss-toss." Fiyero threw back his head and laughed.

"Pink does go good with green."

"It does not!" Elphaba slapped Fiyero's arm. "I have no idea where Glinda came up with that ridiculous notion. Really, pink and green. Maybe for a rose, but I am not rose." Elphaba then proceeded to pick out some of the brambles that had become stuck in her hair during the night.

"A rose by any other name…" Fiyero began, but Elphaba dropped her hair immediately to cover his mouth.

"Don't you dare start quoting any of Glinda's love stories to me. That was torture when she was bored. 'Oh Romeo, Romeo.'" Elphaba fluttered her lashes and put on a sickeningly sweet smile, placing both hands over her heart. Her smile turned into a scowl as she looked over as Fiyero laughing. "I never want to hear that story again as long as I live."

"Well aren't you the romantic." Fiyero couldn't stop laughing.

Elphaba sniffed and put her nose in the air. "I'm a realist." Suddenly, she threw herself at Fiyero and covered his mouth with her hand.

"Well, Elphaba, not that I don't mind this position we're in…" Fiyero began, his voice muffled.

"Shh! Do you hear that," she whispered.

"Hear what?"

"Shh, listen."

Then Fiyero heard it. It sounded like, well, like a hunting horn being blown and dogs baying. The more he listened, the clearer the sound became. Then he realized that was because whoever was making the noise was getting closer.

"Fiyero, we have to get out of here, we'll be caught!" Elphaba's voice sounded frantic as she jumped up and reached down to pull Fiyero up. The two of them stumbled back the way they had came, Fiyero hoping beyond hope that the hunting party couldn't cross that river.

"Sweet Oz, Fiyero, the road." Elphaba's voice came through his thoughts as she stopped suddenly. "It's daytime now so it'll be more likely people will be on it."

"Well it's a likely in front of us and a definitely behind us, but we have to decide quick, cause they're coming fast."

Elphaba looked around. "Well maybe we can hide somewhere here in the forest. The trees?"

That was when they both realized at the same moment how much the forest muffled sounds when as suddenly as they were startled by the arrival a large, dark, galloping stag, the dogs were upon them, dripping wet from the river and baying at their escaping prey.