A/N: Hope you like part 2!

Disclaimer: Nothing Familiar is mine

2
Shadow in the Candlelight

"Elphaba?"

Damnit! I cringed as Fiyero's voice ricocheted off of the walls of our small cottage at Evna Garden's edge- just seconds after my heel collided with the one creaky floorboard in our kitchen.

My hand hovered over the brass doorknob. I clasped the handle, it's cool metal, for an instant, soothing the burning tendrils of magic sparking from my shaking fingertips. I had half a mind to ignore him; simply fly off into the night and not bother to give any sort of an explanation. I'd be back by morning, and surely he could handle Azuera for one day by himself, right?

An indulgent smirk curled its way onto my lips and I swallowed a laugh. Who was I kidding? Our daughter would be thrilled to have a day with just her father. She was only one year old, but since the day she was born, she'd been a daddy's girl.

I shook my head beneath my widely brimmed, tattered hat. The silver flower that had once adorned the left side had long ago lost its sparkle, and the petals were brittle enough that one fell off in my palm every time I brushed my fingers against it, but I just didn't have the heart to be rid of it. The hat, though a pity gift at first, was the first real present I'd ever received from anyone besides Nanny. Yes, it was mangy and weathered from years spent on the run, but still… It had been hers. It represented the beginnings of my first, and only, as it turned out, true friendship. Through all my years hiding out,, I never., never left it behind. Not only had it become my unintended "signature" since being branded wicked, but, odd as it might sound, it also kept me grounded. It reminded me that, no matter how bad things had gotten for me or between us, at least one person knew who I truly was.

"Fae? Are you alright? Where are you going?"

I closed my eyes for a long moment. The way my heart pounded against my ribcage, I thought it might puncture a bone. I counted to ten as heavy silence settled the air around me, before turning to face my husband in the dim morning light.

"I'm fine, Yero." I loosened my grip on the splintered wooden handle of my broom, hoping my voice alone would be enough to soothe his doubts. Thank Lurline it was so dark in here, because if he noticed how tight my cheeks were as I attempted to smile…

Don't go there, Elphaba. Just say what you need to and be done with it.

I fisted my tingling hand at my side and forged ahead. "I'm just heading Down Town. We're running out of diapers and baby food for Azuera; I need to get some more." It wasn't a very smooth alibi, but it was the quickest and most sensible thing I could think of.

"Now? Fae, it's barely light out. None of the shops will be open."

I pressed my teeth into the flesh of my bottom lip, fighting the urge to curse aloud. "You know it's at least a two hour trip. The faster I leave, the faster I'll be back."

Fiyero's brows furrowed. "Still, why do you have to go in the middle of the night? Don't we have enough diapers and food to last until morning?"

I held his gaze. In fact, we probably had enough diapers to last for another two weeks. "Yes..." I searched the small kitchen, grasping for any other reason that would explain my wanting to leave at such an odd hour. "But-"

"And what are you doing with that old broom; didn't you just sweep the floors yester- Wait." His hazel eyes widened in the rising sunlight and I stiffened. His mouth opened, hovered, then closed again.

The air hitched in my throat as he traced the silhouette of my old companion, his tortured features a maze of emotions with every swoop of his eyes.

The slight curve of the rounded top; where I'd pulled and pushed with all my strength countless times to avoid what would have otherwise been a series of potentially deadly collisions. Confusion.

The deep, nail-shaped grooves dotting the sides of the spot where my hand currently rested. Surprise.

The streaks of dark, chocolate polish all the way down to the center- the few spots where my skin hadn't constantly come in contact. Anger.

The slight sag of the middle, so sanded and worn down by now that it almost looked like a saddle that had been crafted just for my own use. Bewilderment.

His cheeks flamed and his gaze flashed. This time I couldn't stop from grimacing as he studied me. He opened his mouth again, and I braced myself against the table, the grooves digging into my back. It took every ounce of strength I had to focus on the even rising and falling of my breaths, rather than the way his eyes darted between the discolored handle, and my stoic face.

The tirade I was preparing for though, seemed to die in his throat. Instead, his gaze drifted to my poor excuse for a hat. He stared at it awhile longer, before his shoulders slumped and something new flickered behind the panic swimming in his irises. Understanding.

"You're going to see her, aren't you?" He rasped. The choked question fizzled on his tongue, and I answered only with a slight nod.

His eyes hardened, then melted, then hardened again. I couldn't stop the wince that crippled my features.

"Yero... I know you think it's too dangerous-"

"Think?" he spat. "I don't just think it's too dangerous Elphaba, it is! Oz..." He trailed off and began to pace around the table. "It's only been two years since we left! Have you already forgotten what you endured? What we endured? They almost killed us, Fae! They painted you as a treacherous murderer, and now you want to go back? To put our family at risk? And why? Just so you can-"

"This isn't about just anyone Fiyero! It isn't the Witch Hunters or Morrible or some twisted desire for revenge that makes my heart physically hurt every single time I think about it. Glinda was the only true friend I've ever had and I'm tired of keeping myself from her just because I've been too cowardly to take this risk! You know how important she is to me, and, even if you don't love her the way you used to when we were young, I know she's important to you too."

His eyes broke contact with mine, drifting downward to trace the pattern of the worn floorboards as he nibbled on his bottom lip.

Several clock-ticks passed. Maybe minutes, maybe seconds, maybe an hour, before either of us said anything more.

"I'm sorry." I finally whispered, unable to take the silence. I really wanted to go- needed to go, but Fiyero had a point. I was so used to only having to worry about myself, my own safety. I wasn't alone anymore. I had a family to think about; a daughter… If going meant putting her and Yero in danger… It tore my heart in two just contemplating the idea of never seeing Glinda again, but they had to come first. "If you don't want me to go-"

"I understand, Fae."

"What?" My gaze snapped up and I squinted to make out his features in the murky light. "Wh… What did you say?"

Fiyero brushed a hand along the back of his neck. "I may not like it… i certainly don't think it's smart or the least bit safe-"

"Fiyero."

"I miss her too, Fae. Lurline, I miss everyone; my parents, my sisters… You weren't the only one who had the leave people you love-"

"You didn't have to come with me."

He sighed and shook his head, letting out a long puff of air. "Fae… That's not what I meant, you know that. I love you."

"But if it hadn't been for me… If you hadn't come after me in the first place…."

"Elphaba." The sternness in his voice made me freeze. Our gazes locked, and his lips morphed into a small smile. "I could never regret coming with you. In fact, I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Really?" I whispered. Some days, that was still impossible to believe.

"Really." He stepped closer, pressing our lips together, sending a warm tingle all through my body. "Tell her hi for me, okay? And come home safe."

I hummed and snuggled into his embrace, closing my eyes and resting my chin on his shoulder. "I will. I love you, Yero."


The sight of the city stretched out before me, in all of it's ostentatious splendor, took my breath away. The same way it had so many years ago, when I'd seen it for the first time. When I'd been nothing more than a naive and optimistic college girl who worshipped the Wizard and wanted to make a difference. When I'd been with Glinda.

"So we'll be back for good someday,."

"To make our lives and make our way. "

"And then just like now we can say….We're just two friends."

"Two best friends…"

I blinked as tears pricked the corners of my eyes when I remembered the promise we'd made that day. The day we truly had become the best of friends. There had been so many times over the years that I would've given anything to go back to that moment. Before we met the Wizard. Before I found Doctor Dillamond. Before I read that stupid spell. Before I discovered that everything I'd been working toward was a lie. Despite what Fiyero said, I still couldn't quite believe that everything that had happened, all of the horrible things I'd done… All of the people I'd hurt- or killed- all the lives I'd accidentally ruined in the name of trying to make good… I couldn't fathom how all of that could've been for the better.

I was careful to stay close to the shadows as I wound through every alleyway and side-street I could find; it was the longest trek i'd ever taken to the Emerald Palace, and the ache in my chest grew with every step as I inched closer and closer to its gleaming torrents. Once upon a time, that castle had been the physical incarnation of every one of my deepest, most private desires. To belong, to be admired, to finally do something worthwhile with these accursed powers.

My broom fluttered closer to the ground, but my feet still hovered above the pavement. The last time I'd been here; not counting the day I'd "died," what I wanted most in the world, was to make my family proud. I suppose, in a way, I still did want that; but not for Nessa and Frex. They were my blood, yes, and I loved them dearly. I always would.

But they weren't Fiyero. They weren't Glinda. They hadn't been there for me the way my friends had. Glinda had seen me in my darkest, most dismal moment; a time when, though no one knew it then, a part of me had contemplated surrendering completely when the Witch Hunters and Gale Force came for me. I had done nothing but cause pain and misery since the day I'd flown through that blasted attic window, and until Glinda showed up, and Fiyero's letter came, I had seriously doubted anyone would miss me if, desperate to be free of the demons that still occasionally haunted my dreams, I really did disappear from the world forever. It was only their friendship that kept me going. Their encouragement, their love for me, had been the only reason I'd chosen to keep living.

I supposed that was part of the reason I needed to come back today. To thank her. To thank my oldest and dearest friend for never giving up on me, and for never letting me give up on myself.

My broom shot high up into the trees, and I was forced to watch from a distance as the guards took their posts, and the servants bustled about through the windows. I did a double take when I saw a motherly-looking goat pass through the hall. Looking again, I noticed that most, if not all, of the castle's staff, was comprised of Animals, chattering softly as they prepared for the day. My heart swelled with pride. The Animal Bans, it seemed, had all but vanished. The longer I watched, hovering over the streets of the city, the more species emerged. I even thought I recognized a family of tigers I'd rescued from Emerald City Jail, but I couldn't get close enough to be sure.

I couldn't keep a wide smile from spreading across my face, watching the city flourish in a way that I used to imagine only in my dreams. I knew I'd left Oz in the best hands possible with Glinda, but the fact that she had kept her promise, after all this time… It was amazing, and it was all I could do not to burst through her chambers right that second, just to make sure she knew how much it meant. Glinda had done in two years what would've taken me a lifetime; she made change.

Once the guards had stopped milling about, I soared over the canopy to the back of the palace, staying out of sight. Day was stirring, but, judging by the position of the sun, it was still remarkably early. I creeped along the glimmering walls, toward the wing of the castle that I hoped belonged to Glinda. I pressed my features to the frosted glass, glad to see that, as the chambers were close to the back of the palace, the hallways were still darkened and quiet. I hoped this meant I was headed in the right direction; perhaps, even though the day had started for the staff, Glinda still had an hour, or more, to rest. I hoped.

I circled the castle at an agonising pace, searching for any sign in the murky surface of the windows; something that would signal which one was hers. A lone, faint spark caught my eye and I pulled my broom to a stop, just hidden by the same oak tree that had shielded my existence last time. I hoped it would do the same for me now.

Daring to peer a little closer, I discovered the spark to be the last flicker of a candle. It was fading in the morning light, down to the end of it's wick. My heart clenched at the sight, remembering how Glinda had often slept by candlelight at Shiz, for fear of nightmares plaguing her rest. She hadn't had to use one since that fateful night at the Ozdust, and I dreaded to think what ghosts were haunting her mind.

I squintedt, trying to make out any distinct features of the place my best friend now called home. A full-length mirror nestled itself between the wall and the window, and I ducked on instinct, afraid of being exposed by my own reflection. In the back left corner, a plush armchair was stationed next to a giant, four-post bed. My lips curled upward as my eyes traced the flowing canopy that cascaded over the sides of the mattress, which was covered in glittering emerald sheets that, even from here, I could tell must have been the finest in the city. It was just the type of room I knew she would've loved when we were young, complete with two ginormous closets overflowing with fancy gowns. When my gaze fell on the figure in the center of the sheets, my breath caught in my throat. For the first time in two years, I was seeing her.

I sighed, aching to hug her. Asleep like that, she looked just as innocent and optimistic as she had so long ago. The more I watched though, the easier it was for me to pick out the subtle differences. Tiny signs that told me royal life was taking it's toll. The slightly whitening streaks speckled through her otherwise honey-blonde hair, the way her face scrunched up in discomfort as she turned over, clutching the sheets a little closer to her chest. She whimpered in her sleep. For an instant, I swore she was calling my name, but it was too dark to tell. I wished nothing more than to go to her, but the fates weren't kind enough to grant me the time.

The sun continued to rise higher in the sky, and when it's warmth radiated across the tip of my shoulder, I knew I was about to overstay my welcome. With a wistful sigh, I pulled the letter I'd written out from where it was hidden in the hem of my dress, cradling it close to my heart. I'd wrote it down, all the things I wanted to say to her, just in case something like this happened, and I didn't have the time to do it myself.

I closed my eyes and muttered a small spell, feeling the envelope slip from my hands. When I opened them again, it was perched on the nightstand just beside her bed. I watched her for a few more precious minutes, wanting to soak up every memory I could. It wasn't as good as talking to her outright, but for now, it would have to do.

One short day…

"Your Goodness?"

I sucked in my breath as the door to her chambers creaked open. I didn't wait to see who would come through, instead leaving much the same way as I had before, with a gentle gust of wind as the leaves rustled beneath my feet, and tears blurring the edges of my vision.

And now that I'm in here, you'll know I've been here...