Neither Fiyero nor Elphaba knew what to say first. They hadn't had much time to speak in the chaos and panic of the scene earlier, or the chase into the forest, let alone think about what they could even say in the first place.

So he said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm so, so sorry."

"For what?"

God, how he had missed her voice.

"For... everything," he admitted, letting out a breath. "For not trying to find you, for being too afraid to be honest with you, for...for...for pushing you too far."

His last comment elicited a high, ringing laugh from the green woman.

"Fiyero," she smiled, her gaze softening, "you thought...that day...you thought I was upset with you?"

"...Yes?"

His response made Elphaba laugh yet again. "Oh, Fiyero, I wasn't upset because of you, if anything, you…." she trailed off, just for a moment, averting her gaze, from shyness, he realized, before continuing. "...What you did...I was upset with myself for being too stiff to respond."

A wave of relief washed over him, his muscles relaxing, a sigh of relief slipping past his lips. "I was so worried that I'd hurt you, that you hated me—"

"If anything, it was the opposite, Fiyero."

The green girl was yet again driving him mad with how close she was.

But this time, he didn't have to hold back.

There were no limits at that moment, not as long as he had her.

Fiyero lifted a hand and dragged it slowly, gently through her hair, the strands even softer and silkier than he remembered. He watched as Elphaba pulled her bottom lip between her teeth before a smile formed across her face, smiling to himself when she yet again tilted her head to lean into his touch. She reached up her own hands, arms shaking with the fear and excitement of a first time, her fingers brushing over his face before settling on his neck.

"Go ahead," the witch breathed, her voice raspy, noticing the hesitation in his eyes, the way he raised his eyebrows as if asking for permission.

His lips twitched up into a smirk before he brought her closer to him, closing the gap between them, one arm snaking around her back, his other hand still tangled in her hair. Elphaba arched into him, her fingers tracing down his chest a ways before resting there, almost as if she wasn't sure what to do with them.

Fiyero rose up on his knees, pulling Elphaba up with him, in no way breaking the kiss, their lips and tongues working together, the green girl finally figuring out what to do with her hands, wrapping them around his neck.

Elphaba jumped ever so slightly in surprise when the prince detached his lips from hers and shifted his attention towards her neck, which caused him to lift his head and glance at her, making sure that she gave him a nod before he continued, his hands roaming all over her body, his teeth ever-so-slightly skimming over her skin, eliciting a low moan from her throat, which only served to drive him even more, his fingers curling into the fabric of her dress.

Another moan rumbled from Elphaba's throat when Fiyero dragged a hand down to her thigh, causing her own hand to slide into his hair, gripping it tightly as she tilted her head to allow him greater access.

Slowly, the more intense his kisses got, and the more electricity that coursed through her body, Elphaba found herself gaining confidence, enough to secure her other hand against Fiyero's chest, pushing him to the ground beneath her, her hair falling over him, their faces heated and flushed, chests rising and falling in rapid succession, still breathless from the earlier kisses.

The twinkle in Fiyero's eye betrayed his sentiments, enough to prepare Elphaba for the switch in position, though not that she minded lying there now trapped beneath the handsome man leaning over her.

"Fae," he breathed, the nickname just slipping out.

It seemed to have the desired effect, because combined with his fierce kisses to her neck and chest, as well as his hands gripping her hips, his words made Elphaba practically writhe with pleasure. He peppered kisses up her jaw and beneath her ear before lightly nipping her earlobe, making the green women yelp.

The sight of Elphaba sprawled out beneath him, her hair spread around her head, lips parted, panting lightly, face and neck flushed that beautiful dark green, her collar pulled down low, practically drove Fiyero up the wall.

This time it was her who lifted herself up, her arms locking around his neck, lips locking with his, and as soon as his own arms had secured around her lower back, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, shocking him so much that he almost fell backwards.

The two lovers kissed so fiercely, held each other so tight, it was almost as if they were still trying to make sure that this moment, this moment they'd longed for for so long, wasn't just a fleeting dream brought on by stress and lack of sleep.

They were glad to know that was not the case at all.

Fiyero's lips on hers, Elphaba's legs around his waist, their fingers clinging to the fabric of each other's clothes, was, in fact, very real.

His tongue danced over hers, her hands gripped his hair, their chests pressed together, heat flying through their bodies, electrifying the air around them.

Not one single moment was to be wasted.

Fiyero's kisses moved to her neck once more, her collarbone, just above her breast, tearing another moan from deep in her throat, causing her hips to jerk into his, pulling a groan past his own lips. They worked as a unit, lips, tongues, hands, hearts slamming, breaths mixing, bodies pressed so close together there was no room in between.

That night, the witch and the prince shone brighter than the moon itself.

Eventually, they came down from the high, tangled in each other's arms, foreheads touching, hair all riled up from passion and lust, the light breeze cooling the heat between them.

"Yero, my hero," Elphaba breathed, giggling softly as he buried his face into her neck, planting light, gentle kisses onto her skin.

"Yes, my darling Fae?" Fiyero murmured, nibbling at the spot just above her collarbone, making her squeal.

"I wish that…."

"You wish what?"

"That I could...be beautiful. For you," she finished, sitting up, snaking her arms around her stomach.

"Fae…." he said in a breathy whisper. "Fae, don't...don't say that, you're—"

"Please, please don't tell me that I am," she mumbled, pressing her lips together. "You don't have to lie to make me feel better."

"I would never lie to you," he replied, lifting himself off the ground, wrapping his arms around her from behind, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on."

This prompted Elphaba to snort, shaking her head, laughing his comment off. "You must not have laid eyes on many women, then."

Fiyero let out a long sigh before gently turning the green witch around to face him, tilting up her chin when she dropped her gaze to the grass below them.

"Look at me, Elphaba," he pleaded, his voice low, but kind. "Look at me and listen to me. I don't ever want to hear you say that you aren't beautiful. Because you are. Your eyes, your hair, your lips, your face, your skin—"

Elphaba laughed out loud, almost a cackle, on his comment about her skin. "Oh please, Fiyero—"

"Let me finish," he interrupted, his eyes blazing with a loving glow. "I adore your looks, Fae, green and all."

"Then you're a fool or blind, Fiyero, or both."

"Maybe I am a blind fool," he continued, "but that won't change the fact that I am hopelessly, madly, head over heels in love with you, Elphaba, and nothing you say or do will ever change that. Not only are you beautiful—"

"—Oh, stop."

"Please let me finish, just listen to me," he begged, cupping her hands between his and pressing them to his chest. "Not only are you beautiful, but...but you...Oz, Fae, my beloved Fae, you're incredible. You're strong, stronger than me, stronger than anyone I've ever seen, you're passionate, proud, stubborn, sometimes to a fault, my dear, but that only makes me love you more. You're kind, so, so kind, and selfless, Fae, you love so easily but so, so intensely, and it's all these things—everything about you, Fae—that are the reasons I've fallen so hard for you."

And he didn't stop there. "I love you so much that I would do anything for you, Fae, my precious Fae."

Elphaba sat, chewing on her lip, her cheeks darkening with embarrassment as she shifted her position. "Yero, I don't...I don't know what to say to that."

"You don't have to say anything," he assured her, placing a quick kiss to her lips. "I love you, Elphaba. I love you, Fae, my darling Fae, and I...I always will, as long as I'm alive."

"That's what...that's what I don't understand, Yero."

"What…?"

"Look at me," she laughed, but bitterly, blinking sudden tears from her eyes.

"I am looking at you, and you're taking my breath away."

"Fiyero—"

"No, please listen to me, my love," he insisted, letting go of her hands in order to cradle her face, running his thumb gently over her cheek, a smile stretching across his lips when she again leaned into his hand. "Just listen to me. I have never wanted, never loved anyone in my life more than I want and love you, and nothing is ever going to change that, Fae, not the Wizard, not Morrible, not the Gale Force, not even death. You are my world, my life, my love, my everything, and I promise you that I will make sure you are happy, safe, and loved for the rest of your life, Fae. I promise you, I will never stop loving you for a single clock-tick, I will never let you go, I will never let anyone or anything in this world hurt you ever again, my darling. You're all that I think about, all that I need, all that I'll ever need. You were my dream, Fae, and now you're my reality, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you know how much I love and adore you." He stopped for a moment to bring her face closer to his until her forehead was resting against his. "You are the most beautiful, wonderful, incredible woman I have ever met, and I swear on my own soul that I will love you with everything I have until this rotten world crumbles around us."

"Yero, my hero," Elphaba whimpered, her voice trembling, thick with emotion. "I've never...no one has ever said anything even close to that to me before."

"Well, you'd better get used to it, my darling, my dear, my lovely Fae, because you're going to be hearing it a lot more often."

Yet another whimper slipped past Elphaba's lips, her shoulders shaking, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks, prompting Fiyero to kiss them away, running a gentle hand through her hair, and another down her back.

"Shh, my love," he murmured, "you don't have to cry…."

"Yero, Yero, Yero my hero," she hiccupped, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. "You have...no idea...how much I wanted...needed...to hear something like that...from you…!"

Fiyero gathered the green women in his arms, landing a reassuring kiss on the top of her head.

"I will never let you go, my Fae," he insisted, his voice hoarse, "and from this moment on until the end of time, I promise to hold you and love you and make sure you are never, ever, alone again."

"I love you so much, Yero, my hero," Elphaba sobbed, snuggling even closer to him.

"And I love you, my darling Fae," Fiyero replied with a smile, "forever, always."