AN: I love you guys. Like, seriously. Virtual hugs for all of you.

I told you last time that you'd love this chapter... I take that back. You might love the beginning, or something, but I don't think you'll like how Fiyeraba works out here. But Fiyeraba will prevail in the end - I don't have to tell you that, do I? ;)

Musicgal3: Those were my own favourite lines, too! :) Especially the ones about the Goat being milked and the conversation about that one subject Corrin really didn't want to hear anything about :P.


Chapter 4. Different

He stared at her in disbelief. 'Elphaba?' He looked at the door, then at her, then at the door again. 'Does that mean that really was Glinda just a minute ago?'

Elphaba grinded her teeth. 'Glinda… I'm gonna kill her.' Then she frowned at him. 'Wait a clock-tick. You're the new Captain of the Guard?'

He faltered. 'I, um… yes.'

She hissed between her teeth. 'Great. Just great.' She shook her head. 'Never mind. This'll never work. I have to go,' she said, turning around and making to leave. She knew that she could never trick Fiyero the way she had tricked the others, and neither could Glinda. Someone else should do this job.

Before she could take more than one step, however, he'd caught her wrist. 'Don't go yet,' he pleaded. 'Please?'

She let out a mirthless laugh. 'And why not?'

He just kept looking at her until she sighed and gave in, sliding in the seat across from him. He leaned over the table, eyeing her up and down as if he couldn't believe she was really here. 'What are you doing here?'

'None of your business,' she said gruffly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. He nodded slowly. 'Fair enough. Where have you been, then, Elphaba? You and Glinda-'

'That's also none of your business,' she snapped. 'Besides, you of all people should know. You're the Captain of the Guard, aren't you?' She mimicked Morrible. 'Our new Captain of the Guard, who wants nothing more than to bring down the Resistance and the Wicked Witches!'

He opened his mouth, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. 'Just know, Tiggular, that if you so much as breathe a word about me or Glinda to anyone, I will castrate you. I'm not joking. I've done it before and I can do it again. You were Glinda's boyfriend, and my… Well, I actually don't know what you were to me, but at least we were acquainted and I think it's incredibly low of you that you actually believed all those rumours about us being wicked. I would have thought you knew better than that, but apparently, you don't, so the least you could do is let us get away this once and-'

'Hey!' he interrupted her, finally effectively shutting her up. There was a small smile playing around his lips when he looked at her, and his sky blue eyes were soft. 'Do you ever let anyone else talk?' he asked, and she was immediately flung back in time and space, back to that day in the clearing with the Lion Cub…

No. She shook her head. 'No, I don't. Don't you remember?'

He laughed softly. 'I remember.' He cocked his head. 'So, whatever it was that you were coming here to do… are you still going to do it?'

She had grown so frustrated with him that she just blurted it out. 'Well,' she said bluntly, 'that depends. Now that you know who I am, would you still let me charm my way into your pants?'

That, she noted smugly, shut him up. 'What?' he asked, baffled.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. 'You heard me.'

For some reason, he looked absolutely horrified and even a little angry as he demanded, 'Is that what you've been doing for the past two years? Sleeping around with random men?'

She didn't understand why that would bother him so much, but the implication of what he was saying certainly rubbed her the wrong way.

'Do I look like a prostitute to you?' she snapped at him. 'Do you really think I sank that low? If you must know: no, I don't sleep around with random men. One: the men are never random.' She had the pleasure of seeing him blanch visibly at what he thought she was implying. 'And two,' she continued, 'I never sleep with men. I seduce them, I kiss them, I play with them,' she left that last remark up to his own imagination, 'but I never sleep with them.'

'So you were hitting on me just now,' he concluded, and she flushed. 'Well yes, but not because you're attractive or anything!'

He mockingly put his hand over his heart. 'Ouch.'

She flushed an even darker shade of red. 'I didn't mean that!' She glared at him – she hated how he always made her feel so awkward and say stupid things. 'Never mind. You wouldn't understand.'

'I understand a lot more than you think,' he said, but she shook her head. 'I'm leaving now.'

She rose from her seat, but he quickly got up, too, and grabbed her arm. 'Wait!'

'Why?' she demanded. He hesitated for a moment, then said, 'Why don't you just do what you came here to do?'

She stared at him incredulously. 'Charm my way into your pants?'

He laughed. 'If that's what you came here to do, go on ahead, but I'm guessing there's something more to it. Whatever you need, it's at your disposal.'

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'Is this some kind of joke?' Or a trap, perhaps? But no… she couldn't imagine him doing that.

He shrugged. 'If you don't want to…'

'Okay, fine!' she snapped. She rolled her eyes and yanked her arm out of his grip. 'Take me to your home.'

His eyebrows went up. 'Straightforward, aren't we?'

'You said you'd give me what I wanted,' she reminded him. 'So take me to your home.'

He paid for his drink, then took her with him. His home wasn't as impressive as the advisor's mansion had been, but it was still pretty big – especially compared to the old, sloppy building she and Glinda had lived in for the past weeks. They moved around every a lot, to avoid getting caught; but wherever they lived, it was never fancy.

When they were in the hallway and he made to close the door, she stopped him. 'Leave it open.'

He obeyed without question and took her to a study, where he sat down on a couch. He tilted his head inquiringly, clearly asking her with his eyes to join him, but she moved to sit on a desk chair – backwards, with her arms leaning on the back of the chair. 'Now please tell me why you're so insistent on not letting me go.'

He opened his mouth, but faltered. Where could he begin? He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he had ever since Shiz, and that he only joined the Gale Force to find her – well, and Glinda, too, when he was at it, but mostly her.

Somehow, though, he couldn't. She'd changed so much since he'd last seen her… she was clearly just as intelligent and passionate, if not more so, but she was… different. It was like the walls she'd already had around herself back at Shiz were even thicker and higher now, and she was harsher than he remembered – but there was something in her eyes that reminded him of how she used to be.

As if she was reading his mind, her eyes softened a bit and she looked away. 'You're still thinking of me as that girl I was back at Shiz,' she concluded quietly. 'But I'm not, Fiyero.'

'Why not?' he wanted to know. 'How much can a person really change in two years?'

She let out a mirthless laugh. 'An awful lot, Fiyero.' She met his eyes. 'I'm not that girl anymore. Glinda's not the same either, and neither are you. We've all changed. We've all moved on.'

That was his opening. 'I never did.'

She tilted her head a little to the side, confused, and his heart soared when he recognised the gesture from back when he knew her at Shiz. No matter how much she claimed to have changed, she was still the same person.

She didn't seem ready for his confession yet, though – he was afraid he'd scare her away if he told her now, and so he settled for a question of his own. 'Please tell me where you've been, Elphaba.'

'Glinda and I joined the Resistance,' she replied immediately. 'While you were busy working yourself into Morrible's good graces, we made it to the top of the Resistance. Glinda has a new boyfriend, actually – our leader.'

She had expected him to show off an emotion when she threw that at him, perhaps regret or sadness, but he just nodded. 'Good. I'm happy for her.'

She quirked an eyebrow at him, but his facial expression didn't change. She decided to let it slide for now. 'So… that's what we've been doing. What have you been doing? Besides leading the single group of people that are being paid to kill me and your former girlfriend, of course.'

He cringed. 'I never wanted to kill you.'

'Then why join the Gale Force?' she asked pointedly, making her chair spin a little to the right, then a little to the left, and back again, ever restless.

He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. 'I…' He swallowed. 'I just…' He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. 'Look, Elphaba… When you and Glinda left… I was all alone, back at Shiz. I missed you. Both of you.' She seemed stunned at that, but he went on. 'And I wanted to find you again. That's why I joined the Gale Force and worked my way up – in order to find you.'

She tilted her head again, intrigued. 'Really?'

He nodded, relieved that he had finally gotten it out. 'Really.'

She arched her eyebrows. 'And what are you going to do with me, now that you've found me?'

Kiss you. Hold you. Love you. Never let you go again. 'I'm… I'm not sure yet.'

She huffed. 'You're so brainless.' She shook her head. 'Coming here was a mistake, Fiyero. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this.'

'You still don't trust me, do you?' he asked her, and she gave him a look that told him he was stating the obvious. 'Of course not.'

He shouldn't have been surprised. 'How can I get you to trust me?'

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, pretending to seriously think about his question. 'Join the Resistance and prove yourself worthy?'

'And then you'd trust me?'

She cocked her head. 'On second thought… no.' She leaned her chin on her arms, which were still resting on the back of her chair. 'Don't take it personally, Fiyero. I don't trust anyone. I trust our leader and I trust Glinda, and that's about it. Trust is one of the many things I was forced to give up when the man I had always so much faith in, declared me a Wicked Witch.'

He cringed. 'I'm sorry.'

She shrugged. 'I'm not. Things happened, and we can't change them now. Besides, my life isn't bad at the moment. At least I know I'm doing good, I'm helping Oz, and that's what I've always wanted, after all.'

'But still,' he said sincerely. 'I want you to trust me.'

She scoffed. He thought about it. 'You're on a Resistance mission, right? To get something from me.'

She didn't bother denying it – she'd pretty much given this away herself earlier. 'Yes.'

'So, what is it?' he asked. 'I'll give it to you, no matter what – would that help?'

She rolled her eyes. 'I suppose it would be a step in the right direction,' she acknowledged. 'I need the map of the Palace Morrible has given you.'

'In the drawer of my desk in my bedroom,' he replied immediately. She flashed him a grin. 'Thanks.' Then she muttered under her breath, 'Ni Amplia Somnus Sheh.'

'What was that?' he asked, slightly confused. As his eyelids slowly started to droop, he caught her looking at him with something that was awfully close to sympathy in her eyes. 'I'm sorry, Yero. I really am.'

Then he lost consciousness.


Elphaba came out of the study and climbed the stairs. Glinda poked her head around the bedroom door at the other side of the hallway. 'He's asleep?'

'He is,' Elphaba confirmed, entering the room after the blonde. 'Desk drawer in bedroom.'

Glinda understood immediately and searched said drawer. 'Got it.' She held up the map. 'Now let's get out of here.'

Elphaba heaved a sigh. 'I hate doing this to him.'

'Me, too,' admitted Glinda. 'I mean, I don't love him anymore – I don't think I ever really did – but we did spend a lot of time together back at Shiz, and, well…' She shrugged, then sighed. 'Sometimes I wish we could go back to those times.'

'Unfortunately, we can't.' Elphaba took the map from Glinda and safely tucked it in her bra. 'Let's go.'

They made their way back to the outskirts of town and entered the building. Elphaba handed Mey the map, then went on. 'Is he here?'

'Yes,' said Mey, slightly baffled. 'But I thought…' She trailed off when Elphaba ignored her and stomped her way up the stairs, towards Corrin's study. She knocked and yelled, 'Roses, Goat, milk!' before entering without waiting for a reply.

Corrin didn't pull a muscle, just arched one eyebrow. 'Sometimes I wonder what I should do with you.'

She ignored that and placed both hands on his desk, leaning forward. 'You have to get me out of the City.'

He blinked at her. 'What?'

She sighed and sat down. 'Listen.' She blew a strand of raven hair away from her face. 'Mr. Captain of the Guard is an old acquaintance of ours.'

Corrin actually looked surprised – a look she didn't see on him often. 'Really?'

She nodded. 'We knew each other back at Shiz. He was Glinda's boyfriend back when we… left.'

Corrin faltered for a moment. 'Oh.'

She grinned at his obvious discomfort, adjusting her position in the chair so that she had both legs flung over one arm and was draped across it in a rather unladylike manner. 'They're over each other now, but that's not my point. My point is that he recognised us, especially me, almost immediately.' She gestured towards herself. 'The green is a bit hard to miss.'

He nodded, understanding. 'How much does he know?'

'Too much,' she admitted. 'He knew me back then, and he already pretty much suspected what Glinda and I had gone to do after defying the Wizard. Plus… he wants to get reacquainted.' She made a face. 'I put him to sleep with a spell, like I usually do with the others, but he might come and look for me now.'

Corrin studied her for a long time, and she shifted uncomfortably. 'What?'

He wiggled his fingers. 'Is there something… going on… between you and this new Captain of the Guard?'

Her eyes widened. 'What? No! Of course not!' She flushed a little, however, and he, of course, noticed – it was his job to notice everything, after all. 'Elphaba…'

'It's… complicated,' she conceded. 'I mean… I never liked him. Then there was this really awkward moment between us back at Shiz, and… and it's none of your business, really,' she burst out. 'Let's just say that it would be hard for me to go on doing what I'm doing here in the Emerald City when he's looking for me all over the place. And trust me – he will look for me.'

Corrin nodded slowly. 'What about Glinda?'

She hesitated. 'I didn't get the impression that he was looking for her, so much,' she said finally. 'He didn't even recognise her at first… I don't think he'll pose a problem to her.'

'Okay then.' He entwined his fingers and looked at her solemnly. 'Actually, I have just the perfect mission for you – something I was, in fact, already planning on asking you to do.'

She nodded eagerly. 'Please.'

'It's in Munchkinland,' he said, pulling out a map of Oz and pointing at it. 'The Munchkins are being oppressed and stripped of their rights… and they didn't have too many to begin with.'

Elphaba had a sinking feeling she knew where this was going. She'd heard news from back home, and she knew her sister. 'Let me guess. The Governess?'

Corrin nodded. 'Yes. Your father may have not been a great father, Elphaba, but he was a good Governor to his people. Nessarose, however…' He shook his head. 'Ever since Frexspar died and she got power, she's been abusing it. She's spinning out of control and this can't go on any longer, Elphaba.'

Her blood ran cold. 'You're not asking me what I think you're asking me, are you?' She knew the common procedure for people with power who were 'spinning out of control'. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and with the Resistance, that was no different. If many people were oppressed by one person, that one person had to be eliminated.

'I'm asking you to-'

'No!' She leapt to her feet, eyes flaming. 'You can't ask that of me, Corrin. You can't ask me to kill my own sister! And I won't allow anyone else to, either! Please, don't do this!' she pleaded almost desperately. No matter how much of a spoiled brat Nessa could be, and no matter how awful she was to her people, she was still Elphaba's sister. She couldn't let Corrin do this.

He seemed shocked, however. 'I'm not asking you to kill your sister!' he hurriedly reassured her. 'Oz, Elphaba! I know I'm a leader and I sometimes have to make hard decisions, but I'm not a monster! Even if I would want to have her killed, I would never send you!'

'That's hardly reassuring,' she said sarcastically, and he shook his head and looked at her. 'Elphaba… I don't want to kill your sister. You know I don't,' he said gravely. 'But it can't go on this way. The Munchkins-'

'So what do you want to do?' she interrupted him a bit sharply, but he didn't seem to mind – he understood how she was feeling.

'I want you to talk to your sister,' he said simply. 'Try to reason with her. You're the only family she has left, and you took care of her when you were younger, didn't you? She'll listen to you.'

'I hope so,' muttered Elphaba under her breath, and Corrin locked his piercing blue eyes with hers. 'Elphaba… This is her final chance,' he told her earnestly. 'If this doesn't work, she will be eliminated.'

Elphaba slumped back into her chair, her new task heavy on her small shoulders. 'Fine,' she said tiredly. 'Send me to Munchkinland.'