Title: Like The Rose
Verse: Book
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Angst
Pairing: Fiyero/Elphaba
Suggested Listening: As Long As You're Mine- Wicked, again, as it's my favorite love song

Her skin was pearly in the moonlight. Her long dark hair, ebony black, spiraled down to her waist. Her deep, brown eyes had a haunted look to them. Beautiful in her own exotic, twisted way. Not that she'd ever let him say that.

No, her constant sarcasm, her shield against the world was almost always up, even to him. Even now, he wasn't sure how he had managed to get in beneath her thick shell.

Once, he brought to her a red rose, making amends after a particularly bad argument. Amazingly, it reminded him of her. The silky blossom, beautiful and twisted. It had so many intriguing layers. Just like her.

But then, the rose also had it's harsh side. Covered in sharp thorns, it's protection against the world, as if the rose itself was afraid it would be hurt. But the rose's unique beauty pulled him back in, making the pain of the thorns worth it. Just to know she was his.

He knew the world mostly saw her uniqueness as bizarre and ugly, and was threatened by her, But he saw her beauty. He wondered what had caused her barbs. Were they a defense mechanism, or were they just her natural nature?

He knew it couldn't last, not for long. He had a wife, children, and a duty to his people. But there she was, and for the time she was his. It's just that the thought in his head Roses always die.