"Elphaba?" It was late on a Sunday night. He couldn't remember falling asleep- he remembered the fact that she had left early that morning, reminding him that they had food in the freezer for once. He could remember planning to wait up for her and sitting down on one of the crates that sat in the corner of the room. He must've fallen asleep waiting for her to come home. He shook his head to try to properly wake up. "Are you just getting home?

She stood in the shadows next to the door. "I thought you would've gone to sleep long before now. Why are you still up? You should get to bed," her own voice sounded tired.

"How was I supposed to sleep not knowing where you were or when you would come home?" He reminded himself to try not to bicker with her. They both wanted to keep the peace as much as possible, didn't want to waste to waste time fighting. Things that he would normally protest were ignored."Anyway, come on. You must be tired." He tried to approach her- but before he reached her she stepped back, pressing herself against the closed door. "Fae, what's the matter?"

He touched her arm through the sleeve of her dress and she flinched. "Please just go to bed. I'm fine.."

"Then let's go to bed together- I don't mean like that, I mean we're both tired."

"I'll be there in a minute." He moved toward the bed, but she hesitated to come out of the shadow of the doorway.

He frowned. "Something's wrong, what's the matter? You've been gone for what, sixteen hours? Won't let me get a good look at you, flinching when I touch you. What happened?"

Knowing she was fighting a loosing battle, she stepped into the light. He gasped when he saw a cut on her cheek, bruises randomly scattered over her body. "What the hell! Who did this?" He was back to her side in a second, trying to process the damage.

"I'm fine- I've been through worse, anyway," she amended. She found a clean, dry cloth and some oil which she used to clean the cut and wipe the dirt away.

Her nonchalance only horrified him more. "This is what, a typical occurrence? I've held my tongue for awhile, but I don't like this."

"Don't like what?" She shed her dress and he could see the purple bruise on her arm that he had unknowingly touched.

"Your... work," he decided.

"The fact that I get hurt, or the fact that someone else can get hurt because of it." She turned away from him, cleaning herself.

"I was referring to the former, but the latter is almost as bad." He approached her, trying to help her reach her back. She jerked away from him. She found a nightgown and pulled it over her head.

"Stop being selfish," she said, annoyed with him. "This is for the greater good. Some people will be hurt, I know that already. I could be one of them. I don't need you to coddle me about it. And I really don't need you to lecture me about it."

He walked away from her, dejected. "You ran away from school, everyone you care about to try to protect me. How can you expect me to not try to take care of you in return?"

"You aren't letting me protect you either. You say you don't want to save your life if it means sacrificing love. I don't want to save my life if it means sacrificing my cause."

"I don't want to see you get hurt,"

She softened, sitting next to him on the bed, taking his hand. "Then maybe you can understand how hard this is for me, why I left. Imagine not only fearing I would be hurt, but knowing I will be killed."

"I'm sorry," he said, understanding.

She laid back, inviting him. "Don't be. I'm just pleased you understand."

He went to her, but instead of climbing on top of her laid down beside her. "Which is why when... it happens, I don't want you to be alone." She frowned and he continued. "There's no reason for you to make yourself into an outcast. You have a family, your father, brother and sister. You have friends. Friends who were all worried sick when you disappeared. Do you know how much Glinda would like to see you again? I don't think she ate for a week after you left."

"She's better off without me. Besides, what would I be doing in Gillikin?"

He shook his head. "She's not in Gillikin, she's in the Emerald City with her husband. They have a suite at the hotel I'm supposed to be staying at.

She rolled over so she faced away from him. "No."

"But she's-"

"No!" She protested loudly, but was pinned under his arm.

"Fiyero, no! Why should I do this?"

He grabbed her shoulder, careful to not touch one of the bruises and turned her so he could see her face. "Your exile was self-imposed. No one didn't want you around, least of all Glinda. Everyone was worried. Everyone probably still is. What do you think will happen, you'll be turned away?"


Less than a week later, Elphaba felt extremely out of place at the expensive hotel Fiyero still kept a room at for appearences sake. She'd primped the best she could, but it was hopeless. She'd paid closer attention to her dress and hair than she ever had, not wanting to look as poor as she was..

Her heart skipped a beat when Lord and Lady Chuffery were shown into the dining room. Five years had passed and Glinda was as pretty as ever. Her hair was was cut in a fashionable boyish style, a tiara-like headband in her curls. Her light green dress was nearly the same shade as Elphaba's skin. Both women tensed at seeing each other and Fiyero had to resist wrapping his arm around Elphaba, reminding himself that no one was supposed to know that he was having an affair.

"Chuffery, Lady Glinda. Good of you two to join us," he frowned. It felt awkward to call her Glinda by a formal title. "I'm sure you recognize Miss Elphaba, older Great-Granddaughter of the Eminent Thropp of Munchkinland." He through in her noble blood, hoping to help her feel like she belonged a little more.

"Of course," Glinda said. Fiyero pulled her chair out for her before she fainted.

The two women stared at each other. Sensing the need for privacy, Fiyero turned to Chuffery. "I just remembered I have a little something for the Lady, but I left it in my room. Why don't you accompany me back up there?" He suggested, knowing very well that the necklace he intended to give Glinda as a gift was in his jacket pocket. He led Chuffery away before he had a chance to protest.

Once then men were gone, the women fell out of the spell. "Elphie!" Glinda forgot her society training and wrapped her arms around Elphaba's shoulders, hugging her tightly. Then, just as suddenly, she whacked her in the arm.

"Ow! I already have a bruise. What the hell was that for?"

"You run off without saying a word! I didn't know if you were alive or dead or raped or if any horrible thing had happened to you."

Feeling slightly guilty, Elphaba murmured, "I left you a note." Glinda gave her a harsh look and she added, "And I didn't get murdered or raped. Well, I did almost get raped, but I didn't and-" Glinda looked ready to smack her again. "OK, OK, I'm sorry. I just did what I had to do."

"So what? The two of you looked pretty cozy as you were waiting for us. What changed? Have you decided it was just a dream? Leaving was pointless, no one was ever going to be killed and you're content to be a married man's lover-"

"No, he's decided he'd rather have me than his life. I told him everything and he says he's not afraid." Her voice got smaller as she spoke, trailing off. Glinda reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm not angry, Elphie. I've just been so worried I would hear of your death or Fiyero's and not know what happened." She softened up. "What are you going to do when it happens?"

"I don't know."

"Then do us both a favor. Don't leave me again."