A/N: Have I mentioned lately how much I absolutely ADORE you all??? This story has now officially broken 100 reviews. It is on 32 story alert lists and 27 favorite story lists. It has nearly 4300 hits. And I couldn't be happier. Seriously. You all are so amazing, and I love each and every one of you! Freshly-baked cookies, brownies, and any other baked goods of your choosing to one and all! .: distributes said baked goods :.

Okay, end of the freakily Glinda-esque ranting…

Anyhow, because you all are so incredible and stuffed my inbox with nine whole loverly reviews (and they were nice long ones, too!) while I was gone on vacation last month, plus more since then, this chapter's coming to you after only three WEEKS, rather than three MONTHS. And for those of you who requested more Fiyeraba, your wish is my command – the first half of the chapter's for you! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Only in my wildest dreamings.

Elphaba hardly said a word the entire trip back to the Animal hideout, and Fiyero knew better than to even try and get her to be sociable after what had happened. She needed time to think it all through herself before she could be expected to discuss it with anyone else. When she was ready to talk about it, if he didn't push her, she would come to him. So he resolved to be patient. He would wait as long as it took. As far as he was concerned, she was more than worth it.

Once they had landed and alighted from the broom, Elphaba stowed it, along with her cape, hat, and satchel, in its customary spot in the cabin. She then proceeded to stalk off without so much as a single word to anyone about where she was going, leaving a worried Fiyero, a grim Saryan and Braeyn, and a perplexed Dr. Dillamond in her wake.

"What in Oz's name…?" wondered the Goat, looking after her with a concerned expression. "I've never seen Elphaba like this."

"Saryan and I have," Braeyn told them. "Sometimes, when something really awful happens, she'll just up and take off by herself like this. She'll disappear for hours."

The Lion nodded his confirmation before adding, "Last time she got back from visiting her sister, she was gone nearly a whole day."

Fiyero sighed heavily. "Well, in that case, I expect it'll be a while before we see her again."

"You'd better tell us what happened," suggested the Bear.

The three Animals listened in stunned silence as Fiyero recounted everything that had gone on during his and Elphaba's short trip. The Goat was genuinely sorry to hear about Nessa's death, as he remembered the girl fondly from when she had been a student in his class at Shiz. Braeyn and Saryan, on the other hand, seemed ready to hunt Glinda down and tear her to shreds for betraying Elphaba and causing her such pain. However, all three agreed that it was no use going after the green girl. She would return when she was good and ready, and there was nothing any of them could do to make her come back a clock-tick sooner. And besides, no one had any idea where she had gone.

With nothing to do except wait for Elphaba, Fiyero found himself thinking back over the events in Munchkinland. And the more he thought about what had happened, the more he began to get a sinking feeling that he was more than partially to blame for all of it. If he hadn't put his own feelings and desires above everyone else's by choosing to leave the palace and go with Elphaba, Glinda would not have been upset enough to give Morrible and the Wizard the idea to lure Elphaba out of hiding by harming her sister. Nessa would still be alive. And Elphaba would still have her best friend. When you got right down to it, he realized in dismay, it was all his fault, really. He was surprised that Elphaba hadn't already ordered him to leave – surely she had figured out by now the part he had played in her sister's death and Glinda's betrayal.

This is exactly why 'life is painless for the brainless,' Mr. Dancing-Through-Life, a small voice whispered sarcastically in his head. When you don't think, you don't have to be bothered by unpleasant emotions like guilt. But deep down, Fiyero knew the voice was wrong. He hadn't really been better off as he used to be before meeting Elphaba. It was his association with her that had changed him, and Elphaba had brought nothing but good into his life. And now I've gone and brought even more pain into hers…

He sighed heavily and shoved a hand back through his hair, beginning to understand why the green girl preferred solitude when dealing with such emotions. In fact, the idea of going off by himself so he could work through his thoughts in private was sounding very appealing at the moment. So, after telling Braeyn and Dr. Dillamond that he was going for a walk, he set off alone down the path that he and Elphaba had traveled the day he had first arrived at the Animal hideout. After he had rounded a bend in the path that put her cabin out of sight behind him, he came upon a place where a smaller trail branched off from the main one, snaking off farther up the hill into the distance. No one would venture up there, he decided, especially with night coming on. So he promptly bent his steps down the newly-discovered path and began to climb.

It took him longer than he expected to reach the end of the little-used trail. By the time he arrived at a small ledge that overlooked what seemed like most of the Vinkus, the stars were beginning to come out. He stopped for a moment to drink in the sight.

Suddenly, someone spoke from behind him. "I might have known you'd be the one who would finally find my little hideout." Startled at the unexpected sound of another human voice all the way up here, he turned in surprise to see Elphaba sitting there under a slight overhang, knees drawn up to her chest and her arms encircling them. "How did you figure out where I'd gone?"

"Believe it or not, I wasn't really looking for you," he told her. "Braeyn warned me that it wouldn't do any good, and I wasn't going to try and make you come back before you were ready. I was actually looking for someplace where I could be by myself for a while, and… well, I guess we think alike."

"That's something I never expected to hear you say," she commented dryly. "And what's more, it's a rather frightening thought."

He was mildly reassured by the fact that she hadn't let the opportunity for a sarcastic response pass by, but he still didn't want to disturb her if she wasn't ready for company just yet. So he offered, "I'll go if you'd rather be left alone."

But she shook her head slowly. "You can stay. I don't mind." She paused, then added quietly, "I'm tired of being alone." She reached out a hand to him, and he came over and took it. He laced their fingers together as he sat down next to her, and pressed his lips briefly to the back of her hand, which caused the corners of her mouth to turn up faintly.

"This is a pretty amazing view you've got up here," he observed, surveying the landscape laid out below them.

"I like to come up here and look at the stars." She tilted her head back to get a better view of the diamond-studded heavens as she continued, "Whenever life gets out of control, whenever my problems seem like they're just too much to handle, I come up here and sit for a while. It helps me put everything back into perspective."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess you could say looking at everything from here reminds me how small and insignificant I am. It helps me remember that even though my problems seem enormously important to me, they really don't matter at all in the grand scheme of things."

"Elphaba, how can you say your problems don't matter? Of course they matter. They matter to me."

"Why?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious, and it struck him, not for the first time, how it seemed to surprise her when anyone showed sincere concern for her. He was flooded with the sudden desire to singlehandedly take on every person who had ever contributed to the belief she seemed to have that she wasn't worth caring about.

"Because I don't like it that for some reason you've got this crazy idea that you always have to bear your pain alone, that no one else is ever going to help you. Life's made you too strong for your own good. I mean, for Oz's sake, you just lost your sister and your best friend in the same day! It's all right to need someone to help you at a time like this." He let go of her hand and pulled her close, and after a moment she gave in and relaxed into his embrace. "I know it hurts, Elphaba. And it's not fair that you have to go through this. You don't deserve this." He paused long enough to brush a gentle kiss against the top of her head before finishing in a slightly self-deprecating tone, "But for whatever it's worth, you've still got me."

That elicited a small smile from the green girl. "I know I do. And that means more to me than you can possibly imagine." She cuddled closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "You're the only thing that's getting me through this. I don't know what I'd do without you, Fiyero. You're all I've got left. Nessa's dead, and Glinda's… well…" She broke off with a shake of her head and finished, "I don't honestly know how I'd go on if I lost you too."

"You're not going to lose me," he assured her, drawing her closer. "I promise. I'm staying right here, with you."

She raised her head to look at him, and reached up to run her fingertips lightly over the scar on his cheek from the day they rescued young Saryan. "How is it that even when something as awful as this happens, you can make me feel better just by holding me?"

"What can I say? It's a gift," he replied, his mouth curving upward into a smirk.

That finally got a soft laugh out of Elphaba. "Don't you know a rhetorical question when you hear one?"

"No," he answered cheerfully.

She laid her head back on his shoulder, and they were both quiet for a minute or two, each content simply to know that the other was there. Finally Elphaba broke the silence. "So… you don't believe what Glinda said?" she asked hesitantly, sounding as though she was almost afraid to hear what his answer would be.

"About what?"

"The love spell."

"Oh, that." He shook his head earnestly. "Of course I don't believe it. Not for a single clock-tick."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I know you would never do something like that."

"I'm glad," she said with a slight smile. "You don't know how nice it is to have someone believe me for a change, rather than what they hear about me."

The undisguised relief in her dark eyes melted his heart, and he leaned down to press his lips briefly to hers. "Of course I believe you, Elphaba. You know, somehow I really doubt if you're even capable of lying. You're too honest to be a good liar."

"There are times when I wonder if that's really such a good thing. Honesty certainly didn't help me today with Glinda." She paused for a moment, and when she spoke again he could hear the sadness and regret in her voice. "You were exactly right to warn me before we left not to lose my head. If I'd listened to you like I should've, things probably would have turned out differently."

"Maybe so," he agreed cautiously. "But when I said that, I had no idea what Glinda was up to. I mean, she as good as told Morrible and the Wizard to murder your sister. Anyone else would've responded exactly the same way you did."

"But she apologized for it. And I think she really was sorry. But I couldn't bring myself to forgive her, not even after all the times she asked…" She buried her face in her hands as she moaned, "What kind of awful, cold-hearted, wicked person am I that I can't forgive my best friend?"

Fiyero pulled her closer, and she hid her face in his shoulder. He felt her shoulders start to shake, and he realized when his shirt began to grow damp that she was crying. It rather unnerved him – he had never seen Elphaba so distraught. Come to think of it, he didn't think he'd ever even seen her cry before. For the first time, he saw just how deeply the day's events really had upset her. He ran one hand up and down her back in a soothing motion, trying to offer whatever comfort he could. "Elphaba, being angry at Glinda doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you human. Nobody I know would have been able to just forgive her after what she did."

His words seemed to calm her a little. After a minute or two she took several deep breaths and looked up at him, swiping at her eyes with the heel of her hand. "So you don't think I overreacted?"

"No, I don't," he assured her, catching her gently by the chin and tilting her face up towards his to wipe away a few tears that were still coursing their way down her cheeks. "But even if you had, it wouldn't make what Glinda did right. There's only so much a person can reasonably be expected to take. When your best friend intentionally betrays you, I'd say you have every right to hold it against her."

"And you don't think I was just being unreasonable and stubborn?"

Fiyero considered this carefully for a moment before replying with just the barest hint of amusement in his voice, "No, no more so than usual."

She fixed him with a brief glare, but she was only able to hold it for a clock-tick or two before giving in to the smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Just consider yourself lucky that I don't feel like favoring you with a response to that at the moment."

"But you will later?" he teased.

"You can always hope so, anyway," she shot back with a smirk. Then she paused and grew serious again as a new thought came to her. "Just out of curiosity, Fiyero, why were you looking for someplace to be alone?"

This was the question he had been dreading since the beginning of the conversation. He wished he could make up some sort of excuse to put off the confession a little longer, but he knew that was not an option. He could not and would not lie to her. She deserved the truth. So, drawing a deep breath, he answered, "Because I realized that everything that happened today was at least partly my fault."

She sat up at this, and gave him an incredulous look. "What? Where in Oz did you get a crazy idea like that?" she wondered.

"It's the truth," he insisted. "I should have thought before I just up and left how upset it would make Glinda. It was because she was angry at me for leaving with you that she gave Morrible and the Wizard the idea to go after your sister. And if it wasn't for me, you and Glinda wouldn't be fighting, either. So you see, it is all my fault."

"Fiyero, stop it," Elphaba ordered, shaking her head. "You had nothing to do with this. It was Morrible who put the idea of me casting a love spell on you into Glinda's head. And Glinda's a grown woman. She's perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She chose to believe Morrible, and she chose to get even with me by telling Morrible and the Wizard to use my sister to try to capture me. There was nothing either of us could have done to stop her."

"Yes, but – "

"No 'but's, my sweet," she interrupted gently but firmly, cutting him off by putting a finger to his lips. "I don't want you to blame yourself for this. Feeling guilty about things you couldn't possibly have done anything to change is my department." She smirked slightly as she continued, "You've been hanging around me too long – I'm starting to rub off on you."

Amazed and immensely grateful that somehow she didn't hold him at fault, Fiyero reached out to cup her cheek with one hand and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Elphaba, I could spend every moment of the rest of my life with you, and it would never be too long."

She smiled at that, and settled herself back in his arms. "I agree completely. But let's concentrate on the next few days first."

He drew her closer, savoring the feeling of having her in his arms, and turned his attention once more to a study of the magnificent view. "I bet you could see clear to Kiamo Ko from up here."

"Kiamo Ko?" she echoed, arching an eyebrow curiously. "Where's that?"

"It's a castle my family owns," he explained, "although I'm not really sure why we have it. We've stayed there once or twice for a few nights at a time, but most of the time no one's there except for the sentries who watch over it. We've never actually lived there."

She gave him a puzzled look. "Where do you live?"

"The other castle."

"Oh. Of course."

"You'd really like Kiamo Ko, I think," he told her. "It's got tunnels, secret passageways, hidden rooms – you could spend a lifetime exploring the place and still not find everything there is to find."

"It sounds intriguing. I hope I get to see it one day."

"Someday I'll show it to you. We'll go together, just the two of us."

"Just the two of us," repeated Elphaba, her lips curving upward into a smile. "I love the sound of that." She nestled closer to him and lazily raised a hand to brush the hair back from his forehead, running her fingers lightly through it. "But to be perfectly honest, Fiyero, I don't really care where we go or what we do, as long as you're with me and I can call you mine."

"I am yours, Elphaba," he reminded her quietly, seeking and finding her mouth with his. "Heart and soul. You know that."

She returned the kiss without hesitation, and nodded when they eased apart. "I know. And I'm yours. And I don't ever want to be anyone else's."

And despite everything that had gone wrong that day, they were both somehow able to put it all out of their minds, if only for a few brief minutes, and simply focus on each other. Here in the private sanctuary they created for themselves, they didn't have to worry or even care about the rest of the world and the problems it seemed to delight in concocting for them. This escape was a relief that both of them desperately needed, and they spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, finally falling into a peaceful and much-needed sleep.

Meanwhile, in the palace in the Emerald City, things were not quite so tranquil. Madam Morrible had been livid with rage ever since she had learned that the Wicked Witch had once again managed to elude capture. The way the guards she had sent told it, the Witch had apparently been and gone before they arrived. But Morrible had been watching the entire time via crystal ball, and she knew that there was more to it than that. No, the Witch hadn't gotten away merely because of poor timing on the part of the guards. Glinda had warned her off, and then kept the soldiers occupied while Elphaba made her escape.

The Gillikinese girl had been supposed to distract the Witch, keep her there long enough for the guards to show up and take her into custody. Morrible had thought for sure that the brilliant little gem of an idea she had planted in that blissful blonde brain would be enough to keep Glinda angry long enough to override her friendship with Elphaba until the green girl was safely locked away in the dungeon once again.

But apparently it had not been the best idea to allow the blonde to meet with her old roommate unchaperoned. Why, with just a few well-chosen words, Elphaba had ruined in moments all the hard work that Morrible had done to turn Glinda against her! She didn't want to believe it, but even with all her efforts and her careful plotting, she seemed to have once again underestimated Elphaba Thropp and the strength of her bond with Glinda Upland. It was a miscalculation that she was determined not to make again.

A new plan was already formulating itself in her mind, and she let out a sinister chuckle as the last details came to her. Everything she had tried so far had failed to accomplish what she meant to do. It was time to take things to a whole new level. So this was how Elphaba wanted to play, was it – using subtle manipulation of the blonde's mind to keep her on her side? Well, that was perfectly fine with her. When it came to the manipulation of minds, there was no one in all of Oz who could come even remotely close to Morrible's level of skill. The green girl would soon learn that she was in far over her head, and she would curse the day she had ever dared to defy Madam Morrible!

The Wizard's press secretary looked down at the small half-sheet of paper in her hand. It was a note from none other than Glinda herself, requesting an audience at Morrible's earliest possible convenience. She smiled to herself. There was no time like the present to begin putting her latest scheme into action.

Summoning a guard, she directed him, "Please let Miss Glinda know that I am free to speak with her now."

"Right away, Madam," the guard nodded, and left to carry out her request. Now all that was left for Morrible to do was wait.

Not ten minutes later, the door of Morrible's private office flew open without warning, and in strode a thoroughly displeased-looking Glinda. She came immediately to stand directly opposite the older woman, glaring at her across the large desk where Morrible sat.

"Glinda, dear, how good to see you," the press secretary trilled in a voice so sweet, it was positively sugar-coated. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

"Drop the act, Morrible. You know perfectly well why I'm here," spat Glinda.

Morrible raised an eyebrow, amused by the blonde's anger. "Perhaps I do," she allowed. "But perhaps I want you to enlighten me, just so I can make sure that we're both on the same page here."

"Fine." Glinda drew herself up to her full height and squared her shoulders. "You lied to me, and I'm not going to stand for it."

"Lied to you?" echoed the press secretary, careful to sound the very epitome of offended innocence. However, she knew that the gleam in her eyes would be enough to disabuse Glinda of any doubts she might have had about her accusation. "Why, whatever do you mean, dearie?"

Gritting her teeth, the blonde made a visible effort to get her temper under control that only added to Morrible's enjoyment of the whole situation. "I mean, you lied to me when you told me that Elphie cast a love spell on Fiyero to make him go with her. I talked to her, Madam, and I'm positive now that she did no such thing. I ought to have known better than to ever have believed you. And now an innocent woman is dead because of your lies."

Morrible nodded gravely, as though in sudden understanding. "Ah, I see what this is about. You're simply upset over the younger Miss Thropp's… untimely demise. But there's no need to fret over it, my dear. Just think of it as…" She paused, and allowed her lips to curve upward in a smile of satisfaction as she finished, "…a regime change. Caused by a bizarre and unexpected twister of fate."

Glinda's eyes widened as she recognized the very words she had said to Elphaba at the scene of the wrecked house. She couldn't have had any idea, of course, that Morrible had seen the whole thing, and the words had much the same galvanizing effect as if the older woman had prodded her with a red-hot poker. "So you did cause that cyclone!" she cried, pointing an accusatory finger. "I knew it! You killed Nessa, and it's your fault that my best friend in the whole world hates me now!"

"On the contrary, my dear. You can't lay your guilt on me. You have no one to blame but yourself. Why, if it wasn't for the suggestion that we use the Witch's sister to get to her – which was a most surprising stroke of genius on your part, by the way – none of this would have happened."

"But I never would have said it if you hadn't told me that horrendible lie about Elphie and Fiyero!" Glinda protested.

"I suppose," conceded Morrible with a careless shrug. "But you didn't have to believe me, now did you? And once you decided to believe me, no one forced you to do anything about it. You chose your course of action all on your own. So you see, if anyone here is responsible for what happened, it's you."

"No… that's not true!"

Morrible flashed the blonde a brilliant smile. "Oh, but it is. In fact, I ought to be thanking you, really." Then her expression deepened into a frown. "Except for that unfortunate little attack of conscience you had there at the end. That will most definitely not be part of the plan this time."

"Plan?" echoed Glinda uncertainly. "What plan?"

"Why, my plan to use you to capture Elphaba, of course."

Morrible took pleasure in seeing the blonde's eyes go wide with horror and fury. "What?!? I will never help you hurt Elphie! Not ever again!"

"Ah, but that's where you're mistaken, dearie," the press secretary contradicted, privately anticipating her personal favorite part of the new plan she had concocted. "You see, you're not going to have any choice in the matter."

"What are you talking about?" Glinda wanted to know. It did not escape Morrible's notice that her voice was now quivering slightly with fear.

"I gave you the opportunity to help me willingly, and you made quite a pretty mess of it. I'm not taking any chances this time." The older woman shook her head in mock sorrow. "If you'd only done your part and made sure that the Witch stayed at that house long enough for our guards to bring her into custody, I wouldn't have to resort to this. Just remember, you've brought this upon yourself." And with that, Morrible bowed her head and began to recite a spell. She had only used this particular incantation a few times, but it had always proven most effective, and she was certain that this time would be no exception.

"What… what is that?" Glinda demanded in a trembling voice, making a pathetic attempt to sound authoritative. "What are you saying? What does that mean? You'd better tell me this instant, or I'll – "

But the blonde never got the chance to finish her threat, because at that moment, the last word of the spell left Morrible's lips. Glinda was immediately cut off mid-sentence, and a stricken expression crossed her face. The press secretary watched in great satisfaction as she attempted to fight the effects of the spell, knowing that her resistance wouldn't last long. And sure enough, after a moment, the clear sky blue of the girl's eyes slowly became dull and cloudy. Her hands fell limply to her sides, and she faced Morrible with a blank expression.

"Now then, my dear," the older woman smiled unpleasantly, "tell me: whom do you serve?"

"You, Madam Morrible," Glinda intoned flatly, her voice lacking any expression whatsoever.

"And whom do you obey?"

"You, Madam Morrible."

"Do you listen to or take orders from anyone else?"

"No, Madam Morrible. Only you."

Morrible's evil grin widened. "Good answer."

"So you're absolutely sure that this will work?" the Wizard of Oz inquired dubiously not much later.

"Positive, Your Ozness," Morrible assured him with an earnest nod of her head.

"That's what you told me last time, and Elphaba is still out there," he reminded her pointedly.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Yes. Well. This time, I've left nothing to chance. I've taken steps to ensure that nothing can stand in our way."

" 'Steps'?" repeated the Wizard. "What sort of 'steps' do you mean, Madam?"

"I mean that I now have certain… unstable elements" – by this, they both knew that she meant Glinda – "firmly under my control. We won't have another foul-up like the last one."

"You can guarantee this?"

"Beyond the shadow of a doubt, Your Ozness. The only way to break the spell I put on Miss Glinda would be to kill her. And there's not a person in Oz who would dare lay a finger on the beloved Glinda the Good."

"All right, then, what exactly do you have in mind?"

"I've used a spell to discoverate the location of the Witch's hideout. Such spells have always failed before, but with our former Captain of the Guard with her, she must be spending longer periods of time in one place. And as I've already mentioned, Miss Glinda will no longer be a problem. All we have to do is tell her where to go, and then have her lead our guards there, and that will be that."

Slowly, the skeptical look left the Wizard's face, and he nodded. "Very well. You have my permission to proceed. I'll let you make the necessary arrangements."

"Thank you, Your Ozness." She couldn't help her grin of anticipation.

Once he had left, she called for the new Captain of the Guard. "We've found out where the Wicked Witch is hiding," she told him. "Tomorrow, you and your men will set out and follow Miss Glinda there."

"And when we arrive?" the captain asked.

"Do not harm the Witch beyond what is necessary to capture her. I want her brought to me alive."

"Yes, ma'am. What about anyone else who's there with her?"

Morrible took great pleasure in ordering, "Kill any other living creatures you find."

Muahahaha, I'm so wicked leaving you all at that dreadful cliffhanger! .: cackles :. I may not update this again for a while, because I want to write a few chapters ahead. The next several chapters are going to make you all want to brutally murder me with blowtorches and sharp objects, and I want to have enough written ahead of what I'm posting so you all don't have to wait forever and a day to find out what happens. And to those of you who were wondering in your reviews of the last chapter if Fiyero and Elphaba escaping from the site of Dorothy's crashed house means that Fiyero is not going to become the Scarecrow… .: evil grin :. Well, let's just say that you shouldn't be making any assumptions, my pretties!

In honor of this being chapter 10, reviews will be responded to by the character of your choice from the story. Just tell me in your review who you want to reply, and I'll see to it that they do!