A/N: I hope you're enjoying this. I really appreciate the feedback. :)
The morning light passed through the partially open curtains which would have woken the room's occupants had they actually fallen asleep the night before. Fiyero yawned and slumped down into a nearby chair. Elphaba's head was resting on her forearms on the kitchen table and Glinda was leaning on her from the seat next to her. Besim's eyes drooped as he looked to Fiyero and heaved a sigh. Boq, who didn't sleep, looked at everyone in the room. They had no idea how their lives would become so complicated after spending some wonderful times at the Shiz. Now instead of making Oz a better place, they were fighting to get back in. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a chair scraping across the floor. Fiyero was up on his feet and moving towards the door. Boq left his chair and went to follow him.
"You need to get some sleep," Tin Man said as he approached his friend who leaned against the railing of the porch.
"I can't. Elphaba won't sleep until we find a way to fix this. Neither will I," Fiyero told him.
"We can't just go waltzing into Oz and restart the operation the two of you started. Things aren't that simple," Boq reminded him.
"I know. I fear what comes next will mean that nothing will ever be the same. Sacrifices will need to be made," the ex-Prince said.
"I don't like where you're headed with that," his friend confided.
"Well let's face it. Glinda, Elphaba, and Besim can't go back into Oz. That leaves you and me. It'll be up to us, if you're up to the challenge," Fiyero looked to him.
"You know I'd do anything for Glinda but I can't like this," Boq pointed out his tin shell.
"That's where Fae comes in," his friend replied.
"She won't go for you and I going back to Oz. We're on our own out there," Tin Man shook his head.
"Not exactly. Fae and I have some connections in the Resistance. They'll offer us safe passage and we can use them to continue the mission. We'll get Besim's family out and then from there we'll start with more Animals," Fiyero had a plan.
"The Resistance? The Wizard is gone, what Resistance is left?" Boq wanted to know.
"Just because the Wizard is gone doesn't mean the fight ends. Until the Animals have equal rights the Resistance will exist," the ex-Prince explained.
"So they aren't exactly Glinda-friendly then?" His friend wondered.
"Yes and no. It depends on who you ask. Patience isn't universal when it comes to fighting for equal rights. Anyway, it would be better if her name didn't come up," Fiyero told him.
"Glinda was trying to make things better and now that Cihangir is in charge…" the Tin Man trailed off.
"The Resistance will become more violent. The longer we wait the worse things are going to get," Fiyero nodded.
"Could we use them to retake Oz?" Boq asked.
"You mean overthrow Cihangir?" his friend gave him a look.
"Yeah," Tin Man made it seem so easy. It was quite obvious he didn't understand everything involved.
"As much as that would be amazing, no way we could pull off. We don't have the numbers. Cihangir has the entire Ozian Empire at his fingertips but I like your thinking," Fiyero gave a half smile before heading back into the house. He had to break the news to Elphaba. At first she would be mad. Mad because she couldn't go with him. Her next emotion would be fear. Granted, she wouldn't show it but she would be scared. Scared, they'd never see each other again; scared that their dreams would fall apart.
To Be Continued…