Author's Note: Since I'm done, I think I'm just going to post the whole thing. It's not fair to make anyone wait. I have stories that are years old that never finished. This one should get its ending now.

Chapter Fourteen: Gravity

By the end of the summer, Fiyero was certain he wanted to lead his troops into a war. He'd even taken measures to ally with Munchkinland. Elphaba could see an end to this, one she was all too eager for. "He's going to fight. Can't I just leave now? He's right where we want him."

Kal shook his head. "You need to see this through. When the war is over, you can leave."

"The war hasn't even started."

"Exactly. You will go back to the Vinkus with him, like he asked."

"Why? What's the point?"

"Because we need you in that fight, too. Those spells you've been studying? Those are your weapons."

So she was actually going to do something more in this struggle than seduce Fiyero. That was refreshing, not that her time with Fiyero was miserable. She was certainly having her fair share of fun, but why shouldn't she? Elphaba did not, however, relish the thought of going to the Vinkus and becoming his mistress. "I just don't see myself as a kept woman."

"You won't be, not really."

"He knows that's not me, though. I think it might surprise him if I did agree."

"Why did he offer if he didn't think you might go? Tell him you're coming so you can help him change things, be his advisor. And to continue your affair, of course."

She hadn't seen it as an affair, at least not now. But that's what it would be. Elphaba had never seen anything wrong with such things, not after everything her mother had done. She didn't want to be like her mother, though. She told herself that she wouldn't be, not really. Her mother had never wanted anything more than physical release, while she had much larger objectives. "I'm not telling him yet. I need to at least act like I've thought about it more."

"Fair enough. But don't wait too long."

The new year began and Crope didn't return. No one had heard from him and they could only hope he was doing well wherever he was. Fiyero was not assigned a new roommate. The school liked to assign roommates of the same year and no one else had dropped out. There were an uneven number of boys and Fiyero benefited from that. Of course, so did Elphaba.

"I wish you could sleep in here." He told her one afternoon.

"I can't. Nanny would find out. It's been hard enough hiding as it is. And I slept in here plenty during the summer." That she had. Nessa and Nanny had returned to Munchkinland. She was surprised her father had been willing to leave her without supervision.

"And those were the most amazing months of my life."

"You have a flair for the dramatic, Fiyero."

"Are you saying you didn't want to sleep here?"

"I'm not saying that. But we're far too young to know if those were the most amazing months of our lives. They may have been the best up until now, at least."

"You love twisting my words."

"I do. It's a habit." She laid her head against his chest.

"So in doing some of my research, I've heard about this underground group. They refer to themselves as a rebellion."

Elphaba almost choked. "Really?" Her voice came out a squeak.

"Yes. Apparently they do a lot of work in Munchkinland and the City. Have you ever met any of them? You're always going on about things…"

"I've heard about them," she said. "And it's possible that some of the things I hear are coming from them. But I've never met anyone who has admitted to being a part of it. Mostly what I hear are that the Munchkinland forces are getting ready for something. I'd be surprised if the Wizard didn't know. He's probably got spies, too." Change the subject. That's what she should do.

"You're probably right. Why hasn't he done anything?"

"Because a move like that would be very large and very public. Fiyero, you haven't done anything that would get you caught before this starts, have you?" She remembered Kal's promise not to let their side hurt him, but she also remembered how he had threatened that it wouldn't be them she'd have to worry about.

"It's possible. I've tried to be discreet, but eventually he or the Gale Force will find out. But like you just said, I don't think he'd go after me or my people. At least not just yet."

Kal had been perfectly willing to kill him if this hadn't worked out. Then again, the Wizard didn't need to kill for power or armies. He had plenty. "Be careful."

"You're worried about me? Elphaba, you're the one ready to run off and fight him the minute you graduate."

"I don't matter. You do. And maybe I don't want to fight him alone."

He looked at her. "What does that mean?"

"I mean maybe I will take you up on the invitation to teach. It's a good front for helping you with this. It's where I'd be most useful. And as an added bonus, I'd get to be with you."

"And my wife."

"I'm not worried about her."

"I am."

"Don't be. Her only duty is to give you children, right?"

"If something happens to me, so long as she has a child or is pregnant, she's in charge, Elphaba, until my child is old enough."

She wrinkled her nose at that. "Well, we just won't let anything happen to you, then." Maybe that would inspire Kal to protect him, at least until the war ended.

"I don't intend for anything to happen to me, but Sarima needs to at least go along with this. It will be too late to back out once this is all started, though, so I don't know why I'm worrying."

"You're worrying because she'll see me as a threat. You can't hide me, Fiyero. Women aren't stupid. You're very… affectionate, and if you intend to carry on like this, you're going to give it away."

"And so what if I do? It's not illegal."

"No, but some people might not approve."

"My father had affairs. So did my grandfather. He had quite a scandal, actually. But no one ever questioned his leadership skills."

"I'm not going to just be your mistress and wait around for you to come to bed. You understand that. I will teach. I will help you. But I'm not there just for you."

"I realize that."

"This is not how I expected my life to go after graduation. And it's not a permanent thing. You realize that, too, right?"

"When all this is over, you're just going to leave?"

"I… I don't know. Oz might need help to rebuild. I have no idea what state our world is going to be in. And that's assuming we win. If we lose, Fiyero, we'll probably both end up prisoners in Southstairs. Somehow I doubt they'll let us share a cell."

He was quiet, running a finger along her shoulder as he held her. "We're never going to get to be together for real, are we?"

"Probably not. But we knew that going in." He needed to be reminded. She needed to lessen the impact of what was going to happen. If he was ready for her to leave him, it would hurt less when he found out why she'd been there in the first place.

Fiyero buried his face in her hair. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She almost laughed at how easily the words came. Either lying was getting easier or… no. Elphaba clung to him for a moment, calming her mind as she inhaled his scent, trying to keep herself grounded. She didn't need him, no, not at all. But she could. And that terrified her.