Fiyero pulled Elphaba through the back hallways. As much as he wanted to her to be able to talk with Glinda, recapture the happiness of their friendship, he wanted her to live more. Dragging her away from the other guards, he managed to at least get them out of the palace alive. Once they were outside, he started to break into a run for the cover of the nearby buildings. Hopefully they could make it to the less savory side of town before anyone spotted them.
Elphaba pulled back. "We could just ride my broom. I think it will hold us both, and it's a lot faster than running." He felt stupid, agreeing at once. She made the broom hover, jumping astride it without hesitation. He climbed on awkwardly behind her, letting his arms wrap around her waist. Oh how he had missed the feeling of her body against his. He let his head drop forward, smelling her hair and savoring the proof that she was real.
When she pushed off the ground, he jumped a little, feeling unsteady as the little broom struggled to carry them both. Terrified, he watched the ground drop away, leaving them suspended in mid-air with no protection. The air rushed in his ears, and he felt his arms tense, crushing Elphaba painfully to him. He realized he must be hurting her, so he relaxed as much as he could. How did she travel like this all the time? The disorienting feeling of hovering in the air was frightening, but nothing compared to the descent. As they raced to the ground, dodging the spear-shaped branches of the forest's trees, he thought for certain this is how he would die. The ground whirred closer, spinning and streaking as he struggled against the force of wind to breathe. He was going to be sick. Finally the dizzying descent was over, and he felt the ground gratefully under his shaky feet.
His face must have showed his obvious displeasure, and Elphaba smirked at him but mercifully said nothing.
Safely back on his feet, he glanced around to get his bearings. They were in the Great Gillikin Forest, and he was certain they would be safe here for the night at least. Elphaba stood beside him silently, and suddenly he was struck with the realization that she was really there. At least in the air and escape, they had been too distracted to be nervous, but now…
It was awkward between them, two years of unspoken words and unknown histories pulling them apart. He walked beside her, neither looking over, as they scouted the forest for a convenient spot to build a shelter. She was right there, and yet she felt farther away than ever. He longed to pull her to him, but would she still let him? He should be angry with her for leaving him to suffer so long, but he was just so relieved she was alive and safe. Did she know that? Did she care?
Elphaba didn't know what to say to him. How do you apologize for inflicting the one you love with years of misery and abandonment? He couldn't even spare words for her himself, and the small blossom of hope she had felt as they escaped was starting to crumple.
"Would you like to stop?" Fiyero asked as they passed a river. "I know how you always hated being dirty."
"Yes, well, there are some luxuries I can no longer indulge in." She said dryly. It was best he knew now. She was not the innocent, naïve little thing she had been. She was bitter, broken, dirty, used up now. "I've changed too."
The look he gave her was so softly sympathetic her protective shields faltered. It had been a long time since she had felt so vulnerable, and suddenly she longed to reach out to him, beg him to hold her and make everything alright again. She walked away from him, using all her strength to resist that urge, "On second thought, if you don't mind scouting alone for a few minutes." She would be strong. He deserved better than her weakness after all she had already put him through.
He called out to her back, "Take your time. I'll be back."
Stripping her clothes and piling them neatly on the bank of the river, she waded in, grateful for the cool water's soft embrace. She melted into it, gliding effortlessly as though she were a waterborne creature. She dove underwater, letting it surround her and wash away her cares. If only she could stay forever concealed in its watery womb, she would be content. Fiyero was right, she did hate being dirty, though she had been forced to develop a tolerance for it. Emerging clean from the river, she felt careless and reborn.
She brushed back her damp hair, unintentionally catching Fiyero's stare. She hadn't realized he had returned, and she stood there, naked and dripping. His eyes raked over her, devouring her with his gaze. It reminded her of the first time she had a shared a bed with him, sick from the silly drinks she'd recklessly swallowed. It had been a long time since she had been looked at like that: love instead of hate, desire instead of disgust.
"Are you really here?" Fiyero asked, longingly.
She smile was coy, "Isn't that my line?"
He approached her hesitantly, as if afraid she would run away again. "I missed you." He stood inches away, but they didn't touch.
Despite herself, she softened, but she couldn't repeat his words for danger of weak tears. Weakness was death to her now, and she could not afford sentimentality. She felt so distorted as her cultivated suspicion kept her from trusting this stranger who looked through his eyes.
They were still frozen, staring at their lost love and innocence. She shook herself out of the spell they had fallen into, reaching for her clothes. Dry and dressed, she felt more like herself, strong and certain. He had found a place to spend the night. They walked in silence the rest of the way there, no words for the haunting past, uncertain future or uneasy present.
Resting against the trunk of a tree, Fiyero looked up at Elphaba. He hadn't thought what would happen once he found her. In his mind he supposed they would return to the simpler days of Shiz, time rewound to when he was happy and she was his. The distrust in her eyes was clear, and she had such a coldness to her now. But he couldn't blame her after all she had faced. Fiyero knew he should be angry, or uncertain, or hurt at least, but he was only sympathetic and grateful. He had found her, he loved her, and she was all that mattered.
He struggled to start conversation with her so as not to fixate on the too-recent image of her beautiful body wet from the river, lust filling his heart. "Are you hungry? I can find us something to eat." He so longed to take care of her again. She shook her head, a tense smile not quite reaching her eyes.
"Should we…talk?" He cursed his awkwardness, but this tension between them would only grow if left unresolved. Her shoulders hunched involuntarily. She hated 'talking.' He continued for her. "It's been so long. I've missed you," he couldn't quite keep the tenderness out of his voice. "It's been so lonely without you."
She kept her face unreadable, a new talent she must have acquired. The old Elphaba couldn't hide her emotions for a minute. "You had Glinda. Oh, I guess I should congratulate you on your engagement." His heart dropped. How could she believe he would love Glinda instead of her? His quizzical look inspired her to add, "One hears rumors, even flying in the air." He heard the spike of envy in her voice, betraying what her face would not.
Fiyero's reply was not unkind, but very frank. "You of all people should know not to keep stock in rumors, unless your solubility has changed since I last held you." The image of him holding her came unbidden to his mind, making his fingers curl on his lap. He yearned for her so. His patience had been so tested, could he really wait longer? At the sight of her eyes, he knew he could, and would. As long as was necessary, even should it be forever. He let the matter drop for now. He had time.
Darkness fell, and they prepared for sleep. He took off his shirt to clean up by the river, and walking back, he saw her bent over it. Questioningly, he approached her, "What is it?" She looked up, and he saw unexpected tears on her cheeks. In her hands was the crumpled letter he always carried with him, even after two years, stained with his blood and her tears. He looked at her in the eye and said in a calmly direct voice. "I searched everywhere for you. I never gave up."
Her face was so uncharacteristically open, struck by his words and the proof she held. She knew where he stood now, and he felt such a peace from that. The choice was hers, but she knew where his loyalties lie.
Finally she spoke in a small quiver, "Can you ever forgive me?"
"Oh, Fae. I already have."
"You're not angry?" He smiled kindly at her, shaking his head. How could he be angry with a face like that, eyes wide and hopeful? "Why?" She had never understood his devotion to her, and he couldn't express it adequately in words. He took her hand, kissed her fingertips gently, and pressed them to his heart.
It was as if this melted all the ice away from her. She pulled him to her, seeking the comfort she had so long denied herself. In his arms, she felt so right. He held her tightly, thankfully. Oz, he had missed her. He felt his heart reawakening in her presence, as if from a long, nightmarish sleep. He kissed her hair, wrapping his arms more tightly around her, willing himself not to cry with relief.
She looked up, and her eyes were so innocent again, as if the past had dropped away for moment. He let his lips brush hers gently, unable to wait any longer. She pulled him to her for a more proper kiss, deepening it until he felt the long remembered drowning sensation that haunted his dreams. Desperation hid in her clasping fingers, and he knew even if he wanted to, he could not deny her anything tonight. She was back in his arms. He would do anything for her.
Baptized by her love, his heart sloughed off the dead skin that had numbed it. Overwhelmed with the sudden stimulation of relief, joy and hope, he felt his love for her so strongly it knocked the wind out of him. He needed her so desperately. Her body pressed against his, reawakening it for her.
His lips examined her thoroughly for scars, any hint of change. She shivered, and he pulled her more tightly to him, claiming her as his own. Passionately, she returned his affection, whispering her thanks that he was alive and present. Reacquainting himself with her, he ran his hands over her skin lovingly as she mirrored his gesture. The world was spinning out of control, bittersweet longing finally reaching resolution. With an undiscovered confidence that must be another of her newly acquired skills, she took control of their reunion, stripping them both of their clothing.
He had intended to allow her to reacquaint herself with him slowly, reestablish the trust they had shared until she was ready for this. One look in her eyes robbed him of any restraint he might have had, as she whispered, "As long as you're mine, I've lost all resistance."
"My Fae. I was always yours."
She pushed him to the ground, and the lustful thoughts that whirled in his head amazed him. Her aggression was undeniably hot, and he wanted her so very badly. Straddling him confidently, she obviously remembered his weakness, catching his ear in her devastating lips. Any semblance of self control he had was lost. He rolled her underneath, hands gripping her tightly to him. When he felt her body around him once more, he cried out with total ecstasy. She felt amazing, even more than he remembered.
She rolled them again, pinning him underneath her, and he saw her intense desire reflected in her eyes. At that, a heat beyond what he considered possible filled him, and he knew with utter certainty that he was undeniably and completely forever hers. They found their redemption there together, salvation found in each other's love. Her rocking body brought them higher and higher, lost in a sea of pleasure all the more incredible for the pain that had preceded it. He lost conscious thought, held in her rhythm and embrace as if they were precious chains binding his heart forever to her. How he loved her! Fingers curling into her hair, he felt himself exploding with the sensation of her again. Oh, how had he lived without her? Even for a minute?
Quivering above him, she collapsed heavily on top of him, and he welcomed the pressure that told him she was real. "I love you," he told her honestly, wrapping his arms around her and savoring the feel of her naked back against his hands.
Feeling her smile against his chest, he barely caught her words, "I love you Fiyero."
He pulled her face up to his, looking her deeply in the eye. "Promise me, you will never leave me again. It would kill me this time. I can't live another second without you."
She promised, though this time she actually met his eyes. "I will never leave you again. I belong with you." Truer words were never spoken, and he rewarded her epiphany with a tender kiss. They wound themselves together as if afraid they would be pulled apart again in their sleep. Dreams claimed them, though Fiyero was certain no dream could rival the one that had just come true.
He prayed she would still be there when he woke up.