You'll find out everything about the stalker eventually, but not for another while yet. After broken-up Fiyeraba and a cliffy, though, I think you'll like this chapter!

Also, hi Fiyeraba's Love Child! Thanks for leaving all those reviews and thanks for reading! :)

21. Private

Every single one of the security guards reacted instantly. Fiyero yanked Elphaba behind him, positioning himself between her and the gunman, ready to catch the bullet for her if he had to. Benn and some of the others quickly overpowered the man and wrestled the gun away from him, yanking his arms behind his back as they arrested him. Without further thought, Fiyero swept Elphaba up in his arms and ran the short distance to the car with her, placing her in the passenger seat and closing the door before running over to the driver's side of the car. Within a minute after the gun had first been pulled out, they were on the road again, driving back towards the Palace.

Elphaba just sat there, dumbstruck by what had just happened, and Fiyero looked to his side for a moment. "Fae? Are you all right?"

"He tried to kill me," she said incredulously, her eyes wide with shock. "I knew I had a stalker, but this man had nothing to do with that… did he? He just didn't agree with my policies and that's why he tried to shoot me…"

Fiyero exhaled slowly. "It looked like it," he said with a curt nod. He glanced at her again. "Although we also have to keep in mind that this guy might be connected to your stalker somehow."

She shook her head, still in a state of disbelief. Then she buried her face in her hands.

"What am I even doing?" she whispered and he could hear the genuine desperation in her voice. "I thought if we caught the stalker, the danger would be over… but I could just as well get shot by some lunatic in the streets. What am I supposed to do now, Fiyero?" she asked, her voice slightly higher than usually. "I've worked so hard to get here, and now that I am, all I'm really doing is endangering myself and the people I love. Fawn, Xalo… you."

It hurt to hear her say that, knowing he could have her if he said the word and yet at the same time knowing he could never do that. Throwing himself into his work was one way to cope with not being able to be with her, but that didn't mean it wasn't hard for him. Especially when she said such things.

"I just don't know what to do," she said, her voice breaking, and Fiyero reached out to gently place his hand on her knee in a silent gesture of sympathy and comfort.

They drove in silence for a while. Then her phone rang and she sniffled, but pulled herself together as she answered it. "Hello?"

Silence.

Suddenly feeling like bursting into tears, Elphaba just looked at Fiyero once. He instantly knew what she meant and held out his hand. She gave him the phone, which he pressed to his ear, holding the steering wheel with his other hand. There was indeed only silence, but he could discern the sound of breathing on the other end of the line.

Suddenly, there was some noise and a low voice breathed through the phone, "Soon." Then Elphaba's stalker, whoever in Oz he may be, hung up.

"Fiyero?"

The sandy-haired man looked up from his laptop screen and grinned at the twins in his doorway to his office. "Hey, guys. What's up?"

"We have a question," Xalo said seriously. "And we need you to answer it because we don't think anyone else would."

Feeling wary now, Fiyero turned entirely on his desk chair so he was facing the twins. "Spill," he commanded.

They exchanged a look.

"Okay," Fawn began. "Fiyero… are we going to die?"

He was absolutely stunned for a moment.

"No," he said then, as fiercely as he could. "Of course not. Where did you get that idea?"

Xalo shrugged. "There's so much security," he said. "All these guards are walking around, and you were stabbed, and the boat exploded, and Mum is scared…"

"We know she is," Fawn added. "We asked her and she said she wasn't, but I'm sure she is. We can tell."

Fiyero sighed, moving off his desk chair to crouch in front of the children.

"Listen to me," he said earnestly. "All those security guards are here to protect you and to make sure that something like that boat exploding is not going to happen again."

"But we heard someone tried to shoot Mum this afternoon," Xalo said in a small voice and Fiyero nodded solemnly.

"Someone tried," he agreed. "But he didn't succeed, did he? That's why we're here."

"To protect her?" Fawn asked and when Fiyero nodded, she pressed, "And us?"

"All of you," Fiyero assured her. "Don't worry, you two. Really. Everything is going to be just fine, just you wait and see."

They didn't seem completely convinced, but they nodded nonetheless and Xalo said, "Thank you, Fiyero."

Just when he thought he'd been let off the hook, Fawn asked, "Are you and Mum still dating now?"

Biting back his frustration, he shook his head at the young girl. "No," he said. "I want to, and so does she; but right now I need to concentrate on protecting her. Do you understand that?"

"No," said Fawn, scowling and crossing her arms. "If you're in love with her, you should go on dates. You can still protect her when you're on a date, can't you? Maybe even better, because then you'll be together all the time."

Fiyero chuckled weakly. "I suppose."

"I liked that you and Mum were dating," Xalo confessed, sounding disappointed. He looked at Fiyero closely. "Do you think you'd be good at being a dad?"

Fiyero choked and Fawn said to her brother, "He's bound to be better than our real father, anyway. I really didn't like Avaric. He was weird."

Xalo nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. And Fiyero can fight." He smiled brilliantly at the bodyguard. "I think you'd be a great dad," he declared.

"Thank you, Xalo," said Fiyero, not knowing what else to say. The hope in the boy's eyes tore at him. Did these kids really like him that much?

Fawn came a little closer, her emerald green eyes scrutinising. "You promise you won't let anything happen to our mum?" she asked him sternly, reminding him more than ever of a tiny Elphaba.

He knew he shouldn't be going around promising these things, but he found himself nodding before he could stop himself. "I promise," he said solemnly. "I'd sooner die than let anything happen to her." He only realised how true it was once the words had already left his mouth – and not just because he was getting paid to die for Elphaba, either.

Satisfied, Fawn nodded and then she surprised him by hugging him. "Thank you," she said, her cheek pressed against his shirt. "For protecting Mum, and for saving us. That day with the boat, I mean."

"Of course, Fawn." His surprise fading a little, he hugged her back. "Don't worry. You'll all be fine."

Xalo then hugged him, too, and he found his resolve to keep them and their mother safe strengthening. Before the two left the room, however, Xalo threw at him, "You should go see Mum and tell her you want to date her after all."

Fawn nodded in agreement. "She's happier when you're around, anyway," she said. Then the twins disappeared through the door, leaving Fiyero to ponder their words.

That night, he found himself at the door to Elphaba's rooms, his hand poised to knock, but not actually knocking. He shouldn't be here. He was being weak. He should turn around and leave now, before it was too late. You're here to protect her. It's always been your number one rule, Fiyero. Don't get too close to your clients.

Then again, he thought wryly, what with the way he felt about not just Elphaba, but also Fawn and Xalo, and even to some extent Oscar, Galinda, and Cohvu, already, that rule came a little too late.

He didn't consciously decide to knock on the door, but it was like his hand had a will of its own. She called, "Come in!" and he pushed the door open, stepping into her foyer and closing the door behind him.

She appeared through the open door he knew led to her bedroom, although unlike the night before, she wasn't dressed for bed yet. Instead she was wearing the same comfortable jeans and long-sleeved shirt she had worn to dinner earlier, with a pair of fuzzy slippers at her feet that seemed quite unlike her, but that she somehow managed to pull off. Fiyero had noticed before that, although she was often required to dress up in chic (and usually expensive) clothes for work, in private she seemed to prefer much simpler clothes, choosing comfort over style. He couldn't deny that she looked smart in her work wardrobe, but he preferred this look on her. It was more natural. More… well, more Elphaba.

When she saw him, she frowned a little. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"No," he quickly reassured her. "Nothing. Don't worry."

"Good," she said, even as she moved past him and picked up her phone from a table near the far wall of her foyer, "because I don't think I could handle another letter on top of everything that already happened today." She glanced down at her phone. "Gazilon asks if dinner next week is still on."

Fiyero nodded. "As far as I'm concerned. I still don't like putting you and your friends at risk, but…"

"…but we have no choice," Elphaba finished for him. "I know. We'll all meet at Square One for dinner and some after-dinner drinks, probably. Duran already offered Gaz a place to spend the night, since otherwise it would be a hell of a journey back to northern Gillikin for him in the middle of the night; and we'll be returning here, hopefully with lots of new information about our guy." The sarcasm dripping off her voice told him clearly how likely she thought that scenario to be.

"We might," Fiyero said seriously, but it was clear he wouldn't be able to convince her. He just hoped he'd be able to prove her wrong next week.

"So if nothing's wrong, why are you here?" she asked as she went into her bedroom again and placed her phone on the desk. She pulled the elastic band from her hair, allowing it to fall down from the ponytail she'd kept it in, and tossed the band onto the desk as well before moving over to her wardrobe.

He watched her as she moved around the room, leaning against the doorway to her bedroom. He shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you were okay. You know, with what happened this afternoon, and all."

She shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to be completely honest."

Looking at her, he saw the fear she was trying to hide and without thinking, he moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened for a moment and then pushed him away.

"No," she said fiercely, taking a few steps back. "You don't get to do that, Fiyero. I told you where I stand and you said you don't want to give it a try, so you don't get to come here now to ask how I'm doing and give me hugs. Seriously. Make up your mind."

The impulse to hold her was impossibly strong and he gave in to it, reluctantly recognising that he'd been right before – it was far too late already. "I have," he told her, moving in again quicker than she could push him away. He pressed his lips against hers.

She exclaimed something unintelligible against his lips, but he just held her tighter and soon her felt her kiss him back. When they broke apart for air for a minute, she whispered, "What made you change your mind?"

He shrugged. "I'm already in way over my head, anyway," he mumbled, kissing her again. "And besides, I discovered that I can't resist you for long." He'd never been good at resisting temptation – any kind of temptation, and Elphaba was the worst kind he'd ever come across.

She smiled and slipped her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him. She kept moving forward, forcing him to step back, until his back hit the wall and she could reach the door to her rooms, which she locked. Fiyero grinned and quickly turned them around, pressing her against the wall and kissing her more thoroughly. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her over to her bedroom and laid her on the bed. Only when she pushed his shirt off his shoulders did he realise she'd been working on his buttons.

He groaned. "You're a tease, Elphaba Thropp." He sat back for a moment, breathing hard. "Are you looking for a repetition of what happened in Munchkinland? Because you know I could spend all night kissing you and never get enough."

She smiled impishly at him, reaching for him so she could kiss him again. "Actually, I'm looking for a little bit more than that," she murmured into his ear, gasping softly when his lips found her throat.

He pulled back at her words, however, looking worried. "Fae…"

"In Munchkinland, you said the only reason you didn't want to was because you said my first time post-Avaric should be with someone I love, once we've gotten to know each other, and when I feel ready," she pointed out to him. "I already admitted I'm falling in love with you, I think I know you well enough after spending a month being around you almost constantly, and I'm saying I feel ready. Do you have any other objections?"

He searched her eyes and when he saw no hesitation there, he shook his head mutely. She grinned and pulled him down again for another kiss.

"Good."

Thankfully, waking up the next morning was much less awkward this time around, even though a lot more had happened than had been the case in Munchkinland. Fiyero, much to his own surprise, awoke first. He wasn't so much surprised that he was awake as he was surprised that Elphaba was still asleep; judging from the small beams of sunlight peeking through the cracks in the curtains, it was quite a bit later than Elphaba usually got up. He supposed she must have been exhausted by the events of the previous day… or those of the previous night. He smirked a little at the thought.

He looked down at her. She was still fast asleep with her cheek pressed against his chest, mumbling something unintelligible in her sleep. Her hair fanned out over the blankets – and him – and he raised one arm so he could run the strands between his fingers, smiling a little when she frowned and shifted at that. He'd definitely broken all the rules he had set for himself, but he already knew it was worth it.

She stirred after a while, yawning as her dark brown eyes slowly blinked open. He watched as the realisation of what they'd done dawned on her face, but she didn't seem too shocked by it, which he felt relieved about. Part of him had been afraid she'd slap him and fire him and never want to talk to him again.

"Hey," he whispered, stroking her cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

She made a noise in her throat and turned her head to bury her face in the crook of his neck. He chuckled and rubbed her back.

"What time is it?" she murmured drowsily after a while.

He raised his head a little to glance at the clock on Elphaba's nightstand. "Half past nine."

She moaned. "Half past nine? I can't even remember the last time I slept that long." She stretched, yawning again. "I really don't want to get up, but I probably should. I have a meeting with my dad and some idiots at eleven."

"You still have plenty of time before then." He nuzzled her hair and pressed a kiss to her hairline. She smiled a little against his shoulder, her eyes still closed. She knew she had to get up, but she didn't want to just yet. This was nice. She'd never before been with a man like this, not counting their night in Munchkinland, but she thought she could get used to it. No matter how proud she was to always be strong and independent, it was nice to feel warm and safe and cared for, for once.

After another while, she sighed and forced herself away from Fiyero, sitting up and stretching again before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "I need to pee. Be right back."

He grinned, making a disappointed sound when she took her robe from the desk chair and put it on. She gave him a look over her shoulder and he laughed as she disappeared into the bathroom. He got up as well, pulling on his boxers and shirt and running his fingers through his sleep-tousled hair. He should probably get back to his own rooms soon. No matter how badly he wanted to stay here with Elphaba forever, there was work to be done.

He wandered into Elphaba's foyer and started when all of a sudden, someone knocked on the door – impatiently, like they had been there knocking several times already.

"Elphaba Thropp," Galinda shouted from the other side of the door, "I'm coming in!" Before Fiyero could do anything, the lock clicked and the door swung open, revealing a clearly worried and positively fuming Galinda with burning blue eyes. The look on her face changed, however, when she took him in. Only then did Fiyero notice the three security guards behind her and he could feel himself flush.

"Fiyero…?" she asked, blinking. "What…"

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, wanting to come up with an excuse, but unable to find one.

Galinda still looked dumbstruck. "You being in here when Elphaba isn't answering her phone could mean one of two things," she stated, taking him in from head to toe with a frown on her face. "Either you did something to Elphie, which, honestly, I don't think is very likely…" She studied him closely and pointedly from top to bottom, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she finished meaningfully, "…or you and Elphie did something."

He grimaced. "It's… not what it looks like?" he tried, but just then, Elphaba appeared from the bathroom dressed in nothing but her robe and he knew any further attempts at arguing would be pointless.

Galinda's twinkling blue eyes suddenly narrowed and she stomped into the room past Fiyero, not even bothering to close the door behind her – so Fiyero did that for her, smiling apologetically at the guards still outside. "Everything's fine," he told them.

All three of them were grinning knowingly. "We can see that," one of them said, chuckling, and Fiyero quickly closed the door with a head that was probably as red as a tomato. So far for the morning after not being awkward, he thought wryly.

"Elphaba Thropp!" Galinda was shrieking at her friend. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?! You have a stalker and you almost got shot yesterday, and then you don't appear at breakfast and the twins say your door is locked, so we figured you'd just be sleeping in after everything that happened, or maybe working; but then Fiyero is nowhere to be found, either, and he doesn't answer his phone, and you don't answer your phone, and no-one's seen you all morning, and the door's still locked… do you know how this looked to us?! We thought that guy managed to get in here somehow and kidnap you, or take you hostage, or rape and murder you! You don't get to lock your room and not answer your phone all morning when there's a stalker after you, Elphaba!"

Elphaba was looking as flustered and embarrassed as Fiyero felt. "Sorry," she muttered. "I must've forgotten to charge my phone last night."

"And mine was in my room," Fiyero added, "while I, obviously, wasn't. So… sorry."

Galinda glared at the both of them and then turned to Fiyero. "Did you tell those guards outside that everything is okay?"

He nodded and Elphaba cried, "You brought guards?!" She hadn't seen the three men behind Galinda before and Fiyero had hoped to spare her the mortification of knowing that three security guards – and probably soon everyone else in the Palace as well – now knew that she and Fiyero had slept together, but no such luck. She did look absolutely mortified. (Even though Fiyero couldn't help but think that even like this, with her cheeks on fire and looking like she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a dark hole, she looked very pretty. 'Mortified', just like pretty much everything else, was a good look on her.)

"I brought security, yes," Galinda said snippily. "We thought we were going to come in to find you either in the process of being murdered, raped, or kidnapped, or already dead or disappeared. Of course I brought security."

Elphaba bit her lip guiltily and Fiyero, pushing his fingers through his messy hair again, asked, "How did you even get in?"

Galinda held up a key. "Spare key," she said menacingly. "Elphie gave me one for emergencies. If it had been up to me, I would have used it two hours ago already, but Oscar reminded me how much Elphaba values her privacy and convinced me to wait another while for her to come out. He thought you were still asleep, Elphie, and said you needed your rest; but even he got worried when it got past nine and you still hadn't appeared. He says that in all the time you've been here with him, he's never seen you sleep past nine. I've been dying for the past few hours here, Elphaba!"

The green woman shuffled back and forth a little like a small child having been caught with a hand in the biscuit jar. Fiyero cleared his throat awkwardly and Galinda crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"Now that we've established that Elphaba is fine," the bodyguard said slowly, "could we maybe… have some privacy?"

Galinda raised both eyebrows and looked him up and down again. Even though he was wearing a shirt and boxers now, it made him feel decidedly uncomfortable.

"No," the blonde PA decided. "You cannot. Get dressed, Fiyero, and then get out. I need to talk to Elphaba."

The young witch in question winced. With her friend using her full name, she knew she was about to be in for it and she heaved a deep sigh. This was not a good way to start her day.

Better? *smirks*