Disclaimer: I can lay claim to nonesth.

A/N: Hiya, it's Miriam, I wrote this because Tragic is going, and I quote, "I'm going to fail all my exams, so I must study!" Even when I told her, she'd been studying for 11 hours on the weekend and should stop to write this. Anyways, I hope you likey, the second last chapter of Defying All Odds, next is the epilogue. Anyways, Review please. Also Tragic's aunt is going to die, they just found out her cancer is terminal. My prayers are with you Tragic! :( so the boards might be a bit without Tragic for a while, also she thanks the support she's been getting. She loves you all.

WickedObsessed22, I apologise that it was confusing.

Chapter 24

Wouldn't Change Anything

"Fae? Fiyero asked, "You okay?"

"No, my water broke," she cried out breathlessly, before collapsing into his arms, with a cry of pain.

XoxoX

Everything passed in a flurry. Elphaba, in too much pain to walk and Fiyero who was still too weak to move, let alone carry Elphaba, was currently sitting by her side, while she leaned against a tree, while the contractions travelled up her spine, leaving her breathless and tired. Glinda had run to the infirmary to get the midwife, being too tired and too weak to conjure up a bubble to fit Elphaba and Fiyero in it.

"You know what sucks about this day?" Elphaba asked Fiyero, trying to make a conversation with him, while she waited for Glinda to come back.

"What Fae?" he asked trying not to wince from Elphaba clutching his hand so hard it almost turned white.

"Our child is born on the day that I'll have to remember you killed yourself as well."

"At least we'll have a story to tell them when they're older," Fiyero joked.

"That's not funny," Elphaba said, as another contraction hit her spine.

"Sorry, don't worry Fae, Glinda will come any minute now and we'll be alright," Fiyero said, kissing her forehead.

"I hope so," she screamed in pain once more, "Oh, Oz I hate you for putting me in this much pain."

"I figured as much, Fae, don't worry, this is the only child I plan on having."

"What happened to the houseful of kids you wanted while you were at Shiz?"

Fiyero laughed, "That was before I realised how much pain I'd put you in while you gave birth."

"Funny," Elphaba replied with a sarcastic undertone, "where are you Glinda?"

"She'll be here soon, Fae," Fiyero said reassuringly, even though he was getting worried.

"Fiyero..." Elphaba said breathlessly.

"Don't talk," he said while stroking her hair comfortingly.

"I thought you loved it when I spoke."

"When you're not giving birth, yes, your voice is so very lovely."

"Fiyero, I need to push."

His eyes jumped in alarm, "I thought it had to be hours till you had to push. That's how it is with normal women anyway."

"Well, I'm not normal am I?"

"Very true," he said restraining himself from laughing.

"Fiyero, I need...to...push," she managed to get through her clenched teeth.

"Hey, what am I suppose to do?" he asked dumbly.

"Catch our baby, you idiot!" Elphaba yelled at him, which he cowered at.

"Okay, okay, okay," He said, "everything will be okay."

"I don't think so; the last time I saw someone give birth they died."

Mama I need you.

You don't need me Fabala, you have everyone you need.

Mama...

Fabala, you need to let me go, you have your own daughter to look after and you have someone to look after you. Let me go.

Mama...

Fabala, you don't need me, you have everyone, including Nessarose, who will love to meet her niece soon, but promise me Fabala, that you will remember me forever.

I promise, mama.

My work here is done.

Mama, I need you to teach me things though, I need you.

You don't Fabala, I'm sure someone would love to teach you things, a certain someone next to your side.

Fiyero?

He wants to teach you about art, poetry and everything you used to think was useless in life. Bye Fabala. Love me forever.

Bye, Mama.

"Elphaba! You will live; you're not going to die," Fiyero said, snapping her out of her reverie, she could not die, "Fae, I still need to show you the rest of Oz and how to live life. Fae, I need you."

Elphaba gave out an unladylike snort, "I'll try," she said through clenched teeth, "Fiyero I need to push."

"Okay, I'm here, I'll catch her, I promise you, Fae."

"I love you," was all she said, "If I don't live—"

"Don't talk like that."

"Fiyero, hear me out, if I don't live promise me you'll look after everyone, Nessa included."

"I promise."

"Thank you, now I really need to push."

"Then push away, Fae," he said stripping off his jacket.

Elphaba gave out a scream.

XoxoX

Glinda was shocked, for lack of a better word, to see Elphaba lying in Fiyero's embrace Fiyero under a tree with a...baby, wrapped in Fiyero's jacket in Elphaba's arms. Glinda saw the sweat gleaming from Elphaba's forehead.

"Well I see I was late," Glinda remarked from a distance.

Elphaba looked up at her friend, "Yeah you were, what took you so long?"

"The midwife was unavailable."

"Oh..." Elphaba said with an understanding.

"I doesn't matter anyways," Fiyero said gazing down at his daughter.

Glinda smiled, "What you going to call her?"

"Arianna Fay," they said in sync.

"When'd you figure that one out?" Glinda asked.

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero, "Um...a couple weeks ago, I think."

Fiyero laughed and kissed Elphaba's sweat-gleamed forehead, "I think it was."

"So Glinda, do you want to be a godparent?" Elphaba asked.

"I..." Glinda was speechless.

"Ha, see I was right, Fae, she is speechless. I never thought that would happen."

"You're not the one who recently gave birth," Elphaba quickly rebutted.

"That's beside the point; do you want to be a godparent though Glinda?" Fiyero asked.

"I would be honoured."

"Good, because the idea of my sister being a godparent scares me."

"She's a parent though, Yero."

"Point taken."

"Glin do you want to hold your godchild?"

"Really Elphie?" Glinda asked.

"Yes, because you're my best friend and the godparent to Ari, so you deserve to."

Glinda approached Elphaba as she held Arianna Fay out towards her. Glinda picked up the baby.

"She's so small," Glinda commented.

Ari yawned and opened her eyes, Glinda gasped as she saw the colour. They were the exact same shade as Fiyero's, as Glinda looked closer she noticed similarities between Ari, Fiyero and Elphaba. She had Elphaba's prominent cheekbones, Fiyero's nose and eyes, and Nessa's skin colour, "I don't think anyone would question the paternity or maternity of Ari."

"I hope so."

"You know it's funny, life doesn't turn out how you expect it would," Glinda said wistfully as she gave Ari back to Elphaba.

"I know," Fiyero said, helping Elphaba up, who winced at her post birth contractions, but kept walking to the palace with Ari in her arms, greeted by thes hocked expressions of the guards, Glinda explained the situation and they congratulated them both. Fiyero kept a firm grip on Elphaba's waist, in a normal situation she would have shrugged him off, but in the circumstances, she didn't care, she was a mother and everything was almost perfect. The couple and Glinda moved back to their apartments where they were greeted by Avaric, Lyra and Boq, who were shocked to see a baby in Elphaba's arms.

"Oh my oz, she's so small," Lyra said, as she held the infant.

"Congratulations, man," Avaric said giving Fiyero a man hug.

"Thanks, Lyra try not to drop my daughter," Fiyero said to his sister.

"Oh so you want me to drop her?" she asked.

"NO!" Fiyero and Elphaba said in sync.

"I was kidding, she's going to grow up and be daddy's little girl," Lyra said to Ari, who was smiling a toothless grin at Lyra, "and she's so small."

"She's perfect," Elphaba said, pulling Ari from Lyra's embrace, "just like her father," Looking at Fiyero.

"And mother, Fae," Fiyero said pulling his fiancée by her waist and kissing her temple. At that moment, Lyra, Avaric and Boq decided to slip away from the couple.

"You're delusional."

"And you're not? You are the most gorgeous, beautiful woman I know, Fae."

"Yeah, sure," Elphaba said, placing Ari on the bed and rewrapping her in a baby blanket and taking her ring out of Fiyero's jacket pocket and putting it back on.

"Why'd you take it off?" he asked.

"I thought you were dead, so I wanted you to keep it forever."

"Oh..."

"Are you mad?" She asked, sitting on the bed and holding Ari in her arms.

"About what?"

"Getting pregnant, sometimes I feel that I sort of tricked you to being with me."

"How so?"

"If I'd never got pregnant, you'd still be with Glinda and probably married by now."

"Fae, as much as I love Glinda as a sister, I can't marry her, my heart has always lied with you and always will. So don't you think about tricking my love for you."

"Are you sure, you want to do this?"

"What? Raise a baby together?" he asked.

Elphaba nodded.

"Of course."

"What happens if we're really bad at it?"

"We'll help each other."

"Or if I do something wrong?"

"We'll learn together."

"Or I screw up?"

"I'm sure you won't."

"What happens if we're complete failures as parents?"

"I'll be here to help you, Fae; we're going to be fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course," he kissed her forehead.

"Come on? How hard can it be to raise one baby?"

"You really want me to answer that?"

"No!"

So the epilogue will follow after this. Tragic appreciates you reading. Next chapter is the last. I can't believe it's ending, this was like published in Tragic's Easter Holidays and six months and 23 updates later. It's nearly done. Tragic shall write the epilogue because she started it and I felt she should end the story. Falling Over Again is coming soon and so is Tragic's sequel to The Emerald Pendant because I asked her to write one. Reviews are love.

Miri

xoxo