Your reviews made me laugh. Thanks for that :D. I'm glad I'm still managing to uphold my title!

Here you go, then - the chapter most of you have been waiting for! (I hope all of you survived the wait.)

26.

When Elphaba opened her eyes, she didn't instantly recognise her surroundings. It was dark and she was lying in what appeared to be a soft bed, covered with fluffy blankets. Only then did she realise that this was, in fact, her own room in the Palace. Hero was asleep on the bed at her feet and as she raised her hand, she realised that she was still green.

She pushed herself up and grimaced in pain. Her entire body was aching all over, but she wasn't sure what had happened. She remembered blocking Morrible's magic and then, somehow, she'd flown backwards and off the balcony... and now she was here. What had happened to her after she fell? Where was Glinda, and where was everyone else? What had happened to Morrible?

She sat up straighter when she heard the door opening in the foyer attached to her bedroom. There was a hushed conversation – she recognised once voice as Vana's and the other as Fiyero's. She bit her lip. He was probably here to yell at her, or something. She didn't want to see him – she didn't think she could take his anger and hurt on top of everything else right now. She curled up on her side again, her back towards the door. Maybe if he thought she was still unconscious – or asleep; she still didn't really know what had happened to her, exactly – he might leave her alone.

What happened when he finally came into the room and approached the bed, however, caused her to freeze in shock.

He stroked her hair and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Fae."

Her heart was hammering in her chest and she quickly turned around to face him, only realising when she saw the wide-eyed look on his face that she just gave him a heart attack because he'd thought she'd still been unconscious. "You are?" she asked incredulously.

"Fae!" he exclaimed, obviously shaken by her sudden movement. "You're awake!" She could only blink at him before he suddenly wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, his body shaking a little. "Oh, thank Oz, you're awake! We weren't sure what exactly happened and if you'd be okay... are you okay?"

"I think so," she said. "I'm a little sore, but that's all."

He pulled away to look her over, but she wasn't really interested in her physical well-being at the moment – she felt fine and the story of what had happened could wait. Right now, she wanted to know about his feelings for her.

"Fiyero," she said impatiently when he continued to inspect her for hidden injuries. "What were you saying?"

He stilled, finally looking her in the eye. "I was saying... that I'm sorry," he said, solemnly meeting her gaze. "For the way I reacted to what you told me, I mean. It was... insensitive and stupid and I was just..."

"...completely right," she finished for him. "I can't blame you for that, Yero. I hoped you would understand, but I know I caused you a lot of pain and you have every right to be angry and upset with me."

"It was easier," he admitted. "It was easier to be mad at you than to think about what you'd told me and realise the full implications of it... it was easier to deny it, too. But then Morrible lifted your disguise and then I had to face the truth. And when you fell..." He shuddered. "I thought you were going to die and all I could think was that if you did, I would never be able to apologise for treating you the way I did." He swallowed. "After all this time I spent looking for you, dreaming and hoping... I thought I'd lost you once and... and now I almost lost you again, with you thinking I was mad at you... and I still hadn't told you how I felt."

"You did tell me," she reminded him. "That's... that's kind of what made me freak out in the first place – why I didn't tell you sooner. After Glinda found out, I wanted to tell you, but I panicked after our conversation and I... just... couldn't."

"I understand," he assured her, taking her hand in his. He didn't even seem to be aware that he was doing it, but Elphaba held her breath when he touched her like that. It reminded her of the times he had kissed her when she was still Cassadi – always on the cheek, or the forehead, or that one time on the corner of her mouth; but even then, there had been something behind those kisses. The way he was touching her now was somehow similar and yet so very different. There was no hesitation this time, no uncertainty. This was just so much... more.

"You don't have to explain," he said. "I should have understood the first time. You could have done things differently, yes, but it does not matter now. What matters is that you're here." He shifted, taking both her hands in his own. "I told Cassadi how I felt," he said, "but somehow, that doesn't feel the same. I'd like to tell you." He met her gaze. "I love you, Elphaba."

It was strange. She had been longing to hear those words from him for so long – even longer than she was willing to admit – but there had always been fear underneath. Glinda had been right: she was scared, both of her feelings for him and of his feelings for her, and in every daydream she'd ever had about Fiyero telling her he loved her, there was this sense of panic lurking beneath the surface.

That feeling, however, was nowhere to be found now. She looked into his sapphire blue eyes, her hands still in his and his words still echoing in her ears, and there was really only one thing she could do.

She kept her eyes locked with his and said, "I love you, too."

His face lit up in a way she had never seen before, not even back at Shiz – a way that made the lines in his face and the weary look in his eyes that had developed over the past years disappear completely. His hand slid up her arm to cup her cheek and she melted into his arms as he captured her lips with his own.

It was her first kiss. Of course, that could be why it felt so wonderful; but she suspected that even if she had kissed a thousand men all over Oz before now, this would still be the best kiss of them all. It was amazing because this was Fiyero, and he was holding her in his arms now like she was something fragile that needed to be protected, something precious that he did not want to lose, and she loved him and he loved her. It was a kiss filled with years of hope and desire and longing, passionate and fierce; and when they broke apart, Fiyero rested his forehead against hers, a brilliant smile lighting up his face as he traced her features with his finger.

"I still can't believe you're really here," he admitted, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned with his back against the headboard of the bed and tugged her into his arms so that she was curled up with her back against his chest and he could rest his chin on her shoulder. "I couldn't really believe it before... it hurt too much, but it was also a way of protecting myself. I didn't want to get my hopes up because I couldn't bear them being dashed again."

She could not help but smile a little. Not just because he was here and he loved her, although that was certainly part of it; but because his reasoning was so very similar to her own. They were much more alike than either of them would ever be willing to admit.

"And then Morrible lifted those... spells, I suppose they were... that gave you the appearance of Cassadi and then I had to believe it." He laughed a bit ruefully. "I suppose I didn't respond too well to all of this. It was a bit of a shock."

"I already told you," she said in mild exasperation, "stop apologising. I get it. I don't blame you. If you can forgive me for lying to you for so long, I can definitely forgive you for being mad at me for it."

"Of course I forgive you," he said quietly. "Even when I was mad at you... no, even back at Shiz, when you'd just left, I already realised that no matter what happened, no matter what you would do or become while you were gone, I would forgive you pretty much anything in the end. Because... well, because I love you, brainless as it may sound."

"Not brainless," she corrected him. "Impossible, incredible, and unbelievable – and a little sappy," she added teasingly, "but not brainless."

Before he could reply, they could hear the door open again and moments later, Glinda slipped into the room, smiling widely when she saw Elphaba. "Oh, Elphie, I'm so glad you're okay! And I see you and Fiyero had a talk?" she added, raising her eyebrows at the prince.

Elphaba flushed. "Glin, I..."

"Don't you dare apologise," Glinda warned her. "I knew all of this, remember? I don't mind... well, maybe I do, I'm not sure, but... I won't stand in your way," she said firmly, "and I certainly don't want you to hold back around me. As long as you don't stick your tongues down each other's throat in my presence, I'm fine."

Elphaba flushed even brighter and Glinda giggled at her. "Oh, Elphie, I really missed that colour on you," she said, giggling again at the face her friend made. She quickly hugged the green girl. "It's going to have to go again soon, though – I've been telling everyone I'm working on a way to get you back to "normal"." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell them the truth, I really did, but I didn't think they'd accept it."

"They probably wouldn't have," said Elphaba. "It's okay, I understand." She smiled. "Being Cassadi won't be half as bad as before, anyway, as long as you and Fiyero know the truth."

Glinda returned the smile. "Good. Oz, I still can't believe you didn't die!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "How did you know what to do when you fell? Or was it an accident, you using your magic like that? I swear to Oz, I nearly fainted, I was so scared!"

"I used my magic?" Elphaba asked, blinking. She didn't really remember much of what had happened between her falling and her waking up in her room. It had all gone so quickly.

Glinda nodded. "You were falling all the way down, Elphie, and I was absolutely certain that you were going to die, but then you just... slowed down at the last possible moment. You slowed down in the air and then you only fell the final metre or so – it looked very strange. I suppose it was your magic automatically kicking in to save you."

"Yeah," Elphaba muttered, bemused. "I suppose so." It wouldn't be the first time, but it always left her feeling a little dazed.

Glinda's face brightened. "Oh, before I forget, I brought you some food!" She went back into the foyer and came back carrying a tray, which she placed on the small table beside Elphaba's bed. "I came to see you a few times since this morning, hoping to see you awake, but Fiyero told me you'd been unconscious all day long."

Elphaba turned incredulous eyes on Fiyero. "You've been here all day?!"

"Not all day," he said. "I had to attend some meetings about... well, about you, and about Morrible... but I've been here most of the time, yes. Anytime I could."

She could only stare at him.

"I brought something else for you, too," said Glinda. She held the Grimmerie out to her friend. "Perform the tracking spell, Elphie," she said softly. "We'll find Oscar and he will confirm our story. We can lock Morrible up for good."

Elphaba stared at the book and then up at Glinda.

"Go on," the blonde urged her.

"Listen, Fae," said Fiyero, shifting away from her so that he could better look her in the eye. "Morrible has been arrested and locked up for now, but we need more proof for it to stay that way – and to get you out of here. We need Oscar's testimony or Morrible might just go free, and if she manages to convince the people after all, you might end up in Southstairs instead of her!"

Elphaba said sombrely, "Maybe I deserve to end up in Southstairs," but Glinda slapped her arm at that and Fiyero gave her a scowl.

"Don't be stupid, Elphie," Glinda sniffed. "And besides," she gave Fiyero an impish grin, "you wouldn't want Fiyero to attempt to rule the Vinkus from a prison cell, would you? I'm thinking that would be quite difficult."

Fiyero smirked.

"It'd be hard to socialise from Southstairs, too," the blonde continued casually, studying her nails. "And, you know, I'd have a hard time keeping my nails tidy and my hair beautiful, and shopping would be an absolute disaster... you wouldn't really do that to us, would you, Elphie?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "You two are absolutely ridiculous!" she exclaimed, pretending to be exasperated to hide her fear that they were being serious.

"Yes," Glinda agreed. She tapped the Grimmerie with one long fingernail. "Now cast the spell."

Elphaba shook her head, but she did bend over the book and started looking for the tracking spell she knew had to be in here. The tracking spell she was hoping would fix everything.