(A/N: I'm sorry for the wait you guys! I love you all so much for reading my crap. It makes me feel like can make good attempts at writing. Anyhu, thank you if you reviewed, and if any of you who read this story aren't updating your own stories that I love, update them! oopdate! you know who you are. I think there are a few more chapters left in this story, I'm debating over a sequel or not...I don't think I'll do one, I've too many other crappy stories to work on. Gosh, fanfiction is hard work! It's like I've got a job trying to update for you guys! I try to set deadlines for myself, but I've never been very good at deadlines, hehe, oh what will I do when school starts? Well, I might actually be done with this story by the time school starts. Tell me, do freshmen really get stuffed in trashcans? I hope not. Sorry for rambling, onto the story: oh, and please review :)

"Father, I'm fine really." said Elphaba as she felt the tears on James's face, burning her skin lightly. James shook his head and wiped the few tears away, not wanting Elphaba to hurt herself. He wrapped her in a big hug and held her for a long time. She was so strong; anyone else would be a broken mess by now. He closed his eyes as he held her. She was finally back, but he couldn't be as happy because she was blind, Oz damn it. Not that that changed how much he loved her, of course it didn't, but it changed how happy she would ever be. It made him want to kill Frex himself.

Fiyero stood in the background, smiling sadly at the scene. Elphaba's glassy eyes stared over James's shoulder, unseeing. She might have been looking at Fiyero had she not been blind.

"What was it you wanted to tell me Fabala?" asked James.

"That--" she began, but was interrupted as shots and shouts were heard. A soldier ran in, panicked.

"Sir!" he said urgently, "Frex and his men are coming right now! And they've got the Great Kells on their side!" he cried. Fiyero quickly moved forward and grabbed Elphaba, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

"Stay here Elphaba!" James yelled as he followed the soldier out, "Fiyero, stay with her!" Fiyero didn't even need asking.

**********

Madame Morrible sat in her office in the palace, going over the plan she'd drawn out. It was so simple really. She could predict people's emotions so easily. For one, she knew Frex was going to go after Elphaba again, that much was absolutely obvious. And of course the stupid prince would try to save her...and in doing so, he'd put himself in danger and then the girl would try and save him. There were a total of four people she needed to kill if she wanted to rule Oz: Frex, Fiyero, James and Elphaba. She was pretty sure she knew how to get all of this accomplished without having to kill them herself, they would kill each other or themselves. It was a shame she didn't have a direct killing curse up her sleeve, that way planning things out would be a lot easier. Well actually, it didn't matter all that much if Fiyero turned out dead or not, he was not fighting for the crown or in line, but he would probably make things a whole lot harder if he was alive.

*************

After the battle, James and Frex met at the borderline again. Both were furious, shaking with rage. Frex stood still, his face red while James barreled towards him. Frex didn't expect what happened next. James pulled his fist back and punched Frex as hard as he could. Frex fell backward, holding his jaw. He glared fiercely at James and raised his own fist. James punched him in the stomach and Frex bent over in pain.

"Are you happy?!" James hissed, "Are you proud? Do you feel good about what you did to my daughter?!" he punched him again.

"It was Morrible!" said Frex pathetically, "And no, I'm not happy."

"Like hell you aren't!" James roared, making to punch him again. Frex's men rushed forward and pushed James back. A few Gale Force members came up, ready to start a fist fight, but James stopped them, "I'll stop." he said, glaring at Frex, who had just straightened up.

"You had no right to take her." Frex growled. James laughed hollowly, angrily.

"No right?!" he shouted at Frex, "You're telling me I had no right to save my daughter before you killed her?! You had no right to kidnap her in the first place!"

"I had no right?" asked Frex, "I wouldn't have had to kidnap her if you hadn't gone around and claimed to be her father! You were the one who took her from me! Therefore, I didn't kidnap anyone!"

"You were a fugitive! You lost custody of your children once you broke the law!" James roared, getting ready to hit him again.

"There was never a trial!"

"Yeah, 'cause you ran from it! You can't call 'no trial' when you're the one that made it that way! So don't act like I had no right to anything." James spat, "And what do you know about rights? You kept her in your home like a slave!"

"It doesn't matter, because I was her father, I AM her father." said Frex, "What proof do you have that she's yours, biologically speaking? Are you even blood related to her?!"

"Oh, you didn't know?!" asked James, "Your wife, Melena, cheated on you! She never loved you! You were just some man she had been forced to marry because of arrangements made by your parents. She hated you! She carried an affair with me behind your back, before I became Wizard while you off crusading the about Oz trying to convert people, so yes, I am Elphaba's biological father." Frex hit James hard then and it was unearthly silent.

"See?" said James, "You've got nothing at all anymore, and you will lose this war and I will kill you myself."

************

Fiyero woke up the next morning earlier than Elphaba. She lay next to him, her head on his shoulder. He let his fingers slide through her silken hair as he stared into space, thinking. It was still hard for him to comprehend what had happened to Elphaba. How much would this change? She couldn't be as independent as she once was, as she loved being. Would it tear her apart, or would she accept it? It already seemed like she had accepted it with a heavy heart. Last night, Morrible had been captured. She'd been put in a cage and in a tent that was under high supervision. Her spell book had been taken, but they still didn't know how dangerous she was. All they knew was that she was the one who had blinded Elphaba. Fiyero really wanted to kill the old witch. He felt Elphaba stir.

"Morning." Fiyero said.

"Morning." Elphaba mumbled sleepily. Fiyero smiled and kissed her gently. She laughed and snuggled closer to him.

"So..." Fiyero began, "last night, Morrible was caught." he felt Elphaba tense.

"And?" she asked.

"She's pretty much just at prisoner. Her spell book has been taken away, and right now Galinda is trying to see if she can read any of it to fix your um...eyes." said Fiyero.

"I doubt Galinda will be able to read anything from it." Elphaba sighed, "It's the Grimmerie, the language isn't Ozian, and it's very, very rare that someone is able to read it."

"Elphaba, I saw Morrible last night as I was walking back to our tent. I know how much you want your sight back, but if she will need her spell book back, and I'm sure that the moment we give it back, she will do something terrible with it. She might hurt you more, or escape, kill someone. Just promise me that you won't go to Morrible."

"But she--" Elphaba began.

"She could kill you Elphaba!" Fiyero said, "She will lie and the moment she gets her spell book back, she might--"

"Alright." Elphaba said quietly, "I promise."

"Thank you." Fiyero whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too." she sighed.

***********

Morrible sat in the stupid cage, a smug smile still smeared across her face. Usually one would be mad at being captured and put in a cage, but this just made it even the slightest bit easier for her! It would be so much easier for Elphaba to find Morrible now. Because Morrible had no doubt in her mind that Elphaba would come to her, she knew she would, it was so obvious, so guaranteed. Tomorrow those four would die. They would kill each other, or themselves and Morrible wouldn't even have to lift a finger.