AN: So this is the final chapter! It's actually half chapter, half epilogue, because neither were long enough to post them apart... and I ran out of ideas.

Fae Tiggular: welcome back :D.

For those interested, my Wicked/Frozen crossover is up. It's called 'Conceal, don't feel'.

So... thank you all so much. For your reviews, for following, for adding the story (or me) to your favourites, everything. I really appreciate it :).

Chapter 37. Love is an open door

Even though she had expected it, Elphaba was stunned. She could tell Fiyero was, too, judging by the way he suddenly crushed her hand like it was a lifeline.

She looked up at him almost instinctively, and he forced a smile. "Do it," he said, his voice sounding a bit hoarse and shaky, but still. "Go with them. They're your family."

She stared up at him with wide eyes. "Yero…"

He squeezed her hand. "This is what you've been searching for your entire life, Fae," he said quietly. "You have a father, and a sister, whom you could live with."

"I had an aunt I could live with," she reminded him. "I rejected that offer, remember? Eventually, anyway."

Fiyero shook his head. "It's not the same," he insisted. "Back then, you almost left me forever. This isn't a different world, Fae – just a different province. We can still go to Shiz together in autumn, we can still all be friends, and you and I can still be together… you'd just go to Munchkinland during the holidays and the summer, instead of coming back to the Vinkus with me. Just like Glin will go back to Gillikin. That's all. We could write, and we could visit back and forth, and we'd still be together most of the year, anyway, while we're at school…"

"We don't want to pressure you," Frex said softly. "It's just an offer. You can think about it, if you want to; and if you decide that you'd rather stay here, I'll understand. We wouldn't be completely out of touch – unless you'd want to be…"

"No!" Elphaba hastily assured him. "No, I'd love to stay in touch! I mean…" She looked at Nessa and smiled. "Galinda was like a sister to me," she said. "But to have a real sister, by blood… it means a lot to me."

Nessa returned the smile excitedly. "So does that mean you're coming with us?" she asked hopefully.

"Or do you need more time to think about it?" Hamold added, seeing the slightly dazed look on the green girl's face. "Frexspar and Nessarose will be staying here for another week, Elphaba, so don't feel obligated to decide right away."

She looked at Fiyero, who nodded at her encouragingly; and the look in his eyes just melted her. Here he was, encouraging her to leave him – again – even though she knew it would hurt him. He hated being apart from her, he hated doing this, yet he was telling her once again that he would stand by her always, no matter which decisions she made in her life. She loved him so much, and the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for hers just made her love him even more.

It was also the reason why she couldn't do this.

"I don't need to think about it," she said. She felt Fiyero squeezing her shoulder, and she slipped her fingers into his. "Father… Nessa. I'm sorry. I can't."

Fiyero's surprise was almost tangible; but although Nessa and Frex both seemed slightly disappointed and a little bit sad, neither of them actually looked surprised. Lori just smiled at Elphaba and Hamold nodded, as if they had known that this would be her decision all along.

"Why not?" Nessa asked softly.

Elphaba took a deep breath. "A few weeks ago, something happened," she said. "Something that almost cost me my life."

Nessa gasped. Frex paled. Fiyero nearly crushed the bones in her hand.

"And it opened my eyes," Elphaba said simply. "This is my home, Nessa. It always has been. Especially after everything that happened, I just can't leave Lori, Hamold, Cohvu and Galinda… they're my family. Perhaps not by blood, but in every other way, they are." She looked at her father for a moment, then back at her sister. "And I especially can't leave Fiyero," she said softly. "Not again."

He immediately started protesting. "Fae, you don't have to stay for me –" he began, but she cut him off.

"I know," she said, looking up at him. "I know you would never ask that of me."

"But?" he prodded gently when she didn't continue.

"I love you," she said. "And I know it would break your heart if I left, no matter how hard you try to assure me that you'd be fine with it."

He opened his mouth, then closed it again. She was right, after all.

"And I can't do that to you," she finished. "I love you too much. Plus I don't think that I'd do very well without you, either," she confessed, lowering her gaze. "I certainly didn't cope very well when we were separated before."

Fiyero wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. She could tell how happy he was – it radiated all off him – but he was trying to restrain himself, since they were not alone. She knew he was going to kiss her senseless the moment they would be alone, and she smiled slightly to herself. She was already looking forward to it.

Frex gave Elphaba a small smile. "I understand," he said.

"We can write," Elphaba offered. "And maybe I could spend some time in Munchkinland with you every now and then. You could come here, too, if you want to… we'll stay in touch."

"I'll be going to Shiz, too, in two years," Nessa said softly, and Elphaba smiled at her.

"We'll have a great time," she told her sister. "It'll be wonderful."

"But you're not coming home with us?" Nessa asked one last time, and Elphaba shook her head.

"I'm not."

"Are you really, really sure about this?" Fiyero asked her later, when they were alone. He was sitting on the couch in the library and she was curled up in his lap with a book.

She looked up at him. "I'm sure," she said. "I can't leave you, Yero. Not again. I told you this before, and I'll tell you again – this is my home. I'm right where I belong – here with you."

He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He slowly lowered her to lie back on the couch and she deepened the kiss, her book forgotten. "I love you," he whispered between kisses.

She smiled. "I love you, too, Yero."

Epilogue: eight months later

"I can't believe we're doing this."

Fiyero grinned at her, tucking her against his side and rubbing her arm with the blanket to keep her warm. He handed her the flask he was holding and she took it with both hands, warming her hands on the outside as she breathed in the sweet scent of hot chocolate.

"Well, believe it," Fiyero said. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

She shook her head. "Me, neither," she admitted, taking a sip of the hot beverage,"but still – to skip college for it?"

Fiyero shrugged lightly. "No-one knows we're skipping," he reminded her. "They all think my parents called me back for a few weeks for royal duties, and as my fiancée, it's not that weird that you came with me."

She rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe the Headmaster bought that."

"I'm glad he did." Fiyero dropped a kiss on the top of her head, weaving his fingers through her hair as he pulled the blanket tighter around them. The night was cold, but neither of them really cared – and besides, like this, snuggled into Fiyero's side and with both his arm and the blanket around her, Elphaba felt perfectly warm.

She held her breath. "Look," she whispered. "There they come."

The first turtles crawled onto the beach, and Elphaba let her head drop against Fiyero's shoulder. "Will we skip school again to watch the eggs hatch in two months' time?" she whispered.

She could hear the grin in his voice as he said, "Naturally. I'll think of an excuse for us to miss class."

She laughed softly. Fiyero turned his head and nuzzled her hair, burying her nose in it and inhaling deeply.

She squirmed. "What are you doing?"

His arms snakes around her waist. "You smell nice," he murmured.

She chuckled. "I don't smell like salt water and fish?" she asked teasingly, and he shook his head.

"Not at all," he said. "You smell like…" He cocked his head to the side a little, thinking about it. "Wildflowers," he said finally. "And rain. And… you."

"I smell like me?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I can't name it!" he protested weakly. "You just smell nice."

She smiled and kissed him, burrowing into his arms with her back against his chest and her head back against his shoulder as they watched the turtles together.

"Fae?"

She looked up at him. "The last time you called my name in that tone of voice, you asked me to marry you," she pointed out. "Should I be worried?"

He chuckled, drawing her even closer. "No." He leant down to kiss her, slowly and softly. "I'm just… I love you."

She took his hand, lacing their fingers together. "I love you, too, Yero."

He rested his chin on the top of her head. "Are you going to visit Aurya while we're here?"

"I was planning to." She smiled, a faraway look in her eyes as she stared across the ocean. "I haven't seen her since our Lurlinemas break, so I was thinking I could go down and visit for a few days. I think she'd be happy to see me."

"Who would not be happy to see you?"

She rolled her eyes and shoved him, but she was smiling. "You are such an idiot."

He chuckled. "I know."

Elphaba took the flask from him and downed some of the hot chocolate as Fiyero watched her closely. "And Frex and Nessa? I bet they'd want to see you, too."

Elphaba shook her head slightly. "It's stupid, really," she observed drily. "All these years, I thought I had no family at all; and now everyone is almost fighting over a chance to kidnap me to their house – or palace – every time I get out of Shiz."

Fiyero grinned at her. He knew it had taken her some time to get used to this. Last summer, Elphaba had spent two weeks with her father and sister in Munchkinland. Fiyero had wanted to come, but there were some meetings he would have to attend as the Crown Prince, and so he had found himself unable to.

Instead, Elphaba had asked Galinda to come with her; and despite the fact that both girls had missed their fiancée and boyfriend – respectively – badly, they had had a great time. Elphaba had grown closer to both Frex and Nessa, and Nessa and Galinda had quickly bonded as well.

After those two weeks, Elphaba had spent a few days in the ocean with Fiyero, spending time with Aurya, after which the four friends had gone off to Shiz university.

Lurlinemas break had been just as hectic – Elphaba had stayed at Adurin Iir for the holidays and made a trip of a few days to see Aurya again. Nessa had written to her as well, pleading for her sister to spend the second half of the break in Munchkinland, to which Elphaba had complied. This time, Galinda had stayed at home in Gillikin with her parents; and because Fiyero didn't have any royal duties this time around, he and Cohvu had joined Elphaba in her journey to the eastern province.

"Okay, so here's the plan," Elphaba decided. "I'll go visit Aurya for a few days next week."

Fiyero nodded.

"For the summer, I already discussed some things with your parents and my father," she continued. "I'll be coming back here with you and Cohvu. After two weeks, Frex and Nessa will come over to stay at Adurin Iir for three or four weeks, and Aurya promised she'd come and visit me during the summer as well. Then there's Galinda, who's also coming over for the second part of the summer…"

Fiyero shook his head. "You know what? Never mind. I already lost you."

She sniggered. "You always did have a short attention span."

He stuck out his tongue, and she kissed his cheek. "My main point is," she said, "that everyone is coming to visit me this summer, instead of me travelling all over Oz to visit them, so I'll be here with you the whole time."

His face brightened. "Really?"

She smiled and nodded, and he wrapped both arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Good. I don't want to miss you."

"Mm," she murmured as she lay back, staring up at the stars as she pulled her blanket tighter around her. "I don't like being away from you, either."

He went to lie next to her and she snuggled into his side. "Really?" he asked her softly.

She looked at him. "Yes, really." She rolled over so that she was lying on her back, folding her arms on top of his chest. "How many more times do I have to tell you? I made a mistake back then. I love you. I'm not leaving you again. Okay?"

He had to smile at her exasperated look. He reached up to run his fingers through her long, silky hair. "Okay."

Her fingers played with the buttons on his shirt. "Do you remember the last time we were lying here like this?" she asked him.

He thought about it, and the corners of his lips turned upwards when he remembered. "Ten things I love about you."

She nodded, smiling as well. "Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"

"It does," he agreed. He moved to lie on his side, supporting his head with his hand. His smile widened when he saw the dimples in her cheeks. "I still love those dimples."

"I still love you," she said quietly.

He pulled her to lie against him, nuzzling her cheek. "A chroí?"

Her smile, too, widened – she loved it when he called her that. "Mm?"

"Will we be okay?"

"Of course." She kissed his nose. "And here I was thinking I was the pessimistic one," she said teasingly.

He cracked a small smile. "Well, after everything…"

She sobered. "I know." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. "But we'll be fine, Yero. We're going to finish Shiz, I'm going to help you graduate, and then we're going to get married…"

She felt him smile. "I'd like that."

She grinned. "I assumed as much, given that you proposed and all."

He tickled her sides, making her squirm. "I'm serious!" he said, pouting.

She kissed his lips. "So am I." She looked up at him with those large, chocolate brown eyes he so loved. "Trust me, Yero," she whispered, tracing his features with her fingers. "We're going to be just fine."

He looked into her eyes, and he believed her. He knew where she stood now, he knew what she wanted… he knew she wouldn't leave him again.

And that was all he needed to know.