Author's Note: I may have gotten a little carried away with this chapter. Sorry about that. Right here is rated a pretty hard M. Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Five: Crime and Punishment

The inn only had one room, and they were lucky it wasn't occupied. Apparently travel between Shiz and the City was at a low point, and people usually stopped further along the way or didn't stop at all. The proprietor looked at Elphaba and Fiyero suspiciously, but the coins Fiyero shoved across the counter clearly won him over. They ate a meager meal and shut themselves in the room.

Elphaba watched as Fiyero removed his shirt at sat down on the bed. The diamonds rippled along his skin every time his muscles flexed. Sweet Oz, just being near him aroused her. How was she supposed to focus on the problem at hand when he looked like that? She swallowed hard.

"Sit down," he said quietly. "There's no point in running about the room. If we're going to talk, we might as well be comfortable."

Comfortable. On a bed. With him. She wasn't certain talking was what she'd want… she removed her dress and reached for the only nightgown she'd brought with her. "Of course."

His eyes followed her as she changed, and she could feel them burning a heat through her skin. As she sat beside him, he sighed. "Fae, I wish you wouldn't run from me."

"I'm not running from you. You are the last thing I would run from." That much was true. She had meant it when she'd told him he'd been all that held her at Shiz. "Fiyero, I'm tired of sitting and not doing anything."

"There have got to be other ways, Elphaba. There have got to be things you can do at Shiz, things you can do quietly."

"I… I don't know."

"What were you even going to do in the City, anyway?"

She shook her head again. "I don't know."

"You hadn't thought this out."

"Maybe I hadn't."

"Then come back with me in the morning and we can figure it out, I promise." He begged.

Looking into his eyes, she knew there wasn't another option. She'd go back with him. He'd always been impossible to resist… on multiple levels. Elphaba nodded. "I suppose it couldn't hurt."

He wrapped her into a tight hug. "Thank Oz. I love you."

Her whole body warmed in his embrace. "I love you, too." As she pulled back, she touched his cheek softly. "You know, we are all alone for the night. No roommate, no classmates who might hear us…"

He didn't say anything in response to that, only kissed her lips eagerly. His tongue demanded entrance to her mouth, and she allowed it, her arms going around his neck and drawing him closer. She could feel him pressed against her waist and she slipped her hand into his shorts. He let out a hiss, "Fae."

She looked at him innocently. "What, my sweet?" Slowly, she ran one finger over him, feeling him twitch at her touch.

"You realize," he said slowly, watching her, "I'm still a little mad you left."

"Then punish me." She shot back, pulling his shorts all the way down.

"You don't know what you're asking," he threatened.

"I know exactly what I'm asking." She got up and stepped out of her nightgown.

He pushed her down on the bed. He took both wrists and pinned them above her head with one of his hands. With the other, he grabbed her hips. "The conversation isn't over, you know." But he was kissing her neck, and she squealed as he bit the lobe of her ear.

"Save the talking for later," she muttered, raising her hips and pressing against him.

He dragged his teeth along her neck, nipping at her as he made his way down, though he didn't stop until he reached her breasts. "Fine. I have other ways of making you submit to me." He closed his mouth around her nipples and circled them with his tongue. She arched her back towards him.

"Try your hardest." She replied, feeling the hand on her hip travel along her navel and then down, teasing at the juncture of her thighs until she opened them for him. As he began teasing the slick flesh there, she moaned. Suddenly, he bit down on her nipple and she whimpered at the mixture of pleasure and pain.

"I intend to," he grinned. A finger dipped inside her, slowly hooking inside her and teasing that sweet spot. Fiyero locked eyes with her as he pushed her towards the edge with each movement, grinning when he thrust a second finger into her and she cried out and tossed her head back. He drew his hand back and licked his fingers, causing her to shudder at the sight.

She watched eagerly as he settled himself at her entrance, still holding her wrists so that she couldn't move them. He drove into her forcefully, sheathing himself inside her. A groan escaped his throat just as she murmured his name. Her breathing came in rhythm with his thrusts, and his movements were forceful, each stroke pressing so deep she thought she'd burst from the exquisite ecstasy of him.

He grabbed her bottom and pulled her even closer to him, dipping his head and nibbling along her collarbone. His mouth was hot against her skin as he continued to plunge himself into her. Her body stretched to accommodate him, allowing him access to everything he wanted as he probed her depths. She met his thrusts with urgency, begging for the sweet release that eventually came, making her legs give way and her body tremble and clench around him. He growled into her ear. "Don't leave me again."

Then he pulled out of her, but he wasn't done. Quickly, he turned her over and drew her hips towards him, not giving her a moment to breathe before slamming into her again. He pounded her hard, driving her mad with pleasure. There was no room in her mind for anything but the feel of his body diving into hers. One of his hands reached around and grabbed her breast as he filled her to the hilt, rocking her into another climax. This time he joined her, grunting heavily as he exploded within her.

For a few moments, they stayed like that, gathering their senses. After a moment, he moved away from her and grabbed for her bag. "Oil?"

She nodded helplessly, still splayed on the bed as aftershocks trembled through her. When he reached out, she took his hand and stood, keeping eye contact with him as he rubbed oil into her skin. Elphaba took the oil and pressed her lips to his gently. "I do love you."

"I know," he murmured, sitting back on the bed and patting beside him. "Come to bed now. You are going to need to rest after that." She could hear the pride in his voice.

Elphaba laughed. "That's what you think." But she climbed in beside him. "Yero," she began slowly, "how did you find me?"

"I stopped everyone between Shiz and the City."

"And they just let you?"

"I had to bribe a few people. And I… well, I had a story."

She glared at him. "What sort of story?"

"I said that my fiancée got cold feet and ran away and I was trying to find her. People felt pretty bad for that and usually offered to help."

"You what?"

"Elphaba, you're never going to see any of those people again. Neither am I." He brushed a hand through her hair. "Assuming you still intend to stay."

She bit her lip.

"Seriously? After everything?"

Elphaba hugged herself. "It's not nearly so simple."

"It is to me. I love you. This isn't over yet. I'll tell you what: if our parents force us apart when we tell them, you can leave. But give it a chance."

His eyes shone with a hope she couldn't understand, but she knew she couldn't just crush it. "Fine. But I'm holding you to that."