Note: I do not own any of these characters, except for Keahn, Jiana, and Leina. All others are the property of Gregory Maguire. Thanks again to my beta reader sweet saturn!! You rock! I don't know how you put up with my lack of commas. lol

The sun was just beginning to set as Elphaba and Fiyero emerged from the bowels of the castle. Boq and Glinda were deep in conversation with Liir. The boy was talking very animatedly, apparently recounting an adventure. Boq was the first to notice their approach.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

Fiyero grasped Elphaba's hand and responded, "We just needed some time to work things out."

"Liir was just telling us about his life here at Kiamo Ko. They used to call you Auntie Witch?" Glinda giggled.

Elphaba placed a hand over her eyes and let out a sound of disgust. "How did I know that would come back to haunt me?"

Fiyero slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"I bet you loved that."

She ribbed him playfully. "I was not a pretty sight back then," she murmured back. "I was scarier than usual if you can imagine that."

Fiyero kissed her cheek before saying, "I can't imagine you being scary at all."

She scoffed at his statement. "You've always had an idealistic view of reality."

Fiyero shrugged. "I am who I am. It works for me."

He shot her a charming grin that caused her to laugh out loud. It was a rich, soulful sound that came from deep inside. It had been a long time since she had laughed out of pure happiness. Liir watched her in awe. He had never seen his mother laughand he had never noticed how beautiful she was.

"There's something I have to show you. I didn't know what it was until now," Liir said to his parents. Elphaba and Fiyero watched their son remove his shirt. On his chest was a single blue diamond. Elphaba gasped and looked at Fiyero. They were both in shock. Fiyero looked into his son's deep green eyes.

"Do you know what that means?" he asked him.

Liir shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Every Arjiki develops certain markings when they reach puberty. Each shape and placement means something. Your marking means that you are honest and loyal. You follow your heart and face challenges with courage." Fiyero removed his shirt and pointed to his chest. Liir could see the pattern of diamonds that ran down in two straight lines.

They smiled at each other before replacing their shirts. Elphaba couldn't help smiling as well. She was relieved that Fiyero and Liir were getting along so well.

A spear whistled through the air and landed with a thunk at Fiyero's feet. He yanked it out of the ground and looked to see who had thrown it. In the distance, a man and a young girl were approaching. The man was tall and muscular. He walked with dignity and strength. His skin was a deep shade of blue, almost navy. Black swirls snaked across his skin. When he reached Fiyero, he knelt in front of him.

"My Lord," he said. His deep, rich voice rumbled like thunder.

"Rise friend," Fiyero bade him and handed back the spear. "I see your aim is still bad," he teased.

The man laughed and replied, "I could have hit you if I wanted to, but I was aiming at the scorpion at your feet." He pointed to the now dead scorpion which was an inch from Fiyero's foot.

"You have saved my life yet again. It's been too long Keahn."

Keahn nodded. "It's been ten years. Your people feared the worst. I am happy to see you are alive and well." He motioned to the young girl. "This is my daughter Jiana."

Liir couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked to be about his age. She had lilac skin with deep purple swirls. Her raven hair spanned the length of her back. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She made Dorothy look homely. She smiled at him and he immediately blushed. Liir quickly hid his face. Fiyero introduced everyone. Once that was done, Keahn turned to Fiyero.

"I have come here to alert you to the sufferings of your people, the few that are left anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Fiyero.

"After your disappearance a group of soldiers came to the Vinkus. They were sent by the Wizard to flush out the Wicked Witch. We told them that we did not know anything because news does not travel here very fast. They became furious and accused us of hiding her. They tore the village apart. Many warriors were lost. There were just too many of the Wizard's men." Keahn hung his head in sorrow. "They killed my wife as punishment for leading an attack against them."

Everyone was shocked. Fiyero's face became hard and grim.

"Take me to them," he said.

Keahn led the party to the village. Elphaba couldn't believe what lay before her. Burned-out homes stood like empty memorials. Women and men moved about in skeletal vessels of their former selves. She could hear children crying in the distance.

The Wizard had caused more destruction, and all because of her. Would this vicious cycle ever end? That's why the Gale Force showed up at the castle all those years ago. She looked at Fiyero and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. She could see that he was deeply troubled by what had happened to his people. She could also see his anger rising. She gave his hand a squeeze and rubbed her thumb along the back.

"Let's help them," she said.

"I don't even know where to begin," he replied.

"We should start with the children. You have not seen them yet," Keahn said.

They followed him down a muddy road to the center of the village. A huge hut stood there. They all filed in and looked around in silence. There were two rows of cribs and small beds. Many of the children were injured or ill. Healers moved from child to child, doing what they could to ease the suffering.

"How could this happen?" Glinda wondered sadly. "They are all so young."

"Life can be cruel from an early age," Elphaba responded firmly. She knew that from experience.

"Many of the children are orphans. Their parents were executed by the Gale Force," Keahn informed them grimly.

From the back of the hut came the shrill wailing of a baby. Elphaba moved quickly toward the sound. Everyone watched her in silence and shock. When Elphaba reached the crib she found an infant girl. She could not have been more than six months old. Her tiny face was red from crying, and she wailed furiously. Elphaba felt a tug on her heart and reached down to pick up the baby.

"Shhh…it's ok. There's nothing to be afraid of."

The little girl immediately became quiet. She opened her eyes and stared at Elphaba. Her eyes were a dazzling, sapphire blue. Elphaba was at a loss for words. She had never seen anything so beautiful. She didn't know why she felt so compassionate towards this little baby. She supposed she saw her late sister in this tiny girl.

The baby seemed to need extra attention that no one was able to give her with so many sick children to worry about. Elphaba started to rock the baby in her arms and began to sing a lullaby that had been sung to her as a child. Everyone in the hut listened intently. Elphaba had a beautiful voice, and Fiyero wished she would sing more often. He remembered the first time he had heard her sing. It had been in a café near Shiz. He had promised he would sing after her, but she had blown him away. The baby smiled at Elphaba and reached for her face. Elphaba took the infant's tiny hand in her own. Soon the baby was asleep, and Elphaba gently laid her back in the crib.

"You are amazing," Fiyero said.

Elphaba blushed. "You forget I had a younger sister."

Keahn came up to her and said, "That child has never taken to anyone like that. She has always been difficult. Her parents died before they could name her. She has been such a handful that no one has even thought to give her one."

"Leina," Elphaba said softly. "It means 'beautiful one'."

She gently touched the baby's face. Fiyero looked at Elphaba and smiled. Just when he thought she would always be afraid to open up, she turned around and did the opposite. He swore she loved to be unpredictable just to keep people off their game. Boq, Glinda, and Liir came to look at the baby.

"She's adorable!" Glinda gushed.

While they were busy looking at Leina, Fiyero pulled Elphaba to the side.

"You're really worried about the baby," he said.

Elphaba looked over at the crib. "She's all alone. I know how that feels. No one should have to grow up like that."

"I don't know how you are going to take this, but I think we should adopt her."

Elphaba's eyes radiated surprise. "Do you really mean that?"

"You've already given her a name, and I am just as taken with her as you are. She needs a loving home, and I think we can give her that."

Elphaba hugged him tightly. "I don't deserve you Yero."

"Of course you do." He hugged her back. They shared a long kiss before joining their friends to tell them of their decision.