Note: I apologize again for the long delay. California was amazing! The weather was b-e-a-utiful! I almost didn't want to come home. The Idina Menzel concert motivated me to come home. lol Here is the final chapter of this fic. Sniff I can't believe I finished another one. The upcoming fic is giving me major writer's block. Argh. I was so busy in CA that I couldn't write anything. Oh well. On to the finale...

"What did you and Glinda have an argument about anyway?" Fiyero asked as he placed their bags inside the tiny room at the inn.

Elphaba stiffened. "Oh, that. It's nothing really. Glinda has become Avaric's new plaything is all."

"Since when?"

"Since the day before yesterday. I warned her about his type. Unfortunately, the blonde brain cells couldn't comprehend that. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Do you want me to talk to her?" offered Fiyero.

Elphaba stretched. Her body ached after the long carriage ride. "No. She'll just have to learn the hard way."

Fiyero massaged her shoulders. Slowly, the tension eased. "You care a lot more than you let people know. Why?"

Elphaba moved over to the bed. "I have no reason to trust anyone. Glinda says my head is full of conspiracy theories. If that's the case, so be it. I would rather be overly cautious than be caught off guard."

Fiyero chuckled softly. "You trust me."

Elphaba frowned slightly. "I don't know how comfortable I am with that." A bemused smile crept across her lips. "I think I can get used to it though," she teased.

Suddenly, Fiyero's mouth was on hers. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but to Elphaba it felt like an eternity. It wasn't aggressive either. That frightened her more than anything.

"Why did you do that?" she asked in a breathless whisper.

Fiyero gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "You looked so beautiful. I couldn't help myself," he answered softly.

Elphaba didn't know how to respond to that. She needed to be alone. The kiss had made her uncomfortable. She quickly gathered her bag and started walking toward the door.

"Elphaba! Please wait!" Fiyero called after her. He caught her by the elbow. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry."

He looked so upset that Elphaba felt a sudden urge to kiss all of his doubt away. She brushed her lips against his cheek. "I overreacted. I've never been kissed before. It was overwhelming."

Fiyero's face brightened and his posture relaxed. "Come on. Let's get some rest," Elphaba said.

They both looked at the small bed. "You can sleep on the bed, Elphie. I'll sleep on the floor," said Fiyero.

"You are going to be miserable. I won't bite," Elphaba replied.

Fiyero ran a hand through his hair. "Are you sure you're ok with that?"

Elphaba drew in a deep breath. "Yes." She changed into her pajamas in the bathroom. When she emerged, Fiyero was already in bed. Elphaba cautiously crept under the thin blanket. She hadn't realized how narrow the bed was; her back was right against Fiyero's. As close to him as she was, she was still perilously close to the edge. She heard Fiyero snoring lightly and felt her own eyelids begin to droop. The last thing she remembered was Fiyero turning over to face her before she fell asleep.

Elphaba pulled the thin blanket tighter around her body. She stared up at the skylight. The frosty December air chilled the drafty loft. Fiyero stirred beside her, dragging part of the blanket with him. Elphaba tugged it back. Fiyero snuggled closer to her warmth.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Remember when you spelled our names out in the flour earlier?"

"Mmmhmm."

"It made me think about that night at the Philosophy Club and everything that happened before I left my old life behind."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Elphaba thought for a moment. "I don't think it's a question of good or bad. It's more a question of need. I needed to remember that piece of my past."

"Any particular reason why?" asked Fiyero.

"It will help keep me focused on what's important. My mission has been consuming a lot of my time lately. If I don't have you, I will fail."

Fiyero was confused. "What do I have to do with this?"

Elphaba smiled wickedly. "You give me a focus for my excess energy," she said as she ran a slim finger down his blue-diamond chest.

"I am ever at your service," he responded.

As the night wind howled, Elphaba lost herself in his eyes, his arms, and his kiss.