A/N: Thank you VERY much to everyone of you who have reviewed! It means a LOT to me! Ok, here's my next chapter! Just keep R&R! and enjoy!

Chapter 7- Changing matters

The sun gleamed down on the highest tower of Kiamo Ko's main castle. Yes, it had been a soft night for some of its inhabitants. But not for everyone of them.

Elphaba's sleeping form was resting on the bed of the high tower, dreaming the sweetest dream she had had for the past months, or even years. The soft sound of the singing of birds awoke her gradually. She really did not want to wake up. Not today. Today she wanted to lay in bed, like she used to do before those horrible nightmares invaded her dreams and made her lay awake almost every night, for fear they would hunt her again.

She woke up, yes, but didn't open her eyes for fright of what she might found. Had it all been a dream? Maybe. But right now she wanted to pretend. More than any other time before. And she let herself believe that what had happened last night was more than simple dream: her and Fiyero. Together again. And maybe if she truly shut her eyes and ignored everything surrounding her, it would become true. But she herself wouldn't allow such fantasy develop, in panic that she would get even more harmed than what she had been. Giving a loud sigh to assure herself she was still strong, she opened her eyes slowly, only to find a male form laying on a chair which was tilted to the window, asleep, head bowed. It seemed as if he had been contemplating the landscape and had fallen asleep. Elphaba smiled a little at the picture and at the reality of it all. It had been more than just a simple dream. A wave of release crept through her, and she almost let herself be free again. Almost.

She kept on staring at him, and at his sleeping form. She couldn't figure to look elsewhere. She loved him, yes. And that hurt almost as if she couldn't feel at all: knowing that you love someone but he is destined to marry someone else…

Elphaba left the subject there, not wanting to continue with it and deciding that now was not the time. Letting herself enjoy the moment currently would be better. She was tired of grieving and of her mind taking over her, so she just kept on watching at the sleeping form. She was always entranced by his diamonds. Those sharp forms moving playfully around his body which made him different from anybody else. That was what united them the most. Been different. Maybe not at the same level, but it still was the same feeling. He was a prince, one of high heritance, with sapphire diamonds to assure it. But she was green. She felt more different than any other; but with him, she felt normal. Or loved, whatever makes it better. Whether he loved her or not, that was something else.

She propped herself on her right elbow, resting her head on her hand. She continued staring at the sleeping man. 'What would he be dreaming about?' she wondered. She tried guessing a few times what his dreams would be about. Would it be happy dreams about her and him with a happy ending? Or would it just be a simple dream, nothing to do with her? She couldn't help wondering that as she watched his expression change as he slept through. She sighed one more time, and diverted her eyes on the outside. A sunny day. She had missed the sun all of the days she had been in Kiamo Ko, for she hadn't left her room since she got into the castle, so she decided that a walk on the outside would suit her well today, to clear her head.

She lifted herself from the bed as soundless as possible so as not to wake Fiyero. She stood up and straightened her dress a little bit, and she settled her hair as much as she could. She stood next to Fiyero's laying body, and looked at him one more time. Sometimes, her heart melted just at his sight. She stretched a hand, as if trying to reach to him and touch him, but decided against it when she saw him so peacefully resting. Elphaba tugged her hand back to her own body, and just gazed him and left the room quietly.

The day outside was as bright and luminous as it could be. Birds were singing everywhere, and Elphaba could hear the children playing and laughing in the distance. Children. That was one of the most terrifying subjects she had ever faced. She had never planned on having any. After all, who would love her enough to start a family? With Fiyero was different, because he was married, and although she had never wanted to think about that matter, she knew their future wasn't very promising. Elphaba had never considered ever loving someone else after Fiyero's 'death', much less having children. But she had never considered the possibility of she been gone with a child either. True, they had never been careful, but that wasn't the point. Wasn't she supposed to be unfertile? That was what her father had told her anyway. But maybe she was getting ahead of herself. She didn't remember been pregnant, much less giving birth. However, the maunts had been reluctant for her specifically to raise that baby. That child. It was true that Liir had certain resemblance with her. And his father, too. He had her sharp features, or at least some of them. He had also gotten quite an interest for books too. Well, Elphaba had worked on that, truth be told. She was never one for children, and sometimes she would get tired of him, so she decided to teach the boy to read at an early age so he wouldn't bother her anymore. To her surprise, the kid had learnt rapidly, and had acquainted some taste for letters. He would read most of the time that no other children were available in the mauntery. And she had been proud, at some level; though she would never tell the boy. She couldn't bear to see the child. He had the same sapphire eyes that Fiyero had worn and almost the same skin color as Fiyero. Though his was lighter. And of course, most of his features and expressions resembled those of her lover. That was why she had despised the child the most. He reminded her of her one deed that would hunt her for the rest of her life.

But she didn't really despise him. She hated that the child had been conceived at such dreadful timing, and how he reminded her of her dead lover. She would barely talk to the kid, only basic communication. Let the younger mounts take care of the other needs the boy had.

But now it was different, wasn't it? She felt different towards the boy. It was terrifying, still. But not the same as before. She could look at him in the eye without actually recalling horrible thoughts. Would Fiyero change that much in her, one more time? She couldn't help but speculate. Maybe she had been changed by his presence. She no longer hated the boy, but she didn't love him either. Maternal instincts didn't come like that. And she doubted she would ever have any for the boy. 'Never mind,' she thought. 'I have made it this far without loving the child, what harm would I do to continue like this?'. But she knew that it wasn't the same as it had been. She felt for the boy. It wasn't love quite, but something had developed within her, and she didn't know why.

Now she was walking through the green forest of the backyard of the spectacular castle. Their green covered every little spot where sunlight could actually pass through. Their large branches enclosed one another, and left little for someone to see the blue sky. She kept on walking and meditating for a while. She walked through almost all of the great forest and came across the end of it, still concentrated on her thinking. Elphaba had walked for almost two hours, just thinking; she could tell because of the sun's position that it was past noon.

When she reached the end of the forest, she stood there, her head looking upwards, her eyes closed, just bathing herself in the warm, welcoming embrace of the sun. Suddenly, two hands held her from the back and she tensed and jumped a little at the touch. Her eyes opened the moment that the hands contacted her.

"Beautiful day, isn't it my Fae?" asked Fiyero next to Elphaba's ear, in a sweet voice. She relaxed as soon as she heard his voice and let him embrace her, if only for one second. Her eyes closed back again, letting herself rest in his arms, like she used to do. Fiyero's face was next to hers, smelling every part of her, and nuzzling along her neckline. How he loved that woman!

"Yes it is, Yero." She said, sleepily. She just rested there, trying not to think of her problems, but instead to clear her head and enjoy of this. They both stayed like that for a while, until Elphaba detached from the man, and started walking towards a tree, which provided shadow, since the sun at this hour was the most damaging. Fiyero followed her, quite tired of the sun himself.

Elphaba sat underneath a big tree, which had large branches which provided a fresh shadow where they could rest. She sat with her back against its wooden trunk, and Fiyero sat opposite to her. They stared at each other before neither of them dared speak. Fiyero was the first one to talk.

"You look so beautiful today." He said with lovable words. Fiyero loved the sight of her warmed by the sun, and resting in between nature. Elphaba stared at him, then gave a grunt, and looked otherwise. She didn't like people talking lies.

"No, I'm not. And you should stop with the lies." Elphaba retorted. Fiyero was about to refute that when Elphaba put her hand in front of his mouth to stop him from speaking. He just looked at her and sighed, knowing that she would not let him win. Then, she looked at all of the green covering, enjoying the picture more and more. The only thing that Fiyero could do was look at Elphaba. She had a special peace this morning… one he had never seen before; but it made her even more beautiful than before.

Fiyero let her clear her head and delight her eyes with the scenery for some time before he started a conversation which would be hard for both. But Elphaba won him over and asked first, "How'd you find me?"

Fiyero was taken by surprise by her question. "I followed you. I awoke as soon as you left the room, and trailed you for almost all for the time you wondered around the forest. I couldn't resist your pace. You walked nonstop, and now we are very afar from the castle." Fiyero explained. Elphaba just nodded and looked to the green forest again.

Fiyero leaned towards Elphaba's form, and planted a kiss on her cheek. He had had the urge to do that since he saw her laying under the sun. Elphaba didn't flinch or moved away, but looked at him puzzled. He, then, kissed her on her mouth tenderly and lovingly. Elphaba didn't back away, but instead kissed him back. Their kiss developed into a more demanding one, a more passionate one. Elphaba and Fiyero let themselves be carried away, and their hands touched every part of the other one. Eventually, Fiyero separated himself from her and kissed her all the way through her neck, and then to her ear, where he stopped a little to whisper the words "I love you." to her.

The kiss had been wonderful. And him…. He just had been perfect. But then, something within her made her stop Fiyero's actions for a second. The moment she heard those words, she had to stop to think. Her mind wouldn't allow this unless it gave it certain amount of reflection. Just as Fiyero whispered those tender words, Elphaba pushed him slightly with her hands, and looked at him in the eye with a puzzled look.

"Yero—what… what are we doing?" Elphaba muttered.

Fiyero answered with a confused glance, and just stared at her, as if expecting that she her to answer her own question.

"I—I don't---"

"Exactly. You don't." said Elphaba. Fiyero was still bewildered by her actions.

"Fae… what's wrong?" asked Fiyero, trying to figure out what was happening by the look Elphaba had.

Elphaba looked at the floor, as if suddenly realizing something. "Fiyero… I just—I don't know…" she answered, not knowing what to say. "I just…. this… us," she said, pointing herself and then at Fiyero. "This… can't be." The last words hurt her like pure water been thrown at her, but she knew deep in her mind that their pairing would not last. It could not last.

"Fae, listen. I love you. I do not love my wife. I don't want her either. I want you." He said, tugging a scrap of hair that had been set loose by the wind, behind her ear. He then cupped her face with his hand, and just caressed her with his thumb. Elphaba closed her eyes, trying to forget everything that her mind said. But her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone.

"Yero, you have kids with her…"

"And with you." He said. Elphaba took a moment to answer that. She turned her face away from his touch, and said: "You don't know that. I wasn't much of a mother to that boy. And neither were you a father."

"Fae--"

"No! Why can't you understand? I want what's best for you! For me!"

"We together are the best for us. Elphaba…does the boy even know you're his mother?" Fiyero asked trying to make her look at him. But she refused. She would not look at him in the eye. She would not look at his disappointment.

"I—I don't think so." Fiyero sighed and stared at her. His look determined and firm.

"Elphie… I'm not mad at you. I think you—we should tell him." Elphaba looked up from the floor, where she had been placing her eyes on this entire time. Terror and nervousness invaded her look.

"Fiyero, it's not that I don't want to…. It's just that… I—I'm not …" said Elphaba, stuttering every word. She wasn't able to continue with the rest of the sentence, and Fiyero could see that. He smoothed his look and pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest.

"I understand my love. I understand." He started, caressing her long, black hair. "But you have to understand this," he said as he lifted her head so that their eyes could meet. "I love you. Not anyone else. Alright?" he asked. Elphaba took a moment before she moved or said a word. She just starred at his eyes. Slowly descending her head, she gave a nod, and assured her answer by a more frantic nodding.

Fiyero smiled, as if relieved, and then kissed her, ardently. She didn't back away, neither did she recoil. She instead, welcomed him, and stopped fighting her emotions. Letting herself go was not what she would do in such case, but she was sick of running away of her sentiments, and she couldn't stand not been with Fiyero and him been so close to her. So she let herself go. For once. And she loved it. She loved him.

Fiyero could see that Elphaba had come to some sort of an arrangement within herself, and had kind of acknowledged that they belonged together. Now everything was whole inside him again.

They stayed in the woods almost all afternoon, just enjoying each other's company. They spoke little, but still understood the other perfectly. Though Elphaba had been reluctant at staying all day, Fiyero had convinced her of hanging about with him. She, then, had changed her mind and had softened at the thought of them together. She had pushed every thought that said that them together was wrong and had let herself be carried away by her heart and by her lover. And no one could wreck this moment apart.

Just as the sun was setting, Elphaba got up from where she had been resting. She had rested her head above Fiyero's chest, their legs tangled. They had laid like that most of the late afternoon, and had just enjoyed each other's touch and feel. But as the sunset came along, Elphaba had to stop herself from falling asleep. Besides, someone in the castle would be worrying about them if they didn't return soon. As Elphaba got up, and set her sight beyond the forest, into what was the tip of the castle, she saw a big, grey—no, not grey—black cloud, covering almost the entire castle. She uttered Fiyero to get up quickly and without saying a word, she pointed to the previous image. Fiyero's eyes widened and got to his feet as hasty as he could. Elphaba watched him with concerned eyes, and followed his actions. He was now pacing nervously, not knowing what to do.

"Sweet Oz! Elphie, we have to head back to the castle, or else--"

"I know, my sweet Yero. Just calm down." said Elphaba, grabbing his hand to assure him that everything was going to be alright. He stopped walking from one way to the other and looked into the woman's eyes. She just stared at him, and with that, he felt for one moment that everything was going to be fine. They locked their eyes a minute before they parted together at a quick pace towards the castle, to see what would be of their fates.

A/N: I am sososososo sorry for the late update! SO SORRY! But I've been so busy! And I've had a minor writer's block, but finally here it is, hope you liked it! I will make it up to all of you! don't know how, but still!And I promise I'll update asap! Thanx for been patient! And review, so I can know what you think! (even if you're mad!)