A/N: I know, I am a very bad person for updating so late, and for the chapter being so short and not so detailed. But just...uggh. I was on vacation, completely forgot, and am dreading the end of the summer. Happy now? You better be.

Disclaimer: Not mine, dammit.

We spent a year like that, with me chanting up a storm and Fiyero tediously pacing up and down the winding halls, his hands in his pockets. I was locked up in my room a great deal, so I made a great deal of progress. And now we were ready. It was the day before Lurlinemas Eve, which was when we would do it, as that was when all those famous celebrities, or whatever they called them, arrived in the Emerald City to amaze people with their almighty might, whoever they stole that from. It was the best time to do it, because the Emerald City would be crowded, and it would be easy not to get spotted, even with my vertigris. It's actually easier to blend in, I've found. Oh, how glad I am that I wasn't born a horrid, pink and white piglet. That would be a terrible nightmare, despite my doubts.

I trudged down the broken staircase--I'd managed to get used to that wretched thing--and tripped over the boulder near the bottom. That always gets me. I tumbled down and managed to fall with a thump at Fiyero's feet. Although, the way I landed, it should have been a splat. He helped me up and gave me a kiss.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Fine." I managed to choke out. The wind had been knocked out of me, and I was having a teensy bit of trouble jamming it back into my lungs.

"You seem stressed, Fae."

"You think?" I snapped, before I could bite it back. I softened. "Oh, it's just this stupid operation, and . . ."

"Get some sleep, Fae. Are you sure you want to..."

"Of course I do! It's nothing, it's nothing, Yero, it's nothing."

"Alright, then . . ." He said, and I gave him a peck on the cheek and trudged back upstairs, having forgotten why I came down there in the first place, with all the commotion and all. I gathered the weapons, or whatever, required for the operation tomorrow, and put them on my pillow. I would be getting no sleep tonight, I could tell. I didn't want to be around anyone, not even Yero. What was wrong with me?

--

I sat through the night. My prediction was correct, obvious though it was. The feeling of isolation still lingered, and although I tried to banish it by feeling happy that today we'd make some progress, it wouldn't go. I sighed and grabbed the weapon, holding it close to me as I very carefully tiptoed down the fallen staircase--I couldn't drop the weapon; it would mean a year's work would be futile, foiled. I managed to scramble around the boulder and trudged towards Fiyero's room to wake him up. But he was already dressed and as I turned the knob, he opened it and I fell in. Clambering to my feet, I rolled my eyes.

"What is it with me and falling today?" I asked rhetorically. He chuckled and gave me a kiss. He trudged past me, and I followed. I was worried; what if things didn't go according to the almighty plan today? When I confided in Fiyero, he gave me a look.

"Everything will go alright, Fae, don't worry so much!" He said, and I sighed.

"Fine." I said, wondering how I could possibly not be worried.

--

We arrived there, but only four of us. It was a very long trip. Fiyero came, of course, and just in time for Madame Lupid to arrive. The Wizard wouldn't: he saved that for tomorrow. We trudged closer to the crowd, keeping our steps silent. She pulled up in a long, green limousine decorated with emeralds. It made me want to retch; it reminded me so much of the horrible city. I stood behind the corner, with Fiyero by the other one. Rew and Mo stood somewhere else, by the other buildings. We all wore hooded cloaks, a bit eerie if you thought about it, but unnoticeable. Madame Lupid stepped out of the limo, and Protikin followed. I signaled to Fiyero and the others, and they nodded simultaneously. This was the time. It was now or never. Aiming perfectly, I fired a shot at Protikin's head, neck, and right between the eyes; the soft spots. The bullet things--whatever--were very small. I saw Fiyero and Rew fire a few more. But Mo was having trouble with hers. Finally she got the bullet things--again, whatever--out, and they hit Madame Lupid instead. Horrified, my mouth opened and closed for a few minutes. That formula! I didn't know if it would work on Lupid, and as she let out a guttural scream, Protikin sank down, crackled a bit, and went out.

The hysterical crowd was trying to find out what was going on, and I signaled to the others to take advantage of this. We headed back from where we came from at what we thought was not a suspicious walking pace. As I opened the door to the place where we had hidden for a few hours, an old wig store, I bumped into something hard. Looking up, I gasped in horror. The Gale Force was there. The Gale Force was there! THE GALE FORCE WAS THERE! No, no matter how many times I thought it, it still sounded horrible. And right behind them was Ire, or Jire, because he will no longer be part of our Resistance. The traitor! The Guard in front of me grinned.

"We received a little tip-off this morning." He said, and grabbed me. I kicked him in the tender place, and he yelped in pain. Thank goodness for metal-toed boots. I don't know how I would have done that with Lill's dainty shoes. I was never a dainty kind of person.

"Fae!" I heard Fiyero yell, and snapped out of my reverie. One of those lumbering giants--or Gale Forcers. Whatever!--was dashing at me, and I dodged him just in time. He banged into a wall. I tried to go at Jire, but a Gale Forcer blocked my way and grabbed me. I whirled around, but found kicking him, or hurting him, impossible from this angle. I wish I was super-strong. But that would make my life too easy, wouldn't it? I saw Fiyero, Mottie--no point using the nicknames--and Rew were caught too. Must all my successes things--I am too annoyed to think right now--end with failures?

They took us all to the Palace, the horrible, unworthy palace that I loathe. I hate quislings almost as much as I hate the Wizard, and everything that has to do with him. But I am not ready to back down, because right now, I'm mad as hell. I kicked, yelled, and insulted more than the rest of my companions put together,--which wasn't saying too much, since it didn't even look like they tried--but to no avail. None of the guards dared relinquish their hold on us, especially me, probably in case we took a break for it. Which we would do. So they weren't as dumb as they seemed.

Down a passageway which I assumed led to Southstairs, each of us into seperate cells, bars between us all. What horrified me the most was that they took Fiyero first, the Gale Forcer looking at me as he did so. I could stand it if they hurt me, but not Fiyero or the others. This was all my fault, all my fault. Even though he assured me he'd be fine, I was worried. But he came back looking alright except for a few cuts and scrapes, and we kissed through the bars. We're reduced to kissing through the bars. What the hell was I thinking? Nothing, actually.

Again, must all my successes end in failures? They better not, or I just might do something extremely stupid yet again.