I went on a writing frenzy today, and this is the result. It's my longest chapter yet, though it is really a lot of chapters mixed together. I hope you do enjoy it. Also, a section of it is taken from a oneshot that I wrote, "Horrors." While they are very much similar, I changed parts of it, including the ending, so don't skip over it if you've already read it there. This chapter is sad, and for that I apologize. It's quite plot-filled as well. Enjoy and comment please. :)


Forgiveness

With the help of distraction from Boq and Glinda, two weeks passed faster than Fiyero could have hoped.

Fiyero was walking with Glinda and Boq towards the train station. The sunlight was bright and warm on his face. There were even birds chirping in the birch trees on either side of him. Perfect.

The silence was comfortable and inviting. He could see that Boq and Glinda's hands were linked. He smiled.

They rounded a corner and the train station came into view.

"How long will you be gone?" Glinda asked, her voice cracking slightly from being silent.

"Dunno. Won't be too long, I think. I'll be back soon."

They arrived at the door of the train and paused awkwardly for a moment. Glinda pulled him into a tight hug. "Be safe," she whispered.

He nodded, boarding the train and waving to them as it began to pull out of the station.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○

He pulled open the door and crept carefully up the dark stairs. He felt his way to the bed and sat down. No candles were lit. Elphaba must be out. With nothing else to do, he relaxed upon the mattress and fell into a light sleep.

• • • • •

She walked home with a slight bounce in her step. She knew Fiyero was coming back tonight. She opened the door and slipped inside before padding up the stairs.

She paused at the doorway and removed her coat. She could hear his even breathing in the darkness. She smiled as she went about lighting a candle.

He stirred when the match was lit and rose lightly from the bed. Her face turned towards him and he pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms.

She hugged him tightly and laid her head against his chest. "I missed you so much," he said quietly, pressing his face into the warmth of her hair.

She pulled away and smiled. "I've missed you too."

Sitting down, she unlaced her shoes and crawled wearily into bed. He crawled in beside her and pulled her to him, kissing her on the cheek and neck.

"Fiyero," she said, quietly. He looked up into her face, his deep blue eyes shining. Like diamonds of the sky. She felt like she could drown forever in those eyes. She struggled silently with herself before saying, "I'm tired."

"My darling Fae, I'm just glad to be with you." He kissed her once more before snuggling in closer and burying his face into her neck.

She found his hand and laced her fingers with his. Warmth washed over her and she surrendered to sleep.

• • • • •

He looked at the quiet form of Elphaba sleeping. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, her hair flowing out across the pillow in silent waves.

He gently kissed her awake. Her eyes remained closed as she whispered, "Good morning."

"Good morning, my sweet. Open those beautiful eyes and see the start of a wonderful day."

She opened her eyes, slowly, but did not look at him. His fingers reached up and began to run gently through her velvety hair. She closed her hand upon his and lowered it to her stomach, resting it there.

"Elphie?"

"Hmm?" she answered, examining the ceiling.

He lowered her face to his, but she closed her eyes again. Rubbing his thumb gently along her cheek, he asked, "Why aren't you looking at me?"

"Your eyes. I love them too much."

He was confused. "Then why won't you look at me?"

"I can't hide from those eyes," she whispered.

He wrapped his fingers in her silky hair. "Look at me." She did so, reluctantly. "What is it, love?"

She seemed unsure what to say. "Fiyero, I…" her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes yet again. He remained silent, wondering what problem could be plaguing her now.

After a few minutes of silence she finally spoke again, her voice barely a whisper. "I think I'm pregnant."

He drew in his breath quietly. How could he have not thought of this possibility, to be prepared? He wrapped an arm around her slender waist and brushed his lips across her cheek.

Slowly, her eyes opened again.

"How do you know?"

"I just…do," she answered.

He knew now why she had put his hand upon her stomach. He willed himself to feel something there, new life stirring inside of her. He felt nothing. He didn't feel worried, or afraid. He didn't feel pride. All he could feel at that moment was comfort, with Elphaba lying in his protective arms. "I love you."

She relaxed a little. Finally, she looked into his eyes, and he felt her body change beneath him. It relaxed, and somehow tensed at the same time. Her hand upon his, he thought he felt something course through her body. Love, hope. Life.


Glinda gazed calmly at Fiyero as he stirred his tea. His eyes were clouded over in thought, and there were new grooves running the length of his forehead.

"Are you going to tell us what's the matter?" she asked him.

His eyes raised from his tea and met hers as he tried to register her question. "Oh."

She waited for a moment, but when he did not answer, she spoke again. "Elphie. Is she better?"

"She's, uh…" Fiyero hesitated for several moments. "Pregnant," he finished quietly.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Elphaba? Pregnant? With Fiyero's child? It was hard to wrap her mind around the situation, impossible for her to imagine Elphaba- bony, passionate Elphaba- carrying a child. Or being a mother.

Boq seemed unable to comprehend. "You mean… like a mom?"

"Yeah. Well, she thinks so."

"And. And you're the… the…" Boq seemed unable to bring himself to finish the question.

Fiyero lowered his gaze, his cheeks flushing. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I'm the father."

It seemed to Glinda that it was the first time he had spoken those words aloud. He had fallen silent, lost again in thought.


Fiyero pulled her close and kissed her. She did not kiss him back. She seemed distracted.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," she answered. She looked exhausted—there were bags beneath her eyes, and her skin looked rather pasty. "Just tired."

She looked him over for a moment; she seemed to be studying him. "Who else is here?"

"I didn't invite them along," he said quickly, taking only a moment to marvel at her intuitiveness. "They followed me here."

She walked down the stairs. Even through her fatigue, her step was sure.

• • • • •

She opened the door. She only briefly registered Glinda and Boq as her visitors before Glinda had thrown herself upon her.

"Elphie!" she cried.

Elphaba wrapped her arms about her neck. "Oh how I've missed you, Glinda."

She broke the hug and ushered them quickly inside, but did not lead them up the stairs. Surprising everyone, she hugged Boq as well.

"Oh, Elphaba." Glinda's eyes were glowing. "I can't believe the good news! When Fiyero told us…" she broke off dramatically, wiping her eyes.

She took a moment to glare at Fiyero. He shrugged uncomfortably under her gaze, but said nothing.

"It was…unexpected," Elphaba said at last.

"It's wonderful." Glinda was positively beaming.

"I'm glad I finally got to see you all again. I've missed you both. And I never got to say goodbye."

She pulled Glinda into another hug. "Be good."

Glinda was near tears. "Oh, Elphaba. Don't push us away. We've only just got here."

She wished more than anything that they could say, but she knew it could not be so.

"Fiyero shouldn't have let you come." There was a moment when Fiyero tried to defend himself, but she continued. "I'm glad to have seen you. But now it's time to say goodbye."

Glinda hugged her again, more tightly. "I love you, Elphie."

"And I, you. Stay safe."

Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of Glinda and Boq leaving. Fiyero hugged her, and she buried her face in his chest, letting her tears soak into his shirt before they could run down her face.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Don't be."


He crouched down behind the crate, shivering slightly. Snow floated gently down and settled upon his hair, but he made no attempt to brush it off, lost in thought. With his eyes pointed unfocused upon the door, he tried to convince himself as to why he was there.

I have to know.

No. You want to know. Don't you trust her?

I have to make sure she's safe.

You know she can take care of herself.

But she's four months pregnant.

You know that doesn't matter.

I'm still following her, he decided.

• • • • •

She walked briskly down the windswept lane, her eyes glazed over in thought. She came across a large puddle and subconsciously sidestepped it out of habit.

She was only slightly perturbed by the presence of her lover, following some distance behind her. She had a vague reassurance that he would stay out of her affairs. He had sense enough not to become a distraction.

The wind bit harshly at her cheeks and nose as she hurried down the road. She pulled her cloak more tightly about her as she heard voices drift listlessly from nearby houses, many of which were draped in gold and green. With every step closer to her destination, her heart pounded more loudly in her ears.

She shook her head fiercely and took a deep grating breath, the cold air filling the depths of her lungs. Focus. Rounding a corner, she forced herself to continue down the overgrown sidewalk to the theatre halfway down the lane.

There was a crowd of people gathered outside the entrance to the large building. Elphaba lowered her eyes to the ground as she retreated into the shadows, her dark hair falling like a mask before her face.

She stood unnaturally still for a few minutes, her keen eyes raking the crowd for any hint of trouble.

She could sense the carriage before she saw it. Her body stiffened as it rounded the corner. The very air pattern seemed to change. It's her.

Suddenly she noticed that her hands were wringing together anxiously inside of her cloak. She settled them instead upon her stomach, trying to calm herself, subconsciously protecting the baby.

The carriage lumbered to a halt, and the driver swept forward to open the door with a ceremonious flourish. Out stepped the tall, menacing figure of Madame Morrible. She clenched her fists, only vaguely aware of the pain of her fingernails digging into her palms. Hatred coursed, warm and steady, through her veins, and her heart quickened its pace.

A small group of people gathered about the carriage, though out of respect or curiosity, she could not tell. Morrible, in all of her detestable vainglory, surveyed the crowd with a dominant persona. Elphaba saw a few citizens nod to her in obeisance as they passed.

She reluctantly took a step away from the comfort of the shadows, but paused when a door to her right flew open with a bang. A group of schoolgirls swarmed out of it, laughing and pushing each other in an oblivious manner.

Indecisiveness overwhelmed her. The unexpectedness of the schoolchildren had simultaneously shocked her and flooded her with suppressed memories.

As the children dispersed, so did the crowd. Elphaba's eyes searched the area, urgently, but to her unsurprised disappointment, Morrible was nowhere to be found. She'd already faded into the theatre with the crowd.

As the last few people cleared away, Elphaba fell back against a column helplessly. The wind blew fiercely at her, and she surrendered to it, letting it add yet another component to her squalor. Despite the chill, her face grew hot, and she began to shake uncontrollably. Am I doomed to fail at all of my endeavors in life? Her failings could ruin all of their plans. She knew it.

She glanced halfway down the street to see Fiyero lurking in a doorway. "Be safe, my sweet," she sighed, flitting off into the darkness.

- - - - -

She strolled quietly, lost in thought. Her heart was heavy as she gazed upon the millions of stars, feeling infinitesimally small. How did I expect to save Oz?

She paused at the door to the corn exchange, looking upon the old Lurlinist church. The faint rumble of people singing hymns floated across the road. Out of the open windows light poured out, glistening upon the snow.

Sighing, she opened the door and trudged wearily up the stairs.

She entered the room, removing her coat, but stopped suddenly. The air was heavy and there was a smell that invaded her lungs. She fell to her hands and knees, choking for air. Uncertainly, she crawled a few feet before collapsing and knocking her head against a crate. Stars bloomed before her eyes as an intense pain sent shivers down her spine. Slowly, she crawled towards the bed.

Her fingertips brushed against something upon the floor. Reaching out into the darkness, she grabbed it and pulled it close. It was Fiyero's coat.

"Fiyero?" she called out meekly into the darkness. No answer. She advanced towards the bed, and gasped. It was covered in blood. Looking down, she noticed that the floor too was congealed with blood. It covered her thighs and forearms as well. Her body collapsed against the mattress as she fainted.

Her head was aching. "Please…" she found herself moaning helplessly to herself, to anyone. To the Unnamed God, even. "Please."

You have to get out of here. The thought pierced through her numbing wall of pain. Unquestionably, she obeyed, rising and stumbling down the stairs.

Minutes later, she fell into the doorway of an old mauntery. She knocked upon the door, willing herself to remain conscious.

The door opened and a young maunt peered her head out.

"Please…" Elphaba fell into her arms. She dragged her uncertainly inside before closing the door faintly behind her.


Her lips trembled as a moan escaped from between them. Her hair was lying in damp sheets around her, and fiery ringlets of sweat cascaded down her face. She cried out again in pain.

"Shh, it's alright, dearie. We're almost done," someone spoke gently into her ear, wiping her brow with a cloth.

Pain coursed through her body like white-hot fire before receding significantly. She fell back against the pillows, shaking.

Someone pushed her hair back from her face. "There's a good girl. Now open your eyes and say hello."

Elphaba opened her eyes as an elderly maunt placed a bundle into her arms. She looked down at the round olive face, framed by wisps of soft black hair. She looked into the deep, clear blue eyes. Eyes that would haunt her forever. Like diamonds of the sky, she thought.

A single tear blazed a path down her cheek, but went unnoticed. Forgiveness. The word played itself repeatedly in her mind. All I want is forgiveness, she thought desperately.

"Kaiya," she whispered quietly.


I do hope you enjoyed, though I know that it is rather sad. I hope to get away from the sad side very, very soon, but we all know that Elphaba's life is filled with despair, no matter how much it hurts. Also, I thought you might be interested in knowing where I got the name for Elphie's daughter. (I am, anyhow.) Kaiya, as you may have guessed, means forgiveness. Also, Kya, which will eventually become Kaiya's nickname, means diamond in the sky. :D