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Would the nightmares ever stop?

Would the insomnia ever stop?

I had a gnawing feeling that the answer was no.

The newly found happiness that I had slowly faded away as the night when on. Things didn't seem right. But, then again, when did they? As Fiyero said, I was paranoid. I felt too much. Why was I born with so many bodily emotions, when I didn't have the..courage to show even half of what I felt? Oh, my odd, philosophical world was too much for even me sometimes.

"Fae..?" Called Fiyero drowsily from across the room.

"I'm here, Yero."

"I know you're only ten feet away from way, but I miss you. Come here."

I smiled. "Fiyero, my insomnia has started again."

"Oh."

I heard him sit up. "Yero, don't. Go back to sleep."

"I can't, knowing you can't."

"You're crazy. You were just asleep."

"Call me what you will," He put his arms around my neck and kissed my hair.

I pulled away from him gently,signaling tohim that I didn't want to touched. "I call you crazy, and for more than one reason."

He sighed, knowing it was useless to argue with me. "Fae, I love you, but sometimes it's difficult to be around you."

I looked at the ground. "I know."

"Elphie, you know that I didn't me-"

"I know, Yero. It's just...my view on the world is becoming more and more slanted all the time. It makes me so confused. Maybe my warped philosophy is what causes my insomnia, and when I can get to sleep, nightmares. But I guess we'll never know, huh?"

"What happened to you in the past eight hours? You were so..so, happy-go-lucky. Now you're not. I miss your smile, Fae."

"I'm sure. I don't know what happened. Frou-Frou was different from anyone I've ever known -maybe because she's a Horse- she cheered me up. We were a lot alike, she and I. She wasn't prejudice against me. She seemed to admire me. I've never known anyone to admire me."

"I admire you. You are Beauty's Epitome to me."

"You don't count," I said, "your mind is very...abstract. You're doomed to beeternally bias to me."

"And I'm damn proud."

"You shouldn't be."

"Is that taboo, too? Like loving you?"

I pushed his hand off of my shoulder, where he had let it subconciously rest. "Yes."

"You are a torture."

"And a half." I said, smiling.

"Indeed."

He hadn't changed much from the last time I'd seen him. Except now he was evenmore barmy before.

No way could I picture him being Elphaba's father.

Who was that woman sitting across from him? She looked like fish! My apprehension caused me to laugh uncontrollably at this. Stop! I ordered myself, You've got a job to do.

But I couldn't do it. Not with..that Fish there. She obviously was in cohoots with that bastard, seeing as she showed no nervous or cold demeanor. After all...you were either afraid of the Wizard, or you wanted to shoot him in the head. I was one of those who wanted to shoot him in the head.

I felt my stomach churn, and I bit my lip to try and hold it down. Success. I had come this far, I had left my comfortable home of Plenia to do this, and I would not give up. I had risked some much to get here; including my life when I went over five hundred miles -well, I wasn't really with him the whole time- with a complete stranger. Luckily, I had picked a man who cared more about getting to his lover than..well, anything.

My thoughts turned back to the Wonderful Wizard of Oz when I heard the shifting of skirts. "Your Ozliness, I think I'll retire to my rooms now, if you no longer require my service."

He didn't answer theFish.He just sat in his chair, staring at the blazing fire, his eyes unblinking.

I sucked in my breath and slinked into the shadows. Hoping that Fish Lady wouldn't notice me. I was lucky when she passed by me without another glance.

I waited until I heard the slam of a door before I advanced. "Hello, your Ozliness." I said, trying to keep my voice as even as possible.

He looked up at me, his eyes glazed over, he didn't seem to even really see me. His eyes cleared then. "Oh, hello...What do you require?" He was insane. I could see that through his eyes. Not that I needed any seeing, I already knew.

I didn't answer him, instead, I once again slid my shiny nice out of it's pocket in my satchel. "Do you know a man by the name of Abasi?" I said, looking at the knife and running my fingers suggestively over the blade.

Silence. "Yes. He's...dead."

"Oh? Is he? Thank you for enlightening me on that fact. He was mylover."

I heard him swallow loudly.

"Did you, by any chance, have anything to do with his death?"

"Yes." I heard him say in a mere squeak.

"I thought as much. What more did I expect from you?"

"No! You don't understand! I'm not a bad person! I'm rather a good man-"

"No, no you're not. I know your daughter. Or, so she mournfully calls herself. I've seen the way you've made her suffer. You're not a good person. Oh, you are quite the adverse!"

"No!" He cried as I threateningly moved my knife towards him. "Please don't kill me! I can give you anything you want! Money, power, respect-"

"Can you give me Abasi back?"

His face fell. "No."

"I didn't think so." I flew at him with my knife, which cut him deep in his upper arm.

He screamed in pain and surprise. I mentally cursed to myself. He wasn't supposed to make any noise! That Fish would hear him! I quickly bent over and slit his throat. His eyelids fluttered and his blood spurted forth onto my dress. The dying bastard clutched at my throat, but I barely felt him. He was too weak to kill me. He always had been. I merely glared at his weak and paling body. When he finally lay still, and his pathetic gurgling silenced, I brought the bloodied knife to my dress and cleaned it off. I brought the knife to my palm, and biting against the pain, cut a long, deep gash in my hand. I squeezed my hand, and put the cut to the Wizard's face, "That was for Abasi, you bastard. I hope you rot eternally in Hell." I kicked the Wizard's corpse and fled.

"Tasi, you cannot mourn over this girl." I told Tasi the next morning over breakfast (of more leftover panook).

"You make her sound like she's dead. I'm not mourning, I'm merely wallowing."

"You're pathetic." I said, shaking my head.

"She's right, you know, Tasi. You can do better." Added Fiyero.

I squeezed his hand. As I had told him the night before, he was doomed to be eternally bias to me. "Seriously, Tasi, Sahlah was a little...strange. And if I hadn't been so lucky as to be far enough along, little Tale wouldn't be with us today."

"I know..." He sighed.

"That reminds me," started Fiyero, "Emir, Glinda, and Tale are supposed to be back today. You have to see them, I've never seen Glinda happier."

"Oh sweet Oz, my match-making is going to make Glinda spaz."

"Please," said Tasi, "This would've happened with or without your help. They belong together." He put his head in his hands then.

I looked to Fiyero, shaking my head. He only smiled. "I love you." He mouthed.

As if on cue, I heard someone step into the kitchen. "We're back!" Cried Glinda. "ELPHIE!" She ran to me and hugged me. "Oh! We thought you'd left forever!"

"Glinda..I...can't...breathe!" I managed to choke out.

She pulled away, blushing. "Sorry."

"Soo...Did you and Emir have fun on your date?" I said, smiling evily.

She flushed. "Oh yes! I can't thank you enough, Elphie! Oh, here comes Emir, he has your little darling."

Emir handed me Tale with his free arm. "We had fun with her. Don't worry, she was no trouble." He said when I opened my mouth to say something.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Nice that you're back." He said, smiling.

I smiled back. Not because I agreed, but because I felt like I had actually done some good by getting Glinda and Emir together. They looked so happy...I snapped back to reality when Tale began to kick entergetically and clap her hands together. I frowned.

"What's wrong, Fae?" Asked Fiyero warily.

"I just realized, I don't know how old she is." I said softly.

"Well," said Glinda, "in my experience-"

"What experience, Glinda?"

"Oh, don't, Elphie, you think I am such a ditz. It's not like Chuffrey and I didn't try to have kids. I researched on this stuff. Li can clap, and kick, and coo. She seems able to recognize people, mostly you and Fiyero. I'd say she's about three to four months old..But hey, what do I know?" She took Emir by the hand and flounced off.

She could be so smart when she wanted to be. I shook my head, then said to Tale, "Your Auntie Glinda is very odd, Li-Li. I will disown you if you ever become like her."

"You wouldn't."

"No, Yero, I wouldn't. What kind of person do you think I am?" I took Fiyero's hand and hugged Tale. I was nice having my family together. No matter how screwed up it was.

I threw the knife into the bushes outside of a house in the Emerald City. I drew in a shaky breath. I hadn't realized that I had been holdingit insince I left the palace. What had I just done?

You killed him, Sahlah, that's what you did; good job. Maybe I, like the Wizard, was now doomed to rot in hell, but I didn't care. I had avenged the death of my precious Abasi, and that was all that mattered. Now what? I needed to go somewhere safe. Kiamo Ko? Maybe...Elphaba would have my head when she learned, though; I knew that she harbored the secret hope of killing the Wizard herself, but I could hold a grudge more strongly than even Elphaba could.

I couldn't face Tasi, anyways. Not now. I hated myself for what I'd done to him. In my grief over Abasi, I had found the one soul willing to do whatever I wished. I was grateful I had him, even if he believed that I truly loved him, when I, in fact, didn't. I had never lied to him, exactly. We would lie awake..when we were through with our 'acts', he would tell me that he loved me, but I would yawn, or cough, or pretend I was asleep. After I realized what I was doing to him, I tried to love him, I truly did, but...I just didn't; not like I had Abasi. We were too different.

But, then again, you had to credit Elphaba and Fiyero, never would you find two people more different (except Elphaba and Glinda). Never would you find two people more in love, either. Oh, I was jealous of Elphaba, alright.

I put my arms protectively over my chest and walked deeper into the city. I would find some place to stay tonight, then I would look over my options tomorrow. I needed my rest.

I wondered if Fish Lady had found the Wizard; I wondered if she cared.

I came across an abandoned building, it looked to be over twenty years old, and it was falling apart, but it would keep me safe. I knew that the city was deserted, but I wouldn't feel right if I slept in someone else's house. I turned the knob on the door, and it fell off. I cursed and kicked the heavy door. The rusted hinges broke and the door fell in. What luck. I stepped cautiously into the musty stairwell and walked up the stairs, despite their groaning and complaining. I covered my nose and mouth when I reached the top, it smelled of death..and blood.

Because the room was coated in blood. I groaned and fell to my knees. I was being haunted, no - mocked! They knew I had killed him! They were mocking me! Whoa, Sahlah, calm your little ass down. No one's mocking you, no one knows you killed him. This blood as been here for almost a year now. Just look at it, it's crusting over. I stood and collected myself. Just as my Conscience had said: the blood was old and crusty, dried to a dark, rusty color. I wondered what sort of fight had taken place there. Then I wondered: Could it be...? Hadn't Fiyero said something about being almost murdered in an abandoned building? A corn exchange, to be specific? There was no way to prove my thoughts, but I felt somewhat comforted. That place, I felt, was protected by part of Fiyero. Fiyero thought I was creepy, I knew, but I knew he wouldn't let harm come to me. Especially there.

I curled myself up into a ball beneath an old, musty blanket and a scarf. Rather a pretty one, too: Red roses on a black background. It didn't do too much for warmth, but hey, if I was to freeze to death, at least I'd go out in style.

"So?"

"'So' what?"

"So..are you going to thank me?"

"For what?"

"Hello! For setting you up with Emir!"

Glinda sighed.

"C'mon! I want to hear some praise for the first time in my life!"

"Fine, thank you, Elphie. I don't know how I can ever repay you. I simply couldn't be happier."

"'Simply'? I've never been happy, please enlighten me on how you can be stricken with this emotion so simply."

"You've been happy before, Elphie. Everyone has."

"Possibly, but I don't remember being happy." I said, lying through my teeth.

"But..doesn't Fiyero make you happy?"

I shrugged. "He used to."

"You mean to tell me that you don't love him anymore?"

"NO! I love him, more than anything, dearly! I just..." I couldn't bring myself to say the words.

"You just don't want to get hurt again, right?"

I stared out the window and watched the rain fall in sheets. "Yes. I can't imagine being happy, then he dies...I can't put myself through it again, Glin, you've seen me."

"Yes, and I think we've had this conversation before."

I smiled. "We have. Repition is the only way to learn." I stuck my hand out the window, loving the feeling of the cool water on my skin; skin that, for twenty-three years, water had never touched. I had been such a ninny as a child.

"Elphie?" Glinda said quietly, after a few minutes, "Doesn't that burn?"

"No, it doesn't."

"You've finally gotten over your silly water fear?"

"So it would seem. Looks like it's stopping."

"Thank goodness."

"Meh, I don't know, I kind of find myself liking the rain."

"Please, that's because you've been afraid of it for the past twenty-three years."

"Point?"

"So...what kept you so long?"

"I was gone for less than ten minutes, my love."

"It's seems longer than that, though."

"Of course it does, maybe you should look at a clock once in a while, Emir."

"I find that quite hurtful."

"Oh? Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

"That would be nice..."

I pulled his face towards mine and kissed him deeply. "Better?"

"Much. How is possible that I've known youfor barely a month, yet I feel like I've known you forever?"

"I don't know," I kissed him again, "love works in mysterious ways, I suppose." He dipped me onto the bed, my curls spread all over the pillows. "Love me." I murmured in his ear.

"I already do."

I heard giggling and bedsprings creaking in the next room over. Glinda's room. Well, now it was also Emir's room. "They sure waste no time."

Fiyero chuckled. "Well, neither did we."

I half-heartedly threw an empty oil bottle at him, barely missing him.

"What if that had hit me?" He asked, giving me puppy-dog eyes.

"Then...I'd spend the next ten, no, twenty years making it up to you."

"You want to try hitting me again?"

I shook my head. "You are very abstract."

"Just call me Abstractica."

"I will. I'm tired."

"I'm sure."

"I meant - I'm tired of uh...let's go to bed."

"You seriously want to sleep with that going on next door?"

"Who said anything about sleep, myAbstractica?" I smiled and threw off the nightgown I had just put on.

Teehee. I kind of like it, to tell you the truth.

Hey, please review! I miss the five reviews I used to get for every chapter. It was nice, waking up and having a review in my email. I know you wanna make me happy♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ :)

Li