Disclaimer: I don't own Phantom of the Opera or Wicked.

Remember: Keep your hand at the level of your eyes, and nothing matters but knowing nothing matters.

Chapter IX – In the Streets of Paris

Elphie woke to a harsh breeze on her face. She blinked, hair whipping wildly around her face, and realized that she and Erik had fallen asleep at the base of Apollo's Lyre.

"Eri-"

She caught herself before rousing him completely. Maybe she should take the opportunity to explore on her own; Erik was still a little preoccupied with finding Christine, and if she left now she might find Fiyero easier.

Elphie strode to the edge of the roof and looked straight down. It was barely dawn and hardly anyone was out wandering the cobblestone yet. Perfect.

She shot off the roof on her broom, straight toward the Arc de Triomphe. Soaring low beneath it, she scanned the small shops and businesses lining the streets. Markets, brothels, jewelers, cafés... if only there were a dance hall. Fiyero had loved dancing. Elphie spiraled up to perch on the pinnacle of the Eiffel Tower. She had no doubt that she could see everything from here. If only she had an inkling of what a French dancing area looked like.

"Fiyero…" she moaned into the wind. "I know you're here somewhere. I can feel it."

Elphie's unfocused gaze trained on a man two streets over. Even at this height and distance she could see that he wore a green uniform and cap. Her heart took flight as she swooped into the air again, trailing him like a hawk.

Fiyero...

She hardly recognized him, he marched so stiffly. Elphie touched down and tucked the broom away in her cloak, hurrying silently after him. She pulled her hood up as an extra precaution, and noticed that he carried a shoulder bag. It ignited memories of their days at Shiz that she had completely forgotten.

He turned sharply and she ducked into an alley. She wanted to execute this perfectly, so as to be sure that it was Fiyero.

He spun on his heel and strode off again, and she rushed after him. Elphie knocked into the elbow supporting his bag and heard it drop behind her, papers scattering in the wind.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry," she said, hurrying to fetch the pages.

"It's no problem," he muttered, gathering the documents on the ground. After a minute he straightened, trying to peer into the shadows of her hood. "Thank you."

His voice. It was definitely Fiyero. She could see the diamonds across his face more clearly now.

Elphie had to struggle to maintain her composure. "Could you help me with something?"

He hesitated, eyeing her skeptically. "I suppose, I'm in rather a hurry, miss-"

Her tone changed to a scoff. "Fiyero, please. You've never been 'in a hurry' in your life, why start now?"

He gaped at her. "Who are you?"

"An old friend."

He pushed back her hood. "Elphie!"

They stood looking at one another for a moment, then suddenly everything dissolved and they were holding each other as if the world would end.

When their kiss finally broke, he stepped back to look at her. "What are you doing here?"

She gazed at him lovingly. "I've been looking for you, ever since…"

He cut her off, kissing her again. "I've missed you so much, you have no idea…"

She smiled. "Everyone said you were dead, but I knew it wasn't so. No one knew what happened to you, so they all assumed you'd been killed by the Wizard's soldiers."

He flashed a warm grin. "I wouldn't allow myself the indignity of being killed by his people. After all that help we gave you with the Animals? Of course not."

He glanced over her shoulder and his expression turned cloudy. "Let's keep moving."

She obliged and they linked arms, strolling down the cobblestone.

After several paces, his face hadn't relaxed.

"What's wrong?"

"There's someone following us. I'll handle it; he looks dangerous."

He came to an abrupt halt, unsheathing a silver sword at his hip as he pivoted.

"Is there something I can do for you, sir?"

It was Erik.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Elphaba. "Yes there is, Monsieur Fiyero."

Fiyero's eyes flickered uneasily, and his grip on the sword tightened.

Erik's gaze switched back to Elphie. "You may as well have woken me up for all the trouble it was."

She understood in a flash. "You've been following me since I left."

He smiled slightly. "Did you think anything less?"

Fiyero looked from Erik to Elphaba. "Elphie, who is this?" He glared at Erik, taking in the half mask.

"He's… a friend, Fiyero. He was helping me look for you."

"I see." His shoulders relaxed a mite, but the sword was still raised.

Elphie saw Erik's hand in his cloak and realized that he probably held the weapon more treacherous than a sword. Lightning-fast like a serpent, it would fly soon if she didn't do something.

"Erik, this is Fiyero. Fiyero, Erik."

They both gave the tiniest of nods, still glowering at each other.

"I didn't realize he would be so like…" Erik stopped himself before uttering another word. The last thing he wanted right now was the knowledge that Elphie would loathe him forever if he kept going.

"He's not what you think," she protested, knowing full well that he had almost mentioned Raoul. "Fiyero was the most courageous of everyone in Oz."

Erik smirked. "Now that's something I didn't expect. He's raised a sword against me, and I've done nothing."

"We don't need your sarcasm, either," she added pointedly. "Now," she looked around at the surrounding buildings, "shall we return to the opera? People are starting to rise, and there could be-"

"Of course." Without further ado, Erik turned on his heel and strode away into the shadows as an unexpected wave of… jealousy hit him. It was almost as surprising as the fact that Elphie had found Fiyero. The only other time Erik had felt jealousy was two years ago, the day he first learnt of Raoul's presence in Christine's life. That influence had threatened him far more than anything else ever had.

Elphie, meanwhile, was walking on air. She had finally encountered Fiyero after months of fruitless searching. His arm around her shoulders was like a dream; she soaked in his comforting presence like a little green sponge.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he said quietly.

"I need help believing you're with me right now," she sang, the words coming back to her like yesterday.

Ahead of them, Erik was torn. He was glad that Elphie had achieved her goal, but Christine was still out there somewhere…

A/N: Oooh, I think Erik's getting jealous… lol. :)