AN: Right. I warned you all about that chapter, I did! No yelling. Anyway, there's more of a reason for it than you think, but that doesn't get mentioned for several chapters. I love how everyone's expecting her to just up and leave him again. I'm not so sure. She does have a meeting with the Wizard in a few months, doesn't she?

Chapter Thirty-Six: Strong?

It was late at night when they reached home the last day, and Elphaba was sleeping before they even got inside. Asking a servant to bring their bags inside, Fiyero carried Elphaba to bed and undressed her himself, tucking her in afterwards. She mumbled nonsense words in her sleep and he laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her. Thank Oz she had come home.

Perria knocked on the door a moment later. "Master Fiyero, your mother and father, Their Highnesses, are here to see you."

Fiyero eyed Elphaba for a second. "Should I wake my wife?"

"They said they only wanted to see you, Master Fiyero."

He tucked a piece of hair behind Elphaba's ear and then got up, closing the lights. His mother and father were waiting in the living room. Fiyero smiled broadly at them when he entered. They did not smile back.

"Son," his father said, "I think you, your mother and I need to talk about your marriage."

Fiyero blinked. "Why?"

"If your wife is willing to run off like that and hurt you so, I ask you to reconsider if she's the woman for you."

"Are you kidding me? I love her more than anything in the world."

"That's just the problem. You can't live like that. She can't go leaving you and coming back this way. It's bad for you; it's not right for a to-be king to have a wife like that." Elyria said quietly. "You know I adore Elphaba, but this behavior has me questioning whether or not she should have been your chosen bride."

"I can't help who I love," he protested.

"But you can help who you marry." His father pointed out.

"No. Don't even suggest it, Dad. I could not live like that. You want me to just forget about her, marry someone else? How do you propose I go about forgetting her?" Fiyero growled.

"All I was saying is that maybe you need to take some time to think over whether or not you two can live a happy life together in this situation."

"I think I can make that decision for myself, thank you." Fiyero rose. "I appreciate your concern, but it isn't needed. Have a good night." He shook both of their hands and headed back upstairs into the bedroom.

"Yero?" Elphaba's voice, heavy with sleep, echoed across the room.

He closed the door behind him and began getting ready for bed. "Right here. What is it?"

"Where were you?"

"Downstairs for a moment."

"Doing what?"

"Grabbing a quick snack, that's all," he lied. Fiyero slipped into bed. "Why are you so curious?"

"Nothing. Just… you normally get to sleep next to me right away. If either of us gets undressed and in bed second, it's normally me, not you."

"Were you panicking?" He teased.

"No. I barely noticed until you came back up here."

Fiyero smiled to himself, hearing the lie in her voice. "Well, whatever you say, I'm here now." He turned over and faced her. "Go back to sleep."

She nodded half-heartedly and let her eyelids droop slowly. Elphaba didn't even feel it much when he took her in his arms. "Love you…"

"I love you, too, Fae," he said gently.

In the morning, they showered together and then headed downstairs to eat breakfast. Elphaba could feel some of the servants looking at her in odd ways, and she shifted uncomfortably. When Perria left the room with their dishes after they'd eaten, Elphaba said, "They think I'm crazy."

Fiyero was reading the paper lazily. "Who?"

"Everyone around here. They know I ran off and they scorn me and misunderstand me because of it."

"That's probably true." He didn't bother denying it. "They'll never understand you. I don't. My parents don't."

"What about your parents?"

"Nothing," he said quickly.

"That's why you were downstairs last night."

"You caught me."

Elphaba pressed, "What'd they say?"

"Well, they don't think a prince's wife should behave like that. And they don't like the fact that you disappeared that way and hurt me."

"I never meant to hurt you!"

"I know," he said calmly, "but that doesn't matter to them. The way you acted was too rash and it's not good for the type of position you're going to be asked to hold. I'm not saying that they're completely right. But you have to start conducting yourself a little more carefully, Fae, or we're in deep trouble."

She rested her cheeks on her hands. "I won't do it again. I promised, didn't I?"

"They don't know that. I argued with them, don't worry about it."

"What'd you say?"

"I told them that I love you more than anything in the world and that I was grateful for their advice and worry, but everything was fine." He put a hand over hers on her cheek. "We'll be okay."

"Do you think I should go talk to your mother?"

"No. I think she'll come here at some point within the next few days, and then you two can talk."

"Oh, Fiyero, I'm so sorry. I've made such a mess! I never meant to do this… I love you. Only you. I shouldn't have left. I…" Elphaba burst into tears and buried her face in her arms on the table.

Fiyero jumped out of his seat, dropping the paper he'd been reading. "Fae! Sweet Oz, Fae, don't do that!"

But she was sobbing, her body shaking with each breath. "You did so much for me and then I left you. I don't deserve you!"

He knelt beside her chair. "Oh, Fae, hush. Please stop that."

"How do you still love me? Why? I'm just some ungrateful little wench, Fiyero! I went off and ditched you in the middle of our honeymoon after you did everything to make my life perfect." She shook her head.

"Shhh." He took one of her hands. "Elphaba, it's okay. Don't cry, Fae-Fae, for me?"

She shuddered madly as she struggled to breathe between sobs. "I haven't loved you like I should've."

He didn't know what to say to that. In a way, she was right, but he didn't hold that much against her. Biting his lip, he kissed her hand. "I don't know if that's true, but I know how you can make it up to me," he tried.

She cocked her head. "How?"

"Spend the day with me in the library. Let me read to you again, like I used to."

Elphaba brightened then. "Anything."

They headed up to the third floor and he and Elphaba took turns picking out books until they had a nice stack of ten piled near one of the couches. Fiyero jumped onto the couch and leaned back lazily and Elphaba crawled into his lap playfully. She curled herself cat-like into a ball and Fiyero opened the first book.

Midway through the day, Elyria visited the mansion to have a discussion with Elphaba. Perria answered the door, "The Crown Prince and his wife are in the library. Shall I fetch them for you?"

"No. Third floor, right? I'll just talk with them in there, if that's all right."

"It's fine. Last time I checked they were reading some Ozian fantasy. They shouldn't be disturbed too much." Perria pointed towards the stairs. "I could lead you up there, if you wish."

"That's okay. I'll go on up. Thank you." Elyria headed up the stairs, past the second story and up to the third. From the slightly open door that opened to the immense library, she heard whispers. She peeked in, hoping not to intrude.

Fiyero and Elphaba were lying on a couch, holding one another and having some sort of conversation. Elphaba's blouse had fallen off of one of her shoulders just from the position she was lying in and Fiyero's shirt was open. It was obvious they hadn't been making love, but had been touching intimately, at least, and that it may possibly lead to something more. Slowly, Elphaba traced the diamonds on Fiyero's chest, smiling up at him as he whispered something to her.

"Stay with me," Fiyero murmured.

"Always," Elphaba promised. She brushed away a short lock of hair that had tumbled in his face. "Always and forever."

He cupped her chin. "I never want to lose you."

"I know. I'm so sorry, Fiyero. I'm so sorry."

"Shh. I love you."

Elphaba nodded slightly. "I love you, too."

Fiyero kissed her forehead. "Fae-Fae."

She kissed him deeply. "Yero my hero."

The couple continued to kiss, whispering between breaths that got shorter and shorter. Soon they were immersed in tasting one another, clutching each other helplessly and devotedly. Fiyero tumbled Elphaba onto her back and began to unbutton her blouse from the top as he repeated, "I love you so much, Fae, I do," again until she put a finger to his mouth, which he pushed away as he moved his mouth elsewhere.

Elyria flushed and backed out of the hallway back towards the stairs. It looked to her as if they shouldn't – almost couldn't – be interrupted. The books Perria had said they'd been reading were strewn across the couch and floor. She sighed heavily. Talking to Elphaba would wait. The woman saw how the two loved one another, and she knew she didn't need to lecture the younger woman on conduct at the moment. When Perria looked at her questioningly when she made her way down the stairs, she said, "I just… I was thinking about something, something I really needed to say, and I haven't gotten it all worked out yet. So I'll come talk to them tomorrow, or maybe later tonight."

"Should I inform them you stopped by, your Highness?"

"No, don't bother. I'll return soon enough."

Perria nodded and closed the door behind the queen softly. When she headed upstairs a few minutes later, she carefully shut the door of the library, cautious not to let the two in on her presence. She hoped this was not what the queen had walked in on.

Elyria headed home, checked on her youngest child, a two-month-old baby girl, and talked quickly with the nurses before heading into the throne room. "Rogelio, darling?"

Her husband looked up from some economic papers he'd recently received from the Emerald City and beamed at the sight of his wife. "Elyria, honey." He stood up gallantly. "Are you all right?"

"Remember when, before we married and for a few years afterwards, we used to kind of cuddle and you'd sing to me?" She asked shyly.

"Some old Vinkun love song, I recall."

"It was beautiful, however you sang it."

"Well, yes, I remember. Why do you ask?"

"Would you… sing to me again?"

Rogelio looked down at his wife, remembering then that they were no more than thirty-nine, and left his papers for tomorrow. They didn't need much attention, anyway. But a strong, loving relationship needs daily care. He'd learned that, a fact of life his son and daughter-and-law were coming to discover, as well. "Of course, my love, of course."