A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews! This chapter is up MUCH sooner than usual. I hope everyone likes it. (I suspect people will. I'm excited about this one.)

Emilee Amethyst: Glad you liked it. Yes, I agree, a father figure is exactly what Dr Dillamond is!

WickedObsessed: Aha don't worry about it! It happens. I saw Alice Fearn and Sophie Evans the first time I went, and the second time I saw Nikki Bentley and Helen Woolf. It's so hard in some ways to pick a favourite because they're all so amazing, but I have to go with Alice and Sophie. I love Alice Fearn SO MUCH I can't even tell you.

By the time Fiyero returned two days later, Elphaba's dress was completed. She was a little surprised that it had been completed as quickly as it had, but then she supposed, in a way, this was an act of war more than of simple dress-making, and the Animals were very efficient in matters of war.

It was at once stately and battle-hardened, like a silk veil in weight, flowing to the ground. At the same time, it was as hard as rock, fitted at the waist and seemingly laden with armour. It clung loyally to her body as a soldier kisses his queen. It was her perfect camouflage, dark enough to disappear into the night if she needed to, and yet – the Animals assured her – when she stepped into the light of a full moon, it would burst into rebellious colour.

The Animals didn't have a mirror, but an Elk dropped a barrel of water on the warehouse floor that morning, just as soon as Elphaba had finished fastening the back. The barrel fell with a startling crash somewhere behind Elphaba, and she spun on her heel with her hand clasped to her chest. The Elk, wide-eyed with horror, was stuttering and letting out incoherent wails when she saw what she'd done. That water had been intended to do for the day. There would be no more. Not easily found, at least.

Mareem, who had been helping Elphaba to dress, bustled over to the Elk in her familiar manner, tutting in a way that somehow seemed comforting. "Ne'er fear," she was saying, with a creaking laugh. She placed her hand on the Elk's back.

"What have I... done...?"

Elphaba rushed over to pick up the pieces of wood that were now scattered across the floor and in the puddle. She halted, however, looking down at her reflection in the water. The broken barrel had created a shattered effect across the puddle, and when she saw herself in the dress for the first time, she perceived that her image was distorted in a way that somehow looked... ethereal. She barely recognised herself.

Tentatively, she ran her fingers over the material of her dress. The water shuddered along with the movement of her hand, as if a breath of wind had disrupted it, though there was no breeze inside the warehouse. She looked like a sprite.

Mareem appeared behind her with a smile, and with a calloused hand she stroked Elphaba's hair tenderly. "Ye look beautiful."

Beautiful wasn't how Elphaba would have put it. Nonetheless, she had to concede that the creature looking back at her wasn't the frightened, powerless girl she knew herself as.

"That was all the water we had!" The Elk's mournful voice brought her back to reality.

"Where do you normally get the water from?" Mareem asked.

"From the well at the other side of the District. I left before dawn this morning to get it. It's a long walk, and it's far too dangerous to go twice in one day, let alone in broad daylight!" She was quickly rising in hysteria. "Never fear!" She almost seemed angry now as she quoted Mareem. "Don't you know this means no water until tomorrow? Never fear! Never fear because we're in a bad enough state as it is, isolated from the rest of the world with just a damp old warehouse roof over our heads, no respect from the humans, limited food, and now no water. All because of my clumsiness." Tears welled in her eyes. "What will I tell the others?"

"I didn't mean t' gloss o'er that," Mareem clarified. "But surely somethin' can be done."

Elphaba bit her lip. "I suppose... I could get some more water, if you like."

"Oh, no Miss Elphaba!" The Elk's eyes bugged even more, if it were possible. "You mustn't! If anyone sees you leaving here, and put two and two together..."

"I'll be careful," Elphaba assured her. "You need the water. You were right, it wouldn't be safe for one of you to go out again. But I could do it."

"Forgive me, but you'd be terribly conspicuous."

Elphaba barked a laugh. "I always am." She sobered. "But not as conspicuous as you, under the circumstances."

The Elk bowed her head. She knew it was true.

"I'll change back into my frock." It was a practical thing, but she still sighed internally at the necessity of taking off her dress. "I won't attract so much attention that way. If you give me directions, I'm sure I can find a way to get there unseen. I've been going behind my father's back for years, you know. I'm good at hiding. You have to learn to compensate somehow when you're green."

So, it was agreed, and the Elk – Aphia, her name was – couldn't quite conceal her relief at not having to explain to the other Animals why they'd have no water that day.

Elphaba was just making her way over to where she'd dropped off her frock by the door, when it opened suddenly, and she bumped into Fiyero.

"Careful!" Fiyero reached out his hands to steady her before she toppled over, and then he fell silent. His eyes bugged out of his head as he held her at arm's length, staring at her with his jaw growing loose.

Elphaba didn't notice at first. "Yero," she breathed, relief flooding her with alarming force. Concern etched into her face. "You're back! Are you alright? Did my father...?"

Fiyero appeared to recover his speech. "I'm fine, Fae. I won't say it was the best time I've ever had, but I did what I needed to do, so that's what matters." He was still staring at her. "Where did you get that dress?"

Elphaba fidgeted with her collar. "I asked the Animals to make it for me. It was a bit of a spontaneous request, but the need arose and... why are you staring at me?"

He coughed. "Nothing." His hands dropped from her arms. "I mean, not nothing. Just, it's different, that's all. You look different." He didn't seem to notice that he wasn't making sense.

Elphaba looked down at herself, abruptly self-conscious. "Does it look bad?"

"No! It... it's a good different. Let me start again."

Elphaba blushed furiously. "No need. I was going out anyway."

"Out?" He looked startled. "Where?"

"To get more water." She tore her eyes away from him – the effort of doing so was almost painful – and crouched to scoop up the frock that was cast off on the floor. "You're in my way."

"Prickly," he pretended to look offended. But they both knew there was no bite in what she said.

Elphaba made towards the door, endeavouring to ignore him. It was a lost cause. She turned back. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He grimaced. "Yes. But all the same, I'd rather not talk about it."

"What did you say to Nessa?"

"What? Oh."

"You wanted to talk to her, and you promised you'd explain when you got back." The tone was pointed, but her voice trembled slightly. She was more unsettled than she wanted to admit by what she'd seen in her vision. There was some meaning in it that she couldn't quite grasp. And where the dingy room was that she'd seen Fiyero in, she couldn't even begin to guess. She knew every room in Colwen Grounds. It hadn't been there.

"I did." His shoulders slumped. "Why don't I come with you, and we'll talk? Besides, there's... something I need to tell you." A very peculiar expression took over his face just then – a combination of boyish incredulity, reluctant awe and hesitation.

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Get changed, Fae. I'll tell you in a minute." He breathed heavily as if working himself up to something.

Elphaba's eyes narrowed further, and she watched him suspiciously, finally deciding to let him keep his secrets for now and cross-examine him later.

She hurried over to the first abandoned corner she could find, pulling the dress off with difficulty – she hadn't thought to ask Mareem for help removing it – and redressing hastily before someone could see her. Privacy was limited in this warehouse. Briefly fixing her braid and adjusting her glasses, she headed back over to where Fiyero was waiting for her. He was holding onto his waist, she noticed, and there was a suspiciously familiar lump underneath his coat.

"You can let Cowper go, now," she admonished. "Don't you think we've abused him enough? There's no need to keep him hidden here."

"I know, but..." Fiyero shifted his weight. On cue, Cowper mewled and slipped out of the coat, landing on his feet more expertly than any acrobat. Today, he looked more disparaging than he ever had, with the look of disgust on his face seeming almost human. He glared – yes, glared – at Fiyero, and Fiyero levelled back a scowl at the feline.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Aphia, how do we get to the well?"

Aphia gave the directions and handed her a new barrel. Elphaba and Fiyero set off together, with Cowper padding unobtrusively a few feet behind them. This part of the District was abandoned, but all the same, Elphaba's eyes flickered about like a lioness as they exited the warehouse. She stood still and tense, waiting to ensure they weren't seen. Fiyero silently stepped ahead of her. They exchanged a glance, and he placed a finger against his lips, indicating with his other hand for her to follow. She did so, and they crept over to the nearest building, ducking into a small alcove through a rotting door. So far, so good.

They continued in this manner, hopping from building to building, hardly daring to take more than a few steps at a time in the open. The further they got from the warehouse, however, the more they relaxed as the immediate danger of alerting outsiders to the Animals' hideout lessened. All the same, it was half an hour before they dared to speak, and then it was only in hushed tones.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" It was Elphaba who broke the silence.

At first, Fiyero said nothing, simply scratching the back of his neck. "Um. I'm not quite sure how to tell you. This will sound strange."

Elphaba stopped, turning to face him fully in bewilderment. "Just tell me what it is."

"Uh, okay. Remember that binding spell you tried to perform before?"

"The one to take you and Cowper back to my father's house?"

"Yeah," he laughed uneasily. "Well, I guess it must have worked. Though not quite in the way we thought it would."

Elphaba was thoroughly bemused. "What do you mean, it worked? It can't have worked. Nothing happened. And anyway, it wasn't necessary. You took the carriage, remember?"

"Yes, I know. What I mean is, we thought it didn't work. Or maybe it didn't do anything. To be honest with you, I'm just guessing, Fae. I can't understand how this could possibly have happened, and the binding spell is the only thing I can think of that could have done it."

"Fiyero!"

"Yes, I'm rambling. Sorry." He was sweating now.

"Just tell her," a silky voice advised. It wasn't either Elphaba or Fiyero who spoke.

Another uneasy laugh from Fiyero. "Yes, I'm working up to it."

Elphaba froze. "Who was that?"

Fiyero nodded down at Elphaba's feet, and she looked down, noticing Cowper batting his head softly against her ankle. Elphaba stared at the cat uncomprehendingly for a few seconds. It wasn't until he looked up at her, meeting her gaze with a remarkable look of intelligence in his eyes that she gasped.

"Cowper!?" She exclaimed in disbelief. Her voice cracked as though part of it were about to break away with the shock.

"It's alright, Elphaba," the cat spoke. He spoke. He really, truly spoke.

Her knees growing weak, Elphaba fell onto the ground beside Cowper, her eyes tearing up with amazement and a little fear. Her hands dropped uselessly into her lap. "Cowper?" she repeated. "I... you can talk? What's going on?"

She felt Fiyero squeeze her shoulder lightly, then he flopped down beside her. "It's true, Fae. I'm sorry for dropping that on you. I didn't know how else to say it."

"You didn't say it," Cowper observed in that quiet, unmistakably feline voice.

"No, I suppose not," Fiyero conceded. "I found out in the carriage, after I left you. Cowper just... started talking. I won't lie, it scared the living daylights out of me."

The cat just smiled. Or Cat, she supposed.

"I couldn't talk before," Cowper clarified. "This is new to me too. I'm not even sure what gave me the idea that I could talk. Somehow, I just knew I could." He batted his head against Elphaba's hand again. "It's nice to finally be able to talk to you, Mistress."

"Mistress?" Elphaba repeated dumbly.

Fiyero almost seemed offended. "Mistress?" he also questioned, in a vaguely petulant tone of voice. "You're my cat."

"I'm your sister's cat, technically. But if you like, I can call you 'Master,' too."

Fiyero was silent.

Something in his childish manner broke the spell Elphaba was under and she chuckled, patting his hand. "I'm sorry, Yero."

He shook his head. "Never mind. Anyway, I'm sure it must have been that spell you cast."

"The binding spell? How? I only intended to ensure that you and Cowper weren't separated on the journey back."

"Well, how did you know the spell? Were you taught?"

"No," Elphaba thought. "I can't remember, actually. I must have found it in a book. It just came to mind. It was all I had at the time."

"Could you have misunderstood what the spell was for?"

"It's possible," she mused. "'Binding' is an ambiguous word."

Cowper purred. "Maybe instead of binding us together physically, you bound us spiritually."

"Spiritually?"

"By giving me abilities that only Fiyero should have," he explained. "Namely speech."

"Hey!" Fiyero interjected excitedly. "Do you think, in that case, you may have given me any cat-like abilities?"

Elphaba's eyebrows rose. "Wouldn't you have noticed by now if I had?"

"Not necessarily," Fiyero insisted. "Maybe I just haven't discovered my new abilities yet."

"You talk as if I'd given you a superpower. How old are you again?"

Fiyero gave her a look.

A coughing, spluttering sound seemed to come from Cowper, and Elphaba realised he had laughed. Her head began to spin, and she pressed a hand against her temple. "I don't understand any of this."

Cowper smiled a little proudly. "You're powerful, Mistress. Didn't you know that?"

"Yes," Elphaba said faintly. "I just..." she trailed off.

The sound of a twig snapping somewhere a little way off startled them all, and three heads turned toward the direction it had come from.

"Come," Fiyero said, lowering his voice. "That was probably a rabbit, or some other small animal, but we're still out in the open. We should keep going." He lifted the barrel from where it had been placed down and indicated that Elphaba and Cowper follow quietly.

There weren't any other people around, but Fiyero was right. They had stopped in the middle of a path that wound around a small hamlet, far enough away that they wouldn't be easily seen or heard, but if someone were to come walking in that direction things could get dangerous. Especially since they had a cat with them who was now a Cat, and as such was in as much danger as if he had been born a Cat. Cowper seemed to sense this, and he fell silent.

It was another fifteen minutes before they reached the well. The well was tucked away behind a copse of trees, about a mile from the nearest house. If Aphia hadn't told them where it was, they probably wouldn't have found it. The well was old, built with ancient stone that seemed to remember all the centuries it had lived. How many people had it provided water for, Elphaba wondered? Had it watered a Land of Oz where all could walk out in the open without fear of capture? Where Animals and humans alike could come to drink from it? Surely there must have been a time where life was like this, though Elphaba couldn't remember it. As she laid a hand against the cool stone, she wondered whether the well could somehow speak and tell them all it had seen.

"It's so old," Fiyero said, as though he'd read her mind.

Elphaba nodded. "Is it safe for you to talk, Cowper?"

Cowper thought about that, turning his head around to look about the place. He probably had far better eyesight, and better hearing, than either Elphaba or Fiyero. "Yes, I think so," he said finally.

"Good," Elphaba sat on the well. Overhead, it had a large beam with a chain wound around it that could be let down into the water. The barrel they had brought had hooks to be attached to the chain. For the first time, Elphaba realised how huge the barrel was, and how heavy it would be to carry back once it was full. "Maybe we should talk now, then. Before we go back. Can we spare ten minutes?"

Fiyero sat next to her. "Yes, probably."

Elphaba had so many questions. It was hard to decide which one to ask first. "Why were you in a room by yourself?" she decided to ask first.

Fiyero was startled and turn to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"I saw you," she admitted. "I tried to look into the future on purpose. Dr Dillamond helped me. I wanted to know if you were alright."

Fiyero blinked.

Elphaba took that as permission to continue. "You were in a room, but not one at Colwen Grounds. I didn't recognise it. It was horrible, though. Brown walls, broken furniture. I saw you sitting on the bed, but that was it."

Fiyero nodded in understanding, then a bewildered laugh burst from his lips. "You keep on surprising me, you know? You actually saw that?"

"Yes. It wasn't much. Just a few moments. It didn't really tell me anything I wanted to know."

He took her hand, and a spark leapt where they touched. "You were worried?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." His eyes. She was caught by them. "I left Colwen Grounds after I spoke to Nessarose and Governor Thropp. Don't worry," he hastened, "I'll talk about that later. But I wasn't sure that I wouldn't be followed, so I stayed the night in a hostel. I didn't want to risk leading anyone to the Animals, or to you. You must have seen me there." He hadn't let go of her hand, and his thumb was stroking her palm.

"Okay. Thank you," she replied.

"I didn't know you could trigger a vision deliberately."

"Neither did I."

They were silent for a time. Cowper jumped up to nestle himself by Elphaba's hip. "A lot happened at Colwen Grounds, Mistress. You should ask about that."

She had intended to. After what she had seen, she was more anxious than ever. "Did you get in trouble?"

"No," Fiyero said firmly. "They didn't know I'd been anywhere. You were right to send me back when you did. Any later, and they might have been suspicious."

"Nessa?"

His sigh was heavy. So heavy. "You were right about that too. She told the Governor about the boys. The morning after."

Elphaba grew very pale.

He squeezed her hand, and she couldn't help tightening her own hold. "But she didn't mention my involvement, incidentally." He scowled darkly. "Only yours. Since you were gone, and the boys were gone, they put two and two together and assumed you must have gone away with them. But since they knew nothing about the Animals, they had no idea where you might have gone."

It didn't make her feel any better. Actually, she felt sick to her stomach. "So, they didn't suspect you?"

"Well, Nessarose probably did. But she kept that to herself."

"Did you talk to Nessa?"

"Yes. And that's the other thing I wanted to tell you." He took a deep breath. "The courtship is off."

All Elphaba's breath left her and she felt winded. "...What?"

He looked so solemn. "I couldn't continue our relationship. Not after everything she's done. She's your sister, and for that, I have the utmost respect for her. I also believe there's a better side to her than this. But I can't respect what she's done."

"What?"

"I'm sorry." Another squeeze of her hand. "I'm so, so sorry. But I am a man. I've made a lot of mistakes, as you know. But I do have some self-respect left."

"...Are you going back to the Vinkus, then?" She hated herself for how shallow and weak her voice sounded.

"No!" He actually looked horrified. "No, of course not! Why would you think I'd do that?"

"Because you aren't courting Nessa anymore," she stated the obvious. "What other reason have you to stay?"

"You," he said firmly, vehemently. "You're my reason to stay. You and the Animals. I told you, I do have some self-respect. Helping you is the best thing I've ever done, and I don't intend to give that up. Even if I can do nothing but help you. Even if I can make no measurable contribution myself, just the fact that I'm helping you is enough. But you must understand, you aren't the only reason I'm doing this anymore. You showed me that there are some things worth fighting for, and now I've seen it for myself. I've seen the way those Animals live. I've seen the state they've been reduced to. If this is the kind of Oz we live in, then I don't want to just lie down and do nothing."

Elphaba knew that Fiyero cared about the Animals. She knew that he wanted to help, and that he didn't believe in his own abilities. But perhaps she'd never realised how much he cared. To hear him say so with such conviction, openly admitting that he wasn't just following her lead... was intoxicating. She lost all reason. The barriers built around her crumbled thunderously, and she kissed him.

She couldn't contain her shock when he kissed her back. This wasn't what she had expected. In that moment, her love for him had burst, but she never thought he would...

She lost track of time. She could have kissed him forever, but it was too short. It was over, but his hand was still on her cheek, his other hand clasping hers.

She was lost for words. At some point, Cowper must have slinked away, but she hadn't seen him leave.

"I'm sorry," Fiyero said. "I should have told you I love you before kissing you."

Elphaba's jaw grew slack. She stared at him. "You...what?"

"I love you," he nodded.

"I kissed you..." she answered stupidly.

He laughed. "Yes. I wanted to tell you how I felt first, but better late than never."

Elphaba bit her lip. "Sorry."

He threw his head back and she shivered as he laughed louder. "It's alright. I'm not complaining. But let me explain?"

She nodded.

"I came to Munchkinland because the Governor and my parents thought Nessarose and I would be a good match. It was probably for political reasons. I made some stupid decisions before I came to you, and they probably thought marriage would give me a sense of responsibility."

"Nessa needed someone to care for her," Elphaba found herself explaining. "I've cared for her all her life, but my father wasn't satisfied with me. I could care for her physical needs well enough, but he didn't want me supporting her to govern."

Fiyero growled. "I don't know why."

"I'm green," she shrugged. "And a witch. Would you want a green witch governing your land, or having anything to do with it even indirectly?"

"I wouldn't care," he insisted.

She found herself smiling in a little incredulity.

Fiyero huffed. "Anyway, I came because it was what was expected of me. And I suppose I wanted to make amends. I didn't want to keep living the way I was. I wanted to do something good for once. I didn't know Nessarose, but I figured I should at least get to know her and give things a chance. It terrified me though."

Elphaba bit back a laugh at the caught deer expression in his eyes.

"But then I bumped into this odd, sarcastic, green-skinned servant."

Elphaba remembered their first proper meeting in the library.

"I didn't know what to do with her at first. But she was fun to talk to, so I took every opportunity I could to find out about her. Well, it turned out she wasn't a servant," he grimaced. "She was the Governor's eldest daughter, and by all rights she should have been in line to govern herself. But she wasn't. Her younger sister was being prepared to govern instead, for no justifiable reason that I could see. Instead, she walked around in hideous black frocks that didn't fit properly, without the slightest indication from her father that she was his daughter."

"I like my frocks!" Elphaba protested.

Fiyero only smiled dully. "The only person to treat her kindly was the housekeeper. By all I could gather, she never received a bit of love from her father." He hesitated. "And I suspect he treated her more poorly than she says he did."

Elphaba looked away.

Fiyero gently pulled her face back around. "I'm not saying this to make her uncomfortable. I only want her to know she can trust me."

"I do trust you," Elphaba whispered.

"The long and short of it is I fell in love with her. I realised she was hiding a tender heart behind all the blustering bravado, and she cared more intensely for the downtrodden than I'd ever known anyone to care before. The trouble was, I couldn't imagine why someone like her would ever look twice at me. But for some reason, she did."

Elphaba's cheeks felt wet, and she was startled to realise she had started crying.

"I hope she won't be embarrassed by my saying this," he went on, "but I had reason to believe she had feelings for me. I hoped that maybe she could love me. I didn't know for sure. It felt wrong to cast Nessarose aside so quickly, without being sure if she could love me. I wanted to do the right thing by her. It eventually became clear that I couldn't marry her. That's what I returned to Colwen Grounds to do – to put it right, and break things off now."

Elphaba began to cry harder.

"I still don't know if she loves me, but she did just kiss me," he grinned crookedly. "So, maybe she'll give me a chance?" His tone was teasing, but behind it, there was real vulnerability and nervousness.

"I love you," Elphaba said simply. It was enough.

Fiyero beamed, then leaned forward. "Can I kiss you now?"

Elphaba giggled. "Yes," she said shyly.

He did.

It was wonderful.

A little while later, Cowper reappeared, a smug knowing look on his face. They worked together to fill the barrel with water, then headed back. Elphaba would have wanted to hold Fiyero's hand, but it wasn't possible; they needed all the manpower they could amass (and womanpower, and Cat-power) to carry it. Elphaba wondered how Aphia managed on her own. The Animals must have been more used to heavy lifting than she was.

It took longer to return home than it had to get to the well – Elphaba noticed with wonder that she was beginning to refer to the horrid warehouse as home – and their heavy breathing limited further conversation. Just as they were approaching the warehouse, however, Cowper hissed, "Stop! Shh. Look." They did stop abruptly, and Elphaba looked around to see what it was Cowper was drawing attention to. She saw.

There were a couple of men loitering around the side of the warehouse. They were humans, not Animals. Elphaba didn't recognise them, but they were well-dressed, though perhaps not as grandly as aristocrats. There was a peculiar bundle in the taller man's hand, and the other stouter one held something that looked like a leash wrapped around his wrist. The leash dragged on the ground, disappearing behind the building. She couldn't quite see what it was attached to, but it quivered a little as if attached to something alive.

"Get down!" Cowper ordered beneath his breath. Elphaba's hair stood on its end, as a chill overtook her body.