I'm not gonna try to justify this super late update, other than to ask for your forgiveness because I'm trying not to drown in work my second semester of college.

Tess Hansen (Guest): More information will come soon. I promise. Thanks for reading!

Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Of course Fiyero is going to regret leaving his family the way he did. What kind of author would I be if I made everything alright like that?

PocketSevens: I laughed so hard when I read your review. Thankfully I was alone in my dorm room and no one heard me cackling like a wild hyena. And as for your theories, you'll just have to wait. *Smirk*

Every week, with a newspaper, there was a heading about the Wicked Witch.

Wicked Witch continues to spread terror throughout Oz.

Wicked Witch spotted flying on broomstick near Emerald City Palace.

Wicked Witch killed children near Gillikin Forest.

Every time he seemed to get a lead on the Wicked Witch's whereabouts, something else would come up that would throw him off guard. He was beginning to grow frustrated. How was he going to find and capture the Wicked Witch?

"Fiyero?"

Fiyero looked up and saw Elphaba in the doorway. She didn't call him 'Captain', so he figured this was a casual visit. "Hi, Elphaba."

"You've been working for hours," Elphaba said as she came into the room. "You should take a break."

"I wish I could, but if the witch doesn't take a break, I can't either."

Elphaba walked over to the captain and took the paper he was currently reading from his hands. "You need to take a break."

"Elphaba –"

"I order you to take a break."

Fiyero blinked. He was just ordered to stop working. That was a first. "Alright, I will take a short break."

"Join me for a walk in the gardens."

"Remember what happened last time I did that?"

Elphaba frowned. "Fine. If you don't want to join me, then I'll go by myself," she said as she started for the door.

"Wait! I do! I do want to join you!" Fiyero said as he leaped up and hurried after her. He grasped her hand and she instantly stopped. Two stared at their joint hands then their eyes met.

"I… um… we… should… ah… you… um…" Fiyero tried, but nothing coherent came out.

Elphaba gently pulled away and wrung her hands together. She looked down and slowly reached for Fiyero's hand again. Grasping it, she smiled. "Is this… okay?"

"Y-yeah. This is fine." In all honestly, Fiyero really wasn't sure how he felt about the princess holding his hand. On one hand, he enjoyed feeling her soft skin against his. On the other hand, it terrified him, but he couldn't pinpoint why. His relationship with the princess had been… evolving, to say the least. They were spending more time together, especially in non-formal circumstances. It was clear that the two of them were enjoying themselves. They weren't an official couple, but they were certainly headed in that direction.

Elphaba smiled and the two walked through the gardens together. They made small talk, but they mostly walked in silence. It felt good to get out of the palace and pretend that she didn't have any responsibilities or duties. It made her feel… normal.

"Elphaba, where are we going?" Fiyero asked when he noticed that Elphaba had taken the lead.

"I thought we could have a picnic," Elphaba said, stopping under a cherry tree.

Fiyero looked around, not seeing a blanket or basket. "Um… how…"

Elphaba chuckled and waved her hand. A blanket covered in plates of food and two glasses of cider appeared. "Come on," she said. They sat down together and began to eat. Sometime between the sandwiches and the chocolate covered strawberries, Elphaba somehow ended up in Fiyero's arms, her head lying comfortably against his chest. Fiyero clearly didn't mind as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. Elphaba melted against him, allowing her eyes to close. She enjoyed times like this where there weren't any royal duties to fulfill, or dress fittings, or dignitaries to entertain. She was simply Elphaba, a woman enjoying quality time with the man she loved.

Elphaba almost shot up when she realized what she was thinking. Did she love Fiyero? She had never felt this way about anyone else before. She liked how she felt around him, but was it really love? It could have been just a useless crush that would be gone soon, but deep down, she had a feeling that wasn't the case.

"Elphaba?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You just stiffened."

Elphaba blinked. "I'm fine. I was just… thinking."

Fiyero smiled. "What were you thinking about?"

"About… us."

"Us?"

Elphaba slowly sat up and looked at the captain. "I… I like you, Fiyero."

"I like you, too, Elphaba, but aren't friends supposed to like each other?"

"Yes, but…" Elphaba seemed to struggle with herself, and she didn't fully understand why. "I… I like you more than a friend. I… I think I… love you."

Fiyero was silent for a moment.

"I don't want to beat around the bush, so… do you… love me? If you don't, that's fine. I won't be offended and we can still be friends and –"

The captain didn't know what had come over him, but he gently pulled Elphaba closer to himself and pressed his lips against hers. Elphaba looked surprised, but quickly melted into the kiss; her first kiss.

"I think I do," Fiyero whispered against her lips. "I do love you, Fae."

"Fae?" Elphaba asked softly.

Fiyero blinked, the nickname he had been calling Elphaba in his head slipping out. "A… nickname. If you don't like it, I'll –"

"I like it… Yero," Elphaba smiled.

The captain smiled and the two kissed again. It felt good to now know that their feelings for each other were mutual. The bell tower in the square chimed three times and the two pulled apart.

"We should probably get back inside," Elphaba said, blushing furiously.

"Yeah…" Fiyero said, also blushing. He helped the princess to her feet and Elphaba waved her hand, clearing away the picnic things. "I… really enjoyed myself… Fae."

Elphaba smiled. "I did, too, Yero."

Fiyero smiled and the two shared another quick kiss before going back inside the palace.

"Tell me EV-E-RY-THING!" Galinda gushed when Elphaba entered her bedroom.

Elphaba blinked, surprised that the blonde was in her room. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Captain Tigulaar! You two kissed. And it's about time, too!"

"How do you know about that? We're you spying on us?"

"Not on purpose. I was cleaning your room and I saw the two of you outside in the gardens sharing your little picnic. It was so adoreabubble! You two make such a cute couple."

Elphaba blushed deeply. "You think so?"

The blonde giggled. "Oh, Elphie. I know so. In fact, I was wondering when you two would stop beating around the bush like teenagers and confess your love to each other."

"We didn't 'confess our love'," Elphaba protested.

Galinda waved her hand. "Call it whatever you want, Elphie. You told each other that you love each other. So tell me everything that happened!"

"Nothing happened. We just had a picnic… as friends, and it ended with us as… more than friends."

The blonde giggled and Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Oh, Elphie! That's so romantic!"

Another eye roll. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

Galinda gasped. "Of course it was a big deal, Elphie! You and Captain Tigulaar are now an official couple! Before you know it, you'll be getting married and having little Elphies and Captain Tigulaars and I'll be the godmother and…" The blonde was interrupted by a pillow being hurled at her face. She ducked just in time and couldn't help but giggle again.

"You have our future all planned out, don't you?" Elphaba deadpanned, fighting a smile.

"Of course I do. But don't tell me you're not at least a little bit excited."

The princess regarded her best friend before sighing and sitting down on the bed. "I admit, I do like Fiyero a lot. I've… never felt what I feel for him before. I like how I feel when I'm around him. I love spending time with him. I… love him."

Galinda bounced up and down and ran over to give her friend a hug. "I'm glad you're happy, Elphie."

"Thanks, Glin," the princess said as she returned the hug.

Wicked Witch sets fire to Southern Vinkun village, killing hundreds of men, women, and children.

Fiyero grunted as he threw the newspaper across his office. The Witch had decided to lay low for a while, making it even harder for his men to track her down and capture her. Hundreds of innocent people were being terrorized by her and there was nothing he could do about it. Lives were being lost and it was all his fault. What was he going to do?

The Witch has got to be stopped.

"Captain!"

Fiyero looked up as a guard rushed in and saluted. "Yes?"

"We have a new lead on the Witch. She was spotted in a forest on the border of the Vinkus."

Fiyero nodded. "Has a nearby post been notified?"

"Yes, sir. They are on the scout for the Witch."

Fiyero nodded. "Good."

The guard saluted again and hurried out. Fiyero sighed and buried his face in his hands, his eyes too tired to read another paper.

"Ah, Captain Tigulaar, there you are."

Fiyero looked up and found the press secretary marching into his office. "Hello, Madame Morrible. What can I do for you?"

"His Ozness is requesting your presence in the throne room."

"Okay," Fiyero nodded as he stood, stretched and followed the old woman to the throne room.

"Ah, Captain Tigulaar," the Wizard said as Fiyero approached the throne and bowed.

"Your Ozness, what can I do for you?" Fiyero asked as he straightened.

The Wizard held up a newspaper, the same one Fiyero had been reading earlier. "This Wicked Witch business has gone too far. Innocent lives are being lost and the people are afraid for their lives."

Fiyero bit his lip. "Yes, Your Ozness."

"I want her captured and locked in the Southstairs."

"Yes, sir. We are working as hard as we can to –"

"It's too late to 'try', Captain. I need action, and I need it now," the Wizard said seriously, his eyes seemingly glaring into the Vinkun's soul. "I don't want that Witch coming here and hurting someone… especially Elphaba."

Fiyero gulped. "Of course, Your Ozness."

The Wizard relaxed slightly and nodded. "Good, then. You're dismissed."

Fiyero bowed and hurried out of the throne room. He was going to capture the Wicked Witch. Even if he had to do it himself. No one was going to hurt Elphaba. Not if he had anything to do with it, which, of course, he did.

The following day, he called all the guards together for a meeting. He himself was running late, and everyone had already gathered by the time he got there.

Once he entered, the room immediately began to quiet down. One of the guards didn't notice the captain coming in and continued conversing with the guard sitting next to him. "… 'Cause you know I've got these big ass feet," a guard said once the room was silent. He immediately noticed how silent the room was and looked up at Fiyero. "Oh… um… my apologies, Captain," he said nervously.

Fiyero nodded, knowing that if he opened his mouth, he would start laughing and never be able to stop. "Hello, everyone. I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you here. As you know, the Witch has gone from terrorizing to killing, and while we were all serious about her capture before, we need to step up our game. So far, the Witch has struck here, here, here, here, here, and here," he said as he pinpointed the places on the map on the table.

"Three of those places are near the Gillikin Forest," one guard said.

Fiyero nodded. "We already have a base there, but if the Witch strikes again, we'll need reinforcements. Do I have any volunteers?"

Silence.

"Don't all volunteer at once," Fiyero said, still panning the room. "Your pay will be tripled."

Half the hands in the room went up.

"That's better," the captain smiled. "Alright, Yuhma, Tigune, Isloken, Rosmic, and Wetyne, you'll be stationed in the forest as reinforcements.

The six guards nodded.

"Then if there are no further questions, you are all dismissed," Fiyero said.

The guards stood and saluted their captain before filing out of the room. Fiyero stayed behind and looked out the window, enjoying the view of the city. But deep down, he couldn't push away the feeling that something bad was brewing in Oz. Something that would affect him and the people he loved and cared about.

Animals are only permitted to ride in the baggage cars of trains.

Animals are no longer permitted to travel to other regions of Oz or outside Oz.

Animals are being detained.

Animals are losing their abilities to speak.

Animals are being killed in zoos.

Those were the headlines Fiyero, as well as the rest of Oz, would have been reading if the real news was being reported. That was what was really happening in Oz, but no one knew. Especially if Madame Morrible had any say in it, which, of course, she did.

Even she thought this Wicked Witch business was going too far. Especially since it was getting in the way of her plans. She was going to have to do something about it. The problem was, she didn't know who was behind the attacks, and even if she did, without the Grimmerie, there was nothing she could do about it.

No matter. She would sniff the little witch out. She wouldn't be able to hide forever, and when she came to strike again, Morrible would be prepared and ready. She walked over to the window and watched as the captain and the princess took a stroll through the gardens. She was unfortunate enough to look out the window right when the two were sharing a kiss. She grimaced in disgust. She had never understood young love, and she didn't want to.

Little did she know that young love might be the key to getting what she wanted.

"What time is the hospital grand opening?" Fiyero asked, his fingers intertwined with Elphaba's as they walked.

"It's at noon. Then there's a reception afterward," Elphaba answered.

Fiyero nodded. "Are you looking forward to it?"

"I guess so. It's just another royal duty I have to do."

"I thought you liked children."

"I do. But doing this hospital grand opening is still something I'm required to do."

Fiyero smiled. "Would it make you feel better knowing that I was there?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes with a soft laugh. "I suppose so."

Fiyero grinned cheekily and softly kissed the princess' cheek.

"Yero?"

"Yes, Fae?"

"Are we… um…"

"What?"

"Are we an official couple?"

"Define 'official couple'."

"I mean… are we boyfriend and girlfriend? We've 'confessed our love' for each other and… we have nicknames for each other and… we go on 'dates'… even though they're mostly just walks through the gardens."

"I suppose we are," Fiyero smiled. "I like the feeling of being an official couple."

Elphaba smiled. "I do, too."

"Now what?"

"What?"

"Since we're an official couple, now what do we do?"

"I guess… the same things we've been doing. I don't think we have to do something different."

Elphaba smiled. "I'd like that. Doing the same things we've been doing, I mean."

Fiyero nodded and they continued on their walk. "Out of curiosity, was it Lady Galinda who asked if we were an official couple?"

Elphaba chuckled. "Yes, it was."

"And… how long did she say it would be before I proposed?"

Elphaba looked over at the captain, and for once, was unable to decipher the meaning behind his question.

Okay, we're gonna start moving from here. I'll try to have the next chapter up sooner than last time.