Fiyero pushed the door open slowly, his straw heart beating so fast that he was sure it was going to burst from his chest. Sure enough, when the heavy door swung back, it revealed a well furnished, and living in looking room. Glancing around, Fiyero's eyes widened as he caught sight of a familiar flash of the green skin he'd missed for so long. He tried to stay calm, but the shock of seeing her again had suddenly taken hold of his body.

Elphaba, upon hearing the door open, whipped around, her eyes blazing as she spotted her intruder. Fiyero knew that look, and it mean that she was less than happy to see him. He hoped she'd at least be reasonable enough to let him speak before she attacked him.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" she demanded sharply, her cloak whipping behind her as she advanced on him. Fiyero found that he couldn't take a step backwards; he was already pressed up against the wall. Elphaba brandished her broomstick menacingly "If you've come here for that brat, then I'll-"

"Elphaba wait!" Fiyero cried, throwing his arms up in front of him in defense, just in case Elphaba was about to cast some sort of spell.

Elphaba seemed caught completely off guard by Fiyero's use of her real name. She stopped short, her grasp on her broomstick slackening. Immediately her rage turned to complete confusion, "How do you…"

"Elphaba it's me," Fiyero said, taking a step toward her now that Elphaba seemed to have calmed down a bit, "It's Fiyero."

The fire returned to Elphaba's eyes at once, and she took another step toward him, "I don't know where you heard that name, but you're lying. Fiyero is dead."

Fiyero took another tentative step forward, "No Elphaba, listen to me. Whatever sort of spell you cast saved my life, it just changed my appearance. You-"

Elphaba cut him off, "No, no stop it! Fiyero is dead! He's dead!" she shouted, now taking a step back from him and shaking her head. Fiyero could see that she was trying her hardest not to cry. She looked tortured, and it broke Fiyero's heart. He had to get through to her, there wasn't much time.

"Fae," he said softly, and she looked almost fearfully at him as he used the nickname, "It's me. We went to Shiz together, I almost ran you over with my carriage on my first day. We rescued a Lion Cub together."

Elphaba finally lifted her head again, looking startled, "Oh my….Fiyero!"

Fiyero was caught completely off guard as Elphaba suddenly launched herself at him. She enveloped him in a tight hug, lifting his light straw body off of the ground in her excitement. Finally she set him back down, and it took him a moment to register the fact that she was crying.

Placing her head on his shoulder, Fiyero tried to comfort her. She was shaking uncontrollably, and violent sobs were wracking her body. Fiyero was a bit startled by this sudden show of emotion. After all, Elphaba was usually extremely guarded. However, he did not feel awkward as he usually did when women cried. The only thing he could feel now was relief.

After a few moments, Elphaba finally pulled away from him, wiping her tear streaked face with the back of her hand, "Fiyero, how is this possible?"

"It's thanks to you Fae. I don't know what type of spell you cast, but it turned me into this. It saved me life," he said, not wanting to let her go. He'd never felt so happy and relieved in his entire life.

Suddenly, Elphaba's eyes grew wide as she suddenly realized something, "Oh no…if you were the Scarecrow this entire time…. That day by the barn…the fire…"

"It's alright Fae," he said truthfully. He knew she'd been extremely distressed at the time, "I'm sure you didn't really mean it."

She pulled away from him, looking upset, "But I did mean it Yero. Oh Oz, I could have killed you! I just wanted those shoes, I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay," he said, trying to calm her. He pulled her close to him once more, "Everything is going to be okay now."

Elphaba still looked distressed, "No, everything is not going to be okay Fiyero. All of Oz wants me dead, I have no where to go, and I have a ten year old girl locked up in my basement. How can things possible be okay?"

Fiyero just now remembered that Elphaba had kidnapped Dorothy. He'd completely forgotten the girl in light of his reunion with Elphaba. "Why did you kidnap her in the first place Fae?" he asked gently.

Elphaba turned away, looking ashamed, "I don't know, I just wanted those shoes. It gave me some sort of purpose. I didn't have anything left. You and Nessa were dead and Glinda won't even look at me any more. I wasn't thinking clearly at all, but now I wish I'd never even started after those wretched old shoes!"

Fiyero suddenly seemed to realize the remember their meeting had been so urgent. "Oh Oz, I almost forgot. I came here to warn you! Boq and the Lion are on their way here, and they're out for blood. The Wizard gave them orders to retrieve your broomstick, and they have no qualms about killing you to get it," he explained quickly.

"The Wizard? Why in Oz name did you go to see the Wizard?" she asked, eyes widening.

"Dorothy was going to see him in hopes that he would help her find a way home. I went with her because I was hoping to find you, since you were obviously after her. We ran into Boq and the Lion along the way, and we all brought requests before the Wizard when we got there. He refused to grant them unless we brought him your broomstick," Fiyero explained quickly.

Elphaba seemed to grow even more frantic at this news, "Oh Oz, this is all my fault! Why did I have to get so worked up over a stupid pair of shoes? I miss Nessa of course, but they're not worth what I've gone through for them. What if I just release the girl and give you the broomstick? You can tell the others I let you go."

Fiyero shook his head; there was no way Boq would believe that. Besides, the tin man seemed hell bent on killing her, "No, they'll never buy that. I have another plan, but to pull it off you'll have to continue to be the 'Wicked Witch of the West' for a bit longer. Keep Dorothy here, but don't harm her, just scare her."

"Fiyero I can't…" Elphaba argued. Filling the role the Ozians had given her had been easy when she'd had nothing left, but now that she had Fiyero back she didn't know if she could bear to turn back into that, "I don't want to do this any more."

Fiyero took her in his arms again, "It's only for a little while Fae, you can do it. You need to if we're going to get out of this alive. There's a trap door down in the foyer, but it's practically invisible if you don't know exactly where it is. With a bit of luck we may be able to use the Ozians' stupid rumors to our advantage."

"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked, not sure what Fiyero was getting at.

"There's been a rumor going around that water will melt you," he said. At Elphaba's indignant look he hastily added, "I know it's ridiculous, but you know they're empty headed enough to believe anything they hear. If we can set this up perfectly, we'll be able to fake your death and get out of Oz unnoticed. I'll return to the others, and when we arrive here I'll send word to you with one of your Monkeys."

"How can you be sure that the others won't know what you're up to? I don't want to put you in danger Fiyero," Elphaba said.

"Don't worry about that Fae, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'll do my best to keep my true intentions hidden. You should do the same. Tell no one of this plan," he said sternly.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow, a bit of her usual sarcastic nature returning to her, "And who am I going to tell? The Flying Monkeys?"

Fiyero shook his head, smiling despite himself as he saw that Elphaba was becoming her usual self again, "Alright, once I leave, I need you to fill a bucket with water and place it next to the trap door. Once Boq, the Lion and I get here I'll lead them to the foyer. Make sure you give them what they expect from a wicked witch, and make a big show of it. When I move to the front of the group, ignite the tip of your broom and set my arm on fire."

Elphaba's eyes widened in horror, she was shocked that Fiyero would even suggest such a thing, "Fiyero no! That's far too dangerous."

"We have no other choice Fae. I'm sure that one of the others will be smart enough to use the bucket of water to douse the flames. Position yourself above the trap door, and make sure you're in the way when that person tosses it. Then step down through the trap door as if you're being melted. Once everything clears up, I'll return for you and we can leave Oz together," he said.

Elphaba still looked reluctant, "That plan is extremely risky. If even the slightest thing goes wrong…"

Fiyero cut her off mid-sentence, "We can't afford to think that was right now. This will work. Good luck, I'll return for you soon."

Elphaba still didn't seem completely convinced, but she posed no further arguement. The two shared another brief kiss before Fiyero slipped back out into the corridor, leaving a very nervous Elphaba in his wake.

Thanks for reading.

S.P.