Fiyero looked out over the quaint garden, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers just beginning to bud. It had been a long winter, and this short vacation was a perfect way to break up the tedium of the Emerald City. Glinda had spent all of her time so wrapped up in her duties that he had hardly seen her, and as the days grew warmer, he managed to convince her to visit her parents for a few days. To be honest, he didn't miss the city; it was too gaudy and brash for his tastes, especially when the green of its buildings was compared to the freshness of the country.

He glanced to his right and smiled slightly at the sight of Glinda standing at the edge of the garden; she had thrived in her new atmosphere, and the girl he had once fallen for had reappeared. She smiled more, and they talked for hours as they relaxed by the fireplace or walked after lunch. He had never realized that he hadn't simply talked to her when they had been a couple. At first, he was so wrapped up in himself that he had simply thought of her as the best arm candy; she hadn't been offended because she saw him in the same light. It had taken a green girl to make them interested in anything other than their reflections in the mirror, and once Elphaba had disappeared, they were so caught up in their worry and in surviving their own involvement with the Wizard that they had drifted apart. He actually felt sadness over all the lost years they had spent arguing in private and smiling in public. Glinda was a fascinating woman who shared many of the same ideals Elphaba had pursued. She was so different and yet the same.

His mind floated to the memory of Elphaba. A year had passed now since she had died, and he found it was growing harder and harder to remember the details of her face. There were still times that he could remember her voice, but that was slowly fading away as well. The pain in his heart had gone from an all-consuming, burning hole to a slow ache that could be forgotten at times. There were still nights that he lay awake and thought of her. He still cried for her when the loneliness became too much.

"Fiyero?"

Glinda startled him as she walked to his side, her arms wrapped around herself against the chill of the late afternoon.

"Hey," he replied softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer.

She relaxed into him, her blue eyes studying him carefully. "Are you happy here?"

"I like it better than the city," he said as he smiled down at her. "Why?"

"I was just thinking about how cold my parents have been to you," she said quickly.

"I don't blame them," he told her. "They think that I'm going to break your heart again, and it would be wrong to say that they don't have a good reason to feel that way."

"I just don't want for you to feel like you have to stay," she said, her eyes flickering to gaze at the ground.

He pulled her a little closer. "I promised that I wouldn't walk out on you."

"That's not the same as wanting to stay," she replied in a harsher voice than she had intended.

"I don't think I understand what's bothering you," he said evenly as he looked down at her.

She sighed. "You stayed with me once out of a sense of duty, and you were miserable. I don't want for you to feel that way again."

His smile widened as he pressed a fond kiss into her hair and said, "I would never do that to you again. I promise. I like being with you."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said as she smiled, her eyes bright with emotion.

Suddenly, he swept her up into his arms and whirled her around, grinning as she laughed with enjoyment. Her delicate sundress floated in the air, and her soft skin was warm against his hands. He set her feet gently back onto the ground, a wave of tenderness swept over him as he tucked a strand of straying blonde hair behind her ear. She caught his hand, her cheek nuzzling against his fingers, and she smiled up at him. His breath caught in his throat, and he pulled her into his arms, pressing his face against her silky hair as she laid her cheek against his chest. After a few moments, he released her, taking her hand in his as they walked back to her parents' house.