Chapter 17

A/N A thank-you to the reviewers, who I love! And an extra big fat huge thank you to 3Mindy3, HC247, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness,James Birdsong ,Vinkunwildflowerqueen and Bubble for being awesome, loyal reviewers. It means the world. And now, to make up for the long wait last time, a new chapter. The next one will be up in a couple of days.

He knew, in the back of his head, that maybe he'd put too much into all this.

Too much of himself.

Everything he had, everything he was, every bit of energy, he'd spent looking for her. Every day he'd devoted to her, no matter what obligations he'd had, no matter what he'd given and wanted to give Glinda. It had always been Elphaba, first and foremost in his thoughts. He'd fallen in love with her and that had been the end of everything else.

He'd signed up for it, voluntarily and consciously, when he'd joined the Gale Force, though. He could have walked away. It would have been hell, but he could have. He could have married Glinda. He could have had a family by now. But he'd chosen to do whatever it took. Whatever the cost, he was going to find her.

Well, he found her.

He'd found her, he had her and he intended, with just as much energy devoted to it, to keep her.

Forever.

Which was why he was going to do this.

He was going to fight her until he won. Because he was willing to do a lot of things he'd never done for her. He would almost say that, for her, he'd do anything.

But it wasn't completely true.

He would not, for example, watch as she refused to acknowledge that she was not getting better. He would not, to name another thing, let her insist that she was fine when she wasn't.

He would also not let her die.

Not that she was, at the moment. He did realize he was, perhaps, being slightly dramatic. But he wouldn't need to be, if she wasn't so damn flippant about it.

She was weak. She tried to not show it, but she winced with every move she made, her skin was a shade of green he didn't care for, pale and sweaty, she had a fever that refused to go away. And it was all because of that damn wound on her leg that wouldn't heal. It looked fine enough, but it wasn't. Maybe it was an infection. Maybe it was that her constitution hadn't been great to begin with. Whatever it was, her body wasn't fighting it off.

Of course, how would it ever be able to, if it wasn't being fed properly? If it wasn't resting? Because the woman it belonged to would not sit still, would not let herself be weak, would not let herself be taken care of.

Like right now, when she was shaking with the effort to get up, but absolutely refusing to just. Sit. Back. Down.

He made a move to help her, but she ushered him away. He bit back what he wanted to say and retreated to his spot by the door. She should have come with a manual, this woman. It was a blessed thing really, that he'd spent quite some time working without one already.

"I'll be fine, Fiyero. Stop fidgeting."

She was annoyed, of course and it was meant to come out snarly and biting, but her voice was hoarse and she struggled to sit up without wincing. He had to give credit where it was due; she really never gave up.

She hissed as she got to her feet, grabbing blindly for the wall behind her as she put the weight on the wrong leg and nearly fell back down. He shook his head but didn't move to help. There was a fine line between determination and straight obstinacy and he knew exactly on which side of that line he'd place her.

"You'd be more convincing without that grimace every time you move. You're not fine. And you won't be without help. We need to go somewhere dry and safe. Where you can eat and sleep. And you need medical attention."

She leaned back against the wall as she shot him an impatient look.

"Well, that's tough luck, because we don't have any of that and we are certainly not gonna get the latter. I can't exactly walk into the hospital."

He ignored her. He'd discovered that as much as he appreciated her stubborn nature and as much as he enjoyed the banter between them, he cared a lot less for what he considered stupid, bullheaded stubbornness. So, he ignored it.

"I wasn't really thinking about the hospital."

He'd have to tell her now. This would not be pretty. A business-like approach would be best here.

"Then what were you thinking?"

He almost didn't say it but she looked so fragile and she had to fight to stay upright, to keep her eyes open.

"We could go to the Vinkus."

There.

"To the Vinkus?" She seemed to have forgotten about any pain or discomfort, for the moment. There was a silver lining in every situation. Too bad there wasn't one for him.

She'd pushed herself away from the wall and now seemed torn between sitting back down, to spare her body, and wanting to stay on her feet, for the sake of this discussion. She seemed to settle for something in the middle, making her way over to the chair by the window. Her hands clutched the armrests tightly as she sat down and her eyes settled on his incredulously.

"Your plans are not getting any better, Fiyero, I have to say. What could we possibly achieve by going to the Vinkus? The heat in that area this time of year will kill us both, unless of course that is your plan, to find a quick way to go for..." her voice trailed away as his intention sunk in...he waited calmly for her protest.

"No."

There it was. Here we go..

"Elphie."

"Don't Elphie me."

She pushed herself up from the chair again and bit her lip as too much weight landed on her hurt leg. It pained him to see it and even more to not offer help, but he stayed where he was and leaned back against the door, feigning calmness and cool determination. She was like a wild animal sometimes (though he'd be careful not to make that comparison out loud); if you let your fear show, you lost.

"No. No. Fiyero. You can not seriously be suggesting we go to your parents."

Of course, in this case, it wasn't so unpredictable as a wild animal could be. He'd known this was coming the moment he'd decided to suggest it. Plus, she had a point.

"I admit it's not a great plan."

"Really? Then you are suggesting it why?"

It was the patronizing tone that did it. He hated it. Again, he opted to ignore it, but with slightly more trouble this time. No one tried his patience the way this woman did and, he was sure, always would.

"Because it's the best one we have."

"How? How is the best one we have? I show my face around there, or anywhere for that matter, and I'll be Southstairs faster than you can blink. That, or I'll be dead."

Ah. They'd gotten to this part, and faster than he'd thought. Good. Now, he could make his point.

And win.

"You wouldn't have to. We can fly there at nighttime. I know the castle. I can sneak us in. I'll go talk to my parents. You just need to hide till I've told them the truth. After that, we'll be fine. None of the people in the castle will go against my parents."

She rolled her eyes right on cue.

"And I'm sure your parents will just be thrilled to protect the Wicked Witch of the West from harm. Or to hear that she's hiding in their attic."

Yup. He was going to win. She always relied on contempt and a belittling tone when her arguments waned. Fortunately for the both of them, he'd prepared for this.

"Stop calling yourself that. And drop the attitude."

She bristled at that. Or would have, anyway.

"You talk to me like I'm eight years old."

He had to admit, he would have quite enjoyed the role reversal a little, if the circumstances had been different. If she hadn't been so hurt.

"Well, you're acting like you're eight years old."

"Fiyero." Her voice held a warning.

"Elphaba." So did his.

Time to bring out the big guns. No pun intended. He stepped forward, his face softer and all of his impatience and frustration gone, as she eyed him suspiciously, as if he was about to pull both his parents right out of his pocket. He came to a halt in front of her and softly, but surely, pushed her back in the chair. She gave him a look that said she knew exactly what he was doing, but he didn't mind that. Of course she knew what he was doing. She was the smartest person he'd ever met. He 'd never expected her to not see through him.

"Look. You're not well. You know you're not well. And you're not getting better. My plan make not be perfect, but it's our best option. My parents might not be thrilled about any of this, but they'll be happy to see me and they won't turn us in. I'm still their son."

"They won't turn you in."

Honestly, he should be rewarded for his patience. There should be a statue.

"They won't turn you in, either."

"Why on earth wouldn't they? As far as they know, I am not only the Wicked Witch, but I also bewitched their son into leaving his girlfriend and coming with me."

A big statue. Huge.

"I will tell them the truth, obviously. And they won't turn you in because I love you."

She pressed her lips together in a disapproving manner.

He sank down to his knees, took her hands in his and pressed his lips to both of them. Then, he looked up and smiled that half-smile that made her stomach do cartwheels even now and she knew;

She was not going to win this.

Damn him.

They landed as softly and carefully as possible in Fiyero's old bedroom two nights later, just before the sun rose. The Vinkus was devastatingly beautiful at sunrise, but he didn't even stop to think about it. She clutched the handle of the broom as if it was a lifeline and her breath came in gasps. She'd held herself up for most of the journey, but now she leaned back against him, her shoulders sagging and her cheek rested against his chest. The fact that she had let herself rely on him so heavily told him how weak she was just then.

He put the broom aside and swept her up into his arms, carrying her across the room. She peeked up at him and he knew she wanted to make some sort of comment on his action, so he did it for her.

"Swept you off your feet."

He forced a grin to accompany the words because she appeared to need it and it made way for a more genuine one when she, of course, rolled her eyes. He put her on the bed, where she sat with her legs dangling over the edge, eyes focused on a point in the distance. He stepped back and looked at her. Her hair was plastered against her face. She had a fever and her body shook with it. She could barely stand up straight and her forehead was clammy with sweat. He was pretty sure the only reason she'd given in was because she knew he wasn't likely to give up and she didn't have the energy any more to fight him.

He let his fingers run through her hair and reached for her hands.

Even knowing what he would do for her, had already done for her, it shocked him to feel it crashing into him like this. Like a wave. He really loved her like he'd never loved anyone else. Or would. Ever.

He leaned forward, his hands moving up her arms, and let his lips brush hers, but only lightly.

She kissed him back.

"Fiyero."

He pulled back a little, but didn't let go of her arms.

"Hmm?"

"You keep trying to save me." She blinked, and struggled a little against his hold, but his hands kept her in place.

"If this doesn't work...thank you."

He pulled back completely at that, staring at her in wonder. This...this didn't sound like her. Was she delusional now, too? Fevers could do that. He almost hoped that was the reason, because not a single bone in his body wanted to have this conversation. So he chose not to comment at all. She probably wouldn't even remember this in a few hours. That, and he had no clue what to say. You're welcome? This was as much for him as it was for her. If he were being completely honest, it was probably more for him than it was for her.

"I'll be right back. Don't move."

She watched him leave through heavy-lidded eyes. She'd known, of course, that this was a bad plan. She knew she wasn't that sick, she wasn't dying, but if she didn't get what she needed, she could be. She knew how the human body worked and being cold and underweight and wet and without any of the means to nurse someone back to health, she would be off far worse soon enough. Just look at what this flight had done to her. She could barely keep her eyes open!

They'd been running out of options. He was right, she wasn't getting better at all.

And neither was he.

He needed this.

He needed...

He needed to be away from her. That was what he needed. She doubted he'd agree, but she knew it would be best for him if he left her and went back to his old life.

That was what it came down to.

She didn't want it that way. The mere idea of him going back to Glinda and his charmed life made her breath stop, but it was what would be best for him. She could not allow herself to subject him to a life like this. Would not allow herself.

Next time, it'd be him.

So she'd agreed to this disaster of a plan because, on the off chance that he was right, she'd get better and then she'd sit him down and be able to explain why he couldn't stay with her, why it was better that she leave. Why she couldn't bear this.

And if he was wrong, if she was right...well...then none of that would be necessary because he wouldn't have much of a choice in the matter.

It would be for the best, really. He'd be safe and she'd be dead before 24 hours passed. There were worse things to be.

He'd be safe. That was really all that mattered to her anyway. And if she were honest, she preferred that option because returning to her old life, without him, while he went back to his palace...

She shook her head, winced and moved to stand up. He'd told her not to move, but she couldn't just stay on this bed. She needed to...do...something. Just in case guards came running into the room to drag her off.

Or his parents.

She needed to be prepared...or something.

She looked around and tried to focus on the room. There wasn't much there. A bed, a dresser, a desk and a wardrobe bigger than Glinda's had been. Her cape was on the chair across the room, next to a tall mirror. So was her hat.

Her broom wasn't.

She sighed.

He'd taken her broom.

She wasn't all that shocked.

Please do review. I must admit, I am hoping to pass the 100 with this chapter. Help me and I will update :)

(Oh, alright. I will update either way, but it'd be really nice if you reviewed...)

(On an explaining note that I can only hope won't bore you to tears: I never intended to include Fiyero's parents, but then I realized that as much as it makes sense for them not to be mentioned in the musical, I did not have a similar excuse. I changed the story, and in this case...I don't think it makes sense for Fiyero not to stop and think about his parents. Plus; wouldn't they have people looking for their son, the Vinkun heir? I couldn't rationalize it for myself, so hence my decision to introduce the Tiggulars).

Till next time :)