AN: Are you all kidding me? I was convinced that this story was one of the worst I ever wrote. But if you all like it, then on we go!
Fiyero woke to the heavy crack of thunder. Turning on his side, he read the clock that glowed the very early morning. Only six hours had passed since he fell into a troubled sleep.
He slipped out of bed and padded down the hall to Glinda's room. To his surprise, she was awake too, and flipped through the pages of an old leather book.
"Have you fallen asleep at all?" Fiyero asked, moving to sit beside her. Glinda nodded and jerked her head up towards the ceiling as a new crack of thunder rumbled through the room.
"I had a nightmare. Elphie died." Glinda looked ready to cry before casting her face over the pages of the book again.
Fiyero rubbed her back and kissed her temple. "It was just a dream. I'm sure Elphaba didn't die. She's way too strong for that." He nodded to himself, assure of every word. His Elphaba didn't go down without a challenge.
"But..Fiyero," Glinda snuggled into him and her tone became serious. "I did some research. Do you remember two years ago, when there was something called the "Ozyear School Dilemma?"
"Yeah," Fiyero said, "I do. What about it?"
"Fiyero...it was a kidnapping." Glinda's gentle voice trembled. "A nineteen-year-old girl was taken by night and it took 123 police watches over the weeks. They finally found her dead in a creek. Her parents were so sad."
Glinda took Fiyero's hand in hers and squeezed it tight. "I'm scared."
Fiyero envisioned Elphaba dead for a moment and shared his friend's fear. But he was older than Glinda, and trained to fight as all princes were, so he snapped out of it and thought back to what he said moments ago.
"She'll be fine. She was all those cops looking for her, plus us."
Glinda didn't look convinced. "But what if-"
"Ssh." Fiyero pressed a finger to her mouth. "I promise you, Elphaba will be in our arms soon."
"You can promise that?"
Fiyero's throat got dry. "No," he admitted, "But I have a pretty good feeling."
Suddenly, Glinda burst into tears and clutched Fiyero's arm. "I just want her back." One, two, three, four tears fell on his shirt and Glinda held him tighter. "I w-want...my Elphie!"
He'd done enough. He figured it best that Glinda let all of her emotions out, rather than hold them in, which could kill her inside. So he sat there, rubbing her back and letting her get it all out while he soothed her in a low voice.
Something became very clear to him that early morning.
He had more than one life to save.