For disclaimer and other stuff, see part 1 and thank you for the reviews to XxXxIcePrincessXxXx and TillItryIllneverknow.

Chapter 9

Fiyero stood outside the cell Elphaba was held captive in for what seemed like forever. It seemed that in her frantic screaming Elphaba hadn't realizing that her friend and former lover stood on the other side of the bars, observing her in silence

Fiyero took his time to study the woman who had been his first real love. She had changed dramaticly and it was not only the bruises, swellings and gashes marring her green skin. He remembered a time when he got lost starring at her.

Spending some alone time together was rare these days. Since Elphaba decided that she would visit the Wizard, her blonde best friend had dragged her shopping, looking for the right outfit for Elphaba. Not that she would wear anything other then her black frock, something she felt comfortable wearing. Elphaba endured those times in silence.

Elphaba laid on her back, Fiyero propped up on an elbow, his other arm around her waist, fingers running up and down her side in a featherlike way. Holding her in his arms made his life complete.

Elphaba was his whole world. He needed her like he needed air to breath.

Her gaze followed his hand as it slipped upwards to caress her cheek.

Only a hint of hesitation was left in him now and it was slowly fading away as their gazes met. She smiled that slow, beautiful smile that was reserved for times behind closed doors that made him feel weakness all over, and their lips met halfway.

"What are you doing here?" her voice brought him out of his memories, happy memories of a time they had no care in the world.

"I wanted to talk to you about what Madame Morrible had said to you about your daughter," Fiyero answered.

"We have nothing to talk about!" Elphaba said, putting heavy emphasise on the word WE.

"You wanted my help, begged for my help, back then. Tell me."

"There is nothing to tell you. I never thought that Morrible would stoop so low as to let Tanith watch them torture me."

"She hasn't seen you yet and I will make sure it will never happen."

Suddenly on impulse he opened the cell-door and walked inside. Elphaba was chained to wall, forced to stand upright. She even had to sleep standing.

Fiyero walked up to her and brushed some strand of hair out of her face, as he had done in the past but this time Elphaba flinched as he touched her.

"Don't touch me," she hissed.

"I am sorry."

"You are sorry? Sorry for the whippings I had to endure? Sorry for letting me rot in the cell? Sorry that they haven't killed me already? Sorry for becoming engaged to Glinda?" Elphaba's voice rose an octave.

"For everything."

They looked at each other in silence.

Both were lost in thoughts, thinking about their past and the famous 'what-if', especially Fiyero. More often than not, he would lay awake at night asking himself how his life would have turned out if he would have gone into hiding with Elphaba.

He had always dreamt of some kind of fairytale.

Fiyero was playing with his children outside of Kiamo Ko. They – Elphaba, their children Nessa, Melena and Liir and himself – had lived there since he had talked Elphaba into going into hiding with him, after she had defied the Wizard. No one knew that the person everyone called The Wicked Witch of the West lived her happily-ever-after, safe in the Vinkus. Fiyero's parents had welcomed both with open arms.

But life wasn't a fairytale. Not for Elphaba and Fiyero. They could and would never have their happily-ever-after.

Fiyero knew how the story of the Wicked Witch of the West would end.

She would be burned on the stakes. Maybe Morrible would take Elphaba's daughter to the execution, letting her watch her mother being burned. Then Morrible would use the girl as her pawn, raising her the way she saw fit. Fiyero was sure that the girl, he remembered Elphaba had called her Tanith, had inherited her mother's talent.

Fiyero made a silent vow to himself to do anything to keep that from happening.