Hey. My dog has a tumor :( Its not good. But she's had an operation, and is back to her annoying self. I love her so darn much.

Its short but Fiyeraba fluffles ahead!

Disclaimer: it isn't mine, okay? *sob*

Boq had shown Fiyero to the place where they all slept - Avaric had declined to go anywhere near the 'greenie girl' and was sleeping in the carriage – which had turned out to be an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Munchkinland, not far from the alley they sheltered in during the day. Boq explained how by some twist of fate, the warehouse used to hold mattresses, so they all had several piled up on top of each other to make several beds.

As Fiyero slowly drifted to sleep, a piercing scream rang through the warehouse, causing him to jump up and nearly fall off his tower of mattresses in shock. He rolled so his feet touched the floor and hurried through the darkness to where the cry had come from.

He found Boq helping Rose back onto her bed, while tears streamed down her face, pale with fright. Fae sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress, reaching out almost wildly to comfort her sister.

"Oh Nes – er, Rose," Boq soothingly wiped the girls tears. She curled up against Fae, who, for some reason, gave a little hiss of pain. Fiyero assumed it was from Rose's weight till the younger sister pushed herself up, apologising, and Fiyero saw a red welt, like a deep cut on Fae's arm where Rose had buried her face.

"Go, I'll make sure Rose is okay," Boq pulled Rose into his arms, stroking her hair, nodding his head at Fae to leave. She was gripping her arm where the cut was, face contorted with pain.

Ignoring her protests, Boq shooed her out, Fiyero following for no reason other than he didn't know what to do. Fae was walking fast, almost running, her hand squeezing her wrist so tightly, her skin was turning an almost white colour.

"Hey!" Fiyero called, running after her. "Hey, hey, Fae, slow down!" She either didn't hear, or ignored him, speedily reaching the other side of the warehouse, which seemed to be some sort of kitchen; the term kitchen used loosely of course, it was more like a corner with a few badly put up shelves with battered tins of food salvaged from rubbish bins outside large shops and a lopsided cupboard which held fruit, which was over ripe and stolen grapes from vineyards, on the top and rags used to repair clothes and wrap up wounds at the bottom. Maybe not a kitchen then... Fiyero thought, taking in the surroundings.

Fae had crouched down, trying to find the cupboard so she could bind up her wrist.

"Fae?" Fiyero said softly, but she pretended not to hear him. He sighed and knelt down in front of her, taking her hand away from the cut. She stiffened at the contact, but allowed him to gently run his fingers over the swollen redness on her arm, wincing as he did. He took a rag from the cupboard, slowly starting to wrap it around her arm. "What did this?" he asked, quietly, giving her arm one last stroke of his cool fingers on her heated skin, before covering it with the rag.

Fae was looking over his head, and if he hadn't known better, it would have seemed like she was avoiding his eyes. "Water." She whispered, hoarsely, having not spoken since she woke up at Rose's scream. "Nessa's tears," she added a moment later.

Fiyero tied the rag, frowning. "Nessa?"

"hmm?" For a second Fae's face flashed with panic.

"you said Nessa," Fiyero told her, grabbing her arm above the bandage to help her up.

"What? No I didn't!" Fae stumbled slightly as she was placed back on her feet.

Fiyero decided that he was too tired to argue with this girl – he already had proof from earlier that she had en explosive temper. He must have just misheard her, through his exhaustion. "So why do tears burn you?" he asked, changing the subject.

He thought he imagined Fae visibly relax in his grip. "Because... because of the curse," she sighed, wrenching her arm away and unsteadily walking off.

"You're not going to shake me off that easily, Fae," Fiyero followed her, grabbing her waist at one point to stop her walking straight into a wall. The sudden contact caused Fae to stop suddenly, making him bump into her and sending them both to the floor, Fae on top of Fiyero.

"Clever," she remarked dryly, and he rolled his eyes at how she didn't lose her sarcasm even when tired and in pain. When she tried rolling off him, he held her tighter.

"Not till you tell me about this curse," Fiyero said when she shot an angry glare in his vague direction. "And stop scowling at the floor, you'll hurt its feelings,"

Fae sighed again, dropping her head onto his shoulder without really realising it. "When I was ten – well, on my tenth birthday to be precise, some stupid, evil, thing of a woman broke into my parents house, killed them and my dog, along with half the staff, nearly killed me, but instead turned me green, blind and made me allergic to water," she pushed against his shoulders, trying to get up. "Happy?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did she not kill you?"

"I'm sorry that I'm alive!"

"No! No... I didn't mean it like that," Fiyero let go of her, and she struggled to her feet, but to his surprise waited for the rest of his explanation, arms folded. "Its just... why kill almost your entire household, but not you?"

Fae frowned, swallowing hard. "She...um, she said something," she managed to choke out. "She said I was her daughter, and... I should be magic like her. When Rose tried to help me, she paralyzed her legs – that's why she is in that stupid chair. And this woman said.... she said I would've been raised into Wickedness," she looked up, and for the first time, Fiyero felt as though she could see him, her eyes focused steadily on his face. "Yero, I don't want to be wicked..." she sobbed, and a tear leaked down her cheek, burning a path down her face lightly.

"Hey," Fiyero reached out for her, wiping the tear away and pulling her into his arms. "You're not wicked, Elphie, you're not and you never will be!" Stroking her hair softly, he didn't realise what he had said until Fae jumped back.

"What?!"

Ooh, cliffy! Kay, so, next chappie the actual PLOT will kick in, karate style, like 'hiiiiiiyaaaah!'. Review? xxx