AN: A final update before the end of the year... (Or the first update of the new year, for some of you (HI, ELIZABETH WHO CURRENTLY LIVES IN A DIFFERENT YEAR! :D).)

HollyBush: I AM scary. MWAHAHAHA. :P

Elphaba'sGirl: That's quite alright ;).

Fiyeraba fluff for you in this chapter! The real kind, that is ;).

Okay, let's get sentimental. But first: go and vote for your favourites in the Greg Awards! I did, though I found it to be incredibly hard; and I just want to apologise to the ones among you I didn't vote for. Honestly, there are just so many great authors among you and I feel bad about not being able to vote for all of you, but there are only so many categories and I had to make choices.

I'll put the sentimental stuff in the AN at the end.


Chapter 5. Pained

When Fiyero woke up, he was lying on his side with one arm wrapped around Elphaba, his other arm folded under his head. She was lying on her stomach next to him, her mouth hanging open slightly and her arm slung across his stomach. He smiled. She looked adorable.

The moment he moved, her eyes fluttered open as well, and she immediately shot up. "Oh! Fiyero, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to –"

"It's fine," he assured her with a small chuckle. "It's okay. Really."

She combed a few strands of hair away from her face with her fingers, blinking rapidly in an attempt to wake up a little bit more. "What time is it?"

Just then, the door flew open and Boq marched in. "Fiyero, did you forget about… oh." He faltered when he saw Fiyero still in bed. "You forgot our study appointment," he concluded.

Fiyero grimaced. "Oh. Um… yeah."

"Boq, we can totally explain why I'm in Fiyero's bed!" Elphaba cried, scrambling up, but Fiyero's hand shot out to hold her down.

"He can't see you," he hissed at her under his breath. "Remember? But he can see the sheets move, so stay still."

She did, and Fiyero quickly jumped out of his bed. "Um… give me half an hour?" he asked Boq sheepishly. "I'll meet you at the library."

Boq nodded. "Sure." Then he left again.

Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief. "Stupid," she muttered to herself. "How could I forget that you're the only one who can see me? It's been six days. I should be used to it by now."

Fiyero stayed silent, doing the maths in his head. Six days. It had already been six days. Six days since Elphaba was in that accident. She had been in that coma for six days.

He'd read somewhere that the moment a coma lasts longer than a week, the chances of that person waking up decrease dramatically. He didn't know if that was true, but right now the thought just kept playing through his head and he couldn't get rid of it.

"Fiyero?" He jumped when he suddenly felt Elphaba's hand on his arm, and she quickly recoiled. "Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." He turned around to look at her. Then he suddenly wrapped her in his arms, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I just…" He sighed. "I was just thinking that I wouldn't know what I'd do if you never woke up again," he confessed quietly.

She laughed nervously. "Fiyero, don't be dramatic."

"I'm not." He pulled away to look at her, his sapphire blue eyes sincere. "I mean it, Fae."

She blushed a little and lowered her gaze.

Fiyero cleared his throat and let go of her. "Well, I, um… I'm going to… get dressed, I guess. Find Boq for that study session… um… talk to you later?"

She nodded and flashed him a smile. "Of course."

He returned the smile before disappearing into the bathroom.


Galinda looked to the side, eyes searching her boyfriend's face. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked him.

He seemed nervous suddenly, and with a pang, she realised that her first feeling had most likely been right. It was never a good sign when your boyfriend said he had to talk to you. And this, combined with the fact that he had been so distant lately, talking to himself, acting strangely and locking himself up in his room all the time…

He sighed. "Glin…" He stopped walking and turned towards her, taking both her hands in his. "You're my girlfriend," he said. "And I like you. A lot. I care about you, but…" He trailed off.

She knew what he was going to say, and for a moment, she contemplated putting him out of his misery by telling him that it was alright; but she decided against it. It was not alright, and the least he could do was tell her that straight to her face.

He took a deep breath. "Glin, I… I don't love you," he confessed. "I never did."

She inadvertently winced, even though she had expected this.

"And I know my timing is horrible, you're already going through enough, what with what happened to Elphaba, but…" He bit his lip. "But that's also kind of the reason I'm doing this now, because… because Elphaba ending up in a coma… made me realise something."

Galinda nodded, feeling strangely calm. She had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

"I'm in love with someone else, Glin," Fiyero said quietly. "I'm in love with Elphaba."

The blonde sighed sadly. "Oh, Fifi…" She shook her head. "I should be mad at you," she said. "But… but I'm not."

And she wasn't. She was sad, yes, but she could see that he was, too. She felt sorry for him, only having recognised his feelings now that it might be too late.

"I'm sorry, Fiyero," she said, her voice trembling. "I really am."

His shoulders slumped. "Me, too, Glin."

Without saying anything, she hugged him tightly; then she let go of him and all but ran back to her dorm room, not wanting him to see the tears brimming in her eyes.


Elphaba did not show up that night.

He wasn't sure whether he had expected her to be there or not; but anyhow, he was disappointed not to see her. He stayed up until well past midnight before finally giving up and going to bed.

He didn't blame her. He knew that even in her current state, she would know what he did today –she'd told him herself that she checked up on Nessa and Galinda every day, and she was bound to have heard about the breakup of Shiz' most popular couple. He hoped she understood why he did it, but he doubted she knew the real reason; and if she didn't know the real reason, then she would probably be mad at him right now for breaking her best friend's heart like this, and at this moment in time.

He had hoped she would at least be willing to hear his side of the story, no matter how pissed she was, but it seemed that she wouldn't give him even that. Or maybe she just wanted to stay in Galinda's dorm room for tonight to make sure the blonde girl was okay. Either way, he missed her, and he hoped she would show up again soon.

When he didn't see her at all the next day and didn't show up at night, either, he started to grow worried.

When there was still no sign of her the day after that, he downright panicked. What if she wasn't not showing up because she was angry? What if something else had happened? What if her spirit-ghost-soul-whatever form had disappeared for one reason or another?

What if she had died?

So he ran over to the hospital, only to find her body there, still attached to a dozen tubes and machines, still in a coma, but still breathing. Her other self wasn't there, though.

Or so he thought.

Elphaba watched from behind the curtain as he sat down on the edge of the bed and took her limp, green hand in his, softly brushing his thumb over the back of it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and she was a little shocked to see that there were actual tears in his eyes. "I didn't want to hurt her, I really didn't, but I just couldn't lead her on like that anymore. Or you." He sighed. "It just wasn't fair."

He reached out with his other hand to smooth her hair back, running his fingers through the ebony strands. "Please come back," he whispered. "Please wake up, Fae… Please. I need you." He rested his forehead against their joined hands. "At the very least, I wish I could talk to you again," he said, his voice breaking. "It's been two days, and I know you could just be mad at me for hurting Galinda, but… but I'm so scared that something happened to you, Fae. That I'll never be able talk to you again… I miss you. You have no idea how much I miss you right now."

Her heart broke. She hadn't even thought about the possibility that he might worry about her; she had just been angry with him for hurting Galinda and for picking a time like this one, when the blonde girl was already going through so much. She'd spent hours in Galinda's dorm room, having to watch helplessly as the blonde cried into her pillow, smashed her hairbrush across the room, shrieked and then broke down again, using dozens of tissues to dry her tears while new ones were already welling up in her eyes. After a day, Galinda had calmed down slightly; but Elphaba hadn't wanted to leave her alone again, and she most certainly did not want to face Fiyero after what he had done to her best friend.

In between her visits to Galinda, she had vented her own anger by going back to the Throne Room in the Emerald City and scaring the living daylights out of the Wizard and Morrible, allowing her powers to fly out of control completely, fuelled by the frustration and helplessness she was feeling when it came to her first real friend.

Now, watching Fiyero as he was crying over her comatose body, she felt guilty. He had been punished enough; to keep on avoiding him would just be plain mean, and she wasn't mean. Just angry. But she could forgive him. If Galinda could, then so could she.

She was about to come forward from her hiding place when Fiyero did something that completely startled and shocked her.

He rose to his feet, leant down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"I love you," he whispered.

She made a strange, jerky movement, causing the vase standing in the window sill to wobble and then fall to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. She winced at the noise and Fiyero looked up immediately. "Who's there?" he demanded in a slightly higher voice than usual.

She stepped forward.

Immediately, relief flooded his face. "Fae!" He approached her, clearly wanting to hug her or something, but she kept him away by holding up one hand.

"First off," she said, glad to find that her voice was stern and steady, "I'm pissed at you. No, not pissed. Furious. What you did to Galinda is unacceptable and you know it. It was like kicking a puppy that was already nearly beaten to death."

He winced. "I know," he said, hanging his head. "And I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt her, I swear I didn't, but I… I had to."

"Why?"

He looked up at her again, hesitant now. "For how long have you been standing there, exactly?"

She crossed her arms. "Long enough," was all she said.

He nodded slowly. He hadn't really wanted her to find out like this, but at the same time he was relieved that she knew. At least he didn't have to hide his feelings from her anymore.

"Then you know why," he said.

Now it was her turn to look down. She was studying the hospital floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"I didn't even realise it until you ended up in that coma," he went on quietly, slowly approaching her. "But it's true. I don't love Galinda. I never did."

Elphaba made a choked sound. "Fiyero…"

"I love you."

She stared at him for a moment.

Then she disappeared.


He returned to his dorm room late at night, hands in his pockets, head down. He had waited at the hospital in case she would come back, but she didn't. Then he had gone back to Shiz to see if he could find her anywhere – the park, Suicide Canal, the library – but he didn't see her. At all. By the time he re-entered the boys' dorm, he was deflated, cold and hungry.

He pushed the door shut behind him and dropped his bag, shuffling into his bedroom as he shrugged off his cloak and hung it over the back of a chair. When he turned back, however, he started.

"Fae?"

She was sitting on his bed, legs crossed, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her dress. "Hey."

"Oz, Elphaba!" He stomped over towards her, not sure if he wanted to hug her or shake her. "Where did you go? I searched everywhere for you!"

She bit her lip, looking away. "I just… needed some time to think," she said softly.

He sighed and sank down into an arm chair opposite her. "Well, could you… I don't know… not disappear on me like that, next time? I was worried sick, I thought you… I don't know. Just… just don't do that again, okay?"

"Okay." She finally looked up at him. "Fiyero…"

"I'll explain," he said softly. "If you let me."

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and he shifted a little to take her hands in his. "Fae… I'm sure you remember that we hated each other at first."

She rolled her eyes. "How could I forget?"

"But then after Galinda introduced us at the OzDust, and we started spending more time together… I started to like you. I was glad that we became friends."

She looked down. "Me, too," she admitted softly.

He sighed. "And that was enough for me," he said quietly. "Until the day we rescued that Lion Cub together. And after that… everything changed, Fae. For me, at least. Because… because I fell in love with you that day, only I couldn't do anything about it because I thought you didn't love me back and you were Galinda's best friend and it would kill her if I broke up with her to be with you, and I didn't even know if you wanted me, and I didn't want to cause a break between you and Galinda because you didn't even know –"

"Fiyero," Elphaba cut him off in exasperation. "You made sense up until 'I fell in love with you that day'."

"Sorry." He exhaled. "I'm rambling. My main point is, Elphaba, that I love you."

She shook her head. "Like I said, that's the part that doesn't make sense."

He stared at her intently. "Fae. Just listen."

She kept quiet.

"I love you," he said, looking into her eyes. "I'm sure of it now. And I didn't want you to find out about that through hearing me talking to your unconscious body, but that doesn't make it any less true and quite frankly, I'm glad you know now, because it was getting harder and harder for me to keep it in. It's why I broke up with Galinda, Fae. I told her about it, too. She knows that I broke it off with her because she's not the one I love. You are."

"But…" She looked so flabbergasted that he almost started feeling sorry for her. "But… you can't," she protested weakly.

"Why not?" he wanted to know.

She stared at him as if he had gone crazy. "Why not?" she echoed. "Do you want a list?" She started counting on her fingers. "I'm green. I'm the school outcast. Nobody likes me. I'm in a coma and no-one knows if I'll ever wake up again. I'm green. I'm sarcastic. I have creepy magical powers. I'm green. I'm ugly. I'm unlovable. I'm a know-it-all. Oh, and did I mention the fact that I am green?"

"I don't care about the green." He gripped her hands a little tighter. "You're beautiful. And the coma… you're right, my timing is kind of crappy, but how was I supposed to know this would happen? And right now I'm just… I feel like I have to tell you now or… or it might be too late."

She softened a little at that. "Fiyero…"

"Please? Fae…" He took a deep breath. "If you don't feel the same way about me, that's fine," he said. "But… but I just need you to know."

She opened her mouth. Then she closed it again and she looked down at their entwined fingers. "I…" She swallowed. "I think… I like you, too, Fiyero. A lot. I mean, when we saved that Lion Cub…" She faltered, then said softly, "I fell in love with you, too, that day."

Slowly, a broad, radiant grin spread across his face. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yes. But Yero, I… we… we can't." She pulled her hands back. "You shouldn't do this," she tried to explain when she saw his face fall. "Fiyero, it's not that I don't want to. I swear it's not. But… But I'm me, and… and I'm not even really here. I might never wake up again, and that's a fact I think you and I both should face. You need to find someone else, Yero. Someone who is not green, awkward and strange, and someone who is actually alive."

"You're alive," he insisted, but she just gave him a look.

"You know what I mean, Yero."

"You're alive to me," he said, taking her hand again. She didn't pull away this time. "You always will be."

She didn't even call him cheesy, which he decided to take as a sign that she was seriously thinking about this.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked her.

She stared at him.

"Please?" he added, even as he was leaning forward. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek, which she allowed, her eyes slowly fluttering shut as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"I don't understand," she whispered, opening her eyes again. "I haven't got the faintest clue as to how you could possibly love me."

"Honestly?" he whispered back. "I never thought I would one day love anyone at all. You changed that, Fae. You changed me. There was a time when my life goal was to seduce as many girls as possible, but that's not me anymore. There's only one girl I want and she's right here in front of me."

With those words, he leant forward and pressed his lips against hers.


Now for the sentimental End Of The Old Year Speech. (Feel free to skip it if you want to.)

I just want to take a moment to thank all of you guys for reading my stories. Some of you (ComingAndGoingByBubble, Fae the Queen, Stephanie...) have been there from the very beginning; others (Elizabeth, Xanne-Li...) started reading my stories later on, but have been the most wonderful reviewers and friends ever since.

I met so many great people on here, and you have all been so amazing in boosting my confidence when it comes to writing and making me feel like I'm actually good at doing this thing I so love. If I ever get an original story published, it will be thanks to you guys, and I will never forget you.

2013 was the year in which I discovered Fanfiction, saw two oh so amazing Wicked shows and saw two Sister Act shows and one Flashdance one. It was the year in which I visited Italy and Venice for the first time ever, met Elizabeth and Xanne-Li, and joined the Verkaikings (officially, that is); and it was my first year with a driver's license.

It's also the year in which we experienced the first birthday of my grandmother without her actually being there; the year in which I had a wisdom tooth pulled and experienced an awful lot of knee problems; the year in which I had doubts, so many doubts, especially about my study, but about other things (jobs and boyfriends - or, really, the lack thereof) as well.

2014, hopefully, will be the year in which I publish my first book. The year in which I will see Sister Act a third time, Flashdance a second, and go to an amazing cabaret show and a concert. Hopefully the year in which I will finally meet Steph and the Verkaikings in real life, go to London to see Wicked again with them and fangirl all together. Maybe the year in which I'll start writing a blog (because I think that would be fun), and probably the year in which I will get my bachelor's degree in Psychology.

But most importantly, it will be the year in which I will continue to read and write fanfiction and stay in touch with all the wonderful people I got to know on here.

That being said... a very happy new year to all of you. May it be an amazing one, a Wicked one, one filled with love and happiness, and may it be the year in which all your dreams will come true :).