For those of you who didn't think you could wait a week for this update, give yourselves a pat on the back! Though take pride that you're breaking me down; I'm updating an hour or so earlier each week because I want to share this with you so much :) Now that I've finished my Glee series and put a decently happy ending at the end of it (I'm sure many of my readers had given up hope for one after the third story or so lol), I hope to get back in to writing this story a little more, especially because in a few more updates we'll run out of pre-written material. Reviews are highly motivating, so you know. ;)

The Wizard's entryway was still and quiet for a long time following the thrillifying confrontation, and it only took hours for the entire city to be buzzing about Glinda the Good Witch of the North's defeat of the Wicked Witch of the West's alleged protégé. Not all the stories were the same either; yes, everyone told of Glinda's triumph, but many of the misconstructions included blood and gore, body parts blown off or extra limbs or heads grown, transformations into amphibious creatures or winged monkeys, and for the especially imaginative bunches, mass conspiracy between the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch.

As Fiyero discovered as he pushed himself up to his feet, only moments after the disappearance of the terrorist and as Glinda ran up and threw her arms around his neck, those few extremely creative Ozians would have the best guess.

"Oh Fiyero!" Glinda blubbered as she embraced him tightly. He was still in such shock at what happened only a minute before that he couldn't think and he couldn't react—he could only sag into the petite woman's generous hug. Her cheek brushed against his, yet he didn't even have the mental or emotional power to remind her they were no longer a couple. But he didn't need to. She just whispered in his ear, "Elphaba's fine, Fiyero."

He freed himself from her grip more sharply than he meant to, but he just had to look into her eyes. She did know that the shrouded person she just magicked into oblivion was her best friend? How in Oz's name could she have known? What did she do to Elphaba and where was she? What the hell was going on?

As he gawked at her, Glinda gave a small smile and a wink, putting his racing mind at ease momentarily. Glinda seemed completely sure of this notion of hers, which was good enough for him despite his bewilderment. He pulled her into a tight, excited hug to hide his own beam. Elphaba was alive! …Again!

"I have to straighten up this mess, and you need to stay near me," she said to him, pulling away to catch his eyes to express the importance of what she was saying. "You're still technically a renegoat."

"You mean 'renegade'?"

Glinda's features crinkled adorably in thought before she shook it off. "Yes. That."

"I understand."

"I can't believe it— I thought you were…but you're not… Oh, my head is reeling," she mumbled, touching his cheek and casting him another shaky, sparkling smile, before turning and walking away. While she began giving orders to the idle guards nearby to manage the muddle, Fiyero stared down at the knife that fell where Elphaba had been standing only seconds before.

It wasn't some ceremonial blade as he thought, he decided after he picked up the dagger near his feet. It appeared homemade, and perhaps it had been a souvenir from her travels. The metal seemed hammered and sharpened with hand tools and the heavy dark green and brown wooden handle looked carved from what could have been quoxwood. It was something so very natural; so very Elphaba.

He put it back down on the ground, giving a friendly, neutral gesture with his hand as he did to the guards watching him with a grip on their pistols. With nothing to do but to wait, Fiyero decided to sit down to avoid aggravating any of the suspicious soldiers. He chose a spot on the steps near the landing in front of the Wizard's grand doors, from which he was able to watch Glinda's easy movements through the different throngs of people.

While he didn't regret his decision to break off his romantic relationship with her, he couldn't help but admire her. He spent so long focused on his thoughts and feelings and quest for Elphaba that he gave little consideration to Glinda's struggles. He forgot the bigger picture and believed that everything she did was for attention; while he wasn't entirely wrong – she did love the adoration she received from the people of Oz – there was so much more to it than that. She worked hard and fought to make a difference along the way.

He watched expressionlessly as the Good Witch personally attended to a couple of older women who seemed quite traumatized by the ordeal they had witnessed. She held their hands, seemed to soothe them with her smooth talking and her charming smile, and even managed to make the women laugh lightly at whatever it was she was saying.

An odd group of individuals walked in front of his line of sight, distracting him, and he was embarrassed to find that he couldn't help but stare. The little girl was hardly anything special, with exception to her beautiful slippers (that he knew for sure he had seen before, though he couldn't place a finger on it), but she was flanked by those who were. He had seen many an Animal in his day, though they became more and more discreet and less numerous as the years went by, so he was surprised to see a Lion walking on its back legs right up to the Wizard's door. Even more abnormal though was the man made completely of tin on her opposite side.

It needed to be said: Oz was a bizarre place.

He watched over his shoulder as the young girl went to the guard on duty, her two companions standing quietly behind her.

"If you please sir, we want to see the Wizard right away," the girl said politely. "All three of us."

"Orders are nobody sees the Great Oz!" the guard barked back, making Fiyero frown and wish he still had command over him so he could teach him some manners. "Not nobody, not no how!"

"But-but please sir! It's very important!"

"Not nobody, not no how!"

"The Good Witch of the North told us to come," the girl cried desperately. "Just ask her! We came such a long way to see him. If you could just announce us…"

"It wouldn't hurt to announce them," Fiyero interrupted gruffly as the soldier once again began to turn down the girl. "I imagine the Wonderful Wizard of Oz might consider briefly halting his time-consuming duties to help a child in need."

The guard faltered, completely unsure how to respond and most likely hesitant to disrespect his previous commander.

"I shall announce you at once," he answered at last, and turned to enter into the Great Oz's chamber.

The girl turned to smile at him. "Thank you, sir! That was very kind of you."

"It was my pleasure," Fiyero responded.

"We haven't really met properly, have we?" the youngster asked, stepping to him with her hand held out.

"Why, no," Fiyero replied. He had to wait for Glinda anyway, so he was stuck with nothing to do until she was finished. He didn't think it would hurt to occupy himself in the meantime. He took her small hand with his own large one and kissed it suavely, which for some reason made the man of tin next to her clatter as if put out. He automatically felt a twinge of dislike for the individual, mostly due to the fact that the metal chap clearly was not fond of him for whatever reason. The girl, however, blushed furiously and gave a small giggle. "How do you do?"

"Very well, thank you," she replied with a small curtsy. "How do you do?"

"Very well," Fiyero said calmly. No, he thought with his mind on Elphaba, that wasn't really true. "Oh, I'm not doing at all well."

He figured his ragged appearance spoke for itself. But inwardly, he was very frustrated with himself for his incomprehension of what had happened only moments before. Whatever Glinda knew that he didn't about his lover was driving him up the wall and he was impatient to figure it out.

"Can't you make up your mind?"

"That's the problem," he mumbled sarcastically. "Haven't got one."

"How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" the girl answered smartly.

Despite his crankiness, he grinned– he liked this kid. "Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"

"I guess you're right," she smiled.

"You're Fiyero, Miss Glinda's fiancé," interjected the tin man rudely, surprising both Fiyero and the girl.

"I am. Was. Previously," Fiyero stammered, perplexed as to why this was at all relevant to this virtual stranger. Though, if you twisted his arm, he had to admit there was something recognizable about this rusty, musty character.

"So she's not engaged?"

Before Fiyero could grill the creature for his interest into his and Glinda's personal lives, the door to the Wizard's hall entered and the guard returned only long enough to declare, "The Wizard says go away!"

"Go away?" The young girl's face fell she sat down on the stair in front of him, her two friends kneeling on each side.

Oh no, she was going to cry. Fiyero started sliding away, but she grabbed his hand for comfort as she started to bawl.

"And I was so happy! I thought I was on my way home…"

"Oh, don't—! …Don't worry…" Fiyero consoled. He hoped he sounded sympathetic, but truthfully, he really just wanted her to stop. He was never any good with crying women.

He glanced up and saw Glinda making her way back over to him. While the girl sobbed about her aunt and how she never appreciated how good she was, Fiyero sent over a frantic look, begging his former fiancée to save him. She smirked but froze momentarily as her blue eyes surveyed the peculiar group that had surrounded itself around the young girl and her dog. But she seemed to have gotten the message to come to his aid clear enough.

"Miss Dorothy, what's wrong?" the blonde asked as she approached and kneeled in front of the child. All three of Fiyero's new acquaintances perked up as the Good Witch entered their midst, particularly the metallic fellow that was so interested in their relationship, Fiyero noticed.

"I came all this way to see the Wizard, just like you told me to, and now he won't see any of us! I'll never get to see my Aunt Em again…and the Tin Man won't get a heart and the Lion won't ever get his courage!"

"That's not true," Glinda said, patting her arm in a reassuring way. She paused to peek at Fiyero to communicate her displeasure with the matter before she sighed quietly. "Following the events a few minutes ago, I imagine the Wizard is quite concerned about his safety due to this intrusion occurring so close to him. It probably wouldn't be in your best interest to see him right now anyway if you hope for his full attention. However, I'll make sure you'll see the Wizard as soon as possible; you have my word."

Fiyero didn't realize he was holding his breath until the little girl sniffled and nodded her head; then, he exhaled more dramatically then he meant to in gratefulness. No one noticed but Glinda.

Glinda assured them that she would be back soon to ensure them hospitality in the palace, but first she needed to officially escort Fiyero somewhere to rest. He was profoundly grateful for that, but he was fine with never resting as long as she took him to Elphaba.

So, she helped Fiyero to his feet (and even with her help, he felt droopy as though his body had turned to wheat) and they went over, first to pick up Elphaba's fallen blade, then out towards the North Tower.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Glinda turned to him and admitted, "I don't care how much that girl cried— if she asked me to go back in there to talk to the Wizard today, I wouldn't have done it. I don't know how I will be able to look at him at all anymore; I just got through a meeting in which he described your burial and grave on the western wall of the Emerald City."

"At least he thought to bury me in the Vinkus," Fiyero joked. She just frowned.