AN: Like I said, the second part of this chapter can be kind of triggering... this kind of feels like Wonderwomen all over again, but if mentions of (almost-)rape bother you, then be warned. Nothing too explicit, though.

PhantomoftheBarricade1832: Yes. Yes, I do enjoy filling your lives with endless Fiyeraba feels; and yes, doing so makes me very happy :P. (Your review left me in stitches, by the way.)

10. Of Actions and Consequences

It was a few days later that Fiyero and Boq, whom he had dressed up in one of his own suits and dragged up to the first-class deck for a peek at his precious Miss Galinda, ran into said precious Miss Galinda in the hallway.

Boq's eyes immediately widened and he flushed as bright red as a tomato. Galinda just smiled at him and let him kiss her hand at Fiyero's introductions.

"It's very nice to meet you, Master Boq," she said.

"Where is Elphaba?" Fiyero asked and Galinda gave him a sideway glance.

"Fiyero…"

"What? I can't even ask where she is now anymore?" he asked irritably and Galinda sighed.

"She's in her rooms," she said. "She's ill – for real this time. Nothing bad, don't worry. She only has a mild fever and a headache. But her father refuses to come or to let Nessa near her for fear of her infecting them, and Avaric left for the day, saying he didn't feel like taking care of her and he'd leave that to the servants…"

"What about you?" Fiyero demanded. "Can't you take care of her?"

She looked at him patiently. "I would, Fiyero," she said. "Of course I would. I tried to, too, but she sent me away, claiming she was fine and could take care of herself. I had agreed to spend some time with Momsie and Popsicle this afternoon and she all but chased me out of her room, telling me to go or she'd get out of bed and kick me out of the room herself, so I left."

Fiyero looked glum. "She's too stubborn for her own good."

Galinda shrugged lightly. "I know, but there's nothing to be done about it. She'll be fine, don't worry."

"M-Miss Galinda?" Boq asked shyly, at which she turned to him and gave him a beaming smile.

"Yes, Biq?"

He frowned slightly. "It's Boq."

She giggled. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm horrible with names," she apologised and he instantly melted again.

"That's alright, Miss Galinda." He took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that… you look very beautiful."

"Oh, that's so sweet of you!" she gushed and as she lapsed into a rant about her daily beauty routine, Fiyero sneaked off without either of his friends noticing, slipping into a hallway and to Elphaba's rooms without anyone seeing him.

She was lying in bed, asleep. Her face was pale, but her cheeks were flushed; and some sweat was beading on her brow. He tiptoed into the darkened room to look at her for a moment before going to the bathroom in search for a glass of water and some aspirin for when she woke up.

He dipped a piece of cloth in cold water and laid it across her forehead, smoothing his hands over her hair as he did so. She muttered something in her sleep and he pressed a kiss to her temple.

Her eyes slowly opened. "Fiyero?" she slurred. She blinked a few times and then frowned at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I ran into Galinda," he said, helping her as she tried to sit up. "She told me you were ill."

Her frown did not disappear. "I told her I was fine."

"Well, you're clearly not." He gave her the water and aspirin, which she took without protest. He stroked her hair. "Just go to sleep, Fae. I'll stay with you in case you need anything."

"You don't have to," she said, but her eyelids were already drooping again.

He squeezed her hand. "I want to."

He stayed with her the rest of the afternoon, reading as she slept. By the end of the afternoon she was feeling much better already – her cheeks were less red and her eyes had lost the feverish spark they'd had before. He gave her more aspirin and asked a servant to bring some tea and something to eat, which he brought in ten minutes later. He insisted on feeding Elphaba pieces of fruit and coaxed some tea into her as well.

"You don't have to treat me like a baby," she protested weakly, but he wouldn't hear any of it.

She leant against him tiredly. "Thanks, though," she whispered. "For staying here… and for taking care of me. I mean, you didn't have to, but… thank you."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're welcome."

He looked down at her. Their eyes met, and he decided that he didn't care about the consequences – whatever they were, it was worth it if it meant he got to kiss her one more time.

Which he then did.

She tried to push him away at first, but then she melted into the kiss, her hand gliding around his neck and into his hair. He deepened the kiss, eliciting a soft sigh from her. They kissed for a long time, neither of them thinking about anything.

Not until the door suddenly flew open and Avaric came in.

They sprang apart instantly, eyes wide. Avaric's eyes, on the other hand, instantly narrowed.

"I knew it!" he shouted, storming forward. He grabbed Fiyero's arm roughly and dragged him away from Elphaba. "What do you think you're doing, you filthy Winkie?! Keep your hands off my fiancée, do you hear?"

Fiyero resisted, trying to get to Elphaba, his heart pounding in his throat. He didn't know what Avaric would do to her once he'd get Fiyero out of the room, but he knew it would be bad. He had to protect her from that.

She got out of the bed and gripped Avaric's arm, tugging at it. "Let him go, Avaric, please," she pleaded. "It was my fault, not his."

He growled and shoved her away, causing her to fall to the floor. When Fiyero tried to get to her again, Avaric punched him hard in the face.

"Stay away from Elphaba," he snapped, pushing Fiyero against a wall. He yanked open the door and pushed the Vinkun prince through it. "I will not let you see her ever again!"

Fiyero tried to get back in, but that only earned him another punch, in the jaw this time, before the door was slammed shut and locked right in front of him.

Elphaba recoiled when Avaric rounded on her. His eyes were ablaze with a fire ten times more vicious than she had ever seen in him.

"Avaric –" she began, but she cut herself off with a cry of pain when he grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet. He picked her up and threw her onto the bed, shrugging off his own jacket and kicking off his shoes as he crawled over her.

Her stomach twisted when she realised what he was about to do and she felt bile rising in her throat. "Avaric…"

"I'll teach you to whom you belong," he grunted, pinning both her arms down to the bed above her head with one hand. He used his other hand to start tugging at his trousers. "You're mine, Elphaba. It's time you start seeing that."

"No!" She struggled weakly, but she had no defence against him. He was heavier than she was and far more muscular. He held her down easily as he pulled her nightgown up to her stomach.

"Avaric, stop!" She writhed underneath him, trying to kick him, bite him, anything; but he was stronger and he just pinned her down with his entire body, his breath hot on her face.

"You brought this on yourself," he hissed at her. "You're my fiancée. I knew I couldn't trust you the moment I saw you with that Winkie prince. How far did you two go?"

She turned her head away, disgusted. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"How far?!"

When she still didn't reply, he demanded, "Did you two do it? Answer me, Elphaba!"

Only when he threatened to strike her across the face did she reply, softly. "No."

He grinned maliciously. "That's what I thought." He pulled his own trousers down, his hand travelling up her leg and underneath her nightgown, just grazing the edge of her underwear. "So now," he said almost casually, "I'm going to claim you. Before he does."

"Avaric –"

"I'll do this on our wedding night, anyway," he spat at her. "Maybe if I do it now, it will keep you from doing it with another man – especially that Winkie prince." He pinned her tighter to the bed. "Now lie still."

"I'll scream," she threatened, but her voice was shaking and her heart was hammering in her chest. Was this really happening? She couldn't let him do this. She couldn't… but he was too strong for her.

"I doubt that," he said before covering her mouth with his own. When she felt his tongue trying to make its way into her mouth, she bit down hard.

"Ah!" he screamed, pulling back. Blood trickled down his chin. "You little witch!"

"Let me go!"

"Never!" He pressed his hand down over her mouth, keeping her legs down with his knees and her arms pinned above her head with his other hand. She was still struggling against him, fear and panic rising in her chest.

"I will break you in the end, Elphaba," he growled, an almost animalistic sound. His eyes were burning with anger, greed, and lust. "You are mine and mine alone, and I can do with you whatever I want."

His hand reached for her underwear again, renewing her fear. As a rush of panic surged through her, she could feel the magic bursting from her body.

It threw Avaric off her and slammed him with his back against the opposite wall.

He gasped, trying to regain his composure, as she rose from the bed and just stood there, giving herself a moment to catch her breath before looking down at him with contempt in her eyes.

"I will never be yours," she said, her voice calm even though it was trembling, "and I'm not going to marry you. I'd rather jump off this ship right now than ever become your wife."

With that she ran from the room.

She didn't care about the fact that everyone could see her in her nightgown. She didn't care about anything right now. To hell with her social status, to hell with her father and to hell with Avaric. She should have done this ages ago. She was done being their little marionette, allowing them to dress her up and pull her strings, dictating her every move. She wasn't going to go back. Ever.

She ran down the stairs to the second-class deck and into a hallway in search of Fiyero.

Favourite lines? I have an exam this afternoon, so it would be nice to come home to some reviews... *hint, hint* :P