DISCLAIMER: The characters you recognise from Wicked aren't mine, obviously. But the other characters are.

Chapter 5: Revelations

Elphaba hurried from the study, Fiyero hot on her heels. She felt sick and her mind was reeling.

Fiyero loved her. He loved her and he was here.

He loved her and she'd walked away, keeping the existence of his child a secret from him. How would he love her after finding that out?

"Fae," he called, catching her as she entered the living room and grabbing her arm, making her turn to him.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "Listen to me. I knew I loved you since the moment you told me you'd run away from home. I loved you when I asked you to marry me, and that hasn't changed. It will never change. I'm going to love you for the rest of my life. You have to know that."

"You were engaged?!"

Elphaba and Fiyero both started in surprise, noticing for the first time that the room was occupied. Fiyero spared a glance for the young woman he figured to be Nessarose, before looking at Elphaba's father, who was looking at them from over his newspaper in shock. Both looked equally stunned.

Frex looked to his eldest daughter. "Elphaba, is there anything else you've neglected to inform me about your time away?"

Elphaba shook her head silently, apparently finding the floor fascinating.

Fiyero's attention was only on Elphaba now.

"Fae. What do you mean that you ruined everything?" he questioned her gently.

Elphaba hesitated, drawing in a shaky breath. If there was any time to let him know that he had a two month old daughter he didn't know about, this was it. Not an easy bombshell to drop.

"You should tell him," Frex said to her quietly, rising to his feet and handing her a handkerchief.

Elphaba's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to her father. She hadn't expected that. "Father-"

"Tell him," Frex cut her off firmly. "He's here. He came. He should know."

"I should know what?" Fiyero interjected, a little worried now.

Frex glanced at him, but spoke to Elphaba. "Tell him."

Elphaba met Fiyero's eyes. "You're going to hate me," she whispered, her eyes beseeching him, pleading with him. For what he didn't know.

Fiyero scoffed lightly. "Not possible."

Elphaba wavered, not sure where to start and feeling rather ill. It must have shown on her face, because as she struggled to find the words, Nessa spoke softly into the silence that hung heavily in the room.

"Fabala, come sit down," she said gently.

Frex guided Elphaba to the sofa that was next to where Nessa's chair sat, and as Elphaba weakly sank into it, Nessa reached over and took her sister's hand in comfort.

"I couldn't tell you," she murmured, so faintly that Fiyero had to strain to hear it.

"Tell me what?" he asked worriedly.

"I thought you wanted me gone. I thought-"

"I know," Fiyero interrupted gently. "We covered all that. Fae, what is it?"

"I was pregnant," she whispered and the whole room seemed to freeze.

"W-What?" Fiyero gaped at her, his mind reeling.

Nessarose peered at him in concern. "Maybe you should sit down too," she suggested.

Dazedly, Fiyero nodded and managed to find his way to the sofa to sit next to Elphaba.

"We haven't actually been introduced. I'm Nessarose, Elphaba's sister," Nessa said politely, holding out the hand that wasn't holding Elphaba's to him.

"Fiyero Tiggular," Fiyero mumbled, shaking her hand weakly.

He turned to Elphaba. "How could you not tell me?" he demanded.

She winced slightly.

"I tried!" she exclaimed defensively. "I tried for three days, Fiyero. I couldn't manage to have a conversation about the weather, let alone anything else. And then the one time I managed to talk to you, you started talking about how we happened so fast and everything was different!"

Fiyero had no trouble recalling that conversation. "We got interrupted," he remembered.

And then he made the connection. "Oh. Was that before or after Av-?"

"After."

Fiyero felt sick to his stomach. No wonder she'd thought he was going to end the relationship.

"We'd never even talked about the idea," Elphaba continued, her voice thick with tears. "But how could I tell you when I thought… I didn't want you to be stuck with me out of obligation."

Fiyero was trying to digest it all, a thousand thoughts and emotions were flowing through his mind furiously. One thought was foremost in his mind.

"I'm so sorry," Fiyero said quietly.

Elphaba looked up at him in surprise. "You're sorry?"

"I should have talked to you," Fiyero said miserably. "If I hadn't kept putting it off-"

"No, it's my fault," Elphaba interrupted. "I should have told you, but I was just-"

"Scared," Fiyero finished for her.

She let out a breath. "Do you hate me?" she asked in a small voice.

"No," Fiyero reassured her immediately. "I just… That's why you came back here," he realised.

Elphaba nodded weakly.

To be honest, he wasn't totally sure how he was feeling. Shock, certainly. Disappointment that he had hadn't known, hadn't been there, absolutely. But any anger he was feeling wasn't directed at Elphaba- it was for Avaric. And himself.

A thought occurred to him, and he looked around the room carefully. There were no signs of a baby around, hadn't been since he'd arrived. And a fear struck him.

"If- if you were pregnant when you left…" he trailed off hesitantly, trying to work out the timeline in his head.

Thankfully, Elphaba seemed to understand what he was trying to ask. Or enough, anyway.

"I had a girl. In October."

Fiyero's eyes lit up without even realising it. "We have a daughter?"

Elphaba managed a faint smile. "Yeah," she croaked out. "Her name's Arora."

Tears filled Fiyero's eyes. The significance of that wasn't lost on him. "Arora," he breathed. "What's she like?"

"She's perfect," Nessarose chimed in. "She looks like Elphaba."

Fiyero had rather forgotten they were still in the room, but he grinned broadly at her.

"She's seven weeks old. She'll be two months the day after Lurlinemas," Elphaba told him.

"Where is she? Can I see her?" he asked eagerly.

"She's upstairs, sleeping. Isn't she?" Elphaba asked, turning to her father with a sudden panic in her voice.

"I checked on her five minutes ago, Elphaba. She's fine," Frex replied calmly.

Elphaba relaxed visibly, and turned to Fiyero. "I don't want to wake her," she said apologetically. "But you could see her… if you want."

Fiyero nodded, unable to speak.

She got to her feet and gestured for him to follow her, leading the way upstairs. Surprisingly nervous, she slowly opened the nursery door and softly stepped into the room.

Fiyero's heart was in his throat as he slowly approached the bassinet and got his first glimpse of his daughter. All he could do was stand there and drink in her features- Nessarose had been right, on both counts. She did look like Elphaba, and she was absolutely perfect.

He managed to tear his gaze away from the sleeping baby to look over at Elphaba, who was hovering over the bassinet anxiously. As he watched, she gently fiddled with the blanket that was swaddled around the baby, making sure it was secure.

"She's beautiful, Fae," Fiyero breathed softly.

Elphaba smiled, but didn't take her eyes off her daughter.

"My mom is going to adore her."

That got Elphaba's attention, and she looked to him with wide eyes. "Your mom," she whispered. "How is she?"

Fiyero paused and then shrugged. "She's ok. She has good days and bad days. This time of year is a bit rough- my birthday and Lurlinemas, and all."

"Your birthday," Elphaba repeated, a strange look on her face.

She went to say something else, but Arora stirred and she froze. Fiyero was transfixed as the baby frowned, and then let out a little sigh, but her eyes didn't open.

Elphaba beckoned him away from the bassinet, leading the way to the door. Fiyero reluctantly followed, but took the time to study Elphaba once more as she gently closed the door behind them. Having a baby explained the tiredness on her face, and he finally realised the change he'd noticed was that her figure was rather fuller than he remembered, which was also explained by the revelation.

"I haven't really stopped being sure that something's going to wrong with her, or I'm going to screw her up yet," Elphaba admitted in a low voice.

"I think you're doing an amazing job, Fae," Fiyero defended her immediately, even though really, he had no proof of that.

She gave a wry smile.

"Thanks," she muttered, and sank down to sit against the wall.

Fiyero hesitated and then joined her.

"You never answered my question," he reminded her softly.

"What question?"

"Do you love me?"

He was almost afraid to ask again, expecting another bombshell or for her to burst into tears again.

Thankfully, her eyes remained dry. "I just had your baby," she reminded him.

It wasn't an answer.

Fiyero held her gaze unwaveringly, cautiously reaching for her hand once more.

"Until you left," he began. "I always thought I knew why you couldn't say it. That if you didn't say the words aloud, you wouldn't get hurt, right? I told myself that it didn't matter, because your actions told me everything I needed to know."

He smiled bitterly. "And then you left. Without warning, without goodbye. And suddenly… it didn't seem so crazy, the idea that maybe I'd pushed you into it all. Dating, the engagement, everything. Maybe you'd only said yes, because of my Dad's health, or because there were all those people around. I wanted to believe that you love me, but I've been terrified of finding you and having to hear that I was wrong."

Fresh tears were in both their eyes as he tightened his grip on her hands.

"After the past nine months, and everything we've been through, how can anything bad happen now from saying the words?" Fiyero urged her.

He had a point, Elphaba couldn't deny that. She inhaled shakily.

"Yes. I love you," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Fiyero was so relieved that he drew Elphaba into his arms without another thought, burying his face in her neck.

"I'm so sorry," she wept into his shoulder. "I should have told you, but I couldn't."

"I think we can both admit we screwed up and stop apologising," Fiyero murmured. "Ok?"

She hesitated. She wasn't so sure she should be forgiven so easily. "Why aren't you furious with me?" she asked.

Fiyero stared at her incredulously. "You want me to be mad at you?"

"No. But I deserve it."

Fiyero didn't know what to say to that. Maybe, once he was able to process all this, maybe he would find he did have some anger towards her. But with all the information and emotion swirling through him right now, Avaric was bearing the brunt of it. And for good reason.

"Arora… I wanted you to write to you so many times and tell you," she admitted. "But I was scared."

"That I didn't love you but I'd feel obliged to marry you?" Fiyero finished for her.

"That… or that you'd reject me. And her," Elphaba confessed tearfully. "The last thing you needed was the scandal of an illegitimate pregnancy, and I- I couldn't do that to Rora," she said brokenly.

Fiyero embraced her again, wordlessly. That she thought him even remotely capable of that stung, even more than the fact she hadn't told him before leaving the Vinkus. But when he thought of everything she'd told him about her father and her childhood, he couldn't help but understand somewhat.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologising," he ordered immediately. "It doesn't matter anymore, Fae. I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."

They sat in silence for a time.

"What happens now?" Elphaba asked him.

Fiyero didn't know where to begin. "My mom's here," he said at length.

"She is?" Elphaba said in surprise. "Where?"

He nodded. "Yeah, at the hotel. We're staying at The Pinnacle," he explained. "I wasn't sure how long I'd be seeing you, and I didn't really want to leave her alone. The holidays kind of suck this year," he added with a small grimace.

She nodded in understanding.

"Mom said she'd like to see you, if you're willing."

Elphaba hesitated. "Arora will probably be up in another half an hour or so," she said slowly. "You could come for lunch? Meet Arora properly."

Fiyero smiled. "I'd like that. Mom would too."

Elphaba got to her feet and led him back to the living room.

"Fiyero's mother is here too," she informed her father. "I've invited them both for lunch."

Frex stared at Elphaba for a moment, and then his eyes flickered to Fiyero briefly. "Very well," he finally said. "That seems reasonable. There's a lot to discuss. I'll inform the housekeeper."

Elphaba turned to Fiyero. "Is half past twelve alright?"

He agreed, and reluctantly took his leave. He had much to talk to his mother about before lunch.

AN. Sorry this is a bit later than usual- I go back to work tomorrow and I've procrastinated doing my marking until today naturally. So, I'm here, grading Yr 11 English exams.

And I kinda forgot today was an update day. Thanks to Sara for the reminder!

Reviews will be a lovely reward for when I'm done!

(2 chapters left btw)