AN: Things have been a little... tough lately. I got laid off. And I've just been laying around (that comes with having depression). Anyway, I'm trying to keep writing, and I am, but it's a lot slower. But this story has a definite ending planned already, anyway, so don't worry about that.

Also, I received a message a while back telling me I should delete the stories I haven't finished and don't think I will finish. First of all, I never know. Second of all, if I were one of my own fans, I wouldn't want that. There are a few stories out there that weren't finished that I like to go back and re-read parts of all the time. I understand that it's disappointing. Maybe at the beginning I should insert an author's note saying that "this story isn't finished and may never be, so read at your own risk"? I don't know. Anyway, here's some more.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Believe Me

Elphaba believed that Morrible's tik-tok servant had murdered Dr. Dillamond. She told him and Glinda that she remembered seeing a spring rolling around the floor, a spring like the ones that were constantly coming out of that contraption. She knew how Morrible hated Animals. It had to be her.

"You're getting yourself worked up, Fae." Fiyero told her when she was finished. "That may or may not be true, but there is nothing you can do right now."

Elphaba sighed. "Someone has to do something!"

"Do what?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

Glinda put in her two cents. "Elphie, I think you're a little shaken up right now. You have had a whirlwind couple of days. Think about what you're saying."

Elphaba's face got red. "Why is no one listening to me? She had him killed! I know it."

"I'm listening, Fae. But right now, that's not my main concern," he said gently.

"It should be!"

"My main concern is you, Elphaba. You just lost a baby. And on top of all of that, you finally found out about your family."

"Do you think I'm unaware of that? There's still a little pain, Fiyero. And the bleeding, yes, it's down to a trickle, but I'm still… but that's not the point!"

"It is." Fiyero caressed her cheek. "You're still ill. Please don't get upset like this. I don't know how much you can handle."

"I can handle anything I need to!" Elphaba pulled herself out of the bed and began to walk across the room, but her leg fell underneath her after one step and she hit the floor. She pulled herself into a sitting position almost immediately afterwards. "Okay, maybe I can't do a lot right now, but my mind is perfectly fine."

Fiyero took her hand and helped her back into her bed. "You're not the slightest bit upset about what happened?"

"Which thing? Dr. Dillamond's death? Yes."

"The miscarriage. That was our child, Fae."

"A child we were going to get rid of in a week anyway, Yero. Yes, I'm upset. Don't give me that. But I'm trying to remind myself that… that maybe this was better."

He couldn't exactly deny that. "Let's deal with one thing at a time. First, get better."

She wouldn't stay out of classes for more than two days. By Wednesday, she was walking around campus – slowly, of course. Fiyero did convince her to let him take her to and from her classes when it was feasible. And she was not to leave her dorm for anything but classes.

By the end of the week, she seemed to be feeling almost normal (well, as normal as she could be after what she'd gone through) and he thought maybe it was time to talk a little bit more about the other events of the previous weekend. He brought her to his apartment Friday night.

"Fiyero, I'm not ready to…"

"You don't think I know that?" Fiyero laughed. "But I think we could use some time alone."

"Oh," Elphaba flushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to jump to that conclusion."

He walked over to the couch and sat down. She sat down beside him. "It's fine. You are feeling a lot better, though, right?"

She nodded. "There's no pain. I just don't want to risk doing anything. I need to see when my cycle starts, Yero, so I can start calculating again."

"I think that's a good idea." He put a hand on her knee. "Have you thought about what you found out about your family?"

She didn't seem to like being asked that question, but she nodded. "I don't want to meet my parents. I've known that since I was young. But part of me wants to tell Nessarose. She didn't try to get rid of me. She wasn't even alive then. And Nanny told me a little more. My mother, in an effort to make sure Nessa wasn't green, took some drugs. They're the reason Nessa has no arms. I feel obligated to tell her who I am, at least."

"And what if she says something to your parents?"

"That's her decision."

"And what if they want to meet you?"

"I don't know. If they try, I guess I'll go along with it, but I certainly won't try to be nice."

"What about Nanny?"

"I don't know what to think about the woman. She didn't choose to get rid of me, but she did help. But I don't know that she had any other choice in that matter. She's an amusing old woman, too. She wants to know about me, about you, about my life. I'm not sure what I want to tell her."

"This must be confusing for you, Fae."

"A little. I never expected this. I thought I wouldn't have siblings. I figured I'd never know who my parents were. I never bothered to wonder about them because I thought it was useless to wonder about something I'd never know. I feel like it's too late for anything to really change because of all this, anyway."

"It's never too late."

Elphaba sighed. "Oh, you are so naïve. If you understood, Yero, maybe you'd think differently. Glinda's been pestering me about the same thing. She thinks I should meet them. I don't think it's a good idea."

"I see both sides of that. If you're not comfortable, Fae, then you're not comfortable."

"I'm not. Not now."

"Then that's fine." He wrapped her in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She laid a head on his shoulder.

Fiyero held her like that for twenty or thirty minutes in silence. Her eyes closed, but he knew she wasn't sleeping. She was trying not to think. She was trying to be at peace. He hoped she was. After some time, he kissed her forehead.

She smiled up at him, opening her eyes. "Can we eat dinner now?"

"Of course." He got up and headed into the kitchen. She made to follow him. "Let me handle it. It's just sandwiches, Fae."

She nodded and curled up in the corner of the couch, grabbing a book off of the table beside it and flipping through it. He handed her the sandwich after ten minutes and she munched on it, still engrossed in the book.

"Do you still think Madame Morrible had Dr. Dillamond murdered, Fae?" He asked after a few minutes.

"I do."

"I can see why you might think that. You have to understand that I'm not doubting you. I just didn't want you to hurt yourself or get in trouble."

"I know that, Fiyero. You like to protect me, even from myself."

"I like to try. But what do you plan to do about the whole thing?"

"I have my notes from our research. I know I can't get my hands on his. They cleaned the building out while I was still lying in my bed. I can do a little research with that."

"What about his murder?"

"There's nothing I can do. You were right about that. Not here. Who do I report something like that to, Fiyero? Madame Morrible? She's the authority here. Unless I want to go to the Emerald City and tell the law enforcement there, there's nothing to do now."

He was glad she wasn't going to do anything about the murder. She could get herself in trouble, a lot of it. He hoped that doing just a little research wouldn't cause her any problems. "One day things will change, Fae."

"I hope so, I really hope so." She got up and went to the bedroom. She undressed and began to oil herself. Fiyero followed and helped her with her back and shoulders. He kissed both shoulders and let her finish on her own, respecting the fact that she wasn't ready to be touched too intimately. He got into his pajamas and crawled into bed, waiting for her.

A few minutes later, she put her nightgown on and joined him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close to him. "It will all be okay, Fae, I promise." He didn't know what he was thinking, making a promise like that in their situation. The chances that they could be okay together weren't great. But still, he wanted to make everything okay. If only he could.

She shook her head, but said nothing more.