We're back to the present now.

Elphaba leaned against the wall next to the doorway of the room, listening as Fiyero finished telling his mother about the night they had met.

It seemed like such a lifetime ago yet she could recall it like it was yesterday.

She'd gone into that bar just to disappear in the crowd. Everyone was doing their own thing, whether that was playing games, drinking, dancing; no one would notice her there. She thought she might even be able to sneak some leftovers before the plates were cleared.

Low and behold, she'd sat at someone's regular table, because of course she did. That was her luck. But that night, it seemed the universe actually looked out for her a bit. It was the best thing to happen to her. Oz, her 20 year old self had no idea what was in store.

Fiyero had given her shelter, gotten her clothes, and helped her find a job. He fed her back to a healthy weight. Well, as much as he could; she's sure there's no undoing some of the damage 20 years of malnutrition caused, but she was definitely the healthiest she's ever been. He let her cry her heart out when she needed it, and those first few months she'd needed it a lot.

He'd offered her his home, resources, and eventually his heart.

The first time he'd told her he loved, it had been rather blunt. It had been months after they'd first met and were…well, they'd never quite put a name on what they were until then. They cared for each other, they lived together, even worked at the same place, and often slept together, but had never established whether they were dating or not.

But one evening while they were having dinner, Fiyero had said 'I love you' while she'd been looking for a bottle of water in the fridge. She'd frozen in place then turned around and said 'I love you too'. That had cemented their relationship.

Oz, the night they'd met she'd found so much and hadn't even known it yet.

It was silent inside that room.

Helena was close to tears and couldn't find the words. What could she say? Nothing really. She couldn't go back and change her past behavior, no matter how much she wanted to. There was no undoing the harm she'd done to Fiyero, and today she realized just how much. And she was going to have to live with that.

"Fiyero I - " her voice cracked and the tears that had been stinging her eyes fell.

He wasn't looking at her, he was concentrating on not trying to cry himself.

Helena slowly inched her hand closer to his, giving him time to see her intentions and shake her off if he wanted to. When she finally touched his hand, he didn't flinch or pull his hand back, he didn't move at all. But he was trembling ever so slightly; she's sure the only reason she'd caught him was because she'd been staring at him so intently.

She slowly got up and walked over to him. Her hands began to shake as she reached for his hair. Again, she reached for him slowly, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. One hand reached his hair and the other his shoulder and she slowly pulled him towards her, until his head was lying on her chest. He never once made any kind of protest.

Helena sighed and held him tightly. Dear Oz, she's made so many mistakes and she'll never forgive herself; she wouldn't blame Fiyero if he never did either. But she loved him, she'd almost lost him so many times and every single one of those times had either been partially or completely her fault. She didn't deserve him. But she loved Fiyero, and she wasn't going to let herself lose him, not anymore, not if she could help it. She'll do anything to keep him in her life.

"I love you, Fiyero," she said.

Fiyero closed his eyes and silently wrapped his arms around his mother's waist. He's positive this is the first real hug they'd ever shared. It felt nice.

Helena looked up and saw Elphaba at the doorway, dressed in comfortable clothes and her hair slightly damp from having taken a shower. The green girl was smiling, her eyes going from Fiyero to her. Helena gave her a teary smile back.

Elphaba pursed her lips and pointed up with her finger, indicating that she'd been upstairs and Helena gave the tiniest of nods, not wanting this moment between her and her son to end just yet.

Elphaba was in the middle of writing a letter to Galinda when the door to the bedroom opened.

"Yero?"

"Yeah, it's me," she heard him confirm. Elphaba neatly stacked the pages she'd been working on and placed the pen on top.

She stood suddenly when she saw his face. He was crying. And he was crying hard.

"Love," she reached for his hand. "Do you need anything or just…"

"Just," he intertwined their fingers. "Just hold me," he said and fell into her arms.

Elphaba led them to the bed and sat up against the headboard while Fiyero laid down partially on top of her, his head on her chest.

For a while neither of them spoke, Fiyero just cried quietly while she stroked his hair and held him tightly.

"I don't know what to do," he said eventually.

"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked.

He sighed. "I mean with my mother."

"Ok," she prompted.

"I…I like the way she's being. I like that she's not pushing me to talk. I like that she's letting me set the pace. She's being so kind. And I want to embrace it, I want to enjoy that but - " Fiyero takes a moment to breathe and Elphaba squeezed his shoulder in encouragement. "It's happened before. Where she's affectionate and nice and then just goes right back. Turns cruel again. And I'm scared of that happening," he chuckled dryly. "I'm pathetic."

"No you're not. Don't even think that," Elphaba said. "Fiyero," she motioned for him to sit up so he could look at her. "Everything you're feeling is completely understandable. Things like these can't be undone in under a year when they happened for almost two decades. And…maybe," she said carefully, not wanting to speak for him, just try and prompt him to see what exactly he's feeling. "Maybe you're getting to a place where you want to be around her? Maybe start opening up to her a bit more?"

He was silent and he swallowed a couple times before answering. "Maybe." Fiyero so desperately wanted to believe that his mother had changed and truly loved him and wanted him in her life. And she'd done a lot to try and prove it. He just didn't know if he fully trusted it yet. But he wanted to.

"You don't have to know right now. You just need more time, and no, there is no set time. It'll just…happen whenever you're ready. You'll know."

He nodded and gave her a light kiss. "I love you. Thank you," whispered.

She smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I love you, too. And just try to relax, you have to travel back to camp tomorrow."

1 month later

"Elphaba, wake up!"

The green girl shot up and immediately heard screaming.

"Wh - What's going on." she asked while Helena kept pulling her out of the bed.

"Gillikin's army is invading the city, they're nearing the castle, we have to leave now!" Helena gripped Elphaba's wrist and pulled her down the stairs.

A guard blocked them at the bottom of the stairs. "No. Your Highness they're too close to the exit. It's too dangerous."

"Shit."

The ground shook and screams followed

"What the hell was that?" Elphaba was trembling by this point.

"Sounded like a bomb."

"Your highness, I swear we'll fend them off and protect you with our lives. Go hide."

Helena nodded. "Come on, Elphaba," Helena pulled her upstairs again and led her to one of the studies. She opened a wardrobe"It's around here somewhere."

"What is?" Elphaba flinched at hearing what she knew for sure were guns being fired. The screams seemed to come from everywhere and felt like they were never ending.

"Found it," Helena pulled at the wardrobe's wall, revealing a hole that led inside the wall. "Here," she gave her a dagger. "There's only room for you in there so - "

"What? What about you?"

"Don't worry about me."

Elphaba shook her head and gripped Helena's hand. "What do you mean? Where will you hide?"

"Elphaba, don't worry about me ok? Just get in there," Helena shoved a reluctant Elphaba into the wardrobe and into the wall. The hole was a bit small, only as tall as her waist, so she had to bend down and sit in order to fit. "It's tight. Just stay as still as possible, and if somehow someone realizes you're in here and opens the wall, don't hesitate to use this, ok?" Helena grabbed Elphaba's hand that held the dagger. "The guards know about this place so don't get out until I or one of them gives three knocks three times. Understood?"

"Hele - "

"Elphaba, do you understand me?"

"Yes," she answered, noting the desperate tone in her mother-in-law's voice.

"Ok. she squeezed Elphaba's hand and closed the hole in the wall. It was pitch black.

Elphaba could hear Helena placing the clothes back into place and closing the wardrobe. She tried to calm her breathing once she realized she was close to hyperventilating. Passing out was the last thing she needed right now.

She could still hear explosions, the screaming from outside and inside the castle.

The floor was cold, but the space itself was a bit on the warm side. But since Elphaba was wearing her pajamas, it didn't feel as hot as it might've had she been wearing her regular clothes.

She doesn't know how much time passes, but it's enough that her foot starts to fall asleep. Biting her lip, Elphaba reached for her foot and started to squeeze it, ever so lightly tapping it on the floor to move it around.

She wondered where Helena was. Was she hiding somewhere in the same room? Or had she gone to another room on the other side of the castle? Was she ok? Did she have something to protect herself with too?

How did the Gillikin army even get here so quickly? Last time she'd heard they were over 400 miles away from the city. But even if they'd traveled all night for days, how come the Vinkun army didn't stop them? They were definitely the superior military force, they were the reason the battles had been far away from the city in the first place, almost at the Vinkun border.

She teared up a bit when her thoughts landed on Fiyero. Oz, what if something had gone wrong? What if a strategy failed and that's what allowed Gillikin to get here? Was he ok? Was he alive?

Shut up. Shut up. Shut. Up! Her head screamed. She wouldn't allow herself to think that way. He had to be alive. He just had to be. She couldn't lose her mind right now; no matter how much she was freaking out about her husband, she needed to think about herself and her own safety.

She didn't realize how tired she was. What time even was it? Helena had woken her up, but Elphaba hadn't even been able to look out a window, so she had no idea if it was even morning. But she had a feeling that the sun wasn't even out yet. She slapped her cheeks, she couldn't let herself fall asleep.

The hand that gripped the dagger was a bit sweaty. But she refused to let go of it.

She could hear a door opening and footsteps. Dear Oz. She started breathing more heavily and hoped that it was just one of the guards of Helena coming to get her out of here.

That hope shattered as soon as she heard glass breaking and furniture being thrown around the room. She started to breathe as quietly as she could, not wanting to make even the tiniest of sounds and adjusted the dagger in her hand, ready to use it if she needed to.

The footsteps seemed to grow louder. They were getting closer. And she heard what sounded like the wardrobe being opened.

Whoever it was, they pulled everything out of it and then for a couple excruciating seconds, everything was dead silent.

Then the tapping started. She could hear the tapping towards her right and it made its way across. When the tapping sound got incredibly close, it sounded differently, hollow. It was right in front of her.

Oz help me, Elphaba thought.

There was more banging until the wall shifted. They'd found it. They were going to find her.

The wall was removed and Elphaba was face to face with the barrel of a rifle. She was dead.

"Well, well, we - "

A click. "Touch her and it's the last thing you do, asshole."