"Elphaba, I'm sorry for acting like such an asshole today," Fiyero said, grabbing onto Elphaba's naked shoulder while she was changing in their tent.

He could feel Elphaba shudder under his touch on her bare skin, cringing under his broad hand.

"If I wanted an apology, I would have acted a bit more desperate, don't you think?" Elphaba spat back, facing downwards, refusing to turn in his direction.

"Elphaba," Fiyero stopped, sitting down on his cot, rubbing his face vigorously, "I can't do this, seriously."

He continued,

"I thought this would be less complicated and if this is what married life is like, I think I'll stay a bachelor forever," Fiyero stated, throwing his head down in resignation.

Elphaba felt a little guilty, but still feeling hatred towards him because of her family. She then remembered that Fiyero didn't choose to create this contract, really her mother should be the one she's angry at. She supposed she originally cut her mother so much slack because she was dead and Fiyero was also in her first line of fire.

Elphaba finished buttoning up the white cotton shirt she had begun to put on while thinking about all of this, and walked over to where Fiyero was face palming on his cot. She then picked his face up in her small hands and wiped his cheek with one of her long emerald fingers. He looked back at her in surprise, their eyes locking together. Elphaba then leaned down and brought his lips to hers, giving him a small caress. She pulled away and didn't dare look back, worried he might look disgusted.

She then laid down unceremoniously on the simple canvas mat on the floor that served as her sleeping arrangements. Elphaba didn't even try to sleep, she was to jumpy from her sudden change of heart to go into any sort of dormant state for any given time.

"Arghhhhhhhhh," Fiyero cried in pain late in the night.

"Fiyero, what is it?!" Elphaba asked, genuinely worried, rushing over to Fiyero's side where she found him retching in pain.

"My neck," was all he could mutter back, touching it feebly.

Elphaba pushed his hand away from his neck and realized that the spot that was breaking out was the place where she had kissed him that afternoon when they rode Midnight together. She hadn't thought to release the curse she had put on him when she had only just a few hours ago forgiven him.

"Elica dum en em ugh num dem," Elphaba whispered, letting the rest of her energy flow out of her in magic form to ease Fiyero's pain.

She felt a small wind flow around them as she finished the spell, turning Fiyero's expression from a grimace to a neutral face. Elphaba then lowered her forehead so that her and Fiyero's foreheads were resting against one another. Sweat broke out on their foreheads but she didn't move her's away. Elphaba noticed Fiyero was sleeping sounder than any other night they had spent in this tent together. The thought pleased her a little bit as she pressed a slow kiss on his cheek. The wind blew harshly into the tent, causing Elphaba to retreat back to her canvas mat.

"Elphaba, where are you?" Fiyero almost cried after twenty minutes."

Elphaba, who was half awake, turned in the pitch black to Fiyero's mat, as if she could see his face to guess if he was lying. Elphaba pushed what little energy she had left and caused a small flame to flicker in her palm. She walked over to his cot and sat on the side of it, stroking his face tenderly.

"Yero, I'm here," she whispered.

Fiyero moved his arm to touch her face, brushing his thumb across her lips. He pulled back her fallen hair that had escaped from behind her ears, causing Elphaba to smile tremendously. Fiyero then moved the blanket that covered him off.

"Elphaba, please stay?"

She smiled coyly as she climbed in beside him, trying to stay calm despite her current situation. She tucked her head under his chin, letting herself rest against his chest. Elphaba knew she had never in her entire live been this close to any person before. Fiyero rubbed her arm subconsciously, breathing calmly once again. Their synchronised breathing caused Elphaba to drift slowly away. Fiyero didn't know that the last thing she heard that night was when he murmured to her,

"Fae, stay with me for a while please, I need you right now."

Elphaba felt hot tears pressing against her eyelids as she fell into the most restful sleep she had had in all her entire life.