AN: I'm glad you're all liking this story so far! :) Now I hate to see Elphaba and Fiyero separated about as much as you guys do, so don't worry, they'll be together again soon... just not for long. Heheh.

Probably no update tomorrow, since I have uni all day and CATCHING FIRE (*squeeeeeaaaaaaal*) at night :D but I'll update Ocean's Daughter soon... I was driving home in the car today and listening to the radio, and Mermaid by Train came on, so I think that might have been a sign from above that I need to start writing the next chapter of OD :P.

Chapter 3. Until you try

Fiyero sighed, resting his forehead against the cool glass of the window. The rain was streaming down from it, matching his current mood. Everything around him seemed grey and colourless – again, matching his mood. Not really knowing what else to do, he just sighed again.

"Fiyero."

He didn't respond.

"Fiyero!"

He looked up, his face blank and his eyes dull. Queen Eleonora was watching him, concern etched all over her pretty features.

"It's been months, Fiyero," she said. She shook her head at him. "She's not coming back."

He rested his forehead back against the window. "I know."

"Then why are you still sitting here?" she demanded. He just shrugged, not saying anything.

The Queen sighed. "Really, Fiyero, I've never seen you like this," she said. "When you wrote to your father and me that you had fallen in love with a girl, we were delighted – we thought we'd never see the day. Then you tell us that you're going to the Emerald City with her, and we were happy for you. And then suddenly you appear in front of us again, looking as if you've lived through a war, with your arm in a sling and a shot wound in your shoulder…"

Fiyero watched a raindrop as it slowly made its way down the window. "I told you what happened."

"So you did," the Queen agreed. "And I believe you. But that doesn't change the fact that you're here right now, moping, and she's out there doing who-knows-what, probably not even sparing you a second thought."

"That's not true," he said softly. "She's thinking of me. She always thinks about me. And that's exactly why she isn't coming back."

His mother raised one eyebrow.

"You see," he said, tearing herself away from the window and turning to face his mother. "She never wanted me to come with her in the first place," he said. "Because she was afraid that since she's a wanted criminal now, I would get hurt in the process. She tried to leave without me, but I pretty much forced myself on her and I left her no other choice than to take me with her."

His fingers played with the fabric of a pillow that was lying in the window seat. There was a small hole in it, and he discovered that his index finger fitted just through it.

"And then I did get hurt," he continued, his gaze fixed on the pillow, "and that only strengthened her beliefs. She wants me to be safe. She wants to protect me. And that's why she's not coming back."

His mother was quiet for a while. Then she said, "That's very noble of her."

Fiyero shrugged listlessly. "Maybe. But I don't really care about staying safe," he said. "Not without her, anyway. I would gladly risk my life ten times over if that meant that I could be with her."

His mother was actually speechless for a moment. And while she stood there gaping at him, his mind slowly started working.

"Risk my life ten times over…" he mulled. "I wouldn't even really have to risk my life, now would I? I mean… that shot wound is almost healed."

"It is," the Queen agreed, "but what are you…"

"And I wouldn't be very conspicuous. I mean, people travel all around Oz every day, right? With others, but also by themselves. I wouldn't really stand out to anyone. No one would suspect that I might just be the boyfriend of the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Fiyero, what are you –"

"And they're not looking for me – just her." He looked up at his mother, his eyes suddenly shining again. "I can go now," he said. "I didn't want to go before, because Elphaba would skin me alive if I were to travel around Oz with a not-yet-fully-healed shot wound… but it's better now, isn't it? I can go. I don't have to wait for her to come to me – I can go to her."

His mother looked doubtful. "Fiyero, I don't think it's a very good idea to go out there on your own," she said. "You don't even know where to find her!"

He shook his head. "You're right," he said. "I don't. But I just can't sit here in and do nothing, Mum. Not when she's out there by herself." He rose to his feet. "I'm going to pack some stuff," he said, leaving his mother behind with her mouth still open.

The second time Elphaba visited her blonde friend at Shiz, Galinda was looking ten times less happy and a hundred times more murderous than the previous time.

The moment she caught sight of Elphaba sitting in the window sill, she glanced over her shoulder into the hallway. When she was sure that it was empty, she closed the door and locked it behind her before turning to face her long-lost friend.

Just like last time, Elphaba cracked a smile and said, "Hey."

Galinda shook her head. "Don't you 'hey' me, Elphaba Thropp," she hissed incredulously. "What in Oz are you doing here?"

Elphaba looked confused. "I promised I'd check up on you," she said, as if that explained everything. "Didn't I?"

Galinda threw her hands into the air. "It's been four months, Elphie!" she almost shouted. "Four months! I had to check the Oz-damned papers to even know if you were dead or still alive! Where have you been?!"

Elphaba was baffled for a moment – she'd never heard Galinda swear before – but then she sighed, rising to her feet. "I'm sorry, Glin," she said. "Really. I've been… helping the Animals, like I said I would. I've been doing some work for the Resistance, and…"

"And what?" Galinda demanded. "Forgot about me?"

Elphaba looked shocked. "No! Galinda, I could never forget about you!" She took the blonde's hands in hers. "You're my best friend!"

Galinda suddenly wrapped her arms around the green girl, hugging her so tightly that she couldn't breathe, but neither of them really cared. "Oh, Elphie!" she sniffled, and when she pulled back, she was crying. "I was so worried about you!"

Elphaba squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, Glin," she said softly. "I am. Forgive me?"

"Of course." Galinda hugged her again. "It's been so long… are you okay?" she asked.

Elphaba nodded. "I'm fine," she said honestly. "I've had a couple of close calls with Gale Force soldiers, but they never actually got to me. And I've helped so many Animals already, Glin. There was an entire camp just outside the Emerald City where they brought the Animals they had captured, and I came along on a mission to free all of them. I freed the Monkeys that were trapped in the Emerald Palace. I even saved lives, and… and it's just an amazing feeling, you know? To know that you're actually doing something to help…"

Galinda had to smile at her friend's enthusiasm. "Well, that's great," she said. "Really. I've read about some of these things in the papers, but I wasn't sure if they were true. It's really goodly of you to help those Animals, Elphie. I'm proud of you."

Elphaba hugged her friend briefly. "Thanks, Glin," she said sincerely. "That means a lot to me."

Galinda smiled again. Then she grabbed a magazine from her desk and hit Elphaba across the head with it. "Only if you go another four months without visiting me, you're in for it, Elphaba Thropp!" she warned her.

Elphaba laughed, dodging the magazine. "I'll try to visit more often. I never really left you all alone, you know," she added, almost as an afterthought. "I kept an eye on you. From a distance, yes, but I did make sure you were doing okay. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I let something happen to you."

Galinda smiled tearfully and Elphaba looked at her, suddenly serious. "I'll try to visit, yes," she said. "But Glin, you also have to understand that everyone is looking for me now. I can't come and go whenever I please anymore. It took me days of scouting the area and determining whether it was safe to come here before I finally did."

Galinda sighed. "Okay," she said reluctantly. "Just… just let me know if you're okay every now and then, will you?"

"I'll try my best," Elphaba promised, and the blonde decided that was good enough.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Elphaba started asking about Shiz, and Galinda told her everything that had been going on since the green girl had disappeared.

"Four months…" Galinda shook her head. "I can't believe it's been that long, Elphie."

Elphaba shrugged. "Me, neither," she admitted. "Time has gone by so fast, with everything I was doing…"

Galinda nodded. "And with Fiyero, of course."

Elphaba stared at her feet.

Galinda picked up her magazine and whacked Elphaba across the head again. "If you're going to tell me that the two of you are not together…" she began angrily, but Elphaba cut her off.

"We're not, okay?" she snapped. "We're not. He's not here with me."

"Well, where is he, then?" Galinda demanded.

Elphaba shrugged. "How should I know?"

Whack. "Don't play games with me, Elphaba Thropp," the blonde grunted. "I know you. If you've been checking up on me for the past months, you've sure as hell been checking up on him. I know that for a fact."

"Fine, fine!" Elphaba cried, holding up both hands in defeat. "He spent a few months at his parents' home in the Vinkus," she said. "While his shoulder was healing. He started travelling towards the Emerald City about two weeks ago."

Galinda shook her head. "I can't believe he let you go," she muttered. "He probably didn't take it well, did he? When you said that you were leaving again, by yourself, and that he had to stay behind?"

Elphaba avoided Galinda's gaze.

"Elphie?" the blonde said, her voice sounding dangerously low. "Please tell me that you have at least let him know that you're still alive."

Elphaba didn't say anything, just kept on staring at the floor.

Galinda jumped to her feet and nearly screeched into her friend's face, "Have you completely misplaced your mind, Elphaba Thropp? You didn't even tell him that you're still alive?! Has he seen you at all since you left him at that hospital?"

Elphaba's silence was answer enough, and Galinda shook her head in disbelief. "I don't believe this," she declared. "Elphaba, he loves you!"

"It's not safe!"

"I don't care and I'm sure he doesn't, either!" Galinda stared into her friend's eyes intently. "Elphie, you can't do this to him!" she said pleadingly. "He would never forget about you, you know that as well as I do. All you're achieving by insisting on doing this is making him miserable! He doesn't want to be safe without you – he wants to be with you, whether that means he'll be in danger or not!"

"I know that!" Elphaba ran both hands through her raven hair in frustration. "Don't you think I know that? But that's why I have to keep him safe – because he won't do it for himself!"

"Elphaba," Galinda said softly. "You have to go and see him."

Elphaba opened her mouth to protest, but the blonde cut her off. "If only to let him know that you're okay."

The dark-haired witch hesitated for a moment, then closed her mouth again and nodded with a sour face. "I guess you're right."

Galinda kissed her cheek. "That's a good Elphie. Now, off you go, Miss Witch. Find that pretty man of yours and suck his face off."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Not literally!" Galinda protested. She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air. "Never mind! Just go to him already!"

Elphaba grinned at her, then hugged her one final time. "Bye, Glin."

"Bye." Galinda watched as her friend climbed into the window sill and kicked off, soaring up into the air. "And be careful!" the blonde called after the quickly disappearing dark form of her friend.

She sighed, then closed the window again and plopped down onto her bed. She hoped Elphaba would keep her word and make things right with Fiyero again.