AU: This chapter kinda ends with a cliffhanger, too. Heheh. Anyway, thanks for reviewing once again, I really appreciate it :).

Disclaimer: Don't wish, don't start...

'No, Fiyero! I won't have any of it! You're staying here and that's the end of it!' she shouted at him, her anger getting the better of her. He, however, seemed to be just as annoyed with her as she was with him.

'If I'm not going, then you're not going either!'

'That's not fair!' she protested. 'Don't you see – I have to go, but you can't come with me!'

'And why is that?' Fiyero demanded. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself, before she could look him in the eye again. 'Because it might be dangerous.'

'That's all the more reason for me to come-'

'No. It's not.' She shook her head. 'I'm not going to put you at risk, Fiyero. You're staying here. Got it?'

'No, I don't,' he snapped, feeling frustrated. 'I'm a grown man, Elphaba. I can make my own decisions and right now I'm deciding to come with you.'

At that point, Maráni entered the room, looking slightly irritable. 'Are you done fighting? I could hear you yelling all the way across the caves!'

'We'll be done as soon as she accepts the fact that I'm coming with her,' Fiyero declared, at which Elphaba retorted, 'Which isn't going to happen anytime soon, so why don't you just give in and accept the fact that you're staying here?'

'Is that what this is all about?' Maráni shook her head in disbelief. 'I take it that Doctor Dillamond has given you permission to travel now?' she asked Elphaba. The green girl nodded. 'He still thinks it would be better if I would just stay here for some more time, but you know as well as I do, Maráni, that I have to go and see Master Gold. You know how important the Resistance still is, even with the Wizard no longer holding the reigns of Oz.'

Maráni nodded. 'I understand. And you don't want Fiyero to come with you?'

'I'm not putting him at risk,' Elphaba declared. Fiyero glared at her. 'You're not,' he countered. 'I'm putting myself at risk. Like I said, Fae, I make my own decisions.'

Elphaba turned towards Maráni. 'See? He will have none of it.'

The Wolf shook her head again. 'Fabala, I hate to break it to you, but… well, he's right.'

Fiyero gave his lover a triumphant look, which only worsened her already foul mood. 'You're not fully healed yet,' Maráni continued, 'and so I don't think it's a good idea for you to go wandering around Oz on your own. He should come with you.'

Elphaba growled. 'You're not much help today, Maráni.'

The Wolf smirked. 'I know.' Then her face grew serious again. 'But this is not what I came to talk to you about, actually. Fabala, have you spoken to Ordon yet?'

The witch shook her head. 'Not yet. Why?'

'He just came back from town,' Maráni told her with a faint smile. 'He told us there are changes going on in Oz. The Animal bans have been lifted.'

Elphaba's face immediately brightened and she resisted the urge to clap her hands with delight – perhaps she had spent too much time around Glinda after all. 'I knew she could do it!'

'There are things going on in Munchkinland as well – I believe our Glinda the Good has named a new Governor, a young Munchkin girl, who seems to be doing a very good job there.'

'I knew she would make me proud,' Elphaba said, beaming like a proud mother talking about her child. Maráni smiled and turned. 'I'm going to go and put my cubs to bed, so I'm warning you to keep quiet. If you keep my children awake with your yelling, I'm going to be forced to rip out your vocal cords,' she told them lightly, which, to be completely honest, made Fiyero rather nervous. He gulped and watched the retreating form of the Wolf. 'Would she actually do that?'

'Not to me,' Elphaba smirked, which didn't really make him feel any better.

'Just perfect,' he muttered. Then he glared at her. 'But Wolves threatening to rip out my vocal cords aren't going to stop me from arguing. I'm not going to let you fly off on your own.'

She sighed and then, to his surprise, she gave in. 'Fine, then,' she grumbled. 'But you're going to do exactly as I say, when I say it, understood?'

'Got it,' Fiyero confirmed, smirking a bit because of his victory. Elphaba glared at him. 'Don't look so smug. You may have won this battle, but the war isn't over yet, Fiyero Tiggular.'

He only laughed at that, pulling her close. 'So when will we leave?'

'Tomorrow morning,' she answered, pushing him away. 'So you'd better go get some sleep now. You don't want to doze off when you're sitting on a broomstick – it's a long way down.'

He shuddered at the thought of that. 'I most certainly don't. All right, then, I'll go to sleep – if you do, too.'

'I was planning to, anyway,' she told him, gesturing towards the pyjamas she was already wearing. She carefully sat herself down on the bed and he came to lie next to her. She snuggled closer to him and, using his chest as a pillow, she closed her eyes. Fiyero smiled at that, tugging at the blanket so that it covered her up to her chin, and he put his arm around her. Then he drifted off to sleep as well.

Elphaba woke up a few hours later, in the middle of the night. Fiyero was lying on his back, snoring lightly, and she carefully moved away as not to wake him. Silently, she got up, taking it easy with her right ankle, and she quickly dressed herself before looking back at the still sleeping Fiyero. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear her but feeling the need to say it all the same. 'But I can't put your life in danger any more than I already have.'

She hesitated for a moment before lightly brushing her lips across his temple. 'I'll be back, I promise,' she whispered softly. Then she left the room.

She moved purposefully through the network of caves until she came outside and she stood there for a moment, breathing in the cool night air. It had been weeks since she had been outside and she had missed it – she wasn't one to stay cooped up in the same place for too long. It was only then she realised that she didn't have her broom anymore – it must still be back at Kiamo Ko. She looked around for something else to fly on, until her gaze fell onto the wooden crutch she was still holding. She chortled softly at the thought, but since she couldn't think of anything better at such short notice, the crutch would have to do. She lay down the crutch and kneeled next to it. The spell to make things fly was one of the few spells from the Grimmerie she knew by heart.

'Ahben Tahkay Ah Tum Entay Ditum Entayah,' she whispered softly. For a few clock-ticks, it seemed like nothing happened; then the crutch came shuddering to life and she quickly grasped it before it would fly off on its own. She sat herself onto it and kicked off, disappearing into the night sky.

She hadn't realised how much she had missed flying until now. It felt amazing to soar above the clouds again, adrenaline rushing through her veins, the wind whipping her loose hair around her face, the feeling of freedom that came with it. She enjoyed the entire way, even though the journey didn't take that long – only an hour or two.

She landed in the hills just across Kumbricia's Pass, south of the Great Kells, where she knew another Resistance hideout to be. It was the hideout Master Gold preferred and she was almost certain she'd find him there. She dismounted and limped towards the hidden entrance of the hideout, pulling her cloak tighter around her to protect her from the cold. She knocked on one of the rock walls – a special pattern that told whoever was inside that it must be another Resistance member – and she waited patiently. After a few clock-ticks, the hidden door slowly swung open and she stepped inside.

'Welcome, Miss,' a gruff voice said to her. She smiled at the old man standing next to her. 'Good night, Rro. It's good to see you again.'

He merely huffed and went back to reading his book by candlelight without even really looking at her. She didn't expect him to recognise her – the hood of her cloak was still covering her face, and beside that, Rro didn't usually care who it was that entered the hideout. There were so many Resistance members breezing in and out every day that he couldn't keep track of them anyway.

Elphaba made her way through the caves – caves were very good hiding places for people who didn't wish to be found – until she reached what she knew to be Master Gold's chambers. The Resistance member guarding the doors didn't say anything, but merely looked at her. She cleared her throat. 'Please tell Master Gold that Miss Rose is here to see him,' she said, using the code name only the members of the inner circle of the Resistance knew. All the inner members, except for Master Gold himself, were named after a flower. She didn't have to think long about what hers would be. I wasn't born for the rose and pearl. She had liked the irony of it.

The guard looked at he as if she was crazy. 'Do you know what time it is?'

'I'm aware that it is the middle of the night, but I have very important matters to discuss with him.'

He snorted and clearly thought about it for a moment, but eventually he nodded. 'I'll see if he want to speak with you.' He disappeared through the door, which he left slightly open, and Elphaba could hear the conversation inside. 'I'm very sorry to disturb you, Master, but there's someone here to see you. She says it's important.'

'Well, who is she?' she heard Master Gold ask.

'She says her name is Miss Rose, Master.'

'Miss Rose?!' she heard him exclaim in genuine surprise. Then his voice became suspicious. 'No, that's impossible. Are you sure she's even a member of the Resistance? What does she look like?'

'I couldn't see,' the guard replied. 'She was wrapped up in a dark cloak. Do you think she's a spy, Master?'

'I'm not sure,' Master Gold said. 'Please show her in, but leave the door slightly open just in case. I'll be able to tell you in a clock-tick if she is who she claims to be.'

'Yes, Master.' The soldier came back and announced in a neutral voice, 'Master Gold will see you now,' but his slightly narrowed eyes and subtle body language told her he'd be ready to kill her as soon as Master Gold would give him any reason to. It didn't really bother her, though – she was used to it. He wouldn't be any good as a guard if he didn't act like this.

She entered the room. Master Gold was standing in the middle of it, shoulders straight, chin lifted, hands behind his back. He looked at her, his eyes also narrowed. 'Miss Rose, isn't it?'

'It is,' she answered, secretly enjoying herself as he narrowed his eyes even more. 'If you're a spy, you didn't do your research very well, since Miss Rose has been dead for weeks now.'

'Or so they say,' she replied, a mischievous glimmer in her eye. She could see him thinking. 'Would you care to remove your cloak, Miss Rose?'

She smiled at that and did as he asked. She heard him gasp in surprise as he saw who she really was. 'It is you!' he exclaimed, his professional attitude disappearing immediately when he pulled her into a big bear hug. She laughed. 'I'm disappointed, really,' she said when he let go of her again. 'I would have expected you to recognise my voice the instant I opened my mouth. Are we getting a bit rusty?'

He chuckled and, suddenly remembering, called out to the guard standing outside. 'You can close the door, it's really her!' Clock-ticks later, the door closed and Gold turned back to her. 'Sweet Oz, I can't believe it's really you.' He took her hands in his and eyed her up and down. 'Are you all right? How in Oz did you escape?'

'It's a long story,' she evaded the question, leaning on her crutch. Gold only seemed to notice it then. 'Elphaba… are you hurt?'

'I'm healing,' she told him truthfully. 'Which is why I couldn't contact you earlier – I'm sorry about that.'

'Where have you been? No one has heard from you in all this time!'

'At the palace,' she replied, chortling softly when he quirked an eyebrow at her. 'Glinda hid us in her chambers.' He nodded, being one of the very few Resistance members who knew about the connection between Elphaba and the Good Witch of the North. 'When I got worse, they transported me to the Great Kells. I've been staying with Maráni and the others ever since.'

'Sweet Oz,' he muttered, shaking his head. 'You said 'us'. Who else was with you?'

'Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus,' she told him, causing him to quirk his other eyebrow as well. 'The fellow you've been having a crush on ever since you left university?'

She blushed, but answered nonetheless, 'Yes, him. It appears the 'crush' was… well, mutual.' She smiled at the mere thought of Fiyero, which made Gold smile, too. 'I'm happy for you, Elphaba. Now, will you tell me what happened?'

She told him how she had managed to trick all of Oz into believing her to be dead – the short version, anyway – and what had happened ever since. He listened without interrupting. When she was done, he shook his head. 'Sweet Oz. It appears you've been busy even in presumed death.'

She snorted. 'Not as busy as I would have liked to be.'

He hid a smile. 'Of course. I assume they had to tie you down to the bed to make sure you'd get the rest you needed?'

She stuck out her tongue at him. 'Anyway, I came as soon as I could. With Glinda now ruling the country, I believe we have a few matters to discuss.'

'She's already lifted the Animal bans, hasn't she?' he said thoughtfully. 'It seems you were right about your friend – she truly wants to make things better.'

Elphaba nodded. 'She does. But that doesn't mean our work is done.'

'Of course not.' He tapped his chin with a pencil. 'And the Wizard? What do you plan to do about him?'

She shrugged. 'I think he's good where he is for the time being. He can't hurt anyone now, and I don't suppose he's a very big threat to us anymore, anyway. He seems sincere.' She thought about it for a moment. 'Morrible would be an entirely different matter, but she is safely locked up in the dungeons beneath the palace. No one ever escaped from there.'

'So she won't be a problem.' Gold sat down and she followed his example, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief – she was very tired, but she had been too stubborn to ask him if she could take a seat. He looked at her a bit suspiciously, but knowing her, he decided to let it slide. 'How long will you stay?'

She hesitated for a moment. 'I'd love to stay,' she said eventually, 'but… well… to be quite honest, I'd like to get back as soon as possible. I don't like leaving Fiyero behind. Besides, I kind of snuck out without telling anyone where I was going, and although I'm pretty sure they'll figure it out by themselves, I don't like keeping them waiting for too long. Knowing Fiyero, he'd probably be worried sick, no matter how many times I've told him I can take care of myself.'

Gold smiled. 'Very well, then. In that case, I suggest we discuss everything we need to discuss right now, so that you can depart again in the morning. How does that sound?'

She returned his smile. 'That sounds perfect, thank you.'

'She must be the most stubborn, foolhardy person I've ever met!' Fiyero declared as he stormed into the room. Maráni looked up from where she had been feeding her cubs, watching the raging man as he started pacing. 'You're only realising that just now?'

He grumbled. 'No. I should have known it – but still!'

'Let me guess,' Maráni sighed. 'She took off in the middle of the night without you.'

'I should have seen it coming!'

'You couldn't have prevented it if you had,' Maráni reminded him. 'You're right – she's the most stubborn person you'll ever meet in your life. One way or another, she would have left to see Master Gold without you. Just relax, Fiyero. She'll be fine.'

'Mommy!' One of Maráni's cubs – one she hadn't even noticed to be missing – came dashing into the room. 'Mommy, Mommy! You have to come outside right now!'

'What is it?' the Wolf asked in alarm, getting up. Fiyero stopped pacing and stared anxiously at the cub as well. 'Is it Elphaba?'

The cub shook its head. 'It's the other lady – the pretty blonde one! She says it's really important!'

'Glinda?!' Fiyero exclaimed. Maráni was instantly at her feet and ran outside, with Fiyero following close behind her. Outside, Glinda was talking to Doctor Dillamond, a worried look on her face – a look that was replaced by relief as soon as she saw Fiyero and Maráni. 'There you are, thank Oz!' She looked puzzled when she realised someone was missing. 'Wait… Where's Elphie?'

'She took off,' Fiyero grunted. Maráni quickly explained to Glinda what was going on. The blonde paled visibly. 'No! She can't – we have to get her back here right now!'

'What? Why?' Fiyero looked at Glinda closely, squinting. 'Glinda? What is going on?'

The blonde shook her head in despair. 'Oh Fiyero, it's horrible! She escaped! If she finds out Elphie is still alive, she'll kill her!'

Fiyero grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her a bit too fiercely. 'Who, Glinda?' he demanded. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. 'Madam Morrible!'

'So I guess that's it, then?' Elphaba asked.

Master Gold nodded. 'I suppose so, yes. I'll make the arrangements to carry out the plans – you don't have to worry about anything. Just go back to your prince now and enjoy some carefree time,' he winked. 'You deserve it.'

She smiled. 'I'll do that, then. Thanks again.'

'No, thank you,' he told her sincerely. 'And, Elphaba?'

She turned to face him. 'Yes?'

'I'm really glad you're not dead.'

She smirked. 'So am I.' He walked up to her and embraced her for a moment, before pulling back again. 'How did you get here?'

A pained expression crossed her face. 'I'd love to say 'by broom', but I didn't have one back at the hideout and so I had to improvise. The truthful answer would be 'by crutch'.'

He quirked an eyebrow, looking at the crutch she was holding, and chuckled. 'I must admit, it won't do your reputation any good. I've never seen a witch fly on a crutch before.' He chuckled again. 'Or perhaps you're setting a new trend.'

She shot him a look, which only made him laugh harder. 'Oh, Elphaba, I'm just teasing you, you know that. Have a safe journey back – and please visit again whenever you get the chance, all right?'

'Of course.' She embraced him once again; then she left the room, leaning on her crutch, and made her way outside. She looked around, but there was no one to be seen, and so she whispered a few words to activate the flying spell once more and she mounted, flying off in the direction of the Great Kells.

Morgana Morrible was walking through Kumbricia's Pass, mulling over the future – she had no idea what she was going to do next. The Wicked Witch was dead, she herself had been exposed as a traitor, the Wizard was gone… all of Oz hated her now, and she had nowhere to go. Should she find herself a small home and live the rest of her life in peace? Should she leave Oz and build a new life? Should she try to bring down Glinda the Good and reclaim her position at the top of the government? She wanted nothing more badly than that, but she didn't have the slightest idea how to accomplish it. No one would listen to her now.

She stopped for a moment, tired of walking, and gazed up at the night sky. It was a bright night and she could see several stars blinking at her. The moon was almost full, she observed. A full moon was the perfect condition for certain spells she'd love to try out once. She remembered a spell from the Grimmerie that granted the caster immortality – she had wanted to try that one for years, but the circumstances for it had to be exactly right, and those circumstances had never presented themselves before. A full moon was only one of them – there was also something about the planets being in one line, and the spell would have to be cast from a mountain top covered in fog, and there were certain rituals going with it. She remembered all of it, having learned the conditions of the spell as well as the spell itself by heart just in case she might need it sometime. Oh, how wonderful that would be – no one would be able to kill or hurt her, she would be able to violently force her way to the top and rule Oz for the rest of eternity, not ever dying…

She was shaken from her daydream by a shadow flying past in the night sky. She blinked and squinted a bit to see what it had been. At first she thought it to be a bat, but then she saw that it looked more like a flying stick… a broom, perhaps… with someone on top of it. She recognised the curtain of black hair trailing behind the person, waving in the wind, and even without the tiny glimpse of green skin she caught, she would have known the identity of the person flying up there. Not many people could fly on an enchanted broomstick.

Slowly, the corners of her mouth turned upward in a fiendish grin. Perhaps the tables were finally turning.

So the next chapter will be mostly Elphiyero fluff. Because I love Elphiyero and I love fluff. But it appears it will end with another cliffhanger once again - I just can't resist them ^^.