AU: Muahahaha, I love to keep you guys dangling on cliffhangers!

...

No, to be quite honest, I don't. Every time I post a chapter ending with a cliffhanger, I have to fight the urge to post the next chapter right away - I guess I do hate cliffhangers just as much as you do. That didn't prevent me from ending this chapter with another one, though - sorry in advance. The next chapter will be up soon, though. Promise.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

And I will love you

Until you learn

to love yourself

The moment Elphaba's feet touched the ground, Fiyero practically jumped her, throwing his arms around her and holding her so tightly she could barely breathe. He buried his face in her hair and he heard him whisper, more to himself than to anyone else, 'Thank Oz, you're okay,' over and over again. He only let go when she yelped, 'Fiyero. Cracked ribs. Ouch.'

She stepped back a bit and blinked at him. 'All right, I know I took off in the middle of the night without telling you, but I thought you were smart enough to figure out where I had gone.'

'He was,' Maráni, who was standing not far away, told her, since Fiyero didn't seem to be able to speak – he was clasping her hand as if he was afraid she would vanish the moment he let go. 'He didn't like it, of course, and he worried, anyway, but… something came up.'

'I was so scared that she might have found you,' Fiyero said softly, putting his arms around her waist from behind and holding her close against his chest. She let her head rest against his shoulder in reply, and asked softly, 'Who?'

'Fabala…' Maráni came closer, an unusual solemn look in her eyes. 'Glinda came by while you were gone. Morrible has escaped from prison.'

Elphaba's body suddenly went very cold. 'What?'

'That's why we were so worried,' explained the Wolf briefly. 'She doesn't have the Grimmerie, but she still has magic, and she's extremely powerful. We don't know if she knows you are still alive, but if she does…'

'She'll come after me.' She wasn't really asking a question – merely stating a fact. 'And she won't stop until she kills me – for real this time.'

She felt Fiyero's grip tighten around her, but she herself felt remarkably calm, pushing the thoughts and feelings away for now. 'One thing will be different, though.' She turned around to face Fiyero. 'This time, I won't let her drag any of you into this. If she does know and she does come after me, it'll be between her and me. No one else involved.'

'But she'll kill you, Fabala,' Maráni protested. 'Your magic may be powerful, but she has so much more experience than you do – you'd never survive!'

Elphaba shrugged. 'If that's the case, then so be it. But if I'm going down, then she's going down with me.'

'Elphaba, no!' She looked at Fiyero and she could see the despair in his eyes. 'Please don't talk like that,' he said quietly, his voice breaking. 'You make it sound like you don't care if you live or die.'

'Of course I care.' And she meant it, too. 'Can we talk about this later?' she asked, suddenly feeling exhausted. She had barely slept that night and she had been going over Resistance plans with Master Gold all morning – she really, really didn't want to talk about this right now. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep until all of this was over.

Fiyero nodded, concern showing in his sapphire eyes. 'Of course.' He led her inside, his arm still around her waist, and she tried to ignore the pricking feeling of Maráni's eyes burning in her back as the Wolf watched them go.

Elphaba knew Fiyero wouldn't let the subject slide, despite his earlier words, and she turned out to be right. 'Do you really not care?' he asked when they were sitting together on a thick rug by the fireplace in their bedroom.

She looked at him. 'I meant what I said earlier. I do care. I just care more about you living or dying than I do about myself. I want you to be safe, Fiyero, no matter what. That means that if Morrible knows about us being alive, I'll have to kill her, or she'll kill me first and come after you next. And if killing her, and thus saving you, means sacrificing myself in the process, then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.'

He looked sad, defeated. 'The most awful part is that I know that you meant every word you just said.'

'Of course I do!' she replied suddenly hot-headed. 'I love you, Fiyero!'

'I know that!' he shouted, just as agitated. 'But you often seem to forget that I love you as well, and if living means living without you, then I don't want to live! You are my life!'

She fell silent at that, not knowing what to say – a very uncommon thing for her – and as she looked up at him, he saw disbelief and hope fighting for supremacy in her eyes, before she quickly lowered them. He felt almost hurt, that she still didn't seem convinced of his love for her, but then again – she was… well… she. He couldn't blame her, after what she had been through all her life. Never had anyone truly loved her, truly cared for her, and she still didn't believe that he actually did.

He shifted a bit closer towards her and caught her chin, tilting her head slightly so she had to look him in the eye. 'I love you,' he told her, stretching and emphasising every word and looking straight into her beautiful dark eyes to convince her that he was telling the truth. 'You, Fae, are my everything. And I can honestly tell you that my life won't be worth living if you're not in it.'

'Why?' she whispered, turning away and fixing her gaze on the fire so she wouldn't have to look at him. 'What's there to love about me?'

He pulled her into his arms and forced her once again to look at him. 'Everything,' he told her sincerely. 'I love everything about you. I love your extraordinary intelligence and the way you can be so absorbed in a book that you don't have an eye for anything else happening around you. I love your sarcastic and witty remarks. I love the way you smile and the way you laugh, even – or perhaps especially – if you're laughing at me. I love how beautiful you are, on the inside as well as on the outside. I love your temper because you look so astoundingly cute when you're angry. I love the way you're looking at me right now, that look that says you want to believe what I'm saying, but you don't – which besides adorable is also extremely frustrating to me, but still. I love everything about you, Elphaba, all the way from here,' he put his finger on the crown of her head and started sliding it down her face, her neck, her side and her leg, until he had reached her foot and briefly tickled her toes, 'to there.'

He could see in her eyes how badly she wanted to believe him, but he could also see that she still didn't. He bent his head a bit to kiss her in a final, desperate attempt to convince her, and she kissed him back, sliding her arms around his neck. 'We're going to get through this,' he told her, brushing her cheek with his lips. 'No matter how bad things get, we'll get through them. Together.'

'But Morrible…'

'Morrible is not an exception to that.'

She looked up at him for a moment before lowering her eyes again and saying softly, 'I'm just so afraid she will be.'

'Elphaba…' He gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 'It's okay to be scared, you know. Especially after everything the woman's put you through. You don't have to be brave all the time, you don't have to pretend not to be affected by it when you so clearly are. Anyone would be scared right now, Fae. Anyone.'

'I'm not anyone,' she said softly, but he felt her body starting to tremble and when he wrapped his arms around her even tighter, she buried her face in his shoulder and started crying. He'd almost never seen her cry, and when she did cry, she usually stuck with a few silent, dignified tears. Now, however, she was really crying; she didn't restrain herself any longer and she was sobbing, crying for everything that had went wrong in her life, for everyone she'd lost, clinging to his shirt as if she was never going to let go again. He held her close to his chest, softly rubbing her back in a soothing manner, whispering all the while that she was going to be okay, that he was here with her, that he would never leave her alone, and meaning every single word.

She cried for a long time, but finally, the sobs started to fade away only to be replaced by a soft whimpering that almost made him cry, too, it sounded so helpless. He cradled her against him and rested his chin on her hair until she calmed down some more.

'I'm sorry,' she finally sniffed, pulling back a little to wipe the tears from her face. He planted a kiss on her hair. 'Don't be.'

She was still shivering and he fetched a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around them both before gently urging her to lie down. He lay down next to her, putting his arms around her once more, their foreheads touching. 'Are you okay now?'

She moved even closer towards him, closing her eyes for a moment. 'Yero, I… I'm scared.'

He didn't think she'd ever admitted that to someone before in her life, probably not even to herself. 'I know. But I'm with you, Fae. I'll always be with you, whether you'd like that or not.'

She smiled and admitted quietly, 'I would like that.'

He returned her smile. 'I was hoping you would.' Their lips touched, and he pulled her as close to him as he possibly could without crushing her. He moved his head a little, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, and she wrapped her arms tightly around him and sighed happily. He kissed her nose once before returning to her lips, and when they finally broke apart, they were both rather breathless. 'I love you,' she whispered, meaning every word, and he smiled against her lips. 'I love you, too. I meant everything I said earlier, Fae. I love everything about you.'

'I still don't see how that's possible,' she whispered, and he felt her smile as she slowly kissed him again. 'But I'm really glad you do.'

She woke up in his arms around dinnertime, feeling safe and warm and happy for the first time in a long time. She smiled, closing her eyes again with every intention to go back to sleep, when she felt his lips touching her neck. 'Good morning, beautiful.'

Her smile broadened as he kissed her nose. 'Good evening, you mean.'

He shrugged. 'Whatever.' She closed her eyes again as he pressed his lips in her hair and murmured, 'Do you want to get up?'

She snuggled closer to him with a content sigh. 'Nah. I'm good.'

They lay like that for a while in silence, not feeling the need to say anything. He was fidgeting with her hair a bit absent-mindedly, curling strands of it around his finger. 'Did you plan on staying here? At the hideout, I mean?' he finally asked.

She shook her head against his chest. 'No. It has been wonderful to see Maráni again, and Nuki, and Doctor Dillamond, and everyone, really – but this isn't my home anymore. Besides, with Morrible on the loose, my mere presence here would put them all in danger and I would never want to be responsible for that.'

'They're staying here?' Fiyero asked, somewhat surprised, lifting his head from the floor so that he could look at her. 'I'd think that with the Animal bans gone…'

'The bans are gone, but that doesn't mean the people will accept Animals living among them,' Elphaba reminded him, rolling over so that she was lying on her stomach propped up on her elbows. 'Most Ozians are still having difficulties adjusting to the way Glinda is changing everything, and until the commotion dies down, most of them will be staying here.'

Fiyero nodded. 'I can understand that.' Lost in thought, he lightly slid his finger down her spine, smiling when he felt her shiver in response. She rolled over again, trapping his finger underneath her and smirking at him. He grinned back and started to tickle her, which made her double over with laughter, trying to stop him, but he was much stronger than she was. It was the first time since – well, since Shiz, actually – that he had heard her laugh, really, genuinely laugh, and he smiled. 'Do you surrender?'

'Never!' she gasped and he started tickling her again mercilessly until she finally cried out, 'All right, all right! I surrender! Please stop!'

He trapped her underneath him, pinning her arms to her side and looking down at her. She was still laughing and he lowered his lips to hers for a soft, sweet kiss.

'Why did you ask?' she asked him when he pulled back again. He looked at her in confusion. 'What?'

'If I was planning on staying here,' she clarified. 'Why did you ask? Did you have somewhere you needed to be?'

He hesitated for a moment. 'Well, I don't really need to be there, but… well… I'd like to visit my parents,' he said. 'Let them know I'm still alive. They still believe I died, you know, and… I think they deserve to know the truth.'

She quirked an eyebrow at him. 'Were you also planning on telling them you're in love with the Wicked Witch of the West?'

'I don't like you referring to yourself like that,' he told her rather sternly. 'You're not wicked at all.'

'But I am a witch. And technically, I'm in the west, too,' she quipped, causing him to threateningly waggle his fingers near her sides. 'Did you want me to tickle you to death?'

She laughed and kissed his nose. 'Only if it makes you happy.'

He grinned at her and caressed her cheek with his fingers. 'But yes, I was indeed planning on telling them about you. I want you to meet them.'

She choked. 'Excuse me?'

'You heard me. I think they'll believe me when I tell them the rumours about you weren't true – I think they'll accept you.'

'You think?' she quipped. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 'Well, yes. I can't guarantee anything, of course, but…' He shrugged and she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down so that his face was mere centimetres from hers. 'If that's what you want,' she told him, 'then that's what we'll do. I'll be happy anywhere, as long as I'm with you.'

He smiled. 'Did I ever mention you being amazing?'

She pretended to think about that. 'No, I don't think I can recall you saying that,' she said with a mock frown. He chuckled and bent down to whisper in her ear, 'You're amazing.'

'So are you,' she whispered back, before he kissed her again.

'Oh, my. I believe the tables are actually turning,' Morrible whispered to herself, barely daring to believe what she was reading.

The book that had caught her interest was one about astronomy. She wasn't usually interested in those kinds of things – she preferred sorcery – but now, she needed this knowledge to perform a certain kind of sorcery.

Ever since she had seen Elphaba Thropp – at least, she was convinced that it had been her – she had been brooding on her final master plan. And it seemed that the Unnamed God was with her, because it appeared, as she read in the book, that certain conditions for a certain immortality spell would be exactly right within a few days from now.

If I can gain immortality, she reasoned, even Elphaba won't be able to defeat me this time. No one will be able to defeat me. I will be invincible – I will murder everyone who gets in my way. I'll be the final ruler of Oz and everyone will bow for me for the rest of my life – which will be forever, since I will be immortal. She tried to suppress a grin, but failed. She was just too excited. Finally, finally she would get what she wanted, what she needed, what she deserved.

Three days from now, the planets would be in one line at a full moon, and she would be on the highest mountain top to deliver the spell.

She smiled as she put the book back and left the small shop. She couldn't wait.

'You shouldn't go.'

Elphaba glared at him. 'You may be my,' she still choked on the word 'father', so she just said, 'my you-know-what, but I'm a grown woman. I can make my own decisions. And right now I'm deciding to go.'

'I don't mean to tell you what to do,' Oscar said. 'I just wish you'd stay here for the time being. You of all people know how dangerous Morrible can be.'

'Which is exactly why I have to go,' she explained. 'She still has her magic, and she knows quite a few spells. She might be able to track me if I stay around here for too long.'

He nodded slowly. 'I hadn't thought of that. You will be careful, won't you?'

She smirked at him. 'You know me. A little, anyway.'

'My point exactly,' he said drily. She decided to let that comment pass and went on, 'You'll be staying here at the hideout for the time being. I'll have them assign you a room – a decent one, I mean, with a bed and a fireplace and things like that. I think you've earned yourself that by now.'

He gave her a genuine smile. 'Thank you, Elphaba.'

'But if you even so much as think about running away,' she threatened, 'you're a dead man. And that might just be taken literally.' She would never do that, of course – she merely wanted to make a point.

His smile didn't vanish. 'I won't run away. I promise.'

'Good. Maráni, Nuki and the others will be keeping an eye on you for me.' She thought about the journey to Fiyero's parents for a moment, before she said, 'I'm not sure for how long I will be gone, but I promise I'll be back.'

'You don't have to come back for me,' he said, sounding a bit resigned. She shook her head. 'I'm coming back for Nuki and the others, not just for you.' Then she smiled at him – perhaps the first genuine smile she had ever given him. 'But I do think I'd like to see you again, too.' She got up. 'I'll let you know when we leave, all right?' She didn't wait for an answer, but left the room without further comment.

They decided to travel on foot rather than by broomstick – or… crutch - to minimise the chance at being recognised. Two people flying through the air would definitely be something the people would remember, and they wanted to leave as few traces as humanly possible. Elphaba said her goodbyes to Oscar and to her Animal friends, promising them she'd be visiting again shortly, and Fiyero thanked them solemnly for their help.

Then they left, soon disappearing in the mist that surrounded the Great Kells.

Morgana Morrible was standing on the snow-covered top of a mountain, almost invisible thanks to the thick fog. She was gazing up at the sky, watching the moon as it slowly rose to its rightful place. She waited until midnight exactly before kneeling in the snow, using a magic wand she had bought in the village she had passed through earlier to write down the magical symbols she needed. She started chanting in a melodious, ringing voice that echoed through the mountains. 'Ah Tum Akele Dah Tay Patines Noctum Soy…'

So, Morrible and an immortality spell - not the greatest combination, if you ask me, but a very interesting one nonetheless, right? ^^ The more reviews, the sooner I'll update! (No, not really - I'm just tricking you into reviewing. Like I said, I can't stand cliffhangers myself and so I'll probably update soon, reviews or not, but I would still really, really love for you to review :3.)