AN: I don't think any chapter so far has gotten as much reviews as the last one! :) Thank you so much!

No grand entrances, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness - we wouldn't want to give poor Fiyero a heart attack, now would we? ^^ He's been through enough already. I guess the whole thing is kind of dramatic, though. I have written and rewritten that part about twenty times, and twenty times more in my head, but I think it came out rather well - although it still sounded better in my head. But then again, it always does.

And EvilLoveTriangle, you're right - that's not what I said before, but trust me when I say I would never kill Elphie - or Fiyero or Glinda, for that matter. Not permanently, anyway *smirk*. Why I didn't say so before? Because I love messing with you guys. Your reactions make me laugh :D.

Oh, by the way, brownie points for Wicked4Life (again ^^)! The song was indeed 'Thirty Years of Tears' by John Hiatt :).

Disclaimer: Nope.

After having endured endless tears and hugs from Glinda – and even a few from Corrin – Elphaba left the palace and headed towards the Vinkus. On her way there, she tried to think of a plan. How should she tell Fiyero? She couldn't very well walk up to him and say, 'Hi, it's me, I'm still alive!', right? She'd give him a heart attack.

Actually, she mused, steering her broom around a mountain top, she'd give him a heart attack no matter which way she told him. Glinda and Corrin had told her how he had been holding up – or how he hadn't been holding up – and even though they had kept the details to a minimum, Elphaba felt incredibly guilty and heartbroken about it. She felt awful about what she had put him – well, all of them – through, even though she hadn't done it on purpose, of course. Dying had hardly been on her to do list. But still, somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that people had suffered because of her again. Especially Glinda and Fiyero – as if they hadn't suffered enough already because of her and her actions.

She sighed and tried to focus on the 'how-do-I-tell-Fiyero-I'm-alive-again'-problem. She still couldn't think of a way to do it and not scare him to death, and finally, she came to the conclusion that she had to use his family. If she told them first, they could gently break the news to Fiyero, thus lessening the shock when he'd see her. It wasn't perfect, but who cared? All that mattered was that soon, they would be together again.

She flew the rest of the night and walked the following day – to make sure no one could see her flying on her broomstick by daylight – and after flying a few hours more, she landed in the castle gardens sometime after sunset. There was something going on in the rose garden, she noted immediately; some people were gathered together between the flowerbeds, softly talking to one another. She recognised the royal family among them and she decided to go and see what was going on.

Again, she left her broom in a corner and slipped into the shadows, swiftly and quietly moving closer. There were about ten people there; she saw King Harold and Queen Yasminia, and the two princesses. The other people she did not recognise, but from the way they were interacting with the Tiggulars, Elphaba could conclude that most of them must be close friends, perhaps even family.

She studied the two princesses for a moment. Anwen was dressed in a dark blue velvet dress with long, flaring sleeves; Rayenna, who was carrying Nuki in her arms, wore a dark purple dress, the bodice of which tightly hugged her slim forms, with a full skirt. Both looked as if they had been crying, and it was only then Elphaba noted that everyone's clothes were a dark colour. Suddenly, she went very cold as a suspicion dawned on her. Could this be…

She left the shadows and slowly approached the princesses, making sure to cover her skin with her cloak. 'Excuse me?' she asked politely when she had reached the girls. Anwen and Rayenna both turned to look at her, but didn't recognise her – as had been Elphaba's intention. 'May I ask what exactly is going on?'

Rayenna merely gave her a sad smile and hugged Nuki, who was crying quietly, as Anwen softly explained, 'We're saying goodbye to a very close friend of ours who has passed on a week ago.'

Elphaba blinked. So it was what it looks like. They were having a wake… for her? 'A very close friend, you say?'

Anwen nodded. 'We didn't know her for all that long,' she said quietly. 'But… well, she was important to us. We couldn't attend the burial, so we're having a small wake of our own here today. Her name was Elphaba.'

Elphaba shook her head in disbelief, genuinely touched by the gesture. 'Sweet Oz,' she exclaimed softly, more to herself than to the girls in front of her. 'Frankly, I thought everyone – with very few exceptions – would only celebrate my death. I would never have imagined someone to have a wake for me.'

Anwen stared at her, confusion clearly written all over her face, but both Rayenna and Nuki immediately connected the dots. Nuki stopped crying and stared at the figure in the dark cloak, and Rayenna's eyes widened. 'No…' she whispered. 'It can't be.' She lifted one arm, hesitated for a clock-tick, and then pulled back the hood that was covering Elphaba's face. Both sisters and Nuki gasped simultaneously and Elphaba winced slightly. 'Please believe me when I say this was not how I wanted you to find out.'

'Elphaba!' the three of them shrieked and before she knew it, she was nearly thrown over as they flung themselves at her. Nuki practically jumped her, landing in her arms, and rubbed her head against the green girl's chest, and Anwen and Rayenna tried to hug her at the same time, which didn't really work all that well, but none of them cared.

The excited shrieks caught the attention of Queen Yasminia, who was just saying goodbye to the final guests, and she frowned slightly. As soon as the guests had left, she went over to where her daughters were apparently smothering someone – or so it looked. 'Girls,' she begun sternly, 'what did I tell you about…' She fell silent as the guest came into view.

'Mom!' Anwen exclaimed. 'Look! Elphaba is alive!' She was jumping up and down with excitement, and Elphaba couldn't help but laugh at that.

'I can see that, thank you, honey,' the Queen replied drily. She eyed Elphaba up and down, clearly not believing her eyes. 'Sweet Oz, Elphaba… Does Fiyero know yet?'

That was a refreshing question – until now, everyone had started with 'How is this possible?'. Elphaba looked at Fiyero's mother a bit guiltily. 'Not yet. I… I wasn't sure how to tell him,' she confessed. 'I thought perhaps it would be easier if one of you would tell him first, so that he can…'

Queen Yasminia, however, was already shaking her head. 'You should go see him yourself,' she said. 'He's in his room – you know where that is. Meet us in the library afterwards and then you can tell us everything, but you have to go and see Yero first.'

Elphaba nodded. 'I will.'

'He hasn't been to the wake,' Rayenna said quietly. 'We asked him to come, but he didn't want to. He barely leaves his room – he barely eats or drinks, he barely sleeps. He just sits there, doing nothing. We have been worried about him.'

'But he's going to be so much better now!' Anwen beamed. 'Oz, I want to see his face when he realises you're alive!'

'Anwen,' her mother said sternly. The girl made a face. 'I know. I wasn't proposing to come with Elphaba, or something. I just… never mind.' She gestured towards the door. 'Just go and see him.'

Elphaba kissed the top of Nuki's head and handed her back to Rayenna. 'I'll be back,' she promised the Cat, who merely smiled at her, clearly overjoyed to know that Elphaba indeed would come back.

Elphaba made her way through the hallways and up the stairs, to where she knew Fiyero's bedroom to be, and she stopped front of the door. She took a deep breath and quietly opened it, closing it again behind her.

Fiyero was sitting in the window sill, staring outside the window, his back towards her. He didn't even look up, but he must have heard her, because he said flatly, 'Go away.'

She didn't, of course. Instead, she quietly took off her cloak and hung it over a nearby chair, before taking a few tentative steps forward. 'Yero?'

He tensed visibly. It wasn't the nickname that did it - his mother and sisters called him 'Yero' sometimes, too. It wasn't even that he recognised her voice, or sensed her presence – he'd been hearing her voice and feeling her presence everywhere for the past few days, and it had never been her. There was no reason this time would be different… and yet he knew. He didn't think it was her, he didn't hope it was her – well, of course he did, but he didn't just hope it was her; somehow, he knew it was her.

It wasn't what she had said, it was the way in which she had said it, he realised. Because only she was capable of putting so much emotion, so much guilt and relief and sadness and hurt and above all, love, into one single word. He didn't breathe; he didn't turn around, scared to death that he was imagining things again, not wanting to hope, because he didn't think he could bear the disappointment of her not being there. Not again.

He kept his gaze fixed on the stars in the night sky outside the window, unable to move or even think. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to compose himself and convince himself to stop dreaming and hoping and wishing for things that could never happen, and when he opened his eyes again… he caught her reflexion in the glass.

That one glimpse was enough to make him whirl around, nearly cricking his neck in the process, and there she was. Right in front of him. He stared at her, he saw her, but he was unable to comprehend what was right in front of his nose.

She felt tears stinging her eyes as she saw his face. There were dark circles underneath his eyes and he looked as if he hadn't taken care of himself at all. But the worst part was the haunted, yet empty look in his sapphire eyes. She had never seen him like this before and she felt awful about it, because she knew it was her death that had caused it to happen.

He blinked a few times and she looked at him. 'Yero?' she asked again, softly, and slowly, he lifted his gaze to meet hers. 'Fae?' he croaked uncertainly, clearly still not believing his own eyes, and she smiled softly at him. 'It's me,' she confirmed, and it was as if those words lit a fire inside his eyes, because suddenly, they were sparkling again, brighter than she had ever seen them. He got up and tentatively walked up to her, but stopped right in front of her. He lifted his hand and hesitated for a moment, as if she would disappear the moment he touched her. She didn't, of course, and when he cupped her face with both his hands, tears sprang to his eyes. 'It is you,' he whispered, his voice breaking, and then he crushed her to him. He buried his face in her soft, silky hair, breathing in her scent. Every feeling he had suppressed in the past week suddenly bubbled to the surface and he started sobbing, wretched and broken sobs, only slightly muffled by the fact most of his face was still buried in her hair.

She, too, was crying now, and she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes as she melted into his embrace. Oz, she had missed this – even though she knew time had passed so much faster for her than it had for those she had left behind.

She felt him tighten his grip around her and she looked up at him. 'I love you so much,' she whispered, barely believing that she actually had the chance to say the words to him, instead of mulling them over and over in her head, wishing she'd still be alive so she could let him know.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her, softly, as if to reassure himself that this was really happening. She slid her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss and she closed her eyes, cherishing every single moment she had with him.

When they finally pulled apart slightly to catch their breath, Fiyero leaned his forehead against hers and the widest smile she had ever seen on someone's face broke through on his. 'I can't believe you're really here,' he admitted softly.

She involuntarily let out a girlish giggle that sounded much like one of Glinda's, but she didn't even care – she was just so happy. 'Me neither.'

He looked into her large, dark eyes and softly trailed his finger down her face. She pressed her cheek against his hand as she looked up at him, and he shook his head a little. 'But… this isn't possible. You were dead,' he protested, and she nodded earnestly. 'I was.'

'But how…' he started, but she cut him off by gently pressing her finger against his lips. 'Later,' she promised, and he was actually quite happy to leave it at that, not wanting to waste their time together with talking. His lips brushed her brow and he started planting light kisses on her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, her neck, her collarbone - on every inch of green skin he could lay his eyes on. She pressed herself tighter against him and moaned softly as his lips found hers again in a hungry, almost desperate kiss.

After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled back just a little, breathless, and he rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, letting the wonderful sense of her presence wash over him. He still couldn't believe she was really there, and he had no idea how this was even possible, but he found that he didn't care. All that mattered was that she was, in fact, here with him.

They stood like that for a long time, just content holding each other. She laced her fingers with his and looked up at him. 'We should go downstairs,' she said softly. 'Your family is waiting for us.'

He nodded, but didn't let go of her. Instead, he slid his arm around her waist and kept her as close to him as he possibly could when they started walking in the direction of the library together.

It took her a while to explain everything to the Tiggulars and Nuki, and naturally, there were lots of questions, tears and hugs. Nuki had nestled herself on the green girl's lap and declared she wouldn't leave her spot for the rest of the night, which indeed she didn't. Elphaba stroked the Cat's fur absent-mindedly, listening to Anwen's excited rambling.

'But what if Morrible strikes again?' Rayenna, who had seemed lost in thought, suddenly asked. Anwen fell silent and Elphaba saw Fiyero's face fall at the mere thought, but she squeezed his hand reassuringly. 'She won't.'

Everyone stared at her. 'What do you mean, she won't?' Anwen demanded. 'She's been after you for, like, forever, Elphaba – she's not just going to give up.'

'No, she wouldn't,' Elphaba quietly agreed, fearing the reactions at what she was about to say. 'If she would still be alive.'

Again, baffled stares. 'Y-you mean,' Anwen choked out, struggling with words, 'that you…'

'I had to,' Elphaba said softly, not looking straight at anyone. 'I'm not proud of it. But I couldn't risk her coming after Glinda again… or after one of you.' She swallowed. 'I suppose my reputation as 'wicked' is finally justified.'

'Hey,' Fiyero said gently, catching her chin and making her look at him. 'You are not wicked, okay? If anyone in all of Oz is not wicked, it's you. Morrible, she was wicked.'

Elphaba lowered her gaze. She had been wondering about this. It was never justified to kill a person, was it? If you killed someone for noble reasons, for protecting the ones that are family to you, would that make you a bad person? Elphaba thought it did, but apparently, the Tiggulars disagreed.

'Elphaba,' Queen Yasminia said solemnly, leaning forward and taking the green girl's hands in hers. 'You did the right thing. Morrible was too dangerous to be left alive – you know that even better than I do. You didn't have a choice. You did what was necessary to protect us, Elphaba, and we're very grateful for that.' There were actual tears in her eyes when she gently squeezed Elphaba's hands and added, 'And we're incredibly grateful, too, for the fact that you are with us again. It wasn't just Yero that missed you, Elphaba – it was all of us. You're a part of this family, and we were all devastated when we heard about your death.'

Those words almost caused Elphaba to burst into tears, but somehow, she managed to hold them back. Instead, she hugged the Queen warmly. 'Thank you,' she said softly, but very sincerely. 'Thank you all so much. For everything. I can't tell you what it means to me to be part of a family.'

'You'll get back at that once my daughters start treating you as such,' King Harold warned, and they all laughed at that, washing away the final tension from the room.

'Oh, yes,' Anwen agreed cheerfully. 'You'd better watch your back, Elphie – can I call you Elphie? I think it sounds nice.'

'No!' Elphaba moaned in mock despair, burying her face in her hands, and more laughter filled the room. 'Sorry, An, but that nickname is occupied by someone else,' Fiyero told his little sister with a grin. 'Try to think of one of your own.'

Elphaba glared at him. 'You just have to encourage her, don't you?'

He laughed and merely planted a kiss on her brow. Rayenna looked at Elphaba thoughtfully. 'So you've never really felt like part of a family before?' she asked.

Elphaba shook her head. 'I had one, obviously, but… Well, I told you about my family history before, didn't I? My mother died when I was three, my father has hated me all my life and my sister… she used to be the closest thing I had to a real family, but in the end…' She let her voice trail away, unsure at how to end that sentence, and she shook her head. Tonight was not the time to dwell on the past. 'Anyway… I just want you to know how grateful I am for everything you've done for me.'

'Oh, don't be silly,' Queen Yasminia protested. 'We haven't done anything at all!'

'Yes you have,' Elphaba countered softly. She smiled at Fiyero's mother. 'You gave me a family.'

They talked even more after that, for a long time; it was far past midnight when they finally decided to retreat to bed.

Elphaba sighed happily as she snuggled up to Fiyero, and he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close, kissing the top of her head. 'I missed you so much,' he murmured into her hair.

'I missed you, too,' she replied softly, marvelling in the sensation of being in his arms again. She felt him smile. He tangled his hand in her hair, enjoying the sensation of the silky strands between his fingers, and then traced the line of her jaw with his forefinger. 'Do you have any idea how beautiful you are just now?' he whispered softly.

He expected her to scoff at him, or make a sarcastic comment, or merely roll her eyes, but she didn't. Instead, she looked up at him with wide, doe-like eyes, and he was a little unnerved when he noticed that there were tears in them. 'Fae?' he asked worriedly. 'Are you okay?'

She let out a sound that was something between a sob and a laugh, and then she startled him by flinging herself at him, winding her arms around his neck tightly and kissing him as if it was the last thing she'd ever do. She kissed him until she couldn't breathe and when she backed away a little and noted the confused expression on his face, she smiled and kissed him again. 'Oh, Yero,' she said quietly with another half-laugh, half-sob, her voice thick with unshed tears. 'I love you so, so much.'

He kissed her softly and gently wiped the tears from her face, kissing the trails they had left on her cheeks. 'I love you, Fae.'

And that was all she could ever ask for.