Wow, another chapter! I seemed to be making a habit out of writing two chapters every day. Anyway, enjoy and review!

"Mrs. Upland, we need to talk." announced Fiyero as he swaggered into her parlor.

Carole took off her spectacles with a disappointed sigh and glared up at him. "Fiyero, unless this is about the wedding, I fear I do not have the interest or the time." She advised him, standing and brushing past him.

"I know about the murder, Mrs. Upland." Carole's eyes widened and she slammed the door shut. The woman grasped the front of his shirt in a gall that he'd never seen before and it scared the wits out of him.

"Now, listen to me. You keep your ungodly mouth shut or both of us will be in huge trouble, do you hear me?" Fiyero nodded briskly. "I never meant to kill Melena, do you understand? We were friends; I loved her like a sister. I was keeping her from hurting the only thing in life that she cared about." Carole released his shirt and collapsed into a chair, tears falling down her cheeks in despair. Fiyero sat across from her, not quite sure if he should stay put or do his best in an attempt to comfort her. He chose the former and stayed immobile.

"What happened?" He dared to ask, expecting her to scream at him in anger and cast him from the room. Instead, she nodded and her response shocked him.

"Melena and I were best friends. We roomed together at Shiz and we were inseparable. Our wedding was joined; Etai and Frex watched as Melena and I walked down the aisle with our fathers. Both of conceived at nearly the same time, but Elphaba was an early child. At first, I was appalled at her color (as was Melena), but I got over it and Melena fell in love with her. She defended Elphaba when some stranger made a snide remark about her and she gave her everything. Finally, Glinda was born and every Tuesday and Thursday, I would bring her over and she and Elphaba would play together while Melena and I had tea. It went on for five years without incident. One Thursday, we were discussing the possibility of other children when a messenger knocked on the door. Frex had been killed in a carriage crash. Melena was devastated and I had tried to comfort her, but she hustled me away. I never heard from her again. In time, I grew to hate her. Yes, I understood that her beloved husband had just died, but it did not give her the right to throw me aside. I could have helped her!

"Almost a year later, I was taking Glinda out for lunch and I ran into one of my old classmates. She told me that she had heard of a peculiar green child who was being abused by her mother. I wondered where she got the information, but I was too worked up to ask. I dropped Glinda off at home, with Etai, and then departed for the Thropp household. Oddly enough, the door was unlocked and I peered in to see Melena standing over her daughter, whipping her. The woman was drunk and in a half-crazed state; I knew that I had to do something. I rushed into the kitchen to pull Elphaba out of the way when Melena turned the whip on me. I grabbed the closest thing, which incidentally was a kitchen knife, and I threw it, not hoping to kill her, but to at least disarm her. The whip dropped out of the woman's hand and I remember seeing Nanny grab Elphaba, but all I could see was the blood gushing out of Melena's chest. Before Nanny could say anything or I could apologize, I dashed out, too ashamed to acknowledge what I had just done.

"I tried my best to get it out of my mind, but it nothing worked. I obsessively washed my hands, trying to wash away the thoughts and the memories of what had happened. It certainly did not help when Nanny showed up with Elphaba, but I had no choice. I had to take her. Nanny had told me that she had burned down the house, forever destroying Melena's body and the evidence. I thought that it would be the last time I'd ever have to think about what had happened, but of course, I was wrong. When I was informed that Etai was whipping Elphaba, every memory came whirling back. I asked him why and he said that there were already scars on her back. He figured that she was used to it." By now, Carole was in tears and she ended the story at that.

Fiyero was speechless. It didn't even think Carole capable of murder, let alone hold a knife. "You didn't need to tell me everything, if it was going to upset you. But thank you."

Carole shook her head. "My dear boy, it was best that you knew everything. There is no point in lying to you anymore. But if I may, how did you learn about the murder in the first place?"

"I got Nanny's address from your file cabinet." Fiyero shrugged.

Carole allowed herself to laugh. "You're a snooper, aren't you? Well, you really are perfect for my Glinda. Now, I must ask you to go and leave me be." She requested and he nodded, getting out of the room as fast as he could. Looking back, he once again head-on collided with Elphaba.

"Oz, Fiyero, you really need to stop doing that." Elphaba laughed as she kissed his cheek. She noticed his abysmal look and a slender black eyebrow rose in question.

"It's nothing, Fae. My shoulder just hurts a bit and it's been bothering me." He lied, biting his lip. He hated this! He hated that he had to lie to his love just to keep Carole's secret safe.

"Are you sure?" Elphaba inquired, looking him up and down. "You haven't been thinking too much, have you? I don't want you to strain yourself."

Fiyero had to laugh at her sarcastic commentary. "I've been thinking too much, yes, but only about you." He leaned down to kiss her and she stepped away.

"Okay, what did I tell you about playing Mr. Romantic?"