Chapter Thirty-Five: Children

"I know why you're here." Glinda said immediately. "You want to marry her."

Fiyero just stared at her from the doorway. "How in Oz…?"

"I have my ways. Come in before anyone sees you or it might get back to her that you were here and she wasn't." She ushered him in the door and shut it behind him. "You can't ask her anytime soon, you know."

"I realize that. I just want it to be perfect when I do. I wasn't going to ask until she comes home with me this summer."

"You realize, even then, you two will have barely been together for a year? I know it feels like it's been longer."

"I do understand that, Glinda, but I'm not as patient as I should be."

She laughed. "That I've noticed. And maybe that'll be enough time. She's fallen hard for you and fast. The whole situation hasn't exactly helped that, because I think most of the falling took place before you two were really together. This has just made it stronger."

"Will she marry me, Glinda? I realize she doesn't consider herself a wife, but I don't expect her to be the typical wife. I don't want her to be, actually."

"I'm not certain, Fiyero. You're right. Being a wife isn't what she wanted for herself, queen or not. The idea makes her uneasy. We've talked about it once or twice and she's made that clear enough. But she does love you. The trouble is going to be reconciling those two ideas in her mind."

"Can you help her with that?"

"I've meddled in that relationship of yours enough. She needs to come to it on her own, Fiyero. When, exactly, are you going to ask? The minute you return from Shiz?"

"Actually," he said sheepishly, "my father is planning an engagement party for us a few weeks after we return. I was thinking I'd either ask her right before or right after. I know she doesn't like grand gestures, and that party is one, but it's not one of my own doing. And I don't know how she'll handle an entire party based on a lie."

"That's an idea. I like it." Glinda sat down. "Fiyero, have you talked with her about children? About what you want for the rest of your life?"

"I want her."

"But you have to have children, don't you? Does she realize that?"

"I would think she would have figured out…"

"You know she doesn't. She's probably in denial about the whole thing. You might want to talk about that before you ask her to marry you, because I doubt that's part of her plan."

"I love her."

"Then talk to her about it. You need to figure something out in that respect, and she needs to be a part of it."

"She doesn't want to get into that."

"I know she doesn't, but that conversation needs to be had, Fiyero. You know that. I realize you're afraid of scaring her away, but you can't avoid this. Once you've talked to her about that, come talk to me again and I'll help you figure out the best time and what to say. But talk to her, first."

He nodded and left the room. Fiyero knew that, as the leader of his people, he needed to have children. But he also understood Elphaba did not want to be a mother. She barely wanted to be a wife. How was he to fix that? Perhaps Elphaba wasn't the only one reconciling two different parts of life.

One morning several weeks later, he woke her with a kiss. She smiled up at him and stretched her body out languorously. "Good morning, Yero my hero."

"Hero?" He repeated, smiling stupidly.

"It sounded nice." Her cheeks darkened. "You always try to protect me, don't you? It only makes sense."

"I like it," he told her. "I'll always protect you, you know."

"Mmm, I know."

"Can we talk about something?" He'd been trying to figure out how to have this discussion, and Glinda had already snapped at him once for putting it off.

She sat up straighter. "What is it?"

"Don't look so afraid," he laughed. "This is a purely hypothetical conversation, my love. But I was wondering exactly what your stance was on children?"

"Do I seem like the motherly type to you?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. "I don't think you thought you were much the lover type, either, and you certainly are."

"You have a point there," she said, surprising him.

"I don't want to scare you, and I know we haven't talked directly about the future, but you realize I have to have an heir, right?"

"The thought had… occurred to me." She folded her arms across her chest and sighed. "I've just been trying to enjoy us right now."

"I know, and that's why I'm not pushing this, but it is something that maybe we need to talk about, if this is going to go any further."

"And who says it is?" She replied flippantly.

He lowered his eyes, crushed. "I thought that…"

She grabbed his hand quickly. "Yero, I didn't mean… oh, shit. I just… we haven't discussed the other part of this, the marriage part."

"Because before I think about asking you, I want to make sure we're clear on everything."

"I appreciate that."

"Then is the idea of having children going to be a problem, Fae?"

"I don't know. I never wanted to be a mother. But I'm realizing a lot of things I never wanted I only felt that way about because I thought it wasn't an option. If I did, I really don't think I'd want more than one and I would want to wait."

"I only need one."

"We're actually having this conversation, aren't we?" She looked at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"It's purely hypothetical at the moment."

"I'm not a mother." She added after a moment. "I'm not a wife."

"You're you, and that's all you need to be," he promised. "Yes, there would be responsibilities, but I'm not asking you to change who you are. If the idea of having children means we can't end up together, that's…" He didn't want to say it was fine. It wasn't. It would break his heart.

"It's a thought, Fiyero. I don't know. I'm not affectionate, and I don't know if I'd be any good at it."

"You're good at this, at us."

"Maybe." She sighed. "I wish we had more time."

"I know." He kissed her forehead. "Even if this has to end, I'm glad I got to be with you, even if it's only temporary."

"It doesn't have to end. Not now. Do I like the idea of having a child? No. Can I live with it? Perhaps. Don't give up on us now, Yero."

He brightened at that. "Really?"

"Really." She relaxed back on the bed and beckoned to him, almost purring, "Now stop being so serious and make love to me."