You're all so suspicious! (You're right to be.)

12. Missing

Fiyero was hiding it well, but he had to admit to himself at least that he felt quite frustrated about the fact that he had been stabbed – would have been killed, if Elphaba hadn't healed him with her magic – and they had no idea who had done it.

He tried to stay positive, mainly for Elphaba and her family, because he knew how worried they were. The truth was, however, that he was worried, too. This stalker of hers meant serious business and he was afraid someone would get seriously hurt if they didn't figure out who was doing it soon – but how? Luring him out clearly hadn't worked.

In the meantime, all he could do was take his duty to protect the Thropp family seriously. Fawn and Xalo's birthday party would be swamped with guards, but at least no-one would get in unauthorised and the guests would be kept an eye on. He wished he knew who was doing this, though. There hadn't been another letter since the one they had received the day after Fiyero had been stabbed, but he expected one again relatively soon. This stalker seemed to be building toward some sort of climax and Fiyero couldn't help but wonder what it was.

He'd seen such a thing before only once, when he had just started working as a professional bodyguard. A woman had been stalked by her ex-husband, although she didn't know it was him back then. He kept emailing her threats and calling her, only to hang up again the moment she picked up the phone. The threats had become more and more frequent and scarier with each one. They had ended with a murder attempt on the one-year anniversary of the day the woman had officially divorced her ex, but the man had failed and the woman, although badly injured, had survived – partially thanks to Fiyero, who had shot the culprit. The guy had been arrested then and locked up for years.

Until they knew who Elphaba's stalker was, however, they could only guess at his intentions. Was he going to come out to Elphaba face-to-face to try and seduce her? Had he already? For all Fiyero knew, the guy could be one of Elphaba's university friends, or Avaric – in that respect, he wasn't actually surprised that Elphaba had suspected Fiyero himself at some point. He would never have admitted it to her then, but he'd actually been kind of impressed with her brain's ability to make connections and consider options. Stalkers, in his experience, were often people who already knew the victim.

Then again, Elphaba was, as she'd pointed out, a public figure. People saw her out in public and on TV or in newspapers all the time. It also couldn't really be denied that, despite her intimidating demeanour and her green skin, she was a beautiful woman. Perhaps her stalker was just some guy who'd seen her give a speech and now had a crush on her.

Even if it was a stranger, though, maybe he wouldn't come out into the open at all. He could try to sneak up on Elphaba in an unguarded moment and attempt to rape her – Fiyero wouldn't put that past the guy who had written those disgustingly creepy letters. Or maybe he'd get mad once he realised that Fiyero was still alive, despite him having been stabbed, and he'd turn on Elphaba, wanting to kill her instead of have her for himself. People like this man were generally unpredictable and Fiyero had no idea what to expect, which put him on edge. He hated surprises.

He was shaken from his thoughts by Galinda, who knocked on the open door to his office and gave him a tentative smile. "Hey. Mind if I come in?"

He motioned for her to go ahead and she perched on a chair, taking a deep breath.

"I understand you know about Avaric?"

"Yes," said Fiyero. "The whole back story, thanks to Elphaba and a few too many Munchkin whites; as well as the fact that he's coming to the twins' party this weekend. Why?"

Galinda looked unhappy. She fidgeted with her skirt, then sighed. "I'm worried about Elphie," she said. "She's so concerned about this stalker guy – which is exactly why I didn't want to tell her about him in the first place, but I suppose that can't be helped now... I'm just scared that she'll do something rash. Avaric's betrayal of her cut her deep, even though she tries to hide it; and I don't know what she would do if he approached her again now. If he wants to see the twins more often, or – Oz forbid – get back together with her…"

"She would never do that," said Fiyero confidently, but Galinda didn't seem so sure.

"She might," she said. "He caught her at a weak moment before. When Elphaba is insecure and not in control of a situation, or of her own life, she starts doing crazy things. Don't get me wrong, she's a lot more confident and mature now than she was then and I don't really think she'd go along with such a suggestion, but… well, I'm just worried. Could you help me keep an eye on her during the party? Please? Don't let Avaric get too close to her. She shouldn't talk to him alone. With a bit of luck, he'll stick to his word, but just in case I want to look out for her."

Fiyero nodded. "I will. Don't worry."

Galinda smiled at him. "Thank you. I'd better go home now," she sang, leaping to her feet. "Coco has made me dinner. Isn't he the sweetest thing? I'll be in again tomorrow!" With that, she fluttered out of the room.

Avaric seemed to have hardly changed at all since he was in his mid-twenties, much to Elphaba's dismay. He had to be well in his thirties now, but he looked exactly the same as before; there wasn't a streak of grey visible in his hair and not a single wrinkle marring his face. He still had the cocky attitude he'd had then, but it seemed to deflate a little when he saw her and he smiled.

"You look well," he said, leaning in to hug her or maybe kiss her cheek, but she stepped back. Taking the hint, he sighed, but backed off, instead holding out his hand. "It's good to see you again, Elphaba."

She snorted and ignored the hand outstretched to her. "I wish I could say the same thing."

He winced. "I deserved that." He glanced at Fiyero, who was standing behind Elphaba with a hand on the gun in the waistband of his jeans, and his eyes widened for just a clock-tick. "Um... who is this?"

"One of the security guards I mentioned on the phone," she said flatly and he nodded again, obviously understanding what she was getting at.

"Okay." He cleared his throat. "How are you?"

She just raised an eyebrow at him.

He sighed, deflating again, and looked around. "Where are the twins?"

She pointed out the doors into the garden, which were open. Since the weather was so nice, they'd decided to have the party on the ground floor at the back of the building, rather than upstairs in the Thropp-Diggs family's living area, so the guests could also go outside. "Playing with some of the other kids. There are guards outside, too," she added for good measure and he nodded again.

"Right. I, um... I got them a present." He held up a package. "Is that okay?"

She nodded, but Fiyero stepped in.

"Can I see it first?" he asked. "Security measure, you know." He gave Avaric a condescending smile.

The older man frowned, but handed Fiyero the present. He carefully unwrapped it to check what was inside and when he saw the video game Avaric had bought the twins, he re-wrapped the present and nodded, handing it back to Avaric. "All clear."

"Thanks," Avaric said sarcastically, clearly disliking Fiyero. Judging from the scowl on the bodyguard's face, Fiyero felt the same way.

"I won't stay long," Avaric told Elphaba. "Don't worry about me. Really. I'll just go say hi and chat with them for a little while, give them their present, and I'll be gone again in an hour or so. I meant it when I said I just wanted to see them."

"I'd appreciate that," the dark-haired witch said. She didn't bother to be polite. Not with Avaric. Not after what he'd done nearly ten years ago. Young and stupid, indeed. She scoffed softly to herself. He'd been in his late twenties already – he should have known better, but he hadn't. He'd pressured her into doing something she didn't want to do and even though she'd meant what she'd told Fiyero, about not wanting to trade the twins for anything, she still resented Avaric for what he'd done to her and she didn't think that would ever change.

He seemed to understand that, too, because he gave her a weak smile. "I'll just... go, then." He wandered off and Fiyero scowled after him.

"He looks just like I thought he would," he said.

She huffed a laugh. "Like an arrogant jackass who never seems to age a single day?"

Fiyero grinned. "Something like that. Although I also meant it in terms of looks. I tried to puzzle together an image of the twins' father, based on their looks and yours," he admitted, "and I was quite close. Although you're right about the not aging thing. He looks like he can't be older than I am."

"Oh, he is," Elphaba assured him. "He's at least eight years older than you are. Ten years older than me, too, give or take, even though he doesn't look like it. Of course, a person would look much better if he didn't have to take care of two children on his own," she said sarcastically. "Not to mention juggle a university study and the rise to the job of deputy mayor with those two children. I bet he had all the time in the world to focus on his career and on his pretty looks. He's rich, too, judging from the expensive clothes. Do you think he had plastic surgery?"

The bodyguard laughed. "Who knows?"

"Maybe I should get it, too. Lift my eyebrows, get some injections to make everything look just a little tighter..." She pulled her cheeks back and made a face at him. "Would this look better?"

"No," he told her. "Leave the plastic surgery to your creepy ex, please."

She laughed and let go of her face. "Fine."

"You don't need that, anyway," Fiyero added. "You're already beautiful."

She blinked at him for a moment, but then shook it off and excused herself. "I should go chat with some of the other people here. Parents of the twins' friends, and stuff. Socialising is important in my profession, unfortunately." She went off and Fiyero returned to keeping an eye on all the guests, almost waiting for something to happen. He watched as Elphaba mingled, smiling and talking, but he noticed her smiles were forced and she kept glancing around her to catch a glimpse of Avaric or the twins. She was obviously nervous about them meeting.

Oscar was present as well, although he mainly seemed to be talking business with the handful of business acquaintances who were attending the party. Many of Oscar's friendships stemmed from his work and he had invited some of the ones he saw on a regular basis, given the fact that the twins knew and liked them as well, in addition to the children Fawn and Xalo themselves had invited and the parents who had tagged along. Gazilon and Duran weren't there, even though they had been invited; Gazilon lived quite some distance away and hadn't been able to make it today, and Duran had had some pressing engagement at work he hadn't been able to get out of.

Cohvu and Galinda were mingling just like Elphaba, but the blonde woman looked far happier about it than her employer did. She chatted away to everyone who was willing to listen, gushing over little girls' dresses and teasing the boys, laughing with their parents and talking seriously with the officials. Fiyero saw the adoring look on Cohvu's face as he watched his girlfriend, radiant in her bright pink party dress, and he couldn't help but smile. Even if Elphaba hadn't told him Cohvu was planning to propose, he would have suspected so, anyway. He was certain Galinda would accept, too. They were quite obviously in love and from the way Galinda interacted with the children, Fiyero thought she would make a wonderful mother one day. She glanced up and met his gaze. He winked at her and she smiled in return, the two of them sharing a look of mutual understanding before she focused on the guests again.

Elphaba appeared beside him once more, staring at her phone with a disgruntled look on her face. "Gazilon texted me," she said, scowling. "Another university friend I haven't seen in ages. We used to be so close as a group – Gaz, Cohvu, Duran, Galinda, and I – but then we all moved in different directions for our jobs and everything changed. I usually go out for drinks or lunch with Gazilon to catch up and he wants to see me soon, but I'm guessing that's a bad idea, right?"

"After one friendly date ending with your friend getting beaten up and another ending with me getting stabbed? Yeah, I'd say that, unless you really hate Gazilon, it's probably a bad idea," Fiyero agreed and Elphaba now directed her scowl at him.

"Sarcasm really doesn't suit you, you know," she said snippily and he chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Fae," he apologised. "It'd probably be best for you to postpone catching up with Gazilon – for his own safety. Although you could always invite him to the Palace," he suggested. "Or make it a group date, if you really want to – invite all those other friends of yours over, too, and mix in some guards and me. That should keep you all safe."

She sighed, sliding her phone back into her pocket without replying to Gazilon's text. "I just really hate this," she complained. "I hate having to put my life on hold and I hate being scared all the time that something will happen. This has been going on for how long now?"

"Three months since the first letter," said Fiyero and Elphaba sighed again.

"It feels like so much longer and I've only actually known about it for a week or so," she grumbled. "Then again, I've known something was off for far longer than that. I just didn't know what, exactly. I'm not even sure if I prefer knowing or not knowing, to be honest."

Fiyero smiled sympathetically at her. "We're doing everything we can."

"I know you are." She touched his arm briefly. "And I appreciate it. I guess I'll just have to live with it." She straightened and looked around. "Have you seen Avaric or the twins anywhere?"

He shook his head and she bit her lip. "I should go and find them." She flashed him another small smile before disappearing between the guests again in search of either her ex (if one could call him that) or her children.

Fiyero went back to watching the party-goers, a little bored now that he didn't have anyone to talk to. After a while, he found Elphaba in the crowd again, talking to Fawn, and his smile widened. Having gotten to know her, he was fairly sure that if Elphaba hadn't had kids of her own, she'd be awkward around them; yet even their first meeting had demonstrated that she was, in fact, a good mother herself. Not in the same way he thought Galinda would be, though. Elphaba reminded him more of a mother lion protecting her cubs. Somewhere along the way, he had discovered that there was much more to the hard-working and somewhat stiff deputy mayor than it seemed.

She approached him now, Fawn on her hand. They were quite the picture together. Fawn was wearing a violet party dress with lots of frills, her hair curled and all done up (Galinda's doing, probably), while Elphaba was dressed casually in jeans and a patterned blouse in different colours, her hair tied back in a ponytail as it often was. Despite those differences, though, it was still as if he was seeing two versions of the same person: a little Elphaba and a grown-up one. It was a little unnerving, but as he studied them, the small differences between them became clearer to him as well – in their eyes and their facial features, mainly, because the ways they moved and held themselves were nearly identical.

They came closer and Fiyero's smile faded when he saw the serious look on Elphaba's face.

"Xalo is missing," she said. "Or, well, 'missing'... some of the kids were playing hide-and-seek and they can't find him." Fiyero could tell she was trying her hardest to remain calm. "He probably just found a very good hiding spot, right? I mean..."

"I'm sure he's fine," Fiyero assured her. "Do you want me to help you find him?"

She shook her head. "I can use a magic spell to locate him," she explained. "Just watch Fawn for me for a minute, please? I need to go out into the hallway – I can't concentrate in here."

He nodded and watched her leave. Fawn looked up at him with wide green eyes and he grinned at her.

"Don't worry, kid," he said. "Your brother probably just found the best spot ever and is now laughing at you and the others because you can't find him."

"I know," Fawn said in a small voice, but she still looked a little fearful. "Fiyero?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know who the man with the brown hair was who came to talk to Xalo and me? He said he's a friend of Mum's, but I've never seen him before."

Fiyero wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. "Your mum mentioned him," he said vaguely and Fawn nodded, clearly unconvinced.

"He asked about us, our hobbies and things like that," she said. "We gave him a tour of the house, because he said he'd never been here before, and he gave us a really expensive video game for our birthday. I thought that was weird, because we don't even know him, but the guy himself was a little strange, too. He wanted to know all these things about us and he asked about our dad, if we missed him and stuff like that."

Fiyero silently cursed Avaric for being so obvious. "I'm sure he was just curious about you and Xalo, since he hasn't met you before," he assured the little green girl. "He knows your mum, after all, so it makes sense that he would want to know about you, too, right?"

"Xalo said he and I have the same eyes," Fawn said. "That man, I mean."

"Do you, now?" Fiyero let out a slightly nervous laugh. "That's a coincidence, but lots of people have green eyes, Fawn. Don't worry about it."

Fawn looked at him sharply. "You know something, don't you?" she accused him. "You're acting weird. Mum was acting weird about him, too."

Fiyero opened his mouth to reply, but Galinda appeared beside Fawn with her phone, smiling widely. "Come on, Fawn, big smile for the picture!" she sang and quickly snapped a photo with the phone when Fawn forced a smile onto her face. "You look so pretty today! Where's the birthday boy? I'd like to get some pictures of the two of you together!"

Just then, Elphaba burst through the door and all but ran over to them, looking decidedly panicked now.

"He's inside," she said breathlessly. "In the utility closet. Someone else is with him. Please tell me it's one of the other kids," she almost begged Fawn, but the girl shook her head with wide eyes.

"Everyone else is here," she said in a quivery little voice and Elphaba spun around and stormed off. Fiyero ordered Galinda to stay with Fawn and keep an eye on her before sprinting after the green woman, all kinds of scenarios running through his head. Most of them involved Elphaba's stalker. Was he going after her children now in an attempt to get to her? Oz, he hoped they wouldn't be too late.

Nia has been catching up with me lately, cliffy-wise, so I need more cliffies. If you want to blame someone for them, blame her. (Don't worry, though - it's going to get a lot worse than this! *cackles*)