I love how some of you remain so calm while others are really upset with either me or Fiyero (or both). Thanks for all your reviews. :) Also, virtual Sammie cuddles for Nia (Fae'sFlower) for being the 200th reviewer of this story!

20. Public

That Thursday morning, Elphaba looked at herself in the mirror and tried to convince herself that nothing was going to happen during her speech. She was wearing a black skirt paired with a white blouse, a black blazer, and a pair of low-heeled pumps. Her hair had been braided back and tied up in a bun by Galinda and she was wearing some make-up. She looked representable, she thought, but she was still nervous. Not just about the threat, either; public events weren't her favourite part of her work and she always got nervous beforehand, wondering what kind of impression she'd make on the public and if she would really be doing okay.

"Get yourself together, Elphaba," she told her mirror image. She usually told herself that no matter what happened, it wouldn't kill her and she'd be fine; but in this situation, that didn't really go over. She sighed and glanced once more at her reflection before leaving the room.

She was ushered straight from the front door of the Palace into her car and Fiyero drove her to the children's hospital that would be opened that day. Benn was driving along in the passenger seat and behind them was another car filled with guards. Fiyero didn't want to take any risks with her safety. She was tense the entire way, though, since the windows had to stay closed again. By the time they reached the hospital, her nerves were frayed and she felt completely frazzled. She was almost regretting the whole thing already, but she knew she had to do it – for her career, but also for herself. If she started being afraid to go out in public now, she'd soon never dare to set foot outside the Palace again.

She hadn't spoken to Fiyero again after she'd left his rooms last night and even now, as he helped her out of the car and led her inside with Benn following close behind, he didn't say a word. She didn't say anything, either. She had no idea what she could say. She'd had her heart broken before, of course (and how), and this wasn't the same at all, but she couldn't deny that it still hurt. It had taken her a lot of effort to muster up the courage to say those things to him. When he'd said that he was in love with her, she'd been sure he was going to give in; and then he had shot her down after all.

Years ago, she might have blamed herself for being too green, or too pushy, or too sarcastic, or too… something that had caused him to not want to be with her. That was before Avaric, however, and before Oscar, and Shiz, and the twins; and although she still had her insecurities now, she had grown a lot over the past nine years. That was mainly why she knew now that Fiyero hadn't rejected her because he didn't want to be with her, but because he didn't want to risk her safety.

She thought that was noble of him, on the one hand, but on the other hand she was just frustrated. What made him think he could make those decisions for her? She knew how seriously he took his job, but it was her life, wasn't it?

She was led into the hall of the children's hospital, flanked by Fiyero and Benn, and she pushed her thoughts about the bodyguard aside and focused on what she was about to do. If Fiyero didn't want her, fine. She could live with that. She'd been doing just fine before he came along, anyway. As long as she had her family, or even just Fawn and Xalo, she'd be okay.

Most of the Emerald City elite was there and a couple of people she knew came up to her to chat. Elphaba talked to them all. Despite her distaste of social gatherings, she found to her surprise that she'd missed just being out and about and talking to other people. She loved her family and friends and she got along just fine with her employees, but it was nice to see some other faces.

She could tell that Fiyero and the other men following her around were on their guard, constantly looking around vigilantly, watching everyone who was acting the slightest bit suspicious. When the people present were called to silence, the guards spread throughout the room. They were all dressed in the same clothes as everyone else, making it impossible for anyone to distinguish them from the other guests, but Elphaba knew they all carried concealed weapons, just in case.

"And now," the director of the children's hospital announced, "please welcome the Emerald City's deputy mayor, Elphaba Thropp!"

Everyone applauded as Elphaba moved to the front, where the microphone was. She smiled and nodded politely at the guests as she took her spot, noticing from the corner of her eye that some of the security guards inconspicuously positioned themselves on both her sides and in front of her, able to reach her quickly if need be. Was this going to be her life from now on? Constantly guarded, always afraid something might happen? Oz, she hoped they'd catch this guy – the sooner, the better.

She began her speech and soon forgot all about everything else, focusing on the things she wanted to say instead. When it was over, the guests applauded again and she was handed a pair of scissors to cut the ribbon currently blocking the hospital's main hallway. She cut it, some of the press present took pictures, and then the party following the hospital's opening started. She mingled a bit, but after half an hour or so, Fiyero came up to her and quietly said into her ear, "I think we should go now."

The childish, petty part of her wanted to stay for another two hours purely to irritate Fiyero, but her more mature half won out. She wasn't going to risk her safety because she was a little pissed at the bodyguard. If he said they had to go, she knew he had to have a good reason to.

And so she bade everyone good-bye and left the building, surrounded by her escort of guards. When they reached the car, however, she stopped dead in her tracks. Beside her, Fiyero cursed and pulled out his gun, motioning for the other guards to surround the vehicle. There was no-one in sight, though. Whoever had been there was long gone.

On the car, carved all across the right side of it, were words.

Be mine or die.

"He's gone," Benn said, holstering his gun and placing his hand on Elphaba's arm when she made to move forward. "Wait a moment." He opened the car door and quickly searched the vehicle. Apparently, he concluded that no-one must have been inside, because he nodded and gestured for Elphaba to get in, which she did. He quickly deliberated with some of the others and before the green woman knew it, they were driving again, on their way back to the Palace.

"He's only been outside the car," Benn explained to her over his shoulder as they drove. "It's a secure car, after all, with bullet-proof windows – he wouldn't have been able to get inside."

Fiyero was gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white. "I thought we'd left two men behind to guard the vehicle," he said, grating his teeth in frustration.

"We did," Benn confirmed, "but they didn't see or hear anything."

"Then maybe we need better men," Fiyero snapped.

Benn wisely kept his mouth shut.

Fiyero glanced at Elphaba through the rear-view mirror. "You okay?" he asked her.

"Fine," she said, pressing her lips together. "I just want to go home."

Fiyero held her gaze for a moment, but he had to look away to focus on the road eventually and Elphaba looked back down at her phone without really seeing anything. Deep down, she was starting to feel desperate. Was this guy ever going to leave her alone? He had started by writing her letters, but by now it had gotten so much worse than that. He had been inside her house, he had almost killed Fiyero, attacked him and the twins in Munchkinland, stood in her bedroom, and now he'd gotten to her car right under the noses of a few men who were supposed to keep her safe. Be mine or die… How long would it be before he decided she was taking too long to become his and he'd start attempting to kill her instead?

She wasn't afraid to die. She didn't want to die, but she wasn't afraid of it. She was afraid, however, of leaving her children alone. Of course, even if she did die, Oscar, Galinda, and Cohvu would take care of the twins; but she knew they would be heart-broken and she couldn't do that to them.

Her phone rang and she jumped at the sound, which jolted her from her thoughts. With a sigh, she picked up. "Hello?"

"Elphie!" Galinda cried, so loudly even Fiyero and Benn in the front could hear it. "Where are you? Did you leave already?"

"Yeah," said Elphaba, glancing at the two guards for a moment. "We're on our way home."

"Turn around!" Galinda commanded.

Elphaba frowned. "What?"

"Elphaba," Galinda said, her high-pitched chirp lowering to sound much more serious. "President Sevens of Quox was at the opening of that hospital and he was impressed by your speech. He wants to speak with you personally. The president, Elphie! He just called your office to arrange a lunch meeting between you and him in half an hour at The Silver Swan, that fancy restaurant two blocks away from the hospital."

Elphaba bit her lip. "Glin… something happened," she said quietly, playing with a loose thread on her skirt and twirling it around her finger. "He got to the car – which was being watched by two of Fiyero's men. I think I should just come home now."

"Oh, Elphie…" Galinda sounded sympathetic and a little shocked. "I'm sorry. I understand. Are you all right?"

Elphaba looked out of the window, wishing more than ever that she was allowed to open it. "Fine."

"I'll call him back and make an excuse for you," Galinda promised. "I called because I thought it would be an amazing opportunity for you, but you shouldn't take the risk, especially if something already happened."

Elphaba had stilled. She shouldn't take the risk? Where had she heard that before? She glanced at Fiyero again and then made a decision.

"Don't," she said into the phone. "I'll go meet him."

Galinda sounded surprised. "Are you sure? You don't have to –"

"I know," Elphaba cut her off. "But I want to. You're right, Glin – meeting President Sevens is something huge for me, especially career-wise, and I'm not going to throw that away because some idiot is trying to scare me. Fiyero," she called to the front. "Can you drive to The Silver Swan instead? It's near the hospital we just came from."

Via the rear-view mirror, he looked at her as if she had gone crazy. "Elphaba…"

"Do it," she snapped before returning her attention to the phone. "How are the kids, Glin?"

"They're fine," Galinda assured her. "Cohvu has been teaching them all morning and the three of them just came to call me and Oscar because lunch is ready. I think Xalo said something about having talked Harron into making pancakes."

Elphaba smiled despite herself. Harron was the Palace cook and he adored the twins; he'd practically do anything they asked. "That sounds like Xalo," she agreed with a soft chuckle. "Enjoy your meal, then. Give them a kiss from me."

"I will," Galinda promised. "If there is anything at all you need me for, just give me a call, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Glin." Elphaba hung up and slipped her phone back into the small purse she carried with her.

Fiyero caught her gaze via the mirror again. "Fae, I really don't think this is a good idea," he said worriedly.

She leaned forward in her seat. "I'm the deputy mayor of the Emerald City," she reminded him curtly. "I've worked incredibly hard to get where I am now and this – meeting President Sevens of Quox – is big, Fiyero. I'm not going to let that go for anything. It might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I need to take it."

He sighed, clearly unhappy; but he nodded, telling her at least he understood. "Will you at least let us protect you?"

"Of course." She leaned back again. "You can flood the entire place with security guards, for all I care, if you think that's necessary. As long as I can speak with the president."

He nodded. "All right." He exchanged a look with Benn and took a right turn.

Mildly bored, Fiyero sat playing yet another game on his phone as he inconspicuously kept an eye on Elphaba. The Silver Swan was a particularly high-class establishment and he felt decidedly out of place there. He knew Elphaba was uncomfortable with displays of wealth and status as well, but he marvelled at how well she seemed to fit in here. She was talking animatedly with President Sevens, who had his own security with him, but so far nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be going on.

She was beautiful when she was passionate. He watched her waving her arms about, her cheeks flushed and her eyes filled with fire and determination as she explained her point to the president, who was listening attentively. They seemed to have an interesting discussion going on. He hoped their conversation would prove to be fruitful in some way, if only because then the risk wouldn't have been for nothing.

He understood why she wanted to do this, even if he didn't completely agree. Then again, he would prefer to keep her locked in her room at all times in order to keep her safe. He didn't want to take any risk with her, but that wasn't exactly an option and so he'd have to settle for keeping a close eye on her and making sure she was surrounded by security guards every time she left the Palace.

He glanced around him once again. In the corner of the restaurant, a man was making a phone call, keeping his voice hushed as he kept stealing glances at Elphaba and the president. Some reporter, perhaps? Fiyero suspected that the fact that President Sevens and Deputy Mayor Thropp had met wouldn't stay secret for very long. It'd probably be all over the newspapers tomorrow.

It took Elphaba and President Sevens about two hours to finish up, but when they did, Fiyero could tell they were both satisfied. They shook hands and the president said something to Elphaba that made her smile. She replied and the president left, his own bodyguards escorting him out of the building.

Elphaba made her way outside as well, closely followed by Fiyero and the others. Benn hurried ahead to make sure the car was still secure and Elphaba just stood outside for a moment, raising her face to the sun and closing her eyes.

Fiyero stepped up beside her and, without opening her eyes, she said, "I really hate being cooped up inside all the time."

"I know." He could imagine how she felt. It was pretty bad to have to stay inside constantly in any case, but with her fear of closed spaces, he understood that being able to go outside was even more important to her than to most people. It was where she felt safest and she was being deprived of that feeling now. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't make you do it if I didn't think it was necessary."

She gave a minute nod. "I know." She sighed and opened her eyes again. "We should get back, right?"

"Yeah," he said sympathetically and she sighed again, moving closer to the car. Benn gave Fiyero a sign that the vehicle was secure and the bodyguard placed a hand on the small of Elphaba's back, guiding her in the direction of the car.

"Deputy Mayor Thropp!" someone called and she stopped, eyes searching the street. There was a teenage girl standing there, looking rather enthusiastic. "I'm sorry to bother you," she apologised, her cheeks red with excitement, "but I recognised you and I just really wanted to ask…" She held up a mobile phone. "Could I maybe take your picture? I know you probably don't usually do that," she quickly rambled on, "but you must know I think you're amazing. You're my big inspiration – thanks to you, I'm going to study Politics at Shiz University in the autumn and you're the example of a smart, strong woman capable of making career whilst still having a personal life, and then your magic, which is so cool, and… and I'm sorry," she apologised again, her cheeks flushing an even brighter shade of red. "I'm probably coming across as a rambling lunatic right now, aren't I? It's just… I really admire you," she admitted, "and I didn't expect to see you here, so I couldn't resist asking…"

Elphaba chuckled and began to move towards the girl, only to find herself stopped by Fiyero.

"It's a teenager, Yero," she stressed, raising an eyebrow at him.

He shook his head. "It's not her I'm worried about," he murmured to her, nodding at the small audience that had gathered. They must have grown curious because of the girl's enthusiastic cries.

"Just one picture," the dark-haired witch promised Fiyero as she stepped up next to the girl with a smile, thanking her for her kind words. The girl looked about to faint and Elphaba beckoned Fiyero, who instantly moved towards her. She held out the phone the girl had given her.

"Can you snap a picture of the two of us?" she asked him innocently.

He glared at her, which made her smirk, but he did comply. The teenage girl was beside herself with excitement and Elphaba laughed as she watched the girl skip off.

"Deputy Mayor Thropp!" someone else – the man who had been on the phone inside the restaurant, Fiyero realised – called to her. "With all your pro-Animal campaigns, have you ever considered that maybe some of us normal people don't want such freaks of nature to live among us?"

Elphaba stiffened and made to turn around, but Fiyero nudged her forward. "Ignore," he said into her ear.

"Hey!" The man was moving closer now, pushing himself past some other people. "I asked you a question!"

"Keep walking," Fiyero instructed, his hand twitching on his gun.

"Feeling too good for the rest of us, aren't you?" the man sneered. "Look out, Deputy Mayor. When someone is on a pedestal, it's quite easy for them to be… shot down."

Fiyero caught the slight pause at that and whipped around, pulling out his gun. The man was also holding a gun now and he was aiming it at Elphaba's head.

STOP! Cliffy time! *dances around*