Thanks so much for your reviews!

Guest: Fiyero's been gone for about five weeks, so Elphaba's been pregnant for about five weeks, too. Even when a woman has had her period a week ago, it's possible for her to get pregnant if she forgets to take the pill or it comes back out, especially if her cycle is usually irregular. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen - it actually happened to a friend of mine, which is where I got the idea.

Only one more chapter to go after this one!

41. Return

It was clear that Galinda had explained a few things to the twins, because when Elphaba and Fiyero came back into the Palace, they were both waiting there with serious looks on their faces.

"Hi, Fiyero," said Xalo. Fawn said nothing.

"Hey, buddy." Fiyero crouched down in front of them. "I've missed you two," he said.

"Did you?" asked Fawn flatly and he nodded.

"I did. Very much." He looked at them solemnly. "I know I left without much of an explanation, and I'm sorry about that," he said. "I guess I was… scared."

Xalo blinked at that. "Scared? You?" he asked incredulously. "You're a bodyguard. What would you be scared of?"

"I was scared of your mum getting hurt because of me," he tried to explain. "I thought it would be better for her if she could just focus on you guys for a while instead of on being in a relationship, and that she should take some time to think."

"But you don't think that anymore?" Xalo pressed and Fiyero shook his head.

"No," he said. "Your mum convinced me otherwise." He cast a smile over his shoulder at Elphaba, who returned it.

Xalo still wasn't satisfied, however. "So you're not leaving again?" he asked, just to make sure.

Fiyero shook his head again, looking at both twins earnestly. "No," he said. "I'm not leaving again. I promise. Not unless your mum kicks me out."

That was good enough for Xalo and he threw his arms around the bodyguard's neck. "I missed you," he confessed. "It was really boring here without you."

Fiyero laughed, hugging the boy back. "It's been boring without you, too, buddy."

Xalo let go of the older man and Fiyero looked at Fawn, who was studying him somewhat warily. Sensing that some assistance was needed, Elphaba approached and crouched down beside Fiyero.

"He's not going away again, sweetie," she said gently. "I know you were hurt that he left. I was, too. But people are allowed to make mistakes, aren't they?"

Fawn nodded and Elphaba continued, "So they're also allowed to change their minds and come back."

"But what if he changes his mind again?" Fawn asked, her voice trembling a little; and Fiyero grinned at her.

"I suppose I'll just have to prove to you that I won't," he said, rising to his feet.

"How?" Fawn asked, clearly not convinced.

"You'll see," was the only thing Fiyero said before he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll go unpack now, but I'll see you at dinner?"

The kids and Elphaba nodded and watched him go, whistling as he went.

"Do you know what he means?" Fawn asked Elphaba in a stage whisper.

She whispered back, "I have no idea."

They found out not long thereafter, when they all sat down for dinner – Elphaba, Fawn, Xalo, and Oscar – and Fiyero and Harron both entered carrying trays with full plates. Elphaba raised her eyebrows and Oscar chuckled.

"You thought, just to prove how glad you are to be back, you'd help Harron cook?" he asked in amusement and Fiyero smiled mysteriously.

"Actually," he said, "Harron helped me cook."

Elphaba blinked. "You made this?" she asked incredulously and he nodded, beaming at the look on her face.

"I figured I should spoil you a little," he admitted. "I told you, I did need Harron's help."

"He did most of it by himself, though," Harron added with a wink.

Fiyero set down a plate in front of Elphaba and she felt like bursting into tears when she saw what he had made. Stir-fried chicken and vegetables with oven-roasted potatoes – the things she'd taught him to make the first time they'd ever cooked together.

"This is wonderful, Fiyero," Oscar said in mild surprise after taking a bite.

Fawn, however, scowled at Fiyero. "Do you think you making us dinner will prove to us that you won't leave again?" she demanded and Fiyero grinned at how much she sounded like her mother.

"No," he said lightly. "But something else will. You'll see."

Fawn and Elphaba watched him with similar expressions of suspicion. He didn't give anything away, however. Soon they were all eating, but the bodyguard hardly took three bites. Instead, he kept anxiously watching Elphaba, until the latter finally put down her cutlery to meet his gaze.

"What's wrong?" she demanded. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He shrugged innocently. "No reason."

She kept staring at him, but he just gestured at her plate. "Eat, Fae."

She complied, still watching him; but when she suddenly saw a tiny plastic bag emerge from underneath the food, the look on her face turned to one of confusion and then he could see realisation dawning on her face. She gaped at her plate, then at him; and he picked up the tiny bag and opened it, pulling out the ring inside before dropping down on one knee. Fawn gasped, Xalo choked on a bite of food, and Oscar's cutlery fell onto his plate with a clatter.

"This is me proving I won't leave again," he said, taking Elphaba's hand in his. She had her other hand already pressed over her mouth, tears having flooded her eyes, and he grinned widely at her. "I've had the ring for a while already and I've played with the thought of proposing at the gala," he said a little sheepishly. "I wasn't sure yet, though – or rather, I wasn't sure if you were sure. And then… obviously a lot of stuff happened. But I want to show you that I'm not going to leave again, Fae. And I want to show you guys, too," he addressed the twins before looking back at Elphaba. "You've changed me in more ways than you'll ever know," he said. "And I'm sorry for running. I'm sorry for not having the confidence in us that you apparently had all along. But I meant what I told you today and even though I won't deny there's probably still a lot for us, or me, to work through, I want to do it with you, not without you. I don't ever want to be away from you again. So, Elphaba Thropp…" He held up the ring. "Will you marry me?"

"I… I don't know," she said, her voice shaking. Fiyero's face fell for a moment, but he saw the glance she cut at the twins and he understood. She might have forgiven him for leaving, but the twins might not have, and she wanted to make sure they were okay with this.

"It's okay, Fae," he said gently, getting to his feet again. "I understand."

He saw the relief on her face. "Thank you."

Fawn and Xalo, however, were exchanging looks. "Mum!" Xalo hissed. "Why aren't you saying yes?"

The adults all laughed at that. "Do you guys want me to say yes?" Elphaba asked seriously. "Be honest."

"Duh!" Xalo said as if that much should be clear. "I told you – I've always wanted a dad and Fiyero is awesome!"

Elphaba, however, was looking at Fawn; but the little green girl hardly seemed any less enthusiastic than her brother. "Fawn?"

"The only reason I wouldn't want him to stay is if he's eventually just going to leave again," Fawn said quietly and it broke Fiyero's heart, but he told himself sternly not to feel guilty. Guilt was what had started all this in the first place, after all. He understood what Fawn meant and he'd try his hardest to make sure she believed he wasn't going anywhere now.

She continued. "But if you two get married, he wouldn't leave, right?"

"I'm not going to leave again, princess," Fiyero said, meeting her gaze. "I promise."

She nodded, a smile spreading across her face, and she and Xalo both looked expectantly at Elphaba.

The young witch laughed despite the tears still in her eyes. "I can't say no to that look," she teased. "And if you two are sure…" The twins nodded earnestly and Elphaba turned back to Fiyero and nodded, too. "Then yes, Yero, I'll marry you."

His grin was so wide it nearly split his face in two as he gingerly placed the ring on Elphaba's finger. She threw her arms around him, kissing him deeply; and the twins cheered, stomping their feet and drumming on the table with their knives and forks. Oscar, for his part, mainly looked dumbstruck, but there were tears in his eyes as well.

"Are you sure?" Elphaba asked Fiyero worriedly once she'd pulled away. "I mean… I know right now you're just happy to be back, but what if your guilt takes over again? Have you thought this through?"

"I have," he assured her. "Fae… I love you. I know that. And I told you – I won't pretend everything is going to be all peachy and perfect from now on, but I can promise that as long as you still love me, and I still love you, I'll fight to make this work and to be the husband you deserve. Someone you can be proud of."

"Yero my hero," she murmured, cradling his face between her hands and kissing him softly again. "I'll always be proud of you."

He grinned at her, the backs of his fingers grazing her abdomen, and she blushed a little. "Don't," she whispered. "No-one knows yet."

He blinked in amazement. "No-one? The twins? Oscar? Galinda?" he asked incredulously, careful to keep his voice low so the others wouldn't overhear.

Elphaba shook her head. "I'm not even sure yet," she explained quietly. "I want to take a test first and I want to wait a while before I start telling people. If I'm even pregnant at all, it's only a couple of weeks. I want to make sure… not get anyone's hopes up – including my own."

He nodded that he understood. "Let's go get a test tomorrow."

She chuckled softly. "Can't wait to find out, can you?"

"Is that even a question?" He kissed her again and then gently pressed her back into her chair. "Now eat the rest before it gets cold," he said, louder so everyone could hear, and Elphaba laughed.

Galinda, of course, was ecstatic about the news of Fiyero and Elphaba's engagement once she heard it the next day; and, given her hormones, she blubbered about it for at least half an hour before managing to calm herself down a little. Elphaba was tempted to dump her other news on her best friend as well, just to see how she'd react; but she decided against it. For one, she didn't want to deal with another half hour of squeals and tears and for another, she still hadn't taken the test and she didn't want to get people's hopes up.

She and Fiyero did get the test that day and Elphaba took it that night. She laughed aloud at the anxious look on Fiyero's face and the way he paced up and down the room while they waited for the result, but she fell silent the moment the blue plus sign appeared and she could only stare at the stick.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered and Fiyero whooped, dropping down beside her and hugging her tightly. He planted a kiss on her lips and then bent down to plant one on her stomach as well.

"We're going to be parents," he said, grinning widely. "Fae, we're going to be parents!"

"I've been a parent for nine years, you know," she said drily, earning herself a scowl.

"Don't spoil it," he warned her. "We'll be parents together." Mild panic flashed across his face. "I'll need to read up on pregnancy. And babies. Oz, I know nothing about babies! Are you really sure we can do this?"

She raised a single eyebrow at him – something she did occasionally and that never failed to creep him out. "I have done this before," she pointed out to him. "Alone, too, because I didn't know any of my friends yet and Oscar had no experience with babies, either; so although he did help, we mostly improvised."

He nodded, mildly reassured by that. "Right. Of course. You have experience – with two babies, even. We'll be fine with one."

His eyes widened, suddenly; and Elphaba, knowing what he was thinking, said in amusement, "The odds of a woman giving birth to twins twice aren't that big, you know. About one in three thousand, actually."

He looked at her helplessly and she smirked. "Although of course it's always possible. Wouldn't it be nice for us to have another pair of twins?"

"As much as I love Fawn and Xalo," Fiyero said flatly, "I'm going to have to say no."

She cackled.

She soon stopped laughing, however, when she realised that the news of Fiyero's proposal caused Galinda's attention to shift from planning her own wedding to planning Elphaba's… and that there was no holding back the petite blonde PA.

"So, Elphie," she chatted as the two of them were sitting in Galinda's garden together, having tea. Cohvu and Galinda lived in a medium-sized house with the air of a mansion, tastefully decorated by the blonde and with a beautiful flower garden. Galinda, of course, had placed a garden set there for her to be able to have tea outside with her friends when the weather was nice – which, right now, it was. "I know you won't like a big fuss for your wedding…"

"Thank Oz you even recognise that fact," Elphaba muttered.

Galinda ignored her. "And honestly, I don't really want one, either," she confessed. "I know I always said I wanted my big, white wedding, but… well, this past half year or so kind of taught me what's really important, you know? I just want my friends and family there. The people I actually care about. So it's not going to be nearly as big as I always envisioned it."

Elphaba smiled a little. "I think that's a very wise decision, Glin. I'm proud of you."

Galinda beamed at her friend and took a sip of her tea. "You are? Well… what would you want your wedding to be like?"

"Small," Elphaba said instantly. "Me and Fiyero – obviously. The twins, Oscar, you, Cohvu, Gazilon, and Nessa. I wouldn't mind a few more people – maybe some other acquaintances from Shiz or from my job, such as Boq, or Mayor Samms and Evanne…"

"Pfannee, Milla, Shenshen?" Galinda pressed and Elphaba looked at her oddly.

"No. Why would I want them at my wedding? They're your friends, not mine…" She trailed off when she took in the expression on her friend's face and realised with dawning horror what Galinda was thinking. "Glin…"

"Pink goes good with green," she said, beaming. "We could add some green elements to the colour scheme. You helped me plan most of my wedding, so you can't be too horrified with all the plans, because you helped make them. It'd save you the hassle of planning your own wedding, which I know you'd hate, and it'd sort of bring us full-circle, wouldn't it? Two best friends, getting married together…"

"A double wedding?" Elphaba asked, unable to keep herself from grimacing.

Galinda frowned at her. "What, you don't want to share your special day? I know that's not your problem, Elphie. Is it the pink?"

"Partly," Elphaba admitted. "And the people, and the fact that even though you'd be keeping it small, it would be small for your standards, not mine. What's small to you is usually still pretty big to me. Besides, do you want to share your special day?"

"Yes," the blonde said instantly. "I do if it's with my best friend!" She caressed her stomach. "Elphie, we're best friends and we're both getting married to wonderful men. How many more signs do you need? We're meant to do this together! It's written in the stars!"

Elphaba laughed, but she did promise her friend she'd consider her point. She could only be grateful she hadn't told her PA her other news yet. She was pretty sure that if Galinda knew they were both pregnant, too, she'd never hear the end of this pre-destination nonsense.

As it turned out, she was, indeed, pregnant. "About five weeks," her GP told her with a smile. "Congratulotions."

Fiyero squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. On their way back to the Palace, they debated whether or not they wanted to start telling people.

"I think I'd like to discuss the idea with the twins first," she mused. "You know – just ask them how they'd feel about it without giving anything away yet."

He agreed and when they got home, Elphaba wanted to go in search of her children instantly, but Fiyero stopped her and kissed her gently.

"What was that for?" she asked with a smile when he pulled away. He gave her a look and she chuckled. "Right. Stupid question." She leaned up to kiss him again. "I love you, you know."

"I love you, too." He placed his hands on her hips and she studied his face.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. "How's the guilt? And the doubts?"

He sighed. She knew him too well. "Still there," he admitted. "Both of them. Always, to some extent. But I'm trying not to let them take over."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm proud of you, you know," she murmured, planting a kiss on his shoulder. "For dealing with your fears, rather than running away from them."

"I learnt from the best," he said with a lopsided grin and she hugged him tightly.

"As long as you promise always to talk to me about it," she said against his shirt. "If it gets worse, I mean."

She felt him kiss the top of her head. "I will, hon. Promise."

"Get a room," someone said behind them. When they turned to glare, they found Xalo smirking at them and they stared at the little boy.

"Excuse me?" Elphaba demanded and he flushed at her tone.

"That's what Yacin always says when Emala gives Perrin a kiss," he said defensively. "He said his older brothers always say that to one another, too, when they kiss their girlfriends."

Elphaba narrowed her eyes at her son. "It's not polite to say that, Xalo," she said sternly and he deflated.

"Yes, Mum."

Fiyero grinned. Not that much had changed since his first day here. He was just happy Elphaba's glare wasn't aimed at him this time.

"Where is your sister?" Elphaba asked and when Xalo pointed at the living room, she ushered him over there, too. "I want to talk to you two."

"Are we in trouble?" Xalo asked, grimacing.

Elphaba laughed. "No, my little monkey, you're not in trouble. Come on, let's go find Fawn." She glanced at Fiyero over her shoulder and he mouthed, "Good luck." She smiled in reply, glad that he understood that she wanted to do this alone.

Thankfully, neither Fawn nor Xalo seemed to have a problem with the idea of a little brother or sister. In fact, the two of them were even more excited about that idea than they were about the idea of Fiyero and Elphaba getting married.

"I've always wanted a brother!" Xalo said, grinning.

Fawn scowled at him. "Yes, well, I've always wanted a sister," she sneered back at him. She crossed her arms and her brother had the decency to look sheepish.

"I don't mind having a sister," he protested weakly. "I'd just like a brother as well."

Fawn looked at her mother. "Would Fiyero want a baby, too?" she asked carefully and Elphaba gave her daughter a reassuring smile.

"He'd like it very much," she assured Fawn, who looked relieved at that.

"You know what would be awesome?" Xalo said, his face lighting up. "If you had a baby now, too, just like Auntie Galinda, and then one of the babies would be a boy and the other would be a girl. Then we'd have a brother and a sister – sort of, anyway – and they'd kind of be twins, like us, and that'd just be really cool."

"We could help!" Fawn volunteered. "We want to help with Auntie Galinda's baby, too, so if you and Fiyero have another baby, Mum, we'd help you as well! I could tell the baby stories, and teach him to read; and Xalo could teach him to play games, and stuff like that…"

"Can't you and Fiyero go make a baby now?" Xalo asked pleadingly, making Elphaba laugh so hard tears sprung to her eyes.

"I guess you're in luck, my darlings," she wheezed when she eventually calmed down, still unable to stop grinning. "Because we already made one a couple of weeks ago."

Both kids sucked in their breath at the same time, eyes wide. "You're pregnant?" Fawn breathed.

"You and Fiyero are having a baby?!" Xalo asked excitedly and when Elphaba nodded, they both cheered and threw their arms around their mother, then around each other, then started dancing around the room.

Alerted by the noise, Fiyero poked his head around the doorway to check up on them and when he saw the twins, he smiled. "I take it they'd like the idea?"

"I told them it's more than just an idea," she said and he didn't seem surprised.

When Fawn and Xalo saw him, they ran at him and jumped him. Fiyero laughed as he caught them as best he could, hugging them and then putting them back down on their feet. "So what do you think?"

"Amazing!" Xalo shouted and Fawn said, her eyes glistening, "I can't wait to be a big sister!"

Fiyero grinned. "Good."

This all felt like it was going so fast, but at the same time, it just felt right. Being with Elphaba felt right, despite his fears and insecurities. He loved seeing the genuine joy on the twins' faces at the prospect of hem getting a half-brother or half-sister – at the prospect of him becoming their father, or at least the closest thing to a father they'd ever known.

He slipped his arms around Elphaba's waist from behind and murmured into her ear, "You do realise you'll need to tell everyone else now, before they all hear it from a very enthusiastic Fawn and Xalo?"

Elphaba grinned, leaning into him. "Don't you think their reactions to Fawn and Xalo yelling at them that they're going to have a sibling will be hilarious?"

"Definitely," Fiyero agreed. "Maybe not so good for Galinda and her baby, though."

Elphaba giggled – something she rarely did, but that made him smile. It was such a light, happy sound and he hoped he'd get to hear it from her more often, now that the threat was over and they were more secure in their relationship. Now that she had good reason again to feel light and happy.

Because I figured this is something Fiyero would do.

I know I promised you all a sequel, and you'll get one, because there is so much I'd still like to write about both weddings, the Colinda baby, the Fiyeraba baby, and Fiyero as a father to both the twins and his own baby; but right now, NaNoWriMo is about to start and I'm focusing all my attention on my original story.

I actually haven't written any fanfiction in weeks now, which is something that never happened before, but I just really want to finish writing another book. That's why it might be a while before you get the sequel - or any fanfic from me - after TPaS is over.

Sorry! I hope you'll stick with me nonetheless!