AN: Here I am with yet another update!

I also just want to let you know that I wrote a cute, fluffy one-shot the other day - it's called Haven't met you yet, after the Michael Bublé song. It's the first nice and light thing I've written in forever. Not sure why that is, but I'm glad I can still (or again) do it.

Also, sorry for not having posted the CDF sequel yet. I'm working on it, I promise, but uni is a little crazy right now. Bachelor thesis, and all.

Silvine Fae Graycin: thank you. That really is a great compliment to me :).

BlueD: that's fine :P. I understand. Unfortunately for you, I don't have a full name *smirk*.

Yes, I killed Boq. And I'm sorry for that. But 1) it just wouldn't be realistic to have them all survive, and 2) I think Nessa needed a push to stand up to Frex and do the right thing. Alright, this was more of a shove than a push, but still.

Hope you'll all be happy again after this one!

Chapter 17. The awakening

When Gazilon went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he found Elphaba and Fiyero still in the same position on the bed.

Fiyero was still unconscious and hadn't moved at all. Elphaba was sleeping fitfully, crying and whimpering in her sleep, clutching Fiyero's shirt with her free hand. When she accidentally moved so that she was lying on her broken arm, she snapped awake with a cry of pain.

"Shh, it's okay," Gazilon tried to calm her down. He carefully helped her to sit up and took the sling the nurse had given him from the nightstand, positioning her broken arm in it. "Be careful with that."

"I was asleep," she muttered, running her fingers through her hair. "It's not like I did it on purpose."

He flashed her a smile. "I know." He handed her a handkerchief, which she wordlessly used to dry the tears on her face with. He didn't mention it and neither did she.

He made her drink some water and then he took the glass from her and looked at her. "Come on," he said. "I'm taking you back to my room."

"No!" She inched closer to Fiyero, staring at Gazilon with wide, accusing eyes. "I'm staying here!"

He sighed. "El, this isn't good for you," he tried, but she shook her head.
"And you think me sleeping alone in a bed far away from him will be good for me?" she wanted to know. "I'm staying here, Gazilon. You can't make me leave."

He looked at her for a long time.

She set her jaw in determination, staring back at him without wavering.

He sighed. She must be the most stubborn girl in the world.

"Fine," he complied. "But call me or Galinda when anything is wrong, okay?"

She nodded and he went into the bathroom. When he emerged again a few minutes later, she had fallen asleep again, her face buried in the crook of Fiyero's neck.

He sighed and went back into the sitting room. Galinda, who was sleeping on the floor, raised her head to look at him.

"How is she?" she whispered.

Gazilon shrugged, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "The same. So is he."

Galinda bit her lip. "I wish there was something we could do."

"So do I, Glin." Gazilon lay back down on the floor under his own blanket, staring up at the ceiling. "So do I."

Galinda sat up straight when she heard a sound coming from the other room. "What was that?"

"Elphaba," Gazilon muttered. "I think she's having nightmares."

Galinda's heart broke. "Oh, Elphie…" She pushed her blanket off her and sat up. "I'm going to check on her."

"I'll do it," said Gazilon, rising to his feet. "You go back to sleep, Glin. You need it."

She flashed him a grateful smile and lay back down again, and Gazilon obediently went into the other room to see if Elphaba was okay – even though he had been in there only minutes before.

Her face was scrunched up, there were tears falling from her eyes and she had her entire body wrapped around Fiyero's, as if she were afraid he would vanish the moment she let go of him.

And then, just as Gazilon made to move towards the bed to wake Elphaba up, it happened.

Fiyero opened his eyes.

Gazilon almost missed it, but when he glanced at Fiyero's face for a moment, he saw the other boy's eyes slowly opening. His own eyes widened and he gaped at Fiyero for a moment.

The prince blinked a few times and he tried to move, only to find himself hindered by something. Only then did he realise that Elphaba was sleeping on his chest.

"Fiyero?" Gazilon whispered, and the prince's eyes snapped up to meet Gazilon's.

"Is she alright?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

A grin slowly spread across Gazilon's face. "Oz, Fiyero," he said, an incredulous laugh escaping his lips. "She'll be fine. She has some broken bones and a concussion and she's worried sick about you, but she's going to be okay." He moved towards Fiyero and placed his hand on the prince's forehead, checking for a fever. "Honestly, though… we thought you weren't going to make it." He shook his head. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Fiyero replied hoarsely. "But other than that, fine."

Gazilon shook his head again. "Unbelievable." He tried to remember the instructions the nurse had given him in case Fiyero would wake up; but other than checking for a fever and letting him rest, he couldn't think of anything.

"Get some rest," he said finally. "The nurse said that's good for you. And you might want to wake Elphaba to let her know you're okay."

A soft, anguished whimper from Elphaba's lips underlined that statement, and Gazilon squeezed Fiyero's shoulder. "It's good to see you awake again," he said sincerely. Then he left the room to tell Galinda and Cyara the news.

Fiyero looked down at Elphaba. She was frowning and whimpering softly in her sleep, clutching him tightly.

"Fae?" he whispered.

She buried her face in his shirt and cried softly, "Fiyero…"

He brought his hand up to gently stroke her hair. "It's okay," he whispered. "Fae, it's okay. Wake up, sweetheart."

"Fiyero…" Her eyelids fluttered for a moment and she curled into him, pressing her cheek to his chest. "I dreamt that you were dead," she whispered, her eyes still closed.

He softly ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm not," he assured her. "I'm okay."

"Mm…" She started to drift off again. "Good."

Then her eyes suddenly flew open and she shot up, not even caring about the stab of pain shooting through her body. "Fiyero?!" She stared at him with wide eyes. Then she slowly reached out to trace his cheek with her fingers.

"You're alive," she whispered incredulously. "Are you…"

"I'm okay," he assured her softly. "I'll be fine."

Her eyes slowly filled with tears. "Really?"

He smiled and reached for her, slowly and gingerly wrapping her in his arms. She was trembling violently all over and he tucked the blanket in around her, stroking her back. "Shh, it's okay," he soothed her, his heart breaking when he heard the heart-wrenching sobs that now escaped her lips. "It's okay, sweetheart, really. You're okay, I'm okay. We're all going to be alright."

He held her close and she wrapped herself around him, burrowing into him in an attempt to get as close to him as she possibly could.

They stayed like that until her sobs finally died down and they both drifted off to sleep.

"Nessa?"

The girl turned away from her father, staring out of the window instead.

She heard his impatient sigh behind her. "There's a letter for you."

She didn't respond.

"It came from Shiz."

Now she whirled around as fast as she could and she wheeled herself towards him, snatching the letter from his hand and ripping open the envelope. Frex sighed again and waited in the doorway, curious about the happenings at Shiz.

My sweet, sweet Nessa,

First of all: I am so sorry, Nessie. About everything. I'm sorry I let this happen, I'm sorry I have to tell you like this… but I am grateful that you are safely back in Munchkinland, and not here at Shiz, right now.

I'm sure you've heard about what has happened here by now – it's all over the news, everyone is talking about it and every newspaper is writing about it. It's horrible. There is chaos everywhere. Buildings collapsed, people were trapped underneath the rubble. Gazilon and Fiyero saved my life – I had fallen unconscious after the explosion, and if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have made it out alive. As it is, I am… well, not exactly 'alright', but alive and planning on keeping it that way. Gazilon will be fine as well, and Galinda and Cyara were in town when the attack came – thankfully, they haven't been harmed at all.

Fiyero was hurt very badly and we were afraid that he wasn't going to pull through; but last night, thank Oz, he woke up. He has a nasty head wound and a severe concussion, as well as some bruised ribs. He will need to stay in bed for at least a week, probably longer; but he's going to make it.

Boq, though… Oh, Nessa, I'm so sorry. He was in the Psychology building, where the first explosion hit. The entire building came down, and… I don't know how to tell you this, Nessie, but… no-one survived. I'm sorry, Nessa. I'm so, so sorry. It's all my fault, I know that, and I'll understand if you hate me and don't want to see me ever again… all I want is for you to know that I love you and I never meant for this to happen. I want you to know how sorry I am.

Boq will be brought back to Munchkinland either tomorrow or the day after, so that he may be buried near his home.

I'm sorry, Nessa.

Your loving sister,

Elphaba

Frex watched as his youngest daughter clasped her hand over her mouth in horror, tears in her eyes that were soon spilling over, dripping down and staining the letter. She slowly lowered the piece of paper and stared ahead of her blankly for a few moment, clearly attempting to process the news.

She looked down at the letter again and a sob escaped her lips. "Oh, Fabala…" she whispered, clutching the arm of her chair tightly with one hand.

"It's not your fault," she whimpered, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's not… it's mine." She opened her eyes again and turned, her eyes colder than Frex had ever seen them as she directed a death glare at him that was so similar to Elphaba's that he was taken aback for a moment.

"And yours," she added accusingly, sniffling and wiping at her tears. "It's your fault, too."

She clutched the paper in her hand until it was completely wrinkled, and she tightened her grip on it. Then she suddenly burst into tears.

"Boq!" she wept, burying her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking. "I'm so sorry!"

Frex tentatively approached her, his hand outstretched to place on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort and sympathy. "Nessa –"

"Don't touch me!" she screeched, violently yanking her arm away from him and wheeling herself across the room. She stayed there, cowering in her chair, her hazel eyes glowing like an animal's. "Don't touch me," she hissed. "Don't touch me ever again. Boq is dead, and it's your fault, Father! Yours and the Glikkuns'! And if you even think for a clock-tick that I'm going to work with you, strengthen the bonds between my province and those terrorists, the people that murdered my boyfriend… you're wrong. You're dead wrong. I'm not going to speak a single word to you ever again!"

Frex tried to approach her again, but she snatched a hairbrush from her vanity and hurled it at him, nearly hitting him in the head. "Get out!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, grabbing every object she could reach and hurling them across the room, in her father's direction. "Get out of my room! Leave me alone!"

He quickly left and closed the door behind him.

Nessarose collapsed out of her chair and onto her bed, sobbing.

"Gazilon?"

The boy turned around from where he had been talking to Galinda and Cyara and looked at Fiyero. The prince was still on bed rest; and Elphaba seemed to be on bed rest with him, because she never left his side. None of the others so much as mentioned it – they understood that she had almost lost Fiyero and wanted to be as close to him as possible; and though she didn't have to stay in bed all the time, she did have a concussion and some rather bad injuries, so all the rest she got this way was only good for her.

Right now, she was curled up on Fiyero's chest, where she mostly seemed to be these days, fast asleep. Gazilon almost never saw her sleeping in a different position anymore; he suspected she had trouble sleeping unless she could hear Fiyero's heartbeat and was reassured that he was still alive.

Fiyero himself had one arm wrapped around the dark-haired girl, his fingers playing with the strands of her raven hair, and he was looking at Gazilon.

"I need your help," he said simply.

Gazilon plopped down in the chair next to the bed and looked at the Vinkun prince expectantly. "With what?"

Fiyero hesitated, then blurted it out. "Gaz, my father's funeral is tomorrow," he said. "I have to go."

Galinda and Cyara, who had softly been talking to one another, both fell silent and turned around now.

"Excuse me?" Galinda demanded in a high voice. Cyara just stared at her brother wide-eyed.

Fiyero sighed. "Look, guys…"

Elphaba murmured something in her sleep, and Fiyero tightened his grip on her, stroking her hair.

"He's my father," he said quietly. "And he died." His voice sounded a little choked. "I can't not go. You understand that, right? My mum is all alone right now."

"I can go," Cyara said softly. "I will go. Mum won't be alone, Fiyero."

"I know," Fiyero said hesitantly. "But…" He faltered, not sure how to explain it.

"Is this a 'now-I'm-the-only-man-of-the-family'-thing?" asked Cyara – one of the two people in the world who could always read his mind.

He bit his lip. "That, too," he admitted. "I mean… with Dad gone, I… I'm the only man now, Cy. Worse, even – I'm the king. You and Mum are my responsibility."

Galinda snorted, but Cyara just nodded calmly. "I understand."

"And I just want to go," Fiyero said simply. "He is… was… my father. I want… I need to say goodbye to him."

"Fiyero…" Galinda sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him solemnly. "You're on bed rest."

"I don't care," he said immediately.

"You can't go," Galinda insisted. "Fifi, if your injuries get worse because of this trip…"

"I don't care, Galinda," he said simply. "I need to say goodbye to my father. I have to go to the funeral."

Galinda sighed. "Think about Elphie, then," she pushed on. "It wouldn't be good for her, either, to go on such a long trip. She's injured, too, you know."

"Of course I know," Fiyero snapped. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I'd love to have her there with me," he confessed, "but I don't want to risk her health as well as mine. She can just stay here with you and Gazilon. You'll take care of her, won't you?"

"We would," Gazilon agreed. "Of course we would."

Galinda, however, narrowed her eyes. "You really want to leave her here?" she asked pointedly. "Away from you? Fiyero, you didn't see her when you were unconscious and we weren't sure if you were going to make it. It was horrible. If you leave her now… she couldn't handle that. She can't be away from you right now."

Fiyero looked down at the green girl curled up on his chest. She had burrowed as close to him as she possibly could, as she always did these days, with her cheek pressed to his chest and the hand on her good arm clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly. He knew Galinda was right.

"Just think about it," Galinda told him before moving into the sitting room. Cyara and Gazilon followed here, giving Fiyero sympathetic looks before they left.

Fiyero sighed and stared ahead of him for a few moments, lost in thought.

"I'll come with you," Elphaba said softly, startling him.

He looked down at her, only to find her looking back at him. "I thought you were asleep," he said, tenderly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "How are you feeling?"

She half-shrugged. "Fine," she said. "And I was sleeping… at first. It's hard to sleep through Galinda's indignant squeals."

Fiyero chuckled softly, running his fingers through her hair.

She looked up at him. "Yero… I don't want you to stay here for me," she said quietly. "But Galinda is right – I don't want to be away from you, either. Not now."

He kissed the top of her head. "I understand. I don't want to be away from you, either."

"So I'm coming with you," she said simply.

He sighed. "Fae –"

"Stop," she cut him off. "Don't even say it. I'm fine, Yero. Your injuries are worse than mine. If you're going, then so am I."

He closed his mouth and leant down to kiss her gently instead. "I love you so much," he murmured.

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder for a moment. "I love you, too, Yero my hero." Then she raised her head again and pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go get ready."