Middle Ground
Chapter 2
A/N Okay. My laptop crashed and died. In my time of midterms and essay deadlines. I nearly died. I have this entire story on usb, though so I lost three chapters at most. That's something, at least :) So from my old computer, I bring you this chapter. The third one should be here later this week.
Thanks to those who reviewed. Thank you so much :)
HC247...That was an excellent Final :)
She might as well wait it out...
Wait and see.
She didn't linger on why she wanted this. Needed this, even.
He'd look in her direction any second now, his eyes would lock on hers. And she'd know. She'd know if he had truly changed that much.
She was risking death, she supposed. Torture at the hands of the Gale Force. It could happen, no matter how fast she was. How well she knew these woods.
He could. He had a chance.
And if he did...If he arrested her...well...she'd be dead.
That was coming anyway, no way around it. She'd known quite from the start, and was getting more secure in the knowledge every day, that a life on the run would not be a long one.
Death was around every corner. It would come for her sooner or later.
If she was being perfectly honest, she'd rather it be sooner. She wasn't suicidal and she knew the worth of what she did, but she also knew, felt it a little more every day, that her life was not one she wanted to live. Not really. Not for long. When she succeeded, if she did, what would be left?
She moved before she gave herself time to think. The hem of her dress in one hand, her broom in the other, she stepped out of the bushes.
He didn't appear to have noticed, his body was mostly turned towards her but his eyes were still searching the skies, the top of the trees. He looked for her only among the highest points, then. She supposed it could be worse.
She moved till she stood mere feet away from him but she didn't say anything.
His head moved then and she could feel every millisecond of that movement. Every hair on her body stood upright and a shiver rippled up her spine and made her skin crawl.
Before she had a chance to flee, he turned to her fully and gasped.
She saw his eyes widen and heard his breath hitch in his throat. He took a few steps back as if by instinct and she noticed it with a simultaneous surge of satisfaction and hurt.
He stared at her the way she stared at him, his blue eyes wide in wonder, but neither spoke.
She nodded and grimaced an attempt at a smile.
"Hello Fiyero."
That seemed to shake him out of his reverie because he took a few steps towards her and stretched his arm in her direction. She watched his hand reach for her and fought herself not to back away. She wasn't as comfortable as she had thought, no, hoped, she'd be but she couldn't let that show.
"What do you want, exactly?"
He shook his head a little then, as if to clear his mind at her question, and a lock of hair fell over his eyes. She tried not to see that and was amazed at the urge she felt to swipe it away from his forehead. It had never been her place to do so and she didn't understand where that sudden need would come from.
"Elphaba..." Her name was a sigh on his lips. It relaxed her shoulders a little to know it wasn't a curse.
"How have you been?"
The wonder she'd seen in his eyes shone through in his voice.
"I'm alright."
He blinked at that and it almost made her smile. He didn't appear to be much of a threat as of yet. He was just Fiyero.
"You're alright?"
That did make her smile. The pull of her lips as the corners of her mouth lifted felt alien to her.
"I wouldn't have made a different choice so yes, I'm alright. Or as well as can be expected."
His eyes narrowed, telling her he didn't believe her, but he didn't question her.
"You look terrible."
The smile made place for a grimace.
"Thank you."
"Well, you do. You're still beautiful, but you've looked better."
She couldn't believe it, but her cheeks flushed a little at his words, whether it was at the off-hand compliment, or the unapologetic criticism, she wasn't sure.
"You need to eat."
She eyed him, not bothering with a response.
"Is that all?"
His eyes had still been focused on her body, wandering from top to bottom and back and it made heat rise up to her cheeks. She was embarrassed, another surprising emotion, one she had thought herself no longer capable of, and she found she didn't like it. She didn't want his eyes on her body. She felt inferior and ridiculous all of a sudden. She had no right feeling anything for him. Not even if it was just for herself, suffered in silence and never to be acted on or spoken of.
"What?"
His dazed response to her harsh question had brought his eyes back to hers and her thoughts back to the moment. She turned around to leave but his fingers wrapped around her wrist and for one moment, the world stopped.
"Fiyero. It's best you let me go."
"I can't"
His voice was hoarse, the words barely more than a whisper.
She gave an inch, her body tilting back towards him.
"Well, that complicates things."
His fingers tightened around her wrist, his thumb rubbing the skin softly. He would feel her heartbeat speed up. She couldn't stay.
"I'm sorry."
Her eyes snapped back to his face at that.
"What are you sorry for?"
His thumb continued rubbing little circles, as his other hand wrapped around her elbow and pulled her to him. Did he know what he was doing? Was he aware of...of...of anything?
"For everything."
She struggled to focus on his words, not his touch. Not his fingers on her skin.
"That doesn't clear it up in the slightest."
Her words were rather harsh, her tone derogatory. She knew it but she couldn't stop it. It wasn't fair but it was all she had. She'd let it come too far, she should have run when he hadn't seen her yet, but she hadn't and this was how she paid for that.
Oh Oz, how she would pay for this.
"For this."
He gestured at his uniform.
He was still talking. She was sure it was important, the words he had so much trouble getting out, but she couldn't bring herself to focus. His hand had moved from her elbow up to her shoulder and back. And then back again. His fingers ghosting over her arm in an erratic rhythm.
"For Glinda. For your life..."
She held up a hand.
"Fiyero. Stop."
This had to stop. She needed to leave.
"We all do what we have to. If anything, this life has taught me that. Tell Glinda...well...tell her nothing, but..."
He nodded, but his one hand clasped her wrist tighter and then let go to lace their fingers together. She looked down, her heart racing, but then his other hand came rest on her shoulder, his fingers digging into the fabric of her dress, into her flesh, burning into her skin.
She tried to pull back but it only made him hold on tighter.
"Elphaba?"
She looked up at him, into his eyes for the first time. She didn't understand what she saw there but she knew, she knew, he wouldn't call for his fellow men. He wouldn't arrest her. He wouldn't. If she allowed it, he'd stand there for the rest of the night, her hand in his and her body only inches from his.
She pulled away from him, ignoring the ache she felt at the loss of contact and dared a smile.
"Goodbye Fiyero."
She didn't wait. She turned and ran, and though she couldn't make out the words, she heard his voice carry through the silence.
Thanks to NastElilBugger for making me look at it closer and for having the patience to deal with me :)
Please do leave me your thoughts! There's more to come ...