Chapter 28

Under any other circumstance, this would have been perfect. Perfect in its flawed romanticism.

Had this happened the way they'd both dreamed it at some point in their personal history of loneliness and misery, then this would have been a night of passion and love, of discovery and hushed conversations. Of whispered confessions and too much honesty.

But it wasn't.

The circumstances were perfect. The wind that had fought her on the journey to the Palace had died down, leaving the evening air crisp but mellow. The forest was quiet, the leaves soft. She felt the moss under her shoes, heard the quiet whispers of leaves softly rustling.

It was as if the universe mocked them.

She wanted to lash out at something, at someone.

But the only other person here was Fiyero. He stood across from her, pulling leaves off his coat, that stupid Gale Force uniform. He must have caught ,and read, her gaze because he unbuttoned it and threw it to the side without a second glance.

Didn't he doubt anything? How could he be so sure, all of a sudden? So ready to abandon his life?

He moved towards her, and she took a step back. She didn't want to, not really, but she wasn't ready for this. She didn't want to be too close to him. If he touched her now, she feared she would unravel till there'd be nothing left.

She had so little experience in matters such as this. How was she supposed to know what to do?

There was a reality here that they needed to deal with. Why could he not see that? How could he just stand there and look at her?

He just...stood there, staring at her. Hands at his side, his head tilted, his hair mussed and curly, and annoyingly perfect.

"What?!"

She snapped. It wasn't fair, but he'd have to deal.

She'd have to deal.

He didn't say anything, though. Just stared at her. It made her skin crawl. Oz, what on earth were they doing? Every time she thought she knew, every time she thought she had a handle on things, it changed. He kept stealing into her life, making a mess of her heart. She didn't like it. She'd never bothered to act on her own wishes, she wanted things and wanted them too much, but wishes and dreams had been unruly companions, and she'd learned not to build on them too much. The last time she had, it had turned her into the number 1 enemy of the state. And then, Fiyero had re-entered her life and had, without no armour but his heart, made her wish and dream again.

But their world hadn't been real. It was that thought that had kept her safe. Had kept her from wanting more. From wanting too much.

And now...now, here he was. Having left behind his life, having abandoned all he knew. Having chosen her.

He chose her. It wasn't a wish anymore, now. Not a fantasy.

This was the reality now. He'd chosen her, over his fiancée...

She could feel herself getting restless. Could feel impatience, frustration, anger taking over. Electricity ran between her fingertips.

She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to run. It was, still, her first instinct then. To run when things got dangerous. She could feel it now, pushing her into movement.

She turned to reach for her broom, paced to where it stood close to him, her cloak billowing behind her, her dress making it difficult to walk.

And then he stepped in front of her.

He took one of her hands, used his other hand to take her hat off.

"Don't run."

She looked at him, her head shaking. She couldn't stay here. Nothing here was right. She wasn't right.

"Elphaba."

Head still shaking, she felt her body gravitate towards his. His eyes focused on hers, he forced her to look back at him.

"What good will running do you?"

She wanted to snarl at him. To sneer. She wanted to make a cutting remark about safety and how they'd been doomed from the start and how it would be best if he left here now and went back to Glinda. How they'd never been real, and they never would be. How she would never be real and would never, ever, be what he believed her to be.

But, she realized as her mouth opened, she'd done all that before. Everything she was about to say, she'd said at some point.

And he was still here. They both were.

She closed her mouth again, pressed her lips together.

She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve him.

"Elphaba, I love you."

She didn't deserve him, but Oz, she wanted him.

"Don't run from me."

She shook her head again, but turned it into a nod. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now, but she wouldn't run. He was right. It wouldn't make any of this better.

"I..."

She looked at him. Everything was different now. Everything was different, more real, more painful. More guilt and anger and confusion than she'd counted on. She'd overestimated herself, but she'd underestimated her love for him. She'd believed in her own morals more than she'd believed in love. What a mistake that had turned out to be.

But...at the same time...

At the same time, nothing had changed. He smiled at her, rubbed his thumb over her fingers. Nothing had changed.

They were here together, not because of some fluke, or because life that thrown them together that way.

Life had done what it could to keep them apart. They'd fought their way back every week. Against everything she stood for, she'd worked her way back to him, time and time again.

It probably meant something. Said something about her character, proved a point about her evil nature, just like her father had always said.

But it also said something about them. And he deserved more than someone who ran at every glimpse of emotional turmoil. Who fled from every scene she didn't know how to handle.

"I'm not running."

She lifted her chin and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm not running."

Yes, I am on a bit of a roll again. Not only do I have a little time. I was also lucky enough to see the show in London this week (Yes. I am a lucky b*stard. I know). It inspired me to abandon household duties and sit down to edit this and post the thing. I had finished it already, but then made some changes (in the shape of some added Avaric) and it needed to be re-edited. But I saw that I started posting this in January. It can not possibly take me a year to finish this so the next one will be up this weekend.