HC247: Sadly, the movie is not on Netflix. I was only able to see it because it was available on the plane I was traveling on.

"Where is she?" Melena asked as she paced around her husband's office. "She should have been back by now."

"Maybe she wanted to stay at the party," the Wizard said, stifling a yawn.

"She didn't even want to go to that party to begin with."

"Well, maybe she found that she was quite enjoying herself. We did say that she could go out tonight."

"And we also told her that she would be coming back tonight."

The Wizard sighed and wrapped his arms around his wife. "Melena, Elphaba is very responsible. She knows how a princess should behave."

"What if something happened to her? We must send a search party out at once."

The Wizard tightened his grip around Melena and kissed her forehead. "Melena, stop worrying. If something had happened, we would have been notified."

"I knew I shouldn't have let her go out tonight. She's too young. Too naïve. She could…" She was cut her off with a kiss and pulled tight against her husband's chest. "Oh, Oscar. I'm just so worried about her."

"I know, Melena. But she's in very capable hands."

The Queen slowly relaxed and nodded. "She is. But maybe we should call the hotel. Just to make sure she's alright."

"If it will put your mind at ease, my dear, I will call," the Wizard said as he led his wife over to his desk and picked up the receiver. He turned the dial a few times and waited.

Melena waited patiently as her husband spoke to someone on the phone. "Well?" she asked as soon as they hung up.

"She's not there."

The Queen's eyes widened. "What?"

"She's not there because Colonel Kean and Colonel Rudker aren't there. They left. They're on their way back here."

"Oh. Okay."

The Wizard smiled. "Come."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to get some soothing ginger tea and then we are going to sit in the parlor and wait for our daughter to come home from the party."

"Is this what normal parents do?" Melena asked as she allowed herself to be led away.

"Of course, my dear. Normal parents do this all the time."

"Do they worry?"

"Of course they do. But then all their worries are put aside once their children come home."

Time seemed to freeze for Elphaba. She was late. The guards were probably looking for her. Although she knew they would never find her, that only worried her more. She should have been paying more attention. She shouldn't have let the time get away from her like that.

"Fae?" Fiyero asked. "Are you alright?"

"I… I have to go," Elphaba said as she tried to pull away, but Fiyero pulled her back.

"Why?"

"I should have been home by now."

"I'll walk you home."

"No," Elphaba said, probably a bit too quickly. She couldn't let Fiyero see where she lived.

"Really, Fae. It's not a problem."

"I'll be fine."

"Can't we dance for a few more minutes?"

Elphaba looked torn. Her parents probably sent out guards to look for her, but she would able to be right under their noses and they wouldn't notice her. "Well…"

"Please, Fae?"

The incognito princess thought for a moment. "M-Maybe just a few more minutes."

Fiyero smiled and pulled Elphaba against him as they shared a few more dances. Once the next song ended, someone announced that the fireworks display would start. Couples snuggled together as they watched the amazing display of green and gold fireworks light up the sky.

"Fae?" Fiyero asked.

"Hmm?" Elphaba hummed as she snuggled closer to him.

"I'm… I'm really glad I met you and got to spend tonight with you."

Elphaba looked up at him and smiled. "I'm really glad I met you, too, Yero. This has been one of the best nights of my life." She stood on her toes to give Fiyero a kiss, and wasn't surprised when he pulled her against him. To them, it seemed like everyone has disappeared and it was just them, kissing under the fireworks display and holding each other in their arms.

After the fireworks display, the band began to play more. But the special moment could only last so long. Because soon enough, in the middle of a slow song, the Wizard's guards appeared.

They didn't say anything out loud, but began to roam the crowds. Elphaba knew they were trying to look for her without causing a chaotic scene, but it began to unnerve her.

"Fae, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just… the palace guards are here."

Fiyero looked up at the men in green uniforms. "Why are they here?"

"I don't know," Elphaba whispered, lowering her gaze slightly.

"That's him!" a woman shouted.

Elphaba and Fiyero both looked up and saw a woman pointing at Fiyero.

"He's the one disloyal to the Wizard!"

Elphaba faintly remembered seeing that woman at the bar where Fiyero had his little "episode". She exchanged a look with the Vinkun and they made to run, but the soldiers caught Fiyero and pinned him down.

"Let go of me!" Fiyero grunted as he struggled against the guards.

"You are being arrested for disloyalty against his supreme Ozness!" the guard said as he struggled to get the Vinkun's hands behind his back.

Finally, Elphaba had seen enough. She knew the consequences of what her actions would bring, but she couldn't let Fiyero go to the Southstairs. Not after what he had told her. "Let go of him!" she commanded, forgetting for a moment that she didn't look like herself.

"And who are you?" one of the soldiers asked gruffly.

Elphaba quickly gulped down the lump in her throat and waved her hand over her head, undoing her spell. Everyone gasped as Elphaba was enveloped in a green light and when it died down, she was back to her emerald-skinned, raven haired self. "Princess Elphaba."

The soldiers looked at her for a moment before dropping Fiyero and bowing. "Your Highness."

Elphaba looked down at Fiyero, who was looking at her with a mixture of shock, confusion, and anger. "Fiyero…" she whispered.

"Princess?" Fiyero whispered, almost to himself, his eyes never leaving Elphaba.

"How do we know it's really the princess?" someone in the crowd asked cautiously.

"Only members of the royal family can do magic. It's a sign that they're destined to rule Oz," someone else said.

"The princess," Fiyero whispered again.

"It's alright," Elphaba said to the soldiers. "He's innocent."

"But… but Your Highness…" one of the soldiers stammered.

"It's alright," Elphaba repeated, holding up her hand to stop them. "You may go."

The soldiers looked from Elphaba to Fiyero once more before bowing and leaving. Elphaba watched them go before turning her attention back to Fiyero, who was still staring at her. She slowly walked up to him and offered him her hand, and practically jumped back when Fiyero pushed himself up and glared at her.

Elphaba licked her lips as she looked up at the prince. "Fiyero, I…"

"Princess… you're the princess?" Fiyero asked incredulously.

"Yes," she said, looking down slightly. "I am."

The Vinkun was silent for a moment, then he let out a breathy, humorless laugh. "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it."

"Fiyero, I'm so sorry. I…"

"Save it," he said, turning away. "Princess."

"Fiyero!" she called after him as he hurried away. Quickly, she hurried after him, not caring about the people in the square watching them. "Fiyero! Fiyero, please stop!"

Fiyero continued to ignore the princess as he hurried away, not really knowing where he was going. But he didn't care. He just wanted to get away from Elphaba.

"Yero, please!" Elphaba practically begged, finally catching up to him and gently placing his shoulder.

Fiyero shrugged her off. "You don't have the right to call me that. You've been lying to me all night. This whole night has been a lie. Everything you said was a lie."

"Not everything. It wasn't a lie when I told you that tonight was the best night of my life because I was with you. I listened to you and your stories about your family, about your time in the war, about your brothers…"

"You lied to me about who you really were! I opened up to you and you just put on some act about who you were! You played me!"

"Yero, don't you understand? I've never been able to have a normal conversation with anyone in my life before. I've either been told what to say, or someone spoke for me. But tonight, no one gave two twigs about who I was because they didn't know. I wasn't different. I had the change to be ordinary on the most extraordinary night of my life."

"I don't care! This whole night has been nothing but an act for you! Whatever you got out of this, I hope you've enjoyed it!"

Elphaba could feel tears forming in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't let Fiyero leave like that. "Fiyero…"

"The palace guards will probably be looking for you, Your Highness. You should leave us common folks and go back to your palace."

"Fiyero, please don't be like that!" She reached for his hand, but he pulled away.

"Don't touch me."

"Fiyero, please don't go. I loved spending my night with you. I couldn't have told you who I was. Please try to understand that. I wanted to, especially when you opened up to me, but I knew you would treat me differently if you found out."

The Vinkun was completely ignoring her and Elphaba finally allowed her tears to fall down her face. She never wanted her night to end like that.

"Your Highness!" Elphaba turned and saw a carriage stop behind her. Colonel Rudker and Colonel Kean hopped out and hurried over to her. "We're so glad you're alright. It's time to go back to the palace. Your parents are expecting you."

The green girl turned and looked at Fiyero one more time. His back was facing her and she knew he wasn't going to speak to her again. "Goodbye, Fiyero," she said, and once she was sure he wouldn't respond, she turned and allowed the colonels to help her into the carriage.

Fiyero finally turned around and watched as the carriage vanished from sight. A single tear rolled down his cheek and he roughly wiped it away. He knew he had to forget about the girl he met that night. That girl didn't even exist. 'Fabala' wasn't real. And it was easier to forget than it was to remember.

The royal carriage traveled quickly down the emerald streets of the city. Elphaba was silent the whole ride. She didn't want to say anything. She couldn't say anything. All of her thoughts were consumed by Fiyero. She couldn't get his image out of her head, especially the look on his face when he found out the truth.

"We're here, Your Highness," one of the guards said, but Elphaba barely heard him. She went into autopilot as she was helped out of the carriage and walked up the stairs to the front doors.

Melena looked up as soon as the doors opened. She practically abandoned her teacup and hurried into the foyer. "Elphaba?" She laid eyes on her daughter and hurried over to her before wrapping her in a tight hug. "Oh, Fabala!"

"Hi, Mama," Elphaba smiled, hugging her mother back.

The Queen smiled, for it had been a while since she heard Elphaba call her that. She gently pulled away and gently cupped her daughter's face in her hands. "Did you like the party?"

"I did," Elphaba smiled, nodding at mother.

"Fabala." The Wizard stepped into view and Elphaba, smiling, hurried over to her father and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. "We've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Elphaba said, though her voice was muffled slightly.

"Tell us all about the party," Melena smiled as her daughter pulled away from her father.

"I will, but I've had a very long night. I can tell you everything tomorrow."

The Wizard nodded and Elphaba kissed her parents' cheeks before turning and hurrying up the stairs, slowly exhaling.

"Elphaba, wait!" Melena called from the foot of the staircase.

"Yes, Mother?" Elphaba asked as she turned around.

"Why is there dirt on your dress?"

Elphaba blinked. "Dirt?" She looked down and realized that the lower half of the back of her dress was covered in dirt. She also belatedly realized that this was the dress she had magically changed into, not the one she left the palace wearing. Oh Oz... she gulped silently.

"And where did you get that dress?" Melena asked, narrowing her eyes, giving Elphaba the look that meant she was in trouble.

"I… I…" Elphaba stammered, trying to think of an excuse, but she knew it was too late.

"Elphaba Melena, we are discussing this… now," Melena said sternly.

"Mother, I…"

"Now."

BUSTED!