The World As We Know It

by elphabaoftheopera

When their long-awaited night of passion results in an unplanned pregnancy, Elphaba and Fiyero must navigate the consequences of the new world they've created. Years later, when Liir has questions about his past that even his Auntie Glinda won't answer, a startling discovery sets him on a journey that alters everything he once knew. Canon-Divergent. AU. Fiyeraba (& Gliyeraba).

2. Growing Pains

CHAPTER TWO: GROWING PAINS

Elphaba woke up as a different person than she'd been the night before. Or rather, she woke up as herself. The person she'd been the night before was the different one, the stranger.

When she sat up she pulled half the forest floor with her as it clung to her back and hair. A faint ache greeted her as she settled upright, a reminder that last night had been real.

An even bigger reminder, however, was him.

Fiyero lay sleeping, looking remarkably peaceful for having spent the night on the ground. He was decent, though his shirt was untucked and his suspenders still hung loosely at his waist. His hair was disheveled, but in a way that looked charmingly intentional. It almost annoyed Elphaba, how very put together he was. Though was that any surprise with Fiyero?

She recalled the smoothness of his cheek the night before, without even the expected trace of late evening coarseness. It was as if he'd gotten a straight razor shave directly before his engagement ball. And why wouldn't he have done so?

He'd have wanted to look his best. For the cameras. For the guests.

For Glinda.

Was it still smooth as palace standards? Hardly realizing what she was doing, Elphaba curiously stretched her fingertips towards Fiyero's sleeping face. However, just before her fingers made contact his eyelids fluttered and she retracted her hand with a sharp breath.

As Elphaba hastily busied herself with pulling twigs from her hair, Fiyero sat up with a groan.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Elphaba looked over at him, fingers still twisted in her own unruly hair. He was smiling at her.

"Good morning…"

"Did you sleep at all?" Fiyero asked.

"Some," Elphaba nodded. "And yourself?"

"Better than I have in years."

Fiyero reached forward and Elphaba, on instinct, jerked her head away from him.

"Oh— sorry—" Fiyero said.

"No I'm sorry—"

"I didn't mean to—"

"I'm just not used to—I just get a little…" Elphaba sighed. "Jumpy."

Fiyero held up his hands.

"Got it. No sudden moves," he said with a cheeky grin. He gestured towards her hair. "May I?"

Elphaba froze a moment before nodding and Fiyero reached to remove a twig she'd missed from her hair and held it out for her to see.

"Ah. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Fiyero said, tossing it aside.

Their eyes met and Fiyero gently tucked some of Elphaba's hair behind her ear. He lowered his voice to a private tone.

"How are you feeling?" he murmured attentively. "Are you sore at all?"

Elphaba flushed over his intimate question.

"Oh! No. I mean, a bit…but I'm fine," Elphaba said. "You needn't worry. You…were a gentleman."

"Oh…" Fiyero shook his head, his eyes tracing down towards Elphaba's lips. "I was most certainly not a gentleman."

He leaned forward and Elphaba panicked, wrenching her face to the side so that Fiyero's lips landed clumsily on her cheek. He pulled back and neither knew what to say about the failed attempt, so they said nothing.

"So…" Fiyero said, running a hand through his tousled hair. "How've you been?"

Elphaba raised her eyebrows.

"How have I been?"

"Well I don't know," Fiyero shrugged. "It's been awhile."

"Yes, a good long while."

"What was it, the train station? Was that the last time?"

"I think so," Elphaba said. She knew so.

There was a pause.

"Where have you been, anyway?" Fiyero asked.

"Around," Elphaba gestured vaguely. "I'm sure you've heard some stories."

"Oh I've heard all the stories."

"Yes, there's plenty to hear."

"Is any of it true?"

Elphaba raised a brow at him.

"What do you think?"

"Well I didn't find an extra eye on you last night," Fiyero smirked. "Though I didn't get to see as much of you as I'd have liked…"

Elphaba swatted at him and Fiyero grinned.

"That's not funny," Elphaba scolded, even though it kind of was. "And I've heard stories about you too, you know. Some of them downright scandalacious."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Like how you'd woo women in the night and flee by morning."

"Well it's morning," Fiyero gestured.

Elphaba's expression faintly fell and she nodded, sighing inwardly.

"Yes. It's morning…" Elphaba agreed. "And I cannot stay in one spot for long."

"Okay so—"

"So we should probably discuss what we're going to do."

"About what?" Fiyero asked.

"About…this," she gestured between the two of them. "About how we get you out of this."

Fiyero's face sunk into a frown.

"Get out of what?"

"This is all rather inconvenient for me, you know. I'd intended to travel east and corral the Monkeys but now I have to attend to this little detour you devised—"

"Elphaba," Fiyero cut her off. "What are you talking about?"

Elphaba gave him a funny look.

"What are you talking about?"

"I came with you," Fiyero said.

Elphaba sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Fiyero…you don't need to do this. Not for my sake. We're on the same page here."

"Apparently we're not!"

"Fiyero…last night was special for me—"

"For me too!"

"So you don't need to sugar coat things for me like I'm some college girlfriend! Have you not—I mean…" Elphaba alluded delicately. "Have you not done what you set out here to do?"

"Hold on," Fiyero said, staring wildly at her. "Was this just a one-night stand for you?!"

"We're both adults here, Fiyero. You can stop playing dumb."

"Excuse me! I never play dumb."

"Fiyero, we don't have to make this complicated."

"It's not like we hooked up in some broom closet, Elphaba!"

"Fiyero!"

"I left with you! I very publicly left with you!"

"And now you can make a very public return."

Elphaba got to her feet and turned her back, annoyed that he was taking her for a fool.

"I can't go back, Elphaba," Fiyero said, rising to his feet as well.

Elphaba turned towards him.

"Of course you can—"

She was cut off as Fiyero took her by the waist and swept her up against him.

"I don't want to go back."

Elphaba stared at his eyes for a moment, admittedly flustered by their sudden proximity.

"You're…" Elphaba recovered with a clear of her throat. "You're the Captain of the Guard."

"Was the Captain of the Guard. I as good as resigned last night."

"You work for The Wizard—"

"Who I pointed a gun at."

"Fiyero. You are engaged to Glinda—"

"I was engaged to Glinda," Fiyero said seriously. Elphaba's face fell slowly. "It's over, Elphaba. I left her. Just like we said last night."

"We said a lot of things last night…"

"Yes we most certainly did," Fiyero said, eyeing the purple bruise on her neck. "Like when you asked me to bite—"

"Fiyero! Be serious," Elphaba hissed, wrenching from his grasp and crossing away from him.

"You be serious! Did you actually think I ran off with you to live out some kind of witch fetish!?"

"Oh come off of it," Elphaba turned around. "Is it out of the question for me to think you'd be ticking a conquest off your list? One last hurrah before settling down?"

"Conquest?!"

"After all, The Wicked Witch of the West would be the most exotic, most elusive lay in all of Oz!" Elphaba gestured grandly.

"I'll say!" Fiyero laughed harshly. "I've damn well been lookingfor you long enough."

Elphaba blinked.

"You've been looking for me?"

"Yes!" Fiyero cried furiously. "Why do you think I took the Captain's job in the first place!?"

Elphaba pursed her lips as she processed this new information.

"But your engagement—"

"All Glinda. She sprung it on me by surprise."

"That does sound like her..."

They both took a deep breath and Fiyero took a slow step towards Elphaba.

"Last night wasn't about sex for me, Elphaba."

Elphaba raised her eyebrows at him.

"Okay, last night wasn't only about sex for me, Elphaba," Fiyero amended. "I didn't leave with you on some mindless whim. I pictured it over and over…and overagain."

Elphaba was quiet.

"You did?"

"For years."

Years. Elphaba closed her eyes. Years.

"Sweet Oz you've really done it now…" Elphaba muttered under her breath, unsure if she was talking to Fiyero or herself. She took a breath and opened her eyes. "It's difficult living out here, you know," Elphaba warned. "It's dangerous."

"I love danger," Fiyero stepped towards her.

"You'll be a fugitive."

"Won't my parents be so proud?"

"We can still get you out of this," Elphaba reiterated. "I mean it, Fiyero. There are stories we can spin."

Fiyero calmly took Elphaba's hands.

"I've made my decision. What's yours?"

Elphaba swallowed.

"Perhaps…" Elphaba breathed. "A trial run."

"A trial run?"

"To see if you can handle this."

"Oh," Fiyero said, gratuitously looking her up and down. "I can handle this."

Elphaba shook her head, hardly believing that she was entertaining this madness.

"This is never going to work."

"We'll see."

Fiyero leaned forward with the intention to kiss her but Elphaba stopped his lips with her fingers.

"Let's get one thing straight. This is not some erotic fantasy you've stepped into, Fiyero. This is no dream…and I am no dream girl."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Elphaba sighed and crossed away, stooping to grab her things. She strung on her bag, pulled on her hat before turning to look at him expectantly.

"Well come on then," she said impatiently. "If you insist on coming with me then we need to get a move on."

"Yes ma'am."

Fiyero pulled his suspenders over his shoulders and grabbed his rifle.

"You said we're headed east?" Fiyero gestured, taking a step in the direction he pointed.

"That's west."

Fiyero frowned.

"Are you sure?"

"Wouldn't I be the one to know?" Elphaba gestured to her hat.

"Right," Fiyero cleared his throat. "Lead the way, then."

Elphaba narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you even have any wilderness skills?"

Fiyero chuckled nervously. "Do I?"

He did not.

"Don't step on that log, step over," Elphaba warned one day.

"Why?"

Fiyero stepped onto the log which broke sending his foot through the bark.

"That's why."

"Oh."

"Don't eat those," Elphaba warned on another day, knocking a handful of berries from Fiyero's hand.

"Why not?"

"Because they'll kill you instantly."

"Oh."

"Don't hang from that branch," Elphaba warned on yet another day.

"Why not?" Fiyero said, hanging from said branch.

"The hornets."

"Shit."

Unsurprisingly to Elphaba, Fiyero's engagement ball boots were less than ideal for walking long distances.

"Okay, can we stop?" Fiyero huffed. "Just for a clock-tick."

Elphaba gritted her teeth.

"We just stopped, Fiyero."

"I'm dying here."

Fiyero sat against a tree to rest his feet with a pained groan. Elphaba was trying to be patient, she really was, but the lack of ground they'd been able to cover was starting to get under her skin.

"Do you have any—" Fiyero began.

"What? What, do you suppose I have in here?" Elphaba lifted her bag. "I've got nothing to my name."

"You've got more than me."

"Well you should have thought of that before your impulsive escapade."

"Hey—how come we never fly?" Fiyero asked abruptly.

"Huh?"

"We walk everywhere. Does that broom of yours even actually fly?"

"It most certainly does," Elphaba said. "And it's a surefire way to get spotted! Honestly, Fiyero. Do you think through anything you say?"

"Just seems like we'd get there faster if—"

"Oh so you know everything now?"

"All I said was—"

"I assumed the Captain of the Guard would know a thing or two about—"

"You're really going to—"

"It's no wonder you never found me."

Fiyero stopped talking. "Ouch."

Elphaba replayed what she'd said in her head and the tension in her face softened.

"That…" she winced. "That came out wrong."

She went and sat beside Fiyero on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest.

"This is all just a little…frustrating," she leveled with him. "I'm trying to track these Monkeys and I can't find any sign of them. Then on top of it all…"

She sighed.

"There's me," Fiyero muttered.

"There's you," Elphaba agreed. "I've been completely on my own out here, you know? I've hardly carried out a proper conversation in years let alone…"

She trailed off but Fiyero caught her drift. Let alone anything like this. Whatever this was. However, Elphaba's jumpiness over matters of romance did not stop Fiyero from trying. One afternoon she caught him staring.

"What? What are you looking at?"

"Autumn looks good on you," Fiyero flirted.

He meant it. He'd found himself admiring the way the red leaves contrasted Elphaba's vivid green.

"I despise autumn," Elphaba said, not swayed in the least. "I lose my natural camouflage. It makes me stick out like a sore thumb."

Fiyero approached her and took her waist.

"Well you've always stuck out to me."

"Yes, well…" she muttered, shrugging out of his embrace. "You and the rest of Oz. Now keep up please."

Fiyero sighed inwardly and followed behind her. She'd braided her hair today, much like she used to at Shiz. She'd changed so much since then. Fiyero wondered if he could only remind her of the old days he may remind her of why she liked him in the first place.

She did like him in the first place, right?

She had to.

Further down the path Fiyero discretely picked a bundle of wildflowers growing from the ground. He'd pulled them too hard at the root and had to yank off a few clumps of dirt. Once presentable, he caught up with Elphaba and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What?" she asked sharply as she turned.

"Here."

Fiyero thrust the bundle of flowers into her hands. Elphaba looked down at them with a puzzled expression.

"What for?" she asked.

"For…you? Just because?" Fiyero said.

"Oh."

"I brought you flowers once before," Fiyero reminded her, hoping it'd stir a fond memory. "Poppies. Remember?"

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero and met his eyes.

"I'm…not sure," Elphaba fibbed evasively. "It was so long ago."

Fiyero cleared his throat, trying not to appear too stung. He remembered everything about that day. After all…it was the day she left.

"Well—"

"Shh!" Elphaba shushed suddenly. She was quiet for a moment, listening hard. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

She put her finger to her lips and kept listening. Then, she heard it again. A distant screech. A flapping of a wing. Elphaba quickly thrust the flowers back into Fiyero's hands and dashed through the autumn trees with her eyes to the sky.

"Yes, I'm here! I'm here!" she called, beckoning towards the trees. "It's okay, you can show yourselves!"

"Who are you talking to?" Fiyero panted as he jogged to catch up.

He craned his neck upwards. The trees rustled and Elphaba beamed as a winged Monkey hopped out onto a branch.

"It's okay! It's me, Elphaba," she said kindly, extending her hand towards the Monkey. "I'm not here to hurt you."

There was more rustling as two more Monkeys came into view from the canopy above, including—

"Chistery!" Elphaba gasped.

Chistery screeched in recognition and smoothly glided to the ground where Elphaba greeted him with a celebratory laugh.

"Oh, Chistery," she said warmly, kneeling in front of him. "Oh my friend, how are you?"

Chistery appeared excited to see Elphaba but as soon as he saw Fiyero he screeched and protectively spread his wings out in front of Elphaba. Fiyero held up his hands and took a step backwards.

"Whoa, sorry!" Fiyero said, glancing at Elphaba. "Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know, I've never seen them like this," Elphaba said, puzzled over Chistery's reaction.

The rest of the Monkeys approached and crowded around Elphaba, all suspiciously leering at Fiyero. One of them took Elphaba's hand.

"It's okay, he's not with The Wizard," Elphaba assured them. "You can trust him."

While the troop of Monkeys stopped being actively hostile on Elphaba's word, they still clung dutifully close to her as they assisted in setting up camp, screeching aggressively whenever Fiyero got too close to her.

"It's the strangest behavior," Elphaba apologized to Fiyero later. "I don't know what has gotten into them."

Fiyero sat on one side of the campfire with Elphaba across from him, her Monkeys crowded on all sides of her. Chistery stayed the closest, crouched by her knee as if he were her bodyguard.

"Oh, no! It's fine," Fiyero grumbled, perturbed over her hoard of minions. "Just fine."

Elphaba took a sip of water from her canteen and grimaced.

"What is it?" Fiyero asked.

"I've got this funny taste I can't rid," Elphaba complained. "Like I've been sucking on coins."

"Have you been?"

Elphaba ignored his joke.

"Must be something in the water."

"Weird," Fiyero shrugged. "Mine tastes fine."

They settled in for the night and, to Fiyero's dismay, the Monkeys curled up close to Elphaba creating an impassable blockade between them. Every time Fiyero attempted to sidle closer to her the Monkeys would simply glare until he scooched an acceptable distance away.

"Well…goodnight, Fiyero," Elphaba called over the Monkeys.

"Yeah…" Fiyero called back. "Goodnight, Elphaba."

Fiyero shifted onto his back with a sigh to look up at the stars. The Monkeys weren't the only thing preventing him from getting close to Elphaba. They were nearly two months into their trial run and they'd yet to reprise their first night. Elphaba would accept his tame kisses, but any time he attempted to initiate anything vaguely sensual she'd break it off with a flustered excuse. Fiyero tried not to get too in his head about it, reminding himself that they were both adjusting, but he couldn't help but wonder what he was doing wrong.

At the end of the day, it wasn't the sex that Fiyero was most disappointed to be without. More than anything…he simply wished to hold her.

Elphaba bid the Monkeys farewell in the morning with instructions to Chistery to find and gather the others. Elphaba wasn't quite sure where to lead them yet, but she told them to head west for now. She didn't think they'd fare well in Munchkinland.

"I'll be fine, I promise," Elphaba assured Chistery, sensing his reluctance to leave.

He wrapped his arms around her middle in a hug and Elphaba chuckled over his strange affection.

"Off you fly, now," she said, patting his head fondly. "Go on now."

Chistery stretched and flapped his wings before surging up towards the canopy of autumnal trees with his comrades close behind. Elphaba watched them go with a wistful sigh before bending at the waist to grab her things. Upon righting herself she stook a stumbly step to the side, her head suddenly swimming.

"Are you okay?" Fiyero asked, crossing to steady her.

"Yes, fine. Just a little dizzy," Elphaba said with a small shake of her head. "Shall we?"

Fiyero wanted to urge her to sit down, but when Elphaba offered him her hand he couldn't stand to refuse it.

"Lead the way."

As the week continued Elphaba and Fiyero began running into more and more troops of Monkeys, all of which regarded Elphaba with the same protective energy. Elphaba would usually send them on their way without much ado, except for one afternoon when she employed a group with an eyebrow raising task.

"Do you mind keeping watch while I rest my eyes?"

Fiyero gave Elphaba a stunned look. "It's the middle of the day."

"Yes," Elphaba retorted tensely. "What of it?"

"We never stop in the middle of the day."

"Well I'm a little extra tired, okay?!" she snapped. "I'm covering half the ground with twice the effort now that you're here."

Fiyero blinked and Elphaba sighed over her tone.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from. I'm just exhausted, Fiyero. Exhausted," Elphaba complained. "All I need is to reset with a little extra rest."

Fiyero sighed, deciding to let it slide. She did look very tired. The Monkeys posted guard as Elphaba settled in to nap on the ground. Fiyero sat against a tree nearby and watched in astonishment as Elphaba immediately crashed and crashed hard. Trusting Elphaba's trust in the Monkeys, Fiyero allowed himself to lean back and doze in and out of a light sleep for himself. Every time he'd come to Elphaba would still be out like a light.

Snap.

Fiyero, startled by the cracking sound, roused to full attention. The Monkeys also alerted, stretching their wings defensively and screeching amongst each other about the disturbance. Distant crunching steps and voices were heard. Elphaba, amazingly, had still not roused. A falling leaf was usually enough to wake her.

Fiyero reached towards her and the Monkeys tensed but Fiyero held up his hands.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm just going to wake her up."

The Monkeys hesitated before nodding, trusting Elphaba's trust in him.

"Elphaba…" Fiyero whispered urgently, shaking her shoulder. "Elphaba wake up."

She awoke with a groggy frown.

"What time is it?"

"We have to move," Fiyero whispered. "There's voices."

The urgency clicked at once and Elphaba sprung to her feet. Fiyero grabbed her things but when he turned to hand them off he spotted Elphaba leaning against a tree with a hand clasped over her mouth.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she managed. "I'm fine."

"Elphaba?"

The voices grew a bit louder.

"I'm fine."

Fiyero was not convinced, but they didn't have time to argue. They nodded towards the Monkeys who set off for the trees, Elphaba linked her hand with Fiyero's, and they started to run. Elphaba led the charge, deftly navigating them through the winding woods until they spotted a massive fallen tree laying sideways in the brush. She tugged on Fiyero's hand and they both crouched behind it.

Before long the voices grew nearer and they could make out bits of conversations. Thankfully, it appeared not to be the guard but rather a group of boisterous hunters. As they waited, Fiyero watched Elphaba close her eyes and breathe deeply through her nose.

"Bastards," Elphaba muttered, rising to her feet once the threat had subsided. "I doubt that hunting party distinguishes animal and Animal when they—they…"

She stopped mid sentence, pervaded by sudden, vicious wooziness.

"Elphaba?"

She closed her eyes and gripped her stomach, going quite pale.

"You don't look so good."

"I…" she uttered weakly. "I—"

Elphaba hurriedly clapped her hand over her mouth and jerked forward, swerving her body away from Fiyero. Fiyero, recognizing what was happening, had just enough time to pull Elphaba's hair back before she doubled over and became sick over a pile of leaves.

"Oh sweet Oz…" Elphaba whined. "I can't believe that just happened."

Mortified, she crossed away from Fiyero.

"Don't look at me!"

"Relax, Elphaba. It's fine!" Fiyero assured her. "Just drink some water."

"I hate my canteen," Elphaba complained. "I think it's behind this horrible metallic taste in my mouth!"

Nevertheless, she unscrewed the lid and took a sip as he suggested.

"I don't know what came over me," Elphaba apologized with a small shudder. "This never happens to me."

"When was the last time?"

"Eight or nine?"

"Months ago?"

"No. I was eight or nine years old," Elphaba said. "I suppose…maybe I…just stood up too fast."

Elphaba's hopeful theory was proven false over the course of the next few days as she continued to get sick at random intervals. Her attempts to conceal her queasiness from Fiyero were, unfortunately, unsuccessful.

"Maybe you're pushing yourself too hard," Fiyero suggested.

"I'm pushing myself as hard as I always have."

"Exactly. Maybe it's all caught up with you. Maybe it's time to take a rest—"

"Where?" Elphaba said pointedly. "Where shall I rest, Fiyero? Home with Nessa? The Wizard's Palace?"

"We could go to—"

"Save it."

Elphaba's uneasy stomach, to say the least, was not helping matters between them. She was even more snappish and skittish around Fiyero than usual as she grappled with her ill feelings. Tension between them was growing, and not the kind that Fiyero had been hoping for.

"You don't look good," Fiyero pointed out as they stopped to make camp.

"I never look good."

"That's not true," Fiyero commented. "Come on, Elphaba. Take a rest."

"I have too much to do—"

"It can wait—"

"I'm sorry, are you going to set up camp? Are you going to start the fire?" Elphaba snapped. "You know what?! Fine."

She tore off her bag and tossed it at Fiyero's feet.

"There are matches in my bag. Knock yourself out."

"Fine! I will!" Fiyero huffed.

"Fine!"

Elphaba trudged away to sit against a tree with her back turned towards Fiyero.

Fiyero glared after her before digging through the bag to procure the box of matches. He'd show her. How hard could it be? Gritting his teeth, he struck the end of the match against the side of the box. To his surprise, it lit immediately and he was so startled he blew it out on instinct. He tried another match and struck it too strongly so it broke. He tried another. Same thing. No matter what he tried, he couldn't achieve what he'd achieved before.

He could not get the fire to light again.

Losing hope, Fiyero opened the matchbox and his stomach sank to find it empty. He dug through Elphaba's bag but there were no more. He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath.

"Well? How is it—"

Fiyero flinched as Elphaba came up behind him. He turned and she stopped when she saw the empty matchbox in his hands.

"You used the last match?"

Fiyero's stomach twisted.

"Yeah."

Elphaba closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It's fine! It's fine. I'll do it myself," she muttered, gathering some dried leaves and sticks. "It's not like it's any different from usual."

"Can I help?"

"You've helped enough."

Fiyero felt useless. He felt stupid. He stood by doing nothing as Elphaba, who already didn't feel well, labored to build a fire from scratch. After a long stretch of work Fiyero watched as a tiny plume of smoke began to ripple from the kindling, but before it could properly ignite, they felt a raindrop.

"No…" Elphaba said, looking up at the sky with a miserable expression. "No."

"Was that a drop?" Fiyero asked.

A roll of thunder answered his question. Elphaba continued to stare at the pitiful plume as the rain started rolling in. If Fiyero didn't know her better, she looked ready to burst into tears.

"Come on…there's an overhang this way."

The rain began to pick up as they gathered their things and took shelter under a nearby cliff overhang, abandoning their failed fire behind them. Elphaba threw everything to the ground and crossed her arms over the mossy wall to bury her face in them. The rain began to pelt in earnest but Fiyero kept his eyes on Elphaba.

"Elphaba…"

She didn't answer.

"Elphaba—"

"This is never going to work."

Her voice was muffled into her arms. It sounded defeated.

"What do you mean—"

Elphaba withdrew from the wall and turned towards him.

"We need to end this."

Fiyero stopped talking. Elphaba's eyes were bloodshot but her face was composed. Steely.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Fiyero asked quietly.

He'd never said those words before. He never thought he'd ever say those words.

"How can we break up?" Elphaba said hopelessly. "We're…nothing."

"Don't say that," Fiyero stepped forward. "You don't mean that."

"I said I'd give it a shot," Elphaba said, stepping back. "I said I'd give it a trial run and I did. But we need to stop kidding around here and return to reality, Fiyero. Both of us," Elphaba stressed. "We live two completely different lives."

"So what would happen then? I just leave you out here alone?"

"Yes," Elphaba said bluntly. "That's what I am accustomed to. Nessa resents me, Glinda will never forgive me, and you are—"

"Yes, what? What am I?!"

"A fantasy!" Elphaba shouted. "And a cruel one at that. A constant reminder of what might have been."

"But I'm here! Right now!"

"And you have to leave," Elphaba said resolutely.

Fiyero gritted his teeth and shook his head.

"You're giving up on us."

"There is no us."

"Exactly!" Fiyero laughed bitterly. "Because you never gave us a shot!"

"I did—"

"No you didn't! You didn't even try!" Fiyero accused. "If you're sick of me just tell me, Elphaba. Just have the decency to tell me."

Elphaba crossed her arms and looked down.

"Oh now you have nothing to say?" Fiyero pressed. "Elphaba—would you please just tell me what you want?!"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me what you want!" Fiyero repeated. "I'm not smart enough just to know. I can't just read your mind. Do you want me to fight for you? Do you want to never see me again?"

She didn't answer.

"Look," Fiyero sighed in frustration. "I am freezing. My feet are killing me, bugs keep biting me—"

"Ah! So the truth comes out—"

"I haven't shaved in weeks, my socks are wet, my neck hurts, the Monkeys hate me, you won't let me near you, and I still want to be here! I still want to be out here with you, Elphaba!" Fiyero proclaimed passionately. "There. I've said it—I've said what I want. Now it's your turn to tell me."

Elphaba didn't speak.

"Okay," Fiyero sighed sharply. "You know what?"

Elphaba frowned in confusion as Fiyero suddenly yanked off his suspenders and pulled off his shirt.

"What in Oz's name—?"

"If you want to break up with me you're going to have to catch me first," Fiyero said, throwing his shirt to the ground and taking a backwards step towards the rain.

Elphaba's eyes went wide.

"Fiyero—no. It's freezing!"

"Then come out here and stop me."

"Fiyero!"

Fiyero ran out into the night, letting out an exhilarated yell over the frigid downpour.

"Come on, Elphaba! It won't kill you!" Fiyero called. "Unless the rumors are true!"

Elphaba huffed from the safety of the overhang. She couldn't possibly be considering this. Yet, moments later, she gasped shakily as she stepped into the chilly rain and charged towards Fiyero.

"Have you lost your mind?" Elphaba shouted over the thunder. "Come back where it's dry!"

"You have to tag me first!"

"What are you, seven?!"

Elphaba stepped forward but Fiyero leapt out of reach.

"You'll have to do better than that!"

Elphaba lunged and Fiyero made a break for it, darting through a series of splashy puddles to get away from her.

"Oh, you are so dead!" Elphaba shouted, sprinting after him.

"Come and get me!"

Elphaba at last caught up and slapped her hand against his shoulder.

"Ha!" Elphaba shouted triumphantly. "I got you!"

Fiyero turned and abruptly seized Elphaba about the waist. He lifted her feet off the ground and gave her a wild spin. Elphaba, not expecting this, shrieked with sudden cackles and clung to him tightly.

"I did it! I finally did it!" Fiyero yelled to the heavens. "I finally captured The Witch!"

Elphaba grinned dizzily as Fiyero lowered her to her feet. The freezing rain had shocked her system so that all she could do was laugh.

"You're a fool," Elphaba said breathlessly. "You'll catch your death out here."

"So long as I catch you too."

Elphaba looked up at him, her smile fading as rain spilled down their hair and faces.

"Why did you come with me?" Elphaba asked seriously. "Why did you really come with me?"

"You know why."

"I don't."

"You do."

"I—"

Fiyero pressed his lips against Elphaba's in a short but passionate kiss. When they parted Elphaba took a few steps back, her fingertips lightly brushing her own lips in quiet surprise as a roll of thunder swept through the sky. Then, with a dashing step, Elphaba flung herself against Fiyero to initiate a second, desperate kiss.

It was not a timid peck, like the many they'd shared, nor was it a carnal embrace like their first night. It lived somewhere in the tender in between. Elphaba's arms wrapped around Fiyero's neck as his fingers threaded through her wet hair. His free arm wrapped around her waist to draw her where he always wanted her to be. Close to him. The tip of Fiyero's tongue made gentle contact with the seam of Elphaba's lips. She felt a small rush before opening her mouth invitingly so that Fiyero may access her. They both sighed and melted further into each other, their lips meeting again, again, again.

Neither wanted to be the one to pull away. Neither wanted to be the one to end it. Neither wanted to break the fragile spell they'd cast. So they carried on as long as they could until their soaked shivers could no longer be ignored.

No words were exchanged as they ducked back under the overhang. Elphaba crossed her arms around herself.

"This doesn't change anything," she said through chattering teeth. "I still think you leaving is the right thing to do…"

"But is it what you want?" Fiyero asked softly.

Elphaba stared at him, body shivering, but she still did not answer. Fiyero sighed.

"You're freezing…" Fiyero said. "Should we gather things for another fire?"

"Never mind that."

With a casual gesture of her hand Elphaba produced a roaring fireball which settled to become a perfectly contained campfire beneath the overhang. Fiyero stumbled back and gave her a wild look.

"You could do that this whole time?!" Fiyero gestured. "Why have you ever bothered with matches?!"

"It's good to have skills, Fiyero!"

Elphaba kneeled beside the enchanted fire and began warming her icy hands. Fiyero sat by it too and observed her stubborn shivers.

"Maybe you'd feel warmer if you—"

"If I what?" Elphaba said, looking up at him.

"If you…took off your dress," Fiyero suggested delicately.

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. "How transparent an attempt, Fiyero."

Fiyero wasn't surprised by her reaction. Elphaba was very private when it came to undressing. Whenever she'd bathe she'd take great care for him not to see her.

"No funny business," Fiyero held up his hands. "Totally innocent."

Elphaba regarded him warily.

"I won't look, I promise," he assured her softly. "Here…"

Fiyero turned so that he sat with his back to the fire. With a timid sigh, Elphaba followed Fiyero's advice and stripped to her undergarments. She pulled her cloak over her shoulders and set her dress out flat to dry. Fiyero, though he lauded himself a saint for doing so, kept his promise not to look.

Fiyero only opened his eyes when he felt Elphaba wordlessly recline against him. They sat back-to-back with their knees to their chests, warming themselves by the fire. Bit by bit their hands subtly drifted towards each other until the tips of their fingers finally brushed. They delicately intertwined them and leaned their heads back against each other to share in a lengthy silence.

"I'm not giving up yet, Elphaba," Fiyero spoke softly, stirred by the intimacy of the moment. "Not on you."

Elphaba was thankful that Fiyero couldn't see her face. Thankful he couldn't see the tremble in her lip. She hadn't produced tears in years, a feat she was most proud of, but her composure now splintered over Fiyero's gentle tone.

"Let me sleep on it," Elphaba whispered, twisting her fingers more tightly with his. "I'll sleep on it…and then I'll figure out what to do."

Even as she said it, Elphaba knew very well that come morning she'd have to let Fiyero go. There was no other future she could foresee. But just for that moment, she let herself pretend. She let herself pretend that Fiyero was truly hers, that he felt the way she felt, and that they weren't at the end of what they'd look back on as a vivid and short-lived dream.

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

"Give me everything, Fiyero."

All Elphaba could see was Fiyero. Fiyero's eyes. His blue eyes.

"Everything you can."

Elphaba looked around the woods. She could hear the bark on the trees creak and stretch as the trees grew taller, taller, taller into the heavens. She looked up at the stars and moon. They were bigger than normal. Brighter than normal.

She looked ahead of her. Morning light stung her eyes. There was not a soul around her…but she got the feeling that she was not alone. Someone was with her. Someone she could not see.

"Fiyero?" Elphaba called.

"Yes?"

"Who else is here with us?" Elphaba asked, knitting her eyebrows together. "I only see you and me."

A vivid sunset illuminated a simple stone well. A bucket was in her hands. Her dress was soaked through with water.

"What are you doing here?" Elphaba heard herself say.

A sudden, piercing cry buckled her knees. Fiyero knelt in front of her.

"What's happening to me?" Elphaba asked him.

"Don't you know?" Fiyero said. His hand covered her abdomen. "You told me to give you everything."

Elphaba flew upright off the ground with a panicked shriek. Her hand tore out of Fiyero's and he roused as she scrambled to her feet.

"Elphaba?" Fiyero called groggily.

Elphaba crossed away from him and doubled over, suddenly heaving. She wasn't sure if she was about to be sick or if she was hyperventilating. Either way, she could not breathe. Her sharp gasps alerted Fiyero and, now fully awake, he got to his feet and went to her side.

"Elphaba, Elphaba. Are you okay?" he asked in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Sweet Oz…it all makes sense," Elphaba wheezed. "It all makes horrible, horrible sense!"

"What does—"

"This can't be happening! This cannot be happening!"

Fiyero helped her upright. Elphaba looked right through him, her eyes wild with fright.

"Fiyero I've…" she whispered hoarsely. "I've had the strangest dream."

Elphaba's head swam, her knees buckled, and Fiyero acted quickly to brace her against him.

"Whoa! Hey," Fiyero said. "It's okay."

"No, it's not okay," Elphaba moaned, gripping Fiyero's arms. "It's not okay, Fiyero. It'll never be okay again!"

"Elphaba, breathe. Breathe," Fiyero tried to soothe her. "Tell me what happened. Tell me what you saw."

"I can't," Elphaba shook her head. "I can't say it."

"You can tell me anything, okay? Anything."

Fiyero took her face in his hands and stroked her cheekbones with his thumbs.

"Let me in, Elphaba. I won't let you down."

Fiyero's voice ached with sincerity. His eyes were wide with worry. Elphaba, desperate for a pillar, was not strong enough to refuse him. But as she opened her mouth to tell him, terror constricted her throat. With a pitiful whimper she flung herself into Fiyero's arms, urging him to hold her.

"Give me a moment, just one more moment," Elphaba pleaded. "I want to memorize how this feels. I just want to live here a little bit longer."

"Before what?"

"Before…" Elphaba whispered. "Everything changes."

Fiyero tightened his hold on her, hugging her as strongly as he could…as if his arms could fix whatever was troubling her.

"I've got you, Elphaba," Fiyero murmured, stroking her hair. "I'm right here."

Elphaba closed her eyes.

"I have to tell you something,"

"What is it?"

Elphaba pulled out of the hug but allowed Fiyero to keep her close.

"Fiyero?" she said in a small, sickened voice.

"What is it?"

Elphaba took a frightened breath, lifted her eyes to Fiyero's, and braced for the world as they knew it to end.

"Fiyero?" she repeated.

"Yes?"

"I'm pregnant."