Thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed this story so far! We're getting close to the end now, but I may be switching from biweekly to weekly updates for the remainder of the story. I've been having a bit of trouble motivating myself to finish the epilogue. It's getting there, but I want to make sure I give myself enough time to finish it properly.

Fiyero was in his bedroom, sorting through the piles of clothes he'd amassed during his stay, when he heard a soft knock on the doorframe behind him. He looked up expectantly, but disappointment must have shown on his face a moment later, for his mother smiled at him and said, "Expecting someone else?"

"Just packing," he answered curtly, not in the mood to hear any more of his mother's admonishments. To his surprise, she merely stepped further into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. Her usual guards were conspicuously absent.

"I'm sorry if I was too hard on you this morning," she said. The apology was so unlike her that Fiyero abruptly dropped the sweater he'd been folding. Allina sighed and continued, "Your father and I have always just wanted what's best for you, but we may not have been the most adept at showing that over the years."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Fiyero said bitterly as he retrieved the sweater and began folding it once more.

His mother watched with curiosity as he shoved the sweater and a pair of trousers into his rucksack. "Are you going somewhere?"

"We're going to pay a visit to Elphaba's sister," he said, not looking up from his task.

"You're really serious about this," his mother said. It was more of a dawning realization than a question.

"Yes," Fiyero said, glancing up to meet his mother's eyes. "I am."

Allina paused for a moment and then shook her head. "This girl has really done a number on you, hasn't she? I've never seen you this single-minded about anything that didn't involve booze or parties."

When Fiyero only frowned and returned packing at her words, Allina sighed and said, "I won't pretend that I have less than a dozen questions about this entire situation, but I also won't lie and say I'm not relieved that you're finally showing some initiative. I just wish that you'd chosen to do so on behalf of someone a little less universally reviled."

"She's a good person," Fiyero said sharply, shoving a pair of socks into his pack.

His mother's expression softened somewhat as she said, "Be that as it may, it's not the way the rest of Oz sees it. You've already gotten yourself into trouble with the Emerald City by allying yourself with her. I didn't say it before just to hurt you, Fiyero, but people are not going to readily accept this."

Fiyero zipped his pack and slung it over his shoulder, then turned to Allina and asked, "What about you? Can you accept it?"

Allina regarded him for a moment as she rose to her feet. "I have a feeling that my acceptance has very little bearing on the decisions you're about to make," she conceded. The stubborn glare Fiyero fixed her with only seemed to confirm her suspicions. She went on, "Just be sure you know what you're getting yourself into, because it may not be so easy getting out again."

"Have you thought on what we spoke about earlier?" Fiyero asked, ignoring his mother's warning.

Allina regarded him thoughtfully before responding, "You aren't wrong to be concerned about the Animal bans. One has to wonder what group the Wizard will turn his attention to next once he's effectively stomped them out. If you can get the Munchkins to stand with us, then we can bring your proposal to your father's attention."

Fiyero nodded at his mother's words. It was a start.

"We're leaving tonight," Fiyero responded. The news didn't seem to surprise Allina.

"Then I'll take my leave as well," she said. "When you two have finished your business in Munchkinland, come home and report to your father and me. I'll be sure to give the castle staff ample warning, so they know what to expect." She paused for a moment and added, "Maybe leave the Monkeys here though. That may be a bit too much at once."

Fiyero was surprised, but he tried not to let it show on his face. "Thank you," he said sincerely, recognizing his mother's offer for the olive branch that it was.

His mother stepped forward in response and wrapped her arms around him in a short hug, which Fiyero returned awkwardly. As she pulled away, Allina said, "Just be careful. If you get into trouble with the Emerald City, there may not be much we can do to help you."

"Elphaba is a pro at this," Fiyero reassured her. "She won't let us get captured."

"And you really trust her?" his mother asked.

"With my life," Fiyero said with surprising conviction. It seemed inconceivable, but he found that it wasn't a lie.

Allina held his gaze for a moment longer, then gave his hand a final squeeze and turned and left the room.

True to her word, Allina and the men she'd brought with her departed Kiamo Ko mere hours after her conversation with Fiyero. He saw his mother off at the front door with one more promise to keep himself safe, and then she was gone. As much as her sudden arrival the day before had unmoored him, he found that her absence now left a confusing pit in his stomach.

The light was just beginning to fade from the sky when Fiyero stepped into the kitchen to find Elphaba already packing supplies for their journey. She looked up at him as he entered the room and said, "Just about ready."

Fiyero nodded and helpfully loaded some of the gathered supplies into his own pack. "How are you feeling?" he asked, looking her over. She seemed to be rested enough, but Fiyero supposed she was well practiced at hiding fatigue.

"Like a particularly stupid lamb about to wander into the lion's den," she responded, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Fiyero gave her a sympathetic smile and asked, "Have you thought about what you're going to say to your sister?"

Elphaba shook her head. "I haven't really thought much beyond the 'breaking into her home and ambushing her' aspect of this little venture."

Fiyero grimaced. "But you do have a plan for that?" he asked hopefully.

"As much of one as can be expected," she responded. "It involves getting as close as we dare under the cover of darkness and then teleporting inside. With any luck we'll run into Nessarose first and not her question mark of a husband."

"And if we do run into him first?" Fiyero asked nervously.

"Then we hope that the panicked screaming will cover our hasty retreat," Elphaba said sarcastically.

Fiyero swallowed hard at that. The idea of returning to his parents empty handed was not a pleasant one. Without the support of Munchkinland and the Vinkus, Elphaba would likely return to her life on the run, and the oppression of the Animals would continue to its inevitable conclusion. Elphaba must have noticed the look on his face, because she took a step closer to him and said, "I'll be sure to find us a suitable hiding place. We shouldn't have trouble concealing ourselves until the appropriate moment."

Fiyero wasn't sure if he felt much better, but he nodded at her words all the same, grateful that she was trying to ease his nerves when she was clearly just as anxious. He tamped down on his feelings of dread and asked, "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," was her response as she crossed the room to retrieve her broom from where she'd propped it up against the kitchen counter. Fiyero eyed it with trepidation as he followed her out into the foyer.

Elphaba threw open the front door, inviting the early evening chill inside. She took a deep breath, then stepped over the threshold and thrust the broom out in front of her. "Get on," she said, turning to face him.

Fiyero glanced from the broomstick to Elphaba and then back to the broomstick again. Elphaba sighed in frustration, then grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. She straddled the broom herself first, then pulled Fiyero up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist.

"Hold on tight," she said, her tone serious. "If you fall off, I'm not entirely confident I'll be able to turn around and catch you."

He hardly had time to gulp at the insinuation, before Elphaba kicked off the ground and they sped off into the night.

Fiyero tried to ignore his discomfort, both mental and physical, as he clung to Elphaba for dear life on the back of her broomstick. The wind whipped at his hair and tears blurred his vision as he tightened his grip around her waist. Fiyero had no idea how Elphaba could see well enough to keep their cover beneath the treetops as she steered them through the dark forest. They flew on for the better part of the night, until Fiyero had long since lost track of time completely. Certain parts of his anatomy were not faring as well as he'd have liked against the unforgiving handle of the broomstick, but he bit his tongue and kept his complaints to himself.

After what felt like an eternity, Fiyero felt a swooping sensation in his stomach as Elphaba brought them into a controlled dive towards the forest floor. He stumbled as his feet connected with the ground unexpectedly and then he pitched forward into Elphaba, nearly bowling her over. She turned to shoot him a look of annoyance as she straightened up.

Fiyero hardly noticed, still reeling as the world righted itself around him. He was immeasurably glad to be back on solid ground. He was now quite certain that he was not built for flying.

Elphaba watched in amusement as Fiyero placed his hands on his knees and took several deep, steady breaths to calm himself. She leaned her broomstick against a nearby tree trunk and said, "I suppose that wasn't terrible for your first time. You managed to hold on at least, despite all of the whimpering."

Fiyero shot her a deeply offended look as he straightened his shirt. "There was no whimpering."

Elphaba smirked in response. "My mistake," she said, in a tone that suggested she didn't actually believe she was mistaken. "Must have been the wind."

Fiyero bristled slightly in the face of her teasing, but she had already turned away and was rummaging in her bag. She had packed everything she owned for the journey, as they wouldn't be returning to Kiamo Ko right away. Fiyero caught sight of the spine of her Grimmerie among the bag's contents as she drew out their provisions for the evening. It gave him some measure of comfort that she had her spell book with her in the event that they ran into trouble.

Fiyero set about gathering leaves into the closest approximation of a bed that he could manage, glad he'd at least had the foresight to pack a blanket this time. The nights were not unbearably cold at this time of year, but there was somewhat of a chill in the air as the sun went down.

Elphaba was across from him, gathering scraps of wood into a pile. When she was satisfied with her work, she conjured a fireball with a flick of her wrist and set the kindling alight. Fiyero watched the ease with which she performed the task with a small measure of awe.

"What's it feel like?" he asked, moving to crouch beside her. At her questioning look, he wiggled his fingers in imitation of the hand gestures she sometimes used when casting spells. "Magic," he elaborated.

Elphaba seemed to think on his question for a moment. "I don't really know," she said, staring into the depths of the flames she'd created. "It's something that's just always been a part of me. I can't really explain it." She didn't seem as self-conscious as she had the last time he'd asked about her magic, which Fiyero took as a positive sign.

"It's amazing," he said sincerely, as he too stared into the crackling fire. Feeling suddenly bold, he turned to Elphaba and added, "You're amazing."

He didn't miss the way she turned and ducked her head away at the praise. He'd spent enough time with her by now to know that she couldn't take a compliment.

"Hey," he said softly, scooting closer so that their shoulders were touching. "You are, even if you can't see it yourself."

Elphaba chuckled at his words, shaking her head slightly. "It's absurd," she said. Fiyero watched in confusion as she progressed into outright laughter, her shoulders shaking with the effort to contain it. "Absolutely absurd."

"What is?" Fiyero asked, unsure if he should be feeling hurt by the sudden outburst.

Elphaba turned back to face him. Her eyes were shining, though whether from mirth or from something else entirely, Fiyero wasn't sure. "My entire life, I've only ever tried to do what I thought was right. I dedicated everything I had to making good, and yet every single time I've tried, it's completely blown up in my face," she said. Fiyero waited patiently for her to continue, unsure what about this she was finding funny. She went on, "Then, I go and do what is possibly the most wicked thing I've ever done in my entire life. I kidnap and imprison the captain of the Wizard's guard, and now he's sitting beside me, paying me compliments. How am I meant to interpret that?"

She had stopped laughing now and was staring at Fiyero beseechingly. Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close so that her head was resting on his shoulder. "Maybe…maybe we accept that people come into our lives for a reason," Fiyero said thoughtfully. "I spent years absolutely terrified of running into the Wicked Witch of the West, but then when I finally did, it turned out to be the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"You were terrified of me?" Elphaba asked from beside him.

Fiyero was about to reassure her until he recognized the note of pride in her voice. Instead, he chuckled and said, "I'm still terrified of you, actually, but in an entirely different way."

She lifted her head to look at him, apparently confused. Before she could misunderstand, he clarified, "We've known each other for, what, a few weeks now? Yet somehow, I can't seem to remember what my life was like before I met you, and I don't want to imagine it without you either. I don't think I've ever had anything I'm this terrified to lose."

He felt Elphaba's weight disappear from beside him as she straightened up and then sat back on her knees. She turned so that she was facing him, and Fiyero shifted to match her position. They stared at each other for a moment, the warm glow of the campfire casting their faces half in shadow. Elphaba was looking at him strangely again, as though she couldn't quite believe he was real.

"There are certain things I'd grown to accept that I would never experience in this life," she said softly, casting her eyes down to where her hands were folded in her lap. "There was too much evidence to the contrary to believe that anyone could ever…" she trailed off, seemingly unable to voice the thought aloud.

Fiyero caught her meaning anyway and moved closer to take one of her hands in his. "Hey," he said softly, willing her to look at him. Her eyes shifted upwards to meet his, and Fiyero fretted for a moment over whether he was about to scare her off again. Yet he felt the truth of it so strongly that he strengthened his resolve and said, "I love you."

There was a sharp intake of breath at his words, and Elphaba pulled her hand from his as though he'd stung her. "I-" she started, but her words seemed to die in her throat. She was staring at him in what Fiyero could only interpret as wide-eyed horror.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, quickly, rocking backwards on his knees to give her more space. "You don't need to say anything. I just wanted you to know."

She seemed to relax slightly at his words but was still looking at him as though he was some sort of alien being. Tentatively, she raised the hand she'd pulled from his and brushed her fingers gently across his cheek. "You're so beautiful," she murmured, and Fiyero felt a heat rise to his face that had nothing to do with the still-crackling fire beside them.

He reached up to cover her hand with his own. "So are you," he said breathlessly, willing her to believe it. While she didn't say anything by way of argument, it was still clear she had rejected the notion.

Fiyero regarded her for a moment longer. He took in her tender but slightly pained expression, her windswept hair, the soft glow of orange flame against the green of her skin. He felt his heart swell with unbridled affection in tandem with the pull of an almost gravitational force that drew him towards her. Instead of attempting another verbal response, he swept forward and pulled her into an almost desperate kiss, hoping to impart what he knew she would deny if he attempted to put it into words.

She kissed him back eagerly, all hesitation seeming to melt away from her in an instant. Fiyero wrapped his arms around her and drew her towards him, emitting a soft moan as he felt her fingers wrap around the back of his neck and then travel upwards to gently tug at his hair. He placed a hand on the back of her head and pulled her tighter against him, enjoying the curve of her body against his own. He could feel the heat of her skin, smell the hint of campfire smoke that had already entwined its way into her hair. He could feel himself rapidly becoming overwhelmed by it.

He pulled away abruptly, afraid of losing control and scaring her the way he had last time. Their faces were still so close together that he could feel the warmth of her ragged breath on his lips. "Is this okay?" he asked, searching her face for any hint of resistance.

"Yes," she breathed, without a moment of hesitation. Her hands were still looped around his neck, and she pulled him forward to bridge the short gap between them once more. Fiyero reached out and undid the fastening on her cloak, the dark fabric sliding down to pool around her knees.

Responding in kind, Elphaba began fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, apparently having some difficulty without the aid of sight. Fiyero smiled against her lips and then reached down and undid the last few himself, shrugging the garment off so that it landed somewhere behind him. He felt a shiver run down his spine as Elphaba gently raked her nails along the exposed skin of his back.

Suddenly overcome, Fiyero rose up on his knees and then gently lowered Elphaba down so that she was lying on the soft grass beneath him. He leaned over to place a soft kiss on her neck, and then drew back and hovered over her. Her eyes fluttered open at the loss of contact and met his once more.

"Still okay?" he asked breathlessly, realizing that they were fast approaching a point of no return. Elphaba held his gaze for a moment, a hint of uncertainty showing briefly on her face, and then she slowly nodded her assent. It was the last bit of reassurance that Fiyero needed before he gave in and let the night take them both.