Fiyero grinned as he balled up a handful of snow; Elphaba had disappeared behind some trees, so he kept glancing over his shoulder in order to make sure that she didn't sneak up on him. He packed the snow tightly and snuck off behind a nearby house. She would surely be making a move soon.

He heard a twig snap behind him, and he whipped around, launching the snowball in the general direction of the sound.

"Damn," Elphaba muttered, looking down at the snow clinging to her chest. "That was a direct hit."

"I got you!" Fiyero yelled triumphantly, punching a fist into the air.

"That makes the score fifty to one," she replied dryly, brushing the powder off her dress. "I'm surprised that you're not better at this, dear, considering how long you were a member of the Gale Force."

"Well, I'm a little out of practice," he said defensively as he edged his way towards her, the fight forgotten. "And, besides, I was the Captain of the Gale Force. I had other people to do menial work like handling weapons for me."

"Oh," she said, feigning disappointment. "I had rather liked the idea of you firing a big gun."

He grinned and said, "If I had known that you liked guns, I would have kept mine."

"Come here," she muttered, smirking as he nearly stumbled in his haste to cross the few feet that separated them.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and dropped a kiss on her nose as he said, "Marry me?"

"You ask me this at least once a week," she said with a sigh. "My answer hasn't changed."

"Really?" he murmured, kissing her neck gently.

"No," she said softly as she pulled him a little closer. "My answer is still 'yes'."

"Good," he growled, claiming her lips in a passionate kiss.

Fiyero glanced up from his bowl of soup as Elphaba staggered into the kitchen.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully, standing up to give her a kiss.

She turned away, coughing, and croaked, "How late is it?"

"It's about noon," he replied as he looked down at her in concern. "When did you get into bed?"

She shrugged and sank into the nearest chair at the table, "I don't really remember. You were already asleep."

As she started coughing again, he said, "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," she managed to choke out as another coughing fit swept over her.

He frowned and laid a hand on her forehead, saying, "Fae, you're running a fever. You really should go back to bed."

"I've got too much work to do," she said, shaking her head. "I'll be fine."

"I'm serious," he said insistently. "I'm going to go and get the doctor. You had better be in bed before I get back."

"Fine," she mumbled, groaning as she pushed herself out of the chair and wandered back to their bedroom.

He was really worried by that; she never allowed him to coddle her, and if he ever attempted to force her into bed instead of doing her work, she normally yelled at him. Shaking his head, he bolted for the door and hurried down the short street in search of the Dog who served as the village's doctor.

"I need to see the doctor," Fiyero called loudly as he pounded on a door.

The door swung open a few moments later, and the doctor poked his head out, smiling when he saw Fiyero.

"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly, opening the door a little wider. "What do you need?'

"Elphaba's sick, Lucien," Fiyero said hurriedly. "She's running a fever and coughing a lot. I need you to come see her."

"Let me get my bag," Lucien replied, ducking back into the house. He re-emerged with a small black bag in his paws and nodded to Fiyero as they headed back up the street, "What kind of cough was it?"

"It was deep in her chest and raspy," Fiyero said as he tried to remember every detail. "How bad do you think it is?"

"I won't know until I examine her," Lucien said with a shake of his head as Fiyero led him into the house and back to the bedroom. When he saw Elphaba lying in bed, he smiled as he greeted her, "Good afternoon, Elphaba. Fiyero tells me that you have fallen ill."

"I really don't need a doctor," Elphaba said as she sat up. "It's just a bad cold. I'll be over it in a couple of days."

"Well, I would still like to make sure that it's nothing serious," Lucien said calmly, pulling out his stethoscope. "Fiyero, will you help her unbutton the back of her dress?"

Fiyero quickly moved to Elphaba's side, fumbling with the buttons on her dress until he managed to unfasten a few.

"That's good," Lucien said as he walked over and placed the stethoscope on Elphaba's back. "I need a deep breath, Elphaba."

She complied, and Lucien narrowed his eyes as he listened intently.

"And, another," he instructed, moving the cool instrument to a different place on her back. He waited for a few more moments before removing the stethoscope and pulling out a flat stick. "Open up and say 'Ah'."

Elphaba opened her mouth grudgingly and nearly gagged when he pushed the stick down on her tongue. Lucien smiled apologetically and removed the stick when he had finished his inspection. Then, he pulled out a thermometer and held it out to Elphaba, who took it in her mouth.

"What do you think it is?" Fiyero asked anxiously as Lucien took a step back.

"Just a little longer, and I'll be able to give you a diagnosis," Lucien answered, taking the thermometer from Elphaba's mouth. He placed it back in his bag and closed it as he sighed, "I'm afraid she has pneumonia."

Elphaba hissed and closed her eyes as Fiyero looked from her to Lucien.

"But, what does that mean?" Fiyero pressed.

"I don't have the proper medication to treat her," Lucien said as he looked away. "We'll have to hope for the best."

"Why can't you just get some medicine?" Fiyero asked angrily.

"It's not that simple," Lucien explained. "Animals don't get pneumonia. This is an Animal village. If I ask for the medication that is necessary for such treatment, someone's suspicions would be aroused, and they would come looking for answers. In other words, the relative safety you both have enjoyed because we are on the borders of Oz will come to a swift end."

"So, we're just going to let her die?" Fiyero yelled, gripping his legs tightly to keep from hitting something.

"We wouldn't stand a chance if we tried to get the medicine," Elphaba said quietly. "Lucien didn't say that I couldn't survive this. It's just that my chances are much lower than they would be if we did have the medicine."

Fiyero shook his head, "But, Fae, I can't just…"

"I'm going to be fine, Yero," she murmured, holding her hand out to him.

"She's going to need your help, Fiyero," Lucien said as he picked up his bag. "She needs lots of fluids and you're going to need to keep her warm. I'll be back twice every day to check on her, and you know that you can come and get me at any time if you have an emergency."

"Thank you," Fiyero said, watching as Lucien left the room. He turned to look at Elphaba and said, "I'm going to take care of you, Fae. I promise, I'm going to make sure we get through this."

She smiled, letting her fingers trace over his hand as she whispered, "Yero, my hero."

Placing a kettle full of water on the small stove, Fiyero sighed as he listened to Elphaba's hacking cough. She had been on bedrest for two weeks and still had not gotten better. He was afraid that she was only getting worse, but he was doing everything he could. He shook his head and left the water to boil as he wandered into their bedroom.

"How are you feeling?" he asked cheerfully, taking her hand as he sat down on the bed.

"I'm tired and cold," she replied quietly.

He adjusted the blankets on the bed and said, "Well, do you want another blanket?"

"No, it's just a chill," she said as she shook her head. She bit her lip and said softly, "Yero, I don't think I'm going to make it through this."

"What do you mean?" he whispered, tightening his grip on her slender fingers.

"It's just…I'm not getting any better. And, it's no one's fault. You've been doing all that you can, but I don't think my body is strong enough to fight this off," she explained. When he looked away in order to hide his tears, she continued, "I know I should try to think positively, but I can't allow myself to die without making sure that you're going to be okay. Yero, you have to promise me that you won't waste your whole life because I'm dead."

"You're not going to die," he said angrily, pulling her up into his arms and burying his face into her hair. "We're going to be fine."

"Promise me," she murmured as she laced her fingers in his hair. "Please."

He took a shuddering breath and met her gaze, "I promise."

She gave him a small smile, and as the tears started to fall down her cheeks, he wiped them away and kissed her forehead gingerly, blinking back the moisture gathering in his eyes.

He traced patterns in the dirt, ignoring the Animals that inhabited the village as they walked away. The ground was still hard with frost, but the snow had finally melted away, and spring was fast arriving. They were supposed to get married in the spring because it was her favorite time of the year. Closing his eyes, he focused on simpler things. It looked like it might rain; they had played in the rain the night after she had made him human again. He gritted his teeth and forced back the lump in his throat.

"She's gone," he reminded himself in a fierce whisper.

His gaze landed on the fresh mound of dirt in front of him, and he suddenly had an urge to follow after her in any way possible. But, he had promised her, and even though he knew that it wasn't fair for her to have asked that of him and that she couldn't stop him now, he had to keep his promise because it was all he had left of her.