Hi guys! …It's been a while hasn't it? My life has been nothing but business and stress so I haven't been on this site much (except for the Wicked Awards but – you know). So yeah, this was one of those ideas that I couldn't not write once I'd thought of it though – maybe that's obvious from the fact it's over 3500 words…

This could be seen as a companion to 'Lost' – but may not be entirely consistent with it.

Thanks, as always, to my wonderful and slightly psychotic beta crazybeagle.

12

In a far corner of a distant land the news finally reaches them. Glinda the Good is married, it is said that she couldn't be happier.

The news makes them both thankful, maybe even relieved. But she turns to him, still a little concerned. "Do you think that it's true? That she's happy?"

"It must be," he says. "It has to be. If anyone deserves happiness, it's her."

She smiles and leans lazily against him. "It would have been a grand wedding. She must have made a beautiful bride."

He smiles too, maybe a little wistfully. "Yeah, she would have."

They lapse into silence and he holds her a little tighter.

Finally, tentatively, she breaks it. "I think I loved her. She was silly and frivolous and far too easily swayed but she was strong and stubborn and brave when she wanted to be," she hesitates, "Sometimes I think I loved her more than anything in the world." She turns in his arms to face him, her expression tender, because she understands him, because they know each other by heart, because the trials they have faced have proven that their love can survive anything. "You loved her too, didn't you?"

He nods, because they have no secrets from each other—their past life was made up of nothing but masks and lies, but in this life, they are free. "I still do. I think I always will."

11

He's moments from happiness. In a matter of minutes he will be free. He can return to Kiamo Ko and he and Elphaba will finally be able to start a new life together— but, for the first time in days, this is not what he is focusing on.

He's focusing on her. Glinda the Good stands in front of them, as beautiful as ever, smiling blithely at the girl who killed her best friend, at the guards who killed her lover. She smiles radiantly, wonderfully, as if she hasn't a care in the world, but inside she is breaking.

He's known her for years. He's seen her put on this act before. He's resented it constantly. He doesn't resent her now, because he can read her like a book, and she's never been so broken before. This is the only way she can cope.

Her speech finally over, she turns away, just for a second, to blink the tears out of her eyes. At once he wants to go to her, to tell her who he is, to tell her that all is not lost, to stay strong, to hold her in his arms and never let her go and tell her he'll never leave her again.

But he can't, not if he wants her to be safe, and he doesn't want to hurt her any more than he already has. Instead he taps her on the shoulder. She spins around fast, her face welcoming, attentive and fake, painfully fake. There's no recognition in her features and it hurts more than he could have imagined.

"Goodbye, Glinda."

She blinks. "Oh, you're off already, Scarecrow? Well, I hope to see you again soon then! Goodbye!" And she smiles (and it's the one she'd always put on for Morrible and the Wizard and he hates it), then she turns her attention elsewhere.

He looks on, for just a moment longer, and then sets off for Kiamo Ko.

He never sees her again.

10

Her hair is wild, her dress ripped, her face contorted as she begs, pleads, and screams to the guards to release him. This isn't Glinda, this isn't even Galinda – who was known to throw tantrums when she didn't get her own way – this is a woman who has nothing left to lose. A woman who loved the wrong man, too strongly, too deeply. But still, it was never enough.

And it makes him die a little inside, because it very nearly was.

Her quiet acceptance, that little statement where she forgave him for everything— "He just…he loves her"— leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. Because it was so much more complicated than that. Yes, he loves Elphaba more than anything, more than life itself, but he loved her too, he'd have swung into the cornfield for her if she had needed it, he'd have given his life for Glinda in a heartbeat.

But how can one explain a heart that is in two places at once? Because it had belonged to the girl flying away to Kiamo Ko for as long as he could remember – perhaps the very day he'd arrived at Shiz, when she'd looked at him as if she wished him an instant, painful death – yet also it was here, with the screaming woman in the cornfield, who he would never have been able to actually shoot and who would never know the extent of his love for her.

But all he can say is "I'm so sorry, Glinda," because he has never been very good at articulating his thoughts.

9

And here he is. At a crossroads. A gun in his hand, the most powerful man in the land at his mercy, and a life-changing choice in front of him.

"Fiyero, have you misplaced your mind? What are you doing?"

He looks between the two girls, because he's dreamt of seeing Elphaba for years, but now the choice is here and it's not that simple, because every dream of Elphaba is juxtaposed with a memory of happiness with Glinda.

In the end he listens to the voice that is screaming for the girl he spent years searching for – who he knows, has always known, is his soul mate, who understands him better than he understands himself.

He does not regret it, he would follow Elphaba to the end of the world, but that does not mean he does not miss what he has left behind.

Her heartbroken sobs that echo down the corridor, "Fine, go! You deserve each other," sting more than they should, because he's not just leaving his life of lies and desperation and protocols behind him but he's leaving her and part of himself. Maybe, in the end, their little romance will never live up to the thrill of Elphaba's hand in his, but theirs was still a love story and it was never meant to end like this.

8

"This is an engagement party?"

"Surprised?

"Yes!"

"Good! We hoped you would be, the Wizard and I."

It feels like he's suffocating. What is Glinda doing? Planning their engagement, without any warning? Yes, they'd had that discussion a few weeks ago, but he'd meant it hypothetically, in the future, not right now. But he stays there, he stands there, supportive, beside her, and not just because he's expected to – not just to spare her humiliation either – but because a large part of him wants to be there. He loves Glinda, he's known that for years, he may not approve of what she does and how easy it is for her to slip on that mask, but life with Glinda would be so simple, so easy. He could marry her tomorrow and he'd be content.

"I hear her soul is so unclean pure water can melt her!"

And the realities of the rest of his life being like this are brought back to him. He cannot stand it— he runs offstage. Glinda follows him. He lets her talk to him, to calm him down, because she understands what he's going through, because – however secretly – she's going through it too. And tonight she's sad and earnest and he wants her to be happy – he never wanted the bubbly girl he first met to suffer like this. So he tells her that if it will make her happy, he'll marry her.

"But… it'll make you happy too, right?"

And he doesn't know: content? Yes, but happy? He and Glinda could be happy – he's sure of it – in some universe where Elphaba hadn't come swooping into their lives at full force. But his life is a lie and he's not sure if he could be happy still living like that. How can he live with a girl who will smile and wave and accept anything, when the one who will fight for what is right whatever the cost is still out there?

So he leaves and avoids the question.

7

He's standing on the balcony, gazing at the stars, wondering if she's seeing them too and hoping, just a little, that he'll see a black figure on a broomstick drift across the moon…

"Fiyero?"

He jolts, surprised, and turns to his girlfriend. She's as beautiful as ever – blonde hair glistening in the moonlight – but her eyes are red and puffy from crying, "How long have you been here?"

She shakes her head, "It doesn't matter. I just thought… You've been out there for ages. I thought you might be cold… Fiyero, I'm so sorry," she says quietly.

"What for?" he asks, startled, then it all comes back to him, the shouting, the fight, the reason he stormed out here in the first place. "No, no, I'm sorry, I overreacted." And he's probably telling the truth, because he can't remember what they fought about – all their fights merge into one now.

She takes a step towards him and put her arm around his waist. He leans into her. It's nice, it's comfortable, it's safe.

After awhile she breaks the silence. "What happened to us, Fiyero? I used to think we were perfect for each other…" she looks at him, eyes glistening, "I thought we'd get married and have children and grow old together and… but now… now I'm not even sure that you… that you love me."

That gets his full attention. He turns to her, drawing her into a tight hug. "Of course I love you, Glinda. I always will." He places his hands gently on her shoulders and smiles at her, "And yes, it's not easy now, but we'll get over it. We can sort things out together. We can get married and have children and grow old together."

She smiles, her proper, true smile, and it's breathtaking. "You really think so?"

And he nods, because he can see their future together, he can see their big grand wedding with cheering crowds and bright colours, and her – the most beautiful bride in existence – smiling like she has never been happier in her life, dancing in his arms, his forever. He can see their children, little blonde and brunette girls, flouncing in puffy dresses, fluttering their eyelashes, singing and giggling, falling in heaps as they attempt to dance. He can see their sons racing around the lawns of the Emerald Palace, flirting with anything that moves, much to their mother's displeasure ("How will they ever find decent wives, Fiyero, if they keep acting like this?"). He can see them at sixty – retired in some Gillikin mansion – surrounded by grandchildren, laughing at their children struggling to control them ("Ha! I'm not helping you. You were little demons too, and it's about time you got a taste of your own medicine!")… It seems so easy, so within reach.

It's a beautiful dream.

So he kisses her, like he hasn't in weeks, and they retire to their bedroom, all thoughts of Elphaba, for now, out of his mind.

6

She comes bursting into the room with the kind of genuine excitement he hasn't seen in ages.

He grins and asks her what's happened.

"Oh, Fiyero! It's wonderful! I've talked it all over with Madame Morrible – she wants me to be the Wizard's public announcer, and you'll be the second-in-command of the Gale Force!"

"What?"

"It's all been arranged! We'll have these jobs as soon as we graduate!" Her smile wavers as she takes in his stony expression, "Fiyero? What's the matter?"

And then the world explodes, all he can see is red and he's shouting furiously at her – letting out all his anger, his frustration, his feeling of hopelessness and his lack of control on her. Does she not realise what this will do to her best friend? Does she really care more about her precious popularity than Elphaba's life? He calls her manipulative, fake, uncaring, disloyal, traitor.

And then she's screaming back at him, sobbing loudly, begging for him to stop, to listen to her.

He doesn't want to, so he storms out, slamming the door behind him.

After he's cooled down he feels terrible. He knows what she's going through. He's going through it too, it wasn't fair to let all his anger out on her, it wasn't her fault. So he goes back to apologise.

When he returns she's still weeping quietly on the bed. He stands awkwardly at the doorway as she looks up.

"I just thought… I just thought…" she mutters, "If I'm a figurehead for the people, and if you're in the Gale Force…." she sniffles, "We could help her…I could try and tell people that she's not so bad and you… you could help them find her and make sure she's safe…"

The tightness around his heart loosens at her words, the thought of being able to keep Elphaba safe making him feel happier than he'd like to admit. He goes up to her, puts his arm around her. "I'm sorry, Glinda. You were right, I should have listened to you…I overreacted."

But he knows she's only partially telling the truth. She might want to help Elphaba, but she also wants the love and prestige her new job will offer.

She hugs him back, muttering her thanks, and he forgives her, because he's enough like her to know how hard it is to resist such adoration and popularity. And, despite her faults, she's still his Glinda. Instead, he stokes her hair softly until her tears dry and tells her he'll never shout at her, they'll never argue like that again.

It's a lie, but he doesn't know it yet.

5

There's a feeling of excitement and trepidation in his air as he waits for the train, poppies in hand. He can't wait to see Elphaba again – to congratulate her, of course. And he's wondering if maybe, just maybe, he can work out a way for them to be together.

He feels guilty as soon as Glinda leaves the train. Her eyes are red rimmed as she throws herself into his arms. When he asks about Elphaba all she can respond with is, "Gone."

He carefully leads her into his room, comforts her gently and waits until she's ready to tell him what happened.

And then he listens. He listens and doesn't judge her – even when she blames herself insists she should have gone with Elphaba, partially because of shock, but also because he can't – not when she's like this – and not when thinks he'd have probably done the same thing.

Afterwards, he holds her close – it's the only thing he can think of doing to stop her falling apart – and whispers to her that it's not her fault, that she did her best, that Elphaba would be proud of her, that Elphaba will be safe – although he needs that assurance as much as she does.

She looks at him suddenly, her gaze surprisingly piercing given how much she has been crying. "Fiyero, you won't leave me, will you?"

He doesn't even feel guilty about his thoughts earlier today, because so much has happened in an afternoon that it feels like a lifetime ago. He kisses her gently and says, "No, I won't. I promise."

She smiles weakly and even now she looks beautiful, "Do you mean it?"

"Of course I do. I love you, Glinda," and he does mean it, perhaps for the first time. In that moment she's more important than anything else his world.

He can't imagine ever not keeping this promise.

4

He's a flurry of emotions. Mostly ones he can't place. Ones he didn't know he could feel. The Lion Cub, Elphaba, the touch of their hands, the almost kiss… he didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do, so he ran – because that's what he saw as the easy way out.

Galinda comes into view and he doesn't think he's ever been more pleased to see her. She smiles and waves and he runs over to her and pulls her into a kiss, and something settles inside him, the panic he was just feeling fades slightly.

They take a walk together, hand in hand, because there is something nice about this – their relationship is physical, of course it is, but it's moments like these that he appreciates too. Even when there are no onlookers, no expectations, their relationship is nice, is uncomplicated, and he likes it.

They walk over the bridge, and the forest clearing down below brings back unwanted memories of earlier that day, so he moves towards Galinda and kisses her – kisses her to forget about his traitorous mind and the feelings that he didn't know he could feel.

As they leave he hears an odd rustling and he looks down just in time to catch a glimpse of green skin. He thinks about going down, about talking to her, but instead he just follows Galinda.

His relationship with Galinda is never hard or confusing or unexpected, it's calm and simple and pleasant. He doesn't want to lose it, whatever he feels for her odd green roommate.

3

"And Fiyero, you should have seen her! Our Elphie was looking so beautiful – who knew my purple dress would suit her so well? Well I did, obviously, that's why I made her wear it, but she just looked so gorgeousifyed! You should have seen her, it's such a shame that she wouldn't leave the dorm with it on… But she let me do her hair today! Oh, Fiyero, you must try and find her so you can see it…"

Fiyero leans back on the soft grass and listens fondly to his girlfriend's babbling. They've been dating for nearly a month now – far longer than his normal average – and he's got no intention of ending it, not now anyway.

It's an odd little social circle that he's found himself in at Shiz. There's Galinda, obviously, and his gaggle of female fans – whom he still cannot resist flirting with at every opportunity – but there's Nessa and Boq too, who are fun to be around – well, when Nessa's not being too snooty and Boq's not trying to make his brain explode with his eyes anyway.

And then there's Elphaba, who still normally responds to his attempts at conversation with caustic comments, but sometimes he can see her lips twitching into a smile at his remarks and it makes him wonder if she enjoys their little arguments as much as he does.

Next to him Galinda is still babbling, so he leans in close to her and kisses her neck, to keep her quiet and draw her attention back to him. It works – she pulls him closer and kisses him on the lips.

It's been nearly a month and he has no desire to leave Shiz. It's an odd feeling, but it feels nice.

2

It's the most fun he's had in ages, and that's saying something given that his whole life is dedicated to seeking pleasure. She's a good dancer – almost as good as him – and he's surprised to find that he genuinely likes her, something that's not really a requirement with the girls he dates.

They're dancing and laughing and drinking the punch and this is a fairly typical day for him, but it's fun, so why shouldn't it be? Life is good, life is simple, and why should he want anything more?

And then she enters and the world is turned on its head.

It's the green freak who shouted at him earlier, wearing some ridiculous getup, looking mortified at the whole ballroom laughing at her but still stubbornly making her way to the middle of the dance floor. Her dance is weird, awkward and unconventional but, for reasons he doesn't understand yet, somehow she is breathtaking.

Then Galinda joins in and pulls him out of his stupor.

Later, as he watches the girls laughing, dancing wildly together, he feels a sweep of gratitude that Galinda decided to help this poor, awkward, fascinating girl out.

It's a decision that will change everything – but it will take them years to realise exactly how much.

1

He's still staring in the direction of the girl that just stormed away. Just who did she think she was? Shouting at him? He was Fiyero Tiggular, Prince. Girls adored him! She must just be a freak. Well clearly she was – she was green… He wonders if it was paint, some tribal thing, maybe. She had a Munchkin accent, though – he'd never paid enough attention in class to find out if they had weird tribes there…

He was pulled from his thoughts by a tap on the shoulder. "Were you looking for something, or someone?"

He grins at the girl, looking her over unashamedly: blonde hair, pretty face, nice body, short skirt… He likes what he sees, and she bats her eyelashes and tosses her hair as he suggests a party at the local ballroom. She'll be putty in his hands in no time.

She giggles flirtatiously, and gives him a look full of nothing less than adoration as he agrees to pick her up.

Now this is the girl for him, he thinks as he checks out her retreating form. All thoughts of that green freak have instantly fled from his mind.

Oh yes, Shiz is going to be good.