Author's Note: Really, is anyone surprised by this? Did you really thing I WASN'T going to write an epilogue? Seriously, this is ME and this is the story "Loathing" that we are talking about. Of course there would be an epilogue! But I'm not just here to laugh at the fact that even though this story is officially over I'm still adding to it – I'm also here to tell you all that the sequel is up now. It's called "Breathe" and hopefully you all like it as much as you seemed to have liked this story. So head on over to my account page and read the sequel!

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She was no longer Elphaba, the Thropp Third Descending – she was, instead, the Wicked Witch of the West.

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Epilogue:

Glinda was startled awake by a loud crash near her head. She jerked up, clutching the sheets around her body for warmth, and stared at the person in her dorm room in terror.

The shadow of a person whirled around to face the blonde and Glinda's eyes opened in shock, surprise, and complete joy. "Elphie!" she screeched and she was standing in a moment.

Elphaba held up her hands to keep Glinda away from her and backed away slightly. She had knocked Glinda's vanity chair over – which is what had jerked the blonde awake – and know she had to be careful not to step on it. "Glinda, please… no one can know I'm here," she whispered. "Go back to bed… you never saw me."

"Elphie…" Glinda looked hurt. "Why are you being so cold?"

"I came to pick up a few things… I was just leaving… I knocked the chair over… I'm sorry for waking you. Please… go back to bed," Elphaba stammered; she was afraid of being discovered.

"Elphie… what are you doing? Where do you plan on going? How are you going to survive!" Glinda's words got louder and frantic the more she spoke as the fear for her friend's life began to overwhelm her. "You're just a child still! How are you going to live when everyone wants you dead!"

Elphaba grabbed Glinda in a tight embrace. She ran her hand through limp blonde curls in comfort and whispered reassuring words into Glinda's ear. "Don't worry about me," Elphaba said. "I'll find a way, I always do."

"But you're hurting and I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what you'll do!" Glinda was crying now. "And the Wizard… he wants me to help him… to be a public figure with him but I… I don't know. You're so determined that he is… is bad and I… I'm afraid that if I work with him that somehow I'll help him to hurt you and I… I don't want that!"

Elphaba pulled away from Glinda but kept her hands on the blonde's shoulders. She smiled at her friend. "Work with him," she said. "Work with him and maybe you'll be able to change things from within."

"But…"

"Don't concern yourself with me." Elphaba reached into the bag over her shoulder and pulled out a folded up letter – she slid it into Glinda's pale hand. "I couldn't… I was afraid of… I… there's too much that I cannot say so I… wrote you a letter. I hope you find some sort of comfort in it." She turned to leave then but Glinda grabbed her wrist.

"Don't go!"

Elphaba closed her eyes and pulled her hand from Glinda's grasp. "Please Glinda… don't do this."

"But Elphie!"

"No one can know I was here. No one! Not even Fiyero!"

"You're asking too much of me!"

Elphaba whirled around to face her friend; her eyes pleading. "Please… if anything were to happen to you because of me I… I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"What could happen?"

"I'm a fugitive Glinda! Don't you understand that? They'll kill you if they think you're helping me!"

"I don't care!"

"Well I do!" Elphaba turned around and made her way to the opened window. She climbed out of it and stood on the edge as she mounted her broom.

"Elphie!" By the time Glinda ran to the window her green friend was already gone. The blonde stared at the window, watching the fleck of black in the sky, and cried. She held the letter tightly in her hand and had to wait a few minutes before she could compose herself enough to read it. She sat down on the edge of Elphaba's old bed and unfolded the letter. She easily recognized her friend's loopy script but it was far messier than usual – as if it had been written in haste.

Dear Glinda,

I realize now that asking you to come with me was a foolish and hurtful act. I hold nothing against you for choosing another path and I hope that one day we can meet again. I regret leaving you without a true goodbye and I hope that one day you can forgive me for the hurt I've caused. Please understand that I could not stand by idle as this injustice by the Wizard goes unchallenged – I have stood by idly my whole life, throughout all that has happened to me, and I no longer can. I don't mean to belittle you – I understand why you could not come with me. It hurt when you rejected my offer but I understand why, which is all I need.

I want you to know that I could not have survived Shiz without you by my side. You were there throughout it all – the rape, the abortion, the beatings, the memories, the hurt, the suicide, and the good times. We had our disagreements, our fights, but we pulled through it all to stick together. I want to thank you. No… I need to thank you. So – thank you for all that you have done for me.

You helped me become stronger, braver, and to stand up for myself. You taught me that not everything that goes wrong is my fault. You showed me that I'm worth something. A fact that, before Shiz, had not even crossed my mind. You made me into a person. You gave me a soul. You made me someone. If you had not been there, holding my hand, I would not have had the strength to defy the Wizard. You gave me strength in a way that I have never had before. And you showed me love – something I had never truly experience and dearly needed. Our friendship was not perfect, we had our rough patches, but I will forever cherish you and what you taught me. Without you I would never have learnt to accept my emotions. You taught me that feelings are not a horrible thing and can even be an enriching part of life.

In a way, writing a letter was probably the better way for me to say goodbye. I can tell you much more in writing then I could have ever said in words – something which I know I must work on. So I leave you now with my thanks for all you have done for me and I ask for your forgiveness for leaving. Be strong Glinda – I see greatness in you future. You will become something, something more than myself. I can see it now. Don't give up hope and forever stay true to yourself. Never let anyone else tell you what to do – you're smarter than that, smarter than what you give yourself credit for. I believe in your strength and your soul. Make a name for yourself… I know you can.

We part in sadness and tears now but don't hold on to the pain for too long. Remember the good times we have had together and perhaps we shall be lucky enough in fate to cross paths again. Goodbye Glinda. Goodbye and good luck.

Love forever,

Elphaba Thropp

Glinda neatly folded the letter back up, wiping away the tears that stained her face, before unfolding the letter again. She held it in her hands and let her eyes roam over the words written by her friend over and over again. She was glad she had it – it was a tangible object that she could hold and read and remember her friend with. It gave her some measure of comfort while still striking such sadness in her soul that she felt like she was dying.

As Glinda continued to reread the letter over and over again Fiyero of the Vinkus was walking, lost in his own thoughts, through the school grounds. He didn't know where he was going nor did he particularly care. He let his feet take him where they wished as he simply thought. The cold was barely registered by his mind as night fell – blanketing the world in almost total darkness. He was still shocked over Elphaba's decision; he couldn't believe that she was gone, he couldn't believe that she had actually left.

Suddenly something caught his eyes; a shadow of a form on the ground. He froze, not wishing to disturb whomever was near. In a moment he realized where he was – by the apple tree in the cafeteria's garden. At the graves of Elphaba's children.

Elphaba.

Fiyero's eyes widened in shock as he recognized whom it was who was kneeling beneath the apple tree. "Elphaba?" he questioned, his voice a mere whisper.

The shadowed form jerked up into a standing position, grabbing the object beside her, and swiftly turned around to face the intruder. Her features softened as she realized who had spoken to her. "Yes Fiyero," she replied. "It is I."

"You shouldn't be here." He walked over to her as she turned back around to face the apple tree.

"I know." Her voice was quiet, choked – a sign of her tears. "But I… I couldn't go with… without saying… goodbye."

Fiyero wrapped an arm around Elphaba's shaking shoulders and pulled her close. "I'm coming with you."

Elphaba dropped what she was holding – her broom – and pulled away from Fiyero in a quick, jerking movement. She whirled around to face him. "You… you can't!" Her voice was both quiet and loud at the same time. "It… it's too dangerous!

"It will be harder for the Wizard if I stand with you. Two people together can do more than just one. One person can be labeled Wicked and pushed aside. Two people are harder to ignore."

"I can't… can't let you come with… with me!" I wouldn't be… be able to live with my… myself if some… something happened to… to you!"

Fiyero crossed the few feet between himself and Elphaba and took the green girl in his arms; embracing her tightly. "I love you," he whispered.

Elphaba shuddered in Fiyero's hold and clutched on to the thin fabric of his shirt. She was desperately trying not to cry. "You… you can't," she muttered.

"Can't love you or can't come with you?"

"Both."

"I don't love Glinda anymore. I did, at one point, but I've lost that now."

"It… it's too late." Elphaba's voice was muffled by Fiyero's chest.

"Do you not love me anymore?"

Elphaba shook her head slightly. "I… do but… but I need you to… to protect Glinda now."

"What do you mean?"

"I… don't really know." She leaned in to Fiyero's warm body. "I just… have a… a feeling. She'll need… someone to protect her… and I won't be able to. Please… just trust me… Glinda will need you more… more than I."

"I don't agree with you."

"It doesn't matter, you must stay with Glinda! I'm not just… just being selfless." Elphaba pulled away from Fiyero's grasp and their eyes met. "Keep her… keep her safe. Shield her from… from the Wizard. I will sleep better knowing that… that you're beside her… holding her hand."

Fiyero nodded. "Very well," he said. "But know this… my heart lies with you now and when the time comes we will be together. I promise this to you."

"I fear that that time… will never come." Elphaba turned her head away, her eyes landing on the sight of her broom upon the ground.

"Then I shall wait forever if that is what fate will bring us."

Elphaba shook her head slowly, sadly. "I… I don't get you," she whispered. "You… loved Glinda all… all this time and now… suddenly you… you love me? It doesn't make sense."

"I've loved you for a long time." Fiyero placed his hand on a green cheek and turned Elphaba's face to meet his – forcing her to look at him. "I didn't act because I feared hurting you. I feared pushing you too hard, too fast. And… and I feared I would be the cause of… of ruining your friendship with Glinda."

Elphaba laughed – a short, choked laugh – and turned around to face the apple tree again. "You very nearly did. But then… that could have just been… just been my foolish ways."

Fiyero wrapped his arms around Elphaba's waist and pulled her close so her back met his chest. "The Wizard labeled you as a Wicked Witch," he whispered directly into her ear. "But that doesn't mean it's true."

Elphaba smiled as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back to rest in the crook between Fiyero's shoulder and neck. The movement knocked her hat – her Witch's hat – off and it tumbled to the ground below. "I don't mind being a Wicked Witch," she muttered. "I'll just rewrite the meaning of such a title. Soon the Wizard will regret ever signalling me out as anything… Wicked or not."

Fiyero buried his head in Elphaba's hair. It smelled of poppies. "I'm afraid of watching you leave without us." His voice was muffled by the green girl's hair. "I'm afraid of you being alone."

"You're afraid I'll… I'll hurt myself." Her voice was quiet, a mere whisper, as she lost herself in the warmth and comfort of Fiyero's touch.

"Yes."

They lowered themselves to the ground, lying back to chest. Fiyero undid Elphaba's dress and it fell from her shoulders. She rolled on to her back. He straddled her. "I can't promise you I won't," she murmured.

"I know." He pulled her dress lower, revealing a green stomach. "It will probably get worse, won't it?" His hands caressed her stomach, feeling the scars that were there.

"I'll try to be careful." She grabbed his hands and pulled them to her face, removing them from her stomach. She didn't like others touching her scars.

"Promise?" He slipped his hands out of hers and undid her bra, pulling it off.

"Promise." She moaned, his hands caressing her body – exploring her. For the first time in her life what was about to occur felt almost right.

Almost.

She jerked in sudden panic. Her body stiffened and Fiyero froze in his movements. "Elphaba?" he asked, his voice quiet and worried.

She opened her eyes – she couldn't remember when she had closed them – and was met with the sight of a concerned Fiyero straddling her. She took a few deep, shuddering breaths and gently grabbed Fiyero's hands in her own. She pushed them away from her while making sure to keep her eyes locked with the prince's.

Her prince.

She smiled; a small, sad smile. "I love you," she whispered. "But please… try to understand… I can't… the… the circumcision… it just –"

"It's okay," Fiyero interrupt her; he nodded his complete understanding as he silently cursed himself for forgetting of Elphaba's situation. He leaned down and gently kissed pale green lips before rolling off of her.

They laid together in silence. Their shoulders touching as their backs rested on the ground. The sky was oddly clear for the raining season and they watched the stars for nearly an hour. Eventually Fiyero felt Elphaba get up. He closed his eyes and just listened to her as she rustled around in the near darkness to get dressed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered – her quite voice cutting through the silence.

Fiyero rolled over and opened his eyes. "Don't be," he said as he watched her shadowed form pulling her dress on. "Your skin looks beautiful in the moonlight," he whispered.

Elphaba straightened her dress and did up the clasps at her back. She turned around, walked over to Fiyero, and kneeled down beside him. "I came here to say… to say good… goodbye to my children." Her voice was choked with barely contained sobs. "And here I go… toying with your heart and trying to live a life I'm no longer meant for. I… I'm sorry Fiyero. Please don't take this as… as rejection."

Fiyero tapped the ground in front of him and Elphaba laid down again. Her back rested against his chest and he draped an arm around her waist. "I do no such thing," he whispered. "I moved too fast and I forgot for a moment. I told you I was afraid of doing such a thing."

Elphaba laughed softly. "You didn't move too fast Fiyero. I just… heal too slowly. Sometimes not at all."

He took a green hand in his own and squeezed it. "It's okay, you're doing the best with what you have."

"A mutilated body?" Elphaba chuckled sadly, cruelly. "There's hardly much you can do with such a thing."

Fiyero sighed. "Elphaba… please… don't turn this into a self-hatred rant. You don't need that, not right now."

Elphaba rolled over so that she now faced Fiyero. She opened her eyes and they smiled at each other. Sad, grief-filled smiles as they realized that this was finally goodbye.

"Next time," she whispered even though she knew that there would never be a next time. "I promise." Their lips met and lingered there for a few moments before Elphaba pulled away. "I have to go," she whispered, regret tingeing ever word she spoke.

"I know," Fiyero reached up and wiped away the tears that were burning Elphaba's skin. A green hand came up and swallowed Fiyero's pale one. She slowly stood up, keeping a firm grasp on the prince's hand until she no longer could. It slipped from her hold and fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Fiyero watched as she grabbed her fallen hat, putting it on, and picked up her broom. She mounted the enchanted wood and turned around to look at Fiyero one last time. "Goodbye," she whispered.

She kicked off the ground and Fiyero watched in awe as she flew off in to the night sky. The pale moonlight framed her shadowed form and she looked every part the Witch as possible. And in the darkness of night she did indeed look as if she deserved the title of the Wicked Witch.

He smiled in both sadness and a strange sense of pride. "Goodbye," he whispered to the silent air. "Goodbye Elphaba."