Four Months

He struggled to take in a breath. He could hardly believe it- he was dying? No... he couldn't be dying.. He was still young. He had Elphaba... he had children waiting for him. A daughter who would never even know him- she'd been so little when he left! And his boys... they would forget him.

He stared at the night sky in the skylight. This was going to be it and he couldn't deny it. He was over. Why had he followed Elphaba? She had told him not to. Because you love her. But even as he had done it he had questioned that! But you did it anyway... if you didn't love her would you have bothered following her? If you didn't love her, you would have left her, when she told you to. But you couldn't bare being away from her. So now, after four months, he finally knew he had truly loved her. Wonderful. Or it would be if he wasn't dying.

He heard a horrible heave and realised it was himself struggeling to breath. He could feel his blood pooling around him. He closed his eyes and considered letting go, but then he heard the key scratch in the door. Elphaba! He pushed his eyes open. He would get to see her one last time... maybe if he tried hard enough he would be able to speak? But even laying there was getting harder. He hoped she would hurry.

He had been gone four months- he could recall promising Sarima he wouldn't be gone long. He would return long before winter set in. That had been a lie, maybe not when he told it but in effect.

He heard the staires creak. Elphaba was almost apprehensive. She could tell something was off. He tried to call her. "Fae-" but all he could get out was a whisper and she didn't seem to hear him. She pushed the door open.

She dropped the gun and it fired, making a hole in the far window. It shattered into the street. "Yero!" She fell to the floor beside him. He wanted to try to reach for her but he couldn't. He wanted to tell her not to cry, but couldn't work his throat. "Fiyero, are you still here?" She said. He blinked, the only response he could manage. She sobbed and laid down beside him on the floor. "I'm so sorry... What happened?" She grasped his hand and he tried to squeeze hers. "Don't leave me heart... Please don't, not like this."

He felt himself fade then, no matter how hard he fought. She sobbed. She told him she loved him. His last four months had been his happiest.