Title: Our Endless Numbered Days

Author: GreenGirl96

Summary: Post-musical. This story focuses mostly on Elphaba and Fiyero, though we do glance in on Glinda from time to time. Life in hiding isn't all its cracked up to be and the couple face numerous challenges in their struggle to stay alive and safe. Eventually, they face a tragic situation that may require them to reveal themselves.

A/N: Here are some things you need to know before you start reading. First of all, this is musical-based, though I have read the book and do steal a few small details from it. For instance, my Fiyero is dark-skinned (like he is in the book) but has no diamonds. This is simply because the first Fiyero I saw was Derrick Williams and he will always be the face I picture when I think of this character. Also, Glinda will play little to no role in the beginning and middle of this story, but she will have a much larger role eventually, I promise. This also operates on the assumption that when they stepped through the clock in the end, it was some sort of portal. And as a warning, this story may seem softer at first, but I am not a fluff writer. I like to pretty much put my characters through hell, so please don't hate me for it. I just think they're more interesting that way. So if you're looking for a nice, easy, happy story, please move on. This will also be relatively long. I have sixty pages already written and I'm not even to the middle of the story yet. I will try my best to update as often as I can. Enjoy! And please take the time to review, I really take in feedback and it helps motivate me to write more and write better. Thanks!

Oh and PS- if any of you were wondering, the title comes from the Iron and Wine song "Passing Afternoon." Great song, give it a listen!

Chapter One: She'll Mend His Tattered Clothes

The world around her was pure white. This was the first thought Elphaba had as she looked around at the pristine snow that blanketed the land around them. She breathed in deeply, feeling the frigid air sting her lungs, grateful for it, because it reminded her that she was alive. After a moment of deep silence, she turned to the figure next to her, trying to make out his expression. Like her, he was hastily taking in their surroundings, looking slightly too perplexed for her liking.

"You look confused," she pointed out softly. "Isn't this where you meant us to end up?"

Finally, Fiyero turned to look at her. The moonlight allowed her to study his features of cloth and straw. She could still see the old Fiyero in him, especially in his eyes and the way his mouth was set, but she couldn't help feel guilt at the body he was now trapped inside of. She hoped she possessed power enough to set him right again.

"Well, we're definitely in Ev, which is good," he replied slowly. "I just didn't know exactly where the portal would lead to. I think we're in the Elkin Forest. Unfortunately, it's not exactly close to where we're headed," he finished, slightly apologetically.

"Which is where?" In their haste to leave Oz, Fiyero hadn't had much time to explain the plot he'd hatched while traveling to Kiamo Ko to find her.

"Well, my parents have small cottages in most of the countries surrounding Oz for when they have to come on diplomatic duty. Their cottage here in Ev is near the western border. The Elkin forest extends through most of the eastern half of the country."

Elphaba sighed. "Do you know how far east we are?"

"No. We could be nearly at the western edge of the woods," he said hopefully, before his expression darkened. "Or we could be at the eastern border. The only way to find out is by heading west."

Elphaba nodded bleakly as she looked around once again at the surrounding forest. She felt a shiver run up her spine, partially from the cold and partially from the dark anticipation of the journey ahead. "Well, it's a little cold for travel right now. Perhaps we could find somewhere to settle for the night and set out when the sun rises."

"That's probably a good idea," Fiyero agreed easily. His senses were dulled due to his body's new composition, but he could see Elphaba shivering under her thin black dress. He'd managed to hastily throw together some supplies for them, including a couple of cloaks, but it had been an overwhelming day and he thought it better to find somewhere to regroup before setting out.

She felt his straw fingers along the small of her back, gently guiding her forward. They walked on for a while in silence, both keeping their eyes peeled for anything that could serve as shelter. After what must have been at least a half-mile's walk through the snow, Elphaba spotted a cave, just large enough for both to crawl into and sit down comfortably. Once inside, Fiyero quickly searched through his satchel for a cloak. He pulled out a large black one and reached out to wrap it around Elphaba as he heard her begin to mumble something he couldn't quite make out. He was about to inquire when suddenly a small fire burst out at the opening of their cave, radiating its heat inward. He turned back to look at her and saw a small, satisfied smile playing at her lips.

"You can still do spells without the Grimmerie?" He questioned, surprised.

"Well, I've always been able to do magic to some degree, but Madame Morrible taught me how to concentrate the magic and direct it at something specific, rather than having it burst out of me at odd times. We never finished our lessons, obviously, but I studied the Grimmerie while it was in my possession. I managed to retain some basic spells. I'm not sure how many of them I'll actually be able to pull off, but…" She trailed off, looking uneasy.

"What? What is it?" He prodded encouragingly.

She hesitated, then reached beneath the cloak into one of the pockets of her dress. She pulled out a folded piece of paper. "After I learned the effects of the spell I cast on Boq, I realized the one I cast on you might have a similar effect. See, I didn't cast a spell specifically to turn him to tin. I simply cast one so that he would not need a heart, or blood, and that's what it came out to be. That's what makes the Grimmerie so mysterious, I guess. I didn't know what exactly my spell would turn you into, but I assumed it would somehow alter your form. I knew it would be irreversible, but I realized that if there were spells to alter the form of humans, there must be spells to alter the form of others." She carefully unfolded the piece of paper. He could see foreign words scribbled upon it. "I didn't have much time before Glinda arrived at Kiamo Ko, but I managed to copy a spell that could help."

"Elphaba, you're amazing," he sputtered in disbelief. He felt both guilty and strangely elated that, as she waited to stage her surrender to the mob coming for her, she was worrying about him.

Elphaba shook her head sadly. "I'm far from amazing, Fiyero. I turned you into this. And what if this spell backfires and turns you into something even worse?"

"Hey," he said soothingly, reaching out to lay a hand on her cheek, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I told you, I don't mind living like this, since it means being alive at all. If you don't want to try the spell, then don't. I won't hold it against you in the slightest. But I do have faith in your ability, Elphaba. And I don't care what you turn me into, as long as we're together. That's all that matters to me."

Though her eyes remained sad and serious, he saw a small smile playing at her lips. "What if I turn you into a tea saucer?"

He couldn't help but smile. "Then you better carry me around very carefully so I don't break."

Her smile widened a bit before she broke from his gaze and looked at the ground, still clearly uncertain.

"We don't have to decide anything tonight, you know. Why don't you at least sleep on it?" He suggested.

Slowly, she looked up at him and nodded. "Okay."

He reached again into his bag and pulled out the remaining cloaks, spreading one for them to lie on and the other on top of them. He moved the bag with its remaining contents so it could serve as a pillow. Not the most comfortable arrangement, but it would have to do. Once they were situated, he reached out for Elphaba and was relieved when she came willingly into his arms, resting her head on his chest.

"You do at least make a pretty good pillow this way," she joked as the straw under his shirt sagged slightly under the weight of her head. He chuckled at her joke, though he could tell she had said it mostly for his benefit. Her voice still sounded impossibly sad to him. With all that she'd been through lately, he couldn't blame her. He knew he'd have to make her talk about it at some point, about everything, if only to simply make her work through the pain of it all, but tonight was not the night. They had a long journey ahead of them and plenty of time to talk. What they needed right now was rest.

So Fiyero ran his hand through her silky hair and tangled his fingers in its tresses before lowering a kiss to the crown of her head. He felt her sigh.

"Goodnight, Elphaba," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Fiyero."

Glinda stepped through the doorway of her room in the castle and quickly shut it behind her, wanting nothing more than to be alone. Slowly, without really thinking about it, she made her way over to the large window on the opposite wall and gazed down upon Oz. She could see the celebration had continued without her as she watched people clad in green and gold dancing along the yellow brick road and into the main square. Before she could stop herself, she wrenched the curtains shut with more force than was necessary, nearly pulling the curtain rods off the wall. Numbly, she turned from the window and allowed herself to sink to the floor, resting her back against the wall.

Truth be told, she didn't even know how she'd made it this far through the day. She supposed it was pure adrenaline that had pushed her through her banishing the wizard and imprisoning Madame Morrible. It was only when she was back in her bubble, pronouncing the death of the "Wicked Witch" that she felt her façade begin to crumble. She plastered a smile on her face and celebrated with her people as long as she was able before slipping away quietly into the palace. The ramifications of everything that had happened were just beginning to truly dawn on her. She was the ruler of Oz now, a job with so much more responsibility than the figurehead position she'd envisioned for herself when she began working in the Emerald City. She had never been into politics, that had always been Elphaba's realm.

A stab of pain hit her so suddenly and intensely, she nearly doubled over. Oh, Elphie. She hadn't allowed herself to relive what had happened at Kiamo Ko until this moment. She could still picture the fire that burned in her friend's eyes as she prepared herself to surrender. She could still hear Elphaba's voice, lacking its usual hard edge, as she spoke of how their friendship had changed her. She could still feel those slender arms hugging her in comfort, in farewell.

The tears started slowly, but once the flashes of what she'd seen through that curtain started to fill her mind, the floodgates opened. She cried because it was unfair that she should be sitting here, a world of possibility stretched before her, simply because she had been unwilling to make the brave sacrifices Elphaba had. She cried because she would have to go through the rest of her life lying about the purest and most incredible person she had ever known. She cried because every bone in her body ached to tell the world who had really restored a sense of peace and happiness to Oz. Mostly, though, she cried because she'd lost the only person in the world she truly cared about.

She would go on, she knew that. Tomorrow she would put on a cheerful face and she would begin the task of reversing the Animal bans. She would make sure that Elphaba hadn't died in vain. She would make Oz the place they had always dreamed it would be. She would do it for her friend, because it was the only thing she could do to honor her.

But for tonight at least, she would grieve.

Elphaba awoke with a start. Taking in her surroundings, she realized that she was still in the cave in the Elkin Forest and, judging from the soft breathing coming from above her head, Fiyero was still sleeping. As the haziness of sleep continued to fade from her, she tried to remember what had woken her so suddenly, for her exhausted and aching body was telling her that she couldn't possibly have slept more than a few hours. She knew it had been some kind of dream, but it seemed to be slipping rapidly from her mind. Focusing hard, she recalled feeling unbearable sadness and loss. And then, it suddenly came rushing back to her all at once. Glinda.

She still couldn't recall what she'd seen in the dream, but she remembered vividly how she'd felt. Her friend's grief had been palpable, overwhelming. Elphaba suddenly felt guilt flood her entire body. She had destroyed so many lives, trying to do good. And while she promised herself Glinda would be the last one she hurt, it didn't soothe the pain. She felt as if she was constantly being punished for something. Suffering through her unpleasant childhood and all the challenges that had come along with her verdigris had been bad enough. She hadn't realized then that watching the people she loved suffer would be so much worse. She would gladly take on their suffering in a heartbeat.

Suddenly, it was all too much. She felt as if she couldn't breathe. She bolted upright in the semi-darkness, rocking gently, trying desperately to dispel all the horrible thoughts and images from her mind. After a moment, her gaze had wandered back to Fiyero to see if she'd woken him. Seeing him slumbering on, she realized that his straw body probably couldn't feel the movement or the loss of her body's warmth against him. And then a realization struck her.

She reached into her pocket, extracting the folded piece of paper once again. There hadn't been anything she could do for Nessa, for Dr. Dillamond, and there was nothing she could do for Glinda now, but Fiyero… She'd been able to save him from the Gale Force and now she held the possibility of setting him right again in her hands. Though she'd been hesitant last night, it suddenly seemed utterly foolish not to at least try. And why not now, while he was sleeping? Save him any pain he may go through, as Chistery had when she'd forced those wings upon him. She'd made her decision. She quickly unfolded the piece of paper and took a deep breath before summoning all the power she had within her. As she had many times before, she chanted words of language she could yet couldn't understand all at once. She waved her hands over Fiyero's sleeping form as she repeated in the incantation, over and over again.

After several moments, her throat was beginning to go raw and her hands were growing tired. Just as she was about to give up, she heard something. It sounded almost like a rustling noise. It was hard to tell in the dimness of the cave, but she swore she saw straw falling to the ground. She quickly redoubled her concentration and kept repeating the spell. After several more minutes, she was forced to stop, having almost no energy left in her body. She'd forgotten how exhausting complex magic could be. She kept her eyes closed for a moment, terrified of what she would see when she opened them. Suddenly, she heard a movement from beneath her. She knew she'd woken Fiyero. Slowly, painfully, she forced her eyes open.

He was looking up at her, a confused expression written all over his face. His face! His dark skin had never looked so beautiful, even though she could see her spell-work had resulted in some slight scarring. To her, he was as perfect as he had ever been, if not more so. Before she could help herself, she felt her eyes fill with tears.

"Elphaba, what's wrong?" He asked, clearly concerned.

She let out a chuckle. "Nothing's wrong," she replied, as she reached for his hand and brought it up, within hers, into his line of vision. He continued to stare at her, perplexed, for a moment before he realized what she was showing him. His gaze shifted and his expression turned to one of awe. He brought his free hand up to feel the skin on his face before quickly unbuttoning his shirt and brushing the layer of straw away to reveal his utterly human chest. He looked back up at her, smiling wide, before completely engulfing her in his embrace.

"You did it. I knew you could do it," he whispered into her ear. She closed her eyes, allowing one solitary tear to escape, and let out a deep breath, feeling her little remaining energy leave with it. She sagged against Fiyero, allowing him to support all of her weight. He must have felt it, because he quickly tightened his hold around her.

"You okay?" He asked gently.

"I will be," she replied softly. "Sometimes complicated spells just sap my energy for a while."

"Well, then you should rest," he told her as he lowered them both back onto the cloak beneath them. With one arm, he held her tightly against him as the other reached down to cover them again with the cloak. He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "Sleep for as long as you need," he whispered into her ear. "I'll be right here."

That was all she needed to hear. She faded quickly into a dreamless slumber.

A/N: Okay, so this was mostly just a set-up chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. We haven't even begun to get to one of the major plot-points yet. Sorry if Fiyero's transition seemed abrupt, I just found I couldn't really right scarecrow Fiyero very well, it just disturbed me, so I decided to get that out of the way early. And also, I did some research on the original Wizard of Oz books and Ev was mentioned in some of them as a country near Oz, so I sort of just went with that. Everything about it is based on my imagination. Anyway, please review and I'll get the next chapter up soon!