The 'dollophead' thing in this chapter is a BBC Merlin reference. It's sort of nod to that show... because Fiyero and Elphaba sort of remind me of Merlin and Arthur (come on... the adorable, selfless, intelligent, kind, sarcastic one with magic and the hot, arrogant but secretly honourable, kind of dumb but not really, prince who adores the other one?). If you haven't watched Merlin, you totally should.

So anyway, here is it. The final chapter.

Chapter 10

They reached the edge of the forest not having said a word since Fiyero had stormed out of the library. Glinda had hopped nervously for half the walk, presumably trying to come up with some way to break the awkward silence, but she too had remained quiet. Only the dull sounds of the music from the party could be heard as they walked, and that too faded into the night as they neared their destination. The silence was almost strangling.

When they eventually reached the tall tree that invited them into the darkness of the unknown forest, Elphaba turned to look at her roommate with a mournful expression.

"I guess this is where we separate," she said quietly. Glinda's eyes filled with tears again.

"Oh Elphie!" She said, pulling the lanky girl into a hug, "I'm so sorry."

"It would have ended like this anyway," Elphaba said, smiling wanly, "At least this way we get to say goodbye."

The two remained in their embrace for a few minutes before they reluctantly separated.

"We will meet again." Elphaba wasn't sure if she was assuring Glinda or herself. "Someday, somehow we will. I promise."

Glinda nodded tearfully and then turned to Fiyero, whose angry expression had softened as he looked at her.

"Goodbye Fifi," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Goodbye Lin." Her kissed her softly on the cheek, "I will miss you."

"I'm sorry... for everything."

"Don't worry about it," he said, "At least this way, someone's true intentions were revealed."

The jibe was meant for Elphaba of course, but Fiyero refused to look in her direction as he said it. Elphaba didn't hear it either; she had wandered away from them, and was gazing into the forest with uneasiness.

"She must have had her reasons." Glinda said, softly.

"It doesn't matter." His jaw was stiff, "I don't want to talk about it."

Glinda's heart thudded painfully as she noticed the look in his eyes.

"You really do love her..." she sniffled, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Forget about it," he smiled bleakly.

"Be careful alright? Don't get caught." her voice trembled, "And if you do, let Elphaba do the lying because you suck at it."

He laughed, "I won't. Now get out of here. I don't want you to get in trouble as well."

Glinda sent him a small smile as she wiped her eyes. Then shooting Elphaba one last, long melancholic look, she turned around and headed back to the party.

Fiyero watched with a heavy heart as their friend disappeared into the foggy night.

x x x

It had officially been 27 minutes since Fiyero had last spoken to her. Elphaba felt pathetic that she had been counting.

She had told him about Kwox and how if they walked for six hours through the forest, they would reach a boat that could take them there. He had followed her dutifully as she led the way through the leafy forest paths, but the whole time he hadn't said a word. He just stared at the ground, avoiding muddy patches and tree roots with a dark expression on his face. As the loud clangs of a clock tower warned them that it was almost midnight, Elphaba made up her mind.

Alright, that's it, she thought as she watched him angrily swat at a fly, I have to get him to say something.

Ever since they had left the library she had wanted to say something. To explain. To tell him that she had attempted to tell him the truth... but every time she looked at his face she swallowed her words.

She had never seen him so angry before.

She'd seen him annoyed - getting red and flustered with an adorable scowl on his face. But this wasn't like that. His face was hard, his body was stiff and his eyes held a frosty stare.

He was absolutely furious.

And despite the fact that for some ungodly reason she was finding his rage incredibly attractive, she knew that she couldn't keep going like this. She couldn't bear the silent treatment.

So she had come up with three techniques to try to get him to forgive her - The Sorrowful Approach, The Joke and Being Firm. She hoped that she only had to use one, but seeing the way he was refusing to even look in her general direction, she highly doubted it.

"Fiyero."

The prince remained silent, his eyes fixed straight ahead at an upcoming canopy of leaves.

"Fiyero, I'm really sorry."

Nothing.

"I'm really, really sorry. It was a mistake. I... I was wrong. I know that now... but my intentions were good," she bit her thumbnail nervously, "Come on, please... you haven't even heard my side of it... you have to forgive me."

"I don't have to do anything," he snapped.

Well, at least he had spoken to her. But it was obvious that The Sorrowful Approach wasn't working.

"So," she began again, forcing a smile on her face, "Apart from the map, I have some clothes in my bag. It's not much, but I know you don't have anything, so feel free to borrow whatever you need. I have a blue skirt that will look really nice on you."

He finally turned to look at her. Unfortunately, it was to shoot her a glare.

"I didn't know I had to pack a bag," he said, icily, "Someone forgot to mention it to me."

She sent him a sheepish smile, "I think it works out for the best. The skirt matches your eyes."

His blue skirt-matching-eyes narrowed, "You think this is funny?"

"No," she said, meekly.

So The Joke had failed too. She was reluctant about the Being Firm technique, but the stifling silence reminded her that she didn't really have much of a choice. It was all she had left. She steeled herself.

"Come on, Fiyero," she said, "Snap out of it."

The prince stopped dead in his tracks, immediately making her regret her words.

"Snap out of it? Oh yes, clearly, I'm being unreasonable." His eyes flashed. Sarcasm dripped thickly from his each word. "Clearly the fact that you were planning on running away without saying goodbye to me is something I should just laugh about. Ha ha. There I was, confessing that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and all the while you were planning on running away and never seeing me again. So had my ex-girlfriend not ratted us out to Madame Morrible, I would have been stuck in that stupid party wondering where you were, while you were off traipsing in the woods, perfectly content with having just abandoned me. But you're right. Things are peachy. I should just snap out of it."

The wounded expression that had suddenly appeared on his face shook her. She could deal with his anger, but seeing the undisguised pain in his eyes forced her back into silence. They continued walking, neither of them looking at each other.

It wasn't long before it started pouring - large, cold drops of rain that slithered down both their backs as they trudged through the wet mud. They had been walking for a hour and a half when they finally reached a small, grassy clearing. Sore and cold, Elphaba had suggested that they take a break and get their energy back. Without waiting for his response she sat down on the cold ground, clutching her arms in an attempt to stop shivering. Fiyero had wordlessly handed her his jacket, before sitting down on a dead tree trunk at the other end of the clearing.

She put on the jacket, slowly, relishing the warmth and the smell. She watched Fiyero on the tree trunk as he gazed off into the darkness, his mind elsewhere, the tormented expression still in his eyes.

She thought back to what he had said about wanting to be with her forever. How did the concept of having to spend his whole life with one person not terrify him? How did he not get shudders at the idea of having to see her face every single morning till the day he died? But the more she looked at him - the way the raindrops ran down his face, plastering his blonde hair to his forehead before settling down on his eyelashes - the more she realized that spending her life without him was a far more terrifying concept.

Oh Fiyero, she sighed to herself, I do love you.

The realization didn't startle her. She wondered if that meant she had been in love with him all along.

A crow landed on the tree trunk next to Fiyero. As soon as he spotted it, his eyes got wide and he tried to scramble away from it, but in his haste he fell over. The bird, sensing the commotion, flapped away... which just ended up frightening Fiyero more. He gasped, shielding his face with his arms. Elphaba tried to hold back her laughter, but failed. Hearing her giggles, he turned and gave her a scowl. Then he resolutely sat on the ground, pretending like it had never happened.

Getting up, she walked quietly over to his side. She sat down beside him, drew her legs up to her chest and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't flinch away, which she took as a good sign.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to give up your whole life in Oz for this," she said finally, "I didn't want you to have to spend the rest of your life with the green girl."

"But that's what I want." All the harshness was gone from his voice. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Why don't you understand that?"

"I didn't know that before tonight. Before the party I didn't even know if you had feelings for me."

"Whatever it is... the fact still remains that both of us broke into the office. We were in on it together. You could have at least told me what you were planning on doing," his voice cracked slightly, "I would never have seen you again."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I'm a loser."

He rested his head on hers.

"You're not a loser."

"No?"

"You're a... a dollophead."

"That's not even a word."

"It is."

"Define it."

"Elphaba Thropp."

She giggled. "You're an idiot."

But she huddled closer to him. The sudden warmth between them made the cold, desolate rain seem insignificant.

"I love you," she said finally, "I didn't say it before... because I didn't know if I did. But I know now. I love you.

He smiled, "I already knew that."

"How? I didn't know it until a few minutes ago."

"But I did," he kissed the top of her head, "Because it's fate. Whatever happens or happened or will happen doesn't matter because we're meant to be together. Even if things had gone differently. Even if... Glinda and I had been engaged... and you had run away without saying goodbye and become a fugitive... and I had started working for the Wizard... someway, somehow you and I would have still ended up together."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I can feel it. I'm not going to say I knew it from the beginning, but somewhere along the way it hit me. You were never meant to just be anybody to me. And look how things worked out... you were planning on running away without telling me and we still ended up together."

She sat up and looked into his eyes which were filled with contentment despite the fact that they were both soaking wet and cold and covered in mud.

"It's fate that you and I ended up together, Elphaba, and nothing anyone can say or do will ever change that."

x x x

A gruff voice startled Elphaba awake. She looked around, trying to figure out whether she had actually heard it or whether it was from a fleeting dream.

"Fiyero," she hissed, shaking the prince's shoulder.

He sat up, blearily.

"Oh crap," he said, rubbing his eyes, "We fell asleep."

She placed a hand over his mouth. They listened intently, but there was nothing apart from the sounds of the forest.

"What is it?" he whispered, moving her hand out of the way.

"I... heard something."

"What?"

"A man's voice."

"What was he saying?"

"I couldn't tell."

She stood up and walked towards some of the trees.

"You must have been dre..."

The sound of leaves rustling made Fiyero fall silent. He looked wide-eyed at Elphaba.

There's someone there.

"Get them!"

Dozens of men in matching Emerald uniforms burst from the trees around them, rifles clutched in their hands. Fiyero scrambled to his feet and joined Elphaba at the edge of the clearing. The men were coming at them from all sides.

No

Elphaba looked around wildly

No no no!

The men were aiming their rifles at their stomachs.

"Don't try anything." One of them commanded, "We are arresting you on behalf of the Wizard of Oz."

"The Wizard will be here soon." Another one said.

"He's here already." The first one said, "He'll want to talk to them. Seize them."

The men lunged at them. Elphaba side-stepped the one who tried to grab her, but Fiyero wasn't so lucky. One of the men grabbed hold of his arms, kicking him in the back so that he fell onto his knees.

No!

Another man tried to grab Elphaba, but she pushed his rifle forcefully, causing him to fall backwards over a large rock.

They were coming towards her now, the whole hoard, their eyes staring menacingly at her.

"You might as well give up, girlie, we have guns... and we're not afraid to use them." One of them snarled.

"You can't kill me," she tried to sound resolute, but her voice was trembling, "You just said the Wizard wanted to see me alive."

"He wanted to see one of you alive," the man shrugged.

Suddenly, the man holding Fiyero kicked him in the back. The one next to him pressed his gun against the prince's head.

"I'm sure the Wizard won't miss this one."

Fiyero struggled against the man holding his arms, but the gun pressed against his temple made his movements weak.

"It doesn't matter," he called out to her, "Run. Let them do whatever they want to me, don't let them catch you!"

The men were coming closer to her now, arms and rifles outstretched.

"There's nothing you can do now, girl. You might as well come quietly."

"NO!" She screamed.

The sparks shot out of her fingers without warning. All the men were thrown back, their rifles falling from their hands, their eyes glazed. Their limbs began spazzing out of control. The man holding Fiyero fell on top of him, legs flailing. Elphaba was gasping, suddenly weak. Grunting under the weight of the man, Fiyero pushed him off and then ran towards her, grabbing her hand.

The next thing she knew the two of them were racing down the forest path, ducking past branches and running through puddles of water. She felt drained, empty almost... but she ran manically, knowing only that she had to get away.

Eventually they stopped, crumpling onto the ground in exhaustion.

"That... thing... that you do. It never fails to amaze me." Fiyero wheezed.

Elphaba's eyes were wide.

"They were going to kill you," she said, almost mechanically, "They were going to shoot you in the head."

"Yes, and you saved me."

She turned to him, her features distraught.

"No you don't understand, Fiyero! I didn't plan any of this!" Her eyes were filling with tears, "I don't know what I'm doing! Are we kidding ourselves? We'll never get out of this alive! They'll come after us, and I don't have the energy to ward them off again!"

"Hey... " He pulled her into a hug. He was trying to seem brave, but she could feel him shaking, "We'll figure something out."

"The Wizard is here," she mumbled into his shirt, "We'll never get away now."

"The Wizard needed your magic, remember? I don't think he's as powerful as everyone thinks he is."

"That doesn't matter."

She pulled away from him, her eyes still stricken. "I don't have a plan! Even if we do manage to get away from them, what will we do? We have to live, don't we? We have to earn!"

He gave her a faint smile, "We can go to the fair."

"Huh?"

"And use my... what was that you said? Oh yeah... use the air in my empty head to blow up balloons. And we can sell them and get money."

Despite everything, she couldn't prevent a small laugh. Fiyero held her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"It doesn't matter what happens, alright? We're together and we'll keep trying till the very end."

"But how will we outrun them? How will we get away?"

"I guess all we have to do is keep running."

She gave him a doubtful look and he shrugged, "My head is filled with air, what ideas do you expect me to have?"

She shook her head, "There are men trying to kill us and you're still making jokes."

"What can I say? I love to hear you laugh."

She smiled determinedly at him, "Alright, let's do it. Let's run."

"Which way is that boat?"

Elphaba realized with a rush of dread that she had dropped her bag when the men attacked them... and by default, that meant that she had dropped the map too.

"I lost the map!" She cried, her hand flying to her mouth, "What do we do?"

"Uhh," Fiyero looked around the area, "Alright, you check that side and I'll check this side... tell me if you see any sign of a way out of the forest."

She nodded and they separated. Gingerly, she walked through a set of large trees on the right. Pushing through branches and bushes, she found herself in a large, grassy clearing.

What was waiting for her there, however, was something she hadn't expected.

Not in a million years.

"Fiyero!" she screamed, "Fiyero, come here!"

Standing before her, with bold red and white stripes stood a hot air balloon. 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' its large dome proclaimed. The basket below, however, was empty.

Completely empty.

Fiyero emerged from the trees, almost crashing into her.

"What is..."

"We found our way out."

His eyes got wide as he gazed at the object before him.

"What do you know, it's a balloon."

The End

Hope you liked it.

And yes, I have actually planned a sequel. I had this image of Fiyero and Elphaba as a married couple and it was so adorable I decided I had to write a short sequel. But I began thinking about it a lot and it turned into a full-fledged story. So yeah, it's probably not going to be as short as I had initially thought (But then again, Balloons was supposed to be only 3 chapters long and now its 10, so the sequel probably was never going to be short anyway).

But yes, I had a few questions... a) would you guys be interested in reading a sequel set about 3 years in the future? and b) if yes, then what jobs do you think Fiyero and Elphaba would have if they lived in a small town?

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited my story. I absolutely love you guys... particularly those of you who have been commenting regularly. Thank you so much.